In an instant, all the hairs on Patton's body stood up.

Although he couldn't be sure that what he smelled was blood, his slightly abnormal inspiration told him that it was the smell of blood.

Did Vernal meet with misfortune? Like the archaeological team I was in? No, there was no blood residue on the envelope, so how could it smell bloody? After a brief, extreme fear, Barton stood up.

As an ordinary person, facing such a thing, he has only one instinctive reaction.

That means calling the police!

Barton just left his seat with the envelope in his hand when he suddenly remembered something:

The "Loen Antiquities Collection and Protection Foundation" has clear regulations on how to deal with similar situations - if a project encounters terrifying or incomprehensible phenomena, everything should be stopped immediately and reported to the "Compliance Department", and they will be responsible for the follow-up.

Patton never quite understood why he had to go to the "Compliance Department". In his understanding, this was a department that dealt with clauses and reviewed whether projects had any violations, and it had nothing to do with dealing with unknown dangers.

However, when the founder of the foundation, Miss Audrey Hall, reviewed the internal work rules, she did not make too many changes and only added this one clause, so the senior management were unwilling to argue with her about it.

Obviously, I would rather go see the security director... Patton muttered as he walked out of the office and made his way to the "Compliance Department" at the end of the corridor.

Knock, knock, knock! He tried to calm himself down and knocked on the door three times in a gentlemanly manner.

"Come in." A nondescript voice came from inside.

Frankly speaking, Barton knew almost nothing about his colleagues in the "Compliance Department". He only knew that they were ruthless and quick to act, catching one internal pest after another who defrauded the foundation's funding.

Taking a deep breath, Barton turned the handle and pushed open the door.

In his imagination, the "Compliance Department" should work in an extremely dark environment. Everyone remains silent, whispering to each other from time to time to decide the fate of a project and its person in charge. However, the first thing that caught his eye was the bright sunshine, colorful furnishings and the grand and bright layout.

"What can I do for you?" An employee from the Compliance Department with black hair and brown eyes, who looked unremarkable in appearance, came up to them.

He was wearing a heavy black woolen coat, which seemed not to be able to withstand the damp and cold winter climate in Eastchester.

In addition, Barton noticed that the "Compliance Department" employee's accent was more like Backlund. He was either born there or had lived there for a long time.

Not so cold, mechanical, difficult to get along with, and even friendly... Barton had a similar thought and spoke hastily:

“One of our partners seems to be having issues!

"The letter he sent only had an envelope, no content, and it smelled a bit of blood."

The employee from the "Compliance Department" didn't show any change in expression, and nodded slightly.

"Show me the envelope."

Patton then handed over the "letter" from archaeologist Vernal.

It was only at this time that he realized that he had been a little rude, and hurriedly asked:

"I'm sorry, what should I call you?"

The "Compliance Department" employee held the envelope up to the sun, read it carefully, and answered casually:

"Pacheco Dawn, deputy director of the Compliance Department, a senior attorney. You can just call me Pacheco."

Without waiting for Barton to respond, Pacheco lowered his arm and said with a serious expression:

“There are definitely some anomalies.

"Preliminary judgment is that this letter came from the Clough Hotel in the city. I once lived there for a period of time and I know that they like to print lavender castle patterns on special envelopes and letter paper."

"Do we need to call the police?" Patton asked.

Pacheco shook his head.

“Not yet, let’s go to the scene to confirm the situation first.

"This requires some help from you. I don't know that partner."

"...Okay, I'll go with you." Barton replied hesitantly.

After leaving the Loen Antiquities Collection and Protection Foundation and boarding a rented carriage, Barton saw that the scene was somewhat silent and awkward, so he took the initiative to ask:

"Pacheco, are you from Backlund?"

"No." Pacheco shook his head. "I'm from Jianhai County. I've only lived in Backlund for nearly fifteen years."

"Why did you leave Backlund? I heard that it is the best city for lawyers to grow up in." Barton chatted casually.

Pacheco smiled and said:

“But it’s also very competitive there.

"Okay, just kidding. I used to be the personal lawyer and partner of steam-powered car tycoon Franmi Cage. Later, he invested in and established the Backlund Bicycle Company, and I began to serve as the company's legal advisor."

Patton suddenly realized:

"Miss Audrey owns a large stake in this company. Do you know her because of this?"

"Yes." Pacheco sighed and said, "In the previous war, Franmi unfortunately passed away, and his industry was caught up in disputes among many parties. As his friend, I helped his widow and children to obtain a considerable share, which offended some people, making my situation in Backlund difficult. Fortunately, at this time, Miss Audrey extended an olive branch and invited me to Eastchester County, to work at the Foundation, as the deputy director of the 'Compliance Department'."

Seeing that Pacheco even told him such things, Barton felt that he was more friendly.

He asked with a little doubt:

“Why are you targeted? You were just fulfilling your duty as a friend and lawyer.

"Those people should target Franmi Cage's widow and children."

Pacheco laughed at himself and said:

“I used some unfair methods.

"Besides, Franmi's widow and children are being taken care of by other friends."

As they chatted, the cab arrived at the Clough Inn in the center of Stoen.

The location of this hotel is very good. The neighborhood where it is located is beautiful and very quiet, and it only takes ten minutes to walk to some of the busiest streets in the city.

After entering the hotel and finding the owner, Pacheco asked directly:

"We are here to find a friend named Vernal."

Through previous casual conversation, he already had a general idea of ​​the target.

The boss frowned in confusion:

"If I remember correctly, there should be no customer named Vernal staying here."

Upon hearing this, Barton hurriedly added:

"He is a little taller than me, looks very strong, his nose is always red, and he often smells of alcohol..."

He described Vernal's physical features in detail.

The boss recalled and looked at the waiter next to him.

"There is such a guest." The waiter replied immediately, "He lives in No. 309."

Led by the waiter, Barton and Pacheco came to the outside of Vernal's room and knocked on the wooden door.

The sound of "dong dong dong" echoed in the room, but there was no movement at all.

Just as Barton was about to suggest calling the police again, Pacheco suddenly bent down and picked up a handful of white, soft hair from the gap at the bottom of the door.

No, these are not hairs, they are closer to condensation of mist.

With the touch of Pacheco's fingers, they diffused and merged into the surrounding air.

At the same time, Barton, whose inspiration was a little different from that of an ordinary person, vaguely heard a faint male voice:

"Tamara... Tamara..."