Chapter 295 169: The So-called Elixir of Immortality! Sacrificial Ritual! Clues Presented by the Body

Generally speaking, this concept wasn't established by modern medicine. It's existed since ancient times, and if you trace it back, no one knows exactly when it began.

"Adrenochrome..."

The room fell deathly silent. Only a few people, unable to suppress the chill in their hearts, began to murmur.

"To be precise, it's not actually adrenochrome. That's just a term used to describe it."

Xu Huo offered helpfully, and the people around him fell even deeper into silence.

This whole thing sounded like the West's Loli Island, or one of those Sex Slave Islands. It was highly likely they were running an operation like that to service various powerful figures and celebrities.

Of course, it happened in the East, too. For example, the Nth Room case in Korea.

"Does this stuff even work!?"

Li Jianye couldn't take it anymore. His face was a mask of confusion, like a traveler lost in the desert with no idea which way to turn.

"Who knows if it actually works."

Xu Huo shook his head.

"Then why are they doing it!?"

Li Jianye was even more baffled.

"They don't even know if it works..."

"Captain Li, most skincare products aren't as effective as just getting a good night's sleep, but that doesn't stop them from being one of the most profitable industries of the twenty-first century."

"Health supplements are a total scam. As long as they don't kill you, they're considered 'good medicine,' yet countless people have bankrupted themselves buying them."

"A police officer can stand right next to someone and tell them the person on the phone is a scammer, but the moment the officer leaves, they fall for the scam anyway."

"There are so many gullible people in this world that there aren't enough scammers to go around,"

Xu Huo said, shaking his head.

"The percentage of the population with even mild intellectual disabilities is a frightening number!"

"But that doesn't stop some of those people from becoming rich, climbing the social ladder, or getting into prestigious universities."

Li Jianye was speechless, as was Chu Linhai.

The police encounter more people with mild intellectual disabilities than the average person does, especially patrol officers. Dealing with them can be incredibly frustrating.

Furthermore...

"Captain Li, what do you think about superstition?"

Xu Huo suddenly changed the subject, steering their discussion in a new direction.

"Superstition?"

Before Li Jianye could speak, Chu Linhai chimed in.

"Obviously, it's misguided."

"Right, it's misguided. But do people believe in it?" Xu Huo asked.

"They do. A lot of them."

"And does that include the wealthy?" Xu Huo pressed.

At this, the others fell silent, unable to offer a response.

'Does it include them?'

'Of course it does.'

In Xu Huo's past life, there was a man in the southeastern part of the country known as the "Dragon King," a master famous even overseas.

If you were to look up the disciples of this Dragon King, and the people who wanted to become his disciples...

The names on that list would shock you.

Besides that, practices like raising ghosts, keeping a Ghost Child, or using Yin Tokens... plenty of people in the entertainment industry dabble in that stuff.

The most obvious example is over in the harbor regions; people there are even more superstitious.

Foundation sacrifices, burial geomancy, real estate feng shui—they use those practices the most over there...

Of course, if you think it's just your average rich person or small-time businessman doing this...

"You two should know about that ferry sinking incident in Korea, right, Director Chu? Captain Li?"

Xu Huo added.

This time, both men went completely quiet.

What was that ferry sinking incident in Korea?

Nothing special. Just a ferry that sank, causing the deaths of several hundred people.

A straightforward maritime disaster, but what if I told you...

...that incidents like this happen with chilling regularity?

And that the direct cause of the deaths, the captain's announcements, and the actions of the rescue personnel were all outrageously absurd?

Furthermore, there's a certain club overseas that brings together the world's top tycoons and the heads of various "societies."

And when they gather, aside from hedonistic pleasures, they also hold "human sacrifice rituals."

"Although we don't have that sort of thing here in the country."

"But... who's to say for sure?"

Xu Huo said in a low voice, and the hearts of the few people around him leaped into their throats.

Chu Linhai's expression grew grim. "Jiangsan City is a coastal city. It has ports and harbors, and excellent transportation links. It would be incredibly difficult to track..."

"And we can't even be sure it's happening within the country..."

Excellent transportation links mean it's easy to get here.

Easy access means a transient population, and a transient population is hard to investigate.

"Actually, it's not that hard to investigate."

Xu Huo shook his head.

"First, let's assume the killers are victims of this kind of operation. The fact that their group was able to get to Jiangsan City rules out the possibility that they came from abroad."

The government's control over customs is extremely strict.

Anyone who's been through customs knows how complicated the identity verification process is, just to get from the entrance to the exit, not to mention how long the corridors are.

And that's not even considering that the killers would have to bring animals with them.

"So, the 'from abroad' option is out."

"My initial assessment is that they're domestic. But as for where in the country..."

Xu Huo paused, then shook his head.

"That, I don't know. If we could use the same police force the Capital City deployed for last month's lockdown, and keep the search going for a few months, we could probably get to the bottom of it."

"But the problem is, that's impossible in itself..."

The police force the Capital City used back then was insane. With that kind of manpower, solving any major case would just be a matter of time.

If we could apply that kind of resource to track their origins in this case, we could definitely crack it.

Unfortunately, the investment in manpower and resources would be too great. The Capital City's police force would be stretched thin in the short term. It's a method you'd only use if you didn't care about the cost.

Besides, the Capital City is dirt poor these days. There's no way they could use that approach...

"This is tough..."

Chu Linhai sighed, his mind racing for a counter-strategy.

After a long pause, he said:

"For now, we have no information confirming the children were taken for this purpose."