Gargoyle Supremacy

Chapter 40 - My Mother Doesn't Want Me to Be a Serial Murderer, So I Accidentally Free Some Dangerous Entities?

Wong worked fast. Within two hours, her mysterious colleague sent an email containing detailed information about Jasmine. Wong printed the documents, carefully read through them, and then brought the stack to Carn's room.

She handed him the papers, then sat down at his desk. For once, she dropped her thick accent and spoke in a clear American tone, which was a habit she reserved for moments when she was genuinely concerned about Carn's safety.

"That woman's a veteran gold digger and a mad scientist. No wonder she can afford to live in this district."

Carn, seated on his bed, began flipping through the files. He smirked, impressed by how well-organized the information was.

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Name: Jasmine Snowcreak

Career: Class-B ECD Researcher

Achievements:

February 2014 - June 2015

Contributed to joint research on object ECD-77, discovering radiation particles useful for enhancing battle suits and cybernetic augmentations.

December 2015 

Participated in the experiment involving object ECD-145 but was injured during the INCD-145-1 incident, resulting in a concussion and a year-long hospitalization.

April 2017 - May 2017

Volunteered as a subject for further testing on object ECD-145 to demonstrate its practical applications.

June 2017 

Despite the failure of ECD-145 experiments, she was promoted to Class-B researcher in recognition of her contributions.

February 2019 – Present

Participated in the augmentation program by undergoing experimental injections of ECD-77-7 into her bloodstream. The experiment remains ongoing, with periodic evaluations. She has been granted permission to return to the surface to acclimate to her altered constitution under controlled observation.

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Scandals and Suspicious Activities:

May–September 2010

Details: Jasmine divorced her first husband, Almond Snowman, who was later convicted of running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded elderly farmers of over two million dollars. During the trial, she received their house and car, while Almond retained ownership of his mini-mart business.

Outcome: Authorities failed to find direct evidence linking Jasmine to the scheme, even though Almond claimed he was framed and accused her of orchestrating it. Jasmine denied involvement and pleaded not guilty. The court sided with her. Meanwhile, Almond's mini-mart went bankrupt after Jasmine emptied their shared savings account before the divorce.

Note: Only 1.5 million of the stolen funds were recovered. The remaining amount disappeared into an anonymous Russian bank account. A year later, Jasmine's personal bank account saw a deposit of one million dollars, transferred from a Swiss bank.

August–November 2012

Details: Jasmine filed a lawsuit against her second husband, Fern Goodman, accusing him of adultery and domestic violence.

Outcome: While the evidence she presented—photos and audio recordings—were revealed to be fabricated, Fern's alleged mistresses, Jessica Lee and Sakura Narugami, testified against him. This testimony forced Fern to pay three million dollars in damages, split between Jasmine and the two women.

Note: Jessica Lee and Sakura Narugami were arrested in 2013 for fraud, prostitution, and catfishing. A subsequent investigation reviewed all cases involving them, but Fern's life had already been destroyed. While in prison, he became entangled with a cartel, resulting in him being permanently crippled.

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The scandal activities went on. Jasmine got involved in seven suspicious cases of fraudulence and lawsuits, but she somehow managed to escape every time. She still had several warrants on her because of these cases. But due to her ECD researcher status, no police could apprehend her as long as she continued working in this district. 

Carn leaned back in his chair, skimming over the data. Jasmine's dark history stretched further than he'd imagined, her timeline filled with scandals, manipulation, and suspicious achievements. With a bitter laugh, he muttered.

"A veteran gold digger and a professional victim."

Wong's sharp eyes bore into him. She wasn't amused by his commentary. Instead, her voice took on an unusually serious tone. Her American accent surfaced again as she spoke.

"Don't kill her. Let the authorities handle this."

Carn raised his eyebrows, taken aback.

"I never said I wanted to kill her!"

Wong folded her arms, "I know you killed your teacher and got away with it. I taught you to not get caught, not to turn into Dexter."

Carn froze. Goosebumps rose on his skin. He opened his mouth to protest but was cut off.

"Mom, I-"

Wong's voice was firm as she interrupted, leaving no room for debate.

"I heard about the tracker incident from your father and what your teacher did. I don't know every detail of how you handled it, but I know it was you."

"Wait, I didn't-"

Again, Wong stopped him, "You killed a robber. You killed a monster. You even beat up your classmates. Now, you killed your teacher. I can overlook one or two cases, but I won't harbor a serial killer in this house. Next time you deliberately kill someone, I'll disown you. Understand?"

Carn shut his mouth, frowning. Her accusations weren't far from the truth. His past was bloodstained, leaving little room for denial.

But Wong's next words surprised him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Her usual thick accent returned as if she'd flipped a switch.

"But for this bitch, I give you permission to ruin her. Remember, no killing. A good beating is okay. Man beat scamming bitch, I no problem. I believe in gender equality beating. After good beating, hand her over to the MPs. I'll 'fix' some evidence, same as this bitch did to her ex-husbands."

"Huh?" Carn's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me! Beat her up, and beat her good. No funny business. No put your penis in her vagina. Be a bitch beater doctor, not a vagina man doctor. I want grandchildren, but I not want daughter-bitch-in-law older than me, lah!"

"Er-"

"Also, get a girlfriend already. Make a baby and get a shotgun wedding. I want someone to help me wash dishes and cook dinner, lah!"

Without waiting for his response, Wong turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Carn in stunned silence.

His mind spun.

What a feisty mother… How did Dad even manage to tame her? Or was it the other way around?

Still, the situation left him in a bind. The divine spirit wanted Jasmine dead, but his mother had threatened to kick him out if he killed her. His only option was to walk a fine line between both demands.

He sighed and rechecked the files, narrowing his focus to Jasmine's achievements rather than her crimes. The divine spirit's obsession with her seemed to hint at something deeper.

His eyes scanned the mentions of ECD-77 and ECD-145, specifically the reports of ECD-77-7, a substance Jasmine had injected into her bloodstream as part of an augmentation program.

It didn't add up. When Carn met her in the church parking lot, he hadn't detected anything unusual about her presence or aura.

"Did they get their hands on a holy artifact or something? Is there something I missed?" Carn muttered in frustration.

His thoughts drifted to Inquisitor Rosa. If anyone had insights into the divine spirits or the mysterious ECD substances, it was her. 

The problem was getting in touch with her. Visiting the ECD facility was out of the question, for he didn't have the clearance or the suicidal tendencies to try sneaking in.

That left telepathy, which was his only viable option. But the cost of a long-distance telepathic call was 10 silver marks for just a single minute, steeper than what he could afford. Carn winced, the very thought of spending his hard-earned Aether marks hurt his brain.

Deciding to clear his head, he walked to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, he let the sunlight flood the room—except it didn't.

The light was blocked.

Carn froze. Outside the second-floor window, a figure loomed, staring into his room. The statue-like silhouette of a priestess stood unnervingly still on the balcony.

It was Rosa.

"$#@@!!" Carn stumbled back, nearly tripping over himself. He clenched his fists to stifle the curse that threatened to escape.

Rosa's serene smile widened as she greeted him via telepathy. Her voice echoed in his mind.

"I heard your prayer and came as fast as I could. Would you like me to guide you to the path of the light?"

Carn scrambled back to his feet, pointing an accusatory finger at her. 

"Jesus f-cking Christ, Inquisitor! Haven't I told you a thousand times to quit using that jumpscare technique on your comrades?! I almost had a heart attack!"

Rosa tilted her head, pouting like a scolded child.

"But I've been standing here since before those divine spirits even arrived," she countered, as though that made it any better.

Carn pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling under his breath, before deciding to move past the issue.

"How did you even get out of the facility? I thought they had you completely trapped in that hellhole."

Rosa's smile turned smug.

"Oh, that was simple. I paid the Elder Mother Tree's branch a little visit and asked him nicely to disable a few devices. And poof! Here I am."

Carn blinked as his brain momentarily short-circuited. He stared at her, speechless.

This made him think of a certain video game he had played, which involved a breached containment zone and catastrophic fallout. He prayed in silence that the facility's employees were safe.

As if summoned by his thoughts, an ear-splitting siren blared in the distance. Moments later, a crackling voice came through an emergency broadcast system.

[Attention, all residents. This is an urgent notification from the ECD Facility Management Team. We are currently experiencing a containment breach involving several classified ECD entities. For your safety, we strongly advise all individuals to remain indoors and secure all entrances to your homes or shelters.]

[Do not approach any unidentified individuals, objects, or phenomena, and report any unusual activity immediately to the authorities or the ECD emergency hotline.]

[This is not a drill. We are working diligently to resolve the situation and will provide further updates as they become available. Stay safe and remain vigilant. Thank you for your cooperation.]

[I repeat. Emergency Broadcast from the ECD Facility Management Team, Attention, all residents...]

Carn dully stared at Rosa.

The Inquisitor brightly smiled like an innocent child, "That wasn't me."

Carn's eye twitched. This girl…