Chapter 252: I Found a Penny by the Roadside "Well then, keep up the good work at your post. I'll be heading off," Aiden said, preparing to leave for his appointment after greeting his subordinate. "Be careful entering and exiting the prison; it's really not very peaceful around here lately." "Don't worry, Warden, I'll be fine," Veronica replied instinctively. This confidence stemmed from years of habit; after all, as a pure-blood werewolf, she possessed the strength to take down an A-class fugitive head-on. But Aiden, who was about to turn away, reminded her with a serious expression, "Don't take your safety lightly. Seeing you actually worries me." He meant it. Although Veronica had combat prowess comparable to a demon beast, the enemy lurking in the shadows this time was the God of Death's Agent, capable of killing any living creature with a mere touch. A werewolf's body was tough; external wounds and blood loss fatal to humans might not kill them, their resistance to poisons was far superior, and their resistance to curses was absurdly high—but that didn't mean they couldn't die. The "Reaping" power itself was a concept of death; once activated, a feasible method of death for the target would manifest upon them. Werewolf or blood-kin, any individual possessing the concept of death could hardly escape it. Naturally, Veronica didn't grasp this deeper meaning. She paused upon hearing his words. "Worried about me?" Very few people had ever worried about her personal safety, including herself. Even when she was a mounted police officer facing hordes of bandits and gangsters alone, or apprehending A-class fugitives—because she was a formidable pure-blood werewolf, a consensus even she acknowledged. Now, the man before her was explicitly worrying about her safety, leaving Veronica feeling somewhat disconcerted. Such concern from others might feel slightly like meddling, but in her heart, her current superior had always been stronger than her—after all, she couldn't capture a Prince-level blood-kin single-handedly. At least, this concern coming from Aiden didn't feel unnatural at all. "Didn't you hear what I got out of that vampire yesterday? The person directing her can kill just by touching someone. I'm not exaggerating; I've investigated. That kind of power is obtained by killing people and sacrificing them to an evil god. Even a werewolf couldn't withstand it," Aiden said earnestly. "These days, be extra careful around strangers, try to avoid physical contact... Remember to tell everyone else, understand?" "Oh..." Veronica felt her face flush slightly. "Got it!" Veronica quickly nodded. Newest update provided by NoveI★Fire.net "Good. I really have to go now," Aiden felt the time was about right and waved his hand. "Okay..." Although she really wanted to say even just one more word to him, considering she was only minutes away from being officially late, Veronica could only watch her superior leave, then turn and walk quickly towards the prison. Just as she was about to turn into the narrow path leading to the prison's side gate, someone called out to her from a distance: "Please wait." A woman dressed in black, wearing a sun hat, walked towards her. "Stay right there, don't move," Veronica immediately became alert. She had just parted ways with her superior; Aiden's warning was still ringing in her ears. "Huh?" The woman seemed startled by her expression and words. "If you have something to say, just say it," Veronica asked in a businesslike tone, maintaining a distance of about ten steps. "Excuse me, are you a guard working at this prison?" the woman asked timidly. "Yes," Veronica sized up the woman before her. "Visiting hours are over. What are you doing near the prison?" With the Inquisition patrolling and setting up checkpoints nearby, there were likely no casual strollers on this road today; even normally, few people passed this way. Conversely, someone with a suspicious identity should also find it difficult to appear near the prison right now. "Ah, actually, I just finished visiting family and was about to take a carriage back..." The woman held out a small leather wallet. "Then I found this under the lamppost over there. I don't know who dropped it. Could I hand it over to you to handle?" "Lost property?" Veronica blinked. "Have you checked what's inside?" "Just some cash..." the woman replied. Veronica relaxed slightly. Finding valuables on the street and handing them over to a police officer working at a nearby facility was a normal action. Moreover, the wallet likely belonged to another visitor to the prison. The side gate here was exclusively for guards' entry and exit; it wasn't strange for the woman to recognize her as a guard seeing her turn this way. While vigilance was necessary, being so paranoid as to cut off all contact with prison visitors would make normal work difficult. However, Veronica still maintained her boundary of not letting the woman touch her. After putting on white gloves, she extended her hand towards the woman. "Alright, toss it over. I'll take it to the lost and found for you." "Okay," the woman said, tossing the wallet. Veronica habitually focused her gaze on the wallet tracing its parabola through the air, failing to notice the subtle, sinister smirk appearing on the woman's lips opposite her. Suddenly, a bat swooped down rapidly, colliding squarely with the wallet, causing it to drop to the ground between them. The black-clad woman's face instantly darkened. Simultaneously, a wisp of grey smoke drifted out from the wallet, quickly transforming into a grey bat that flapped its wings and flew straight towards Veronica's face. Veronica reflexively reached out to grab it. Strange "squeaks" suddenly erupted behind her as several more black bats shot past her shoulders from behind. One black bat collided head-on with the grey bat emerging from the wallet, both plummeting to the ground. The remaining black bats converged on the black-clad woman. The woman instinctively covered her face defensively, but the bats veered away just before reaching her, merely circling around her without making contact. "Veronica, get out of the way!!" a sharp shout suddenly rang out from behind. It was Aiden's voice. Veronica's body reacted before her mind could process, moving sideways to clear the space while simultaneously looking in that direction—Aiden was aiming his gun this way. A gunshot exploded. The bullet left the chamber. The black-clad woman was hit in the shoulder, immediately losing balance as if forcefully pushed, and fell sideways onto the ground. "Warden!?" Veronica was stunned by her superior's sudden lethal action.