Snapping back to his senses, Felix quickly picked up his phone. He was relieved to find it undamaged. Alistair''s voice was still on the line.


    "Alistair, I''m here. Go on," Felix said.


    "Mr. Zeller, since you''re considered one of the involved parties and also a master healer, Lady Summers has granted you special permission to ess the site." Involved party? Special permission? Felix suddenly realized something.


    "Do you suspect it''s Skybound Revenant? But that doesn''t make sense. Didn''t Candace confess? Didn''t you handle it?"


    Alistair''s response brought Felix a small measure of relief.


    "When we arrived, there were no signs of Necrobound at the ce. Either they got word


    and relocated beforehand, or the Elder Revenant evolved into a Skybound Revenant earlier than expected."


    "Understood. I''m heading over now."


    Whether or not Zara was involved, Felix knew he had to act. If this escted into a city outbreak, the death toll would be unimaginable.


    Driving to the vige Alistair mentioned, Felix passed through three security checkpoints before reaching the vige entrance, where Alistair was waiting.


    "The bodies have been gathered together. We need your expertise, Mr. Zeller. Given the sudden nature of the incident, our forensic team''s capabilities are limited," Alistair exined.


    Ordinary forensics couldn''t detect anything unusual, which was likely why Xena had agreed to Felix''s involvement.


    Stepping into the vige, Felix immediately frowned.


    "Dozens of deaths, yet there''s no smell of blood here. Could it really be Skybound Revenant?"


    Only Necrobound creatures drained blood and vital energy. As such, ordinary killings couldn''t result in this.


    Alistair''s eyes glinted coldly. "That''s the strange part. You''ll need to see for yourself."


    They arrived at an open area in the vige. Xena stood there, her expression dark. While she hadn''t been the primary lead on the Shadowmere case, she had been deeply involved and was now tasked with its aftermath.


    "Lady Summers, Mr. Zeller is here," Alistair announced.


    Xena gave Felix a brief nce without saying anything. Felix didn''t waste time on pleasantries and immediately approached the gathered bodies.


    After examining them for over ten minutes, Felix walked back to Xena.


    "It doesn''t appear to be the work of Necrobound, but I can''t rule it out entirely. All these people are missing their lifeblood."


    Lifeblood-also known as vital essence-was the deep red blood that flowed directly from the heart''s main artery. In traditional medicine, it was considered the essence of life, derived from the transformation of nutrients by the spleen and stomach, and crucial to a person''s health


    Xena exchanged a nce with Alistair. It was clear they needed an expert like Felix. The forensic team hadn''t noticed this critical detail, and while autopsies might have revealed itter, the lost time could be critical.


    "We don''t know much about Skybound Revenant or its specific methods of killing," Xena admitted. "Even with his information, it''s still just spection."


    Felix frowned. "Can''t you find someone specialized in this field?"


    Xena shook her head. "Impossible. Necrobound creatures are inherently abominations, illegal and immoral by nature. No upright individual would study such things.


    "Those who do are typically irredeemable criminals-like Dexter Grimshaw of the Thirteen Aces, who had a penchant for crafting Necrobound creatures."


    Felix nodded in agreement. He had personally apprehended Dexter, who used Necrobound to fight against Timothy and a few others.


    "Mr. Zeller, right now, we''re reliant on existing records. But records are limited and static. For instance, there''s no mention anywhere of a case where only the lifeblood was consumed," Xena exined.