Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 1933: The Man in the Photograph

The Imp liked to be silent as he read, not saying a single word. He flipped through the journal, circling a few things before turning the pages again. A few pictures came up, one of which belonged to the prostitute who had been impregnated and killed by some higher-up.

It was for this person that Larissa’s father had been investigating the truth. There were other pictures belonging to several senators, which Larissa pointed out to Ning.

Then the man finally flipped the page to the image of the man that neither of them recognized. Slowly, the vision returned to how it had started the earlier time. Very soon now, those two would come in and kill him.

Larissa ended the vision before it got to that.

Ning looked at her pale face and trembling hands.

"You must be very tired. Let’s stop for now."

"Yes."

She appeared almost ashamed to admit it, but Ning saw no weakness in her decision.

Larissa had awakened her power only recently, and she had just used it to watch the most traumatic moment of her life.

Forcing herself to repeat the vision immediately would only make it harder for her to focus on the details they needed.

"Take as much time as you need," Ning said.

Larissa gave him a tired nod.

If she failed to uncover anything useful after several attempts, Ning could always ask the System for the identity of the man in the photograph, the names of the killers, and the exact reason Larissa’s father had died.

Ning had deliberately avoided doing so because this was Larissa’s past and her investigation.

Besides, he was certain she could solve it. She only needed a push.

They left the storage room and thanked the Gnomes for allowing them inside.

The elderly couple did not ask what had happened, although their concerned expressions suggested they had heard Larissa crying through the walls.

Larissa said little as they left the building.

"Thanks for tonight," she said before getting into her van and leaving.

Ning watched her drive away before turning in the opposite direction.

It was already late, but he had no need for sleep, and the face he had seen inside the journal remained clear in his mind.

The vision had lacked much color and detail, but Ning’s sight was far better than that of an ordinary person, and his memory had preserved everything he managed to see.

The man in the photograph had been middle-aged, with neatly combed hair and a narrow face. He wore formal clothing and appeared to be standing at some sort of public gathering.

Ning flew back to his house and found his computer to start searching. He had no starting point but the senators. One of the three senators was a woman, so she didn’t need to be considered. Who was considered instead were the other two.

Ning searched for the man named Charles Bakes, and though he had died some time ago and been deemed infertile, he still had to check.

"That’s not him."

Ning checked the next one.

Rodney Pax had been a senator for many years, which meant there were photographs of him at public speeches, charity events, political debates, and all sorts of other events.

Ning began going through them one by one.

The senator was not the man in the journal, but he still searched through the pictures. Just as he was about to give up, he saw the man in one of the pictures. He stood far to the side and wasn’t the focus of the photograph being taken, but he was definitely the man.

Ning went through a few of the other photographs from the event and found him a few different times. Sadly, there was no name. And while he could perhaps find something if he kept at it, there was no point when he knew someone who was far better at this than him.

He called Mira almost immediately. The young woman sounded as though she was in the middle of chewing her food when she picked up.

"Sir Valen? Do you need something?" she asked.

"Are you busy?" Ning asked.

"No. Not at all. What do you need?" she asked, now sounding more alert.

"I’m going to send you a picture. Can you help me find who this man is?" Ning asked.

"Of course. Send it my way."

Ning thanked the woman and sent her the picture along with the other information. After that, he forgot about it and went to bed to rest.

The next morning, Ning transferred the photograph to his phone, changed his clothes, and left for the station.

The homicide division was already active when he arrived.

Several officers were discussing a recent arrest near the entrance, while Jack stood beside his desk eating something Ning could not identify.

Mira looked tired. She heard Ning’s footsteps and yawned once before gesturing for him to get closer.

"I found him," she said.

Ning got closer. "Who is he?"

Mira opened a photograph taken several years after the one Ning had discovered.

The same man stood beside a formally dressed woman at a political gathering.

This time, the caption identified both of them.

Ning’s eyes widened in surprise as he realized who the man was.

"Where’s Larissa?" he asked, looking around. She needed to see this.

Mira shrugged. "She’s not in yet."

"Dammit!" Ning said, looking back at the picture with the name.

Bryan Wyndham and Grace Wyndham.

"The man is her husband, isn’t he?" Ning asked.

Mira nodded. "I don’t know what you are doing, Sir Valen, but you have to be careful. This woman is a senator of New Limaro."

"I know," Ning said. "Thank you for your help."

He turned to look at the picture on the screen again, realizing what the issue had been.

Larissa had eliminated Grace Wyndham at the very beginning of her investigation because the senator was a woman and therefore could not have fathered the unborn child mentioned by her father.

She had never considered that it may have been someone close to her.

Now, all Larissa needed to do was find a way to prove it.