In the wee hours of the morning, in the well-ventilated but silent underground, the dim yellow glow of the gas lamp was protected by the glass, illuminating the deserted and peaceful passageway without wavering.
Klein sat in the duty room, casually flipping through the stacks of newspapers, magazines, and books in front of him. He also diverted half of his attention to the outside, in case anyone tried to barge into Chanis Gate.
His coat and top hat were hanging on the coat rack at the entrance. His cane was leaning against the wall, in a convenient spot.
The rich aroma of coffee wafted out. Klein involuntarily took a deep breath and massaged his Sun acupoint to combat the heaviness in his head and the fatigue in his body.
Although he was a man who often slept at five in the morning and woke up at twelve in the afternoon when he was studying in university on Earth, he would occasionally stay up all night after working for two to three years and still go to work in high spirits the next day. However, this was all because the games were too fun, the novels were too interesting, and the movies, variety shows, and television dramas were too interesting.
And this World clearly did not have the necessities to stay up all night.
"Rosell The Great too. If he wants to posture, he should do it properly. He should devote his limited life to an unlimited cause and lead the people of the Other World into the information age!" Klein mumbled silently. He could only console himself that at least there were newspapers, magazines, and novels that were getting more and more abundant.
He had originally wanted to focus on his studies to overcome his sleepiness, but in practice, he realized that this conflicted with his duties. Once he was in the zone, it was easy for him to ignore the commotion outside and the situation at Chanis Gate.
"Phew." Klein picked up the coffee cup and carefully blew at it.
He pursed his lips, letting the aroma linger in his mouth as the liquid slowly flowed down his esophagus.
"Fermo coffee from the Paz Valley. It's bitter, but it's very refreshing," Klein praised as he put down the cup.
The Paz Valley was located in the Southern Continent. It was an excellent production area for coffee beans, and it was currently being fought over by the Republic of Intis and the Kingdom of Rouen. They had established colonial regimes on the left and right banks of the Paz Valley, destroying the original Kingdom of Perth.
In the creepy silence, Klein randomly picked up a magazine and discovered that it was "Women's Aesthetics", which talked about fashion and matching.
"She must have gotten this from Roshan …" he whispered, amused, and flipped through it with great interest.
Perhaps it was influenced by the rapid advancement of camera technology in the last decade or so, the magazine "Women's Aesthetics" not only made extensive use of illustrations, but it also imitated newspapers and used black and white photos as its content.
In a rather fashionable fashion, they invited famous theater and opera actors to show the charm of costumes and the magic of matching. In just seven years, the magazine had developed from a new regional magazine in Baekeland to a mainstream periodical with channels all over the country.
"This dress isn't bad, and it looks good too …" Klein flipped through it leisurely, not hiding his yearning for beauty.
He was a man who had developed normally in both body and mind. He had always admired beautiful girls, but he had long set a goal to find a way to return home. That was why he tried his best to keep a distance from the opposite sex. He did not want to delay the other party and leave behind emotional debts.
As for finding prostitutes, he was a little obsessed with cleanliness in this aspect.
Baansen and Melissa were already fetters that could not be removed. He could only find a way to make up for it in the future … Klein suddenly felt a heavy weight on him and could not help but sigh.
The longer he was away from home, the more he could feel the melancholy in the dead of night.
He instantly lost interest in admiring beautiful ladies. He put down the magazine in his hand and picked up a novel.
"'Stormwind Mountain Villa', author, Fors Wall." Klein read out the main content of the cover.
In the peaceful night, under the dim yellow light, a book with a cover reminded him of the days when he rented books to read as a child. Thus, he read on with nostalgia.
The novel 'Stormwind Mountain Villa' was about the story of Lady Sissy, who was 1.65 meters tall and weighed 98 pounds, who entered Frius Mountain Villa as a home tutor.
"One pound is about half a kilogram … Is this the otherworld's version of Jane Eyre?" Klein caressed the comfortable paper with his fingers and had a guess about the subsequent content.
However, just as he thought it was a romance novel, "evil spirits" appeared at the end. When he believed that it was a supernatural novel, Lady Sissy revealed her identity as a detective and gave him a beautiful inference.
Just as Klein felt that it was indeed a detective novel, the male protagonist suffered a heavy blow to the head and lost his memory. A tear-jerking plot began.
"… In the end, it's still a romance novel." Klein closed the book and drank a mouthful of coffee with a headache.
Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
An intense knocking sound suddenly sounded, echoing in the dim yellow and quiet corridor. It echoed in the almost deserted basement.
Klein jumped in fright and tensed up.
He instinctively took out his revolver from his armpit holster, adjusted the magazine and trigger, and slowly approached the door in search of the source of the sound.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The knocking became more and more intense. Klein looked in the direction of the sound and saw the black iron double door with seven Sacred Emblems on it.
"A sound came from behind Chanis Gate?" He narrowed his eyes, his heart beating like a drum.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Klein saw Chanis Gate shake slightly and felt the immense force it was withstanding.
"It can't be … It's only my first day on duty and I'm already in trouble? Did I gain some bad luck after my transmigration? "Klein's right hand was sweating as he gripped his gun.
But soon, he recalled his captain's exhortation: No matter what you hear or what happens, do not open Chanis Gate unless it is opened from the inside.
Uh, is this normal? Klein calmed down.
Thump! Thump! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The commotion behind Chanis Gate grew louder, but the heavy black iron double door only shook and did not show any other abnormalities.
"It's really normal. That gave me a fright …" Klein muttered and was about to return to the guard room.
At that moment, he heard an ear-piercing screech of friction. He saw Chanis Gate heave outwards as a gap opened!
Screech!
Amidst the jarring sound, Klein's nearly frozen eyes saw a figure. It was about the height of an adult man's forearm. It was wearing a black, elegant, and miniature regal dress. There were obvious stains on the hem of the dress.
It had an average-looking face, dark eyes, and a tightly pursed mouth.
It was a doll, a toy doll!
Almost at the instant Klein subconsciously raised his gun to aim, the doll in the black regal dress pressed tightly against the open Chanis Gate and unfurled the paper in its hand.
There were many hidden symbols drawn on the paper. Some of them Klein recognized, while others he had yet to grasp. Together, they formed a vertical eye!
Before Klein could figure out what was happening, the palace doll was suddenly pulled back behind Chanis Gate by an invisible force!
Thud!
Chanis Gate closed once again. There were no more knocking or slapping sounds.
The underground world returned to its usual tranquility and silence, as if nothing had happened.
Chanis Gate was opened from the inside. I have to report it to Captain … But it closed again … At that moment, Klein finally recovered his train of thought. He was shocked, afraid, and confused.
A few seconds later, he recalled what the doll in the black regal dress was. As an official member of the Nighthawks, he had the right to know about the Grade 3 item sealed behind Tingen City's Chanis Gate.
"Number: 0625."
"Name: Misfortune Cloth Puppet."
"Danger Level: 3. There is a certain level of danger. Use with caution. Can only be applied for operations involving three or more people."
"Security Clearance: Official Nighthawks and above."
"Sealing Method: Only needs to be isolated from humans."
"Description: This doll is wearing a regal dress that was popular around 1300. There are traces of stains on the hem of the dress that are difficult to wash away. It is impossible to confirm if they were there from the beginning."
"In a few tragic cases in Tingen City due to financial crises, the police noticed the existence of this doll. It was always placed in a child's bedroom, on the cabinet by the bedside."
"A few Nighthawks accepted the request and began an investigation on this doll."
"It has been preliminarily confirmed that it brings misfortune. It causes the people around it to gradually fall into danger and eventually die one by one. The subject only took two weeks to be on the brink of bankruptcy."
"This doll does not possess the characteristics of being alive. It does not have any tendency to escape the seal."
"After a long period of experimentation, we discovered that as long as one is within ten meters of it for less than half an hour every day, one will not be tainted by misfortune. If one is already plagued by misfortune, as long as it is transferred to another owner, the situation will turn for the better."
"Appendix: This doll first appeared in West Borough's Iron Cross Street's Lower Street. She was an artisan who made toys. Due to her old age, her husband's serious illness, and the early death of her two children, she had no choice but to move to Iron Cross Street's Lower Street."
"This was the last toy she sold. She used this doll to exchange for some poison hemlock juice, ending her and her husband's three days of starvation."
Klein recalled the information on Sealed Artifact 3-0625. He felt even more puzzled and shocked.
Wasn't it said that this doll does not possess the characteristics of being alive? Wasn't it said that it does not have any tendency to escape the seal?
Then, what did I see just now!?
What was the thing that pulled it back in at the end?
What did the picture on the paper it unfolded represent?
That scene just now really looked like a psychopathic murderer was dealing with the victim. The victim tried his best to bang on the door, tried his best to call for help, but was pulled back in …
Amidst his thoughts, Klein decided not to act on his own.
He returned to the duty room and pulled a rope.
As the rope was pulled and the gears turned, an urgent bell suddenly rang in the Blackthorn Security Company on the second floor. .
Leonard Mitchell and the rest of the Sleepless who were playing cards in the entertainment room immediately put down their cards and rushed underground.
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