Klein, who was hiding in the shadows of a building dozens of meters away, kept looking at the target building in the darkness. He could vaguely hear a strong gust of wind and clearly discern the sounds of gunshots.
If the enemy were to flee in my direction, should I pull out my gun and pretend not to see it? His body trembled slightly as sweat seeped out of his palms.
A Beyonder who could use all sorts of means to shorten the life of a dying person was definitely not a Sequence 9 or 8 Beyonder. It wasn't something a Seer like him could face head-on. Even if he sacrificed himself, he might not be able to delay the other party and create a chance for Dunn and Leonard to catch up.
Fortunately, the Evernight Goddess who wielded misfortune seemed to have heard the prayers of "Her" loyal guards. No one ran towards where Klein was hiding.
After a few minutes, he heard fluttering singing coming from the target building.
Tilting his ear and listening carefully, Klein confirmed that it was a folk tune that Leonard Mitchell often hummed. It was filled with vulgar phrases.
Phew. He heaved a sigh of relief. With a gun in one hand and a cane in the other, he walked out of the shadows and approached the target building.
This folk tune was the rendezvous signal that he had agreed upon with Dunn and the others!
Just as he took two steps, Klein suddenly stopped. He leaned his cane against the metal fence beside him and switched the revolver to his other hand.
Then, he removed the silver chain from his sleeve and let the topaz fall naturally.
After switching positions with the revolver and spirit pendulum, Klein waited for the topaz to stabilize before he half-closed his eyes and entered a state of Cogitation. He then recited a divination statement.
"The singing just now was an illusion."
"The singing just now was an illusion."
…
After repeating it seven times, he opened his eyes and saw the pendulum spinning counterclockwise.
It's not an illusion … Klein's heart returned to its original position. He put away the spirit pendulum, picked up his cane, and quickly approached the arched metal fence of the target building. Then, he handed the silver-inlaid black cane to his right hand and held it together with the revolver.
Just as he reached out to touch the railing and tried to push it open, he suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness. It was as if someone had stuffed a block of ice into his neck without any mental preparation.
Hiss! Klein retracted his hand and grimaced in pain.
"It's just like winter here …" He looked at the garden behind the iron fence with the faint starlight and the distant streetlights. He saw that the branches were withered, the flowers were withered, and many leaves were stained with white frost on the dark brown soil.
Amazing! Klein sighed inwardly as he tapped his glabella twice and activated his Spirit Vision.
With his left hand, he retrieved his black wooden staff, inlaid with silver, and used it to push open the unlatched door.
With a creaking sound, he turned sideways and stepped onto the stone path that led straight to the grayish-blue building. On both sides of the path were plants that looked like ghosts.
Such a scene reminded Klein of all kinds of ghost stories and supernatural movies.
He subconsciously slowed down his breathing and quickened his pace. However, he had only walked a few meters when someone suddenly patted his left shoulder.
Thump! Thump! Klein's heart skipped a beat before it started beating violently.
He raised his right hand and aimed the revolver in that direction. Then, he slowly turned around and looked over.
In the faint light, he saw a tree branch swaying and nearly falling.
"You call this scaring yourself?" The corner of Klein's mouth twitched as he waved his staff and smacked the tree branch down.
He continued forward as he heard faint sobbing and wailing. Transparent, blurry, and nearly formless "shadows" were reflected in his eyes.
These shadows sensed the aura of a living person and the warmth of flesh and blood as they surged over.
Shocked, Klein immediately ran and dashed through the grayish-blue building's front door.
Is this what Captain meant by feeling the atmosphere? It's indeed much scarier than when I helped Sir Deweyville … Vengeance is clearly more rigid than a "shadow." It's not aggressive … As he thought about it, he walked to the altar in the middle of the living room. It was a round table filled with crudely made puppets. In addition, there were three extinguished candles.
Dunn Smith was standing in front of the altar with his back facing Klein. He picked up the puppets one by one and looked at them.
Corpse Collector Frye silently observed the floating "shadows." He tried to reach out to comfort them, but he could only pass through them helplessly. The "shadows" didn't attack him either, as though they treated him as one of their own.
When Leonard Mitchell saw Klein arrive, his tone changed. His voice became deep and magnetic.
"This is a tranquil morning.
"It suits the even more tranquil sorrow.
"Only through the withered autumn leaves.
"The sound of chestnuts gently falling to the ground."
…
Amidst the slow and gentle recitation of the poem, Klein seemed to see the surface of a lake that was illuminated by the clear moonlight. He saw the crimson moon that hung silently in the sky.
The "shadows" calmed down. They no longer chased after the aura of the living and the warmth of flesh and blood.
Dunn put down the puppet in his hand and turned around. He said to Klein, "This is a terrifying curse ritual.
"It's a terrible curse ritual. Fortunately, we've already disrupted it."
"Set up the ritual first to appease the remnant spirituality. Then, try to communicate with them and see if you can get any clues from them."
Realizing that he was no longer a burden, Klein immediately puffed out his chest and looked up.
"Yes, Captain."
He took two to three steps to the altar and swept the puppets off the round table.
At this moment, he saw from the corner of his eye that each puppet had a different name and corresponding information.
"Captain, did you find anyone you know?" Klein asked casually.
After asking, he looked at Dunn, and Dunn looked at him. Both parties fell into silence.
I'm so stupid … Why would I ask a question that tests Captain's memory!? Klein nearly covered his face and sighed.
If it were any other leader, they would definitely find an opportunity to make things difficult for me. Thankfully, Captain will forget about this matter … I really don't know if this is a good or a bad thing … He thought, half rejoicing and half joking.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Dunn seemed to finally distinguish between reality and dream. He said, "That's right.
"There's someone you know."
"Who is it?" Klein stopped his act of rearranging the candles.
"Joyce Meyer, a survivor of the Alfalfa Tragedy," Dunn answered succinctly.
Joyce Mayer? Anna's fiancé … Klein suddenly thought of Sols in the workhouse, who seemed to have been instigated and induced by someone. That was why he broke out in advance and attempted to set the fire.
He withdrew his right hand and said in a deep voice,
"Instigator Tris?"
"He used the shortened lives of those who were about to die as a sacrifice in an attempt to curse all the survivors of the Alfalfa Tragedy? Because he doesn't know who discovered the problem and reported it to the police … "
And if Terry were to directly take revenge, it's unlikely that he'll be able to kill all the targets scattered in different places in one go. At most, after two or three cases, he'll be noticed by the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, and Machinery Hivemind, and he'll lose the opportunity to continue committing crimes … Klein could almost imagine why the other party would make such a choice.
Dunn nodded before shaking his head.
"Not all the survivors, but all the survivors in Tingen City. His cursed ritual can only affect the people within this range."
"In addition, the person presiding over the ritual is a woman, not Terry."
Klein frowned slightly.
"Perhaps it's a powerhouse sent by the Theosophy Order to help Terry?"
"Yes, the Theosophy Order's origins might be related to the Demoness Sect. It's normal for the powerhouse to be a woman."
Dunn smiled and said in a mellow voice, "I agree with your judgment. Although there's only that woman here and not Terry, we can make the necessary guesses. For example, they don't live together, or Terry is out searching for someone who's about to die."
Klein didn't say anything else. He placed the three candles, took out the Full Moon Essence Oil, crimson sandalwood, and other materials, and quickly set up the altar.
Using the silver dagger to create a sealed wall, he began praying to the Evernight Goddess, the Mistress of Repose and Silence, completely appeasing the "spirits" inside and outside the house.
Unfortunately, during the subsequent spirit channeling segment, Klein only saw a few images of the remnant spirituality when they were alive. He didn't obtain any useful clues.
After letting these "spirits" truly rest in peace at night, he ended the ritual and removed the wall of spirituality. He shook his head at Dunn, Leonard, and Frye.
"This place was severely damaged by the backlash of the ritual being interrupted. We've lost the remnant image of the owner."
Dunn wasn't surprised as he pointed at the stairs.
He pointed at the stairs and said, "Then let's go to the second floor and try again."
"Yes." Klein, Leonard, and the others immediately expressed their agreement.
The three Nighthawks followed the stairs all the way to the second floor and split up to search each room.
Finally, they met in a bedroom with a faint fragrance floating in the air. They saw the messy pile of dresses and boxes that had not been closed yet.
"Are these cosmetics?" Dunn asked casually as he picked up a box from the dressing table and sniffed it.
"To be precise, they're skin care products. Ever since Rosell The Great, they're no longer referred to as such." Leonard smiled and corrected him. "Captain, as a gentleman, you still need to know the necessary common sense."
Klein didn't join their discussion. Instead, he cast his gaze at the mirror on the dressing table.
There were obvious cracks on the mirror, and some fragments fell onto the carpet.
"That Beyonder was in a hurry, so he didn't destroy it thoroughly enough …" he suddenly said in a deep voice. "Perhaps we can give it a try."
"I'll leave it to you," Dunn replied confidently.
Klein quickly brought candles up from the first floor and lit them in front of the broken mirror.
Under the flickering candlelight, he took out the Full Moon Essence Oil and other items to create a wall of spirituality.
After doing all of this, Klein stood in front of the mirror that was illuminated by the three candles and chanted in Hermes, "That's right.
He chanted in Hermes, "I pray for the power of the Evernight;
"I pray for the power of Concealment;
"I pray for the Goddess's blessings;
"I pray for this mirror to be temporarily restored. I pray for it to show everyone that has been reflected on in the past month."
…
As the incantation was recited, a strong whirlwind suddenly blew within the wall of spirituality.
The broken pieces of the mirror were rolled up and placed back in their original positions.
The cracked mirror emitted a dark luster. As Klein caressed it with his hand, a figure was immediately reflected, but it wasn't Klein who was in front of it.
It was a young lady with a rather round face, gentle and sweet. Perhaps it was because the mirror had been damaged, or perhaps it was because the backlash from the interruption of the ritual had similarly affected the second floor, but her facial features were rather blurry, making it impossible to see her exact appearance.
But even so, Klein still found her strangely familiar.
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