Bending and stretching his arms, Klein kept repeating this process. He watched as Dunn turned his body sideways and pushed open the door to the guard room.
The captain's cautiousness, high vigilance, and ridiculous "protective actions" made his mind abnormally tense. It was exactly the same feeling he had when he walked past graves at night when he was a child.
A Grade 2 Sealed Artifact is dangerous. It has to be used carefully and in moderation … Even official Nighthawks don't know the details … I wonder how dangerous it is … Amidst his anxiety, Klein couldn't help but think about many things.
At this moment, his brain suddenly went numb, as if his processor had suddenly lost power.
In Klein's vision, everything had slowed down. Even the act of bending his arm was the same.
He saw Captain Dunn stop in his tracks and approach him frame by frame in slow motion. He saw Captain Dunn slowly extend his palm and push him on the shoulder.
Suddenly, Klein's thoughts and vision returned to normal at the same time, as if what happened just now was just an illusion.
"What happened?" he asked in a low voice, confused and a little frightened.
Dunn shook his head at him and said in a deep voice,
"Observe carefully."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the guard room. Klein followed closely behind and saw four people either sitting or standing inside.
One of them was the Midnight Poet, Leonard. Klein had never seen the other three before, but they had something in common. They were all doing arm flexion and stretching exercises without relaxing at all.
"Klein Moretti. He has a miraculous connection with the Antigonus family's notebook." Dunn gave a brief introduction.
Then, he pointed at the three strangers.
"These ladies and gentlemen are from the Baekeland diocese. They are escorting Sealed Artifact 2-049 here. This is Ma 'am Lorotta, a Sequence 8 Gravedigger. She's also a sharpshooter."
At this moment, the black-haired lady in her thirties nodded kindly at Klein.
She was quite good-looking. She was not wearing a hat and was wearing clothes that looked like men's clothing. She wore a black coat, a white shirt, black tight trousers, and leather boots of the same color. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised.
After Klein greeted him, Dunn pointed at the man sitting behind the desk.
"Aier Harson, an old guy like me."
Before he finished speaking, Klein saw Mr. Aiur Harson, who was wearing a gray trench coat, "bend and stretch his arms" became jerky, as if there was a lack of lubrication between the gears, or the joints were covered in rust.
What's going on … In his daze, Klein saw Lorotta nudge Aiur Harson. Following that, the gentleman's actions returned to normal.
Did I look like that just now? Klein was stunned for a moment before realization dawned on him.
This was a sign that Sealed Artifact 2-049 was in danger!
What would have happened if he hadn't been woken up in time?
Would he become a "living dead"?
With one question after another, Klein greeted Aiur Harson, who had the charisma of a middle-aged man.
"Borgia." Dunn pointed at the last Nighthawk.
It was a cold-looking man with a knife scar on the side of his face. His brownish-yellow eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he constantly sized up everyone present.
"Let's set off. Everyone, let's end this quickly and seal 2-049 as soon as possible," said the handsome middle-aged gentleman, Aiur Harson, who had wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Hmm, what about 2-049? Klein looked around curiously, but he didn't find any traces of the Sealed Artifact. Of course, he couldn't see the places that were blocked by the table without activating his Spirit Vision.
"Alright." Dunn turned his head and said to Leonard Mitchell, "You're in charge of driving. It's best not to let César participate in such matters."
The César he was talking about was a civilian member of the Tingen Nighthawks who was in charge of obtaining and purchasing supplies. At the same time, he was also a coachman. He was the one who drove the carriage when Klein went to Welch's residence to meet Spirit Medium Daly.
"No problem." Leonard put away his frivolity and nodded solemnly.
At that moment, Klein saw Aiur Harson bend down and pick up an iron-black box that was hidden by the table.
The box was engraved with resplendent stars and a crimson full moon. It was surrounded by an invisible seal.
The Sealed Artifact is inside, right? I wonder what 2-049 looks like … Klein sized up the box curiously.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
The iron-black box suddenly emitted a violent knocking sound, causing its surface to bulge again and again.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It was as if something terrifying had awoken inside the box. It was violently pounding on the door, and every blow struck the hearts of everyone in the guardroom.
Alive? Just as Klein's mind whirred, he saw Captain Dunn's "bending and stretching movements" turn sluggish. His joints were stiff as if they were filled with glue.
The Nighthawk from Baekeland, Borgia, pushed Dunn's shoulder, allowing his movements to return to normal.
After being influenced by 2-049, it's like I'm doing a robot dance … If I'm all influenced, wouldn't it be an awkward dance troupe … Thankfully, 2-049 seems to only be able to influence one person at a time … Klein lampooned to ease the tension in his heart. He didn't dare slack off in the bending and stretching of his arms.
He learned from Dunn and left his cane behind. He followed the five Nighthawks through the tunnel and up the stairs to the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company.
As Leonard had sped up and informed them in advance, Roshan and the rest temporarily hid on the third floor. To civilian staff like them, such things weren't common, but they weren't foreign to them either. The other Nighthawk, Kenley, had temporarily replaced Dunn to guard Chanis Gate.
Klein heaved a sigh of relief when he got on the carriage. He looked out the window in puzzlement.
"Won't 2-049 affect the ordinary people on the streets?"
Sealed Artifact 2-049 had caused six instances of sluggishness from the underground to the vicinity of the horse carriage. He had received two of them, awakened by Captain Dunn and Leonard Mitchell respectively. This frequency was rather astonishing!
"Don't worry about it. 2-049 will prioritize humanoid creatures within a five-meter radius. The closer you are, the easier it is for you to be chosen. As long as at least three of us surround it, the people passing by outside the carriage won't be affected," the black-haired lady, Lorotta, explained in a languid tone.
Strange Sealed Artifact … Klein, who was bending his arm, let out a similar sigh.
On the way to Ray Bieber's house, Dunn and company didn't speak. They kept a close eye on each other. Only Lorotta looked nonchalant. She would occasionally admire the dirty roads of Tingen City and compliment Baekeland's sewage system.
Before long, the familiar building appeared before Klein's eyes. The group of six "monitored" each other as they walked to the third floor.
Ray Bieber's house had the Tingen Police Station's logo pasted on the door, indicating that unrelated people were not allowed entry.
As Dunn bent his arm and stretched, he took out his key and opened the new lock. Then, he turned his body and allowed Aiur Harson, who was carrying the black chest, to enter first.
Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Sealed Artifact in the black chest began smashing again, even more violently than before. This made Aiur Harson's arm sway uncontrollably. It made Klein suspect that the chest would be pierced through.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Klein acutely noticed that Captain Dunn's arm movements had become sluggish. Just as he was about to wake him up, his head buzzed and turned numb. The scene in front of him instantly turned into slow motion.
Wasn't it said … to only affect … one person … at a time … Klein's thoughts quickly turned sluggish.
At that moment, Lorotta and Borgia, who were already prepared, pushed the two of them separately.
His ability to think and his vision returned to normal. Klein looked around in fear and nearly blurted out a question.
Wasn't it said that 2-049 can only affect one person at a time?
Thankfully, I didn't stop stretching my arm!
"Sealed Artifact 2-049 has entered a berserk state. The number of people affected increases to two at a time. It can be confirmed that Ray Bieber is a descendant of the Antigonus family," Aiur Harson described in a mechanical manner.
Lorotta chuckled and looked at Klein.
"As long as it encounters a descendant of the Antigonus family, even if there's only a remnant aura, 2-049 will become extremely agitated. Its powers will also increase significantly. I believe you should be able to understand its feelings."
Don't understand … Klein asked out of curiosity,
"So, it's a creature?"
Lorotta smiled but didn't answer him directly.
"You'll know in a while. As long as Ray Bieber hasn't escaped Tingen City, 2-049 will lead us to him."
Klein could only put aside his other questions and follow the Nighthawks around the room.
Amidst the violent pounding, they locked the door, walked down the stairs, and returned to the carriage.
Aiur Harson looked out the window and confirmed that there were no pedestrians within five meters of them. Then, he placed the black chest on the floor and twisted the mechanical switch to release the spirituality shackles.
The violent pounding came to a sudden stop. The entire carriage was silent, to the point where no one's breathing could be heard.
Klein held his breath as he watched the black chest slowly open, producing a creaking sound that made one's ears ache.
Clang!
The chest toppled over as a thin brown arm reached out. It was about the length of a child's finger.
The two arms took turns pressing forward as a brown object the size of a normal person's palm appeared in front of Klein and company.
It had obvious elbow joints, knuckles, and knee joints. Its body was wrapped in brown oily cloth, and its face was smeared with red and yellow clown paint.
It was a strange-looking puppet!
2-049 raised its head and looked at Klein with its black, pupil-less eyes.
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