The Devil’s Cage

Eckart turned to Kieran, his wide eyes showing curiosity, the urge to question, and… defeat.

After Eckart got promoted to director of the Rain City TV Station, he thought he was a successful man that had seen and experienced a lot, but after meeting the man before his eyes, he realized his so-called experiences were not enough. Each time he followed Kieran on his little ‘adventures’, he would be welcomed by new and unexpected things.

It was already surprising enough for Eckart that Porl Nelson was related to the bodies. He thought it was the biggest selling point for the show tonight.

As a matter of fact, it was indeed the biggest one.

When the curator of the museum admitted he hired these thugs to steal the Curseman Vase, the ‘shaman’ show’s ratings skyrocketed.

The credit belonged to Eckart though. After he had gotten the signal from Kieran, he switched from recording to live broadcasting; of course, that was with some authority as director of the TV station.

Still, the results were obvious.

Although he still hadn’t gotten the data on the ratings, Eckart had received more than one message from his new assistant on his phone.

He had done it again, and he knew this success would not be possible without the shaman before him.

Eckart knew what kind of role he was playing in this working relationship, and he also knew what he must do. He would not give up the chance to further boost the ‘shaman’ show to new heights.

A few quick breaths later, Eckart managed to adjust his emotions and lift up the microphone.

He tried his best to make himself sound calm and clear.

“W-What did ‘they’ say?”

Despite being prepared, each time he mentioned ‘they’, he felt unnatural and his voice couldn’t help but shiver.

His trembling voice went through the microphone and reached the ears of the audience watching the live broadcast.

The audience seemed to be infected by the trembling voice, and they, too, shivered physically as they glued their eyes to the screen, watching Kieran’s every move.

They were waiting for an answer.

The unknown doesn’t only brings fear, it brings curiosity as well.

Both elements were like intertwining vines, not just growing together, but also closely connected.

Kieran didn’t reply to Eckart right away.

He looked down and scanned the bodies on the floor.

He had seen four of the seven bodies before; they were the ones who landed their malicious gaze on him during the little fiasco of tripping the scrawny guy earlier today outside the ticketing counter.

The remaining three were strangers, and they seemed different from the other four.

All the bodies were wearing black camouflage outfits, and even the tools on them were black, but the three bodies had obviously been moved. Kieran didn’t even have to activate [Tracking] to make sure, because he had many experiences with sweeping the battlefield, and he also possessed sharper talents than others.

The subtle difference quickly caught Kieran’s attention.

The most valuable display item, the Curseman Vase, was before his eyes, but Kieran went to check on the three bodies instead.

The museum didn’t seem to be missing any antiques at the moment, meaning…

‘Is it a cover-up?

‘Someone mixed up two different parties of thieves and disguised them as one? The similar tools are gone and the bodies are all arranged around the Curseman Vase.’

Kieran’s squinted eyes glistened.

He squatted down and carefully checked the bodies. Two to three seconds later, he looked up.

‘As I thought!’ Kieran thought in his mind but did not show anything on his face.

His hoarse and heavy voice then said, “Comrade. Comrade?”

Eckart’s thoughts were obviously behind Kieran’s; all he could do was stare at Kieran blankly.

But Kieran had no intention of replying. He turned around and left the museum.

If his guess was correct, he had to hurry.

Eckart quickly chased Kieran and the crew tightly followed the director, but a few steps later, Kieran spoke again.

“Off with the lights!”

Eckart quickly signaled the crew to turn them off.

The lights were killed off instantly, but it didn’t change the environment a lot since the museum was already lit. The police sirens broke though the silent night.

Unlike the sirens in the museum, the police cruisers’ sirens were more deterrent. It made the scrawny man who was waiting in his car anxiously lower his head.

The scrawny man was disdainful of the museum security guards from the afternoon. He didn’t even soften down after he was arrested by the security.

He left the questioning room in the security office after being questioned for some time.

All he did was sneak through without a ticket, after all; it wasn’t a major crime.

However, he wasn’t skipping tickets this time, nor was he facing the security guards anymore.

The scrawny man lowered his head and arched his back, sticking his chin to the steering wheel and peeking through the little spaces.

When he saw a couple of police cruisers drive past with their loud sirens, he almost lowered himself under the driver’s seat.

Although it wasn’t his first job, facing the police was a first.

The scrawny man had multiple theft experiences, and since then, he thought himself to be a natural in this lousy crime. After scaring off a couple of commoners with his bluffs, he thought he was bold and invincible.

Before seeing the police cruisers, he never took them seriously, but when they truly arrived, the man’s ‘boldness’ disappeared without a sign.

All that was left in his heart was fear.

Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten his duty.

His car’s lights weren’t turned on as he drove quickly into an alleyway on the other side of the museum.

Unlike the escape route after a successful job, the retreat route was more secretive and hidden.

Without the Curseman Vase in their hands, the man and his comrades had reason to escape through a dirtier method: the sewers.

The water drainage system of the city was built independently for safety reasons, but as long as one spent the effort, no matter how independent the system was, it would eventually be connected.

Of course, the feat must be achieved by coordination on two different ends.

As for who the receiver would be, the scrawny man didn’t know.

He and his mates had distinguished roles during a job, and they rarely contacted each other during private times. Moreover, the man was just a driver, the lowest rank in the entire team, so a lot of matters weren’t made known to him.

In fact, he was called in each time, never participating from the start.

All of them lived independently during normal times, but the man knew one thing: the organization was strong beyond his imagination!

That was why he didn’t escape; it would mean death!

However, ending up behind bars wasn’t exactly the ideal outcome either.

Therefore, the scrawny man stared at the lid to the sewer and prayed softly.

“Hurry up! Hurry up!”