The Devil’s Cage

As though the scrawny man’s prayer was heard, the sewer lid moved.

A black figure moved out of the sewer and walked towards the car of the scrawny man.

“Boss, hurry!” the scrawny man rolled down the window and said quickly.

He heaved a long breath when he saw the black figure.

“Mn. Soon.”

The black figure nodded as he walked towards the car. When he reached the driver’s window, he grabbed the scrawny man’s throat and dragged him out of the car. The dagger in his right hand followed right after, driving towards the man’s neck.

Words stuck in the scrawny man’s throat; all he could do was look at the dagger coming down toward him with a horrified expression.

Then…

A strong light appeared.

The blinding light stopped the thrusting dagger. The black figure then moved the scrawny man by the throat and used him as a meat shield, putting him in front of himself while holding the dagger against the man’s neck.

The black figure hid behind the scrawny man with unusual vigilance.

Unfortunately, the scrawny man was too thin and the black figure buff; even when he tried his best in keeping his body behind, almost half of his body was still exposed.

However, the black figure didn’t care anymore as he squinted his eyes and looked at the strong light with utmost alertness.

Dak, Dak, Dak.

Kieran’s figure slowly emerged from the light with clear footsteps.

“It’s you?!” a strange voice asked.

“Yes, it’s me,” Kieran replied dully.

“You bloody bastard, how the hell did you find me?” the black figure shouted.

His voice was filled with surprise a moment ago, but now it was rage, which could usher him to kill people. It wasn’t just descriptive anymore, his killer intent was real.

Kieran clearly also felt the familiar presence. A sense of astonishment flashed over his heart.

Despite the black figure trying his best to hide behind the scrawny man, half of his face was still exposed. It was a new face, someone Kieran hadn’t seen before.

Kieran had quite the confidence in his memory, so he knew he wouldn’t forget anyone he met.

There was only a handful of people who held a grudge against him, and he hadn’t seen them in this dungeon world. Other than Noroid Church, which the Bomber originated from…

Edwood Mansion! The den of thieves that concealed countless antiques in its basement and disguised itself as an ominous place!

When the mansion was connected with this black figure, everything solved itself.

This black figure should be the ‘missing’ accomplice of those bunch of thieves.

It wouldn’t be possible for a half-crazy man and an old man to ‘collect’ all those antiques, right?

Back then, Mei Huasheng speculated that there was at least one or more accomplices, but the half-crazy man couldn’t provide any more useful information.

Kieran would have also never thought this accomplice hadn’t run away; instead, he appeared at the museum and wanted to steal the Curseman Vase!

No! Something wasn’t right!

This man wasn’t at the museum for the vase, but to kill the witness!

The messed up crime scene next to the vase flashed through Kieran’s head.

His speculations from before became verified.

This man here wanted to escape like a cicada molting its skin!

He tried to make his men look like Porl Nelson’s hired men and wanted to make the scene look like all of the ‘hired men’ were from the same group, the curator’s group, thus severing all ties with himself.

Although Kieran hadn’t meticulously checked the dead bodies, he was sure there were some clues that would point back at Edwood Mansion.

‘If that’s the case… I still can use them for my own gain.’

Kieran lifted the corner of his mouth while standing under the light. He quickly altered his original plan again.

“Those traces you left behind? Sorry, I didn’t see them. It’s your men who told me,” Kieran said in his hoarse and heavy voice again.

“Stop bluffing! I don’t believe you.” The man coldly grunted and showed disdain.

At the same time, Kieran sharply noticed the man slowly approaching the car, which was still started. He wanted to escape, but it didn’t stop Kieran from executing his altered plan.

In fact, he could even go along with the man’s intention.

The man wanted to buy time for himself to get into the car, and Kieran?

He also needed sufficient time to showcase himself, thus accumulating more ‘reverse energy’.

“Whether you believe it or not, you cannot erase ‘their’ existence. ‘They’ are watching you, and ‘their’ eyes are filled with grudge. ‘They’ are asking… Why did you kill ‘them’?”

Kieran’s voice echoed throughout the alleyway. The black figure’s cold laugh got sharper and louder.

“Why? Aren’t you a medium, some psychic that knows things other people don’t? You tell them the answer!” the man clamoured.

“Are you sure you want me to do so?”

Despite sounding hoarse and heavy, Kieran’s words sounded utterly respectful.

“Sure! You say it! I’m waiting!”

The man coldly laughed again, his squinted eyes full of mockery, eager to see Kieran make a fool of himself, or rather…

He wanted to see how Kieran bought him enough time to escape.

The man almost reached the ideal position for his escape, his mind even formed a complete plan.

He didn’t intend to open the car door, but rather, jump in through the opened window. Before that, he would throw the scrawny man to Kieran, a dead scrawny man!

Once a dead body fell on the bluffing bastard, his face would be interesting, right?

Even if he couldn’t get anything ‘interesting’ from the bluffing medium, when the coast was clear, he would reappear and teach this bluffing medium who he had crossed!

The man coldly gazed at Kieran, his heart already having declared him dead.

However, the man was instantly astonished and his eyes widened.

He saw Kieran’s body start to twist, twisting in a way that defied human body structure. It was like…

A snake?!

When the thought came into the man’s mind, the voice, which was even more hoarse and heavy, sounded from the distorted body!

“You wanted to cover up the crimes at Edwood Mansion. You wished to wipe away this unknown past. But you don’t trust people, so you selected this timing when the Curseman Vase was having an exhibition and planned all of this. ‘They’ were here because of greed and died because of greed. But ‘they’ are unwilling! Unwilling to have died just like that, so ‘they’ returned! Listen!”

The hoarse, heavy voice turned sharp and irritating at the last sentence, like the wail of the dead. The man, whose deepest secret was exposed by Kieran, shook right away.

His body trembled as he stared at Kieran.

The twisting of Kieran’s body stopped, and he returned to his normal self.

Kieran panted heavily under the strong light, seeming exhausted.

Each time he breathed, the dust particles under the light would move vigorously.

Countless dust particles floated up and down with his panting.

But after a few heavy pants, nothing happened.

The man came back from his frightened state.

“So this is all you got? What a joke! I don’t have time to play with you anymore!”

The man subtly moved again; he didn’t want to play games with this freaky medium anymore, as he had reached the optimal position for his escape.

The dagger the man held to the scrawny man’s neck was going to cut his throat, but a second before that, the scrawny many shouted his lungs hoarse.

“WHY. DID. YOU. KILL. US!”