The Devil’s Cage

Unlike the first swollen body, the other six bodies looked like they were thrown into the lake after they died and Kieran’s experience told him all six of the bodies had no more organs.

The ribs of the bodies were still intact but their stomachs were caved in unusually.

However, even with the unusual stomachs, one of the bodies, which did not have any shirt on him, had strong pectorals and defined abs, the arms also thicker than normal.

The man was dead but he still looked very strong and not only that particular body, the 5 other bodies showed similar features as well, all of them had signs of being trained, especially their hands!

The thumb, the index fingers, the part in between and the palm and the back of it, everything was covered in calluses.

In order to form such heavy calluses, other than using firearms for a very long period of time and practising hand-to-hand combat intensively, they should be also skilled in sharp weapons, like daggers and short knives.

The thickness of calluses in between the thumb and index finger should be from at least 10 years of practise, otherwise it was impossible for it to form.

Kieran placed the hand down and opened the body’s mouth.

It was black inside the mouth because there weren’t any teeth and tongue inside.

The teeth were pulled out one by one, the tongue was ripped straight out, the process looking extremely meticulous and neat.

The person behind this was obviously skilled, these men had been through pain and experienced fear.

Kieran could only imagine the suffering in their heart while their organs were ripped out from their body. It wasn’t just the fear of death anymore, it was despair on a deeper level and it spread throughout their body.

Under such intense despair, it was natural that their body would twist irregularly but all 6 of the bodies looked very calm even in death, as if they had seen through all and left in peace.

This did not make any sense!

Unless…

Thoughts blooming in Kieran’s mind, he quietly wiped his traces and left the crowd for a secluded corner, squinting his eyes at the scene.

“Seen the bodies?” McRose came over and whispered to him.

Looking a little scared, it was obvious that McRose had noticed something unusual with the bodies due to her professional knowledge.

“Em,” Kieran nodded.

“I don’t know who did it but this person is even scarier than the butcher that I encountered. I can’t imagine how a person can rip all the organs out by pulling the tongue—did they tie their tongues on a plane? But other than licking, it’s hard to tie a tongue, right?” McRose said with lingering fear.

Kieran kept quiet at the question because he saw Gredith the persistent inspector walking towards him.

“Do you have anything to say?” she asked straightforwardly.

“I am sorry for their encounters,” Kieran sighed.

“Did you see these men before?” Gredith pulled out 6 photos.

The photos were blurry and all shot from a high angle, without a question screenshots from surveillance footage.

However, no matter how blurry the photos were, Kieran could tell they were the dead men that he just saw. Judging from the surroundings, his excellent memory told him the place the men were at was… Elm Tree Street!

The place where his identity was staying!”

“This should be Elm Tree Street but I have never seen them before,” Kieran said honestly.

As a matter of fact, it was the first time Kieran saw the men when he checked their dead bodies.

“Really?” Gredith looked at Kieran with a dubious gaze.

In her eyes, Kieran was very suspicious. Wherever he went, the case followed, and it wasn’t just some small case.

Each case that happened around him involved casualties, especially this one.

Kieran had just arrived in Water and Sunshine Sanatorium and a big case never before seen since the sanatorium was built happened. Such a high casualty case was considered rare even in Moon City.

There were 7 dead! 7 bodies lying down beside the lake!

Fuuu!

Gredith took a deep breath.

“You know, I never liked Elm Tree Street. I always thought mingling around with people of the upper class would be a troublesome thing but today, I’ll make an exception. The complete and closed-circuit surveillance system there far surpasses the public security one and it captured what I am looking for. All those men appeared in Elm Tree Street because of you! They appeared and watched you when that psychopathic clown killer went into your house.”

Gredith then pulled out more photos.

The photos still showed the six men, but from many various angles, the date and time stated clearly.

Like Gredith said, these men were the ‘watchers’ that Kieran sensed earlier—the ones who were still alive.

“So what? You think I killed them? I spent more of my time around you and we came across the ‘parcel’ delivered to your station. I then headed to the morgue to visit my ‘ex-wife’ and coincidentally ran into the fella who sent you the parcel. I know I am away from your sight for sometime during the interval but where do I find the time to kill them all? Moreover, I was with McRose all the time after that,” Kieran replied with his statements.

McRose nodded repeatedly, standing for Kieran because she didn’t think he would be the killer.

Although she only knew this psychologist for a mere 2 days, other than his eccentric attitude, cold behavior, stinginess, lack of compassion, mysterious ways, and sharp tongue, he would not have commited murder, especially this kind of stranger.

“Of course! Otherwise you won’t be talking with me here! I would’ve locked you up!” Gredith nodded angrily and pointed at the bodies, “But saying you are unrelated to the deaths? I don’t buy it.”

“Who knows? Maybe yes, maybe no. It’s like when the sunshine shined on me, I felt the warmth but I can’t say I am having the warmth on my own,” Kieran shook his head.

“So you are saying you are innocent?” Gredith asked.

His words made sense in her ears, so she assumed he must have noticed something, hence the great ‘philosophy’. Similarly, those famous detectives would also spill some famous quote when they located a key point in a case.

Of course, not all detectives had quotes of their own, that was the reason why they were not famous.

After Gredith’s anticipation was piqued, Kieran shook his head.

“No, I am just saying. And… It’s time for tea! I suppose everyone here today will be too busy to enjoy the pastries today and I don’t think they should go to waste. I’d like to make a suggestion to Lady Hennessy to give me all the pastries so I can bring it back.”

Kieran pointed at the cart filled with pastries and fruits pushed by the cooking maiden.

“You…” Gredith widened her eyes out of rage.

If her gaze could kill, Kieran would have died a hundred times over.

“I have my eyes on you! If I find out you are somehow playing a shady role in this, I will cuff you back myself!” Gredith grunted angrily and left.

Further away, a police truck carrying divers drove closer to the sanatorium.

After 7 bodies were fished out of the lake, it was natural that the whole lake would be searched for clues or even more bodies, since no one knew what the waters held.

“You are taking revenge on Gredith because what she said to you earlier in my teacher’s room, right?” McRose whispered to Kieran as she watched the divers come down from the truck.

Kieran chuckled with disdain.

Revenge? Kieran was not a person who’d hold grudge, and even if he did, he would not counterattack verbally, but with his kick on her face, smashing her head to bits.

McRose was even more doubtful when she saw the disdainful expression.

She understood that Kieran wasn’t bothered to do the petty things but somehow when she saw the expression on Kieran’s face, a voice sounded in her head, telling her ‘do not step on his tail, or you’ll die a horrible death.’

McRose trusted her instinct very much because she realized her instinct was different.

So…

“I’ll go talk to Hennessy about the pastries and fruits you asked for, she would agree,” she followed what her mind told her to do.

“Thanks,” Kieran showed a smile and replied politely.

While McRose went over to Hennessy, Kieran turned back to the main building of the sanatorium.

He didn’t think Gredith would get anymore clues in the lake, what the killer wanted to show was already shown, there shouldn’t be anymore surprises there.

Kieran ought to ask the killer why he spent so much effort to create the scene on his arrival.

The bodies’ identity, the timing of the appearance, it was all too coincidental.

Even Gredith knew something was not right, let alone Kieran, who never believed in coincidence.

He strode upstairs and went back to room 404. He knocked on it.

Knock, Knock Knock.

“Come in.”

A voice stronger than before gave Kieran permission to come in.

Adams, who was in his sick bed earlier, was already standing beside the window with his crutch, watching the scene at the lake.

Adams’ lips curled up faintly, as if he was watching an interesting show.

“You seem satisfied,” Kieran was being straightforward.

“Em. Very. I’ve waited many years for this scene. I’m really happy that it happened.”

To Kieran’s surprise, Adams nodded and laughed wholeheartedly.

“Why?” Kieran asked.

“Why you ask? You and I had been through the same thing and you ask why?”

Adams looked at Kieran in surprise. Realization then came to his mind and the gaze of Adams at Kieran showed an extra sense of pity that furrowed Kieran’s brows.

“Pitiful soul, still living in the dark. I’m afraid… you never knew who Mary was right?”

Adams turned around to face Kieran, asking him in a very solemn manner.

Mary! His identity’s ex-wife.

Kieran was utterly astonished. He wasn’t shocked about Mary’s identity, he knew his ex-wife was someone unusual based on the words from Gredith. What truly shocked him was this Adams, McRose’s teacher, was related to his ex-wife.

The secret slaughter room in the morgue!

The dismembered bodies!

The dismembered Mary!

Mary’s true identity, and Adams before his eyes!

Valuable clues were laid out for Kieran and they all formed a clear picture in Kieran’s mind but he wasn’t anxious to search for the key point.

He looked at Adams, asking for confirmation, “Just want to confirm, the Mary you are referring to is my ex-wife?”

“Do you know any other Mary than your ex-wife? If you really are so dumb, you should be dead a long time ago, even more terrible than those fellas outside,” Adams laughed.

“Their deaths are related to Mary?” Kieran frowned.

Adams’ words might sound empty but it revealed something unusual.

Mary was dead but the dead Mary could decide the life and death of the living.

An evil spirit? Or a demon?

Kieran wondered.

As for wandering soul, lost soul or poltergeist?

Wandering soul and and lost soul would have a hard time facing any normal human, let alone 6 trained men; a poltergeist could have threatened one of the six but facing six at the same time was more than what it could disgest.

It could only be an evil spirit or a demon!

A human’s soul transforming into a demon?

Kieran squinted his eyes.

Demon were a special existence to begin with, especially this kind that came from a human’s soul without any possessive object, it would gain even more special abilities.

Coupled with the theories about Mary’s identity earlier, if his theory was correct…

“A never before seen enemy!”

Kieran lowered his head, purposely moving away from Adams’ gaze. His squinted eyes glinted brightly.

Adams laughed again when he saw Kieran deep in thought with his head down.

Anyone would ponder upon such things, including ‘her’ husband.

“We are a little related, but before that, I hope you can hear me out, hear what I have to say about what I’ve been through…”

“Sorry, not interested, It’s a waste of my time.”

Adams was going to tell his own story but was interrupted by Kieran.

“You may not have the idea of what kind of world you will be revealed to from my story. It is a world that you cannot imagine, the real world that is hidden under this fake world! It’s harsh and filled with treasures. Don’t you want to obtain powers that normal people could only dream of?” Adams explained.

He looked at Kieran with a casual expression, knowing Kieran would accept the offer.

Humans are animals with strong curiosity.

No one would reject being different from others, standing out from the mundane.

As long as he could prove the ‘real world’ exists.

Although it would drain a lot of his energy, which would cause him to lie on his bed for a few days after a single usage, in order to let ‘her’ husband know about that world, he must do it.

He must fight for the opportunity to enter this ‘real world, or rather, join their side in the other world.

So Adams raised his hands over his head, shouted his lungs out, “Open your eyes, witness this power that the common man can only dream of!”

Gloomy cold aura started to appear around Adams.

When he felt the negative energy, Kieran smiled, he lifted his right hand and snapped his finger.

Snap!

After the snap, a ball of flame appeared out of thin air.

The scorching heat coupled with the rumbling heatwave blanketed the entire room, expelling the negative aura. Adams was shaken and fell to the floor, his eyes widened and jaw dropped as he stared at the blazing ball in mid-air.

Kieran looked down at him, saying “Powers that a common man could only dream of? You mean this?”