Chapter 41: Demon (Part 2)
As Emily spoke, her emotions teetered on the edge of collapse again, tears sliding silently down her face as her body trembled in Mei's embrace like a leaf in the wind.
"I thought... I thought the Water Daniel splashed on me was poisonous! I was terrified and rushed to the hospital for a check-up. Emergency, dermatology, neurology, psychiatry... I checked almost every department I could!"
She looked up, her eyes filled with helplessness and despair:
"But all the results came back normal! Blood, urine, skin tissue biopsies, brain CT scans, psychological evaluations... The Doctors said I was perfectly healthy, with no organic lesions, aside from some neurasthenia and sleep deprivation!"
"They even suggested I see a psychiatrist, saying it might be... hallucinations caused by post-traumatic stress disorder!"
Emily's voice was broken and ragged, each word sounding as if it were being forced out of her throat:
"I just thought... maybe it was melanin deposits caused by poor sleep. I didn't dare think about it in that way, and I didn't pay it any more mind... But.
But, for the next three days, every single day! Every night, as soon as I fell asleep, that nightmare would appear right on time!"
"That... that thing would come! Every time... when it ended, it would speak in that language I couldn't understand at all, the kind that made my scalp crawl..."
"Then, every time I woke up in a fright, there would be... there would be another one of these black marks on my arm!"
She grabbed her forearm violently, her nails almost digging into those ominous black markings, large tears splashing onto the back of her hand.
"I was terrified, truly terrified! I went to church, confessed to the priest, sprinkled Holy Water on myself, and prayed day and night..."
"But it was useless! It was completely useless! That nightmare is like a maggot in the bone; I can't get rid of it no matter what!"
Her emotions were on the verge of collapse, her voice suddenly rising, filled with bone-deep terror:
"And! And just... just the day before yesterday! One of the other women who was involved with Daniel, just like me... Jennifer, she... she died!"
Emily's pupils dilated with fear, staring blankly into the void as if seeing that terrifying scene all over again.
"Quietly, in her own home, she died while sleeping! The Police said there were no external injuries, no poisoning; it was as if... her heart just suddenly stopped!"
"But... but the private investigator told me later that he had connections at the morgue and secretly saw... Jennifer's arm also had this pattern! It was very similar to mine, but... it was more complete than mine! The pattern was complete!"
"Yesterday!" she almost screamed, her body recoiling sharply as she hugged herself tightly,
"Yesterday, there were two more! Samantha and Lara! They died too! The same way—sudden death while sleeping! They had complete patterns on their arms too!"
"I'm next! I must be! The pattern is almost finished. Once it's finished, I'll be just like them, dying silently in my sleep!"
"Save me, please save me! Mr. klein, I know you are a man of real ability; I've heard so much about you! You are my last hope! I beg you!"
Emily slid off the sofa onto her knees, desperately grabbing onto klein's pant leg. Her upturned face was streaked with tears and snot, filled with an extreme fear of death and a frantic desire to survive.
Mei also turned pale as she listened, subconsciously covering her mouth, her gaze toward klein filled with worry and urgency.
The playful cynicism on klein's face had long since vanished.
He slowly sat up straight, his gaze landing on the twisted, evil black markings on Emily's forearm that radiated a faint but clear ominous aura, then shifted to her face, which was distorted by extreme fear.
Nightmare harassment, cursed marks, rapid death, triggering upon the pattern's completion... This didn't sound like the work of some average street thug or an ordinary Black Wizard.
This sounded more like a... sacrificial curse with specific rituals, clear targets, and extremely high efficiency.
That pretty boy Daniel was likely more than just a simple con artist.
"Get up first," klein said, his voice not loud, but carrying a strange, calm power that made one involuntarily trust him.
He reached out, took hold of Emily's trembling arm, and with a slight exertion, helped her up from the floor and back onto the sofa.
"Mei, pour her another cup of hot tea and add a little of that 'Mind-Calming Powder' I gave you last time," klein instructed Mei.
Mei nodded quickly and hurried toward the back.
"I'll take your case," klein said, turning around and announcing calmly as his gaze landed back on Emily.
Emily felt a huge sense of relief and almost started crying again, but this time it was out of the hope of finding a way out of a desperate situation.
"However," klein said, shifting his tone and holding up three fingers, his voice flat but unquestionable.
"First, the fee is very high. Fifty thousand U.S. dollars upfront, and another one hundred and fifty thousand upon completion. No bargaining."
"Second, you must follow my instructions completely from now on. You do whatever I tell you to do, without any questions or disobedience. This may include some... unconventional methods."
"Third, and most importantly—" klein's eyes suddenly turned incredibly sharp, carrying an invisible sense of pressure.
"To completely resolve the curse on you and prevent you from becoming the next victim, the most crucial step is to find the source.
This is dangerous, very dangerous. Are you sure you want to pursue this to the end? If you back out now, I can help you temporarily suppress the curse so you can live a bit longer, but that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
Emily didn't hesitate in the slightest.
She thought of the cold, stiff corpses of Jennifer, Samantha, and Lara; she thought of the black marks on her arm that grew daily, leading toward death; she thought of the endless, cold, and filthy terrifying nightmares every night.
"I'm sure!" She stood up abruptly, swaying slightly due to weakness, but her eyes were more determined than ever, even carrying a hint of desperate hatred.
"I want to find him! I want him to pay the price! I want to live! Mr. klein, money is no object! I'll do whatever you say! Please, save me, catch that demon!"
Seeing the desire to survive and the hatred burning in Emily's eyes, klein nodded.
"Good. Then, the contract is established."
He walked back behind the long desk, opened a drawer, took out a standardized service agreement that had been prepared long ago and carefully drafted by Murdoch, took out a pen, and pushed it in front of her.
"Sign it, and pay the deposit."
Chapter 42: Demon (Part 2)
Mei brought over the cup of tea infused with "Calming Powder," the warm liquid carrying a faint, refreshing herbal scent.
Emily took it and drank in small sips. As the warm current slid into her stomach, the violent heaving of her chest gradually calmed, and a hint of color returned to her deathly pale face. Though her eyes still held traces of fear, she was no longer on the verge of a breakdown as she had been moments ago.
"Now, answer a few questions for me." klein sat back down in his grand armchair, leaning forward slightly, his gaze locked calmly onto Emily.
"First question: where is that Daniel right now?"
Emily set down the teacup, subconsciously straightening her back as she tried to recall, "He... because he splashed an unknown liquid on me in public, along with his previous acts of intimidation, he was arrested by the Police.
The responding officer at the time said the evidence was conclusive. With his disturbing the peace and potential involvement in personal threats, he would be locked up for at least six months to a year..."
Upon hearing this, klein shook his head almost imperceptibly and interrupted her directly, "Go, call the Police officer handling your case right now. Don't ask anything else, just ask him if Daniel is still in the detention center or in prison."
His tone was very flat, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty, as if he had already foreseen the answer.
Emily was stunned for a moment. Although she didn't understand why, her trust in klein and her will to survive made her do it immediately.
She fumbled through her handbag to find her phone, located the number saved as "Officer Rogers," and dialed it.
The phone rang seven or eight times before it was answered, and a slightly weary male voice came from the other end: "This is Rogers. Who is this?"
"O-Officer Rogers, it's me, Emily Russell. About a week ago, you handled my case..."
"Oh, Ms. Russell." Officer Rogers' voice paused, sounding somewhat surprised, "Hello, is there something wrong? Your case is still being processed..."
"No, no, Officer, I'm not rushing the process." Emily quickly explained, following klein's instructions, "I just wanted to ask, is Daniel... is Daniel... still in prison?"
The other end of the line fell into a silence that lasted several seconds.
This silence made Emily's heart sink bit by bit.
"...Ms. Russell," when Officer Rogers spoke again, his voice carried a hint of subtle embarrassment and gravity, "Regarding this matter... we were just about to contact you. Daniel Reeves... went missing from the detention center late at night three days ago."
"What?!" Emily gasped, her phone nearly slipping from her hand.
"The records from the detention center show everything was normal. There was no violent breach, no alarms were triggered, but he just vanished. The surveillance... had some technical issues, and the footage from that period cannot be retrieved.
We are investigating with all our might, but currently... there are no leads." Officer Rogers' tone was full of official helplessness, "I'm sorry, Ms. Russell, we will as soon as possible..."
Emily could no longer hear the rest of what he said.
She hung up the phone blankly, looked up at klein, and her lips trembled, "He... he's gone. The Police said he went missing..."
klein's face showed no sign of surprise, as if he had already anticipated this. He simply nodded and gave a faint "Hmm."
"Second question," he stood up, walked over to Emily, and gestured for her to extend her arm again, "Let me take another look at those marks on your arm."
This time, klein looked more intently. His fingertips did not touch the black markings directly but hovered an inch above the skin. His eyes narrowed slightly, and deep within his pupils, a faint golden light seemed to flow.
He was not just looking; he was "perceiving."
That cold, filthy, and corrosive aura of evil became even clearer under the interlaced investigation of his Five Elements Power and divine aura.
Mixed within it was a trace of something extremely subtle yet impossible to ignore—chaotic desire, twisted pleasure, and a sense of depravity that blasphemed and ritualized the most primitive instincts of life.
Combined with what Emily described—the unspeakable violations she repeatedly suffered in her nightmares—and the characteristics of this curse, which targeted specific women and operated through a mode similar to "sowing" and "harvesting," ultimately taking their lives once the pattern was complete...
klein withdrew his hand, sat back down in his chair, leaned back into the soft backrest, and gently tapped his fingers together in front of him.
"If I am not mistaken..." he spoke slowly, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet shop, carrying a coldness that came from discerning the truth.
"What you have been afflicted with is not an ordinary black magic curse, nor is it some voodoo trick cooked up by street thugs."
He raised his eyes, looking sharply at Emily.
"This should be a curse!"
Emily and Mei, who was beside her, both held their breath, watching him nervously.
klein paused, then uttered the name that would make anyone in the know within the occult field shudder:
"One of the Seven Princes of Hell, the one who governs the original sin of 'Lust'—Asmodeus. It is its aura."
"Asmo...deus?" Emily repeated the awkward name blankly. Although she didn't understand the specific meaning, the combination of words like "Hell," "Prince," and "Lust" was enough to make her blood run cold.
"Are you saying that Daniel is a subordinate of Asmodeus? Is he a demon?"
"A demon? Not quite." klein waved his hand, signaling her to calm down.
"If that kid Daniel were truly a demon under Asmodeus, or even just a fully converted demonic cultist, do you think you women could have beaten him up and driven him away?"
"You all would have died violently on the very first night, with deaths ten thousand times more miserable than this. The fact that you are alive right now, sitting here crying, just goes to show he isn't at that level."
Emily was stunned by his words. Her fear was slightly diluted, but her confusion deepened, "Then... then what is he? And what about the curse on my body?"
klein picked up the tea Mei had freshly brewed for him, slowly blew away the foam, took a sip, and continued in that same flat tone:
"I speculate that the matter is likely this—"
Chapter 43 Eradicating the Demon
In some unknown corner, perhaps due to dimensional fluctuations or the loosening of an ancient seal, or simply because some idiot performed a clumsy summoning ritual, a tiny, almost negligible crack has opened between the human World and Hell."
"This crack happens to connect to Hell. There might be a subordinate of Asmodeus there."
"Although it's just a subordinate, the demon's true form and the vast majority of its power are firmly suppressed by the rules, making it impossible for it to come through."
"However, a trace of aura or a whisper, weak enough to be almost negligible, has leaked through that crack."
"Perhaps, by chance, it attached itself to this person, Daniel."
klein put down his teacup and looked at Emily.
"Who is Daniel? A top-tier gigolo who makes a living by deceiving women's emotions and extorting money."
"He is inherently addicted to desire, skilled in how to seduce, manipulate, and extract emotional and material nourishment from different women."
"The foundation of his soul was perhaps long ago eroded and riddled with holes by various twisted desires and empty greed."
"To him, the demon's 'whisper' is simply a tailor-made drug and catalyst."
"It amplified all the dark sides of his nature—greed, deceit, a twisted pursuit of lust, and a desire for control that views others as prey."
"Perhaps, even the fact that you established a relationship with him so quickly and were attracted to him was subconsciously influenced by that faint hellish aura—it amplified traits like charm, lust, and irrational infatuation." klein's finger slowly traced the edge of the teacup.
"However, I suspect that he didn't intend to kill you all at the beginning; he just wanted to scam you out of your money."
"Because the hellish aura he was infected with shouldn't have been too heavy yet, otherwise, after being together for so long, something abnormal would have happened already. Until..."
He raised his eyes and looked at Emily with a sharp gaze.
"Until you all teamed up to expose him, gave him a beating, and completely destroyed the image and livelihood he had carefully cultivated."
"At that moment, the hypocritical mask he had relied on for so long was torn to shreds. The immense anger, shame, sense of loss of control, and perhaps the fear of losing everything... these extremely intense negative emotions were like the fattest bait, or a heavy hammer, that completely shattered his already crumbling defenses."
"I guess it was at that time," klein's voice lowered, carrying a cold sense of insight, "that his remaining will was truly seized by the dormant hellish whisper, or rather... he voluntarily sacrificed himself. He wanted to go down with you."
"So, the 'Water' he later found you with and splashed on you... it should have been a 'Hellish Medium' that was highly concentrated and imbued with specific malevolent intent and ritualistic properties—you can understand it as a living curse carrier rich in hellish aura."
"His goal is very clear: it's not revenge, and it's not to scare you. It's to turn you, and all the women who have had deep connections with him and carried his lies and desires, into... sacrifices."
klein paused, letting the chill brought by this word fully permeate the air.
"Using your deaths, the life force that dissipates during your extreme fear and filthy nightmares, and this gradually completing 'Reception Mark' on your arms, to hold a small, targeted summoning ritual. The purpose is to help that subordinate of Asmodeus penetrate further, or even... descend directly."
klein's voice was like blocks of ice, crashing onto Emily's heart, making a chill seep from her very bones.
She couldn't control her trembling, her teeth chattering, as if she saw the cold, stiff corpses of Jennifer and the others again, and saw the death pattern on her own arm approaching completion day by day.
She suddenly raised her head, tears blurring her vision again, staring fixedly at the young man behind the long desk who remained calm, even somewhat lazy.
That Oriental face seemed like the only light in the boundless darkness.
She almost lunged forward, grabbing the edge of the long desk with both hands, her fingertips turning white from the exertion, her voice hoarse and broken:
"mr. klein... you will save me, right? You... you can deal with it, right? Please, I really don't want to die... I don't want to end up like them..."
Her voice was filled with a desperate plea and fear that went deep into her marrow.
klein leaned back into the armchair, picked up the Cubacigar that had only a small stub left, relit it, and took a deep drag.
Smoke rose, blurring his expression for a moment. Then, he slowly exhaled a long smoke ring, and through the pale blue smoke, he looked at Emily calmly, his face showing no ripples.
"Rest assured."
He only said these two words, yet they strangely carried a sense of stability like a rock.
"When entrusted by others, I fulfill my duty. Since I've accepted your money, I will finish this job."
He flicked the cigar ash, and a flash of cold, predatory sharpness, almost imperceptible, swept through his eyes.
"A mere subordinate of a Hell demon..." He tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a curve mixed with disdain and mockery.
"I don't even take it seriously. Once it comes to the human World, even a dragon must coil up, and a tiger must lie down. With the rules of the World pressing down, how much power can it have left to stir up any trouble?"
Emily stared at him blankly, forgetting to cry for a moment.
An indescribable aura suddenly emanated from the young man in front of her.
Mei also breathed a sigh of relief on the side. Although she didn't fully understand what "Asmodeus" and "dimensional rules" specifically meant, the certainty and contempt in klein's words made her feel inexplicably at ease.
She gently patted Emily's back and whispered: "Trust Klein, whatever he says, he can do."
Emily looked at klein's eyes, which were calm and waveless yet seemed to be able to see through all darkness, and her wildly beating heart strangely began to calm down a little.
It was the instinct of a drowning person who, after grabbing a piece of driftwood, wants to believe in it desperately.
"I... I believe you, mr. klein." She nodded vigorously, her voice still trembling, but with a faint yet real glimmer of hope, "What should I do next? I will listen to you!"
klein finished the last drag of his cigar and crushed it in the ashtray, making a faint "hiss" sound.
"Next?" He stood up, stretched his neck, the joints making a slight crackling sound, and the laziness in his eyes was instantly replaced by a calm sharpness.
"Find him, and then, kill him!"
Chapter 44 Eliminating the Demon II
If I remember correctly," klein sat back into the master chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the smooth mahogany armrest, looking at Emily.
"You said that, including yourself, there are a total of six women who have had such a deep relationship with Daniel."
Emily nodded vigorously, the color draining from her face: "Yes... including me, a total of six."
"Those three deceased girls," klein leaned forward slightly, "the patterns on their arms were six marks, right?"
Emily recalled for a moment, then suddenly widened her eyes, as if struck by lightning.
"Yes... the detective told me... each of them had six black marks on their arms, forming a... complete, evil-looking pattern! Mine... mine only has four right now!"
"So..." Mei also realized it, covering her mouth, her eyes filled with horror, "that pattern requires six marks to be complete? Every time someone dies... a part of it is completed?!"
"My initial hypothesis might need to be corrected. This is likely not a simple, indiscriminate curse. It is a... precise, sequential 'hexagram' sacrificial ritual."
"Yes, the six of them symbolize six sacrifices. The death of each sacrifice completes the energy and clear anchor points needed for the ritual."
klein explained to Emily. "Next, it will be the three of you, which is also the reason why Daniel escaped from prison."
Emily was struck as if by lightning, her whole body shaking violently, almost sliding off the sofa, but was firmly held by Mei.
A boundless chill instantly seized her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Next would be her! Those nightmares, those new marks... were all preparing for her death!
"No... don't..." Her teeth chattered, emitting a desperate whimper.
"Don't panic." klein's voice remained steady, carrying a strange, soothing power that instantly cut off Emily's impending emotional breakdown.
"Daniel's prison break has a very clear goal—to complete the remaining ritual. Besides you, the remaining two people are the key to stopping him and saving your life."
"Do you know the addresses and contact information of those remaining two people?"
Emily grasped at the straw, nodding desperately, her voice hurried: "I know! I know! They... they were also deceived by Daniel, we contacted each other before... one is named Catherine, she runs an independent gallery in Brooklyn; the other is named Helen, she is a partner's assistant at a law firm in Manhattan. I have their addresses and phone numbers!"
"Very good." klein nodded, turned, and said to Mei.
"Mei, you stay and watch the shop. Emily, we will go to Catherine's home first, it is closer to here."
klein drove with Emily to Catherine's home.
The car stopped in front of a townhouse in a middle-class community. The sky was growing dark, and the streetlights had just turned on, casting a dim, yellowish glow in the thickening twilight.
Emily pointed to one of them and said: "This is it, Catherine's home. She is an interior designer and opened her own studio..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her hand was already on the car door handle, preparing to get out.
"Wait."
A hand suddenly reached over from the side and pressed down on her shoulder.
The force was not great, but it carried an unquestionable firmness, pressing her firmly back into the passenger seat.
Emily turned her head in astonishment, looking at klein in the driver's seat.
She saw that klein was still sitting there steadily, his gaze calmly passing through the windshield, landing on the townhouse that was unnervingly quiet.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of thin ice, sharp and cold, as if he could penetrate the walls and see the scene inside the house.
"mr. klein? What's wrong? Aren't we going to knock on the door?" Emily asked, puzzled, but her heart skipped a beat for no reason, and a foreboding premonition quietly arose.
klein did not answer immediately.
He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something, or perhaps sensing something.
A few seconds later, he slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Emily, his voice calm without a ripple:
"No need to get out of the car."
He paused, and under Emily's suddenly contracted pupils, he said the words that made her feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar:
"Call the police."
"The person inside," klein's gaze turned back to the Villa, his tone indifferent, as if stating a fact unrelated to him, "is already dead."
"Wh... what?!" Emily was struck by lightning, her whole body frozen in the seat, her mind blank.
Dead?
Catherine... also dead?
So fast? Yesterday... yesterday they had a short phone call, and although Catherine's voice on the phone was tired and scared, she still said she was thinking of ways, and even asked if she had found someone reliable to help...
How could it be... that she was already dead?
"No... it can't be... mr. klein, are you mistaken? We, we haven't gone in to check yet..." Emily's voice trembled uncontrollably, subconsciously wanting to refute, wanting to deny, but the cold and fear spreading from the bottom of her heart made it impossible for her to even convince herself.
klein did not explain how he knew.
The dead silence inside and outside the house, the lack of any sound or energy fluctuation that a living being should have?
The trace of residual filth belonging to hellish power, so faint it was almost imperceptible yet incredibly familiar to him?
But these things didn't need to be explained in detail to an ordinary woman on the verge of a breakdown.
"Call the police, just say you discovered that a friend might have had an accident, you can't reach her, there is no response from inside the house, and you are worried about an accident."
Emily's hands trembled, she could barely hold her phone, and after finally unlocking it and finding the police number, she pressed the wrong digits several times.
After finally dialing 911 and incoherently reporting the address and the possibility of a homicide, she immediately reported a new street name after hanging up.
"Manhattan, not far from here, about a ten-minute drive!"
"Hold on." klein stepped on the gas, the pickup truck's tires screeched against the ground as it surged forward.
The large vehicle wove, changed lanes, and overtook cars flexibly in the afternoon traffic, drawing a chorus of shrill honking and curses.
While driving, he glanced at the shivering Emily in the passenger seat with the corner of his eye.
"Call that woman. Hurry!"
Emily hurriedly took out her phone, her fingers trembling as she searched through her contacts, and dialed the number labeled "Helen."
"Beep... beep... beep..." The busy signal rang seven or eight times, and just as it was about to hang up automatically, the call was answered.
"Hello? Emily?" A female voice with a heavy nasal tone, sounding as if she had just been woken up, came through, her tone somewhat impatient, "Why are you calling me at this time? I just caught up on sleep..."
Chapter 45: Exterminating the Demon (Part 3)
"Helen! Listen to me! You are in danger right now! Daniel! Daniel has escaped! He might be coming to find you! Jennifer, Catherine, they... they are all dead!" Emily spoke incoherently, her voice sharp.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, followed by a scoff: "Emily, have you gone mad? Or are you still asleep? That wimp Daniel is locked up at the police station! Catherine and the others are dead? What kind of sick joke is that! We were chatting in the group chat just yesterday..."
"I am not joking!!" Emily was practically screaming, tears welling up again. "It's true! The next one might be me or you! Believe me! I beg you! Find a safe place to hide! Lock the door! Don't open the door for anyone! mr. klein and I are on our way!"
Perhaps infected by the crumbling fear in Emily's voice, Helen's tone finally changed.
"Emily... are you serious? You aren't lying to me? Catherineand the others..."
"I am not lying to you! They are really dead! When the pattern is full, they die! My pattern is almost finished too! Helen, I beg you, hide!" Emily cried out.
"I... I'm at home... I just woke up... Oh my god..." Helen's voice began to tremble, and the sound of her panicking and locking the door came from the background.
"I'm putting on the security chain right now... Emily, when can you get here? I'm scared..."
"We'll be there soon..."
Before Emily could finish her sentence—
"Bang!!!"
A dull, thunderous sound, as if a heavy object had slammed into a thick wooden door, came from the phone receiver without warning!
"Ahhh!!!" Helen's scream almost pierced the eardrum, filled with boundless fear.
Immediately following that was the terrifying sound of the door lock twisting and the wood splintering!
And the hoarse laughter of a man, deep and carrying an eerie echo, as if it were coming not from his throat but from the depths of his chest!
"Helen... my dear Helen... I've come back to find you..."
It was Daniel's voice! But it was even hoarser and more twisted than in Emily's memory, as if mixed with the sound of grinding metal and the low growl of a Beast!
"No! Don't come over here! Get away! Help!!!"
"Clang! Crash—"
From the other end of the phone came the sounds of heavy objects falling, glass shattering, and Helen's desperate cries and struggles, mixed with Daniel's hair-raising, gleeful chuckle, as if he were savoring the fear of his prey.
"No... no! Helen! Helen!" Emily screamed frantically into the phone, but the only response was a sharp, static noise, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, and then the call cut off abruptly, leaving only a deathly silence of a busy signal.
"Ahhh!!!" Emily threw the phone down in a breakdown, clutched her head tightly with both hands, and curled up on the seat, emitting a wail of despair.
klein's expression turned completely cold, the last trace of casualness vanishing from his eyes.
He no longer cared about traffic rules, jerking the steering wheel hard. The car emitted a harsh screeching sound as it took a near-drift sharp turn into an alley, speeding toward Manhattan as a shortcut!
"Hold on tight."
Before his words had even faded, the raptor's speed surged again, the roar of the engine echoing in the narrow alleyway.
Three minutes later, the car braked sharply, the tires screaming against the ground as they stopped in front of a seemingly upscale apartment building.
klein pushed open the door and got out, and Emilyscrambled out after him, her legs so weak she could barely stand.
"What floor? Which unit?" klein asked without looking back, walking non-stop toward the apartment entrance.
"7... 703..." Emily answered, panting.
The apartment required an access card or for a resident to open the door from the inside.
klein didn't even look at the digital keypad; he raised his hand, splayed his fingers, and pressed them against the heavy glass door lock position.
"Click... crack..."
A subtle sound, as if internal precision parts were being violently twisted and broken, rang out. The electronic lock's indicator light instantly went out, and the heavy glass door popped open a crack.
klein pulled the door open and slipped inside, with Emily following closely behind.
The elevator was going up, stopping at the 10th floor.
"Take the stairs!"
klein didn't wait, rushing directly to the nearby fire exit.
Emily gritted her teeth and followed, her high heels tapping out a chaotic and rapid sound on the stairs.
Seven floors were nothing more than a few breaths for klein. He even deliberately slowed down a bit so Emilywouldn't be left behind completely.
When they rushed to the seventh floor and pushed open the heavy fire door of the stairwell, the hallway was deathly silent.
The door to 703 was wide open!
The thick solid wood door panel was twisted and broken in the middle, and the door frame was deformed, as if it had been forced open by some immense power from the outside.
Splintered wood and twisted metal locks were scattered all over the floor.
A thick, nauseating scent of rust mixed with sweet spices, combined with a hint of fresh blood, wafted out from the open door.
Seeing this scene, Emily's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed, but klein caught her.
"Is... is he inside?" Her voice was shaking uncontrollably.
klein didn't answer. He stood outside the door, eyes slightly narrowed, activating his "Radar Perception."
The three-dimensional structure of the room, the outlines of objects, the life signs... instantly formed in his mind.
The living room was in a mess; the coffee table was overturned, vases were shattered, and water stains and flower petals were mixed together.
Two life signs.
One was weak, chaotic, and filled with fear, curled up behind the sofa in the corner of the living room—it was Helen, still alive, but her aura was very unstable.
The other... blazing, chaotic, and filled with filthy desire, violence, and a non-human evil, was standing in the center of the living room, facing the direction of the sofa.
It was Daniel.
But his life field now was far removed from a "human," looking more like a mass of twisted energy burning with hellfire that had been forcibly stuffed into a human skin.
"Stay here, don't move, don't make a sound. Hold onto this!"
klein let go of the hand supporting Emily, gave a low instruction, and stuffed a safety pendant into her hand—this had been imbued with his Five Elements Power.
Then, he took a step and walked into apartment 703.
His footsteps were very light, making almost no sound on the floor.
When he fully entered the living room, he saw the scene inside clearly.
A young woman wearing a bathrobe, with messy hair and a face as pale as paper—this must be Helen—was curled up behind the overturned sofa, her hands tightly covering her mouth, eyes wide, looking at the center of the living room in terror.
And the man standing in the center of the living room, with his back to the door, head tilted slightly as if savoring Helen's fear, was Daniel.
He looked far removed from the handsome, refined art school student in Emily's description.
The clothes on his body were wrinkled, stained with dust and suspicious dark red smudges.
His hair, which had originally been styled well, stood up like weeds.
On his exposed skin—neck, back of hands—one could faintly see dark red patterns, like lava cracks, wriggling slightly beneath the skin, emitting an ominous red light.
The most eerie thing was his eyes; even in the dim indoor light, they faintly shimmered with a dull, bloody color.
He seemed not to have noticed klein's entry, with all his attention focused on the shivering prey before him.
"Helen... my dear..." Daniel spoke, his voice hoarse and twisted, carrying that non-human echo, and he slowly raised his right hand.
The fingernails on that hand had become pitch black and sharp, and wisps of visible, pale black, filthy aura coiled around his fingertips.
"Just a little bit more... You and Emily... the pattern is about to be completed... We will be together forever... in the most perfect way..."
He approached Helen, step by step.
Helen let out a suppressed, extreme whimper, her body trying desperately to shrink backward, but there was a wall behind her, with nowhere to retreat.
Just then—
"Hey."
A calm, even slightly bored-sounding male voice rang out behind Daniel.
Daniel's body suddenly stiffened!
The evil aura, which seemed to be immersed in the pleasure of the hunt, suddenly stalled.
He turned his head, extremely slowly, as if his neck bones were rusted, bit by bit.
His dark red pupils met the calm, waveless, and even slightly scrutinizing black eyes of klein at the door.
Eyes met.
The twisted smile on Daniel's face froze instantly, then spread in a more exaggerated, more ferocious way, revealing excessively sharp teeth.
"Another one has come...?" His voice was filled with ecstasy and greed, his gaze, like tangible filth, swept over klein's entire body,
"How... fresh the life force... How... perfect the soul... My Lord Atesal will be very satisfied..."
klein ignored his crazy ramblings, his gaze sweeping over the wriggling dark red patterns under his skin, then looking at the filthy aura coiling around his fingertips, and finally landing on his pair of non-human dark red pupils.
"Tsk," klein pursed his lips and shook his head, his tone filled with undisguised disdain.
"I thought it was something impressive. Turns out, it's just a poor wretch deeply contaminated by the aura of hellish scum, whose very self is almost gone."
He took a step forward, hands in his jeans pockets, his posture as relaxed as if he were visiting a neighbor.
Chapter 46: Eliminating the Demon (Part 4)
"Damn ant! How dare you speak of the noble My LordAthar?!"
Daniel's roar exploded in the living room, his voice hoarse and twisted, like thousands of beetles crawling on rusted sheet metal, carrying an inhuman echo.
The dark red veins beneath his skin suddenly lit up like glowing lava channels, and a more filthy, violent aura erupted!
Before the words had even faded, he moved!
His speed was far beyond that of a normal person, even leaving a blurred afterimage!
He no longer maintained the stiff movement of a human form, but instead dropped to all fours, pouncing like a Beast, his pitch-black, sharp nails tearing through the air, aiming straight for klein's heart!
He wanted to keep his promise and dig out the heart of this ignorant ant!
"Tsk."
The response he received was a contemptuous click of the tongue.
Facing that ghostly pounce, klein didn't even take his hands out of his trouser pockets.
He simply lifted his right foot in a seemingly casual, understated motion, twisted his ankle slightly, and kicked upward!
"Bang!!!"
A dull thud rang out, like a heavy hammer striking worn leather!
Daniel's pouncing figure flew backward faster than he had come, slamming hard into the wall on the other side of the living room!
The drywall instantly caved in and cracked, dust falling in showers.
He was twistedly embedded in the wall, his chest visibly caved in, and one could even hear the clear sound of bones cracking.
"I'm an ant?" klein finally pulled his hands out of his pockets, casually brushed off non-existent dust, and strode forward, his eyes filled with the disgust one might show toward trash.
"Then you're not even as good as an ant. Has your brain been rotted by the stench of hellish scum, making you think you're actually a big shot?"
"Hrr... hrr..." Daniel freed himself from the indentation in the wall, landed on the ground, and shook his head.
He looked down at his sunken chest, where dark red veins were writhing wildly; flesh proliferated and intertwined as if alive, and his bones let out a teeth-grinding "click" as they reset.
In just two or three seconds, the injury that would have killed an ordinary person instantly had recovered completely, leaving only a hole in his clothes and residual dark red bloodstains.
He twisted his neck, making a cracking sound, and locked his dark red eyes onto klein, his gaze burning with increasingly manic rage and evil.
"Ant... you have no idea... what true power is!!!"
This time, he didn't waste words, letting out a low, Beast-like growl from his throat before pouncing again!
His speed was faster, his strength more fierce, his hands turned into claws, carrying a viciousness capable of tearing everything apart as he enveloped klein's vital points!
klein's figure swayed slightly, like a ghost, leaving trails of afterimages in the cramped living room.
Daniel's attacks were fierce and violent, each claw swipe bringing a shrill sound of tearing air, shredding the furniture and decorations along the way!
But he couldn't even touch the hem of klein's clothes.
He was attacked casually by klein as if he were a punching bag. However, his regenerative ability was extremely strong.
Whether his throat was cut by the Five-Colored Threads or his torso pierced by the String Bullets, he could recover quickly.
Finally, he was even struck solidly in the waist by klein's Super-Attack Whiplash!
Daniel was sent flying sideways, smashing through the solid wood dining table, his spine groaning under the unbearable pressure, nearly folding in half!
He lay paralyzed in the ruins, his waist bent at a strange angle, but the dark red veins flashed frantically, and the broken spine was forcibly reset and reconnected!
"Holy shit?" klein was actually a bit surprised this time; he raised an eyebrow, watching Daniel in the ruins, twisting and struggling to climb up again.
"Regenerative ability... this abnormal?"
This damn regeneration speed is almost catching up to Wolverine!
Daniel stood up unsteadily; his clothes were already tattered, and his exposed skin was covered in crisscrossing wounds and new pink flesh from healing, looking hideous and terrifying.
He grinned, revealing sharp teeth stained with black blood, his smile crazy and triumphant: "See that... ant... this is the immortal body granted to me by My Lord Athar! You cannot kill me! And I... will tear you apart! Piece by piece..."
klein narrowed his eyes, and deep within his pupils, a spark of blazing red light quietly ignited, as if lava were flowing within them.
"Then... if your heart is gone, can you still instantly grow a new one?"
The moment the words fell—
"Whoosh!!!"
Two beams of deep red heat vision, condensed to the extreme and radiating destructive high temperatures, like the gaze of the Shinigami, shot out from klein's eyes!
The air was ionized by the high temperature, emitting a faint crackling sound!
"Pfft!!"
A soft sound, as if a hot knife were cutting into solidified butter.
The crazy, triumphant smile on Daniel's face suddenly froze.
He subconsciously looked down.
He saw that a fist-sized, circular hole with charred, smooth edges had appeared in his chest, piercing him through.
Through that hole, he could see the cracked patterns on the wall behind him, as well as the flying dust.
The flesh and bone at the edge of the hole had been vaporized and annihilated by the extreme high temperature within a thousandth of a second; not a single drop of blood flowed out.
He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but only a "hrr hrr" wheezing sound came from his throat, and then he fell to the ground.
"Pfft! Who are you trying to fool? Heart's gone, you're finished just the same." klein looked at the body on the ground with the hole in its chest, still twitching from inertia, curled his lip, cursed under his breath, and turned to walk toward Helen, who was huddled in the corner.
He had to first confirm the condition of this survivor.
However, the moment he turned his back on Daniel's "corpse"—
A sudden change occurred!
On the body that should have been completely dead, dark red granulation tissue at the edges of the charred hole in the chest began to wriggle and intertwine at a frantic speed! It wasn't repair; it was more like some kind of more thorough, more deformed reorganization!
"Sshhh!"
Amid the sound of tearing flesh, Daniel's body sprang up from the ground like a marionette, in a posture that completely defied biological structure!
The last trace of humanity on his face had completely vanished; the dark red veins beneath his skin bulged and twisted like living things, his entire face looking like a melted wax figure, his features displaced, with only those dark red eyes burning with pure malice and madness!
He made no sound, his speed extreme, his ten pitch-black, sharp nails pressed together like blades, carrying wisps of solidified, filthy black energy, as he silently yet viciously stabbed straight at the back of klein's head and spine from the side and behind!
If this strike landed, even a steel plate would be pierced through!
However—
"Hum!"
A soft sound.
Just at the moment when those pitch-black claws were about to touch the skin on the back of klein's head, a dense net instantly woven from countless nearly transparent, yet incredibly tough, milky-white threads appeared without warning between the claws and klein!
"Web Wall!"
"Pfft pfft pfft pfft—!"
Daniel's full-force strike saw his ten claws slam into that web!
The web dented deeply, emitting a teeth-grinding sound of tension, but it was not torn! The sharp nails were tightly entangled and stuck by the countless tough threads, unable to advance even an inch!
"What?!" A trace of astonishment finally appeared on Daniel's twisted face.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time." klein didn't even turn around fully; he just turned his head to the side, glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and the corners of his mouth curled into an icy arc.
"I knew scum like you wouldn't die so easily. Trying a sneak attack? Is that all you've got?"
Daniel's pupils constricted, and without any hesitation, he exerted force to pull his hands, which were entangled by the web, backward!
"Rip!"
The tough threads sliced through the skin of his fingers, but he succeeded in pulling his hands back, using the momentum to retreat rapidly!
He was no fool; the series of exchanges just now, especially the heat vision that pierced his heart, had made him realize that the seemingly lazy Asian youth before him possessed unfathomable strength, and he was definitely no match for him!
Run! He must run immediately! Go and report to My LordAthar! This person was a huge threat!
He no longer looked at klein, nor did he care about Helen in the corner; he turned and rushed toward the window, preparing to smash through it and escape!
"Want to run?" klein's eyes turned cold.
Sneak attacking him and expecting to get away with it? Did he think he, master klein, was running a charity?
His right leg, like a taut bowstring, kicked backward violently!
"Foot Razor Thread!"
Chapter 47: Helen's Death
Infused with the extreme sharp power of the "Sharp Metal Talisman," the threads, condensed until almost invisible, wrapped around his toe. Like a deathly arc of light tearing through space, it moved faster than sound, striking Daniel's back before he could react!
klein had originally intended for this kick to be a decapitation strike.
However, Daniel's survival instinct in mid-air erupted to its limit. At the critical moment, he forced his body to twist, dodging to the side in a posture that nearly snapped his own neck!
"Squelch!"
The Foot Razor Thread failed to decapitate him, but it slammed solidly into the center of his spine!
"Crack—!!!"
A scalp-tingling sound of shattering bone rang out!
Daniel let out a shrill, inhuman scream. His entire spine had been forcibly snapped and shattered by the terrifying power and sharp threads contained in that kick!
Like a strange bird with broken wings, trailing a streak of filthy blood and shattered bone fragments, he fell obliquely from mid-air and slammed heavily beside a trash can on the street below, creating a dull, loud thud.
klein walked to the window and looked down.
On the street, Daniel's twisted body twitched violently a few times in the trash and sewage.
Then, those dark red patterns flashed frantically again. In a bizarre manner, he used his hands to claw at the ground, dragging his lower body, which was almost folded in half with a broken spine, and actually struggled to crawl back up!
Then, without looking back, he used his hands to claw the ground, coordinating with the remaining strength of his upper body to move in a deformed yet swift posture, like an injured wild dog, darting quickly into a dark alley nearby and disappearing.
klein stood at the seventh-floor window, watching the direction in which Daniel had disappeared but did not pursue immediately.
"To be able to run this fast even with a broken spine... This recovery ability and desire to survive really are like a cockroach's." klein clicked his tongue and rubbed his chin.
Although he hadn't held back with that "Foot Razor Thread" kick earlier, he hadn't imbued it with Armament Haki either.
For one thing, he wanted to see just how tenacious the vitality of this thing, deeply polluted by hellish energy, really was and where its limit lay.
For another... he had a more convenient idea.
The "Parasitic Thread" had already been planted silently when it first struck Daniel.
As long as this guy was still on this Planet, he couldn't escape his perception.
You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish; by following the vine to get the melon, he could find this so-called Atassar and wipe them all out at once, which would be much simpler.
Otherwise, just taking out a polluted pawn would treat the symptoms but not the root cause.
"It's good that he ran." klein withdrew his gaze, turned around, and stopped paying attention to the outside.
"Miss Russell, come in, it's alright now."
klein called out toward the door and turned to walk toward Helen, who was still curled up behind the sofa.
Upon hearing the call, Emily rushed in from outside the door, almost crawling and tumbling.
Her first sight was Helen lying unconscious on the floor; she let out a short cry of surprise and rushed over.
"Helen! Helen! Are you okay? Wake up! It's me, Emily!" Her hands trembled as she tried to lift Helen, only to find Helen's body limp and completely unresponsive.
klein had already reached Helen's side a step earlier, crouched down, reached out to check her breathing, and felt for her carotid pulse.
Her vital signs were weak but stable; it seemed she had just fainted temporarily from extreme shock combined with the impact of Daniel's earlier attack.
On her arm... the pattern consisted of five marks, with one last one missing.
It seemed that because the last step hadn't been completed, Daniel had come personally to kill Helen to finish the final step?
Just as klein prepared to input a trace of gentle Five Elements Water energy to stimulate her to wake up—
Helen's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!
There was no focus or luster in those eyes, only a hollow, dead gray.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something.
"Helen? You're awake? That's great! You scared me to death!" Emily exclaimed with joy and hurriedly supported her shoulders.
However, Helen showed no reaction to her words.
Immediately after, her lips moved again, emitting a series of extremely faint yet exceptionally clear, strange, awkward syllables, and odd, rhythmic, short whispers!
That was not any language known to humanity!
The voice was hoarse and cold, as if it were being squeezed out from the depths of her throat, sounding like an echo coming from behind a thick layer of Water. Every syllable carried a scalp-tingling malice and mockery!
klein could understand it! Because the moment she spoke the last strange syllable—
"Ugh!"
Helen's body stiffened violently, and a short, gasping sound, as if choked off, escaped her throat.
Then, her cheeks, which had just regained a hint of color, rapidly turned gray at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the last spark of light in her eyes was completely extinguished.
Her head tilted weakly to one side, resting on Emily's arm.
Her entire body was silent and lifeless.
"Helen? Helen?! Don't scare me! Helen!!" Emily shook her frantically, slapping her cheeks, her voice filled with unbelievable panic.
klein's expression darkened, and he grabbed Helen's wrist.
The pulse had stopped.
The carotid artery showed no movement.
Her vital signs, like a blown-out candle, had completely vanished.
He immediately pulled back the sleeve of Helen's nightgown.
On her fair forearm, beside the original five twisted black marks, a sixth mark was being outlined out of thin air, as if by an invisible pen dipped in filthy ink!
In an instant, a complete, twisted pattern radiating an extremely uncomfortable, evil aura appeared before them!
The moment the pattern was completed, a seemingly minute black light flashed and vanished, then dimmed completely. But the pattern itself, like a brand, was deeply and lifelessly imprinted on Helen's skin.
"The pattern... is complete..." Emily also saw it; she murmured blankly, then let out a heart-wrenching wail, "No—!!! Helen!!"
She held Helen's body, still warm and soft but completely devoid of life, and wept loudly. The crying echoed in the silent apartment, filled with despair and collapse.
klein slowly stood up, looking at the complete curse pattern on Helen's arm, and then at Emily, who was crying until she almost fainted, his eyes cold.
Daniel had escaped, but the curse's mechanism was still running.
Or rather, Daniel had come specifically to complete the final step, having already done what needed to be done before klein arrived.
"Killing someone right in front of me..." klein muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc of extreme coldness.
"It seems you are truly tired of living."
Chapter 48: Police Station
New York City Police Department, Queens precinct, an interrogation room.
The pale fluorescent lights hummed, illuminating the cramped, old room without a single shadow.
The air was thick with the stagnant smell of stale smoke, cheap coffee, and disinfectant. The walls were a depressing gray-green, covered in tiny scratches and stains.
A heavy iron table sat in the center, with an iron chair bolted to the floor on either side.
klein sat in one of the iron chairs, leaning back, his posture relaxed, even bordering on lazy.
He wore a simple dark T-shirt and jeans, but in this environment, his casual attire exuded an out-of-place sense of calm.
He rested his hands, fingers interlaced, casually on the edge of the table, his fingertips tapping rhythmically against the cold metal surface.
Opposite him, across the iron table, sat two Police officers in NYPD uniforms.
One was older, about forty-something, with thinning hair and a face lined with the weariness of years of late nights and dealing with all sorts of headaches, though his eyes remained steady.
The other was very young, looking as if he had just graduated from the Police academy, with traces of lingering youth on his cheeks. He was trying hard to keep a straight face, attempting to appear authoritative, but his frequent glances at his older colleague betrayed his nervousness.
The room was silent, save for the hum of the fluorescent lights and the rhythmic, almost hypnotic tapping of klein's fingertips against the table.
"Name." The older Police officer opened a thin notebook, picked up a pen, and spoke in a routine, steady voice.
klein didn't make a sound, nor did he look up; his gaze remained fixed on his interlaced fingers, as if studying the lines on them.
"Age." The older Police officer waited a few seconds before asking again, his pen hovering over the paper.
Still silence.
"Occupation." The third question fell, but still met with no response.
"Bam!"
The young Police officer finally lost his patience and slammed his hand heavily onto the iron table, creating a loud bang that made the notebook and pen on the table jump.
He stood up abruptly, leaning forward with wide eyes, trying to use his height and volume to create a sense of intimidation:
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?! Name! Age! Occupation! Why were you at the scene of Helen Miller's death? Tell us everything you saw and know!"
His voice echoed in the cramped interrogation room, carrying a bluff that felt desperate to prove himself but lacked real substance.
klein finally reacted.
He slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping calmly over the young Police officer's flushed, agitated face. There was no fear, no nervousness, not even any emotional fluctuation in his eyes; it was as if he were looking at an uninteresting ornament.
Then, he lowered his gaze again, the corners of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly with a hint of boredom.
"Until my lawyer arrives, I will not answer any questions. If there is anything you need, you can contact my lawyer."
The young Police officer was thoroughly enraged by his unyielding, obviously dismissive attitude.
He lunged forward a step, nearly grabbing klein by the collar across the table:
"Don't you try to play games with me! Playing dumb, huh? Let me tell you, this is a serious homicide case!"
"We already have leads, and this case is likely connected to several other bizarre deaths that occurred a few days ago! You are a key person of interest now! Tell us everything you know and aim for leniency; it's only in your best interest! Otherwise..."
He dragged out the tone threateningly, his fists clenched tight enough to crack, his face twisted into a fierce expression that screamed, "I've got plenty of ways to deal with you."
"Otherwise what?" klein finally looked up, meeting his gaze directly. His eyes held a trace of undisguised, almost contemptuous amusement as he interrupted him.
He sat up slowly, lifted his right hand from the table edge, and pointed his index finger at the young Police officer in the air.
"Do you know who I am?"
His voice was low and his pace even, yet it made the young Police officer, Miller, subconsciously hold his breath.
"Do you have any idea... how much money I donate to the New York City Police Department and the New York Citygovernment every year?"
He paused, watching the flicker of confusion and suspicion cross Miller's face, and curled his lips into a cold, temperatureless smile.
"This time, I forgive you." He withdrew his hand and leaned back into the chair, his posture even more relaxed than before, yet his words were crisp and clear, landing heavily in the silent air.
"Young man, having drive is a good thing. But using that drive in the wrong place is just stupidity."
His gaze shifted from Miller's flushed face to the older Police officer who had been silent and merely observing the whole time, then finally back to Miller.
"If you ever dare to speak to me in that tone again... watch your job."
"You—!" Miller was completely ignited by this merciless, insulting warning. A surge of hot blood rushed to his head, and he shouted in anger, lunging around the table to charge at him!
"Miller!"
The older Police officer finally intervened. He gave a low shout and swiftly grabbed Miller's raised arm, holding him back with a firm grip.
"Calm down!" the older Police officer barked in a low voice, shooting Miller a stern look while skillfully positioning his body between him and klein.
Miller's hot-headedness cooled slightly from the tug and the glare, but his chest still heaved violently as he panted, his eyes glaring at klein as if they could spit fire.
The older Police officer didn't look at him again, turning instead to face klein.
His expression was even more serious than before, tinged with a hint of caution.
He scrutinized the young Asian man before him—he was too calm, abnormally so.
To be so composed in an NYPD interrogation room while facing charges of a serious crime, and even turning the tables to threaten the Police...
He was either a madman or... truly had nothing to fear.
Thinking back to the "donations" the other party had just mentioned, and that air of unshakeable confidence... the older Police officer's heart skipped a beat.
In New York, in this city where money ruled supreme, and in a place like the Police station, what kind of person should you never easily offend?
It was the people who had money, knew how to use it, and were likely well-connected to people in high places.
The young man before him was dressed impeccably, and that air of confidence and backing didn't look faked at all.
"Sir," the older Police officer began, his tone much more formal than before, even carrying a hint of imperceptible deliberation,
"We are just conducting a routine inquiry and hope you can cooperate with the investigation to clarify the facts as soon as possible. The cause of Ms. Helen Miller's death is not yet clear, but you and another woman, Ms. Emily Russell, were the only ones at the scene... all of this requires an explanation from you."
His wording was very careful; he no longer mentioned "serious homicide" or "person of interest," but instead used "clarify the facts" and "provide an explanation."
klein glanced at him but didn't respond, simply crossing his arms again and closing his eyes, looking like someone refusing to communicate and just waiting for his lawyer.
The older Police officer cursed silently, knowing that he probably wouldn't get anything out of him today. He gave a look to Miller, who was still panting, signaling him to leave.
Although Miller was unwilling, under the older officer's signal, he shot klein one last fierce glare, angrily pulled open the iron door, and walked out.
The older Police officer looked at klein, who was resting with his eyes closed, for a few more seconds, shook his head, and also turned to leave the interrogation room, gently closing the door behind him.
"Click."
The sound of the door lock clicking shut was exceptionally clear in the silence.
In the interrogation room, only klein remained, along with the humming fluorescent lights.
He still kept his eyes closed, appearing as if he had truly fallen asleep. Only the slightly curled corners of his mouth betrayed a hint of cold, controlled mockery.
In America, in New York, sometimes the line between law and justice is very blurry. But the rules of the game of money and power have always been crystal clear.
As it happens, klein is a wealthy man now!
Chapter 49: Coulson
After waiting for a while in the interrogation room, Kline didn't wait for Murdoch, but instead waited for someone special.
The iron door of the interrogation room was pushed open, and a man walked in, wearing a well-pressed gray suit and a dark blue tie.
He wore a perfectly balanced, gentle, and harmless smile on his face.
He looked to be in his thirties, but his thinning hair made him look a bit older than his years.
He held a thin manila folder in his hand.
Kline leaned back against the cold metal chair, his gaze landing on the man's face.
He was slightly taken aback, but then, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upward, revealing a smile mixed with intrigue.
At the same time, that familiar electronic prompt rang out clearly in the deepest part of his mind:
"Ding!"
"Detected key Marvel plot character: Phil Coulson."
"Identity: Novice Village Chief, Nick Fury's right-hand man, future 'resurrected' individual, future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Notification: Host has encountered a new plot character. Reward: Lucky Draw count +1! Do you want to start the draw now?"
"Not now, no draw." Kline thought to himself, though his gaze did not shift from Coulson's face, and his smile grew even brighter.
Coulson was a bit curious why the man in front of him was smiling when he saw him.
Could he be gay?
He should stay away from him later!
However, Coulson still walked to the opposite side of the interrogation table with a smile, pulled out a chair and sat down, then gently placed the folder on the tabletop.
"Good evening, mr. klein. I am Phil Coulson, from... the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
His voice was steady, and his tone was relaxing to listen to.
"You can call me Agent Coulson. Regarding the incident that occurred tonight at the apartment in the West Side of Manhattan, we have some questions and hope to get your cooperation."
"This kind of thing can actually alarm a department like yours? I'm quite curious."
The smile on Coulson's face froze for a split second, and a trace of subtle surprise flashed in his eyes behind his glasses, but he quickly returned to that relaxing, gentle demeanor.
The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) was almost unknown to the public, and even within the law enforcement system, only a very small number of high-level officials had the authority to access relevant information.
Could this young Asian man actually know of their existence?
Just then, there was a knock at the interrogation room door. Then the door was opened, and a police officer and Murdoch entered the interrogation room one after the other.
The officer said to Coulson, "This is the suspect's lawyer."
Coulson looked at Murdoch, who had just entered and was standing at the door holding a white cane.
He understood now. Daredevil—Matt Murdock.
They were not enemies.
Although his actions were sometimes a bit excessive, most of the time he was stable and obedient.
S.H.I.E.L.D. only had a certain degree of surveillance on his existence and activities and would not interfere too much.
If he had learned about it from Murdoch?
Then it wasn't strange.
Several thoughts flashed through Coulson's mind, but his smile remained unchanged, even becoming a bit gentler: "Since mr. klein's lawyer has arrived, I also have a few questions to ask."
Murdoch had already walked to Kline's side. He tapped his white cane gently on the ground, turned toward Coulson, and said in a steady, professional voice: "Agent Coulson, before starting any questioning, I must remind you that my client, Mr. klein, is currently not a suspect in any case."
He tilted his head slightly, as if "looking" at the officer who had brought him in, but also as if speaking to Coulson.
"The surveillance footage inside and outside the apartment clearly shows that the escaped convict Daniel was the one who violently broke down the door of Apartment 703, while my client and Ms. Emily Russell had not yet arrived at the scene."
"Furthermore, according to Ms. Emily Russell's work habits, all her calls are automatically recorded. The recording content can also prove that my client was clearly warning Ms. Helen of danger and attempting to rescue her. The recording contains traces of Daniel attacking the deceased first."
"And judging from the call times, surveillance times, and the preliminary results of the on-site forensic analysis, there is no legal causal relationship between my client and Ms. Helen's death."
Murdoch had cleanly cleared Kline from the position of "suspect."
He turned to Coulson, and despite wearing sunglasses, his sharp lawyer aura was undisguised.
"And Agent Coulson, if you are questioning my client in the capacity of law enforcement, then I must be present. If you are only asking questions in... another capacity, then my client has the right to remain silent and leave at any time."
Coulson listened to Murdoch's watertight statement, his smile undiminished, and he even nodded in agreement.
"Of course, Counselor Murdoch, you are absolutely correct. That is your client's right."
Coulson smiled, nodded at Murdoch, and sat back down.
He turned to Kline, opened the manila folder, which contained only two thin sheets of paper, seemingly recording some basic information.
"mr. klein, according to our preliminary understanding, you appeared at Ms. Helen Miller's apartment tonight to handle some... um, private matters at the request of Ms. EmilyRussell?"
"Uh-huh."
Kline was noncommittal, crossed his legs, and his posture was even more relaxed than Coulson's, the interrogator.
"Can you be more specific about the nature of these private matters?"
Coulson asked very naturally, as if it were just routine.
"Exorcism."
Kline answered crisply and cleanly, the two words perfectly clear.
The smile on Coulson's face did not change in the slightest, but something seemed to flash rapidly deep within his eyes.
Beside him, Murdoch's brows beneath his sunglasses twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Exorcism..."
Coulson repeated the word, his tone still calm.
"Sounds very professional. Is mr. klein... an expert in this field?"
"Not an expert, just making a living."
Kline shrugged.
"I run a small shop, specializing in handling some small troubles. Emily felt she encountered trouble in this area and asked me for help. It's that simple."
"Understood."
Coulson nodded, tapping his fingers gently on the folder.
"Then, regarding the attacker you encountered tonight—according to Ms. Emily Russell's preliminary statement and the blurry images we obtained from the apartment's external surveillance, it seems to be an individual with... unusual behavioral patterns. You had direct contact with him. Can you describe his specific characteristics, or... does he have anything special about him?"
Kline looked at Coulson, the smile on his face deepening with a hint of playfulness.
"Anything special? Of course. Great strength, fast speed, strong recovery."
"Is that all?"
"That's all I know!"
"mr. klein, thank you for your cooperation. The information you provided... is very valuable."
Coulson stood up and straightened the hem of his suit.
"We will continue to investigate tonight's events. Regarding the attacker you mentioned, and other matters that may be involved behind him, they all fall within our jurisdiction. If there is a need later, we may contact you again."
His words were polite, but the meaning was clear: S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken over this matter, and you had best not meddle anymore.
"Of course, you are welcome anytime."
Kline also stood up, grinned, and flashed a mouthful of white teeth.
Then he patted Murdoch on the shoulder: "Let's go, Counselor. The chairs here are too hard; my butt hurts from sitting."
After saying this, he stopped looking at Coulson, put his hands in his pockets, whistled, and swaggered out of the interrogation room.
Murdoch nodded slightly to Coulson and also turned to follow him out.
Not until their footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor did Coulson slowly sit back down in the chair.
The gentle expression on his face completely vanished, replaced by a deep, thoughtful gravity.
He reopened the thin folder, looking at the few lines of preliminary information about "klein" on it—
Economics student at Empire State University, parents both deceased, recently took over a shop dealing in "supernatural-related items," has connections with Daredevil (Matt Murdock)...
Coulson looked at the empty doorway of the interrogation room, his mind replaying Kline's seemingly cynical, yet actually unfathomable gaze.
"klein..."
He whispered the name, his eyes complex.
In the night of New York, it seemed there was another variable that needed close attention and was extremely unstable.
Chapter 50: Preparing to Fish
klein walked down the steps of the police station with his hands in his jeans pockets, swaying slightly. The cool night breeze blew, dispelling some of the stuffy air from inside.
Murdoch followed at his side, his white cane tapping against the concrete, making a rhythmic, faint sound.
Not far away, Emily Russell was standing by a police car, accompanied by a female officer. Her face was still pale as paper, and her eyes were empty, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the successive blows.
The paperwork was processed quickly. With Murdoch, a professional lawyer, present, the bail process was exceptionally smooth.
"Get in." klein opened the door of his blue raptor and gestured with his chin towards Emily.
Like a marionette, Emily walked over mechanically. With a light assist from Murdoch, she climbed into the tall back seat, curled herself into a corner, hugged her arms, and stared blankly at the flowing night scenery outside the window.
klein got into the driver's seat, while Murdoch took the passenger seat.
The engine gave a low roar, and the car slid smoothly out of the police station parking lot, merging into the sparse midnight traffic.
It was very quiet inside the car, with only the faint sound of the air conditioning vents and the faint jazz music on the radio.
"Just now at the police station, that Agent Coulson..." Murdoch suddenly spoke, his voice clear and steady in the enclosed car, "The department he represents... is quite unusual."
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, right? I know, a bunch of civil servants who stick their noses where they don't belong." klein held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other reached into the center console to pull out the box of Cubacigars with only a few left, then thought better of it and put it back—there were others in the car, and smoking that stuff wasn't appropriate.
"Do you need help with what you encountered tonight?" Murdoch turned his head towards klein.
"Help?" klein scoffed and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Lawyer, I appreciate your intention. But this matter, you can't help with."
He paused, his tone casual yet firm: "I can handle it myself. Should I take you back to your office, or to your apartment?"
Murdoch was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking, asking no further questions. There were some boundaries he was very clear about.
"Just take me back to the office."
The car wove through the streets in the dead of night, the neon lights outside the window turning into flowing ribbons of light.
Twenty minutes later, the raptor stopped downstairs from Murdoch's unassuming law firm in Queens.
"Thanks, mr. klein." Murdoch pushed open the car door, reached out with his blind cane to tap the ground, then got out nimbly, standing on the sidewalk, turning slightly to the side.
"Keep in touch. If there is... any need on the legal side, look for me anytime."
"Got it, go on up, don't catch a cold in the middle of the night." klein waved his hand, as a way of saying goodbye.
Watching Murdoch skillfully navigate with his blind cane, walk into the old building, and disappear into the darkness of the doorway, klein shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator.
The car turned around and headed towards BrooklynChinatown.
In the back seat, Emily still maintained that curled-up posture, motionless, with only her occasionally blinking eyes proving she was still awake.
klein glanced at her through the rearview mirror but said nothing.
Any words of comfort right now would be pale and powerless.
Fear, the guilt of watching her best friends die tragically before her eyes, despair over her own fate... these emotions needed time to digest, or rather, they needed the matter to be completely resolved before they could slowly subside.
What he had to do now was to crush that fleeing Daniel, along with the pathetic hellish aura behind it.
The streets were empty in the dead of night, and the car soon returned to the two-story building.
klein parked the car, turned off the engine, and pulled out the keys.
"We're here, get out."
Aunt Mei was sitting on the sofa in the rest area, feeling somewhat uneasy, and stood up immediately upon hearing the commotion.
When she saw klein walk in safe and sound, followed by Emily, who was pale, with red and swollen eyes, and in a trance, she clearly breathed a sigh of relief, but then her heart tightened again.
"Kline! Emily! You're back! How is it? Are you okay? Those two people..."
Aunt Mei hurried forward, her concerned gaze sweeping over the two, especially when she saw Emily's dejected appearance, her question stopped halfway, and a sinister premonition welled up in her heart.
Emily's body trembled violently, and the tears that had just stopped began to flow again. She covered her face and let out a broken sob.
"Helen... Catherine... they... are both dead... both dead..." she said intermittently, her voice shattered.
Aunt Mei's face turned pale instantly. She hurriedly stepped forward to support the swaying Emily, helped her sit on the sofa, sat beside her, and gently patted her back, while looking at klein anxiously.
"What on earth happened? Kline? Didn't you go to save them? How..."
klein walked behind the long table, picked up the kettle to pour himself a glass of water, tilted his head back to take a big gulp, and only then looked at Aunt Mei.
"We were too late. Daniel arrived first. By the time we got there, Catherine... was already dead. Helen couldn't be saved either."
"Dead? How could..." Aunt Mei gasped, subconsciously covering her mouth, her eyes full of sympathy and pity as she looked at Emily.
"Then what happens now? That Daniel... will he..." Aunt Mei looked at klein worriedly, then at the glaring black marks on Emily's arm.
"What happens now?" klein put down the water glass, walked to the single sofa opposite Emily, sat down, leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and gazed calmly at Emily, who was still sobbing softly.
"This curse ritual requires six people, and now five are already dead. Emily, you are the last one."
Emily's sobbing stopped. She slowly raised her head, her face still tear-stained, her eyes red and swollen, but a cold flame, mixed with hatred and resolve, ignited in her eyes.
"He will definitely come to find me, to complete the last step, activate the full curse, and use my death to completely finish that ritual." Emily's voice was hoarse but no longer trembling. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
"Correct." klein nodded, looking at her with sharp eyes. "Therefore, I have a plan."
He paused, and said word for word:
"Use you as bait. To fish Daniel out."
When the words fell, the living room was silent.
Aunt Mei widened her eyes, looking at klein, then at Emily, her face full of disapproval and worry: "This is too dangerous! Kline! What if..."
"I'm willing."
Emily interrupted Aunt Mei.
Her voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear and firm, carrying a kind of desperate resolve.
Perhaps it was witnessing her companions die tragically in such a bizarre and terrifying way, or perhaps it was the deep-seated, overwhelming hatred for Daniel that finally overcame her fear...
At this moment, there was no more collapse or weakness in Emily's eyes, only a cold, almost insane obsession.
She looked at klein and repeated, biting hard on every word: "mr. klein, I am willing. As long as I can take down that demon Daniel, as long as I can stop him from harming others, as long as I can avenge Catherine and Helen... I am willing to be this bait!"
She even pulled the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying, carrying a fierce edge.
"I want to watch him die with my own eyes! I want to personally... send him to hell!"
Aunt Mei looked at the strange and terrifying light in Emily's eyes, opened her mouth, but eventually swallowed her words of persuasion, only sighing worriedly and looking at klein.
klein met Emily's gaze for a few seconds, seeing the unquestionable determination in her eyes, as well as a madness on the verge of collapse, urgently needing an outlet.
He nodded.
"Fine. Since you've decided, then we'll proceed according to the plan."