Chapter 321 142
The first-floor lobby, where the Mechanical Heart was standing just now, was soon crowded with members of the Nightwatchers. Most of them went upstairs and prepared in the bathroom, while the rest waited at the door, completely oblivious to the stench that filled the room.
Soon, with heavy footsteps, Leonard, wearing full body armor, walked in and stood on the expensive-looking carpet at the door.
This armor was different from the full-body armor currently worn by Loen, which was more decorative than practical. It had strong lines and no unnecessary decorations except for the necessary parts. It looked like an ancient artifact unearthed from a tomb thousands of years ago. On the front of the breastplate, a dark red bloodstain slanted downward from the left shoulder, as if someone had splashed it, which was chilling.
As he walked into the room, the thick stench of decay around him seemed to be blown away by an invisible wind, turning into cold, damp air. Several night watchmen shuddered at the drastic temperature change.
"Hurry, help him take off his armor. He'll be the next one to put it on in order," Soster followed him in and immediately ordered, "Leonard, the bathroom on the second floor is getting hot water ready. Go take a bath immediately, or you'll just have to sleep in the goddess' arms."
This handsome man with black hair and green eyes lost the uninhibited spirit he had in Tingen, leaving only the resoluteness that had settled deep within him. He lifted his visor and, with the help of his companions, quickly removed the heavy armor. He found the stairs leading to the second floor and rushed up three steps at a time. Behind him, the strange armor emanated a fierce chill. Another Nightwatchman who had replaced him took off his coat and began to put on his leg armor. Soest pressed the button on his pocket watch to restart the time.
Rushing into the bathroom, Leonard didn't even bother to close the door. He quickly took off all his clothes and then lay down in the bathtub with white mist. His skin quickly turned red in contact with the boiling water, making him look like he was boiled, but he didn't care. Instead, he buried his head in the water, not letting a single piece of his skin be exposed.
In the transparent water, silvery-white liquid oozed out of Leonard's body, like lines drawn with mercury all over his body. They quickly spread and disappeared in the hot water, while lowering the temperature in the bathtub. In less than half a minute, the entire tank of boiling water dropped to freezing point, and even a thin layer of ice condensed on the surface.
Leonard didn't emerge from the icy water until the silver liquid stopped seeping out of his body. He breathed a sigh of relief. The water on his body surface slowly evaporated under the influence of his body temperature, and condensed into mist due to the extremely low temperature around him, making his strong body a little hazy.
Seeing that the night watchmen outside the door had left, he turned his head and whispered:
"Old man, do you know the origin of this seal?"
"You should be polite when asking an elder," an old voice appeared in his mind. "It is very likely formed by the high-sequence characteristics of the Giant Path. However, compared to the power of the sequence itself, the bloodstains on the armor are the true source of the power of this seal. It comes from an ancient god before the Cataclysm..."
Leonard seemed to have gotten used to the vague way the voice in his head spoke. He did not continue to ask questions. Instead, he stood up, found a towel to dry himself, put on his clothes again, and walked out of the bathroom.
"By the way, just now when the Beyonder from Mechanical Heart left, I saw a familiar figure. Do you remember him?"
When he reached the stairs, he suddenly remembered the feeling at the door and asked again in a low voice.
"Oh, if you think you know them, then you should ask yourself," the old voice sneered and replied, "I don't know them."
Subconsciously, Leonard felt that this mysterious "parasite" who had been with him for three years was hiding something. But before he could think about it, the Nighthawk who replaced him and put on "1-42" went upstairs and went straight to Jason Belia's bedroom. He used the tracking ability of the seal to find the location of this "Apostle of Desire" and prepared to solve this trouble in one fell swoop.
He could only quickly catch up with his teammates, but there was still suspicion on his face.
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"That armor just now, is it the 'dangerous sealed object' you mentioned?"
In the carriage of the Mechanical Heart, Angel looked at Ikanser who was sitting opposite her and asked curiously.
The moment she boarded the carriage, she felt a searching gaze cast towards her. It came from the carriage where the Nighthawks, wearing silver-white armor, got off. However, this feeling only lasted for a moment, so she was not sure if it was an illusion.
"Yes, I can only say that it is extremely dangerous and difficult to control, so the Nighthawks require all outsiders to leave."
The officer said this mysteriously.
Unfortunately, I already know it's called "1-42," and that it killed an entire city... It seems that "Eye of Wisdom" Isengard Stanton's knowledge of this Sealed Artifact didn't come from the Mechanical Heart. He must have other sources of information, such as the Nighthawks, or even the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom in Lenburg...
Angel thought to himself, nodded, and didn't ask any further questions.
Afterwards, their topic inevitably turned back to the demon family and the "Apostle of Desire" Jason Belia.
"It's best for you all to stay together after you return. This morning, I received news that three detectives' families who refused our collective protection were tragically found dead in their homes. Two were in the Hillston District, and one was in the North District. The cause of death was internal bleeding caused by excessive fear. In other words, they were frightened to death."
Ikanser said in a low voice, as if that would bolster his aura.
"But you don't have to worry too much. Now that the Sealed Artifact has been deployed, Jason Belia won't be around for long. That full-body armor can eliminate the opponent's anti-divination interference, easily locate the target's location, and won't trigger the 'devil's' dangerous instincts. It also has the power to easily kill a Sequence 5, making it the nemesis of Beyonders of this type."
"That sounds reassuring," Isengard said with a smile. After leaving Jason's house, the chain-smoker was finally allowed to use his pipe, and he began to puff away at the window. "But I have a question. 'Apostle of Desire' Belia must be aware that Backlund's True God Church has the means to deal with him. So why does he keep provoking the detectives who are protected by the church? Even after being plotted against and injured yesterday, he still persists?"
This was indeed the doubt in everyone's mind, especially after they had just "visited" Jason Belia's mansion. They learned that this man had an elegant and wealthy identity, but a crazy nature hidden under his seemingly calm appearance. Now it was even more difficult for them to understand the behavioral logic of this "Apostle of Desire".
"Perhaps, he truly loves that 'demon dog' and considers it his only family, so he's willing to give up his long-established identity just to avenge it?"
Kaslana frowned, trying to analyze.
"Unfortunately, that's impossible," Isengard shook his pipe and gently shook his head, dismissing the female detective's opinion. "Sequence 8 of the 'Demon' path is called 'Broken Winged Angel,' meaning it loses the conscience of a normal person, gains various abilities unique to demons, and becomes one with them. This sequence is also known as 'Cold-Blooded.' Do you think, after going through this stage, he'll still be able to feel the kind of 'love' you describe?"
Sherlock nodded at this time, agreeing with Isengard's analysis: "I think so too, but if that's the case, Jason Belia has been attacking so frequently in the past few days, even ignoring his own injuries. His true intentions are worth exploring."
He looked at Ikanser, and his meaning was clear: it's time to touch your "Arrodes".
The latter smiled awkwardly and waved his hand, indicating that he had not taken the seal out of the church, but he also promised to activate the seal as soon as possible after returning to the "Mechanical Heart" base, and continue to inquire about the whereabouts of the "Apostle of Desire" based on the clues at hand.
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"Right now, they must be searching for 'Jason Belia', the cold-blooded killer who killed dozens of people and buried their bodies under his own house. Haha, haha..."
In the shadows, a pair of blue eyes gradually emerged. Jason Belia, who was being tracked by various major churches, slowly walked out of the corner and came to the center of this spacious attic.
He quickly took off his clothes, then reached out and tore his scalp from the back, tearing off the entire skin as if he were taking off a piece of underwear!
Beneath the torn human skin was not bloody human tissue, but another human skin, another "Jason".
His brown eyes were cold, his brown hair was slightly curly, and his figure was no different from before he shed the previous layer of human skin. After taking off the entire thin human skin, he folded it carefully and put it into a huge suitcase beside him. In addition to the secret pocket for storing the human skin, the suitcase was filled with stacks of large-denomination banknotes and heavy gold bars, which looked to be worth at least tens of thousands of pounds.
After closing the suitcase again, the new "Jason" came to the attic window and looked into the distance. In front of this luxurious villa with a glass greenhouse full of bright red roses, the spacious street connected to the main artery of Queens: King's Avenue.
At the end of the road, a four-wheeled carriage was driving out of the Kingdom Parliament and slowly approaching this side.
That was his real goal.
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