CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 18: DEATH IN THE LINE OF DUTY (PART 2)

Keville picked up the flashlight and shone it, frowning tightly: "It should have been left recently."

"Did the enemy climb over from above?"

Shawn followed the top of the sewer with the light, quickly discovering many slight traces, not normal hand or footprints, but inconspicuous little dots scattered on both sides, spaced about three meters apart.

His expression was solemn as he looked at Keville beside him and slowly said: "What do you think these traces are left by?"

Keville frowned deeply.

Following the traces above, he drew the same marks on the ground, his expression seemed slightly confused, mumbling: "Definitely not left by humans... a bit like a giant bug!..."

Shawn also thought the same.

In an instant.

His intuition trembled, and in a fleeting vision, Shawn saw a giant black spider.

"It’s a spider!"

"No, it’s a woman growing on the spider’s body!... It’s the Lady of the House!... It really is her!..." Shawn instantly opened his eyes.

The top of the sewer.

All the traces were no longer hidden from his eyes, he could even imagine a huge black spider, at the spider’s head fused with the upper body of a glamorous woman. She crawled along the sewer walls, her bloodthirsty gaze locking onto her prey, concealing herself in the dark, inching closer silently, then suddenly appearing behind Quin, stabbing her luminescent snake-shaped dagger into Quin’s back.

"The Lady of the House?" Upon hearing Shawn’s words, Jason, standing behind them, changed his expression slightly.

He was one of those who pursued the Lady of the House.

However, their last operation was not successful. The Lady had the ability to turn invisible in darkness and could traverse through shadow space. Hunting a Wanderer who could stealthily hide was inherently challenging in the Bizarre Realm, especially since Wanderers’ survival skills were always top-tier. They moved silently, their whereabouts mysterious, and could be completely invisible in the dark. If they possessed the ’Nine Deaths and One Life’ talent, then a High Sequence Wanderer would be akin to a nine-lived feline spirit.

They could rely on bodily instincts to evade a lethal attack once.

This career path was always akin to dancing on a knife’s edge; those who survived to the end were tough to deal with.

The last pursuit ended with the Lady escaping successfully.

Even though Jason and his team carried the Holy Relic, they still couldn’t capture the invisible Dark Elf.

After switching racial templates, the Lady of the House’s physical attributes far surpassed those of human Transcendents.

The invisibility abilities of the Wanderer Path were stronger than a Wizard’s Invisibility Spell; Shawn had footsteps and traces of movement, while Wanderers left almost no traces.

"She seems to no longer be humanoid now."

Shawn’s Spiritual Spark was shining as he spoke in a deep voice: "Her lower half has transformed into a sinister giant spider, possibly close to losing control."

That was the scene Shawn saw during his last Spiritual Vision.

However, that time was just under Spiritual Vision, her lower half fused with a gigantic black spider, and now even in the real world, her lower half transformed into a massive black spider.

This is close to loss of control, possibly half uncontrollable now.

"Immediately notify the Death Pilgrims still in Dorne City to assemble! Recall other Night Watchers on leave rotation!"

Jason’s expression was serious as he ordered the others.

A possibly High Tier uncontrolled entity, Shadow Sequence, half-human half-spider, could easily ambush and assassinate a Ranger Path Investigator; this was already a very dangerous creature.

As soon as Transcendents lose control, their power goes berserk; the Lady’s current abilities would only be stronger than before.

"You all should not enter the sewer yet."

"Act at dawn."

Jason glanced at Shawn and Keville, handing a special badge to William: "William, immediately apply to summon Relic number 23, the Eye of Truth."

An uncontrolled entity that could be completely invisible, without a relic they were very passive.

Only Shawn here could see through invisible enemies.

"She now has become a half-human half-spider monster, should only be able to hide inside the sewers to move around."

"Quin might have discovered her traces, resulting in this monster silencing her."

Wanderers also had their own weaknesses, which was they could only be invisible in shadows, under sunlight they could sneak silently, making it hard for people to notice their presence. If the Lady were to act in broad daylight, with her current half-human half-spider appearance, she would have been discovered long ago.

Shawn seemed to think of something and spoke in a deep voice: "Flamethrowers!"

"Have people prepare flamethrowers!"

"She may now possess the ability to dominate snakes and insects."

There were many within the Night Watchers with strong combat abilities, but most were pure melee warriors; if faced with a large group of snakes and insects, it’s unrealistic to hack them one by one, it’s best to use flamethrowers to solve the fight.

Jason immediately nodded: "Let someone prepare."

"Notify the police to block the entrances and exits of surrounding areas."

At dawn.

The surroundings of the Park District were already sealed off, Dorne City seemed to enter a troubled autumn; supernatural events had erupted successive months in the Market District and Old Town District, and today the Park District was suddenly locked down, causing unrest throughout the city, making it difficult to suppress the situation’s development.

"The enemy clearly came prepared."

Shawn gazed at the dark entrance of the sewer, musing: "But what for? Just to disrupt the order of the real world?"

The Market District’s illusionary arrival, the Old Town District’s Dark Blood Sacrifice, coupled with this Investigator’s death.

His instincts told Shawn all this felt like the work of an invisible hand in the shadows, targeting the Night Watchers, and it was an organized behavior, with very strong and dangerous enemies lurking behind it.

At seven twenty in the morning.

Shawn saw the dust-covered Benjamin; the team captain seemed just back from outside, still holding a suitcase.

He silently walked to Quin’s corpse, gazed at it briefly, then gently covered it with a white cloth, his expression sorrowful, speaking softly: "Did you find any enemy clues?"

William nodded slightly, reaching to take the captain’s black suitcase: "Yes."

"It might be the Lady of the House, she’s returned to Dorne City."

Rage blazed intensely in Benjamin’s eyes, his fists clenched, he paused briefly before saying: "You stay here, I’m going to headquarters."

Shawn watched Benjamin’s back, a trace of worry in his expression.

Daisy quietly came to his side, whispering: "The captain’s a bit off today."

Shawn shifted his gaze to Benjamin’s back, pondered briefly, and softly said: "The captain has advanced."

"His emotions are currently not stable."

Upon Benjamin’s recent return, Shawn already detected a slight anomaly because Benjamin carried a dark, ominous aura.

All along, Benjamin’s emotions were very stable, even under Shawn’s Spiritual Vision, hardly any anomaly was visible on him. But this time upon return, he was shrouded in an abysmal dark aura, which felt odd even without activating Confusion.

Just now, moving Confusion slightly, Shawn saw behind Benjamin’s shadow a gelatinous darkness, like sieving mud, alive and active, revealing a blackish-red tinge as if it was asphalt.

At that moment, Shawn thought of Lorice; at the moment of Lorice’s death, her body burst open, spewing filthy black sludge, which bore uncanny resemblance to Benjamin’s current shadow illusion.

The only explanation right now was that Benjamin completed his next advancement during this trip.

Because of the recent advancement, Benjamin revealed a slight anomaly indicating pollution.

"Blood and Flesh? Deceitful Technique?"

Shawn was uncertain of Benjamin’s current status; after Transcendents advance and fuse with the next stage of Extraordinary Relics, their conditions become slightly unstable, only to gradually normalize as the Extraordinary Essence is digested.

"Benjamin seems to have acquired a hint of Primitive Magic Power."

"Does he now possess Casting Ability?"

Seeing Benjamin’s departure, he was likely going to apply to summon Holy Relics; only those with very firm will can use Holy Relics.

The side effects of Curios are milder.

But both Holy Relics and Sealed Objects have very noticeable side effects, Shawn currently lacks the authority to apply for Holy Relics.

.........