Chapter 71

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Klein repeatedly bent and straightened his arm at the elbow while watching Captain Dunn push open the guard room door with the side of his body.

The captain’s meticulous caution and absurdly over-the-top “protective actions” left Klein feeling unusually tense—reminding him of the unsettling sensation he’d experienced as a child while passing by cemeteries at night.

A Grade Two Sealed Artifact. Dangerous. To be used with caution and moderation...

Even formal Nighthawk members don’t know all the details. Its true danger remains unknown...

Amid his wound-up nerves, Klein found himself overthinking until his mind suddenly went numb—as if his brain’s CPU had lost power.

Everything in his vision slowed down, including his arm movements. He saw Captain Dunn stop in his tracks, slowly drawing closer in apparent slow motion before extending his palm and gently pushing Klein on the shoulder. In an instant, Klein’s thought processes and vision snapped back to normal, as if the prior moment had been nothing but an illusion.

“What happened?” he whispered, confused and a little frightened.

Dunn shook his head and, in a low voice, said, “Watch closely.”

Immediately after speaking, the captain turned and walked into the guard room. Klein followed closely and saw four other people inside, some seated, some standing.

One of them was Leonard, the Midnight Poet; the other three were strangers to Klein, but they all shared one thing in common: They were all engaged in the same bending and straightening arm “exercise” with utter seriousness, not daring to pause even for a second.

“Klein Moretti has an incredible connection with the Antigonus family’s notebook,” Dunn announced briefly as an introduction.

Then he pointed to the other three and said, “The lady and these gentlemen are our colleagues from the Backlund diocese. They escorted Sealed Artifact 2-049 here. This is Ms. Lorotta, Sequence Eight Gravedigger and an expert markswoman.”

The dark-haired woman, who looked to be about thirty, nodded at Klein in a friendly manner.

She was attractive and dressed in what appeared to be menswear—a black coat over a white shirt, formfitting black trousers, and black leather boots. The corners of her mouth were turned up in a slight smile.

After exchanging greetings, Dunn pointed to a man seated behind a desk in a gray, double-breasted trench coat. “Ayer Harson, an old guy just like me.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Klein watched as Ayer Harson’s movements turned sluggish, like a gear without lubricant or a joint rusted shut.

What's going on...?

Amid Klein’s daze, he saw Lorotta push Ayer Harson gently. Only then did the gentleman’s actions return to normal.

Was that what happened to me just now?Klein blinked and realized with a jolt that this was a manifestation of the dangers seeping from Sealed Artifact 2-049.

But what would happen if someone wasn't woken up in time?

Would they become a zombie?

Filled with questions, Klein greeted Ayer Harson, a charming middle-aged man.

“Borgia,” Dunn said as he pointed to the last Nighthawk.

He was a cold man with a knife scar on one side of his face and eagle-sharp brown eyes that seemed to scrutinize everyone.

“Lets set off, everyone. The sooner we end this, the sooner we can seal 2-049 back up,” Ayer Harson declared as he rose. His handsome face already bore a few wrinkles around his eyes.

So where is 2-049?

Klein surveyed his surroundings curiously but saw no sign of a Sealed Artifact. Of course, he couldn’t see behind the table without activating his spirit vision.

“All right,” Dunn turned and addressed Leonard Mitchell, “you’re in charge of driving. It’s best not to involve Cesar in matters like this.”

Cesar, the clerk in charge of procuring and collecting supplies for the Tingen Nighthawks—and also their carriage driver—had previously driven Klein to the Welch residence to meet Daly the Spirit Medium.

“No problem,” Leonard replied, putting aside his usual frivolity and nodding seriously.

At that moment, Klein saw Ayer Harson bending over and picking up a black chest from behind the table. The chest was exquisitely carved with resplendent stars and a full crimson moon, and it appeared to be sealed with some kind of formless barrier.

The Sealed Artifact must be inside. I wonder what 2-049 looks like...Klein observed the chest curiously.

Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Intense knocking sounds suddenly erupted from the black chest. Its surface began to bulge in one place, then another.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

It was as though something horrifying had awakened within the chest, pounding wildly. Each knock seemed to pound against the hearts of everyone present.

It’s alive?Klein thought, just as he noticed Captain Dunn’s arm movements turning sluggish, as if his joints were filled with glue.

Borgia, the Nighthawk from Backlund, pushed Dunn’s shoulder, helping him recover.

The effect of 2-049 looks just like someone doing the robot..., Klein mused.If all of us are under its influence, wouldn’t we end up as an awkward dance squad? Luckily, 2-049 seems capable of influencingonlyone person at a time.

Klein silently monologued to relax his tense nerves. He did not dare to stop his arm exercises for even a second. Following Dunn’s lead, he set his walking stick aside and joined the five Nighthawks as they made their way through the corridor and up the stairs to the second floor of Blackthorn Security Company.

Leonard had gone ahead and notified everyone on that level, so Rosanne and the others had hidden on the third floor. These incidents were unusual yet not entirely foreign to them. Another Nighthawk, Kenley, had replaced Dunn in his watch over Chanis Gate.

Klein heaved a sigh of relief when they finally reached the carriage. Glancing curiously out the window, he asked, “Won’t 2-049 affect the ordinary people on the streets?”

From their journey underground to the carriage, Sealed Artifact 2-049 had already caused six sluggish incidents—two of which had targeted Klein himself and him being jolted awake by Captain Dunn and Leonard Mitchell, respectively. This frequency was rather alarming!

“No worries,” the beautiful, dark-haired Lorotta explained in a languid voice. “2-049 will prioritize its target to humanoid creatures within a five-meter radius. The closer you are, the more likely you are to be chosen. As long as there are three people surrounding it, those merely nearby when the carriage passes won’t be affected.”

What an odd Artifact..., Klein thought as he continued his arm exercises.

During the journey to Ryer Bieber’s house, Dunn and the rest of the Nighthawks remained silent, closely monitoring each other’s condition.

Only Lorotta maintained a nonchalant demeanor—occasionally taking in the sights of Tingen’s not-so-clean streets and, at other times, praising Backlund’s underground drainage system.

Soon after, the familiar building finally came into Klein’s line of sight. The group of six made their way to the third level, their eyes fixed on one another in close observation.

The door to Ryer Bieber’s house was marked with the Tingen Police Department’s symbol. Entry was forbidden for unauthorized personnel. As Dunn did his stretching exercises with one arm, he produced a key with his free hand and opened the newly updated lock. He then turned around, allowing Ayer Harson, who was carrying the black chest, to enter first.

Thump!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Sealed Artifact inside the chest began pounding aggressively—more intensely than before. The force caused Ayer Harson’s arm to wobble uncontrollably, and Klein even suspected that the chest’s wall might be breached by the onslaught.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Klein acutely noticed that Captain Dunn’s movements were growing sluggish. He was about to wake the captain when he felt a ringing in his head, and his thought processes and vision slowed to a crawl.

Didn't they say that...it only affects one...person at a time...?Klein’s thoughts rapidly became sluggish as well.

At this moment, the prepared Lorotta and Borgia pushed him and the others back to full awareness.

Once his mind and vision were restored, Klein looked around with lingering fear. He blurted out, “Didn’t you say that 2-049 can only affect one person at a time?”

Good thing I never stopped doing my stretches!

“When Sealed Artifact 2-049 enters its berserk mode, it can affect up to two people at once. Now we can confirm that Ryer Bieber is indeed a descendant of the Antigonus family,” Ayer Harson said in a mechanical tone.

Lorotta chuckled and added, “Artifact 2-049 becomes very agitated when it detects even a trace of a descendant of the Antigonus family. Its power increases accordingly—you’d probably understand how it feels if you were in its presence.”

Well, I don't...

Klein asked curiously, “So it’s a living creature?”

Lorotta smiled but did not answer directly. “You’ll find out shortly. As long as Ryer Bieber hasn’t escaped Tingen, 2-049 will lead us to him.”

Klein could only set his other questions aside as he turned to survey the room with the Nighthawks. Amid the loud, violent thumping from the chest, they locked the front door, walked down the stairs, and returned to the carriage.

Ayer Harson peered out the window several times, confirming that no pedestrians were within a five-meter radius. Then he placed the black chest on the carriage floor and twisted a mechanical lever to release its spiritual shackle.

The violent thumping abruptly ceased, and the entire carriage was engulfed in silence—so silent that not even a breath could be heard.

Klein held his breath as the black chest slowly creaked open.

Clunk!

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The chest toppled over as a brown, slender arm reached out—it was only about the length of a child’s finger. One by one, two such arms emerged from the floor until a structure roughly the size of a human palm appeared inch by inch. It had distinct elbow, finger, and knee joints. Its body was wrapped in oil-stained brown cloth, and its face was painted bright red and yellow—the colors of a clown.

It was a bizarre-looking wooden puppet!

Artifact 2-049 lifted its head and gazed at Klein with black, pupilless eyes.

Then its rigid mouth slowly parted to reveal a clown-like smile.