novelraw Chapter 75 Klein has defected?
Chapter 75 Klein has defected?
Inside the conference room of Blackthorn Security Company.
"Is this what happened in Tingen recently?" Dunn, who had returned from Backlund, stared at the report in front of him, lost in thought.
"Cohen, old Neil... and Klein."
"I never imagined that so much would happen in the short time I was gone." His deep voice struck everyone's hearts like a blunt instrument, and a hint of self-reproach welled up in his gray eyes.
He should have stayed in Tingen to protect his companions, instead of traveling to the capital for personal reasons.
"Captain, it's my fault. I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as acting captain." Frye took the blame.
"No, it's not your fault, we all share responsibility," Luo Yao said, trying to comfort him.
"By the way, the urgent telegram that the Holy Church sent earlier has been deciphered."
Siga Teon seemed to remember something and spoke up.
"An urgent telegram... what does it say?" Dunn asked.
The white-haired, black-eyed woman, Sega Teon, answered without hesitation: "Beware of Ince Zangwell, beware of Seal 0-08."
"0-08? I see... So this is the real reason why so many incidents have occurred in Tingen..." Dunn nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
The members of the Night Watch team present also fell silent, clearly realizing part of the truth.
"Old Neil was taken away for investigation because of his involvement in black magic, and he's also reached retirement age."
"How's Cohen's injury?" Dunn asked another injured teammate.
"I still need to rest for another month or two," Frye replied succinctly.
Dunn nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing, and after a few seconds of silence, he spoke.
"Does anyone have any leads regarding Klein?"
……
Silence fell once again.
In the past few days, everyone has consciously avoided talking about Klein.
"Ever since Klein was reported, he's been staying behind Charness's door..."
Dunn had already heard from Frye and the others about Klein being reported, but he didn't blame Frye and the others for their handling of the matter. After all, if it were him, he wouldn't have reported it to the Holy Temple immediately either.
As a newcomer, even if Klein has no problems, he may not be able to withstand the pressure from higher-ups.
"There are obvious signs of vandalism behind the Charnis Gate. Based on the current information, the last person to carry out the attack was Inszangwell."
"His target is Saint Selena's ashes..."
"After we returned from the circus, we discovered that Klein... he's disappeared..."
After some consideration, Frye decided that the word "disappeared" was the most appropriate description.
"Could it have been eaten by an evil spirit?" Leonard suddenly asked.
His words immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Forehead……"
"Inszangwell is a Sequence 5 of the 'Corpse Collector' pathway, so it's not impossible that he could unleash evil spirits to help him."
"And Klein is only a Sequence 8, he can't possibly be a match for a Sequence 5."
"Do you think Klein and Inszangwill are in cahoots?"
"No, what I mean is that there are appropriate arrangements behind the Chanis Gate, so there shouldn't be any evil spirits there," Luo Yao questioned.
"But Inzangwell did have the 0-08 help, didn't he?"
No one dared to object. The power of a Level 0 sealed artifact was beyond their comprehension. With the help of 0-08, it was not impossible to bypass some seals and arrangements.
"If Klein hadn't sacrificed himself, where else would he be?"
"The remnants of solar energy remain at the scene, which is the most puzzling point," Frye added, joining the discussion.
"There's no reason for Inszangwell to carry items from the solar pathway; those traces were most likely left by Klein."
"Could it be that Klein used 3-0782?" Siga also raised a thought.
"No, the traces of power remaining at the scene clearly exceed the level of a Level 3 sealed artifact."
Leonard, recalling Klein's suspicious behavior, couldn't help but speculate:
"Don't you find it strange? How could a Sequence 8 leave traces of resistance under the influence of a Level 0 seal?"
Furthermore, there are high-level items from the solar pathway, unless...
"Unless he is a believer in the sun from the start," Luo Yao replied softly.
"This possibility cannot be ruled out..."
"In other words, assuming Klein isn't an accomplice of Inszangwill, he's very likely an undercover agent who defected after realizing he'd been exposed..."
……
Narcissus Street.
The task of notifying Klein's family ultimately fell to Frye and Leonard.
Because Melissa was still in school, they encountered Benson, who was taking a rare break.
"We haven't heard from Klein for a long time."
"Could it be that something happened to Klein?!"
When Benson saw two men who claimed to be Klein's colleagues visiting, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Seeing Benson's anxious expression, Leonard carefully chose his words, trying to reassure him.
As Frye spun clumsy lies, he stared into the eyes of the other man, who bore such a striking resemblance to Klein's.
"It is like this, sir. Because the cultural relics being transported are on the South Road, which is a long distance away, Klein, who was serving as an advisor, unfortunately encountered an accident on his way back and went missing."
"Disappeared..." Benson's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Where did you go missing? Have you looked for them?"
Leonard and Frye exchanged a glance, choosing to bite the bullet and continue the charade.
……
"That's how it is. We will continue searching for Klein's whereabouts."
"Here's £400 as compensation. If the investigation goes through, there will be more..." Leonard pulled out a wad of banknotes and handed it to Benson.
Generally speaking, members like Klein, who are likely heretics and suspected of defection, do not receive any so-called "compensation".
The £400 here was pooled together by Dunn, Leonard, and several other members of the Night Watch team.
Benson glanced at the banknotes but made no move.
"well……"
Leonard sighed and continued:
"There are still some circumstances regarding Klein's disappearance that need to be investigated, and your cooperation may be required."
……
"You suspect Klein is a cultist..."
"Impossible. Klein has always been a believer in the goddess and has never betrayed her."
"Calm down, sir, that's not what we meant." Seeing that Benson was somewhat agitated, the police officer in charge of the interrogation tried to calm him down.
Outside the interrogation room, several night watchmen observed the situation inside.
"I didn't notice anything unusual. He probably doesn't know anything," Luo Yao analyzed the situation inside.
"It could also be an attack by cultists from the South Road, but that sounds too far-fetched, considering it was Sica's idea..."
Leonard then made a couple of sarcastic remarks.
"Hey, your poetry isn't that great either, so why do you always make fun of me..." Xijia said in an unfriendly tone, with a stern face.
"My fault, my fault..." Leonard said with an embarrassed smile, realizing he was in the wrong.
"The captain just pulled him into a dream and checked his thoughts, but didn't find anything unusual."
"Klein probably never told his family about the Night Watchmen."
Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent; clearly, the investigation had reached a stalemate.
"By the way, Leonard, you said you wanted to become a Red Glove? Are you serious?" Siga suddenly remembered something and looked at Leonard.
"Yes, the application has been submitted. I can feel that I have mastered potion making and am ready to become a Sequence 7."
"Actually, I had a similar feeling a while ago, but I wasn't in a hurry to seek a promotion." Leonard chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"However, even if I had become Sequence 7, there still wouldn't have been much I could have done under those circumstances."
Thinking of this, Leonard felt a pang of melancholy. For the first time, he, who considered himself a protagonist of his era, lamented his own weakness.
"Is it because of Klein?"
Frye knew that Klein and Leonard had a good relationship.
"Shouldn't we at least find out the truth?"
Leonard forced a smile.
There was another reason, actually. His internal neighbor kept urging him to leave Tingen as soon as possible.
According to him, Tingen has been under too much scrutiny lately, and someone like Leonard would be better off leaving to avoid the limelight.
If he becomes a Red Glove, he will most likely be transferred to Backlund, away from Tingen.
Furthermore, Leonard, at the other party's suggestion, withheld some information during the investigation of this incident.
For example, he was actually near the scene of the circus incident on the day of the incident, and there was also the information about the person named "Lorne Disenke" that Klein had investigated.