Incident

Chapter 38: Incident

(Reminder: Han Dong's alias in the previous chapter was [Allen.Andova])

The basic frame of the goggles was made of a flexible and lightweight metal, plated with brass. It also featured gears, a bearing structure, and retractable straps for easy wearing and adjustment.

However, Han Dong was unsure about the material of the lenses.

They were likely not ordinary glass but some kind of special transparent material capable of protecting the eyes from visual pollution by a specific 'wavelength of light'.

After putting on the goggles, Han Dong considered an 'important' question.

Before the search.

Han Dong reached out and stopped Cas, who was about to start the search.

"I have a question. Why would a ghoul hang the mistress at the door?"

Cas explained based on his knowledge from books: "Mature ghouls possess a certain level of intelligence. This act of 'public display' indicates that the ghoul's hatred for the mistress has reached a high level..."

"If I really wanted to make an enemy 'publicly displayed', I'd choose to do it when escaping in the middle of the night, hanging them at the door... By the time someone discovers it, I'd already be gone. There's no need to be so ostentatious."

Han Dong's reasoning was sound.

If the ghoul was intelligent, why would it do something so conspicuous? Hanging the mistress at the door in broad daylight, wouldn't that attract trouble?

Han Dong continued to speculate: "Is it possible... he's already escaped?"

Cas immediately denied it: "Impossible! Due to the grave robbing incident, the security squad has been investigating house by house recently. They arrived at the scene immediately and saw the mistress just as she was hung at the door. They even saw the ghoul's back. Within a short period, over thirty security personnel armed with firearms completely surrounded the house, and no ghoul has escaped."

Han Dong shook his head, "Not necessarily... Just because he couldn't escape from the surroundings of the house doesn't mean he couldn't escape from somewhere else. Didn't you say before that this family was suspected of secretly feeding a ghoul? Since they managed to keep it hidden for so many years, is it possible that the family's basement was modified to extend to another location?"

Upon hearing this, Cas's eyes brightened, "That's very possible! Damn it!!"

Grabbing his sword and shield, Cas immediately rushed towards the basement.

His movement speed was anything but typical for someone wearing cumbersome armor... Swift as the wind, he reached the end of the entrance hall and found the hidden entrance to the basement.

Han Dong's movements were not as quick.

He deliberately waited until Cas went to the basement before quietly releasing the [Possessed Chen Li] who was contained in his prison.

"Miss Chen Li, please conduct a thorough search of the first and second floors of this building! If you find the ghoul, notify me immediately... Also, if you find any books related to 'ghouls', bring them with you. If anyone else enters during this time, return to the prison immediately. If there really is a secret passage in the basement, remember to follow me later. Maintain a distance of no more than 10 meters from me... ensuring you can enter and exit the Portable Prison at any time."

Han Dong was only speculating that the ghoul might have escaped through a secret passage in the basement... it wasn't a 100% certainty, so he needed to have a backup plan.

Additionally, after testing, as long as Chen Li was within ten meters, she could be instantly recalled into the prison.

"Okay."

Before acting, Chen Li still asked with some concern:

"I smell an evil aura emanating from this house. Are you sure you'll be alright alone? If you encounter danger... can I step in?"

"It depends. Try not to come out if possible, and this collaborating knight is quite capable... It should be fine."

"Alright, be careful."

Chen Li went upstairs first, searching the second floor for what Han Dong wanted.

Han Dong, holding the Plague Doctor's Short Blade, followed Knight Cas's footsteps... As soon as they entered the basement, the smell intensified.

The basement floor was covered with numerous animal bones, with a few remnants still clinging to the tips of the bone spurs. The residual warmth was still present... clearly, the ghoul had just finished feeding.

"Friend Andova, you're amazing! There really is a secret passage!"

Cas discovered a 'loose stone brick' on the basement wall by following the liquid traces on the ground.

Upon pressing it, a sinister passage filled with a putrid odor appeared.

"This direction... could it lead to the public cemetery!? No wonder, even in the civilian district, the cemetery is managed very strictly. There are at least three night guards, and they are allowed to use firearms. They only discovered the theft of bodies, but no signs of disturbed soil. So, the bodies were stolen from underground! This is a bit troublesome!"

Cas was quite experienced and turned to look at Han Dong behind him.

"Friend Andova, if we successfully deal with the ghoul, I'm willing to give you 40% of the bounty... Also, the situation here is much more complicated than I imagined."

If the incident had occurred here instead of the graveyard... there might have been a few ghouls.

"If we encounter more than two, abandon the mission immediately and report it to the Knight Academy. Let stronger individuals handle it."

Han Dong nodded. "Mhm... If that's the case, my previous assumption wasn't entirely accurate.

The ghoul's purpose in hanging the mistress's body on the door was indeed intentional.

Revenge is one reason. The second reason is likely to lure people in. If there were multiple ghouls, they must have been hungry.

Once they've eaten their fill, they'll escape from the other side of the graveyard."

Cas nodded slightly, his expression turning grim. "You're a bit weak. Stay behind me... provide ranged support only."

It was clear that this Cas fellow was a knight with a strong sense of justice.

If they were truly in danger, he would choose to escape with Han Dong.

The walls of the secret passage were covered in black mycelium, and a large number of spores filled the air.

Before entering, Cas reached out and touched the frame on the right side of his goggles.

With the sound of gears turning, the half-coverage leather mask hidden within the goggles neatly folded and unfolded, immediately appearing to cover the area below his eyes, effectively filtering out these fungal bodies.

Han Dong mimicked his actions.

A black mask immediately covered his mouth and nose.

"Let's go!"

Cas took out a simple kerosene lamp, holding his sword in the other hand as he led the way.

Han Dong deliberately found a piece of scrap metal in the basement to prop open the secret passage door, preventing it from closing on its own.

As the two ventured deeper.

Chen Li, wearing cloth shoes, slowly descended the basement stairs...

Before they had even exited the tunnel, they could hear the sound of sharp claws scraping and teeth grinding.

At the same time, the fungal tissues on the tunnel walls increased.

"Judging by the sounds, it's definitely more than one ghoul!"

To be honest, Cas was a little scared.

But if he needed to report multiple ghouls in the lower part of the graveyard to the Knight Guild, he had to gather enough intelligence. Relying solely on hearing wasn't enough.

If the ghouls escaped before the knight squad arrived, Cas would face accountability for 'false reporting'.

"Friend Andova, you wait here! Your body can't outrun ghouls... I'll go ahead alone to check. Once I find the ghoul nest, I'll retreat immediately."

"Alright."

Cas proceeded alone.

About ten minutes later, the sound of running, overlapping footsteps came from deeper within.

"Get out of here quickly!!!

It's a ghoul nest inside! There are more than ten ghouls. We need to report the situation immediately!"