Upon seeing this, Klein and Leonard simultaneously looked up from the letter, exchanged a glance, and muttered to themselves:
"Is this guy Lunatic?"
"Is Lanarvus a latent Lunatic?"
A true Lunatic with paranoia and antisocial personality disorder... Klein's thoughts raced, his heart tightened, and he quickly turned his gaze back to the letter:
"Ladies and gentlemen, my hint is that I have planted a bomb in Tingen City, a bomb that will grow stronger over time."
"Go find it, and take care of it before it explodes on its own. If the game fails, boom! The entire Tingen City will be reduced to ruins. Believe me, I haven't lied about anything in this matter."
" Lanarvus loves to surprise his friends the most."
"A bomb?" Klein looked at Leonard and muttered to himself in confusion.
Leonard held the letter up to the sunlight, turning it over and over, but found no other clues.
"Bomb should just be a metaphor; I've never heard of a bomb that can keep getting stronger."
Klein frowned and replied thoughtfully:
"No, I mean, it might be a bomb in a occult sense, like some kind of evil ritual that constantly accumulates power..."
Leonard tilted his head, as if listening to something, and his expression suddenly became serious.
He nodded, his green eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "Perhaps your guess is correct. Wasn't there a description at the beginning of this letter? Child laborers dying one after another, factory workers who rarely live past ten years due to the harsh environment and hardship, female workers risking serious illness for meager wages, factories shrouded in countless resentments—this might be the source of power that allows Lanarvus's 'bomb' to keep getting stronger."
"Yes... very likely!" Klein's expression tightened immediately. "We must report to the captain immediately!"
Leonard smiled and said:
"Don't be so nervous. You should know very well that Lanarvus is a ' Cryptologist,' and his claim that he 'didn't lie' might itself be a lie."
"Of course, no matter what, we have to go back to Zouteland Street and tell the captain that it would be best to apply to the Holy Cathedral to have them send a occult expert to locate the altar through the abnormal convergence of those resentful spirits."
He seemed quite skilled... But why ask Hood Eugen for help with similar altars and similar arrangements? What role could a " Psychiatrist " play in this kind of thing? Klein didn't object and left 62 Howes Street with Leonard, taking a horse-drawn carriage back to Zouteland Street.
As soon as Klein entered the gates of Blackthorn Security Company, he saw two familiar faces, one plump and the other thin; they were Congressman Maynard's wife and sister.
They still wore black dresses, black hats, and covered their faces with fine-checked black veils.
Just as the two ladies were about to speak with Rozanne, they suddenly saw Klein return, so they turned around and went to greet him.
"You truly are the elite of this industry." Mrs. Maynard nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I am very satisfied with this result, and I admire your work style. This is the reward you deserve."
The thin woman handed Klein a light brown paper bag containing a thick stack of cash, including £10 notes, £5 notes, £1 notes, and notes of 5 Soli and 1 Soli.
"That's 230 pounds in total," the thin woman said simply.
Klein had no time to think about money right now, so he immediately tossed the money to Rozanne and said, "Give this to Mrs. Orianna. I don't think the two ladies will miscount the money."
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the * Tingen City Honest Paper in Mrs. Maynard's hand. Two headlines were prominently displayed on the front page:
The widow of the old Baron died after being implicated in the murder of Congressman Maynard.
Mayor Dennis resigned, apologizing for the deterioration of the security situation in Tingen City over the past three months.
"Have you finally reached an agreement on Madam Shermane's case? I haven't even had a chance to read the newspaper today..." Klein nodded to the two ladies and followed Leonard through the partition toward the captain's office.
"So? Have you found any clues?" Dunn Smith closed the file, raised his head, and looked at Klein and Leonard with his deep gray eyes.
"We found a letter left by Lanarvus." Leonard didn't elaborate, simply handing the letter, filled with madness and provocation, to the captain.
Dunn unfolded the letter, quickly glanced through it, and finally rubbed his temples, saying:
"What a Lunatic."
"He only has Sequence 8, at most Sequence 7."
Klein wholeheartedly agreed, " Lanarvus is a dangerous figure who poses a significant threat to social stability; even if he is weak, he should not be underestimated."
Then, he described his and Leonard's speculations in detail.
Dunn touched his receding hairline and said:
"That's my idea too. I'll immediately send a telegram to the Holy Cathedral, asking them to send an expert in mysticism to assist us."
"No one knows just how dangerous the 'bomb' that Lanarvus is talking about is; we must be extremely careful."
"I will arrange further actions after the Holy Cathedral gives me its reply."
Klein and Leonard exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.
"OK."
While the captain was sending a telegram to the Holy Cathedral, Klein returned to the reception hall and took a copy of the Tingen City Honest Paper from Rozanne.
He stood by the partition, intently reading the two previous news items:
"... Madam Shermane, the widow of the old Baron Hoy, was suspected of being involved in the sudden death of Councilor Maynard... The police received a tip and launched a night raid, discovering that Madam Shermane and her accomplices had drugged the servants and attendants and were engaging in Devil worship in her bedroom. They refused to surrender and attempted to resist, resulting in the death of a heroic police officer."
Ultimately, Madam Shermane and her accomplices paid with their lives for their wicked cause.
"... Mayor Dennis resigned due to the deteriorating security situation in Tingen City and announced that he would not run for re-election next year. For the next few months, Deputy Mayor Harry will assume the duties of mayor."
A brave police officer... Is that how Kenley is described? Klein sighed, knowing this was the best course of action.
According to the internal rules of the Nighthawks, in order to prevent evil forces from retaliating against their families, even if they sacrifice themselves, their names cannot be spread by the general public.
As Klein silently folded the newspaper and placed it back on the reception desk, he suddenly noticed another visitor entering through the door.
She was also a woman, but not very old, at most in her early twenties. She wore a lotus leaf hat and a loose dress, with a smooth forehead, long golden hair, emerald green eyes, and a melancholic and serene temperament; she was quite a beautiful woman.
But what's most striking about her is her prominently swollen belly, which suggests she's more than seven months pregnant.
Klein paused for a moment, feeling as if he had seen this young pregnant woman somewhere before.
Suddenly, he heard Leonard blurt out in astonishment:
"Miss Megose?"
Megose... Yes, the young girl who was seduced by Lanarvus! She got pregnant with Lanarvus's child, and her mental state deteriorated because of it. She said that her child could hum songs and whistle in the womb... Klein suddenly realized, and was not surprised that Leonard knew Megose.
During the reinvestigation of people and objects related to the Lanarvus case, the girl's photo was seen by every Nighthawks.
Klein knew her much earlier; her aunt Christina, who had been swindled out of all her savings by Lanarvus, took her to Divination Club for help, even asking whether the child in her womb counted as an item.
At this moment, upon hearing Leonard's voice, Megose looked at the two with slightly vacant eyes and politely greeted them:
Hello.
" Megose, what brings you to our Blackthorn Security Company? Is there anything you need us to do?" Klein stepped forward and asked.
He was puzzled by Megose's sudden visit, finding it to be a very, very, very coincidental event.
Megose came knocking on our door right after we discovered the letter left by Lanarvus?
Megose touched her belly and smiled faintly:
"I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like coming to Zouteland Street, and suddenly felt like coming up here to take a look."
Her mental problems are getting worse... Klein remembered that he hadn't had time to activate his Spirit Vision last time and hadn't been able to check on Megose's condition, so he slightly raised his teeth and was about to tap them lightly to the left.
Just then, he suddenly froze, and a series of increasingly intense thoughts flashed through his mind:
"Don't look!"
"Don't look! Don't look!"
"You'll die!"
"I'll die if I see it!"
"I'll die if I see it!"
Klein stood rooted to the spot like a statue, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
It was like he had the deepest, most agonizing nightmare, one he almost couldn't wake up from.
Suddenly, he realized something: last time, it wasn't that he didn't have time to activate his Spirit Vision, but rather that his Spirituality sensed an unimaginable danger, causing him to subconsciously slow down, miss the opportunity, and forget the follow-up.
At that time, Klein had not yet fully digested the " Seer " Potion, nor had he advanced to Sequence 8. The Spirituality obstruction was subtle and difficult to detect, like an instinctive habitual action that one would not pay much attention to. But now, the Spirituality reminder based on the " Clown " premonition is so clear and so obvious!
After a dozen seconds, Klein finally broke free from his cold sweat and turned to look at Leonard, only to find that the " Midnight Poet " was also covered in cold sweat and filled with fear.
Suddenly, Klein understood what the "bomb" that Lanarvus had been talking about was!
It's the baby in Megose's belly!
It was he who left behind this baby!
Klein instantly connected the description in the letter with Hood Eugen's reply, and suddenly remembered a passage in Roselle's Diary:
"The Industrial Revolution I started, the age of Steam and machinery I forged, will become the breeding ground for an evil god?"
Klein's pupils contracted sharply as he considered a possibility, but instinctively refused to acknowledge it:
No! This isn't right!
The baby in Megose's womb is neither the offspring of an evil god nor an evil god attempting to be born!
No! How could Hood Eugen do something so foolish! Although his " Psychiatrist " abilities could indeed help Lanarvus conceal the fact that Megose was being used as a tool for conception while she was in a semi-comatose state.
No! The resentment of the child laborers who died young, the female laborers who perished, and the factory workers who didn't live past ten years was not helping the offspring of this evil god to grow up so quickly!
No!
No, you must not look directly at God...
PS: Third update delivered. It's Monday, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!