Klein repeatedly bent his arms and stretched them out, watching as Dunn half-turned and pushed open the door to the guardhouse.
The captain's cautiousness, high vigilance, and absurd "protective actions" made his mind extremely tense, just like the feeling he had when he was a child walking at night past a cemetery.
A Level 2 Sealed Artifact, dangerous, must be used with caution and restraint... Even the official members of the Nighthawks are unaware of the details... They don't know just how dangerous it is... In his tense state, Klein couldn't help but think about many things.
Just then, his mind suddenly went blank, as if his processor had suddenly lost power.
Everything slowed down in Klein's vision, even the movement of bending his arm.
He saw Captain Dunn stop and approach him frame by frame in slow motion, and saw the other slowly extend his palm and push his shoulder.
Suddenly, Klein's thoughts and vision returned to normal, as if he had just been hallucinating.
"What happened?" he asked in a low voice, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of fear.
Dunn shook his head at him and said in a deep voice:
"Observe carefully."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the guard room. Klein followed closely behind and saw four people sitting or standing inside.
One of them was " Midnight Poet " Leonard. The other three were people Klein had never met before, but they had one thing in common: they were all doing "arm flexion exercises" without relaxing at all.
" Klein Moretti has a strange connection with the Antigonus Family's notes," Dunn briefly explained.
Then, he pointed to the three strangers and said:
"These ladies and gentlemen are colleagues from the Backlund Parish, escorting the Sealed Artifact '2-049' here. This is Lady Lolota, the Sequence 8 ' Gravedigger,' and also a sharpshooter."
At that moment, the dark-haired woman, around thirty years old, nodded kindly to Klein.
She was good-looking, not wearing a hat, and dressed in men's-style clothing: a black coat, a white shirt, black skinny jeans, and matching leather boots. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
After Klein had greeted him, Dunn pointed to the man sitting behind the desk:
" Al Hasson, an old guy like me."
Before he finished speaking, Klein watched as Mr. Al Hasson, began to move his arms stiffly, as if gears were not lubricated or joints were covered in rust.
What's going on...? Klein was stunned when he saw Lolota push Al Hasson, and then the man's actions returned to normal.
"Was I like that just now?" Klein was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized:
This indicates a dangerous leak of the Sealed Artifact "2-049"!
What will happen if they are not woken up in time?
Will I become a "living dead"?
Filled with questions, Klein greeted the charming middle-aged man, Al Hasson.
" Borgia," Dunn said, pointing to the last Nighthawks.
He was a cold-looking man with a knife scar on the side of his face. His brownish-yellow eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, constantly scrutinizing everyone present.
"Let's get going, everyone. Let's finish this as soon as possible and seal '2-049' away." The handsome, middle-aged gentleman Al Hasson, with wrinkles around his eyes, stood up and said.
Hmm, what about "2-049"? Klein looked around curiously, but found no trace of the Sealed Artifact. Of course, he couldn't see the part that was hidden by the table without activating his " Spirit Vision ".
"Okay." Dunn turned to Leonard Mitchell and said, "You're in charge of driving; it's best not to let Cesar get involved in this kind of thing."
The Caesar he mentioned was a clerical worker in the Tingen Market Nightwalker team responsible for requisitioning and purchasing supplies. He also worked as a coachman, the one who drove Klein to Welch's residence to meet "The Psychic" Daly.
"No problem." Leonard put away his flippancy and nodded solemnly.
At that moment, Klein saw Al Hasson bend down and lift a dark iron box from behind the table.
The box was engraved with glittering stars and a crimson Full Moon, and it exuded an invisible sense of sealing.
"Is this the Sealed Artifact? I wonder what '2-049' looks like..." Klein curiously examined the box.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
A sudden, violent pounding sound emanated from inside the dark iron box, causing its surface to bulge repeatedly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Something terrifying seemed to awaken inside the box, violently pounding on the door, each pounding striking the hearts of everyone on duty.
Alive? Klein's mind had barely started to process it when he saw Captain Dunn's "bent arm extension movement" become stiff, his joints as hard as if they were filled with glue.
Borgia, the Nighthawks from Backlund, nudged Dunn on the shoulder, restoring his movements to normal.
The state after being affected by "2-049" is like dancing Robot dance... If everyone is affected, wouldn't we become an awkward dance group? Fortunately, it seems that "2-049" can only affect one person at a time... Klein relieved his inner tension by complaining, and dared not slack off in the bending and stretching of his arms.
Following Dunn's example, he left his cane behind and followed the five Nighthawks through the passageway, up the stairs, and to the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company.
Because Leonard quickened his pace and gave advance notice, Rozanne and the others temporarily hid on the third floor—such things were not common for these clerical staff, but they were certainly not unfamiliar either. Meanwhile, another Nighthawks Kenley, temporarily replaced Dunn to guard the Chanis Gate.
Only after boarding the carriage did Klein breathe a sigh of relief, glancing out the window with a puzzled look and saying:
Won't '2-049' affect ordinary people on the street?
On the way from underground to near the carriage, the Sealed Artifact "2-049" caused six instances of slowing down, two of which I experienced myself, awakened by Captain Dunn and Leonard Mitchell. This frequency is quite astonishing!
"Don't worry about it. '2-049' will prioritize humanoid creatures within five meters. The closer you are, the more likely you are to be selected. As long as we keep at least three people around it, passersby outside the carriage won't be affected," explained the beautiful, black-haired woman Lolota, in a languid tone.
Strange Sealed Artifact... Klein, making a bending arm gesture, uttered a similar sentiment once again.
On the way to Riel Bieber's house, Dunn and the others remained silent, keeping a close eye on each other. Only Lolota seemed completely unconcerned, occasionally admiring the not-so-clean streets of Tingen City and praising Backlund's sewer system.
Before long, the familiar building came into Klein's view. The group of six kept an eye on each other as they made their way to the third floor.
The door to Riel Bieber's house had been affixed with the Tingen City Police Department sign, indicating that unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter.
While doing arm extension exercises, Dunn took out his key, unlocked the newly replaced lock, and then stepped aside to let Al Hasson, enter the house first.
Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Sealed Artifact inside the iron-black box began smashing violently once more, even more ferociously than before Al Hasson's arms to swing uncontrollably from side to side, leading Klein to even suspect that the box might be smashed through.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Klein keenly noticed that Captain Dunn's arm-bending movement had become difficult. Just as he was about to push the other man to wake him up, his head buzzed and he suddenly went numb. The scene in his eyes instantly turned into slow motion.
Wasn't it said that it would only affect one person at a time...? Klein's thoughts raced and went blank.
At this moment, Lolota and Borgia, who were prepared, each gave the two a push.
With his thinking ability restored and his vision returning to normal, Klein looked around fearfully, almost blurting out a question:
Wasn't it said that "2-049" could only affect one person at a time?
Luckily, I didn't stop bending and stretching my arms at that moment!
" The Sealed Artifact '2-049' has entered a berserk state, affecting up to two people each time Riel Bieber is a descendant of the Antigonus Family," Al Hasson described in a mechanized manner.
Lolota chuckled softly and looked at Klein, saying:
"Whenever it encounters a descendant of the Antigonus Family, even just a lingering trace of their aura, '2-049' becomes extremely excited, and its abilities noticeably increase. I think you can understand its feelings."
"I don't understand..." Klein asked curiously.
So, it's a living organism?
Lolota smiled, but didn't answer directly:
"You'll see soon enough Riel Bieber hasn't escaped Tingen City, '2-049' will lead us to him."
Klein had no choice but to put aside his other questions and follow the Nighthawks on a tour of the room.
Amidst the loud banging, they locked the door, went down the stairs, and returned to the carriage.
Al Hasson glanced out the window a few times to make sure there were no pedestrians within five meters, then placed the black iron box on the floor, turned the mechanical switch, and unlocked the Spirituality shackles.
The fierce banging suddenly stopped, and the entire carriage fell silent; not even the sound of anyone breathing could be heard.
Klein held his breath and watched as the dark iron box slowly opened, making a creaking, ear-piercing sound.
Clang!
The box tipped over, and a thin, brown arm emerged, no longer than a child's finger.
With each arm pressing forward in turn, a brownish object, about the size of a normal person's palm, appeared segment by segment before Klein and his companions.
It has prominent elbows, finger joints, and knee joints; its body is wrapped in brown, oil-stained strips of cloth; and its face is painted with red and yellow Clown paint.
It's a strangely shaped Puppet!
"2-049" raised its head and looked at Klein with its pure black, pupil-less eyes.
It slowly stretched its stiff lips into Clown- like grin.