Chapter 71
Klein repeatedly bent and extended his arm as he watched Dunn push open the Keeper's room with his body sideways .
The captain's carefulness and high alertness, as well as the ridiculous and laughable "protective actions," left him feeling abnormally tensed . The feeling was identical to what he felt when taking tests of courage that required him to walk through spooky cemeteries at night in his youth .
A Grade 2 Sealed Artifact . Dangerous . To be used with care and moderation . . . It is something even a formal Nighthawk member does not know the details to . . . It is unknown how dangerous it is . . . Amid his tense nerves, Klein found it impossible to curb himself from overthinking .
At that moment, his brain suddenly turned numb as though a power switch had been flicked off .
Everything in Klein's vision turned slow . Even his arm actions shared the same fate .
He saw Captain Dunn stop in his tracks . He came close to him as though in slow motion, extending his palm out slowly before pushing him in the shoulder .
Suddenly, Klein's thought processes and vision were restored to normal at the same time . It was as though everything from before was just an illusion .
"What happened?" he whispered amid his fright and confusion .
Dunn shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Observe carefully . "
The moment he finished his sentence, he turned around and walked into the Keeper's room . Klein followed closely behind and saw four other people in the room; they were either seated or standing .
One of them was the Midnight Poet, Leonard . The other three were people Klein had never met before . However, all of them shared a common trait . They were all doing the extending and bending arm "exercise" with utmost seriousness .
"Klein Moretti has a miraculous connection with the Antigonus family's notebook . " Dunn gave a brief introduction .
Then, he pointed to the other three strangers and said, "These lady and gentlemen are colleagues from the Backlund diocese . They escorted Sealed Artifact 2-049 here . This is Madam Lorotta, Sequence 8 Gravedigger . She is a master sharpshooter . "
At that moment, the black-haired woman who looked about thirty nodded at Klein in a friendly manner .
She looked pretty good . She did not wear a hat and was dressed in what appeared like male attire—a black coat with a white shirt, tight black trousers and black leather boots . The corners of her mouth were slightly curved up .
After Klein exchanged greetings, Dunn pointed to a man seated behind the desk .
"Aiur Harson, someone just like me . "
Before he finished his sentence, Klein saw Mr . Aiur Harson in his gray windbreaker turn sluggish with his arm motion . It was as though a gear had lost its lubricant or a joint covered in rust .
What's wrong . . . Amid Klein's daze, he saw Lorotta push Aiur Harson . Only then did the gentleman's actions return to normal .
Was I like that previously? Klein was first taken aback before he came to the realization .
This indicated the dangers that Sealed Artifact 02-49 held!
What would happen if one was not awoken in time?
Would one become a zombie?
Filled with questions, Klein greeted the charming middle-aged Aiur Harson .
"Borgia," Dunn said as he pointed to the last Nighthawk .
Borgia was a cold man with a knife scar on the side of his face . His sharp brown eyes were like an eagle's . He was constantly observing everyone in the room .
"Let's set off . The faster we end this, the faster we can seal 2-049," the handsome Aiur Harson said as he stood, his eyes revealing some wrinkles .
So, where is 2-049? Klein surveyed his surroundings curiously but did not notice any traces of the Sealed Artifact . Of course, he could not see the areas obscured by the table without activating his Spirit Vision .
"Alright," Dunn turned and looked at Leonard Mitchell . "You'll be in charge of driving . It is best not to involve Cesare with matters like this . "
Cesare was the clerk in charge of procuring and collecting supplies for the Tingen Nighthawks while standing in as a carriage driver . He was the one who drove Klein to Welch's home to meet the Spirit Medium Daly .
"No problem . " Leonard stopped acting frivolous and nodded seriously .
At that moment, Klein saw Aiur Harson bending over . He picked up a black metal chest which had been obscured by the table .
The chest was carved with resplendent stars and the crimson full moon . It was as though there was a formless barrier around the chest .
The Sealed Artifact should be inside there? I wonder what 2-049 looks like . . . Klein observed the chest curiously .
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
Violent knocking sounds suddenly erupted from the black chest . Even the surface of the chest bulged time and time again .
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It was as though something horrifying had awakened within the chest and was pounding wildly . The sound of the knocking was beaten into the hearts of everyone present .
It's alive? Just as Klein had a thought, he saw Captain Dunn's arm exercises turning sluggish, as if his joints were layered with glue .
Borgia, the Nighthawk from Backlund, pushed Dunn's shoulder, allowing him to recover .
It's like doing the robot dance when one is affected by 2-049 . . . If all of us are under its influence, wouldn't we be some awkward dance squad . . . Luckily, 2-049 seems capable of only influencing one person at a time . . . Klein lampooned to relax his tense nerves . He did not dare halt his arm exercises .
He followed Dunn's lead and left his cane behind . He then followed behind the five Nighthawks through the tunnel and up the stairs to the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company .
Leonard had gone ahead and notified everyone in the front of the buildings, so Rozanne and the rest had all made their way to the third level . These incidents rarely involved them, but they were not completely alien to them . Another Nighthawk, Kenley, had replaced Dunn in his watch over Chanis Gate .
Klein heaved a sigh of relief when he reached the carriage . He looked suspiciously out the window and said, "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 were targeted at him . He had been jolted awake by Captain Dunn and Leonard Mitchell respectively . The rate of the sluggish effect was rather alarming!
"No worries, 2-049 will target humanoid creatures within five meters of it first . The closer you are to it, the easier it is for you to be chosen . As long as there are three people surrounding it, people who happen to be around when the carriage steers past will not be affected," the beautiful, black-haired lady Lorotta explained with a lazy tone .
What a weird Sealed Artifact . . . Klein thought as he continued his arm exercises .
Dunn and the rest of the Nighthawks did not speak on the journey to Ray Bieber's house . They were paying close attention to each other's condition . Only Lorotta wore a nonchalant look . At times, she took in the sights of Tingen's not-so-clean streets, and at other times, she praised Backlund's underground water system .
Soon after, the familiar building finally entered Klein's line of sight . The group of six made their way to the third level while observing each other .
The door to Ray Bieber's house was labeled with the Tingen Police Department's symbol, indicating that entry was forbidden to unauthorized personnel .
As Dunn did his stretching exercises, he took out a key . He opened the newly changed lock, then turned around, allowing Aiur Harson who was carrying the black chest to enter first .
Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Sealed Artifact in the black chest knocked violently once again, even more violent than before . This made Aiur Harson's arm waver from side to side uncontrollably . It even made Klein suspect that the chest would be pounded open in time .
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Klein quickly noticed that Captain Dunn's movements were becoming sluggish . He was about to wake him up when a buzz sounded in his brain . His brain became numb, the scenes before his eyes played as though they were in slow motion .
Didn't they say that . . . that it only affects one . . . person at a time . . . Klein's thoughts quickly became sluggish .
At this moment, the prepared Lorotta and Borgia woke each of them up respectively by pushing them .
Having his thought processes and vision restored, Klein looked around with lingering fear . He nearly blurted out .
"Didn't you say that 2-049 can only affect one person at a time?"
Thankfully, I did not stop my stretches!
"When Sealed Artifact 2-049 enters its berserk mode, it can affect up to two people at once . We can confirm that Ray Bieber is indeed a descendant of the Antigonus family," Aiur Harson said with a mechanical tone .
Lorota let out a faint laugh . She looked at Klein and said, "2-049 becomes very agitated when it meets a descendant of the Antigonus family, even if only their scent remains . Its abilities would also increase considerably . I believe you would be able to understand its feelings . "
Well, I don't . . . Klein asked curiously, "So, is it a living creature?"
Lorotta smiled but did not reply him directly .
"You'll know in a while . As long as Ray Bieber hasn't escaped Tingen, 2-049 will lead us to him . "
Klein could only put his other questions on hold as he walked around the room with the Nighthawks .
Amid the loud and violent thumping from the chest, they locked the door, walked down the stairs, and returned to the carriage .
Aiur Harson looked out the window several times and confirmed that there were no pedestrians within a five-meter radius of them . He then placed the black chest on the ground and twisted the mechanical switch to release its spiritual restraints .
The violent thumping stopped suddenly, slipping the entire carriage into silence . Not even the breaths of the Nighthawks could be heard .
Klein held his breath as the black chest opened slowly . A sharp creak that hurt his ears could be heard .
Creak!
The chest fell as a slender brown arm extended out of the chest . It was about the length of a child's finger .
Two arms pressed forward one after another as an object about the size a normal human being's palm appeared bit by bit in front of Klein and company .
It had clear elbow, finger, and knee joints . Covered in an oil-stained brown cloth, its face was painted with the colors of a clown—red and yellow .
It was a wooden puppet with a weird appearance!
2-049 lifted its head and looked at Klein with its pure black eyes .
Its rigid mouth slowly parted to reveal a clown-like smile .
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