Chapter 65: The Unspoken Truth and a Looming Threat

“I said, answer my question again.”

A shiver ran through Red’s body when the cold voice, distorted by a solidified spell, echoed from behind him.

It wasn’t just the pain of his severed finger. Having lingered in the gray areas of Kana City for so long, Red prided himself on his keen sense of danger.

If he didn’t answer, he would die. At this very moment, Red was acutely aware of this truth.

“Alright, I’ll… I’ll tell you.”

His lips trembling, Red slowly began to speak.

He didn’t mind betraying the person behind him. His only reluctance was understanding why this mysterious assassin was immune to his attacks.

This was the method granted to him by his backer. Over the years, whenever someone traced the missing persons cases back to him, he would use this trick to catch them off guard and eliminate them.

For so many years, this move had never failed. Yet, with this mysterious assassin, the aura that entered her body seemed to be absorbed by her.

However, Red remembered his backer once telling him that this seemed to be… the aura of an evil god. How could anyone absorb the aura of an evil god? Who exactly was this person who came to cause him trouble tonight?

Taking a deep breath, Red prepared to expose the person who had supported him from a petty thug to a gang leader.

This was merely a matter of cherishing his life. As long as the green hills remained, everything else was utter nonsense in such a moment.

But as he opened his mouth, Red couldn’t utter a single word. His face was contorted with disbelief and terror.

Noticing Red’s distress, Xiluo’er grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up. Red’s face had turned a deep shade of purple, his mouth agape, filled with an expression of agony.

“It’s… it’s…”

“Xiluo’er!” Freya’s voice suddenly rang out anxiously in her mind. “I sense it. A magic spell preventing disclosure has activated around you.”

“If nothing goes wrong, the person next to you is about to die!”

What?

Xiluo’er’s eyes sharpened. Disregarding everything else, she shouted at Red, “Is it Rona? Is the person behind you Rona?”

By then, Red’s neck was making a distinctly unsettling creaking sound, as if an invisible hand had clamped around it.

Facing Xiluo’er’s question, Red could only force out a few single syllables.

“No, not her. It’s higher, above…”

Red stretched out a finger, pointing upwards.

“It’s Ser… it’s…”

Red’s words remained unfinished. The mysterious spell had ended his life. With a crisp *snap*, Red’s neck twisted, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

Looking at the motionless Red on the floor, Xiluo’er felt a complex swirl of emotions.

Red had died just like that, and she hadn’t managed to extract any useful information from him.

“Xiluo’er, this should be an automatically triggered spell, similar to a curse.”

“As soon as it detects that the cursed individual intends to reveal certain information, the spell activates, ending their life to prevent any leaks.”

Xiluo’er nodded, her brow furrowed in thought.

Although Red hadn’t successfully named the person behind him, he had still answered her question.

It wasn’t Rona. So, the mastermind behind the missing persons cases wasn’t Rona after all?

For some reason, upon receiving this answer, Xiluo’er felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

But if it wasn’t Rona…

Red had said “higher up.” Did he mean someone even above Rona? Yet, Rona was already the captain of the City Guard. Someone higher ranked than her, someone in the Lord’s Manor…

*Clang!* Xiluo’er’s dagger clattered to the ground. An expression of disbelief spread across her face.

She had thought of a suitable candidate, someone she had never suspected before.

But if this person were placed in the position of the “culprit,” many things suddenly made sense.

“Freya, tell me, could the culprit behind the missing persons cases… possibly be City Lord Serol?”

Freya didn’t utter her usual “Who should I ask if not you?” Instead, she fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

“Xiluo’er,” Freya’s voice became serious, a rarity for her. “I can only tell you that the aura that just invaded your body was that of the evil god [Chaos].”

“Even if this aura merely invades an ordinary person’s body, at best they’ll suffer a fate worse than death. At worst, well, they’ll die without even knowing how.”

Although Freya’s words sounded profound, Xiluo’er didn’t doubt their truthfulness.

If Rona truly possessed that level of power, then during the autumn encirclement, she would never have been pushed to such an extent by a fifth-tier carrion wolf. Therefore…

Xiluo’er let out a soft breath. “So, is City Lord Serol really the culprit?”

The City Lord’s calm and benevolent smile flashed in her mind, and Xiluo’er found it hard to believe.

“Also, Xiluo’er, the spell that triggered just now wasn’t one-sided. That means when the spell activates, the caster also becomes aware of it.”

Xiluo’er froze, thinking of Rona who had appeared in the storeroom looking for her two days ago. She recalled Rona telling Serol in the hospital room this afternoon, “You can rest assured in the hospital. I will handle the matters of the Lord’s Manor.”

Rona was in danger!

Xiluo’er glanced in the direction of the Lord’s Manor, intending to rush over, but Freya stopped her.

“Wait, Xiluo’er.”

“Before the aura of [Chaos] invaded your body, another chilling sensation also infiltrated you, right?”

“Go search this person for anything strange. Perhaps… something like an eyeball.”

An eyeball? Xiluo’er frowned. Though puzzled, she followed Freya’s instructions and searched Red’s body.

Sure enough, Xiluo’er quickly pulled out a small, test-tube-like vial from a hidden pocket in Red’s jacket. Inside the vial stood two eyeball-like objects made of an unknown material.

“What is this?”

Xiluo’er blinked, and then Freya’s triumphant laughter echoed in her mind.

“It’s exactly this thing! Xiluo’er, I’ll explain what this ‘thingy’ is later. For now, focus on the task at hand.”

Xiluo’er nodded, stepping forward to investigate the Lord’s Manor. But soon, another question occurred to her.

If Serol was indeed in the Lord’s Manor right now, and possessed means like the [Chaos] aura, then even if she went, it might not be much help.

No, she might consider calling for some help now.