Old Blind Eye stood surrounded by a group of pirates, his face twisted in a murderous glare, while the fish-like faces of the deep ones beside him looked eager to strike.
The sheer presence of these deep ones alone was enough to seal Lynch's fate.
With Walker and Mr. Kelvin lurking nearby, Lynch knew that if his identity were revealed, he would surely die.
Kelvin, the one who had forced Lynch into this desperate situation, was scrutinizing him. He did not say a word, but his cold, piercing gaze was enough to make Lynch feel as if needles were pricking his back.
Walker, on the other hand, showed no unusual reaction, only pulling his arm back as if he had been targeted by an evil god, his smile incredibly awkward. "No, no, let them continue to rest."
Good, my performance should match his impression of a Swelling Daughter. He has no suspicions. As long as I don't make any major mistakes later, there should be hope to deceive him. That deep one has no intelligence to speak of, so as long as I appease Walker, there is nothing to worry about for now. It is just this Kelvin...
Lynch's gaze swept over Kelvin casually, but all his mental focus was concentrated on him.
A single move had nearly forced him into a dead end; this man was definitely a formidable enemy. Just looking at his refined, scholarly appearance made Lynch feel an immense threat.
"This is strange," Kelvin said with a cold, faint smile as he stroked his mustache. "Could you explain to us, madam, why you were the one teleported here? What about that private investigator?"
Of course it is... Lynch was just about to invent a reason when his heart suddenly tightened. He realized he had almost fallen into a trap. He could not offer an explanation now, so he immediately adopted the required playful, mocking smile, forced his eyes to turn cold, and glanced at Walker.
"Outsider, this gentleman has a lot of questions. Is he one of your people too? Hehe, I just happen to be hungry..."
"Yes, yes, he is an ally of that lord," Walker said, immediately stepping between Lynch and Mr. Kelvin to block them while squeezing out a smile. "Let me introduce him. This is the vice president of the Friedman Kingdom Business Association, and also a high priest who serves the Ancient Flicker. These others are the crew of the sea hegemon Davis, here to help carry out the encirclement plan."
Glancing past the composed Kelvin from behind his round fan, Lynch smiled noncommittally. "An ally I have never heard of. Hehe, it seems you all have kept quite a few secrets."
"You are overthinking it, madam," Walker quickly added with a sycophantic laugh. "Mr. Kelvin's plans have nothing to do with us. He is here to sanction our common enemy: the private investigator, Lynch Levive, whom we mentioned earlier."
"Who is that?" Lynch said nonchalantly. "My sister just said there was a prelude to an event and sent me to watch the fun—no, to ask about the progress. She didn't mention any private investigator. Why, has something exciting happened?"
"It is the one who swindled our items away. He is an extremely cunning bastard with a nose sharper than a hound's; you will be targeted if you are not careful. He has caused us a lot of trouble this month. If it were not for our timely response, even our relationship with you might have been exposed."
My apologies, it is already exposed, and I will take that as a compliment.
Hearing his enemies talk about him in the third person for the first time gave Lynch a very subtle feeling, but by the end, he still stole a covert glance at his powerful enemy, Kelvin. The topic was too sensitive, and there was no guarantee the man would not deduce something from it.
Fortunately, Kelvin did not seem to notice. He was only stroking his mustache in deep thought. Lynch breathed a small sigh of relief, quickly shifted his gaze, and said casually, "Why not just eat him?"
"Indeed, that is why we set a trap to teleport him here to kill him and take the items back. We did not expect you to appear instead. I hope we have not disturbed your interest or that of your master."
It seems Walker does not doubt me at all, but Kelvin's attitude remains ambiguous, which is truly unsettling. Being stared at by him like this, I cannot show any sign of wanting to escape, or I will surely be exposed. I have no choice but to play along while looking for an opportunity to act, and perhaps fish for some information. After all, the opportunity is rare.
Having made up his mind, Lynch tried to forget his urge to escape and asked deliberately, "Why go through so much trouble? Wouldn't it be easier to kill him on the spot?"
"Heh, madam, this place is different from where you are. This is a city. Even we Rangers must consider the influence. We cannot attack citizens in the street. Besides, his network of connections is quite complex, making it inconvenient to attack publicly. Moreover... Mr. Kelvin also has his concerns."
"It is not that I have concerns; it is that this man is troublesome."
Kelvin finally broke his silence. He glanced at Lynch with eyes that seemed both intentional and accidental, saying coldly:
"He is not only tenacious in his vitality, but his sense of danger is also extremely sharp. Two of our fellow believers have already died at his hands. One of them had even forced him into a dead end with only minutes until his death, only for him to reverse the situation. Therefore, he must never be underestimated. We must use the most secure method to kill him, or we will be the ones who regret it. Furthermore, he likely has a top-tier powerhouse backing him. He nearly injured me last time. A frontal attack might lead us to collide with that person again. That is why we teleported him here; even if that person really wants to protect him, they cannot keep up in time. By the time they react, we will have already succeeded."
"Mr. Kelvin's plan is very secure. It is truly our good fortune to have his help," Walker sighed. "Everything was going smoothly today. I don't know how he suddenly became alert and used the Black Night Cathedral to escape."
"It is probably too early to be certain that he has escaped."
Kelvin suddenly interrupted Walker, which made Lynch's heart sink.
"Based on my standards for judging people, I shouldn't be wrong. A person like him will surely come to seek revenge once he realizes he has been played. I don't think I am overreacting." Kelvin looked at Lynch with deep meaning. "And since I was the one who teleported everyone here, heh, I can at least infer a part of what was teleported."
In that instant, a chill ran down Lynch's spine. He realized there was a huge flaw in his plan. But it was already too late; he heard Kelvin continue.
"I can only distinguish that four people were teleported here; I cannot determine who they all are. But I am certain that the gemstone has been teleported here with me. Can you explain why the gemstone that should have been on the detective is here with us, Mr. Lynch Levive?"
Before he had even finished speaking, Kelvin had snatched a sharp blade from a deep one beside him, appeared instantly before Lynch, and thrust it toward his chest.
"I am sorry, but you have lost."
As the blade thrust forward, the brilliant light of the steel illuminated Lynch's pale face.
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