The Team Members

I know how to handle this.

The moment the brilliant light erupted, Lynch instinctively shifted sideways, stepping perfectly behind Karl Jones.

As a result, Karl, his vision blocked by Lynch, didn't even have time to blink before the colorful light slammed into his face. He let out a yelp and clutched his eyes.

It is a good thing I am not a lady and lack the habit of ladies first, otherwise my reaction would have been a beat slower and I would have taken that hit directly. Mr. Jones, you are a good man, I will miss you...

While mocking him inwardly, Lynch suddenly frowned, feeling a sense of deja vu.

Before he could dwell on it, Karl Jones raised his voice:

"Dr. Jenna, I appreciate your fiery enthusiasm, but please put away your mystery relic. Do not frighten this beautiful lady."

"Have you ever seen a mystery relic that does not go out of control? I certainly have not." A lazy, casual female voice drifted from inside. "Do not worry, little Karl, it is safe now. Come in."

"Honestly, it has gone out of control so many times these past few days. Can you not be more careful?" Karl grumbled, then suddenly remembered something. He turned back, instantly resuming his suave gentlemanly persona, and bowed. "My deepest apologies, beautiful lady. I have startled you."

"Not at all." Lynch offered a mysterious smile, his charming eyes fixed on Karl. "I am not the one who got hit in the face, so why should I be startled?"

Karl Jones was left speechless. Lynch, hidden behind his round fan, let out a soft chuckle and stepped past the man blocking the doorway, walking inside with effortless grace.

The recreation room was arranged much like a bar. A large horn gramophone in the corner spilled out melodic orchestral music. Beneath several bright gas lamps, the billiard table sat unused with two cues lying across it. A few card tables stood empty, cigars and empty wine glasses scattered on their surfaces.

Directly ahead was a small bar counter with a server acting as a bartender. A young woman in her twenties sat outside the bar, holding a small pendant in her hand.

The woman was thin and frail, her blonde hair pinned up under a wide brimmed hat with curled edges. She wore a sturdy green men's hunting suit. Her face was lightly freckled; she was not exactly beautiful, but rather pleasant to look at, the kind of person who did not provoke dislike. However, she wore a permanent look of laziness, as if nothing mattered to her.

Including human lives.

Jenna Letty, an archaeologist expelled from the Archaeological Association for repeatedly causing casualties by activating dangerous items within ruins and ancient tombs. To translate that into plain language: whenever she found something interesting in a ruin, she would curiously read it or attempt to decipher it. If luck were on her side, half the team might survive; if not, only a few would return.

Compared to a mere grave robber like Karl Jones, this woman was far more terrifying.

Of course, that was the official reason given by the association when she was expelled. As for whether there was more to the story, it was hard to say. Regardless, the two sides had harbored deep resentment ever since. Jenna had attacked the association in public on numerous occasions, and the association had retaliated by blacklisting her, causing Dr. Jenna to vanish from the public eye for the last few years.

However, Lynch did not care about that right now. His attention had already been captured by the small pendant in Dr. Jenna's hand.

It was a grinning shark.

【Ocean Currents in a Dream, King Henry's childhood dream, which took him swimming through the dream world every night, allowing him to meet his friends happily.】

It really was that startling, useless mystery relic he had seen once at the grand museum.

According to the law of uniqueness for mystery relics, this should be the same one that was in Professor Green's hands a few days ago. This was interesting. So much for the supposed irreconcilable blood feud with the Archaeological Association?

Could it be that you are the mole?

"This is a mystery relic I brought, fear grade, almost no danger." Seeing Lynch looking at her toy, Dr. Jenna generously placed the pendant on the bar counter. "It is not much use, either. Once it goes out of control, it just fires a beam of light at nearby organisms at random."

"And what about this?" Lynch sat down beside the doctor, waving away a few mosquitoes circling nearby.

"It requires a high quality soul, usually meaning humanoid creatures. These things do not count."

The doctor did not have the perfume scent a lady should have, but rather a smell similar to that of Madam Bessie. Listening to her answer, Lynch said thoughtfully: "There is no need to bring a useless mystery relic here, is there? Is there some commemorative significance?"

"Not at all. It might prove useful in the ruins for finding companions or finding a way out."

Useful... heh.

This was getting interesting. A mystery relic that was in Professor Green's hands a few days ago suddenly ended up in your possession. Especially since this place is under closed management for secrecy, and all participants are forbidden from contacting the outside world until the mission is over—how did you get it?

If I had not encountered this thing once before, I would never have noticed, but once I paid attention to this mystery relic, it became increasingly suspicious.

Could my luck be so good that I found the mole right away?

Thinking rapidly, Lynch sat down beside Dr. Jenna. Karl Jones also cheekily crowded in to sit beside Lynch. Suddenly, with lightning speed, he reached out and precisely grabbed a mosquito that had just flown past Lynch's ear, flipped a glass over, and trapped the live mosquito inside. The entire movement was as fluid as instinct. Only then did he wave to the server:

"Tom, mix a glass of Hot Heart. I want to offer it to this beautiful lady as an apology for my earlier clumsiness. Oh, my dear lady, beneath your beautiful countenance, you must also have a beautiful soul. You could not bear to watch me be tortured by guilt and will surely accept my apology."

Should I drop the disguise to show you my beautiful soul? If I do not disgust you to death, consider it a blessing from the neighbors.

Filled with malicious thoughts, Lynch was just about to respond when his heart suddenly tightened. His subconscious felt that something about what had just happened was not quite right.

What is going on?

He flashed through every detail since he entered in his mind, and suddenly realized a problem.

That fluid, practiced method of catching mosquitoes had been seen before, and quite a few times at that.

That group of idiots who sat in front of the bar all day staring at lizards often did that, otherwise they could not start their bets. Aside from them, probably no one else would be that bored.

Details like this, aside from someone like Lynch who also hung out with those idiots, would likely go unnoticed. It was only because the lizard betting behavior was so bizarre that it left a deep impression on Lynch. While the behavior itself did not prove anything, once he realized the connection between the actions, the associations could not be suppressed.

Could it be that you are the mole sent by the Watchers, the kind that even Officer Angel does not know about? Are you Watchers moles allowed to flirt with the mission targets? Tsk, could I have suspected the wrong person just now? Is Dr. Jenna innocent, and are you the real mole?

Mr. Karl Jones had no idea what Lynch was thinking and consciously leaned in a bit closer, chatting with a grin: "Beautiful lady, what should I call you? I have not seen you before. Could you be one of the mysterious figures who have been keeping themselves locked in their rooms?"

"Of course you would not notice if you only stare at the eyes of the women around you. If you do not look, how could you possibly see?"

The sudden voice caused the four people present to turn their heads in surprise. Sitting on the sofa by the gramophone was a middle aged man in a gray suit.

He was dressed stiffly, his hair was neat, his expression was stern, and a thick book lay open on his lap.

He definitely was not there a moment ago. Lynch was confused, then heard Karl ask in surprise: "Rooney, when did you get here? I did not notice you this time either."

"I arrived when Tom was muttering about whether something was going on tonight and why no one was coming. The fact that you did not notice is likely because you did not bring your eyes or perhaps never grew them. As for this lady, considering Walker notified us that the most critical item has been obtained and the mission can officially begin, and then a new face appeared—does her identity even need guessing?"

Hiss, he is that ancient book broker Rooney. This guy is sharp. Lynch felt a rise in crisis; it seemed he needed to hide better, otherwise he might expose his identity.

As for not noticing him, he probably carried some sort of concealment authority. After all, many soul severers of fallen gods possessed such abilities; it was nothing special.

【Attention, he carries a divine blessing. This is a characteristic only possessed by soul severers of the major gods, and only the supreme can distinguish it.】

Hm? So he is not a soul severer of some fallen god who wishes to remain anonymous as the documents said? Instead, he is a soul severer of a major god church? Is he deliberately hiding his identity to infiltrate this place?

This is no longer a matter of whether my luck is good or bad. How long have I been here, and I have already encountered three suspicious targets.

And the only reason there are three suspicious targets is because I have only met three people, not because there are only three.

Is the suspicion rate here one hundred percent?

No, what is wrong with you people? Do not tell me that everyone here except for me is a mole.

Mayor Howard, what kind of people have you brought here? Myself included.

For a moment, Lynch felt his language was so lacking; there was truly nothing left to complain about.