The Second Victim

As the eerie eyes in the corridor grew brighter and brighter, tens of thousands of fierce beams of light were about to sweep across every corner of the passage, slicing any intruder into pieces.

Even Karl had run out of ideas; he could only desperately exert force against the stone door, hoping to break it open before the beams erupted.

However, Lynch immediately stopped his futile attempt. There was definitely no time to break down the door; they had to find another way to survive this deadly situation.

Everything has its counter. This principle was not only applicable to his homeland but was also universal in this world. Although these defensive traps were lethal, they were not without weaknesses.

Its weakness lay in the fact that it was located inside an ancient tomb. It was impossible for it to destroy all the facilities in the catacombs every time it was activated. This was especially true for the central structures controlling the tomb's defense system here; once destroyed, the entire tomb would be left completely defenseless. The designer would never tolerate such a thing happening.

Right, the sarcophagi. These stone sarcophagi were highly likely to be durable enough to resist the erosion of the light beams.

Without even having time to speak, Lynch shoved Karl and took the lead, rushing toward the open stone sarcophagus.

To allow the connecting rods and gears to rotate, there was a large space inside the stone sarcophagus, especially under the lid. The two barely managed to squeeze themselves inside and pulled the lid shut with all their might.

Before the lid fully closed, their vision was filled with brilliant light. Countless beams of light rained down from above, instantly sweeping through the entire corridor.

Sizzle. Accompanied by a sound like cold water splashing into boiling oil, the surrounding temperature surged. Even the stones around them grew burning hot to the touch. Hiding in the darkness of the coffin, the two dared not make a single movement, listening to the endless sizzling sounds outside as the air inside the coffin grew increasingly stifling.

Are we going to be roasted to death? Oven-roasted Lynch—even the evil god next door would cry from hunger.

As he was amusing himself with these thoughts, a soft click suddenly sounded beside him. Karl Jones had already pushed open the lid.

Only then did Lynch realize that he hadn't heard the sizzling sound for several seconds. He immediately raised his lantern.

The densely packed eyes of Glaaki had already receded back into the walls, plunging the corridor into darkness once more. Only the exceptionally scorching environment remained, with the stench of scorched air filling the surroundings.

“Let's go.”

Not knowing if there would be a second strike, Karl directly hoisted the coffin lid, which was taller than a person, onto his back and bolted toward the entrance they had come from.

Kings of the Arke Dynasty, your ancestors' coffin lids can't even be held down anymore.

Holding the lantern, Lynch followed closely behind Karl Jones as they rushed back to the door. The heavy stone door was still sealed shut. Even with the powerful strength of a rank four authority, it was impossible to break through these ancient stone doors in a short amount of time.

But they had time now. Karl smashed his fist against the stone door and held the pose, completely motionless.

Crack, crack.

Faint cracking sounds echoed from within the stone door, and then cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.

Karl made a gesture of relief, but under the yellow glow of the lantern, Lynch could still see that his face was pale and his expression grim.

Lynch could understand. Regardless of Karl's identity or purpose, at this very moment, he was a victim of a treacherous trap.

According to him, someone had activated the defense system from the front tomb just now. The only ones who could have done this were the four people left on the other side. But unless those four had already joined forces, such an act could not have been carried out so openly and without disguise. In fact, even Lynch had some doubts about whether the other four had teamed up for some unknown reason, wanting to first eliminate Lynch and Karl Jones, who were dealing with the traps.

Crack, crack.

More and more cracks appeared on the stone door, and tiny sprouts could even be seen growing out of the crevices. As the sprouts multiplied, a loud bang erupted from within the stone door, which burst open on the spot. Large chunks of stone, wrapped in flexible vines, splattered outward.

With a burst of strength, Karl threw the coffin lid off his back like a shield. Lynch then rushed out alongside him, following closely behind the path-clearing lid.

The expected sneak attack did not come. It was safe behind the door, and there was not even anyone guarding it. The two quickly scanned their surroundings and realized that the area was quite messy; a battle seemed to have broken out just now.

At this moment, the other three were gathered around the coffin where Dr. Jenna lay. Seeing Lynch and Karl enter, the bearded Jack waved to them.

“What did you do?” Karl Jones approached with a dark face. “You actually activated the internal defense measures, and right before we could disarm—”

“Mr. Jones,” Rooney suddenly looked up. “Come over here first. Dr. Jenna... isn't doing well.”

“Hmm?”

Karl's interrogation was cut short. Lynch's heart also tightened. Rooney's expression was solemn; could they really have failed to save her?

The two victims exchanged a look and then quickly hurried over. As soon as they drew near, Lynch realized something was wrong.

Dr. Jenna was still lying weakly on the coffin, black mist swirling around the large hole in her chest. But now, with the hole as the center, countless black lines had spread across her entire body, making her look like a shattered porcelain doll that had been pieced back together. It was a chilling sight.

“The treatment was going smoothly, and she had even regained consciousness.”

Beside them, Jack Adams took a sip from his flask and shook his head.

“But just now, an accident suddenly occurred. The power of death erupted from within her, like a seed that had lain dormant for a long time and suddenly began to grow. None of us expected it. By the time we noticed, we didn't even have time to suppress it before the power of death fully exploded.”

“So... that triggered the defense traps?”

“I don't know the situation on your end, but that should be it,” Rooney sighed softly. “The impact was massive, as you can see from the surroundings. The three of us joined forces and barely managed to suppress the erupting power of death, but the doctor's body...”

Karl stood by the stone sarcophagus, his head bowed in silence. His face, which was usually brimming with smiles, finally wore a sorrowful expression. He reached out and gently took the doctor's strangely cracked hand. Who knew what he was thinking as he looked down, but he suddenly pressed the doctor's hand against his cheek and murmured softly, “I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

Her hand twitched slightly, and the doctor slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the people around her, and then looking at Karl Jones in front of her, the doctor caressed his face and said in a weak voice, “Don't be sad, little Karl. Those who step into the occult world will always face this day. This is our destiny. You can't blame anyone; if anyone is to blame, it is only myself.”

Karl sighed deeply, pressing the doctor's hand firmly against his cheek. Dr. Jenna gave a comforting smile and then waved Lynch over.

Lynch had been pondering if there was any way to save her, even considering exposing his identity to use Blood's Temptation. But the injury on the doctor was too bizarre. Try as he might, Lynch was powerless and could only watch as the doctor grew weaker step by step.

Seeing the doctor calling him, although it was his first time experiencing such a scene and his heart felt heavy, Lynch still took a few steps forward. With great effort, the doctor pulled him close, stuffed her backpack strap into his hand, and whispered in his ear, “I can't hold on any longer. You two be careful; those three are not to be trusted. I have no regrets. The only thing I find a pity is that I couldn't help my little Louise. If you get the chance, help me deliver my bag to Louise. Tell her that her mother has gone on ahead. If she has a choice in the future, she must never, ever get involved with the occult world.”

Lynch took a deep breath and nodded firmly. A relieved smile appeared on the doctor's face, and she finally closed her eyes slowly.

The cracks covering her body suddenly became denser. Thick, oppressive black mist billowed out from all the crevices. The surrounding people subconsciously took a few steps back as they watched the doctor disintegrate into fragments like a porcelain doll, before being completely swallowed by the black mist overflowing from her own body.

The ritual was still ongoing. The second victim had finally appeared. Remaining number of people: five.