The rustling sound of crawling had already sneaked up behind him. The malice left no trace, making it feel as though killing intent surrounded him on all sides.
Lynch did not turn around, nor did he make any defensive movements. He merely covered half of his face with his round fan, a mysterious smile playing on the corners of his lips.
Barking dogs seldom bite; those that make noise are only testing the waters.
Sure enough, the rustling lingered around him for a moment before retreating uninterestingly. Yet, at that exact moment, Lynch suddenly made a move.
With a flick of his wrist, a badge appeared out of thin air in his palm. It was the advisor badge issued by the Duke of Vane.
The badge spun between his pale fingertips, and the smile on his lips grew even more enigmatic.
Lynch had made his move. The information Officer Natalie had sent just in time gave him the courage to act.
In military matters, nothing was more confidential than espionage.
The Crown Prince could bribe ministers and buy off merchants. But if he could even buy off secret agents, there would be no need for him to resort to such underhanded methods in the first place.
Thus, Jack was highly likely representing the stance of Emperor Rudolph II. Emperor Rudolph was probably uncertain whether his son would commit such a rebellious act, which was why he had dispatched a royal secret agent.
This indicated that Emperor Rudolph II had also only received the news in the past few months, most likely from Duke Vane. Otherwise, the duke shouldn't have known about it, let alone commissioned him to investigate. Only if the information was passed from the duke to the royal family did everything make sense.
Integrating his experiences over the past month in his mind, Lynch realized that this secret agent and Duke Vane were highly likely in contact as well.
It was a bit of a gamble, but for someone stuck in a deadlock like himself, it was a necessary risk.
If I've misanalyzed your stance, or misjudged the relationship between the duke's family and the King, then I will accept my defeat.
After displaying it fully under the light, Lynch put the badge back into his mystery relic, wearing a faint smile as he waited quietly.
One second, two seconds... dead silence filled his ears. The thrill before the reveal sent Lynch's adrenaline surging, even making his palms grow warm and clammy, but his expression remained entirely unchanged.
The rustling sound rose again, but this time it quietly retreated. Only then did Lynch feel his pores relax, realizing his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
He had won—at least on the surface.
The sound of crawling rats faded further and further away, but one remained behind, flickering in and out of sight among the large pile of funerary objects.
“Jack Adams. A royal secret agent, ordered by Emperor Rudolph II to investigate the inside story of a royal family member colluding with an evil god.” Lynch blocked his lips with his round fan, preventing his lip movements from being read from any angle, and spoke with a mix of truth and falsehood. “I've been waiting for this opportunity for days. I didn't expect you to only approach me now.”
No one replied. The gray mouse continued to crawl among the antiques, squeaking from time to time, making Lynch look like a fool talking to himself. But Lynch was not in the least bit of a hurry. He was certain that Jack could absolutely use the rat to transmit information.
“Lord Vane never mentioned your existence.”
“Indeed. He didn't even know I would be coming. My joining was an accident to begin with.”
As soon as he heard Jack's voice, Lynch knew he had succeeded. The fact that Jack was willing to risk replying meant Lynch had guessed mostly correct. Thus, Lynch spoke in a condescending tone:
“What exactly is your mission? Make it clear first, so I can see if there is any room for cooperation.”
Jack hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “To find out the target's purpose in colluding with the evil god.”
Just as he thought. That made things much easier.
“Reasonable, and it doesn't conflict with mine. If we push the ritual forward normally, we will definitely find out what their goal is in the end.”
“It's impossible for me to believe what you say.”
“I never told you to believe me,” Lynch said leisurely in Ms. Selene's voice. “We each have our own purposes, and we don't have to cooperate. It's enough that we understand each other's identities. However, I don't quite understand why you and Dr. Jenna deliberately showed hostility toward each other.”
“The only reason I managed to sneak in was through her channel. I also helped her exchange some supplies with the outside. The hostility was to avoid exposing each other.”
“It seems you didn't know her identity either?”
“What other identity does she have?”
“An inside informant for the Archaeological Association.”
“So that's how it is. No wonder she was in close contact with the Archaeological Association. I even went out of my way to give her a few mystery relics.”
Lynch said thoughtfully, “So, you weren't the one who killed her?”
“I was only hiding my identity to observe; I never laid a hand on her.” Jack was slightly surprised. “You weren't the one who did it? I thought you were one of Howard's men who discovered the doctor's secret contact with the outside and took the opportunity to kill her. I was even worried you would discover my existence from her belongings and wanted to get rid of you first. Fortunately, I saw the badge and realized you also had connections with the outside. Otherwise, I would have made my move.”
Fuck, that would have been an incredibly unjust death. Cold sweat broke out on Lynch's forehead, and he felt immensely grateful that he had taken the gamble in time. However, he didn't dare fully trust Jack either. On the surface, he remained completely unfazed as he said, “Then let's keep our identities hidden. We'll wait for the ritual to progress normally and contact each other in time if anything comes up.”
Only when the rat disappeared into the darkness did Lynch breathe a sigh of relief. Although it was impossible to tell whether Jack's words were true or false, they were logical when combined with his identity. He indeed had no need to kill everyone. In that case, he wouldn't pose too much of a threat.
Aside from Judy, another person's suspicion had plummeted.
Ruling out Karl Jones, who was with him at the time, Rooney was the most suspicious candidate for the covert attack on Dr. Jenna. Perhaps he could no longer afford to passively wait and watch. It was necessary to take the initiative and nip the threat in the bud.
As he was pondering, Karl Jones and Judy returned to the front tomb. To Lynch's slight surprise, both of them were completely unharmed.
Their work had gone smoothly. Supposedly, the peripheral defenses had been completely dismantled, and the area around the front tomb was now entirely safe. However, Karl Jones returned looking quite weak. He sat on a coffin lid, panting heavily, clearly having consumed a massive amount of energy during the cracking process.
“If the doctor were still here, it wouldn't have been this exhausting. I need to rest for a while. Sorry.”
Karl smiled apologetically and simply lay down on the coffin lid. True to his reputation as a famous explorer, he could sleep even on a coffin lid. Before long, his breathing became slow and even.
The remaining four exchanged glances and, as if nothing had happened, continued to organize the funerary objects in the front tomb. It wasn't until two or three hours had passed that another throb vibrated from the doctor's belongings.
It felt like hearing a penguin cough.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Lynch quietly took out the notebook. Indeed, fresh information had appeared on it. Written in a beautiful, elegant cursive hand, a sense of noble grace wafted off the page.
‘The Church of the Sun refused to share information, but we verified from the Black Cat Theater that Rooney is indeed a Shadow Knight of the Church of the Sun. His specific intentions are unknown, but the Church of the Sun's Judgment Hall has always been extremely hostile toward evil gods. It is indeed possible that they fanatically plan to sabotage the ritual. However, they usually do not harm anyone other than cultists, unless there is some special circumstance. This is all the information we have for now. Officer Angel is still investigating Karl Jones and Judy. Please, you must stay safe. We are all waiting for your return, and we will settle our accounts with you then.’
This girl really is... Lynch unconsciously let out a silly grin. However, before he could savor the last few sentences, he heard a bout of coughing.
Karl Jones coughed and sat up. The two hours of sleep had not restored his energy; instead, he looked even worse.
“I'd like to rest a bit longer too, but time waits for no one, and we don't have that much time to waste.” Karl dragged his exhausted body and hopped down from the stone sarcophagus.
Rooney suggested, “Or you could rest a bit longer, and we can explore the main tomb chamber first. If anything happens, we'll retreat immediately. This way, there won't be much danger, and we won't waste any time either.”
“That works too,” Karl Jones said after pondering for a moment. “How about this: Jack is injured, so he'll stay here. Rooney, you and Judy will explore the main tomb chamber. Judy, are you okay with that?”
Judy still looked dazed, and it was hard to tell if her normal personality was currently in control. Fortunately, upon hearing Karl's question, she still nodded.
“Wait, why don't I tag along to watch the fun as well?”
Lynch took a step forward with a half-smile. At this very moment, he suddenly smelled the scent of malicious intent.
Sending a church knight who hated evil gods and an apostle of an evil god to execute a mission together? Even raising venomous insects wasn't done this way.
One of you dared to suggest it, and the other dared to accept it. Who else is planning to stir up trouble this time?
Rate on N.U.
