The Fifth Victim

“Are you surprised, Mr. Levive?”

Seeing Lynch shielding the limp Judy as he confronted him, Karl spoke unhurriedly, regaining his elegant and polite demeanor from their first meeting, as if he had some sort of ace up his sleeve. “Actually, you've been exposed since the night we first met. Hehe, you lost this game the moment you entered it.”

Hmm?

Lynch raised an eyebrow but did not drop his disguise.

“Don't be surprised. Your disguise is magical, as if it truly turned you into a woman, making it impossible to identify you by any means. We've tried them all. But unfortunately, the instinctive reactions of men and women in many small movements and details are completely different. Men might be used to it, but you can't hide from a real woman. You were discovered very quickly.”

“Dr. Jenna?”

Lynch recalled how Dr. Jenna had always chatted with him, intentionally or otherwise, over the past few days. At the time, he had thought it was out of a sense of closeness between women, which he had used as an opportunity to pry for information. But now it seemed that life was a play, and everyone was acting; it was hard to say who had pried more from whom.

“Yes. However, she only knew you were a man in disguise and couldn't confirm your identity. But you shouldn't have interfered in Salin's matter last night.”

“What exactly happened last night?”

“That was originally a trap aimed at Jack, the royal secret agent. But you people were too suspicious, so I guided Salin to cooperate with me, posing as Jack to draw everyone else's attention. However, you stepped in to save Salin and exposed your Blood's Temptation.”

Lynch frowned. Was that the thing that exposed him?

“Why be surprised? Many mystery relics that can see the light of day are registered with the Watchers. Especially Blood's Temptation, which the Church of the Black Night handed over to you through public channels. It must have been registered; you couldn't possibly not know that. Moreover, that relic is highly recognizable, and I happened to have recorded those registry files. Combined with what the doctor told me, I naturally recognized your identity at a glance.”

“I see. So when opening the door just now, what the doctor told me was actually meant to intentionally guide me to suspect the others. You must have also been on the other side, guiding Salin and Rooney to target me, trying to lure us into killing each other.”

“It's a pity you didn't fall for it and even exposed Salin's disguise. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to come to this.” Karl Jones let out a mock sigh and shook his head. “Fortunately, the situation is not out of control. Glaaki is still very useful. Now... one has exhausted her strength and lost her combat effectiveness, while the other is just a low-tier weakling with rank two authority. Hehe, you've lost.”

Lynch pursed his lips and said noncommittally, “The doctor was also one of yours. Why are you doing all this? Is there nothing that could be discussed openly instead of killing each other? Perhaps there was room for cooperation.”

“Hmph. Jack was a royal secret agent who insisted on reporting everything to Emperor Rudolph II. Rooney was a church knight who also kept a close eye on everything on behalf of the church, and he was extremely fanatical about evil gods, making him far too destructive. Although Salin was a double agent, he was Howard's man, and one of his tasks was to bring that mirror back. Dr. Jenna was tasked with helping the archaeological team protect the ancient artifacts here, but she was also Prince William's direct contact, heavily bribed by William to hand the mirror over to him once she got it. Although Judy has always been in a daze, her background is highly suspicious, and no one dared to trust her. The Flame Spirit just now also exposed her identity as a cultist; letting her slip in was a threat from the very beginning.”

Karl Jones's words made Lynch sigh inwardly, marveling at how Howard had managed to assemble such a group of people for this job. Meanwhile, Karl let out a cold laugh and continued: “Cooperation? There was never any room for cooperation, except for Dr. Jenna. She was already bought by me. I offered a higher price than the prince, one that tempted her more. Therefore, everyone else must die. They cannot be allowed to interfere with my plan.”

“So, what is your plan?” Lynch asked with a dark face. “Now that things have reached this point, you can finally come clean, can't you?”

“To protect this country, of course.” Karl Jones spoke loudly, his face filled with fanaticism and excitement. “That mirror is extremely dangerous. Once it falls into the hands of the wicked, it will trigger a world-ending catastrophe. Thus, letting it be controlled by anyone else is a massive threat. Only when I hold it in my own hands can I rest easy.”

Hiss—

Lynch felt the veins in his temples throb. “And you didn't hesitate to kill so many of your companions for that?”

“Of course. I cannot allow any mistakes, nor can I let you leak my actions and have every faction hunt me down. They had to die. This isn't murder; this is a sacrifice to save more people. Everything I do is for this country. You should have willingly accepted it. Yet, you actually dare to resist now, making me expend so much effort. You are too selfish.”

You fucking... you've completely lost your mind.

Lynch clenched his fists, forcing down the anger in his heart, and asked through gritted teeth, “Then I don't understand. Since the doctor was already bought by you, why did you kill her? And as a Watcher, how did you acquire the technique to summon Glaaki's avatar?”

“Hmm? Hehe, I wasn't the one who summoned Glaaki, nor was I the one who killed the doctor. Her death was just...” Karl Jones suddenly wore a hideous smile and said in a sinister tone: “Have you asked enough? Having allowed you to ask for so long, don't you find it strange?”

The unexpected answer stunned Lynch, and the words that followed filled his heart with an ominous premonition. But before he had any time to think, he heard Karl Jones continue: “Hehe, if you've asked enough, then it's time to say goodbye. Farewell, Mr. Levive.”

In the next instant, just as Dr. Jenna had experienced, several pitch-black Hands of Death burst through a chest, leaving several gaping holes from which a faint black mist carrying a thick power of death billowed.

But it was Karl Jones's chest.

His handsome face was filled with disbelief and shock, his eyes bulging so wide they almost popped out of their sockets. His mouth opened as if to say something, but only black mist poured from his nose and mouth. Karl Jones's hand twitched as if trying to clutch his chest. However, with his movement, more and more Hands of Death erupted from within his body, crawling out one by one.

The scene before him made Lynch's muscles tense up. In a flash of lightning, he suddenly realized the problem.

Last night, everyone was keeping each other in check. The only ones who had the chance to summon Glaaki to kill Jack, besides the late Dr. Jenna, included one other person.

When the doctor fell into the trap earlier, compared to the three men who were far away on the other side opening the door, there was actually someone else who could have easily tampered with things.

After sending the doctor back to the front tomb, Karl had already gone to the central corridor with him. The one who had the opportunity to strike was actually someone else.

Seven people had entered the catacombs, and five were dead. With only two remaining, who else could the killer be besides me!

It all happened in a split second. Karl Jones collapsed limply before he could even utter a final word. A chill ran down Lynch's spine, and he whipped his head around to look at the woman behind him.

Judy was wearing a bizarre expression, flames already rising from her fists as she prepared to swing a punch at him.

“It was you!”

Lynch's eyes nearly split from rage. Exhausting the last bit of enhancement from Death Coil, he transformed into a streak of light before her punch could land, instantly appearing in front of Judy and thrusting Blood's Temptation, which had transformed into a sword.

Pfft, pfft, pfft.

Three consecutive thrusts, each piercing her chest and exiting through her back. At the exact moment he delivered the third strike, Judy's delayed punch also slammed heavily into his chest.

With a muffled bang, flames exploded between them. The two of them were sent spinning through the air like falling leaves, crashing heavily to the ground.

Judy lay slumped miserably against a stone pillar, clutching her blood-drenched chest, entirely devoid of life. Meanwhile, Lynch lay limp on the ground, his chest scorched black. He struggled to get up several times but failed repeatedly. Ultimately, he lost all his strength, with only his chest still rising and falling faintly, growing weaker by the second.

For a moment, the main tomb chamber fell back into its ancient silence. The dust had settled, and only the fluctuating glow from the ceiling flickered, bearing witness to everything that had transpired.

Tap, tap.

In the silence, the light sound of footsteps echoed as a figure emerged from the darkness.