16

  Chapter 76: Immortality of Extraordinary Characteristics

  "What? 800 pounds?"

  Angel had prepared herself for a high price, but when Dominic quoted the price, she still couldn't keep her serious face.

  "Do you know how much the 'Instigator' potion sells for? The formula is at most 200 pounds, and the two main ingredients are only 400 pounds in total. I can find an ordinary person to drink the potion and make him lose control and die, and pick up a Extraordinary Characteristic, which is cheaper than what you sell!"

  Angel tried to lower her voice, but many passers-by still looked at the corner of the room. Both of them were wearing cloaks and whispering furtively. Even in the underground trading market where good and bad people mixed together, they didn't look like serious businessmen.

  Dominic sneered and refuted bluntly:

  "What nonsense are you talking about? A Sequence 8 potion can be obtained for only 600 pounds? The formula alone costs more than 400 pounds! Even if you can buy the potion, you will only get a contaminated Beyonder characteristic according to your method. You are not stupid enough to use this thing to make a magical item, right? Do you dare to use such a contaminated magical item?"

  Resisting the urge to take out the contaminated magical item "Thirst Blood" and make a few holes in it, Angel took a deep breath, calmed down, and shook his head.

  "Then how can you guarantee that your Beyonder characteristic is not contaminated? And no matter what, 800 pounds is too expensive. I can only offer 400 pounds at most."

  Anyway, cut the price in half first...

  "Contaminated? Absolutely not. I saw it appear from the dead 'Instigator' with my own eyes. He was very talkative when he was alive and almost hurt me. He doesn't look like he is going to lose control..."

  Dominic said as he took out a palm-sized exquisite jewelry box from under his cloak and opened the lid towards Angel.

  Inside was an object that looked like a pointed funnel, about the size of an adult's thumb. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered to be a bird's beak. The surface was purple with a hint of dark red. Under the light, it kept changing between the two colors, giving off an aura that tempted people to snatch it. After staring at it for a few seconds, Angel suddenly noticed that the bird's beak moved.

  That's right... This was very similar to the main material of the "Instigator" potion in her memory, and it showed obvious activation characteristics. There was no whispering or hallucination when approaching it...

  With a "pop", Dominic closed the lid.

  "Look, if it was a contaminated Beyonder characteristic, how could it be so quiet for you to watch? I almost lost my life to get this, 8...700 pounds, no price reduction."

  You've already reduced the price, haven't you... Angel was delighted. It seemed that the other party was not as tough as he said.

  She decided to add fuel to the fire.

  "Wait, you mean, this is the Beyonder characteristic you got by killing an 'Instigator'?"

  Looking at Angel's surprised face, Dominic smiled with a little smugness.

  "Of course. Do you think you can pick up Beyonder traits anywhere? If I don't kill him, will he cut it out for me?"

  Ignoring the infuriating attitude and tone in the other person's words, Angel widened his eyes artificially, and asked with a hint of panic: "Isn't there anyone from the 'Witch Cult' looking for trouble with you? You killed their people, and you are still selling his Beyonder traits here. Aren't you afraid..."

  "Witch Cult?"

  As she expected, Dominic's face changed when she heard the name of this notorious cult organization. Before she could finish listening to Angel's words, she asked anxiously.

  "That's right. They have mastered the potion formula and most of the materials of the 'Assassin' path. Except for a few wild Beyonders like me, most of the Beyonders in this path have a thousand connections with them. The 'instigator' you killed is very likely a member of the 'Witch Cult'."

  Dominic's expression kept changing, and suddenly he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you deceiving me and want me to lower the price to sell the Beyonder traits?"

  He was obviously not confident enough, as if he was trying to convince himself.

  Maybe the "instigator" said something before his death, which made Dominic believe that he would be in trouble with the "Witch Sect"?

  Seeing that the other party had fallen into the trap, Angel did not give him time to think carefully and quickly delivered a fatal blow:

  "No matter what you think, I dare not take this extraordinary characteristic anyway. The "Witch Sect" are experts in divination. It is only a matter of time before they come to me through extraordinary characteristics. I suggest you make up another lie and sell it quickly."

  After saying this, Angel turned around and left.

  One step, two steps, three steps.

  The expected retention did not come.

  Could it be that her performance was too exaggerated, which made the other party rebellious?

  Angel walked towards the stairs step by step, and pricked up her ears guiltily, listening to the voices behind her, but apart from the conversation of buying and selling, she did not hear Dominic's voice.

  When she passed between the two guards guarding the entrance to the third floor and one foot had already stepped down the stairs, the long-awaited shout finally appeared.

  "Wait... wait a minute."

  She still walked forward a few steps, pretending not to hear it.

  "Wait!"

  Dominic hurried over, squeezed past the guards, stepped over several steps, and stopped in front of Angel.

  "500 pounds!"

  The bet was won!

  Angel shook his head calmly: "I said, it's too dangerous to hold this Beyonder characteristic. If they think it was me who did it..."

  "450 pounds, if it's any lower, I would rather throw it away..."

  Dominic gritted his teeth and said.

  ——————   

  Sitting in the hired carriage, watching the sign of the "Carrion Bird Bar" gradually fade away outside the window, Angel covered the bullet box in her pocket and smiled.

  Although she emptied all the gold pounds in her pocket by buying the Beyonder characteristic of "Instigator" at a low price of 400 pounds, she was only one step away from being promoted to Sequence 8.

  Dominic finally succumbed to her coaxing and deception. Of course, he was still a little indignant when he received the money, and kept muttering something like "Just wait for the "Witch Cult" to come to your door" and "Keep your mouth shut when you are tortured, don't give me up."

  Is there a sequence called "Provocateur" in addition to "Instigator", and the way to play it is to put thorns in every sentence, making people want to beat him up? After

  driving the annoying Dominic out of her mind, Angel couldn't help but take out the bullet box, opened the lid and looked at the Beyonder characteristic lying quietly inside, just like looking at a bottle of potion that has been prepared.

  Unfortunately, to really turn it into a potion, it still needs another step.

  A step that only Kavi knows.

  ——————

  Back to the Golden Avenue in the Oak District, Angel could see the bombed-out "Kavi Watch Shop" from a distance.

  Several hours had passed since Kavi was attacked. The wood chips, stones and glass fragments of various sizes that were blown out of the shop and onto the street had been cleared away, but the open doors and windows and the seals that only served as a warning but could not prevent anyone from entering still made the watch shop stand out from the crowd. Passers-by looked inside curiously from time to time.

  Angel wanted to go to the "God of Steam and Machinery" Church to ask about Kavi's whereabouts, but he didn't expect that the craftsman was standing at the door of his shop, looking at the half-broken sign with a lonely face.

  Seeing her coming, Kavi smiled self-deprecatingly.

  "I didn't expect that my shop would be the most famous now. Usually, there are only a few customers all day, but now the whole street knows about it. It's really popular."

  "You can reorganize it and continue to open the shop, or take the opportunity to move to a bigger place."

  Angel didn't know whether Kavi was so upset because of the betrayal and death of his teammates, or the destruction of the shop, so he could only comfort her.

  "Forget it. I've wanted to leave here for a long time. That bastard Thomas has made the decision for me. I've submitted my application. Once it's approved, I'll be transferred to Backlund to see the world and earn money for retirement. I don't want to smell the sea breeze and industrial exhaust gas in my life."

  Kavi kicked a piece of glass that was missed by the cleaner on the roadside into the door of the watch shop whose door frame was gone, and whispered.

  "What about you? What do the Nighthawks in Tingen City want from me?"

  It seems that the "Mechanical Heart" has sent a telegram to the Nighthawks team in Enmat Port to inquire about my situation...

  Angel had already organized his words, but facing the depressed Kavi, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

  "It's just... the 'Extraordinary Characteristics' you mentioned before are used for promotion. Can you tell me in detail... I mean, I saved your life this morning..."

  She had never done such a thing of asking for a favor, and even stumbled when she spoke. Her face was flushed after just a few words.

  Looking at the embarrassed Angel, Kavi couldn't help laughing.

  "Okay, I can see that you are not used to talking like this."

  Stepping on the broken glass, Kavi walked to the door of the watch shop, pushed aside the seal put by the police, and walked in through the doorway, followed by Angel.

  "Anyway, I have let it slip, and now that I think about it, Tomasz should have gotten the information from me, so my oath has long been broken."

  Deep in the store, Kavi put away her smile and her face became serious. She looked outside the door and saw that the passers-by were not paying attention to this side, so she lowered her voice and said:

  "Next, I will only say it once, and you must swear that you will not tell our conversation... Forget it, the oath does not seem to be of much use unless there is a magical object that can witness the oath."

  "But don't say that I told you."

  Angel bit his lip nervously and nodded.

  Later, in this messy watch shop that looked like a post-war ruin, Angel learned an important law in the field of mysticism.

  "The total amount of Extraordinary Characteristics remains unchanged. It will not decrease or be destroyed. It will only be transferred from one carrier to another. This is the 'Law of the Indestructibility of Extraordinary Characteristics'."

  "The power of Extraordinary people comes from potions, and the power of potions comes from the main materials used to synthesize them. In the process of preparing and taking potions, the Extraordinary Characteristics are transferred to the bodies of Extraordinary people, and when they die, this characteristic will be precipitated. The higher the sequence, the longer it takes to precipitate, but no matter how long it takes, the Extraordinary Characteristics after precipitation always contain all the power of the deceased."

  "This Extraordinary Characteristics can be used as the main material for potions of the corresponding sequence. You only need to add auxiliary materials to prepare a normal potion."

  "This is also the reason why Thomas is wanted to kill me. He is already a Sequence 8 'Archaeologist'. As long as he gets my Extraordinary Characteristics, even if he doesn't know the potion formula and swallows it directly without adding auxiliary materials, there is a great hope of being promoted to 'Appraiser'. If the auxiliary materials are added according to the formula, the success rate is no different from that of regular potions. Ha, he should think that I lack combat ability and it would be best if he succeeds." "

  Appraiser"? Aren't you a "craftsman"... She complained subconsciously, but Angel's mind was no longer on the following words. Her thoughts were running fast, and she figured out a lot of things in an instant.

  Why did the church recycle the remains of Beyonders...

  Why did Beyonders under the same Orthodox Church use almost the same potion path...

  Why could Beyonder characteristics become magical items with corresponding sequence abilities...

  And...

  In her pocket, she had the Beyonder characteristics of the "instigator" that were enough to allow her to advance to Sequence 8!

  (End of this chapter)

  Chapter 77 Promoted to Instigator

  "100 ml of pure water..."

  In the dim room, with the door closed and the curtains drawn, a sneaky figure was squatting beside the table, fiddling with a set of alchemical utensils.

  After carefully checking the scale of the measuring cup, Angel carefully poured the liquid in the cup into the small crucible.

  There were a few drops of pure water adhering to the wall of the cup, and she couldn't shake them off. She had to use a dropper to add five drops to the crucible to make up for this part.

  Although the slight difference in the auxiliary materials did not affect the final effect of the potion, she still wanted to do her best to be perfect.

  Various plant juices and essential oils were diluted with pure water, presenting a turbid gray color in the crucible. If it was taken out like this, it would probably be regarded as pot washing water by everyone who saw it.

  Only the main material added at the end would change the properties of all the materials and turn them into a magical potion.

  Taking out the bullet box from her arms and taking out the bird-beak-shaped "Instigator" extraordinary characteristic that she bought for a full 400 pounds, Angel took a deep breath, raised her head, and finally looked around the room as if to confirm.

  This is her temporary residence on the third floor of the "Silver Bullet Detective Agency", which is also the base of the Nighthawks of Port Enmat. After returning here in the afternoon, Angel borrowed various containers and auxiliary materials from the alchemy room here under the pretext of "practicing making spells". In order to prevent her intentions from being seen, she even borrowed out unnecessary utensils such as alcohol lamps and grinding bowls.

  After locking the door, she hid in the room like a thief to prepare the potion. She would stop and listen carefully at the slightest movement outside the door, fearing that someone would break in and arrest the "assassin" who secretly made the potion.

  Fortunately, this group of "insomniacs" were either captured to go on missions or spend time in the lobby on the first floor. No one came to the third floor to disturb her in the evening.

  Picking up this precious extraordinary characteristic directly with her hands, Angel did not have unspeakable auditory hallucinations and olfactory changes like she did when she came into contact with the "witch" characteristic after Cole's death.

  It seems that whether the characteristic is contaminated can be distinguished by this difference.

  Taking a final look at the Beyonder characteristic of "Instigator", Angel gently threw it into the turbid mixture of auxiliary materials in the crucible.

  Just like a piece of easily melted ink thrown into water, the small amount of liquid in the crucible quickly turned pure black with the Beyonder characteristic as the center, but the surface seemed to have a layer of oily sheen floating on it, presenting a psychedelic "colorful black" under the gaslight.

  Subtle human voices gradually appeared around her, as if whispering and instigating. The sound was sometimes close and sometimes far away, erratic, making her eardrums feel like being gently tickled by cotton wool.

  At the same time, a foul smell floated out of the crucible and rushed straight into Angel's nose. Even though she was prepared, she couldn't help but take a step back. If she hadn't prepared the potion herself, she would have almost thought it was fermented sewage scooped out from some stinky ditch.

  However, the inky black liquid in the pot was the original appearance of the "Instigator" potion.

  With the memory of Cole Granger's experience of preparing and taking the potion, she confirmed this.

  The "Law of Immortality of Extraordinary Characteristics" revealed by Kawi is accurate. The uncontaminated Extraordinary characteristics can indeed be made into the same sequence of potions with the help of auxiliary materials.

  Unable to hide her excitement, she poured the potion in the crucible into the measuring cup that originally contained pure water. The pure black liquid had an inexplicable dependence on each other, like an inseparable whole, and was transferred to the cup without a drop left.

  Picking up the measuring cup, Angel glanced at the light, then held her breath, isolated from the stench, put the cup to her mouth, raised her head and drank it all. The

  cold potion became hot and boiling as soon as it entered her mouth. It went down her throat into her stomach like swallowing charcoal fire, burning all the tissues it touched along the way, making her moan.

  The voice was different from the usual coldness, full of temptation and power that people could not refuse.

  Angel gritted her teeth and persisted, holding back the discomfort in her throat and ignoring the whispers beside her. According to her memory of taking the instigator's potion "last time", she knew that these were all normal steps. As long as she persisted for about a minute, the negative effects of these potions would all disappear.

  But then, a strange feeling enveloped her.

  It seemed like a memory, or the future.

  "I" held a short blade and pounced on a black-haired man. In the other's ruthless mockery, I crashed into a trap, broke my bones and died...

  The middle-aged man with blond hair and a golden beard sat at the table and talked to her. People around walked and stopped, filling other tables and chairs, but ignored the empty seat next to him... From

  the strange perspective of looking down at the ground from a high altitude, the sky was as black as ink, and the mountains on the ground were undulating, but there was no one, and it was a desolate place...

  The whispers beside her ears gradually approached and amplified, as if someone had turned the speaker switch to the maximum until the sound was deafening.

  The small and warm guest room in front of her gradually faded away, eroded by the darkness around her, and the gas lights flickered and went out.

  Am I...going to lose control?

  What went wrong? Was

  the potion's configuration process wrong? Was there a hidden contamination in the Beyonder's properties? Or did I think I had digested the "Assassin" potion, but it left a hidden danger?

  Angel could no longer feel her limbs and body, only her thoughts were still flowing. This situation, as if her soul had been pulled out of her body and her five senses were gradually disappearing, made her gradually recover from her panic.

  The light in front of her eyes was restored, but her perspective gradually rose, looking down at the tables and chairs in the room, the single bed, and the woman on the floor.

  She was looking at herself kneeling on the floor from a weird third-person perspective.   

  "My" eyes were wide open, eyeballs bulging, veins around the eye sockets and even on the face were exposed, the exposed skin of the hands turned purple, and they were folded limply on the kneeling legs, the neck was tilted up, as if the throat was being strangled by invisible hands.

  Is this death...

  Suddenly, an invisible wind blew, and the scene in front of Angel disappeared quickly. She

  closed her eyes and opened them again, and the floor, tables and chairs seemed to rotate 90 degrees clockwise, showing in front of her at a strange angle.

  She returned to her perspective before "losing control". I don't know when I fell to the ground. The gas lamp on the wall still emitted a warm light, and the empty measuring cup was upside down beside her hand.

  There were still whispers in her ears, and there was a slight burning sensation in her throat, but this familiar feeling made her almost cry.

  She was still alive, and she didn't become a brainless monster when she lost control, or simply turned into a pool of flesh and blood, like the original owner of this body.

  She gathered her mind, closed her eyes again, and entered a meditative state skillfully, gradually getting rid of the influence of the residual potion.

  The whispers in her ear gradually faded away. Angel tried to swallow her saliva. The burning sensation in her throat quickly faded after a stinging pain.

  It seems that the promotion of "Instigator" was successful?

  Slightly relieved, she forced herself to get up from the floor, stumbled to the wall and came to the bathroom, turned on the gas light, and stood firm in front of the half-length mirror.

  The familiar face in the mirror did not have protruding blue veins on the face as in the illusion just now. Only the purple of the eyes became deeper, almost completely black, and even the surrounding sclera was stained with a hint of strange color.

  This is the manifestation of the power of the potion.

  She has become an "Instigator".

  ... Became an "Instigator" again.

  ——————

  After hurriedly washing her face and clearing the sweat on her face, Angel returned to the guest room and sorted out the borrowed crucibles, measuring cups and other utensils. Only then did she sit back at the head of the bed exhausted and feel the power she had gained.

  If the potion comes with extraordinary abilities or spells, then after the promotion, the corresponding knowledge will automatically appear in the mind of the extraordinary.

  Through this, she can confirm that she has indeed become an "Instigator".

  The core abilities of the "Instigator" potion are "persuasion" and "misguidance". If used skillfully by a Beyonder, it can also achieve a certain "charm" effect.

  Through the combination of these language abilities, the "Instigator" can easily stir up malice and greed in people's hearts, instigate others to commit crimes, create conflicts among the crowd, and cause bloodshed.

  Even in life, a few casual words can make the other party easily believe the "Instigator" and regard him as a confidant.

  Angel thought of the instigator he had met in Tingen City, Tris.

  Even though he was also a Beyonder, he was defeated by the other party's "persuasion" and "charm" and almost became the other party's prey, not to mention the defenseless ordinary people.

  The victims of the "Alfalfa Tragedy" are the best proof.

  In addition to the newly acquired language abilities, the biggest improvement after being promoted to Sequence 8 is that the original "Assassin" core abilities have been greatly enhanced. The

  agile body movements, vision and dark vision, and the charged attack have all been more or less strengthened, and the spirituality is more abundant, which can support the spiritual vision for a longer time.

  Of course, having just taken the potion and ascended to the highest level, Angel was not prepared to test the limits of her spirituality, lest she "lose control" again.

  Unlike the life-and-death experience during a fierce battle when adrenaline surged, this feeling of floating in the air like a ghost, watching her body gradually move towards death, was too terrifying, and she didn't want to try it again.

  And those strange hallucinations...

  She tried to recall the scenes she had just seen at the edge of time and space, but it was like recalling what she had eaten for breakfast a week ago. She knew it happened, but she couldn't remember the specific scene.

  Looking at her hands that had recovered from the purple to white, Angel made up her mind that even if she didn't have the money to buy potion materials, she would never use extraordinary characteristics to directly ascend again.

  I won't be so lucky next time...

  "Knock, knock--"

  The knock on the door woke up Angel from her deep thought. She looked around the room first, and found nothing that could expose her promotion behavior. Then she walked to the door and asked in a low voice:

  "Who is it?"

  "Rupert Norman, Clement notified everyone to meet in the lobby on the first floor. The 'action' may have to be brought forward."

  The voice of the "Midnight Poet" who came to support from Stoen City came from outside the door. He was usually a bit slick, but at this time he was extremely serious.

  (End of this chapter)

  Chapter 78 Action Begins

  "Ever since the Tingen City team discovered this human trafficking case involving the entire eastern part of the kingdom, the Nighthawks have been tracking down the extraordinary forces hidden behind it. Not only is the 'Witch Cult' involved, but the 'Aurora Society' has also appeared."

  At this time, the "Silver Bullet Detective Agency" hung up a sign to close the business, the doors and windows were closed, and the curtains were tightly covered to prevent any sound and light from leaking out.

  In the lobby on the first floor, except for the Nighthawks on duty at the Chanis Gate, everyone gathered, sitting or standing, and listened carefully to the captain of Enmat Port, Clement's mission explanation.

  Most of them were familiar to Angel in the past few days, and there were also two people she had never seen before. They should be local team members who have been busy "monitoring targets" recently.

  Daly Simone had made up for her sleep during the day and was in high spirits at this time. She used her gender privilege to occupy the largest sofa and invited Angel to sit down together.

  Rupert Norman finally figured out his pipe, which was now in his mouth, trembling slightly. He did not light his pipe, but his eyes wandered, scanning the others.

  Moreau, the "Sleepless Man" of Pritz Harbor, and Brandon Poirot, the "Midnight Poet", stood behind Rupert, with serious expressions and eyes fixed on him.

  Two local night watchmen sat and stood, slightly apart from the others, looking at their captain.

  The captain of the Enmat Harbor team, "Nightmare" Clement, sat on a high-backed chair. On the low table in front of him was a map of the city with three locations circled in red pen, located in the Port District, the West District, and the Dulang District.

  They are all densely populated and conveniently transported marginal areas.

  "After investigation, we have locked on three areas, Warehouse No. 16 in the Port District, the sugar factory on Covo Street in the West District, and the Yarn Clinic on Fourth Avenue in the Dulang District."

  As the place names were read out one by one, Clement's fingers tapped the three red circle locations on the map one by one.

  "The Yarn Clinic is responsible for checking people who have been abducted or kidnapped. The sugar factory transfers them in the city. Eventually, these 'goods' will be boarded in the port area and go to the place designated by the buyer. This year alone, this channel has handled thousands of innocent people, going to plantations in the islands of the Violent Sea, mines deep in the southern continent, and even to sacrificial rituals of some cultists."

  "Among them, a large number of believers of the Goddess of Night have been victimized!"

  The night watchmen present all straightened up subconsciously, as if they were looking at them with the eyes of the goddess.

  Seeing that everyone's emotions had been mobilized, Clement smiled with satisfaction, paused for a moment, and then continued:

  "Originally, this operation should have been carried out by the church's elite team, the 'Red Gloves'. Well, some of you may have heard of them, or even seen them. If they were to take action, the operation would be foolproof."

  "Unfortunately, the 'Red Gloves' have other tasks and cannot spare any manpower to come to support them for the time being. This is why everyone has gathered here."

  This is the second time Angel has heard the name "Red Gloves".

  It is said that this is a force composed of elite Beyonders of at least Sequence 7, selected from the Night Watchers. They are independent of the Night Watchers teams in various places, and they watch all the parishes vigilantly like hounds, responding to requests for help at any time, supporting teams in various regions, or arresting those Beyonder criminals who are extremely vicious but like to commit crimes across regions.

  It's a pity that I have only heard of them but never seen them in person. It seems that I will not have the chance to see these "red gloves" this time.

  "Captain Clement," Rupert Norman, who was standing behind Angel, raised his pipe-holding hand to indicate that he had questions, "wasn't it originally planned to start the capture operation tomorrow after the Backlund team joined us? Why did it happen earlier?"

  "That's exactly what I'm going to say next," Clement nodded to Rupert, "According to intelligence, the sugar factory will deliver the 'goods' to the warehouse in the port area every Monday and secretly transport them out of Enmat Port at night. But unfortunately, there were movements at the three target bases this afternoon. I tried to invade the dreams of several ordinary people and learned that they would most likely ship the 'goods' they currently have on hand and send them away early tomorrow morning."

  "Ahead of schedule? Did the news leak out?"

  Moro of the Pritz Harbor team said with a gloomy face, making his originally brown skin look even darker.

  "It shouldn't be."

  Clement shook his head, his hawk-like eyes swept across everyone's face in turn, staying on Angel for a little longer.

  "All of you here are the backbone of the Night Watchers teams of each parish. You have been tested for a long time. I believe that you will not leak secrets. Moreover, before today, most people did not know the full picture of the mission, so they could not leak secrets."

  "Could it be... divination?"

  Daly said suddenly.

  Hearing this familiar word, the faces of everyone in the hall changed.

  This is the word that the official Beyonders least want to hear, even if they themselves often rely on the results of divination to plan their actions.

  "It is very likely that some passive divination rituals may have known in advance that our actions would 'cause danger' to them and issued a warning, or someone made a divination on a whim and exposed our deployment."   

  Clement stroked the map with his fingers, echoing Daly's speech.

  "In any case, the possibility that the other party has discovered our actions, or at least has become alert, is very high. If we wait until tomorrow night or even the day after tomorrow, when everyone breaks down the doors of the port warehouse and the sugar factory, they may only see empty strongholds."

  "Then set out as soon as possible to capture them. You should have a plan."

  Brandon Poirot, the "midnight poet" from Port Pritz like Moreau, suggested. He looked eager to try and looked like a man of action.

  Including Angel, others nodded in agreement.

  Everyone traveled a long way to Port Enmat not to smell the exhaust of these cultists who trafficked in human beings and fled. Since the other party is preparing to evacuate in advance, then act in advance and get ahead of them!

  Clement seemed very satisfied with the reaction of the crowd, and a smile appeared on his serious expression. He pushed the map forward so that others could see it more clearly.

  "As a base of the Nighthawks, 'Silver Bullet' has a preliminary function of resisting divination, which is why we can hold meetings here with peace of mind. But once we leave here, we have to assume that our whereabouts will be monitored by the other party, so we must act quickly and not give the other party time to react."

  He pointed to the point on the map farthest from the coastline, the Yarn Clinic in the Dulang District.

  "This clinic is controlled by a Beyonder from the 'Aurora Society', who is a Sequence 8 of the 'Secret Prayer' path, the 'Listener'."

  Angel had seen the record of this path in the internal information of the Nighthawks. The church only knew the names of the low-sequence potions and some of the Beyonder abilities of the "Secret Prayer". Beyonders of this sequence can listen to the whispers of hidden beings and gain certain unique and powerful abilities, but as a price, they are very easy to lose control, and if they cannot be promoted within a few years, they will end up losing control or dying.

  They either get promoted or die, and rarely stay in this sequence for a long time.

  The other Nighthawks seemed to be familiar with the information and did not question Clement's words.

  "Moreau and Poirot, the two of you go to the second floor of the hotel opposite the Ian Clinic. One of our team members is monitoring the clinic in room 204. After you meet up with him, go directly into the clinic to capture or kill the 'Listener' of the 'Aurora Society'. He has two subordinates who are not extraordinary people, but there is no need to hold back. Take all means you deem necessary."

  "Got it."

  "No problem."

  The two people from the Pritzport team answered loudly, and Brandon Poirot was even more excited, as if he had been looking forward to it for a long time.

  "Daly, you lead the team. Marlo and Cliff follow you. Bring the '3-0431' Frozen Eye and work with the monitors of the West District Sugar Factory to eliminate the factory guards and rescue the slaves they hid there."

  "The factory has eight armed guards, led by a Beyonder. He is a Sequence 8 of the Hunter Path, a 'Provocateur', who is good at using traps and can interfere with his opponents through words during battle. You use the seal to directly eliminate him, and the others control the guards and hand them over to the police for disposal. Be careful that the guards will attack ordinary people in desperation. They can use lethal means when necessary."

  It turns out that there is really a magic potion called "Provocateur"... and it matches the behavior of Dominic.

  Angel labeled Dominic, who was selling Beyonder characteristics today, as a "Provocateur" in his mind.

  Daly nodded, got up and walked into a door behind the hall. He should be going to the "Chanis Gate" to get the seal.

  The other two night watchmen called by the captain were two people Angel had never seen before. One was tall and the other was short. Both were men. There was no trace of tension on their calm faces.

  "The last one is the warehouse in the port area. I tried to enter it several times with my Beyonder ability, but there was a strange force inside that stopped me. I 'asked' ordinary workers and learned that there was a staircase leading underground in the warehouse. They were all forbidden to enter the underground area."

  "In addition to some workers who knew the inside story, there was only one mysterious person who was suspected to be a Beyonder in the warehouse. He discovered me the first time I used my nightmare ability. He was probably like me, Sequence 7, or even slightly stronger."

  Slightly stronger, that is Sequence 6?

  Angel looked at the people on the field who had not been assigned tasks. In addition to himself and Clement, there was only another "Midnight Poet" Rupert Norman.

  Do they need the three of them to deal with the Beyonder who might be Sequence 6?

  As if answering Angel's guess, Clement continued: "There are no workers in Warehouse 16 at night, but the Beyonder has never left the warehouse gate. He must be there at night. I, Rupert Norman and Angel Granger will deal with him."

  "I have applied for permission to use '2-032', the Hand of Declaration. Our group will carry the seal to deal with this Beyonder of unknown sequence."

  (End of this chapter)

  Chapter 79 Port Area

  "2-031", the Hand of Proclamation, is one of the two Level 2 Sealed Objects owned by the Nighthawks of Enmat Port, which means it is dangerous and needs to be used with caution and restraint.

  It looks like an old leather glove, suitable for wearing on the left hand. The material is elastic and can be stretched moderately, and adults of normal size can use it comfortably.

  After wearing "2-031", the first sentence said after snapping the fingers with this hand will become a "ban" with the user as the center and within a radius of 30 meters. The effect can last for about 1 minute. If used continuously during the duration, the new "ban" will directly replace the old one and cannot take effect at the same time.

  After the "ban" takes effect, not only will all people within the range be affected, but even the user himself needs to abide by the rules of this "ban". Therefore, it is impossible to use "2-031" to declare some commands that even the user himself cannot do, such as "no breathing" and "no heart beating".

  Through many experiments, the Nighthawks have summarized some safe and effective "bans", such as "no jumping" and "no use of gunpowder weapons". The more detailed the command and the smaller the range, the stronger the effect.

  Through reasonable "bans", the combat effectiveness of other people within the range can be greatly limited, highlighting the user's own advantages, and easily suppressing opponents of the same sequence in battle. Unfortunately, the effect of "2-031" on extraordinary people above sequence 5 will be greatly weakened, and it is even useless for extraordinary people of higher sequence.

  As a seal with powerful effects and few restrictions on use, its negative effects are also very strong.

  As long as the user wears the "Hand of Proclamation", he will fall into a state of over-expansion of self-confidence, and each time he uses its extraordinary ability, this unreasonable self-confidence will be enhanced. Once it is used more than 3 times in a short period of time, even the efforts to persuade the user to take off the "Hand of Proclamation" will fail, because he will think that he is omnipotent and can completely control this seal, and therefore refuse to stop using it.

  In a state of extreme self-confidence, the user will often be impulsive and reckless in battle, or use the "Hand of Proclamation" to issue some bans that he cannot do, which will kill himself or even his companions in a short period of time.

  "So this seal is given to Rupert Norman to use. The 'ban' is strictly limited to two items. If he falls into a state of excessive self-confidence, affecting the battle or posing a threat to us, I will be responsible for snatching the seal."

  After introducing the effect of the seal "2-031" in detail, Clement whispered.

  At this time, Angel, Clement and Rupert were talking in a low voice in the carriage. Because they were worried that the special carriage with the East Chester County Police Department's emblem would expose the identity of the night watchmen and arouse the target's vigilance, they took a hired carriage that was casually hired. The

  crimson moon hanging high outside the window shone on the earth. There were not many pedestrians on the streets that looked extremely charming under the red moonlight. The flat stone road was replaced by a gravel road that was easy to drain. The carriage was getting closer and closer to the port area.

  Ten minutes after Clement assigned the task, the well-prepared night watchmen split into three groups and headed to their respective target locations. In order to prevent telegraphs or some kind of occult communication between the three locations, the three groups of night watchmen will start their actions at 9 pm.

  Angel also used the preparation time to return to the room and took the two revolvers brought to Enmat Port, the dagger needed for close combat, and all the demon hunting bullets and "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" with him for use in battle.

  In the previous battle with the wanted Tomats, she found that the "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" combined with the black flame enhanced attack of "Thirst for Blood" could achieve a large-scale killing effect, so she mixed a "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" with the demon hunting bullets loaded into "Thirst for Blood", and the bullets loaded into the fast loader were also configured in the same way, four demon hunting bullets and one special bullet.

  It's a pity that there is no time to make a new "Storm Gathering", otherwise the high-powered ammunition plus the increase of "Thirst for Blood" will definitely have a stronger damage ability.

  Rupert Norman, who was sitting opposite Angel, was also sorting out the weapons and ammunition he was carrying. As a "Midnight Poet" who also had melee ability, his weapons included a large-caliber revolver and a 30-centimeter-long metal short stick. When he heard Clement assign "2-031" to him, he stopped what he was doing.

  He looked up at the "Nightmare", who was holding a copper revolver in his right hand and a leather glove in his left hand. The "Hand of Declaration" that was not worn did not show any dangerous aura, as if it was just an old glove that could be found everywhere.

  "Let me use it?"

  He asked hesitantly.

  Sensing Rupert's doubts, Clement explained:

  "If I use '2-031' for too long and lose control of my emotions, who among you can quickly take the glove off my hand? You know, a user with overconfidence will not hold back when he resists."

  The two Sequence 8s nodded shyly, indicating that they understood what he meant.

  Seeing that Rupert had no objection to the user of the Sealed Artifact, Clement turned his attention to Angel.

  "When you were in Tingen City, you should have been familiar with the fighting styles of Nightmare and Midnight Poet, but we don't know you yet, and we don't know the extraordinary abilities and fighting styles of Assassins. Please introduce them as briefly as possible."

  In order to avoid being hindered by each other in the battle or being disturbed by the Hand of Declaration, Angel did not hide his extraordinary abilities of Assassins. He gave a concise explanation of his abilities, including the ability to charge a single strike, to the two of them, and also demonstrated the "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" that could deal with invisible enemies.

  As for her promotion to Instigator today, she did not tell her teammates because it did not involve combat issues and there was no reasonable reason.

  "Is this the bullet you used to injure the defector of the Mechanical Heart?"

  Clement asked with a smile, holding a "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" bullet with a spell engraved on the surface.   

  The news spreads really fast... It seems that the three major churches and Beyonder organizations in Enmat Port are communicating closely in secret, and they probably cooperate frequently...

  Angel thought about it, nodded and replied: "That's right, but this bullet itself has no killing ability. It needs to be used with my revolver to have a burning effect. I will be careful to avoid you when using it. You should also be careful of the luminous powder floating in the air. If it is golden, it will not be lethal, but don't touch the black flame."

  "Black flame..." Clement muttered and repeated, then nodded to show that he understood.

  ——————

  In order not to attract attention with the sound of wheels and the roar of horses, the hired carriage stopped in an alley less than 200 meters away from Warehouse No. 16.

  Even with a large searchlight that can gather gas lights, it is still very dangerous to leave the port at night. The busy and noisy port area during the day is now silent, leaving only some homeless wanderers and wandering sailors. The transport workers have returned to their homes to get enough energy to prepare for the next day's work.

  After watching the hired carriage leave, Angel and Rupert followed Clement out of the alley, bypassed a group of low buildings, and came to the street in front of the gate of Warehouse No. 16. Opposite the gate was a row of two-story townhouses, some of which were used as shops and some for temporary storage of goods.

  At this time, there was no one in the whole street, and the gas lamps would not be wasted in such a place. Only the light from the moon above shone equally on every inch of land.

  Seeing the three approaching, a short figure appeared on the roof. He first poked his head out to watch for a while, then climbed back to the ground nimbly by climbing the drainage pipe, and walked silently to Clement.

  Although there was only moonlight in front of the warehouse, Angel, who had dark vision, could still see the other person's appearance. He was a man in his early 20s, wearing a dock worker's uniform that was obviously used for disguise and a round hat.

  "Captain, why are you here? It's not time to change shifts yet, right?"

  He glanced at Angel and Rupert, and then asked the captain.

  "The operation has been brought forward. The three of us are responsible for the warehouse at the port."

  Clement said straight to the point, successfully making the other party's joyful expression of seeing his teammates turn serious.

  "Now report the situation. The target has not left the warehouse, right?"

  "Yes, since I started monitoring in the morning, I have not seen him leave the warehouse, even the guards with guns are the same. Now all the workers have gone off work. There is no back door in the warehouse. They must still be inside."

  The round hat man reported in a low voice.

  "Very good, this is the best situation. It's late at night and there are no innocent people, only enemies." Clement nodded with satisfaction, "Andrew, you go to the police station in the port area now, find the police chief on duty, and transfer a team of police officers, the team that often cooperates with us, and bring weapons. But don't rush into the warehouse, and don't come in to support when you hear gunshots. Wait until the battle is over first."

  "If someone comes out who you don't know, shoot directly; if there is no movement for a long time, wait for support from other teams. The police's task is to guard the surroundings, not to participate in the battle between extraordinary people."

  Andrew, the round hat man, received the order and nodded carefully to show that he understood.

  "Okay, hurry over there. We'll wait here until the action time, and then go directly into the warehouse."

  Clement waved his hand, signaling Andrew to leave as soon as possible.

  Andrew nimbly squeezed into the gap between the townhouses and left the warehouse area from the street behind. The police station at the port was nearly 1 kilometer away, and it would take about ten minutes even if he ran there.

  Listening to the subtle footsteps going away, Clement took out his brass revolver, cracked the hammer, and took out his pocket watch with his other hand to check the time. It was exactly the time for the action agreed upon by the three groups of people.

  He looked around at the two people following him, and seeing that they also took out their weapons and were ready for battle, he opened his mouth and ordered:

  "Action."

  (End of this chapter)

  Chapter 80 Blood and Flesh Cellar

  Deep underground.

  "Mr. C, do you need me to bring another sacrifice?"

  In the cellar with an area of ​​more than 200 square meters, a cross-shaped object was placed against one wall, covered by a black curtain, and the specific appearance could not be seen.

  Below the cross, deep in the blood and flesh that were scattered all over the ground, a simple altar was built with wooden boards and wooden boxes. The carpet on it was also dripping with large chunks of dark red unknown objects, some of which were even slightly wriggling, as if they had their own life. The

  candlelight swaying around was windless and automatic, as if it would go out at any time, taking the weak light away from this strange cellar.

  On the altar about one meter above the ground, a man wearing a black robe and hiding his face turned around and looked at the questioner who was standing timidly a few meters away. The latter was wearing a leather jacket on this late summer night, and the two pistols on his waist did not give him the courage to face his fear. Seeing the black-robed man turn around, he seemed to be even more afraid, and couldn't help but retreat until his back touched the wall.

  "No need. They are very weak and not very useful. You can go out."

  The leather jacket man nodded hurriedly as if he had been pardoned. He carefully walked around the flesh and blood beside the altar and left through a small door on the side.

  If the flesh and blood on the ground were the flesh and blood of the previous unlucky victim, he would not be so scared.

  Those who enjoy the suffering of others, believe in folk remedies and take blood baths, have sexual fetishes different from ordinary people... He has been in this business for a long time and has seen all kinds of people. How can those who buy slaves have good intentions?

  The problem is that most of the bloodstains on the ground and the pieces of meat mixed in them belong to "Mr. C" on the altar.

  Before leaving the room, he looked back. Mr. C on the altar was still standing with his back to the door. He raised his head and looked at the object covered by the curtain on the wall. It seemed to be a cross.

  Maybe he should find an excuse to transfer to another city, such as the nearby Tingen City, or to the sea...

  Hearing the strange sound behind him, as if a soft object fell to the ground, he shrank his neck, walked up the stairs quickly, and left here.

  ——————

  Angel and Rupert, on the left and right, caught the body of the leather-clad man who walked out of the cellar but closed his eyes and fell directly.

  "This should be the last one."

  Rupert said in a low voice.

  The "Sleeping Beauties" in different clothes around them were lying on the ground, and with the man who came out of the cellar, there were exactly five.

  Clement, who was squatting next to them, opened his eyes, put down his right hand pressing on his temple, and looked at the leather-clad man who was hypnotized by his "nightmare" ability.

  "He just came up from the cellar. In addition to more than 20 slaves to be sold, there is only one extraordinary person they call 'Mr. C'."

  "The time is too short to get more information, but we must be prepared to face an evil extraordinary person with strange abilities."

  Clement's face looked a little bad. I don't know what he saw in these people's dreams.

  Mr. C... Is this the code name in their organization?

  Angel looked at the "Nightmare" who stood up shakily, and also took out "Thirst for Blood" and twisted the cylinder to the bullet of "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption".

  Since there is only one enemy below, let him taste the taste of black flames when he meets.

  Clement took out the seal "2-031" that he had been carrying from the pocket of his windbreaker, declared his hand, handed the gloves to Rupert Norman, and raised his revolver.

  "Put on the seal, let's go meet this 'Mr. C'."

  ——————

  The flesh and blood that he placed on the other two people can no longer be sensed!

  Mr. C frowned with elegant brows and looked up at the statue of the Creator. Even through the curtain, he could feel the Lord's gaze.

  But what about the other two? What is their situation now?

  In order to prevent being defeated one by one by the official extraordinary people of Enmat Port, he has placed some of his own flesh and blood on the heads of the sugar factory in the West District and the clinic in Dulang District.

  Even if they are several kilometers away, this can allow Mr. C to vaguely sense the other party's status, whether dead or alive.

  But just a few minutes ago, two pieces of his own flesh and blood lost contact with himself after sensing a burst of extreme cold and gradually spreading fatigue.

  This means that the other party has either removed the flesh and blood attachment through some means, or has died.

  Did they accidentally expose themselves in the urban area? Or did the official extraordinary people take action in advance?

  His injuries had not yet healed. If he had known this would happen, he would not have been so picky and asked them to bring two more slaves...

  Thinking of this, Mr. C no longer hesitated. He took off the hood of his black robe, revealing his handsome but neutral face. If it were not for his short yellow hair less than an inch long, he would be easily mistaken for a woman.

  This handsome face was twisted at this time, and he opened his mouth to vomit out a dark red, squirming blood clot. Before it escaped from him, Mr. C picked it up and crushed the dark red blood clot in his palm like kneading mud. He took a few steps and approached the cross covered by the curtain.

  He stretched out his clean hand, pulled the curtain and raised it. The top of the curtain slid down, revealing the top of the cross, followed by the legs and body tied to the cross with iron chains.

  As the curtain was completely opened, a naked male giant who was tied upside down on the cross with chains was revealed. The giant was about three meters tall, with a unique, vertical single eye, and there were already a lot of dried blood on his body.

  It turned out to be a lifelike statue!

  Mr. C approached the cross holding the flesh and blood, and was about to loudly praise the Lord he believed in.   

  Suddenly, a louder and more hoarse shout came from behind.

  "Ah——"

  ——————

  "Ah——"

  Rupert Norman opened his mouth wide and squeezed out a trembling shout from his throat. His not-so-handsome face was completely distorted at this time, no longer in human form. His eye sockets were wide open, and the corners of his eyes seemed to be torn apart. Blood and tears flowed from his eyes.

  Regardless of being attracted by the shouting and looking at Mr. C at the door, Angel held down Rupert's twisted head and forced him to look away from the cross statue.

  They all underestimated the impact of the seal "2-031" on the user!

  According to the instructions for use of the "Hand of Declaration", before snapping the fingers to activate the extraordinary power of the seal, its impact on the user is only to make him overconfident, and he may make some reckless and thoughtless actions. When facing an opponent that he cannot defeat, he will also be more fearless to challenge.

  But Rupert's direct activation of the spiritual vision in a place where the danger is not yet clear is beyond Angel and Clement's expectations.

  When Angel observed the dim cellar through dark vision and found that Mr. C was pulling down the curtain to reveal a strange statue, Rupert's confident whisper sounded behind her ear.

  "Hmph, a little trick of the cult, let me open my psychic vision and see."

  As he said this, he held a gun in one hand and touched the corner of his eye with the other hand wearing "2-031".

  Wait... too dangerous!

  Whether it is the internal information of the official Beyonders or the knowledge taught by the secret inheritance circulated among the people, opening the psychic vision at will in a strange place with unknown circumstances is one of the most risky behaviors.

  Before Angel could stop him, Rupert, who had opened his psychic vision through a specific action, had already moved his eyes to Mr. C, to the cross with a naked man hanging upside down.

  Instantly, his eyes widened, the corners of his eyes opened, and his bloodshot eyeballs bulged, as if he had seen hell and the abyss.

  Attracted by Rupert's voice that resounded through the cellar, Mr. C turned his head and looked at the door.

  "Bang——"

  In the darkness, a gunshot rang out, and a flower of blood appeared on Mr. C's shoulder. He shrugged nonchalantly, as if the one who hit him was just a ball of cotton and the blood that gushed out was someone else's.

  But it was not his style to just take a beating without fighting back.

  He waved his hands, and the air under his black robe surged, blowing out all the candles around him in an instant.

  The cellar suddenly fell into darkness.

  "Tsk."

  Clement lowered the muzzle of the gun, searching the dark cellar with his eyes. As a Beyonder of the "Insomniac" path, he also had a certain degree of vision in the dark, but the cellar without light was pitch dark. Not to mention finding Mr. C, he could hardly see his teammates around him.

  As for opening the spiritual vision? Rupert beside him would end up like this.

  "Can you see it?"

  He asked Angel in a low voice.

  The latter had already pressed Rupert, who was shaking all over and on the verge of losing control, to the ground face down. Hearing Clement's question, she looked around the entire cellar through the dark vision, and found nothing except blood and meat all over the floor.

  "He disappeared after he extinguished the candle. He may have used some extraordinary ability."

  Seeing that the enemy could not be found with the naked eye, Angel took out his secondary weapon, another revolver with a slightly smaller caliber but six bullets, and fired directly at the open space. After firing the first round of demon hunting bullet, he aimed at the center of the cellar and fired the only "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" in the magazine.

  The bullet hit the ground, blasting out an area of ​​flickering phosphorescence. Although it could not cover the entire cellar, the originally dark ground and ceiling on the side near the entrance had become visible again. The flesh and blood fragments of varying sizes on the ground were also covered by phosphorescence, and the outline appeared faintly light yellow.

  In the yellow halo scattered all over the ground, a small piece of fast-moving shadow was extremely conspicuous.

  "There!"

  Without Angel's reminder, Clement had raised his gun again, and the two fired several shots at the rapidly approaching shadow.

  "Bang Bang--"

  The bullet hit the shadow, gravel splashed, and several craters were made on the ground, but the shadow itself was not affected at all, just like a real shadow.

  In an instant, the shadow came to the feet of Clement, who was standing in the front.

  As if it had changed from two dimensions to three dimensions, the shadow rose from the ground. Clement only had time to step back half a step before a slender, smooth arm stretched out from the shadow, with five fingers forming claws, pressing towards his face.

  It was Mr. C!

  (End of this chapter)