NOVPUBChapter 160: Chapter 159: The Mask Master
Chapter 160 -159: The Mask Master
By dusk, Shandela could hardly wait to reach the watchtower on the southern edge of the city.
The guard soldiers hurriedly saluted her.
“My lord! What brings you here?”
“Has anyone gone up there?” she asked, her tone betraying nothing.
Since each watchtower was supported by massive Moonlight Stone Columns at its base, which also served as the core devices to prevent the fog from invading the city, there were always around fifty city guards stationed near the tower. Not only were they on duty 24 hours a day, every street leading to the watchtowers also had checkpoints and guards.
“Of course not, without your or the lord’s written order, no one is allowed to enter the watchtower,” the soldier replied, standing tall and proud, his words filled with pride for his responsibilities.
“Good job, now I’m going up.”
“Yes, ma’am!” The soldier immediately opened the iron gate at the entrance.
Shandela stepped onto the narrow, spiral staircase and made her way up the tower. When she reached the top, a familiar figure appeared before her.
She couldn’t help trembling momentarily.
It had nothing to do with fear or surprise, she could not explain why her body reacted this way, but the hairs on her arms stood on end.
At first glance, she recognized him.
It was the masked man who had sneered at her among the ruins of Wangshui Villa, now standing right before her eyes.
This time, however, aided by the seaside sunset, Shandela was able to see a little more clearly.
Judging by the taut skin around his ears, he was quite young.
Regrettably, he was still wearing that odd mask.
At this moment, the other party turned around.
“I hear you wanted to see me.”
Without a doubt, he and Chao from the Paradise Foundation were two different people. Although the latter was also quite bold, he still maintained basic respect for himself. This man did not… Shandela could tell that he was speaking to her on equal terms, or perhaps… with a bit more superiority.
Shandela wanted to ask how he managed to evade the guards and arrive here, but then again, she dismissed this question as unimportant. Clearly, there was a significant breach in the defenses of the watchtower, and she decided to have soldiers permanently stationed at the top as well.
“It was you who led Sidong Bradley to the beach to ambush the pirates,” she said.
Shandela herself was surprised that this was the opening line she chose, feeling that sometimes her body reacted faster than her mind.
“Correct.”
Chaoyang did not deny it.
There was no need to deny it anymore—the Paradise was ready to emerge.
“His sister needed urgent treatment; otherwise, her condition could worsen and she might die. Paradise sensed his strong desire, so we helped him.”
“And the burning of the grand theater, the attack on Wangshui Manor, the robbery of the Gaotian Company’s steam train, until last night’s assault on the Black Steel camp, were all your doing?”
“While there are some discrepancies in the details, there is no problem with you thinking that way,” Chaoyang replied indifferently.
“So those people deserved to die? You’re taking the law into your own hands and doling out vigilante justice!”
Shandela emphasized the words “law and order.”
“Disputing theology is meaningless. If we had followed the rules to the letter, the serial murders would still be unsolved, and the chief of the northern police station would continue to take lives for pleasure; Aibuvich, the leader of Black Steel, would remain a hidden member of the Heretical Cult, using his mercenary forces as the perfect cover. Maybe one day, you might discover a flaw they’ve exposed, but soon after, you’ll also die in this filthy city, just like your predecessor,” she said.
“What… did you say?” She was momentarily taken aback.
“See for yourself.”
Chaoyang tossed the unsigned letter to her.
Catching it, she quickly scanned the contents, and her expression changed, “Was this found in the Heigang Building?”
“You catch on quickly,” Chaoyang said with a slight nod, “My people have found many such letters relating to conspiracy and schemes. Of course, you can choose to believe that I forged them, or you can continue to cling to the word ‘law,’ but I don’t have the time to play along with you. I thought you’d be more concerned with more practical issues, like the incidents involving the cult’s monsters… If you intend to keep disputing theology, then I will take my leave.”
“Wait!” The words to retain him slipped out of Shandela’s mouth instinctively, “When I came here, I too had looked into how Vance White died. People in the force said that the Commander received reports of a convoy returning from Durey Ring being attacked by Mist Spiders, and he immediately led a team to the scene, only to get bitten by a spider in the midst of the chaos and die before he could be brought back to the city. The newspapers at the time did not detail the incident, and it was only in the internal archives of the city guard that one could find the exact location of the Commander’s accident at Hill of Gazing.”
This was indeed new information. Curiosity piqued, Chaoyang asked, “What exactly is a Mist Spider?”
Shandela wasn’t expecting this question and paused before explaining, “It’s a type of mutated creature. The biggest can grow as tall as a two-story building, with legs like bamboo poles and a body of gray-white. They usually hide deep within the mist. However, sometimes they do venture to the edges of the mist areas and attack humans that pass by.”
“Then it seems that the attack on that convoy by Mist Spiders wasn’t a coincidence,” he chuckled, “especially since the content of the letter had been written a day in advance.”
Shandela’s expression grew complex.
She had also considered the possibility that someone had infiltrated the city guard archives, found Vance White’s information, and deliberately concocted this unsigned, inconclusive letter. But then she thought that if it were her, she would certainly add a heading and a signature for authenticity—since it was a forgery, why not make it more convincing?
Yet he hadn’t done so.
What was brought out was merely an old letter with no name on it.
If Vance White really died at the hands of Black Steel, then the driving force behind this was certainly enough to send shivers down one’s spine.
Even His Lordship was utterly unaware of it.
Furthermore, there was one point she couldn’t refute.
That was, the city guard had failed to truly protect the citizens of this city.
Taking a deep breath, Shandela decided to set aside the law, albeit slightly and temporarily.
“According to my subordinates’ reports, Aibuvich left briefly then returned to the Heigang Building. However, there are mercenaries at the camp who say that what they were waiting for at the gate was their own boss’s carriage. Is this related to Paradise?”
“I can’t tell you anything about that,” Chaoyang responded directly.
She didn’t press on with more questions but instead threw out a key issue, “Do you have evidence that Aibuvich is a cultist?”
“There was evidence, but unfortunately, it was destroyed in an explosion.”
“What do you mean?”
“My people infiltrated the building and found a secret chamber in the office of the Black Steel boss. Besides discovering a bunch of secret letters, they also found a small altar,” Chaoyang roughly described what he had seen, “I suppose no normal person keeps a shiny, wet brain in their room, right? Unfortunately, he triggered a self-destruct mechanism when leaving. My people managed to escape through a secret tunnel, but the chamber was blown to pieces.”
“Withered roses… human brain…” Shandela couldn’t help but recall those “alive” people in the camp well whose brains had been removed.
“Another piece of evidence is Aibuvich himself,” Chaoyang continued, “He didn’t die immediately after being hit by a lethal barrage of gunfire; instead, he transformed into a monster. To deal with that guy, we also lost several men. I don’t know if you and the Lord will accept the monster’s remains as evidence, but if it was still alive, it certainly wouldn’t peacefully allow itself to be locked up in jail.”
