Chapter 46: The Truth Behind It All

Previously, Levi had felt a little regret that Henry did not bring more soldiers inside.

Now he had no choice but to feel fortunate—thankfully, the latter had not brought them in.

“Bang bang bang bang bang!!”

The four rushed out of the room at the fastest speed, followed by a barrage of bullets whizzing past them, smashing into the wall opposite.

“Well, things just got troublesome.”

Levi gripped his gun and stole a glance inside.

There were five or six soldiers, all aiming their guns at the doorway.

They weren’t holding pistols but carbines.

Considering how small the doorway was, Levi felt that rushing out would only make him the perfect target for a firing squad.

“Who are those soldiers?”

Katie held her head, still shaken, and asked.

Anthony, meanwhile, stroked his chin.

“Hmm, judging from their uniforms, they should belong to the same unit as those soldiers outside…”

“Enough!”

Henry coldly cut him off.

Clearly, he was in a very foul mood.

Then he looked at Levi.

“Do we have any way of saving them?”

“……………If you think I have a way to resurrect humans who’ve been gutted open, then you’re giving me far too much credit, Mr. Henry.”

Levi felt helpless.

“Speaking personally, all I can do right now is offer my deepest condolences… run!”

Levi hadn’t finished his words when a smoking stick flew out from inside, landing right in front of them.

At a glance, Levi immediately recognized it—it was no ordinary object, but a grenade!

“Uwah!”

Katie screamed, hugging her head and rolling to the side.

The others also scrambled back.

A moment later—“Boom!”—an explosion shook the hall.

Had they not dodged quickly, the four would have been doomed.

Then, accompanied by the sound of synchronized footsteps, they saw those soldiers march out of the doorway, weapons once again aimed at them.

“Bang!”

Levi raised his hand and fired.

The bullet struck the forehead of the leading soldier, drilling steadily into his skull.

But the soldier only tilted his head slightly before returning to normal, then raised his carbine again, aiming forward.

“Bang bang bang bang bang!”

“I knew I shouldn’t have brought people along!”

Levi grumbled as he ran.

The others were faring no better.

At this moment, it was as though they were under attack from a fully armed and well-trained squad of soldiers—and the worst part was, their enemies could not die!

But luckily, I came prepared.

With a flick of his right hand, Persuader’s magazine popped out.

The shell casings, still smoking, clattered onto the ground.

Levi reached into his pocket, pulled out a simple reloader, and slotted in crimson bullets.

Then he raised Persuader, turned his head, and looked behind.

By now, the soldiers had reached the corner, aiming toward them.

“As the old saying goes—let fire cleanse all things!”

With those words, Levi pulled the trigger again.

“Bang—————!”

The crimson bullet spun through the narrow corridor, hitting the head of the lead soldier.

The bullet immediately burst apart.

White flames bloomed like fireworks, engulfing the soldier in an instant.

Fire spread rapidly, and in mere moments he was a man of fire.

If it were anyone else, they would have been rolling on the ground, screaming in agony.

But this soldier seemed utterly oblivious to pain, allowing the flames to consume his clothes and flesh without a care.

He merely raised his gun, aimed, and tried to pull the trigger again.

But this time, the shot never came.

Perhaps due to the flames, when the puppet soldier squeezed the trigger, his carbine exploded in his hands.

The blast threw him backward into his comrades before slamming him hard against the ground.

Now his body was ablaze, melting like a wax statue.

Clearly, he could no longer move.

But this sight did nothing to affect the other soldiers.

Without so much as a glance at their burning comrade, they continued their assault on Levi and the others.

Thus the four had no choice but to run again, diving into another nearby room to avoid the storm of bullets.

“This really is troublesome.”

Levi frowned.

He had always liked the thrill of mowing down enemies in FPS games with nothing but a single gun.

But now it seemed he would never get that experience here—which was only natural.

After all, real life didn’t come with breathing to heal back health.

“Mr. Henry, do we have any way to deal with these soldiers?”

Anthony kept alert at the door, listening to the sounds outside as he asked.

Henry hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

“I didn’t bring enough weapons, and… they are my soldiers, after all.”

“Which is exactly why you need to give them an end.”

Levi spun the revolver’s cylinder, the “click click click” sounds helping to ease his nerves.

“If we let them trap us in this room, then we’ll have no way out but death.”

“I don’t think so.”

At that moment, an unexpected voice rose from within the room.

The group jumped, whipping their heads around.

There, seated calmly on a sofa in a noblewoman’s gown, was a lady.

It was none other than………

“Miss Elizabeth? What are you doing here?”

Katie was clearly startled to see her.

“I thought you had…”

“Been made into a puppet by that child?”

Elizabeth was calm, far more composed than the others.

“He would have, but since I am his most beloved ‘mother,’ I was placed last in line.”

“You actually still have self-awareness?”

Levi was more concerned about that.

Previously, Katie, Anthony, and even Henry had seemed fully possessed by those specters.

Yet Elizabeth was different.

Though her body appeared restrained, her consciousness remained intact.

“The Holy Lord shields me. My faith is my shield.”

If she could have moved, she might have made a gesture of praise.

But her expressionless face paired with her unwavering tone only made her seem eerie.

“I can feel it. I am imprisoned in this shell, along with her grief, her pain, and everything she has endured……………”

Elizabeth turned her eyes to Levi.

“Detective, please be careful. That child is not our true enemy.”

“Now that’s an interesting claim. What do you mean?”

Levi glanced at Anthony.

The latter shook his head as he listened to the situation outside, signaling that the soldiers were still holding their ground.

All the better—Levi could use this lull to gather critical information.

“Please, get to the point.”

“Very well.”

Perhaps it was her training as a nun, but Elizabeth told the story clearly and concisely.

It all began before Stephen’s family moved here.

Back then, Stephen was addicted to gambling, squandering nearly all the family’s wealth.

His wife had tried many times to persuade him to stop—but persuading a gambling addict was a task harder than slaying a god.

One day, Stephen could no longer restrain himself.

He quarreled with his wife.

In their struggle, he collided with their young child.

The boy’s head hit the corner of a table, and he fell unconscious.

After that, the child remained in a coma.

His wife consulted many doctors, but none could help.

Stephen ignored it all, leaving his wife to sink deeper into despair.

When she was at her wit’s end, someone came to her door.

He claimed he could save her child, but in exchange, he demanded one thing: she was to steal a ring from the Lancaster family’s secret chamber.

Though she did not know who he was, nor how he knew of the Lancaster family’s hidden room, desperation drove her to comply.

Following his instructions, she retrieved the ring and handed it over.

In return, he gave her a puppet.

He told her that if she placed it by her child’s side, the boy would awaken.

Uncertain but desperate, she did as he said.

The next morning, miraculously, her child opened his eyes.

“However, every gift bears its price.”

Elizabeth sighed.

Afterward, she noticed something was wrong.

Her son grew silent, withdrawn, and rarely left the house.

At first, she thought it was a side effect of his accident.

But gradually, he became stranger, and stranger……… until finally, she realized—that was no longer her son.

But by then, it was too late.

“An interesting tale.”

Levi commented.

He did not doubt its truth.

After all, back in that room, his 【Soul Sight】 had revealed something hidden behind the blood glow, though he could not tell what it was.

He had already suspected something was amiss.

No matter how twisted, that child alone could hardly be the “big boss.”

And now, his suspicion was confirmed.

But wait—could that ring have been Crimson Temptation? Yet if Elizabeth’s story was true, shouldn’t the ring have already been taken? Why, then, did it later appear on the guests who followed? Could it be some sort of spiritual treasure, destined to choose its bearer?

“For now, let’s focus on the problem in front of us.”

Catching Anthony’s rapid hand signals by the door, Levi drew his attention back.

From not far away came the sound of marching footsteps, perfectly aligned.

But this time, Levi already had a plan.

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