Part 1 The Joker Chapter 122 Target Building
2 Daffodil Street, inside the dusk-stained living room.
Klein turned his back to the convex belly window and addressed Fry and Leonard:
”I’ve divined the results, I saw a gray and blue two-story house in my dreamworld, all of its first floor windows were closed and curtained, the dirt was black and brown for several meters around it, not a blade of grass grew, not a single flower was planted, and it had a dilapidated, shadowy garden of the sort commonly seen in ghost stories.”
”The only symbol that identifies its location is a river, a wider one, located not far from it.”
”It could be the Tasok River, or the Hoy River, we’ll just have to find it by draining it, hopefully it’s not too late.”
The Tasok River was the largest river in the Kingdom of Ruen, originating in the Miner Minsk Mountains to the northwest and flowing all the way to the southeast, passing through places such as the counties of Mashai and Ahova, passing through the capital city of Berkland, and entering the sea near the port of Pritz.
It meets the city of Tingen in the south-west corner of the West End and in the docklands south of the South End, while the Hoy River originates in the York Hills to the north and flows through the university area on the outskirts of the East End, where it joins the River Tassock locally.
These were the two main rivers around Tingen, the others could only be called small streams and did not possess a wide expanse of water.
After listening to Klein’s statement, Frye, who had pale skin and an icy temperament, nodded slightly, agreeing with the other party’s thoughts.
Without another clue, elimination was the only effective means!
Just then, Leonard spoke with a smile:
”Perhaps we can narrow down the range where the target is located.”
”Narrow it down how?” Klein asked rhetorically with a frown as he held the silver pocket watch with the branch and vine pattern.
Leonard chuckled:
”For this kind of criminal with a plan and purpose, the target picked at the very beginning will definitely be far away from the area where the altar is located, which stems from the instinct to pursue safety.”
”Only when there aren’t a few ‘will be dead’ left in other areas and the difficulty of finding them is elevated will he consider the neighborhood.”
”So, we should go through the data again and sift through the areas where the number of fatalities was at a normal level in the very beginning stages, and then climbed rapidly in the past few days.”
Klein’s eyes lit up at that:
”Very good reasoning!”
At the same time, he mentally lamented, “I really don’t have the talent to be a detective!”
Fry nodded his head, picked up the information laid out on the coffee table, and resumed flipping through it.
Within a few minutes, his voice changed to a deeper tone as he said:
”There is indeed such a zone, and there is only one.”
”Which zone?” Klein asked offhandedly.
Fry handed the thick information to Leonard beside him, his thin lips pursing lightly:
”The West District.”
That’s the West End? Klein clenched his fist and instantly suggested:
”Then let’s go ahead and line up the southwest corner of the West District, that area isn’t that big!”
”I agree.” Leonard raised the information in his hand and very easily concurred, as if the person who had just given the opinion on narrowing down the scope wasn’t him.
……
The lightweight two-wheeled carriage slowly traveled on the slightly muddy and dirty road, and not far away there was a wide river tinted with the afterglow of the setting sun.
Klein and Frye looked out of the windows on each side, examining house after house, focusing on the gray-blue color, the garden dilapidation, and, if they were in a position to see, noting whether the curtains on the first floor were drawn all the way down.
Leonard sat leisurely in his place, with his back against the wall of the compartment, humming softly a ditty with a local flavor.
As the dimly lit scenery swept back one scene at a time, Klein suddenly swept a small gray and blue two-story building out of the corner of his eye.
In front of that small building, there was a garden that gave a sense of dilapidation and gloom.
”Found it!” Klein spoke with a suppressed voice.
Before his words fell, Fry and Leonard squeezed over at the same time, peering into the distance so fast that there seemed to be no interval between them.
As the carriage drew closer to the house, the view of the first floor with the dark curtains all drawn together presented itself to the eyes of the three night watchmen.
Without the need for further divination to confirm it, Klein was absolutely certain that this was the house he had seen in his dream, and that this was where the evil altar was located!
Neither he, nor Leonard and Frye, immediately called a halt to the carriage, letting the driver continue to drive forward, over and away from the target, as if passing by.
It was only when he turned back and could no longer see the building that Leonard called out to the driver to stop the wagon.
”Klein, you take this wagon back to Zoltan Street and replace the captain to help.” Leonard snapped his fingers and looked over at his teammate with a smile in his eyes.
Is this thinking that I’m a rookie and shouldn’t get involved in something so dangerous? This guy is still a good person Well …… Klein was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood what Leonard meant.
Frye nodded in agreement next to him:
”You’ve only just practiced fighting, and you’re in a supporting profession.”
”I know, and the guy who can make so many deaths to perform the ceremony is definitely not a good deal, only the captain can make things less scary ……” Klein took a breath and agreed sensibly.
Then he looked at Leonard, and then at Fry, and squeezed out a smile and said:
”You guys be careful.”
”Don’t worry, I value my life, before the captain arrives, we’ll only be watching, we won’t get close.” Leonard laughed softly.
Fry said nothing, just lifted the suitcase.
Klein was silent for a few seconds and pulled out a copper penny and said:
”I’ll do a divination for you.”
He murmured, “Things are going to work out for the best here,” and flicked the coin upwards as his eyes turned dark.
When!
The coin flipped upwards, rolled and fell, landing firmly in Klein’s palm.
Klein opened his eyes and was relieved to see that it was the King’s head facing upwards.
”It’s only a vague symbol, there are other interpretations, and the most important thing is always to be careful and cautious yourself.” He said to Fry and Leonard in a soothsayer fashion.
Leonard had long since turned his body around and sniffed as he waved his hand and jumped outside the wagon saying:
”Shiver like my eighty year old grandmother …….”
Frye, on the other hand, nodded seriously and walked off with his suitcase.
Witnessing his two teammates heading towards the target house, Klein touched the revolver inside the gun pouch under his armpit and said to the coachman:
”Zoltan Street.”
The coachman, hired in a time honored manner, had no comment and allowed the horses to stride again.
……
36 Zotland Street.
When Klein entered Blackthorn Security, Roxanne, Mrs. Oleanna, and others had already left work, and the place became unusually cold and dim.
Dunn, dressed in a black trench coat, was sitting on a couch in the reception area, unlit with gas lamps, seemingly blending into the lightless area.
”Found a clue?” He spoke in a mellow voice, startling Klein, who was looking around to see where the captain was.
Klein turned quickly and looked into Dunn’s gray eyes:
”Yes, we ……”
He quickly recounted Leonard’s “bold guess”, his own divinatory confirmation, and the subsequent field investigation to pick up the highlights.
As for Leonard’s confidence, as for the special he elaborated, naturally belonged to unimportant matters.
Dunn interjected a question now and then, and when he had finished, sprang to his feet and walked toward the door.
”I almost forgot, you stay here in case of accidents.” As he was almost down the stairs, he turned back and barked a warning.
”Okay.” Klein nodded solemnly.
At the moment, all the night watchmen were busy outside, except for Cornley, who was manning the Charnis Gate.
Dunn-Smith stomped down a few stairs, then suddenly paused again, putting on his hat as he turned toward Klein in the doorway:
”You lock the door and follow me there, heh, this isn’t to get you involved in a fight, one, to get a feel for the atmosphere, and two, you may need the aid of ritual magic during the final search and inspection, and remember, you have to stay at least fifty meters away from us until it’s over, and you should never go near that house!”
Klein was stunned for a moment and nodded vigorously:
”Okay!”
……
The sun had completely fallen below the horizon, and the rushing Tasok River was deep and dark.
Dark clouds covered the Crimson Moon, making the two-story gray and blue house look like a monster hiding in the shadows.
The garden in front of the small building was quiet to a fault, not a sound emanated from it, and it seemed to be devoid of creepy crawlies and life.
Klein looked out at such a scene, his palms sweating and his body trembling.
He felt that there were countless horrible things hiding there, waiting, waiting for a bloody feast.
As he watched, almost blending into the darkness, Dunn, Leonard, and Fry cautiously approached the target building.
……
Inside the unlit bedroom on the second floor of the gray-blue house.
A round-faced, sweet and gentle young girl was sitting in front of her dresser, studying the “complicated” science of skin care under the dim starlight.
Next to her right hand was a silver mirror, the surface of which was so roughly polished that it barely illuminated the human figure.
Suddenly, a bloody mark appeared on the mirror.
The sweet and gentle Tris immediately changed her expression, stood up, walked to the window, and looked out in silence.