Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Deception

In the bustling streets of Wokan Town in the early morning, Dorothy stood by the roadside, turning her head to look at the signboards of the shops beside her, her expression focused as she pondered something.

‘The photo studio? Yes… In this modern foreign world, photography studios are common during this era.’

Dorothy thought to herself, taking photos was an everyday affair in her original world, whereas here it was still considered a luxury. She had never taken a single photograph from childhood to adulthood.

At that moment, looking at the photo studio in front of her and recalling the contents of the two letters she had seen earlier, some thoughts arose in her heart.

Thinking about this, Dorothy slowly walked to a shop selling black bread on the street and asked the owner, “Excuse me, how long has the photo studio next door been open in town? Is their technique good?”

“Oh, Henry? It’s been nearly ten years since it opened in town. The technique is top-notch; if you have spare money, you should definitely go there for a photo.”

After receiving the feedback from the bakery owner, Dorothy nodded thoughtfully.

“It seems necessary to take one…”

Muttering to herself, Dorothy entered the photo studio. The lighting inside was not very good. An old bald man with glasses was sitting behind a long table, intently repairing a large camera, with various parts scattered on the table.

When he saw Dorothy enter, a hint of confusion appeared between his brows. Before he could determine whether the young girl in front of him was a beggar child, Dorothy had already placed several coins in front of him.

“Mr. Henry? Can photos be taken here now…” Looking at the excited old man, Dorothy smiled, and the old man also replied with a smile.

“Haha… Of course, miss. You can take photos anytime.”

“Mm… Good. Then may I ask, do you have any props for taking photos?” Looking at the old man, Dorothy continued to inquire.

“Of course we do. Our store has a variety of costumes and backgrounds to choose from. I see that your facial features are very nice. If you wear my clothes for a bit, you’ll definitely have the air of a duchess!” Looking at Dorothy, the old man said confidently, and Dorothy waved her hand and laughed in response.

“I don’t need the clothes. Do you have ropes and strips of cloth?”

“Ropes… and strips of cloth?”

Seeing the smiling girl in front of him, a hint of doubt appeared in the old man’s eyes.

…

Unlike Dorothy’s previous life, taking photos in this world was quite troublesome. The exposure time was long, and after taking the photo, it needed to be developed, often taking several days to get the final result. However, due to Dorothy using the skill “Extra Charge,” this process was greatly shortened.

After taking the photo, Dorothy strolled around the streets for a while, had lunch, and bought a new set of clothes before it was afternoon.

Back at the photo studio, amidst the peculiar gaze of the owner, Henry, Dorothy took the photos she had taken in the morning.

Walking down the street, Dorothy opened the envelope containing the photos and took out the photo in front of her. It showed a girl bound to a chair, her mouth wrapped in a strip of cloth, glaring angrily at the camera. Her hair was extremely light in color, even in the black-and-white photo.

This was the photo Dorothy had taken in the morning at the photo studio. She had pretended to tie herself up with a rope and wrap a strip of cloth around her mouth before sitting in the chair. Throughout this process, Mr. Henry watched her with a strange look.

Putting the photo back into the envelope, Dorothy continued walking down the street. After asking directions multiple times, she wandered through Wokan Town and eventually arrived at the outskirts, at a street called “North Street.”

At a corner where four streets met, she silently observed a dilapidated house that seemed charred black from a fire in the distance. According to the house numbers, it was exactly number 24.

Dorothy looked around and saw a homeless man begging on the street. She then smiled and walked over, taking out two coins from her pocket and dropping them into the broken bowl in front of the homeless man.

“Ah… Hehe… May the Holy Mother bless you, kind lady…” Seeing the coins in the bowl, the disheveled homeless man looked up at Dorothy and smiled, revealing several missing teeth.

Seeing this, Dorothy smiled slightly and then pulled out two more coins, shaking them in front of the homeless man’s eyes. When the man’s eyes widened, Dorothy handed him an envelope containing a photo.

“Put this in the mailbox in front of number 24, and these are yours too.”

Seeing this, the homeless man nodded vigorously, grabbed the envelope, and ran toward the dilapidated house in the distance. After putting the envelope in the mailbox, he quickly returned. Finding that the girl who had given him the envelope was gone, he noticed two more coins in the broken bowl.

After quickly leaving North Street, Dorothy wandered around the town again. After finding a general store, she bought a bottle of ink, a pen, some letter paper, and an envelope. By the time she finished shopping, it was almost dusk.

Carrying the items she bought, Dorothy walked under the sunset’s glow. She found a decent restaurant, ordered a large steak for dinner, and sat in a quiet corner.

While waiting for her meal, she placed the paper and pen on the table. After filling the pen with ink, she began writing on the paper. After finishing, she felt unsatisfied and crumpled it up, replacing it with a new sheet, trying hard to make her handwriting messy, suppressing her usual writing habits.

Finally, after writing several drafts, Dorothy wrote a satisfactory letter. She held the letter up to her eyes and examined it carefully.

…

Respected Mr. Edric,

There has been a change in plans, but the transaction will continue. However, the time and location need to be changed.

The new meeting place will be in the middle of the western woods of Wokan Town, on April 10th, around midnight tomorrow. We will be waiting there with the reward promised to you. This reward will allow you to advance significantly in the realm of the extraordinary.

Additionally, please be reminded that we seem to be under surveillance. It is neither the An Yin Bureau nor the Church. The identity and purpose of the other party are currently unknown, but their methods are extremely strange and dangerous. This is why we have temporarily changed our plan. Therefore, please come with extra caution.

Lastly, may we enjoy a feast together on the same table in the future, sharing the wonderful gift of the great bl**d cup.

…

Looking at the short letter in front of her, Dorothy nodded satisfactorily. She then placed it in the envelope. At this moment, the steak she had ordered earlier arrived.

After eating the steak with some difficulty using a kn*fe and fork, Dorothy carried her things and left the restaurant, heading straight towards the outskirts of Wokan Town.

In the secluded outskirts, Dorothy first burned the draft papers she had brought out with her using a match. Then she found the spot where she had hidden the zombie puppet last night.

Looking at the lush weeds, Dorothy stretched out her hand. With the power of the zombie ring, a figure rose from the weeds.

Wearing dark, damp clothes, with a pale face and lifeless eyes, this was the corpse of one of Edric’s subordinates that Dorothy had controlled the previous night.

Approaching the corpse, Dorothy extended the envelope forward. The zombie puppet reached out and took the envelope.

…

As the sun set and the moon rose, night fell.

Wokan Town welcomed another night. The streets became quiet once again.

Due to limited lighting resources, not all houses in the town were lit up. Only a few places remained brightly lit throughout the night, including the police bureau on the edge of Wokan Town.

The police bureau was located at a crossroads slightly east of the town center. Outside the bureau, a policeman wearing a helmet and black uniform, with a baton at his waist, stood guard under an electric lamp, scanning the deserted street and occasionally yawning.

“When is it? Time to change shifts…”

Rubbing his tired eyes, the guard complained. As he rubbed his eyes again, he saw a figure appear in the distant darkness of the street.

Initially, the policeman didn’t pay much attention, thinking it might be someone loitering or returning home late. But after a while, he realized the figure was getting closer.

It seemed to be coming toward him…

Seeing this, the guard became slightly alert. When he noticed the figure moving faster and clearly heading toward him, he tightened his grip on the baton at his waist.

“Hey! Stay where you are! Where did you come from? What do you want?”

The policeman drew his baton and pointed it at the figure, which was now very close. He could clearly see the figure’s appearance.

It was a man, wearing dark trousers and a shirt, muscular and strong, with tattoos on his hands, pale face, and lifeless eyes.

Seeing this figure, the policeman froze, then blurted out in alarm.

“You, you’re Wood, Ed the Mutant’s henchman?! What are you doing here? Was Ed the Mutant the one who sent you?!”

Facing the man, the policeman felt nervous. After all, Ed the Mutant was notorious in the town.

Wood did not respond to the policeman’s words. With his lifeless eyes, he stared blankly at the policeman. Just as the policeman sensed something amiss, Wood’s lips twitched, revealing a stiff and eerie smile.

Immediately afterward, Wood fell face-first toward the policeman like a stiff piece of wood.

“Aah!”

Facing this horrifying scene, the policeman jumped backward in fright. Calming down slightly, he wondered if the man had passed out from drunkenness. So, he swallowed hard, leaned down, and extended his hand to check for breath. His pupils suddenly shrank.

“He’s dead…”

The guard’s legs gave way, and he sat down heavily, retreating far from the eerie corpse. After catching his breath, the policeman stood up, leaning against the baton and pushing open the door to enter the police station.

A few minutes later, several policemen came out of the station, staring at the fallen corpse at the entrance in shock.

Among them, the middle-aged policeman without a hat, after examining the situation, spoke with a serious expression.

“It really is Wood… How did he d*e…”

“I don’t know, sir! He was just alive, walking toward me from over there, speaking no word, smiling at me, and then falling to the ground dead! This… This… This is absolutely unbelievable! Ah… Holy Father above…”

Beside the captain, the guard, emotionally agitated, gesticulated wildly in explanation, eventually becoming incoherent. Seeing the guard’s state, the captain frowned.

“So strange… Could it be…”

The captain’s expression grew increasingly serious. After some thought, he instructed the surrounding policemen.

“Keep the scene intact, don’t move anything…”

Having finished giving instructions, the captain strode directly into the police station, waking up the telegraph operator who was dozing off.

“Secret matter, immediately contact the Igewent Hidden Residence. Have the hunter squads near Wokan arrive as soon as possible…

“Tell them… There’s a secret incident… involving human lives…”