Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Detection

On Igewent Street at night, Dorothy sat in her carriage and followed closely behind the middle-aged man she had recently extracted from the crowd of the An Yin Bureau.

This carriage was not rented but purchased by Dorothy for convenience over these few days, to facilitate transportation back and forth and to carry zombie puppets. She specially bought a decent one for 25 pounds under the guise of Edric and spent a day learning how to drive it, renting horse-keeping and parking services from the stables, which cost another 10 pounds or so. Throughout the process, she relied on a human form zombie puppet.

With her own carriage, Dorothy could move around the city much more easily. For instance, she could now track her target who was also using a carriage with greater ease.

As the hooves struck the ground, Dorothy and the carriage she was tracking gradually deviated from the main road and entered a residential area. Eventually, the target’s carriage stopped in front of an apartment building. The man got out, paid the fare, adjusted his collar, and then entered the staircase of the apartment.

“It seems we have arrived…”

From afar, Dorothy halted her carriage and released her small zombie puppet to cast its investigative net.

…

Brandon walked wearily to his front door, unlocked it with his key, and turned on the gas lamp. He found himself in a rather small and disheveled living room.

The sofa was askew, chairs were overturned, items on cabinets and tables were scattered about, and there was half-eaten food attracting flies on the plates. Highball glasses contained faint traces of red, and empty bottles littered the coffee table. The air was filled with a pungent, foul odor.

Although Brandon appeared refined and clean outside, his home life seemed to be in disarray.

After closing the door, Brandon headed straight to his bedroom. Once he turned on the lights, the scene inside was no better than in the living room. The bed sheets were in disarray with bloodstains, magazines with revealing women covers were piled up on the bedside table, and silk-like female lingerie lay beside them along with several red coupons advertising a nightclub.

Brandon glanced around briefly before heading to his wardrobe. Instead of clothes, he saw a bloody altar made of red bones. Atop the altar, a thin layer of flesh was slowly writhing.

Facing the altar, Brandon knelt down and began to quietly pray. Then, the writhing flesh on the altar coalesced into a mouth and an ear. The mouth opened, and a middle-aged man’s voice emerged.

“What is it? Brandon.”

“Mr. Buck, I need to report something to you,” Brandon said respectfully, kneeling before the altar. The mouth on the altar responded.

“You didn’t use the ‘Dream Anchor,’ so this isn’t urgent, right? Go on, what happened in the An Yin Bureau?” Buck replied slowly through the bloody altar. Brandon immediately responded.

“Mr. Buck, I suspect James has started to notice something is wrong.”

“What? You mean James suspects you?” Buck was clearly surprised as he listened to Brandon. Brandon continued.

“No, I don’t think James suspects me yet. He probably just feels that someone is leaking information, but he hasn’t pinpointed who it is. That’s why he has been buying many more Radiance Lamps from the Church lately and has tightened personnel management and allocation. I believe James has sensed something…”

“Hmm… Indeed, after what happened with Albert, James being cautious is normal…” Buck mused as he listened to Brandon. Brandon spoke with urgency.

“What should I do, Mr. Buck? If James continues to strengthen internal surveillance measures, my work at the bureau will become increasingly difficult.

“I can’t go without the Holy Medicine, but the meaning of ‘Shadow’ on the container you gave me is too weak. As soon as I get close to a Radiance Lamp, I am exposed. Before, with only two or three lamps, I could just walk around them without arousing suspicion. Now, with so many lamps, my movements would definitely look suspicious.

“Moreover, I suspect James is already conducting internal investigations, though not yet directed at me. But it’s only a matter of time. Mr. Buck, my situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. You must help me; if I stay in the bureau any longer, I will eventually be exposed!”

Brandon pleaded anxiously, his expression filled with unease. After a brief pause, Buck continued.

“Alright… You’re right. Since James is now alert, staying there is indeed risky. We have already set up another undercover agent within the An Yin Bureau. Your importance to the organization has diminished. After completing your final task, you should defect and formally return to the organization.

“As for the details, that’s not something you need to know. For now, focus on completing your final assignment…” Buck said sternly. Realizing he had asked an inappropriate question, Brandon redirected his words.

“I apologize, Mr. Buck… Could you please tell me what my final task is?”

Listening to Brandon, Buck paused briefly before speaking directly.

“I want you to steal as many extraordinary items and spiritual storage items as possible from the An Yin Bureau’s seal repository when you defect. Bring everything back to the organization. Given your position, stealing these items should be relatively easy.

“Try your best to bring back as much as possible, Brandon. This will be a great contribution to the organization. Once you officially join us, we won’t neglect you.”