abnabooks Chapter 131 New Clues
Chapter 131 New Clues
Chapter 131 New Clues
"Resolved."
Green quickly and concisely examined his injuries.
In addition to the impact wound to his forehead, Alvin also had several obvious bruises and abrasions on his left shoulder and under his ribs, and his clothes were torn in several places, but no serious open wounds or signs of fractures were found.
It seems the other party mainly wanted to subdue him, or hadn't had a chance to kill him yet.
"Can you stand up? We must leave immediately."
As he spoke, Green took one of Irwin's arms and helped him up.
Alvin gritted his teeth, used the momentum to steady himself, his body swayed slightly, but he didn't fall down.
"Damn it—we've really screwed up in the gutter!"
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes filled with frustration and anger. "That guy—he's pretty skilled, and he knows the area of Blackwater Alley very well. I hadn't been in the alley long when he ambushed me from behind—it's like he knew I was coming."
"He knows we're investigating him," Green said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the rapidly cooling corpse on the ground. "Lisa said she saw him loitering near the Old Eel's door. It's very likely we were being watched when we left the occupied house. He dealt with you first, then waited for me here, or—he wants to find something out of you."
"What are you looking for?"
Alvin frowned, then his expression changed drastically. "Damn it! My copy of the preliminary investigation report about the Seagull and Jacob!"
Green's heart sank.
Although the report wasn't top secret, it contained their investigative approach, a summary of clues, and some information gleaned from Leah's divination, such as "the inn in the east of the city, near the Alliance Bathhouse."
If it falls into the opponent's hands, it's like revealing all your cards.
He immediately crouched down and quickly searched Elwin's body.
The inside pockets of the coat were empty; the other pockets contained only change, a cigarette case, and matches. The report was missing.
Nothing was found on the body of the dead man.
"It must have been taken by his accomplices." Green stood up, his face grave.
"Damn it!"
Alvin cursed under his breath, trying to steady himself, but the pain in his ribs made him gasp. "What do we do now? The report's been leaked, our plan—"
"The plan may not have completely failed."
Green interrupted him, his mind racing. "The most important part of the report is the false information we released," regarding Old Bob's diary and the cursed symbols. The enemy's first reaction upon receiving the report would be to verify its authenticity, or—to accelerate their operation. This might actually expose more of their deception.
He paused, looking at the corpse on the ground that was beginning to emit a foul odor: "Moreover, we didn't come away empty-handed. At least, we confirmed that the other party did exist, and that they reacted quickly and ruthlessly. This person's identity is a new clue."
Green walked to the body, and, suppressing his nausea, turned it over with his foot.
He squatted down and examined it carefully.
Aside from the menacing dagger, the man had no other obvious weapons or items on him. Green used a tattered rag he had found on the body as a pad to feel around in the man's pockets.
He felt a hard object in a hidden pocket on the inside.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a flat metal cigarette case, but it felt heavy in my hand.
Green opened the cigarette case. Inside, there were no cigarettes, only a few folded pieces of old paper with slightly charred edges, and a simple, worn brass badge.
The badge features a simple sketch of a sailboat with blurry letters below, vaguely recognizable as "Seagull...".
Those few old pieces of paper appeared to be fragments of some kind of nautical logbook, with messy handwriting and dark brown stains.
"It really is related to the 'Seagull'."
Green packed his things away and quickly examined the rest of the body, finding nothing more. He stood up and said to Alvin, "We must get out of here as soon as possible. Can you walk? Let's get out of Blackwater Alley and back to the base."
Alvin nodded, forcing a smile through the pain: "I'm fine, I won't die. Help me up."
Green supported Alvin, and the two quickly left the corner filled with blood and an eerie smell.
They avoided the main alley as much as possible, choosing more secluded side streets to move outwards. Along the way, Green could sense that there were eyes watching them in the darkness, but perhaps the gunshots and the aura of the out-of-control individuals had intimidated the thieves, and no one jumped out to stop them.
Only after leaving the area of Blackwater Alley and arriving at a relatively well-lit street did the two breathe a sigh of relief. Green flagged down a horse-drawn carriage that was still operating at night.
"St. George Street, quick!"
Green helped Alvin into the car, gave him the address of the sanatorium, and paid the driver extra money, asking him to take the fastest route.
Inside the carriage, Alvin leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, his face still pale.
"Thanks, Green."
He suddenly spoke, his voice very low, "If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have—"
"We are colleagues."
Green said simply, glancing at the streetlights rushing past the window, "Besides, you went to Blackwater Alley because of my plan."
"The plan is correct."
Alvin opened his eyes, his gaze regaining some of its sharpness. "We underestimated our opponent's alertness and efficiency. They're more professional than we thought, and—there's a high chance they include Extraordinary Ones. The way that guy looked at the last moment—"
"He lost control."
"After I struck him with the Messenger of Silence," Green said calmly. "His spirituality, which seemed already unstable, collapsed abruptly after the intense disturbance."
Erwin paused for a moment, then looked at Grimm: "Your gun—its power is a bit frightening. It directly caused a loss of control; that's not something an ordinary sealed artifact could do. Does the Church know?"
Clarisse knows part of it.
Green didn't hide anything, "It's special, but the cost and limitations are also significant. What just happened just happened to trigger the worst possible outcome."
He didn't say where the gun came from, which only makes things more complicated.
Alvin seemed to want to ask something more, but in the end he just nodded and closed his eyes to rest again. The blood loss and pain had taken a toll on him.
The carriage sped along the quiet streets.
The opponent's reaction speed exceeded expectations.
They not only became aware of the investigation, but also decisively took action to eliminate it.
This means that the secrets hidden behind Bob Sr.'s death may be more urgent and dangerous than the murder case from decades ago.
"What exactly is Jacob Fletcher, or the organization behind him, protecting?" Green muttered to himself.
He had just obtained crucial information about Lillian's pathway in Source Castle as a "Gray Realm Walker," and upon returning to reality, he was immediately embroiled in a life-or-death battle. All these events happening at once left Green extremely frustrated.
The carriage stopped at the back gate of St. George's Hospice.
Green helped Alvin out of the car and knocked on the inconspicuous wooden door.
The door opened quickly, and the night shift clerk was startled to see their disheveled appearance, especially the bloodstains on Alvin's body.
"Prepare the medical room!" Green quickly ordered, while helping Alvin inside.