Chapter 377: Chapter 377: The Stone
Dumps relayed the message.
He had Ratman Derig gather information on the “Secret Stone Incident” from everyone, which would then be compiled and brought back to him. The comprehensive information would be reviewed together, saving quite a bit of time.
In the meantime.
A clean VIP room was prepared by Miss Fish-silk for the two of them.
Miss Fish-silk, in charge of the tavern work, appeared much ‘cleaner’ compared to the commoners here in the underground.
She has a petite and thin body, two large bright eyes, neatly cut brown hair, and a checkered apron worn in front.
Her face was strangely marked with several scars. Upon inquiry, it was learnt that these were her unique gills, allowing her to breathe underwater.
“Fish-silk was found in a sewer… It seemed that she was abandoned by her family. After all, someone with a body like hers wouldn’t even be able to do regular labor, let alone survive in the Fate Space.
But Miss Fish-silk has managed this tavern pretty well.”
“Thank you, Six Fingers Lord!”
At hearing the praise from Dumps, her gills opened and closed rapidly in excitement.
“Alright, you may leave now…”
“Yes.”
He closed the door of the private room.
Dumps leaned back on the relatively soft leather chair for a brief rest.
Han Dong asked, “This underground tavern took quite a toll on you, didn’t it? If you impart abilities to them, isn’t there a chance that they may be discovered?”
“Of course, the tavern did take a lot of effort. After all, it’s one of my important retreats, and it also helps me gather some important information in the civilian area.
As for the ‘ability problem,’ of course there is the possibility of exposure.
But if they possess abilities, they could perform tasks for me better, and they would be more loyal to me.”
Dumps openly stated all this, evoking a sense of confidence in commanding strategies… And having such faith in Han Dong, to share these critical ‘measures’ with him, it spoke volumes about his absolute trust in his friend.
…
After a while.
Derig, the ratman, knocked at the door and came in.
He was holding the neatly compiled data in his hands, but his expression seemed rather gloomy.
“Six Fingers Lord… The matter you want to investigate is very tricky.
A short while ago, due to this same issue, Whitely, Rockefeller, and Zhong Si have already died.
Hopefully, my lord, you may defer this investigation for now, otherwise, the entire civilian area will become restless.
The one who has been moving discreetly in the shadows fears that they might get implicated… including us.”
After he said that.
Three corpses were brought in.
These were the three strange men from the underground tavern mentioned by Derig.
Driven by curiosity, Han Dong immediately went forward to examine the bodies…
“Their eyeballs, nasal cavities, and tongues are severely petrified,
with some petrification on the superficial layer of their skin.
If it’s a demon or an evil, it’s supposed to be the ‘Petrification Phenomenon’ caused by contamination… but oddly enough, there are no signs of contamination left on their bodies.
Can I look inside them?”
“Sure.”
After receiving permission,
Han Dong performed an ‘autopsy’ on one stout man whose petrification wasn’t that severe.
The condition inside was startling enough to make Han Dong hesitate, even Dumps seemed a bit uncomfortable.
Slowly, Han Dong took out what appeared to be a normal liver and held it in his hands.
Its weight was ten times the normal liver weight.
When he gently cut open the surface of the liver with his fingernail.
Snap, crackle, pop…
Countless small round stone-like particles rolled out from the inside of the liver and fell to the ground.
Except for a small piece of skin on the outside, the entire liver was filled with these ‘stones’.
Moreover, other organs were also ‘filled with stones’.
Also, the blood vessels were also clogged with these stones.
One can only imagine the pain endured by this man when he was alive.
The so-called “Secret Stone Incident” turned out to be more complex than Han Dong had imagined.
“Dumps, how did it happen that the contamination invaded and caused a mutation, leading to the individual’s death… without leaving any trace of contamination?”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s a unique ability of the demon… After all, the[Demons] pose a real threat to human life outside the city. They are completely independent and unique, with all kinds of strange and bizarre traits that may appear.”
The autopsy completed.
Han Dong sat back down.
After Derig cleaned up the stones scattered on the ground, they continued their conversation.
“Derig, tell me first about what you’ve gathered and how these three died… I will then decide how to deal with this.”
“Yes.”
Due to the autopsy Han Dong just performed, this ratman also got quite the shock… It seemed as if he remembered some terrifying thing; his voice slightly shaky as he spoke.
“To be honest, my lord, about a week ago… we had an ‘unexpected guest’ here.”
Dumps frowned at this, “Hmm? Someone found this place, how come I didn’t know?”
“He said that as soon as we tell anyone about ‘It’… we all have to die; those who know the information will die too.
At first, of course, we were opposed to it until Whitely and the other two were instantly killed… we had no option but to give up resisting.
And, the demands made by the other party were not too outrageous, nor did we have to bear a big risk; we just needed to do as he said and everything would pass.
So, I took the decision not to report this to you.”
Upon hearing this, Dumps showed a rare displeased expression.
After all, this was his territory, and everyone here were his recruits, however they were occupied and exploited by others.
Derig continued, “If I were to reveal the information that follows, it would cross their bottom-line, potentially putting us, including you, Six Fingers Lord, in mortal danger.”
Who knew, Dumps didn’t hesitate at all, placing his hands in front.
“Speak.”
“Yes…”
Firstly, Derig handed over a portrait.
“This was drawn by Natia Vida immediately after the incident, the ‘unexpected guest’.
It’s strange… we couldn’t recall his face, so we couldn’t draw it.”
Han Dong took the entirely realistic painting; no distinguishing features of the so-called guest were visible as his body was completely covered with grey robe.
Scattered on the ground were a multitude of stone fragments.
Unable to draw the face, the visitor was seen to be of an ordinary human physique.
“What’s this?”
Han Dong noticed a mark imprinted on the grey robe, it was the same as imprinted on the coin kept in the stone box.
“What did this person want from you?”
“A simple task, they wanted us to supply cement… every other day, someone would give us the location. All we needed to do was transport a few boxes of cement there.
Whatever they wanted to do, it was none of our business.”
Derig continued, “Afterwards, according to my investigation,
Other underground organizations also received the same task of transporting cement… It seemed that the entire civilian area was included in the delivery scope.”
