Chapter 197 - Operation
There’s danger in there. Not very high, but it isn’t very low either…
This means that Madam Sharon is still in the building. She hasn’t fled yet…
Klein froze for a moment, quickly realizing the reason.
He had entered a unique state by summoning himself to inspect the safe. He hadn’t forcefully broken the lock when he was inspecting the secret compartment, nor did he activate any hidden traps. Thus, Madam Sharon wouldn’t have discovered that her secret had been exposed. She would only think that there was a break in, or some private investigator was checking on her to no avail.
In such a situation, it was logical that she would continue to stay home. It made logical sense.
To lose composure from a tiny matter and overreact wasn’t the Madam Sharon whom Klein had come to understand. She was a calm socialite who was capable of acting afraid and pitiful, as well as a Beyonder member of the Demoness Sect who had kept her identity hidden for many years.
If the telephone had been invented, Madam Sharon definitely would’ve called one of her lovers and complained about the security in Tingen City whilst hinting that it was Madam Maynard… Klein began imagining a melodramatic plot. He told Dunn and Kenley the results of his divination as well as his guess.
“That’s the most reasonable deduction.” Dunn pressed down on his hat as he looked at the second floor of Madam Sharon’s apartment. “There’s no need for us to rush in.”
“Why?” Kenley, who was holding Sealed Artifact 3-0217, instinctively asked.
He was filled with fear towards the Spirit Medium Mirror in his hands. He was afraid that some unexpected event would arise from the Sealed Artifact.
Dunn wore his black gloves and looked at Klein.
“Do you still remember what happened when we tried to capture Instigator Trissy?”
“I remember,” Klein replied after some thought. “She seemed to be able to detect our presence and make the necessary responses, which resulted in her successful escape.”
I also remember suggesting the use of bombarding the house when the Captain asked me how I would deal with the situation. That was the safest, most surefire method. But not this time… We can’t use it here as there are many innocent maids in Madam Sharon’s house. If we notified them in advance and got them to evacuate, that would definitely catch Madam Sharon’s attention. According to Leonard, Trissy could turn invisible. We have to assume that Madam Sharon has that ability too…Klein connected the dots at once.
Dunn looked at the crimson moon in the sky and said, “Good, your answer is very good. You’re rather intuitive in such situations.
“We cannot approach recklessly and end up alarming Madam Sharon. I’ll try dragging her into a dream from a distance. If I’m successful, you and Kenley will go and capture her… Well… You can make the decision of whether to kill her or not. Kill her if you cannot control her. Your safety is of utmost importance.”
Captain, your line of thought is always so clear at such critical moments! I was just waiting for you to say that! Klein praised in his heart.
Over the months, Klein had grasped most of the unique traits of the different Beyonder powers of his partners when he was casually chatting with Dunn, Leonard, Frye, and the rest. Amongst those, Dunn Smith, who was a Nightmare, could freely enter the dreams of a sleeping person even though he was at home or at the Blackthorn Security Company.
But how he did it was a secret of his own Sequence, and Klein didn’t ask about it too deeply.
The ability to drag someone into a dream had a limited range and was normally used during direct confrontations.
But Klein had once heard the Captain say that the ability also had a certain effect when used within a hundred meter radius. But he needed time to complete the process. He couldn’t do it instantly, for the process was similar to coaxing a child to sleep.
At this moment, Dunn was going to drag the distant Madam Sharon into a sleeping state, a little at a time. After completing the first stages of the restraint, he was going to create the most opportunistic conditions for Klein and Kenley.
“Alright.” Kenley was also rather accepting of the Captain’s plan.
Without any more chatter, Dunn leaned on the corner of a wall and shut his eyes. He put his hands together and lowered his head. His black windbreaker and silk hat blended into the night.
…
In the opulent bedroom.
Madam Sharon was leaning on her comfortable rocking chair, completely naked. Her fair and excellent figure was completely exposed.
She sometimes turned her head towards the full-length mirror to admire her charming self.
As she looked, her face would flush red as tears welled in her eyes. Her expression emitted a strange tenderness amidst her stupor.
The skeletal statue of the goddess was sitting on the table beside her. The thick strands of hair seemed gentle under the warm, pink light.
Slowly, the frequency in which Madam Sharon looked into the mirror decreased. Bit by bit, her eyelids couldn’t help but droop.
…
Seconds turned into minutes when Klein suddenly recalled something. How was the Captain going to notify Kenley and himself after he successfully dragged Madam Sharon into a dream?
Madam Sharon would wake up if the Captain left his Nightmare state, and she would notice that something was off… I wonder if the Captain is capable of giving hand signs while dreaming at the same time? Klein looked at the worried Kenley pacing around and intended to discuss this with him in order to distract him.
At that moment, his mind turned into a blur. He saw a giant crimson moon, as well as Captain Dunn Smith in his black windbreaker under the moon. There was also the short Kenley, his expression dazed.
Klein realized that he too was dreaming!
I’ve been dragged into a dream by the Captain… So that’s how he was going to notify us. He wanted to facepalm himself, but could only maintain his trance-like state while saying muddle-headedly, “Captain?”
Dunn nodded slightly and said, “Madam Sharon has entered a dream. You can take action now.”
He then emphasized, “Remember to be careful, and don’t be too reckless… We would rather miss the opportunity than take unwarranted risks.”
Just as he finished his sentence, the world before Klein shattered. His eyes reflected Dunn Smith again. He was still at the corner of the wall, looking down with his hands clenched tightly into fists.
On the other side, Kenley, who had stopped pacing about, also opened his eyes.
The duo exchanged looks and nodded. Both of them entered a state to execute their operation.
Even though this was the first time Kenley was participating in a relatively dangerous mission, he was still more experienced than Klein. He had attended many official missions, so he quickly adjusted his mental state, becoming calm and sharp.
Of course, this could also be attributed to the augmentation the night had on a Sleepless. This was also one of the reasons Dunn had chosen Kenley over Frye for this operation.
“Let’s go.” As a Sequence 8, Klein took on the role of the leader, signaling for his partner to follow.
Kenley didn’t object. He gripped the tightly-wrapped mirror and softened his footsteps as he followed.
Klein led him to the place where he scaled the wall previously. He grabbed onto the crevices of the wall and made it to the top of the wall with little effort.
He maintained his ridiculous sense of balance and turned around, bending down and grabbing the Spirit Medium Mirror Kenley had tossed over.
The moment he touched the mirror, Klein felt his spiritual perception tighten suddenly. It was as if what was covered by the black cloth wasn’t a mirror, but a door to some unknown, dangerous alternate world.
Indeed, any item that requires sealing has some malefic side to it… Klein internally muttered to himself wistfully as he watched Kenley scale the wall.
In order to facilitate movement, Kenley had placed his cane beside Dunn. Klein didn’t dwell on that matter.
After making their way through the garden to the side of the building, he climbed the pipe up to the balcony of the second floor, just as he did before.
He then hung naturally from his feet, allowing his body to fall, once again taking Sealed Artifact 3-0271.
Kenley looked at him, puzzled. But immediately, he nodded his head in enlightenment.
At that moment, Klein was shocked by his own actions. He exerted a force using his waist, and, with the support of his left hand, he easily flipped over.
What happened just now? Why did I move like that? It felt so natural… Is that an ability of the Clown? He thought back and felt that he was able to better display the unique characteristics of a Clown in actual practice.
After waiting for Kenley to easily make his way up, Klein handed the Spirit Medium Mirror back to him before pulling open the unlocked door of the balcony.
Kenley carefully pulled away the black cloth wrapped around Sealed Artifact 3-0271. He pointed the object mirror side down, reflecting the tiles on the ground.
One of the rules of the Spirit Medium Mirror was not to use it on yourself or your partners!
After putting away the black cloth, Kenley took out his revolver and followed behind Klein. They made their way past the corridor towards Madam Sharon’s bedroom, their footsteps light.
Klein wielded his readied revolver, and, while activating his Spirit Vision, he reached out for the door handle with his left hand.
He didn’t dare to be careless since his divination told him that there would be danger present.
The reason why he didn’t make another quick divination was that he knew the presence of the Primordial Demoness’s statue in the room. At this distance, his divination would definitely be interrupted. He knew that there was no way for him to get a clear answer without relying on the gray fog’s obstruction. Furthermore, with Kenley beside him, there was no way for him to enter that mysterious space.
After pushing open the door, what entered Klein and Kenley’s field of vision was the warm light from the gas lamp.
Then, they saw Madam Sharon slumped over her chair, as well as her alluring body.
However, Madam Sharon wasn’t asleep. She was reclined in her chair with a faint smile across her mouth, looking straight at her two visitors.
Instinctively, Kenley flipped his palm and pointed the Spirit Medium Mirror at Madam Sharon.
Klein first froze, then exclaimed, “No!”
He clearly remembered that there was a full-length mirror on the other side of the chair. But it wasn’t there now!
The Spirit Medium Mirror had locked onto Madam Sharon in just a second.
But that image of Madam Sharon became blurry before turning into a full-length mirror.
Kenley looked at himself in the mirror and also Sealed Artifact 3-0271 reflecting his own image.
A figure instantly appeared within the Spirit Medium Mirror. It was an expressionless, sinister image of Kenley himself!
Klein felt his limbs turn rigid as if he had been entangled by invisible threads.
An elegant figure appeared beside the full-length mirror. It was Madam Sharon, wearing a nightgown.
She glanced at the two intruders and chuckled.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that the statue happened to be beside me, I should be deep asleep now, waiting for you to wake me up with a kiss.”
At that moment, Klein suddenly shouted a simple term in ancient Hermes, “Crimson!”
He had no idea when he dug his left palm into his pocket. He deftly flicked his fingers and tossed out a Slumber Charm.