Free Web NovelChapter 416: Chapter 416: The Ace Trick of the Unparalleled Secret Agent_1
Dust fell from above, and simultaneously the faint smell of wine and oak barrels that had been drifting through the cellar suddenly intensified, exuding an eerie sweetness.
Sera cried out instinctively, while Aiden immediately turned to Heinz with an accusatory tone, "What’s going on?"
This was Heinz’s setup, and the explosion obviously had something to do with him.
Heinz suddenly came to his senses; just now he felt as if he had been in a daze for a moment, and had given his consent without much deliberation.
"I just now..." Heinz appeared somewhat confused.
Aiden and Sera exchanged a glance in an instant, then Aiden spoke up, "You just agreed, but what’s the meaning of this explosion? Is this supposed to be celebratory fireworks, Earl?"
Heinz calmed down and shook his head, "The explosives weren’t my doing."
"Are you kidding me?" Aiden asked skeptically.
"Let’s not talk too much about that now, you’d better hold your breath and get out of here immediately. Or, warden, use your ability," Heinz suddenly reminded.
Aiden hesitated for a moment, then realized what these secret police were up to, "You... planted poison gas?"
When he had come down, he had smelled a very faint scent of wine and aged oak barrels—a scent not unusual in a cellar, but after a few minutes, he couldn’t smell it anymore due to olfactory fatigue. However, following the recent explosion, he smelled something similar again because the scent had become more intense. He initially thought the explosion had caused the wine barrels in the cellar to crack open, but now it seemed... it was probably not the case.
It was either the actual scent of the poison gas, or the smell was being masked with fragrance.
"A stupefying smoke with a paralyzing effect, uniquely in our possession. It was already spreading inside when you came in. After a few minutes here, you’ll quickly become paralyzed and then lose consciousness, with the whole process being painless. The place where the ingredients are hidden was also rigged with explosives, which once ignited would increase the concentration several times over—right now, you can probably only hold out for one minute, unless you use your ability, warden," Heinz stated calmly.
Without hesitation, Aiden began reciting the divine word "Order," and in an instant, the strangely sweet scent of wine disappeared.
"Is this your planned tactic to deal with me? The dose absorbed in those few minutes should be taking effect soon, right?" With Heinz’s reminder, Aiden suddenly felt a bit off, wondering if it was psychological.
The junior power "Return" could revert these toxic gases to their state before dispersal, but it couldn’t reverse the effects of poisoning in the body.
This was the trap that Heinz had prepared for him after gathering intelligence—the painless stupefying smoke. The dungeons and the residence had likely already been filled with a certain concentration of smoke, and by the time they started showing symptoms upon entering, it would be too late. Even if the secret police didn’t take any action to trap them, they wouldn’t have the strength to flee far.
Because the rules prohibiting punishments were too vague and could affect Aiden’s control over Daili and the others, to counter Heinz’s divine words, Aiden had consumed two rules in the "Wordless Code": the prohibition of inflicting physical pain and the prohibition of restricting personal freedom. He established these two rules to avoid direct conflict and the possibility of being trapped as much as possible. In such scenarios, Presia’s Mental Spells would come into play.
After getting his hands on the information about the "Wordless Code," Heinz guessed the rules that he would set, hence preparing this painless trap, and they themselves had surely injected or taken some kind of antidote.
Suddenly, Aiden felt that deploying poison gas was indeed a favorite tactic of the secret police, no matter the world!
"If you’re worried, warden, you can use the Code to neutralize the drugs," said Heinz.
"And you won’t take the opportunity to grab it or use your powers on me in the process?" Aiden replied.
The third rule he left on the Wordless Code prohibited theft. Once the bewitching smoke took effect, if he still had the energy to alter the rules on the codex, all it would take would be to erase this one, and the secret police could snatch the codex right there. Erase the other two, and Heinz would be able to utilize his powers. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"I’m telling you so much now to make my position clear," Heinz said, his expression unchanged.
"Then explain that explosion just now," Aiden said, staring at Heinz. The reason he had used the divine word instead of running out was to confirm Heinz’s position here.
"Two days ago, His Majesty sent a major from the royal guard to watch over me. The major did this on his own initiative, blowing up the entrance. He’s not comfortable with us talking alone like this; he’s trying to force me to complete the task immediately," Heinz replied.
"And he managed to do this without you catching on?"
"It’s not that I didn’t catch on; I just didn’t stop him," Heinz said. "Before you brought up that proposal, I had no intention of betraying His Majesty."
"Has he lost his mind? Didn’t he consider that my men might tear them apart if he did that?" Aiden said.
"I didn’t tell him everything about you. Even if he knew how formidable your guards are, he would probably still do it. Being an agent of His Majesty, he is genuinely loyal to those in His Majesty’s inner circle," Heinz replied. "The order to kill King Sera is a matter of life and death; he would be willing to die for it."
"So what about you, are you agreeing to our proposal?" Aiden asked.
"For Sera, I agree," Heinz replied.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"I’ll go up and take care of the major sent by the king. I’ll handle it personally. I didn’t give him all your information; he still doesn’t know he can’t trap us," Heinz replied.
The "prohibition against restraining personal freedom" was currently a rule on the Wordless Code. Even if someone tried to blow up the entrance to the cellar, they wouldn’t be able to trap them.
"Use your Wordless Code, we’re allies now, no need to be so wary. Besides, I guess you’ve kept a fallback for me as well..." Heinz spoke slowly, "even though I still don’t know what it is."
Aiden silently smiled, took out the Wordless Code, erased the "prohibition against inflicting pain," and wrote a new rule stating, "Medications are ineffective within the domain." Throughout this process, Heinz merely stood with his hands behind his back, without making any move.
"In that case, you go first," Aiden gestured. Before entering, they had left their weapons outside.
"Alright," Heinz picked up a lantern and walked towards the entrance, then suddenly stopped and turned back, "For safety, Sera, you should stay here."
"My powers are still effective; nothing will happen. If you leave her in the basement, enemies might rush in if a fight breaks out," Aiden suggested, glancing at Sera, "Let’s go out together."
"Okay," Sera nodded, "I also want to go up."
Sera’s response wasn’t directed at him, but at Aiden, which gave Heinz a moment of doubt.
"Don’t just stand there, hurry up and get out," Aiden urged when he saw Heinz hadn’t moved, "I guess by now my men and yours are about to clash."
