Free Web NovelChapter 501: Chapter 502 The Intruder in the Bathroom_1
That evening, Aiden returned to the inn he was staying at and placed a birdcage on the table, replenishing the food and water.
This carrier pigeon was given to him by the Temple of Vengeance, a tool used to communicate with them, just by tying a message and releasing it, its homing instinct and trained response would ensure its return to the mercenary camp where it had stayed for several months.
The Goddess of Vengeance had now lost the power of authority, she could still use her spirit to inspire those who offered their faith through "sacrifice," but she could no longer send commands across such great distances to her followers.
But as long as the information conveyed could convince the followers that it came from their master, the effect of "sacrifice" would still work.
The strategy to destroy the Sunset City base had been decided, with nearly a thousand soldiers stationed there, and possibly some special combatants like the Heretic Inquisitors equipped to counter dark magic. Even with the assistance of two Great Witches, it wouldn’t be easy to take down.
Moreover, Aiden did not want to openly engage in combat with a military base, as having his identity exposed would be tantamount to declaring war on a major country.
To destroy the significance of this base, all they needed to do was to steal the Divine Artifact used for the research of man-made magic beings stored inside.
The most central item would undoubtedly be the most heavily guarded, and any slight mishap could lead to a desperate situation where they would have to fight their way out of an entire base’s siege.
Therefore, employing a diversionary tactic was necessary. Aiden wanted someone to feign a terror attack on the military base to draw away most of the base’s troops, and then they would take the opportunity to raid the core area and take the Divine Artifact.
For this, personnel to create the "diversion" were essential, and taking on this role was tantamount to being a sacrificial pawn, which is why Aiden had thought of the Temple of Vengeance.
The Goddess of Vengeance agreed more readily than he had imagined and did not play any tricks as he had feared – she even proposed a fair trade. Their collaboration on Gistas’s side made the Goddess of Vengeance somewhat accepting of this "community of interest," an unexpected gain.
If in the future the Goddess of Vengeance could keep to herself and not interfere with his affairs, allowing her to regain authority might truly become a way to restrain the Goddess of Conspiracies.
But if his objective for this trip was not achieved, there would be no "future" to discuss, and evidently, the Goddess of Vengeance was also observing this, to see if he truly held any value for a fair trade.
Just as he was about to take off his overcoat and go to the bathroom to shower, the pigeon inside the cage suddenly became agitated, flapping its wings and striking the cage, causing the water to spill out.
At first, Aiden merely glanced and didn’t pay much attention, but now the pigeon simply wouldn’t settle down, thrashing and dashing about inside the cage.
Aiden frowned and glanced at the cage. The carrier pigeon had undergone a degree of training and had always been quiet since being brought back; now, it was suddenly acting as if a snake had slithered into its cage.
"There couldn’t be a ’ghost’ in this room, could there?" the Goddess of Vengeance suddenly said. "Animals are more sensitive than humans."
"That can’t be..." Aiden replied subconsciously.
Just then, the sound of "whooshing" water came from the bathroom.
Aiden suddenly tensed up, his instinct was to draw his gun into his hand. The sound of the water was fleeting but distinctly audible.
The mercury amalgam golem was hiding in the bathroom pipes, but without his command, the golem would not act on its own.
Someone was hiding in his bathroom—this scenario was really no different from a horror suspense film.
Aiden considered for a moment, then whistled at a specific frequency, and soon, a bizarre metallic sound echoed within the bathroom. A mercury alloy golem trained to respond to particular sounds was probably now protruding like streams of mercury from the bathroom’s faucet.
"Imprison the target!" Aiden commanded.
Upon hearing his command, the mercury alloy golem would immediately search for the nearest human and transform into shackles to bind them.
There was an instant commotion in the bathroom, a sound of splashing water and an overturned bucket, but even so, the other party did not utter any screams.
Aiden immediately aimed his gun at the bathroom door, knowing the mercury alloy golem might not catch the target on the first try. If the intruder was quick enough, they could have a chance to burst through the door.
Almost simultaneously, the door was violently smashed open, and for a moment, Aiden saw a blur of white before being utterly dumbfounded—an utterly soaked, naked woman had run out of the bathroom!
With just a glance, Aiden lowered his gun.
"Stop," he ordered.
The mercury alloy golem that had just followed the target out of the door froze in its tracks, as if frozen in place.
The woman stood still as well, her wet hair cascading down like a waterfall, covering most of her face.
This wasn’t the first time Aiden had seen her in this state. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"What’s with this peculiar-tasting young lady again?" Aiden heard the voice of the Goddess of Vengeance.
"What are you playing at, Lamia?" Aiden stared blankly and interrogated her.
Aiden had lowered his gun not because he had let his guard down, but because he knew it was useless against the woman before him.
Only then did the woman push her wet hair aside, revealing that seductive yet eerily indescribable face, with yellow-green pupils in her narrow eyes and a slit like a seam that stretched from the corner of her mouth to her ear—Aiden knew that this slit could split open at any moment, transforming into a gaping maw big enough to swallow a whole living person.
Lamia was maintaining her human form, and when she had burst out of the bathroom, Aiden couldn’t see her face. However, her physique was too distinctive. Such a height would make ninety-nine percent of people on the street turn and take a second look.
The pigeons in the cage grew more agitated, and after a thought, Aiden picked up the cage and placed it on the windowsill farthest from the bathroom.
"You actually put Vila’s trump card in your bathroom and even tried to use it to bind a woman who was borrowing your shower, stark naked..." Lamia’s raspy laugh emerged, "What are you planning to do, brat? Vila will rage if she finds out."
"Enough with the chuckling, go dry yourself off, put on some clothes, and come back and sit down. Then we can discuss the issue of your unauthorized intrusion," Aiden gestured towards the bathroom.
"I’m not comfortable in clothes. I don’t mind it; what’s there for you to mind?" Lamia sneered indifferently, "Are you feeling shy?"
"Sorry, whether you’re sexy or not is not the issue here. Your soaking wet figure reminds me of the day you crawled out of the lake," Aiden rubbed his temples with a hint of headache, "Never mind, it’s up to you whether you wear clothes or not, just please dry off first!"
