Chapter 199: Expose the Mole!
Chapter 199: Expose the Mole!
The door came pitching toward Jin. Jin quickly closed his hand. His dagger manifested at an insane rate of speed. He quickly slashed in a downward motion, cutting the door in half. The door went pitching at his sides, not touching his body. Finally, Jin looked up.
Under the doorframe stood a buff, battered, figure, keeping a hand behind his back. White glistening hair touching his middle back, veins conspicuous on his arms and feet, a chiseled face, and a long defined nose. This man was a well known Hunter here. He went by Earl.
Jin smirked. “Nice knocking.”
Earl took a step into the house. “I found you. You’re the mole.”
“What?” Jin said.
Earl took a few more steps toward Jin, his hand lingering behind his back. “You’re the one who’s been pestering our lives. You ruined stock, killed our people, stole our food. It was you all along.”
Jin narrowed his eyes at the man. “This would have been really cool if I really were the mole. But unfortunately, I am not the mole.”
“Four-legged monster,” Earl said, “an insanely tall dog-like creature, green glowing eyes as strong as that dagger in your hand, black hairless skin, and a bloodlust no one could control.”
Jin squeezed his dagger firmer. “What about it?
“Responsible for almost twenty heads,”—he took a step forward—”including two little children. It leaves an ominous aura wherever it goes.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jin said.
Suddenly Earl revealed what he was hiding. He tossed a corpse on the floor. It thudded, this body of a four-legged creature with golden bands around its legs, dormant. “Ring a bell?” Earl said.
Kai shot up off of his seat. “What the hell is that thing?”
“It’s a flesh eating monster,” Earl said, “Jin’s flesh eating monster.”
Kai looked at Jin. “Jin?”
Jin glared endlessly at Earl. “I’ve never seen that thing in my life.”
Earl cackled. “Hmm. That’s very interesting now, is it?” He furrowed his brows. “Teleportation, invisibility, cloning, dashing. All the abilities the Wizard told me were in your possession, are in its.”
“So?”
“So that means you’re the mole,” Earl said, “this thing was trying to flee on feet to this very house. Perhaps after it realized that it couldn’t land a scrape on me. After it realized that Isuspended its abilities—all of them.”
“That doesn’t prove anything. Does that not mean Kai or even Kaylie could be the owner? Why me in particular?”
“Because,” Earl glared, squeezing his fist, trembling “I saw you. The last night. Petting the thing. It licked you. You laughed. It disappeared. You stood, looking around. Then walked back inside. This is all too familiar, isn’t it?”
Jin smirked. “Beats me.”
“You”—he started stomping toward Jin—”fucking liar! I saw it with my own eyes and you’re going to repel!” He suddenly raised an arm in the air.
Kai dashed front of Earl and Jin, standing amidst the two. He turned to Earl; his arms outstretched. “Wait, wait. Let’s talk. We’re all Hunters here. This isn’t the time to start a fight!”
Earl scowled. “Get out of my way, weakling before I start to get the idea you’re working for Jin.”
“What? I don’t understand.” Kai said.
“Of course you don’t,” Jin said, “I don’t either. But this buff, scarred man is—”
“YOU ARE THE FUCKING MOLE!” Earl shouted atop his lungs. “KAI, WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT? ISN’T IT OBVIOUS?”
Kai slowly turned to Jin. “J-Jin … you’re not the mole, are you?”
“I am,” Jin said.
Kai’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what had just slipped Jin’s mouth. He started to tremble. “But I … I trusted you.”
“I know. But when did I ever trust you?”
“Y-you … you lied to me …”
“I know.”
“You lied to me after I treated you so nice. After I gave you a place to stay. After I treated you like the brother I’d lost.”
“Did I ask for that treatment?”
Kai frowned, raising his brows. “Jin. Let me ask this again,” he leaned in, “are you … the mole?”
“Yes,” Jin said, “and Big Earl behind you is too.”
“What … what are you talking about?”
“Ask the guy behind you that question.”
Kai slowly turned around such that he was facing Earl. “Ea- Earl … what is he talking about?”
Earl furrowed his brows. “Don’t listen to him—he’s lying. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Jin smirked. “Perhaps those scars, and that battered body would remind you of last night.”
“What scars?” Kai asked. “What happened last night?”
“Ask the guy behind you that question.”
Kai looked over his shoulder at Earl. “What happened last night?”
“Do not listen to him,” Earl stepped forward, “I told you not to. He’s lying.”
“Where’d you get those fresh scars and wounds?”
“Kai, I told you, he’s lying. I never lie. You don’t need to know about such a trivial matter ye—”
“No, I insist,” Kai interjected, “Where’d you get them from?”
Earl stopped. “Fighting your partner’s creature,” he looked down at his wounded body, “Thing almost killed me.”
“Funny,” Kai straightened his stature, “I thought you said it couldn’t even scrape you.” His tone softened, now devoid of anger.
“I lied to you, okay!” Earl snapped.
“Sure,” Jin said, “I believe you. It’s just funny coming from the guy who just said he never lies.”
A nuance took Earl’s face as he swept his gaze to Kai and Jin unrelentingly. He saw the looks on their faces, and this could only mean one thing.
He furrowed his brows. “You’re trying to frame me for something I didn’t do, Jin!”
Kai raised a brow. “What didn’t you do?”
“Yeah, Earl the one with hair or white Pearl,” Jin said, “what didn’t you do?”
Earl growled. “What are you trying to get at here! Nothing happened last night!”
“You’re actually right,” Jin said, “There were no murders reported today. Just citizens making a living hell out of the situation, but still no murderers. Rosita and William must be happy. But wait,” Jin pretentiously placed finger upon his lip, “I wonder where they went. Why didn’t they show up for work today? Why didn’t any of my fifty clones see them around somewhere?”
Earl’s eyes widened. ‘Fifty clones,’ he thought, “around the village?”
Kai looked at Jin. “Wait … why didn’t they show up for work? I know they’re hellbent on finding the mole—but they always show up for work.”
Jin jammed his hands in his pockets and started sauntering. “Well? Isn’t it obvious that,” He teleported right in front of Earl, “you’re the mole?”
Earl took a step back.
“You thought William saw you killing Gerardo, and so you went after him that same night. Little did you know, that wasn’t William but one of my clones. After a great fight, you ultimately killed Rosita who was responsible for most of those scars on you. William ended up escaping after you were suddenly hit by a powerful green explosion that distracted you. You teleported to the Wizard’s place, thinking you could pretend you were there before William all along.
“You spoke to the Wizard and that’s where you learned about Benji, my magical beast,” he took a step toward Earl. “You saw me petting Benji the night before—but didn’t suspect anything since you had no idea he was responsible for so many deaths. You only knew this after visiting the Wizard the following night, which was last night. You waited at the Wizard’s place for an hour and still hadn’t seen William.
“The Wizard probably told you about my abilities, including the shapeshifting one. From there, you then decided you’d try to frame me. So, you went looking for Benji”—he tittered—”and you found him since he’s so fucking greedy that he finds a way to summon himself. Everything was working out for you there. You decided you’d blame me. You’d probably tell the world that the Earl who murdered Gerardo and Rosita wasn’t the real Earl but Jin using deception. Shapeshifting in action.
“So … that is what brings you here. You can’t find William. You can’t say it wasn’t you. But, you knew you could say it was me using shapeshifting—”
“That’s enough!” Earl snapped, his eyes glowing white.
The entire house began to shake.
Jin smirked. “You’re the mole.”
Earl smirked as well. “It isn’t over yet, arsehole. I can just kill you. Nobody would know the truth. I could say I was attacked so I murdered the mole, and his partner, Kai. No one has to know!”
Suddenly, William appeared alongside one of Jin’s clones. He was missing an arm, and had it bandaged.
“Everyone knows,” William said.
Earl raised a brow. “What?”
“There is no need to worry about no one knowing because,” William shrugged, “they all already know.”
Jin’s clone smirk. “You couldn’t find William because another clone distracted you with a special attack so that I could teleport William away safely. I took care of him atop the walls because I knew you would search the village.”
“Then we went to the Wizard,” William said. “He’s very upset.”
[Defeat your opponent]
[Reward: 125 Exp, 20 UP]
The real Jin stomped his foot. A shockwave made everyone step back. “Everyone stay away!” Jin closed his hand, and started passing his dagger between fingers. Hand to hand. Then, he whipped it out. “The mole’s mine to kill!”