The Devil’s Cage

The bone-cracking sound was still echoing down the stairs. The atmosphere on the third-floor corridor had below freezing, everyone was looking at the person, whose body was twisted in an illogical way, in horror.

They heard the conversation as well.

The first owner of Edwood Mansion was murdered by his nephew, and it was disguised as an accident.

He wanted revenge, he wanted to deliver all the pain that he suffered to his nephew.

Then, his nephew fell to his death.

Subconsciously, everyone else felt their throats dry up and tighten, even Mei Huasheng was in a daze.

Is… Is this a coincidence?

If it’s a coincidence…

What about the bullet? And this snake-like body movement?

Could it be…

The speculations that did not match her worldview appeared in Mei Huasheng’s heart. She quickly shook her head, though, discarding the thoughts out of her mind.

While Mei Huasheng was fighting with her own thoughts, Kieran’s snake-like body stopped it’s twisting and returned to normal.

“2-2567? Is it really you?” Eckart mustered up enough courage to ask.

“Em,” Kieran nodded slightly.

The group instantly heaved a sigh of relief.

Eckart, the lighting crew, and cameraman all limped down on the floor.

They were terrified that the hoarse voice might come out from Kieran’s mouth again. It was too scary for them.

Their quick-witted senses were blank and frozen at the moment, all their minds could do was replay the scene they witnessed. The more they replayed it, the more scared they felt.

The three of them shared the same expression, and so did the audience who saw the live broadcast.

Even though the angle wasn’t captured clearly, and the camera was shaky, the audience was more frightened.

People who were tortured by fear were the weakest, their instincts would tell them to seek comfort, but some would fall to fear.

Of course, the latter was definitely the minority, but on a massive scale, the numbers of the minority were quite significant.

Therefore, some changes happened.

Almost half an hour later, when the show was nearing its end, the notifications finally changed.

[Absorbed energy, rewards turnaround authentication started…]

[Energy reaches the mark, authentication passed…]

[Skill “Hand-to-Hand Combat” has been released!]

…

“[Hand-to-hand Combat]… So this is what’s going on?” Kieran muttered to himself.

He had been guessing the pattern of unlocking his skills, and now he finally got some clues.

[Tracking] was the first skill to be unlocked because he used it to determine the killer at the TV station; the second skill, [Hand-to-Hand Combat], was because he subdued the enemy with his kick, despite the man being a puppet upstaged by the mastermind.

If [Secondary Armored Skin] could level up, or if [Viper Body]’s level was high enough, the unlocked skill would be one of the two.

Of course, it was what Kieran deduced based on the current information, it might not be one hundred percent correct.

But Kieran believed that soon enough, he would grasp the exact pattern of his skills unlocking.

After all, the ‘Shaman’ show would be aired at least twice a week.

“What happened 2567?”

“Do you mind explaining?”

“How is he here?”

Eckart, who finally regained his senses, went over to Kieran with his microphone.

“Because he has always been inside the mansion. And…”

“Officer Mei, I suggest you make another call to the police. Don’t you think it’s a little late for the police to arrive?” Kieran then looked at Mei Huasheng after a word with Eckart.

In fact, even without Kieran’s reminder, the female officer already noticed something, and when Kieran made it clear, she became sure of a particular matter.

Without further speaking, Mei Huasheng turned around and headed downstairs.

“You said he has always been in the mansion?”

Eckart asked again after Mei Huasheng left.

“Mhmm. Since he killed his own uncle, he has always been here.”

“After that, the murder with Feng De, the electrocuted third owner, Yu Narles, all the deaths were connected to him directly and indirectly,” Kieran nodded.

“Why did he do it then?” Eckart asked out of curiosity.

The audience who was watching the show was curiously waiting for the answer as well.

But this time, Kieran didn’t give an answer.

He turned around, walked downstairs, and went out of the mansion. He stopped at the bushes beside the secluded path.

“This is what caused everything,” said Kieran.

He then bent down, moved the dirt and rocks away to reveal a circular secret entrance.

As the camera captured the secret entrance, Kieran grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

The light revealed a ladder leading underground.

After the crew went down the ladder, the place was illuminated by the lighting.

Eckart gasped hard at the scene.

What did he see?

A perfectly sealed glass display case was holding antiques and art pieces inside. A single glance told Eckart how old and valuable these antiques were.

“T-This is…”

“Stolen goods,” Kieran said calmly. His eyes scanned over the antiques as he continued slowly.

“Do you still remember the first dead tenant?”

“He should be the accomplice of the first mansion owner, but was ultimately killed because of the uneven distribution of the goods here.”

“After killing the accomplice, the first mansion owner wanted to stop, but his nephew, who was the other accomplice, didn’t agree.”

“He killed his uncle and continued the business himself. To cover it all up, he purposely released the rumors to the public, saying that Edwood Mansion was haunted with an ominous presence. To go along with the rumors, he started to stage the other events.”

Following Kieran’s explanation, the reasonable words instantly lit up the audience’s mind.

“How did you know all this?”

Eckart asked instinctively, but after the words escaped his mouth, the temporary host realized how stupid it was, he smiled in embarrassment.

Wasn’t it obvious enough? Did he still have to ask?

No.

But to his surprise, Kieran spoke nevertheless.

“Unintentional or intentional.”

“Kind or evil.”

“For greed or redemption.”

“They can’t see; they can’t hear.”

“All they want is revenge; vengeance is their only purpose!”

“This is proof that they are undying!”

With a weird tempo, Kieran turned around and went up the ladder, but his mutters were captured by the camera and entered the ears of the audience who watched the show.

The audience was captivated by the figure which climbed up the ladder.

The lone figure was filled with mystery, and what followed was curiosity.

Their curiosity had peaked at the highest point!

The audience was curious about Kieran, curious about his muttering, and curious about his actions.

When he came back above ground, Kieran saw the notifications that provided him with the energy to overturn his fate flooded his vision like a reverse waterfall. He couldn’t help but grin.

“Well done, best actor,” he muttered.

He slowly walked forward.