"Ladies and gentlemen, the hint is that I've placed a bomb in Tingen, a bomb that will grow stronger by day, as time pass!
"Seek it and finish it before it explodes! If you lose the game, there will be a boom, and the entire city of Tingen will be reduced to a ruin. Trust me, I'm not lying at all about this.
"—Lanevus, who enjoys giving his friends pleasant surprises."
For a normal person, this letter might seem like a lunatic's words. However, for Leonard and Klein, it was an omen. The latter crumpled the letter in his hand and said solemnly, "Stronger by day..."
Then, Leonard added in a deep voice, "A bomb..."
What's the meaning of this? Klein's expression tightens by seconds. What is something the grows each day? As time pass?
Leonard's eyes suddenly widened. "Something that grows... That means it's developing... Something about child laborers that die before their time, factory workers who seldom live past ten years after entering the factory because of their working conditions, female workers who risk severe illnesses for a meager salary... Boundless resentment surrounding every factory... They're all must be a cruise.
"What is something that is developing that is remotely related to Lanevus?"
At that moment. Both of their faces paled, a nameless horror was clinging tightly inside their chest.
Lanevus's child! Gestating by Megose!
Klein withdrew the letter and secured it to his pocket. Then, in silence he turned back to the hallway. Following him closely behind is Leonard.
In their minds, they now have a node in putting a stop to Ince Zangwill's plans. Finding and killing the fetus inside of Megose!
Report to the Captain immediately!
...
As soon as they went back to 36 Zouteland Street. Klein saw two familiar faces, one voluptuous and one scrawny. They were Maynard's wife and sister.
They were still in black dresses and black hats. The fine checkered black gauze concealed their faces.
The two ladies were chatting with Rozanne, and when they suddenly saw Klein's return, they turned around and walked forward.
"You really are the cream of the crop in this industry." Mrs. Maynard nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I'm very pleased with the outcome and am also impressed with your work approach. Here's the reward that you deserve."
The scrawny woman passed a light brown paper bag to Klein. It was filled with thick stacks of cash. There were ten pound notes, five pound notes, one pound notes, and also five soli and one soli.
"It's a total of 230 pounds," the scrawny lady stated simply.
"Hand them to Rozanne." But Klein went through them in a hurry. Leonard was also seen unusually serious by the time the two disappeared to a corner.
Through the partition, inside the captain's office.
"How was it? Did you find any clues?" Dunn Smith closed his document, lifted his head, and looked at Klein and Leonard with his deep gray eyes.
However, his expression sank when he decoded their faces. Frayed, solemn and deeply agitated. They looked as if they'll about to report something catastrophic.
Regrettably for Dunn who hoped that was only his mind playing with him, heard Klein say, "Megose's fetus a bomb."
Dunn fell into confusion. However, his eyes fell completely black, as if reflecting a tampered lake.
"What's the meaning of this?"
In response, Leonard handed him the letter. It had multiple rugged outlines due to Klein's hands crumbling it, but it didn't stopped Dunn from reading the contents.
"This is a lunatic's words." Was his most natural conclusion. But Dunn added, "But this is also another coincidence. Tell me what Selina said again."
Klein's heart eased for a bit, but his anxiety still loomed. He answered, "That Ince Zangwill could be the manufacturer of coincidences."
Dunn slipped into a deep, serious thought before he finally said, "Let's find Megose."
The two Nighthawks couldn't have been more glad by how quick their Captain caught on. But just as they prepared to leave, Dunn retrieved his coat and said,
"Take a look at this first."
Leonard and Klein turned to the table. A document laid there with the seal of the Mandated Punishers.
"... Initial Investigation of the Carter Works. Vagrants have been seen being fostered and smuggled into vessels for distant voyages. Reasons remained unknown. Target destination remained unknown.
"... Second attempt. Carter's office contains a safe. Inside are jewelries, mentioned in his notebooks for the purpose of fleeing Tingen. A charm in the form of a bracelet was at the center, divination experts claims it records whatever is near it. In the basement, there's a painting resembling the office, it had not distinct properties except for a tree.
"... Third and last attempt. Under the Nighthawk's report regarding the 'Divine Light of Lower Street', we've dispatched the previous team to scout. Nothing out of the ordinary was discovered in contrast to the recent attempt.
"However, the painting in the basement now had multiple content—the scene of Carter's office had an altar filled with a tree bearing dark-tipped leaves, on the wall there was an additional painting that stood out from the rest of his license, portraits and navy clothes.
"It was a painting, a bloody tapestry of screaming faces. The divination experts confirmed they're the lost souls of the affected people, witnessing the 'Divine Light'."
Klein's pupils constricted. They completely forgot about the thirty deceased citizens of the lower street soon after the seven day Hymn!
I-Ince wasn't planning on just one linear event. He's orchestrating multiple at once!
At this moment in time. Dunn had finally dressed up to leave. He took his top hat and cane and exited the room. Leonard tugged Klein out of his stupor and both tailed the Captain.
However, when they returned to the reception desk. Their blood suddenly run cold.
There was a visitor at the entrance. She was a young lady, in her twenties at most. She was in a ruffled hat and loose dress. She had lovely facial features, blonde hair, green eyes, and also a depressed yet silent temperament. She was quite a beauty.
The most eye-catching thing about her was her stomach that bulged out. She looked like she was more than seven months pregnant.
Klein was stunned, agitated and completely frozen.
Suddenly, he heard Leonard say in fear, "Miss Megose?"
Then, as Megose heard Leonard's voice, she looked over at the three of them vacantly and replied politely, "Hello."
Klein was feeling death's door. If their assumptions are right, there's a growing bomb inside Megose, the fetus, Lanevus's unborn child, the perdition child!
At the same time, the seed in Leonard's vial was wriggling. As dark blemishes began to appear in spots again. Behind it, Selina felt a looming disaster.
The extreme coincidences left Megose into their front door!
Megose touched her stomach and smiled faintly.
"Somehow or other, I suddenly thought of coming to Zouteland Street and suddenly thought of coming up to take a look."
This is Ince Zangwill's doing! Klein grit his teeth and suddenly recalled that he hadn't managed to activate his Spirit Vision and check on Megose's situation previously. Hence, he lifted his teeth and was about to tap his left molars.
He wanted to inspect what the bomb looks like, if they can diffuse it!
Just then, a series of thoughts screamed through his head in increasing intensity.
"Don't look!
"Don't look! Don't look!
"You'll die!
"You'll die if you look!
"You'll die if you look!"
...
Klein stood rooted on the spot like a statue as his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
It was like having a deep and heavy nightmare that he nearly couldn't wake up from.
After nearly twenty seconds, Klein finally shook off his paralysis. He looked sideways at Leonard and realized that the Midnight Poet was also covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were filled with horror.
Meanwhile, Dunn was already about to draw his revolver and recite incantations.
At this very moment. Klein had an influx of possibilities crumbling into his mind.
An entry in Emperor Roselle's Diary: "I started the Industrial Revolution with my own hands and personally ushered in the Age of Steam and Machinery, but this will only become the hotbed for the descent of an Evil God upon this world?"
He felt scenes flashed before him.
"Selina will die." "Deities want her. "Her blood pools the scene."
No! Selina won't die!
I won't let it happen! A spawn of some evil god won't descend into this world!
I can't allow Hood Eugen! To use his Psychiatrist power to help Lanevus fool Megose and use her as a spawning vessel in her semi-unconscious state...
I can't!
Then, Klein's thoughts took a sudden halt.
Don't look directly at God...