Six-Armed Serpent Demon

Page 33

The two little girls were all smiles. Compared to the wary and suspicious Xiong Gu, they liked the silly Xiong Gu much more.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The two young girls immediately tensed up and looked at their new mistress, unsure of what to do.

"Coming."

The imposter Ivy Beatrice listlessly slipped her feet into her slippers and slowly walked to open the door.

She saw Juan, a young paladin, standing outside the door with a reserved expression, and behind Juan was El, the squad leader who kept looking into the living room.

"Goodnight, Miss Beatrice."

Juan the Paladin said one sentence, then could not continue.

He stood there awkwardly, his eyes glazed over, his face flushed. El behind him wasn't much better off; his gaze, which had been meant to scan the living room, involuntarily drifted towards her.

"Goodnight," she said, still somewhat unaware. "What is it?"

The emerald green vertical pupils stared unblinkingly at the air above the two people's heads.

The paladin Juan stammered, unable to speak, but the squad leader, El, had already regained his senses: "Uh, is Brokway Swango here?"

The imposter Ivy Beatrice stared at the lie-detecting crystal in his hand and said, "He and his wife stopped living here before I got home this evening."

This answer clearly surprised El, who hurriedly asked, "Where did they go?"

“I didn’t ask them.”

Although the Brockaways were lying peacefully in the basement, there was no doubt that the lie-detecting crystal showed she was telling the truth.

El muttered a curse under his breath.

The imposter Ivy Beatrice asked, "What do you want with him?"

Al asked, "Brockway controls six warehouses belonging to the Beat family. How much do you know about these warehouses?"

"all know."

El and Juan exchanged a glance.

She said, "I can take you to see it now."

The paladin Juan stammered, "Uh, that's not necessary... Would you like to change your clothes?"

The imposter Ivy Beatrice was stunned for a full ten seconds before she remembered that she had brought her habit of staying home alone from her previous life into this world. She simply tied her red hair up in a bun, and wore only a loose, off-the-shoulder tank top that covered her upper thighs, with her legs bare and nothing on except for a pair of slippers.

This spectacle might have been a little too stimulating for the native paladins of this alien world who had never experienced Earth's culture.

“There’s no need for that,” she said. “Is there something wrong with the warehouse?”

Stay calm. As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who will be.

“My esteemed young lady,” Paladin Juan slowly organized his thoughts, “El is saying, uh, I don’t know how to say it… Do you know that several people died in the warehouse district today?”

The imposter Ivy Beatrice said nothing, silently gazing at the two of them.

Al stared at her face, but his gaze kept involuntarily sliding downwards. He awkwardly pulled his eyes back to her swan-like neck and above:

"Ivy Beatrice, were you aware that some members of the Bronke Gang died near your warehouse?"

The imposter Ivy Beatrice sighed and shook her head, seemingly disappointed.

"I knew this kind of thing would happen."

She said, "Brockaway's decision to sublet the warehouse to the dock gangs at a low price was an absolute mistake. Those gangsters are all about fighting and killing; they're incredibly stupid."

El said irritably, "The whole bottom city is looking for that couple right now, so you'd better take the day off and don't go out, and don't wander around the warehouse district—by the way, did you go to the warehouse district today?"

"went."

The imposter Ivy Beatrice readily admitted, "I have to go and inspect them, after all, those six warehouses are mine."

Holy Knight Juan perked up: "Respected young lady, have you noticed anything unusual?"

The imposter Ivy Beate thought for a moment and answered seriously, "That depends on how the word 'abnormal' is defined. In my opinion, everything in the bottom city is abnormal—can you tell me what exactly happened? After all, it's my family's warehouse, and I think I have the right to know."

Before El could respond, the young paladin Juan blurted out, "Please rest assured, esteemed young lady, the crime scene is quite a distance from your family's warehouse."

El's expression turned grim, and he silently raised his hand to massage his temples.

“I see,” the imposter said gratefully. “I thought… Anyway, thank you for letting me know, Juan.”

Encouraged, the young paladin spoke even more enthusiastically:

"This evening, the warehouse night patrolman was patrolling in Zone 8 when he tripped over a corpse and was scared half to death. There were three corpses left at the scene, all of them members of the Bronco gang. One was a halfling, a member of the Bronco family, one was a street thug, and the other was Satuk, a Bronco gang henchman. Judging from the wounds, the men must have been fighting each other for some reason."

"That's horrible," she whispered, covering her mouth. "They're killing each other. Does that mean everyone's dead?"

Juan said, "They're all dead. But there should be one more person at the scene who killed the halflings and escaped. We've tracked down an Enser named Kalind. Many people often see him with them. The case should be solved soon."

She nodded, seemingly bewildered.

“Oh, that’s great,” she said, feigning ignorance. “If that’s the case, why did the Broncke gang seek out Brokway?”

"Ah, that's because there were broken bottles from your warehouse scattered around the body. Before this, Brockway wanted to temporarily redeem the warehouse, but the Bronke gang refused. So they think the killer's motive might be related to that—"

Juan wanted to continue his long-winded speech, but El dragged him away.

"Sorry to bother you, goodnight, young lady."

Author's note: Uh oh, I saved a scheduled release, but I set the time wrong. Luckily, Wuxin reminded me and took a look.

Chapter 41 The Night Visitor (Part Two)

The next day, the newly appointed clerk accountant, who had a good long sleep, got up early and took a detour to the warehouse area before going to the dock office.

On the way, she saw a water elemental selling shaved ice with milk drizzle. This reminded her of ice cream from her past life, so she spent a copper coin to buy a cup and ate it as she walked.

She didn't take El's threats seriously.

As expected, the six warehouses were empty, leaving only traces of the numerous boxes that had once been stored there.

The Bronco gang emptied all the smuggled goods overnight—if the murder case remains unsolved, the authorities might seal off all the warehouses in the vicinity and perhaps even thoroughly investigate the goods inside. If the smuggled goods stored in the warehouses are not moved in time and are seized or even confiscated by the authorities, the smugglers and gangs will suffer huge losses.

That's why she hid a corpse.

The absence of one person at the scene means the case remains unsolved. Paladins are not the type to tolerate injustice; they wouldn't simply fabricate a "mutual killing" explanation and hastily close the case like the murder of Judge Pei Ruhai in the novel "Water Margin."

He scooped up a spoonful of shaved ice from another world and put it in his mouth, his emerald green vertical pupils narrowing into two lines of satisfaction.

Two Zionist devils demanded that Brockway immediately vacate six warehouses. The idiot spent money but had no other choice but to push the issue onto the ownership of the warehouses.

And this small matter fell into her hands, and she solved the problem in just one day.

She silently gave herself a thumbs up in her heart.

Things got much easier from there.

Eight days until the "Dragon Madness Lock" arrives.

She had a full eight days to keep the authorities occupied, divert their attention, and exhaust their energy so they wouldn't think about sealing off the warehouse. Then she could simply wait for the Enser pirates to deliver the goods to her door.

And if things go as expected, what she's looking for will soon come to her.

The imposter Ivy Beatrice's good mood lasted until she walked into the dock office.

The reborn demon sat behind her desk, staring blankly at the mountain of old ledgers piled on it. She felt as if half of her energy and spirit had vanished.

Standing next to the desk was Port Authority Chief Burktura, flashing a bright white smile at her.

That rough, fierce face was covered in hair, only two parts of which resembled a human, while eight parts looked like a goblin bear. It was even more terrifying when it smiled like this.

The imposter Ivy Beatrice asked blankly, "Where's Tevodo?"

“He didn’t come early this morning and didn’t ask for leave. Something must have happened,” the port manager said. “No one can help you with your work today, the new guy.”

As he spoke, he patted the latest stack of documents he had just placed on the table: "Enter these into the accounts first."

The newly appointed accountant took the documents without a second thought.

Looking at the various reports and tax forms that hadn't been compiled yet, she felt a chill run down her spine.

The six-armed snake demon, disguised as a female accountant, sighed softly and began to seriously consider whether to take some time to kill someone else and change his identity again.

Tevodor returned home last night and waited anxiously all night, getting up more than twenty times, but Satuk, whom he had contacted when he left work, never came to see him.

The anticipation for gold gradually turned into suspicion and fear of Ivy Beatrice.

On his way to work in the morning, the old man was in a daze when he suddenly heard passersby talking. He listened casually and found out they were discussing the "warehouse massacre."

The old man lingered and listened for a while longer, growing more and more frightened. His legs trembled, and his upper and lower teeth chattered.

For him, there were no unsolved cases, no infighting, and no disappearing Enser people.

The old man's mind was filled with only one name: Ivy Beatrice.

Terrified, the old accountant immediately turned around and ran home, locked the door, and, ignoring his wife's advice and questions, went straight into his cellar, where he stayed for a whole day.

He didn't even respond when his wife called him to come up for dinner.

He stayed in the cellar until late at night before he could recover.

Tvordo carefully climbed out of the cellar; his wife was already asleep. He lit a lamp, packed a few things, and left a note for her.

He didn't dare write anything else, fearing it would bring his wife utter disaster. He simply used the most plain and simple words to explain that he was tired of his unchanging life and had suddenly realized that from now on he would live for himself.

The quill pen stopped writing here.

Ivy Beatrice's face reappeared before his eyes. But at this moment, no matter how he looked at the red-haired beauty's pretty face, he felt a sense of danger and terror.

—Have I awakened you, sir?

The cold, clear voice still echoed in his ears, and Tevodo couldn't help but shiver.

The old accountant quickly added that he was planning a spontaneous trip and, incidentally, fulfilling his dream of becoming a fisherman at sea; don't worry about him. At the end of the note, he apologized to his unsuspecting wife and son who was undergoing paladin training.

After writing all this, he was heartbroken and burst into tears.

The old man wiped away his tears, picked up his packed luggage, opened the door, and left overnight.

He hadn't gone far when he was stopped.

A voice came from the darkness of the street: "Where are you going, Tevodo?"

The old accountant, terrified, clutched his luggage and turned to look in the direction of the sound.

A well-dressed, short man slowly emerged from the darkness; he was a halfling. Behind him followed a large, grotesque figure with grayish-green skin, a long, pointed nose, and bizarre features.

He hurriedly turned around to go back, but was blocked by two burly men.

The two men looked at him with cold smiles, their playful demeanor masking a menacing glint in their eyes; they were clearly not good people.

The voice of a halfling came from behind.

His voice was soft, his tone almost like singing: "Tevodo, Tevodo, Tevodo."

Two burly men put a black cloth bag over Tvordo's head.

The old man was completely blind. Then he felt as if he had been lifted up like a chick. He lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly, not knowing how far he had gone or how many turns he had made, before being thrown onto the damp, cold ground by the person who had been carrying him.

He was then lifted up again, his buttocks hitting a chair.

The black cloth bag on his head was removed.

But taking off the hood made no difference; Tevodo was completely in the dark, and even squinting, he couldn't see anything.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Aprilton Bronco. The Broncos are mine."

A hoarse voice came from all directions, echoing very well: "My brother is dead, and I am extremely angry."

The bland and simple self-introduction made Tvordo tremble.

The old accountant desperately wanted to stand up and defend himself, but before he could even lift his buttocks off the chair, a large hand in the darkness pressed him back down.

“You are the last outsider that Satuk saw before he died, Tevodo.”

The leader of the Bronco gang said calmly, "Tell us the details of your meeting, and you'll still have a chance to get out of here."

"I, I'm not... Ah—!"

Before Tvordo could finish speaking, he felt the five fingers pressing on his shoulder tighten like steel hooks, almost crushing his collarbone.

He was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face.

"Ouch! No, no, please, spare me, spare me! I'll tell you, they went, went to see Beatrice!"

“…Beate?”