Soul Trigger

Chapter 689 Little Trash

In the reception hall of the Green Mansion, Sika looked at the man in black in front of her with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

Beside him was Andrew, and behind him was Jason, who was acting as the host due to the absence of old Green.

Across from them sat a man with a light gold ponytail, wearing smart glasses, and a female guard beside him, both dressed in black.

The family insignia on their chests and the Youth League badges on their shoulders signify their identity:
A member of the Ludwig family's undercover oversight body.

"I didn't expect people from the Duke's mansion to come."

“The entire Sørenki County is under the jurisdiction of the Ludwig family, so there is no conflict. Moreover, we are here today as the undercover supervisory group.”

Without looking up, she wiped the pocket watch in her hand with her light blonde ponytail.

"But the situation in Red Maple Town should be handled by the Royal Asylum and the Crimson Hunters; it is not under the jurisdiction of the Dark Side Oversight Group."

"With such a major event as the Dead Apostle invasion, the Dark Side Oversight Group certainly has to take action, especially in a place like Red Maple Town..."

A woman with light blonde hair in a ponytail grinned.
"Let me introduce myself. You can call me Kane. This is my adjutant. I think the man by the window needs no introduction."

Sika glanced at the window, where a petite figure sat with a red hood covering her face, wearing a mask, and wrapped in bandages.

She seemed completely uninterested in what was happening inside, merely observing with keen interest the people coming and going outside—

Crimson Hunter - Juno.

Why aren't Odin and the captain here yet...?

Sika sighed inwardly and said dryly:

“We will cooperate with your investigation. We have already discovered the Crimson Ritual left behind by the Dead Apostles, and we will take you there once the captain arrives…”

Before he could finish speaking, Kane raised his hand to interrupt:

"No, we're not interested in that; that's Miss Juno's job. What we're more interested in is whether there were any unusual occurrences, people, or events during your mission?"

Are they here for Odin? No, they're probably here for Valhalla...

Sika's eyes flickered, and she was about to answer when Kane interrupted her with a flash of inspiration:

"Before you speak, I advise you to be careful with your words, as this may affect my judgment of you and Birmingham's subsequent handling of your case..."

Sika frowned, instinctively mobilizing her spiritual energy to scan for anomalies, but found nothing:

"Aside from the traces of the Dead Apostles, nothing unusual was found. If you would like to know more details, perhaps you can ask Lord Shepherd yourself."

"Where is he?"

"Yesterday, the pursuers left Red Maple Town."

"You mean the anomalies in Red Maple Town have ended?"

"certainly……"

"But why do I smell the odor of runaway storax everywhere?"

"This is normal; after a mutation, there are always remnants of malevolent spirits..."

"No, this is not normal."

Kane looked at Sika meaningfully, snapped his fingers lightly, and his adjutant beside him understood. A flash of spiritual light appeared in his eyes, and the door was pushed open.

To the astonishment of Sika and her two companions, a middle-aged man and a woman were forcefully shoved into the room by soldiers from the Dark Side Surveillance Corps, falling to the ground.

They were all residents of Red Maple Town, their mouths and noses gagged, their eyes filled with terror—

"If this is a normal situation, then why do these townspeople also have uncontrolled, malevolent auras lingering in their souls?"

The man and woman had no relation to each other; their only commonality was that they were both affected by the sheepdog's spell, resulting in the separation of malevolent human spirits from their bodies.

Having grown up in town, Jason couldn't stand the scene. He took a step forward, ready to swear, but Sika raised her hand to stop him.
"what do you mean?"

Where is the Dead Water Knight now?

"He suddenly had to leave on urgent business, without informing us of his specific itinerary or the reason."

The Dead Water Knight is a member of the Ludwig family. This guy tricked Sika and the others badly, and there's no guarantee that if he's released, he won't expose what happened here.

His reason for being here is for Odin's Valhalla. If Kane's appearance is also for Valhalla, then Kane and the Deadwater Knight have a tacit understanding. If Sika and the others pretend not to know, then this seemingly clumsy explanation is acceptable.

But Kane wasn't intimidated; instead, he smiled slightly.
"I want to see him, right now."

"Then you'll have to contact him yourself..."

"I've tried, but no one answers the phone."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

"In that case, I'll have to take these townspeople back for a thorough investigation. What if we find something?"

Do you think this will solve the problem?

"Why not, dear Mr. Liar..."

A chilling glint appeared in Kane's eyes, and Sika felt a sudden jolt, her entire body stiffening, her spiritual energy freezing as if it had solidified.
"you……"

“My arrival is special, Mr. Sika.”

He stepped forward slowly, his body radiating spiritual energy, and his smile deepened.
"You guys definitely have a problem."

This concerns the legacy of our pioneers, and there is no room for carelessness.

The Dead Water Knight, who had previously left his family, could not be contacted, and the local townspeople were tainted with an ominous aura...

Given the presence of the Dead Apostles, these phenomena are certainly plausible, but ultimately, his abilities are the true test of everything.

"Let me reintroduce myself: Kane Ludwig, High Deacon of the Ludwig Family Court, titled 'Knight of Faith'."

He walked slowly to Sika, ignoring Andrew who was blocking his way, and looked him straight in the eyes:

"Don't lie to me..."

Bang!
The side door opened wide, and Angelica and her entourage, their faces expressionless, filed in:

"Unleash your abilities."

Kane chuckled and snapped his fingers. Sika immediately collapsed to the ground in relief, drenched in cold sweat.

What kind of ability is this?!

"The Knight of Faith, a lie detector expert for the Ludwig family, and a high-ranking deacon who specializes in investigating internal family affairs."

Being exposed for lying in front of him would lead to a 'curse of dishonesty'... So you're the one who intercepted my teacher's people?

Kane, the faithful knight, still smiled:

"The matter in Red Maple Town involves important internal family affairs, and Ms. Veronica is not qualified to cross that line."

As Andrew pulled Sika to the back, Angelica and Ji Li exchanged a slight glance.

Kane witnessed this, and he concealed the suspicion in his eyes as he sized up the unassuming young man behind him:
With a youthful appearance, slender build, and decent spiritual energy fluctuations... a promising newcomer? But what's with that look in the Blood Silver Knight's eyes...?

Could this person have played some important role in the legacy of the pioneers?
The person you're looking for is here.

This surprised Kane slightly.
"Bordeaux..."

Emerging from behind Aiquier and Ji Li was Bordeaux, the Dead Water Knight who had been released.

He brushed past Ji Li, and under the latter's azure gaze, I swallowed hard.
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency, I..."

"Explain to me why the guard has disappeared."

A barely perceptible blue light flashed in Ji Li's eyes behind him, and Bordeaux immediately trembled, quickly interrupting Kane:

"We've successfully opened that place!"

In an instant, Kane's eyes lost focus:
"What did you say?!"

Seeing Kane's incredulous expression, Bordeaux swallowed hard again, suppressing the urge to look at Juno and beg for help.
“I mean…we successfully opened the Pioneers’ secret vault…”

Kane was immediately speechless. After a long silence, he snapped his fingers, and a layer of spiritual energy enveloped the entire Green Manor.

"Bordeaux, tell me what happened. I want you to tell me everything in detail, down to the last detail!"
The entire town must be locked down; I need to report this to the clan immediately…”

But then a voice suddenly came:
"We can take you inside to have a look first."

Kane's gaze shifted and focused on Ji Li behind him:
"you?"

Ji Li smiled and shrugged:

“I discovered that place, and I opened it myself. I can take you inside.”

Go inside...the location of Odin's secret treasure?

Kane's gaze froze completely, and his heart began to pound.

Noticing his reaction, Ji Li smiled and added at the opportune moment:
"No explanation can compare to witnessing it firsthand, can it?"

Kane saw the spiritual energy fluctuations in his eyes, quickly calmed himself down, and activated his ability:
They didn't lie.

Kane felt a slight sense of relief; it meant that they had indeed opened Odin's secret treasure, or at least they believed they had...

This is no small matter, because the Ludwig family hasn't set foot in Red Maple Town for a century, and has almost forgotten about it, precisely because they haven't discovered any way to find the Pioneers' hidden treasure. If this expedition truly leads to this, it will be an immense achievement, perhaps even elevating his status within the family…

He raised his hand:
"Annie, seal off all entrances and exits to the town."

Then he turned to look at Ji Li:

"You, lead the way."

The group moved in unison, but Kane raised his hand to stop them:

“Only he, the Blood Silver Knight, and Bordeaux are coming with me. Everyone else will stay here.”

As he spoke, he gestured towards Aiquier, who was behaving intimately with Ji Li, and pointed to his adjutant:
"You, follow her."

"Kid, if you have any other ideas, Annie will kill your girlfriend the moment you open your mouth, understand?"

Ji Li smiled, revealing his teeth:
“Yes, sir. But that’s my sister.”

"You mean you don't feel sorry for me?"

"Of course it hurts to see you suffer."

"Then shut up and lead the way..."

"and many more."

A woman's voice suddenly broke through the group.

Before Ji Li knew it, a petite figure had appeared in front of him—

It's Juno.

She wore a mask, obscuring her face, and pointed at a somewhat bewildered Kane, saying:

Do you dislike this person?

Mingzhao...

The atmosphere around them suddenly turned somber, and even Kane's spiritual energy fluctuations became momentarily disordered.
"Sir, please don't joke around..."

"If you hate him, I can help you get rid of him."

Ignoring Kane's unpleasant expression, Ji Li suddenly found it amusing:

There's no such thing as a free lunch, is there?

"Yes, you'll be my dog."

what?
Aquil was stunned, Angelica's lips twitched, and Sika looked completely bewildered. Jason paused for a moment, then his anger was palpable, but Andrew held him back from rushing forward.

Where did this little brat come from, blaspheming my god?!
As for the god himself, he found it quite amusing and bluntly stated:
"Girl, do you keep a lot of dogs?"

"So-so. But I think if you were my dog, you'd be of great benefit to me. If you agree, I'll kill him right now."

Kane was sweating profusely and didn't care about Ji Li's rude way of addressing Juno:
"Lady Juno, this..."

Before he could say anything, Ji Li's voice boomed like thunder:

"Then why won't I let you be my dog?"

Kane's pupils were blank; he stiffly turned his head to look at Ji Li, every pore on his face questioning him:

Are you fucking crazy?

Angelica grabbed his wrist, saying, "Father, don't be impulsive, the plan is more important..."

Little Red Riding Hood, however, stared at Ji Li without saying a word for a long time.

"Since you think it's beneficial for me to follow you, why don't you follow me? The benefits are the same."

After several more seconds of silence, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, Juno spoke again:
“I’ll think about it. Where is the Dead Apostle trail you mentioned? Take me there.”

Angelica breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Sica and Andrew:
"You two, take Lord Juno to that manor in the woods."

She tightened her grip on Ji Li's wrist, signaling him to calm down.

No matter what the plan is, we absolutely cannot let this red hunter discover the problem; we must at least wait until she is lured away.

……

Outside the manor, a small team of undercover agents has taken control of the estate.

These soldiers, dressed in black and well-equipped, were all Awakened and armed with various standard weapons.

After the incident in the town, the town's residents became extremely unstable. Old Green had to use all the manor's manpower to quell the situation and try to consolidate Odin's presence.

These activities, primarily taking place near the town center, were halted by another squad from the Dark Side oversight group brought by Kane, who then carried out a violent crackdown.

The discovery and attempt to isolate individual human spirits exhibiting malevolent spiritual fluctuations sparked a conflict between the townspeople and the soldiers.

Thanks to the mediation of Old Green and the disguised Odin soldiers, these unnecessary violent clashes were avoided, but the soldiers still temporarily arrested many people and separated them from the ordinary townspeople.

Outside the city center and Green Manor, the third squad was instructed not to leave their homes.

The sudden imposition of martial law caused widespread discontent in Red Maple Town, which had just experienced a major upheaval. Ji Li and Angelica witnessed this on their way to the old campus of Yuke Middle School:

"It seems you value the secrets here very much."

Kane remained calm in the face of Angelica's sarcasm.

“Don’t talk to me like that. This is Duke Ludwig’s territory, so everything here belongs to the Duke, including the spirits of these people.”

"If you impose martial law like this, things won't be easy to handle later..."

"The martial law won't last long. It will end naturally once I've inspected the area and made a judgment... Is this the place?"

Kane glanced at the unassuming doorway of the room, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Angelica immediately whispered to Ji Li:

"I've been tricked. I didn't expect the people who came to be from the Duke's mansion, and there were so many of them..."

"They are not entirely subordinate to the shadowy oversight group; they are mainly on secondment to the Ludwig family. But even so, if they are all wiped out here..."

"I have my measure."

"You two..."

Kane's voice came from ahead:

"So now, how can we enter the secret realm?"

He looked at the two of them, his spiritual energy slowly fluctuating.

Ji Li smiled:

"Just walk in."

Kane sized up the two of them, then suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Ji Li, and shoved him inside:
"You go in first."

Then he looked at Angelica, who shrugged and went inside as well.

Kane was relieved and glanced at Bordeaux standing beside him:

"You stay here."

Then I stepped inside.

The moment he stepped inside, everything around him lit up, and he felt a rapid, as if ascending to heaven sensation on the top of his forehead—

Dusk, wheat fields, towering giant buildings reaching into the clouds.

He was instantly stunned:

"The legacy of the pioneers..."

His heart was pumping faster, stimulating his nerves:

"Exactly the same as in the records, it really is..."

He suddenly turned around to look at Ji Li and the other person, his face filled with uncontrollable ecstasy that transformed into an overwhelming killing intent:
"Besides you, how many other people know the truth?"

"There is still one."

"Where?"

"In front of me."

"...?"

Ji Li smiled broadly, while Kane froze instantly, his soul trigger warning flaring up, and his soul armor erupted—

boom! ! ! !

A massive steel hand descended from the sky and smashed him to pieces from head to toe, tearing up a sticky pulp of flesh and blood.

Odin, the Destroyer of the Underworld, retracted his massive, sophisticated steel claws, and opened his palm to reveal a dense array of cleaning cells that cleaned him.

"Little trash."

(End of this chapter)