Artifact Report

Chapter 293 Brianna's Journey Home
Brianna stepped out of the reception room, drew a silenced pistol from her waist, and called to the butler.

He was standing in the hallway, looking up at the workers removing the chandelier with a somewhat worried expression; hearing the call, he quickly turned around and replied, "What is it—"

A bullet lodged in his forehead.

The decorators in the foyer heard the commotion and became agitated. For a moment, "What's going on?" and "Did you hear that?" buzzed and echoed below the ceiling, like the restless singing of ants.

When the butler's body fell to the ground with a "bang," his head was right in the foyer. Some people were so frightened that they fell off the scaffolding and screamed in pain—but they didn't get to scream for long before the gunshot cut them off, giving the stage to their coworkers.

Some people tried to run, some tried to hide, and some tried to pounce on her—but this wasn't an action movie, and human movements were ridiculously slow in the face of bullets.

With four people and four bullets, we can save a lot of trouble.

The butler turned around and replied, "What are your orders?"

Brianna sighed, erasing all the detailed fantasies that had flashed through her mind in an instant.

Indeed, a part of her body still remained, belonging to the human.

Even though I don't know what it is—conscience? Compassion? Or simply awe of the "consequences"?

"Madam needs you to go to the manor to retrieve something."

When she handed the car keys to the butler, her fingers trembled so much she almost dropped them. The butler looked at her suspiciously, still reluctant to leave, glancing behind her a few times: "Where is Madam?"

After the passageway was removed, the last thing that supported and maintained this body seemed to have disappeared as well.

Brianna felt that if she relaxed her strength, closed her eyes, and opened them again, she would probably be back in her lair.

The thing that allowed her to connect with Green no longer exists in Green's body, and even if it is barely maintained, the time left is very limited.

“She’s in the drawing room,” Brianna said with difficulty, constantly suppressing the gun that was rising in her mind. “I’ve already told you her orders, why are you still going to see her?”

The butler was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his head, avoiding Brianna's gaze, which was fixed on him and whose eyes were beginning to glaze over.

"I...I'll go say hello before I leave."

Brianna watched him push open the door to the reception room, and a hushed conversation followed behind it. Half a minute later, the butler silently walked past her, nodded, and finally headed for the door.

How could you possibly find a flaw in something I've planned out in my mind over and over again, and stop its progress?
Even if it's not for Morandall, even if we don't consider Morandall, even if it's just for—for—

Getting rid of the renovation workers is just a matter of a few words; as long as their wages are paid and they are given a temporary day off, they will naturally go out happily.

"Mrs. Jacqueline, please come here for a moment."

Brianna stood in the deserted foyer and called out almost sweetly, "The master instructed me to demonstrate the effect to you..."

Jacqueline walked to the entrance of the hall, leaned her shoulder against the wall, and looked at her coldly.

Don't you feel even a little bit guilty?

Brianna was taken aback.

“How good is my husband to you? You only know a little about the Hunter world. I think there are plenty of retired Hunters like you in Blackmore City. But he gave you a high salary, a position, and made you his personal secretary to manage his illusion-related affairs... but you gave him all sorts of messy ideas. Not only did you fail to save his life, but even in death, he can't rest in peace.”

Brianna continued to stare at her blankly.

Wait a minute, no way, this look, this expression—no way?

"It was your decision to put the vulture in the coffin and bury him with you..." Brianna said softly.

"Why not?"

Jacqueline suddenly raised her voice, so sharp it seemed to hurt even the ears of the dead. "God knows what you brought him in? I just can't understand why he would agree to your nonsense. What vulture? I have no idea what that is. Even if it can turn into Celeste's likeness, am I really going to pretend it's my husband?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Brianna raised her hand, trying to control herself, and barely managed to stop laughing.

“Let me start from the beginning… After his death, you insisted on sending the vulture back to its nest. I said I didn’t know how to get rid of it; it’s easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. Then you said, then put the vulture in a coffin and let it be buried with Mr. Wei.”

"What's the point of you saying this? It's my own decision, do I need you to tell me?"

Brianna tilted her head back, reminding herself that it wasn't the right time yet, and she couldn't say whatever she wanted—but then she thought that if she didn't speak now, she would never have the chance.

She wanted to hear it from Jacqueline herself.

“I thought you wanted him dead, which is why you wouldn’t let the vulture still appear in his form, pretending he’s still alive. Even if you have a prenuptial agreement and only a small portion of his estate goes to you, you’d rather be a free man with diminished wealth.”

Or perhaps she doesn't trust the residents—something Brianna can understand.

Jacqueline's eyes widened; her blue eyes hung suspended in the whites of her eyes, not meeting her eye sockets.

"So now you're telling me you have real feelings for him?" Brianna couldn't hold back any longer. Holding onto the scaffolding, her laughter rippled through her diaphragm, and she exhaled bursts of carbon dioxide that smelled of decay.

"Are you trying to tell me that you two, who are not young, selfish, cold-hearted, and always calculating for your own benefit—my God—are doing this because you are of the same kind and share the same wickedness? Are you trying to tell me that you are a loving couple?"

She had never heard of anything so outrageous—the world was indeed incredibly strange; there was nothing impossible, only things you couldn't imagine. Yet this kind of bizarre thing wasn't as simple and straightforward as the Nest; instead, it carried a cloying, repulsive quality. The Nest was far more charming; it was much simpler than the world, and there wouldn't be such ugly, cloying things in the Nest—

"What is this? Am I living in a romantic fantasy created by a middle-aged woman?"

Brianna laughed until tears almost streamed down her face, but Green seemed unable to shed any more tears.

"You meet a young, widowed man, discover he's a billionaire, and quickly marry him. Even though he doesn't love his own daughter, he loves you with all his heart—my God, are you trying to kill me with this method?"

She was laughing so hard that she didn't even notice when Jacqueline walked up to her—until Brianna was suddenly slapped across the face.

She was slapped so hard that her head had to turn.

But it didn't hurt at all. She didn't feel any pain at all, but her voice was quite loud, as if it could echo in the hallway forever.

Jacqueline's face turned red with anger. She shouted a few curses, then subconsciously lowered her head, and her voice suddenly became softer.

"What is this?" Jacqueline asked, looking at her fingers. "This is... is it powder? You've put on foundation?"

She looked at her hands, then at Brianna's cheek.

Will livor mortis appear in the shape of five fingers?

Brianna thought to herself with almost delight.

"Who...who exactly are you?" Jacqueline took a half step back, as if suddenly remembering that only she and Brianna were in the house, and looked around.

“Tell me, Mrs. Jacqueline,” Brianna said gently, “that your relationship with him is so genuine and so good, haven’t you ever asked him what happened to his daughter from his previous marriage?”

Jacqueline couldn't utter anything meaningful, seemingly only able to say, "...Huh?"

"Didn't you also have a daughter? Aren't you worried? Aren't you afraid that this will be a cautionary tale? Or do you just not care at all and have never asked? It's okay, that's not your responsibility as a second wife. It doesn't matter if you don't ask. What I'm curious about is, hasn't he said anything at all?"

“Why…why are you asking her?” Jacqueline swallowed hard. “Cely did say it once…he said it was good that she was dead.”

Brianna responded with an "Oh".

The lobby fell silent for a moment.

“Why?” Brianna asked.

Jacqueline remained silent for a long time. It was as if she also sensed that she shouldn't speak.

She had only glimpsed a projection of the Hunter world, without even seeing the threshold. For someone to die but not die, and then stand before her in a different form—this was something an ordinary person would never imagine encountering in their life.

"Why?" Brianna asked again.

“He…he was worried that Brianna would be resentful and have property disputes with the children later. Besides, the way she is…sometimes she’s seen being intimate with other women and being photographed by reporters, which is also…very embarrassing.”

“Oh.” Brianna nodded.

A Vesilé who was indifferent to everyone was far more endearing than a Vesilé who actually showed some tenderness towards her wife. The complexity and multifaceted nature of humanity—even Vesilé possessed such complexity and multifacetedness—truly disgusting.

"I gotta go,"

Jacqueline's anger subsided slightly, but she became wary. She took another step back, turned, and hurried towards the door: "You don't need to come again. I'll have someone else contact you regarding the follow-up matters—"

Brianna watched her retreating figure without saying a word to stop her.

She was holding a few screws that she had just removed in her hand. Now she walked behind the scaffolding and raised one foot.

The scaffolding crashed down with a whoosh, and in the wind, she heard Jacqueline let out a half-scream.

The second half of the sound suggests they're probably already in the nest.

She didn't know where Jacqueline might have landed in the nest, but that didn't matter. She had already devised a plan to get the nest's inhabitants to help her find her.

After the human figure that had blocked the way for a moment suddenly disappeared, the scaffolding crashed to the ground.

Brianna closed her eyes.

After a period of time that she couldn't even remember how long, she was finally able to close her eyes and relax for the first time.

Let go, loosen your grip, loosen your grip, let the darkness fall, and slide into the depths of darkness.

She went home.

(End of this chapter)