Chapter 3155: The Detective Shall Die (17)

"Why are there so many dogs?" Shiler shook the blood off his hands, looking at the three or four sturdy hunting dogs rushing out from the doorway, and said with some confusion.

"These dogs have been fed until they are plump and strong, which proves that the lighthouse must be guarded, though I don't know if anyone is still alive." Shiler sighed and said.

"What should we do? Kill them or run?"

"Kill them all. If we don't find any food, they can serve as emergency rations." Shiler beckoned to Greed, who blinked.

"Give me the knife," Shiler said.

"You want to engage in melee combat?" Greed hesitated, saying, "External wounds might be treatable, but there's no cure for rabies."

"There are only two bullets left in this gun," Shiler said. He didn't say more, letting Greed throw the knife to him, but he didn't put down the shotgun either. If he were facing humans, he might worry about them snatching the gun, but he had no such concerns with dogs.

Shiler held the knife in his dominant hand and turned the gun around, gripping the stock again. The moment the lead dog lunged, he dodged to the side and thrust the long, thin shotgun barrel into the dog's neck with force, spraying fresh blood all over the ground.

But this seemed to incite the pack even more; they no longer lunged one by one, but attacked in groups of three.

The light was dim, so Shiler couldn't clearly identify the breed, but they were definitely large fighting dogs—sharp-fanged, strong, and with clearly defined muscles in their front and hind limbs.

These dogs, bred specifically for animal fighting, were extremely vicious and would never let go once they bit into something; even a small graze would cost you a chunk of flesh.

As the three dogs lunged simultaneously, Shiler rolled violently to the side, jumping into the reception desk area by the edge of the carpet. The moment the dogs jumped onto the counter, he stabbed and pulled back; seeing the mucus from an eyeball on the blade, he knew the lead dog had lost an eye.

There were two chairs behind the reception desk. Shiler grabbed one and swept it across the counter, knocking down a dog that had just jumped up.

The second dog, trying to squeeze in from the side of the desk, was slashed across its front leg by Shiler, but its ferocity didn't diminish in the slightest. Its sharp fangs glinted with a terrifying cold light under the moonlight, and saliva dripped continuously onto the floor.

Shiler feigned a retreat, only to raise the chair again, knocking down both dogs attacking from the front. The dog on the side thought it had an opportunity; it backed up slightly, lunged forward, and the moment it leaped, Shiler gripped the kitchen knife horizontally with both hands and slashed hard at its lower abdomen.

*Squelch! *

Blood and entrails sprayed everywhere again. The leaping dog was still able to drag its intestines and try to bite, but Shiler ended its life with one final strike.

However, another hound had already taken advantage of the opening to jump in. Shiler grabbed a nearby chair, forcing the dog into a narrow space, and thrust the shotgun barrel through the gaps in the chair.

The hound took the bait, biting onto the shotgun barrel and refusing to let go, shaking its head as it bit. Shiler threw the chair aside and swung the hound away by the gun.

Another hound happened to jump onto the reception desk. Shiler didn't bother knocking it down; instead, he jumped out from behind the desk. While the dog was turning, he smashed the shotgun barrel into its waist, and the moment it lost its balance and fell inward, he stabbed his knife into its belly.

The hound that had been thrown away quickly stood up and charged again. Shiler dodged to the side, but not too far. As the dog turned, he flipped the shotgun, gripped the barrel, and swung it with a smash, instantly splattering brains everywhere.

All five vicious hounds lay dead on the lobby floor.

Shiler exhaled, propping the shotgun in front of him to regain some stamina. Greed, who had already reached the stairs, leaned over the railing and gave him a thumbs-up.

Shiler smiled at him, shook his blood-stained hands, and said, "Shall we go up and take a look?"

Greed nodded and walked up. Shiler followed. The stairwell was a bit dark, and Shiler was covered in blood, the thick, metallic scent lingering.

Before reaching the second floor, Shiler heard breathing.

He activated Spirit Vision again but saw nothing ahead. Greed seemed completely unafraid, striding up to the second floor, finding the room where the breathing came from, and pulling the door open directly.

A man with a gray-white beard was slumped in the corner. There was a clear, jagged wound on his leg; in the light from the nearby window, it was evident that a chunk of flesh had been bitten off by sharp teeth.

Seeing them, the man looked as if he had seen a ghost, roaring at them, "Don't come over! You monsters!!!"

"We aren't monsters..."

Greed had just started to speak when the man began to curse angrily. Greed held his breath, stepped aside, revealing Shiler behind him, holding a knife and covered in blood. He then stared at the man and said.

"We *are* monsters. What do you want to do about it?"

The man was choked up. "What do you mean, what do *I* want to do? Isn't it what *you* want to do?"

"We don't want to do anything to you," Shiler said. "Are those dogs downstairs yours? Those little guys caused us quite a bit of trouble. Our team happens to have an elite lawyer; are you sure you can accept the figure on the compensation bill?"

The man ignored the nonsense in the second half of his sentence and asked, "You killed those dogs? How did you manage that?"

"As you can see," Shiler replied.

"You... are you a priest?" the man asked, both shocked and suspicious.

"I am a member of the clergy, but not a priest. Have you heard of a Soul Soother?" Shiler walked into the room.

Smelling the thick scent of blood, the man opened his mouth, but after a long while, he said dryly, "Are you sure you're a Soul Soother?"

"I guarantee your dogs are very peaceful now," Shiler nodded and said.

The man's Adam's apple moved visibly.

"Fine, we're all going to die anyway. You might as well just make it quick." The man tilted his head back, but his body was still trembling; clearly, he wasn't as tough as he appeared.

"Was this leg wound caused by the dogs you raised?" Greed walked forward to examine the wound and said, "Our team has a doctor. If you have any medicine or bandages, we might be able to save your life."

The man said in a dry voice, "No need. Even if the bleeding is stopped now, I won't live long."

"Why?"

"Since you're from the outside, you should know that a strange event has broken out here. The legendary monster, the Prowler, has invaded the village. No one can survive here."

"Are all the people in the village dead?"

"I don't know, but the lighthouse hasn't been lit for days, and no one has come looking. Perhaps they are all dead."

"So you were suddenly attacked by your dogs and then trapped in the lighthouse by them?"

The man seemed surprised that they could guess that, showing a look of astonishment, but he nodded and said, "That's right. The room where I kept the dogs wasn't locked. I didn't dare go down. Although I'll die sooner or later, being eaten by my own dogs is just a bit too..."

"Alright, I completely understand," Shiler said. "Those dogs were indeed very vicious; if you had gone down, you definitely would have been eaten. However, we have a friend who is injured and needs medicine and emergency supplies. If you can provide them for us, we don't mind taking you with us when we leave."

"You... are you from the Church?" The man appeared hesitant. He said, "How many people did you bring? Are there any Inquisitors? Do you have helicopters or anything?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Regardless of how many people we have or how many supplies we have, the worst-case scenario is just you being killed by a monster. If you come with us, there's at least a chance you might survive."

The man showed a look of surprise and shook his head. "Aren't you from the Church? Don't you know that if you leave the area where a strange event has broken out without confirmation that it won't spread, you'll be executed by the Tribunal even if you survive?"

Shiler and Greed exchanged a look. They really didn't know that, but Shiler understood the reason for such a rule after a moment of thought. Many strange events could spread like viruses; once a single survivor escaped, it could lead to the downfall of a few, or even the infection of an entire city.

"I guessed right, didn't I?" The man said with a hint of mockery. "Your army must have already surrounded the village. Anyone who tries to run out gets killed. That's how you've always solved problems. Taking me out is just to show off your kindness; I'm not going to survive in the end anyway."

Greed decided not to waste any more breath on him. He said directly, "There's a huge cave under the village, and an underground river full of fish. We came from there. Do you think the army outside can find that place?"

Mentioning the underground cave, the man's eyes lit up. He stared fixedly at Greed and said, "You've seen Harold? He must be dead by now, right? I went to find him back then, and he refused to take us out of here. Now he's dead himself! Damn him, he deserved it!"

Shiler's eyes sharpened. He immediately thought of the fact that the owner of the diary had mentioned that when the strangeness first broke out, someone in the village had come to find him. Could it be this man?

"What is your name?" Shiler asked.

"Just call me Jeff," Jeff's face quickly turned gray again. He said, "Then it seems that his detective friend with the heaven-defying skills must be dead too, along with that Madeline. She acted like she knew more than anyone, but when she encountered a real monster, didn't they all die?"

"That's right, they are all dead," Shiler nodded and said. "And they all died in that remote little cabin."

Jeff was about to say something when he suddenly thought of something, showing a look of terror. "You went to that cabin and saw their corpses?!"

"That's right, we burned the place to the ground."

"Idiots! You bunch of idiots! Don't you know that fire can't kill monsters?! After you burn the corpses, you'll only let the monsters possess you! Get out! Get away from me!!"

Greed smiled and said, "Aren't you not afraid of death?"

Jeff paused, the panic in his eyes flashing and disappearing. He said, "You don't understand, you don't understand... being killed by a monster is the most painful thing."

He closed his eyes tightly, his breathing rapid, as if he had thought of something, but when Greed asked him, he wouldn't say anything else.

Greed felt that this was a situation where a dice roll could be used for a check, but his appearance and luck weren't high enough. He felt that the Pale Knight, as a lawyer, should have points in skills like Persuasion, so he figured he would have to make him come up here later.

"Fine, you can lie here, but you must tell us where the medical supplies are," Greed continued.

"In... in the third floor, perhaps," Jeff said, his eyes darting away. ===== CHAPTER 3156 =====