Chapter 282

After remembering what place 13 Market Avenue was, Lu Mian's first reaction was that Gardner Martin wanted to harm him.

An abnormal place that official Beyonders couldn't solve, what do you mean by asking me to stay there for a night?

Lu Mian still remembered that after he put on the "Spectator Glasses" once, he saw a gloomy and dark charred building, and saw a blurry face with abnormally hollow eyes behind a certain glass window of that house.

At that time, he instinctively felt uneasy, feeling that it was the dangerous place in Osta Trul's mouth, but because he didn't intend to explore it at all and lacked the spirit of adventure, he couldn't trigger the abnormality there, so he turned his head and threw this matter to the back of his mind.

As thoughts flashed, Lu Mian excluded the possibility that Gardner Martin wanted to use that charred building to set a trap and murder him.

As a member of the secret organization "Iron and Blood Cross Order," as a powerful Beyonder of at least Sequence 6, suspected Sequence 5, this Savare boss had many ways to get rid of a subordinate with different intentions. He didn't need to be so circuitous and complex.

At the same time, Lu Mian associated it with what he had seen and heard during this period:

That charred building was close to White Coat Street. Every time he passed by it from the Breeze Ballroom to his safe house or to find Franca, he often saw homeless people sleeping inside to avoid rain. He had never seen official Beyonders or patrolling police drive them away, nor had he heard of anyone dying there.

He believed that the charred building was very dangerous for three main reasons: first, Osta Trul's spiritual inspiration hint; second, it had never been demolished, as if mysterious power was preventing such things from happening; third, his own intuitive feeling after putting on the "Spectator Glasses."

Combining these various performances, Lu Mian believed that there was indeed a problem there, and the problem was not small, but under normal circumstances, it was unlikely that the abnormality would be triggered. Specific conditions must be met.

"But if the problem won't break out, what is Gardner Martin's purpose in arranging for me to stay there for a night... Test my courage? This is the most meaningless." Lu Mian muttered silently.

He believed that among the impressions he left on Gardner Martin and others, the most profound one should be that he was bold.

After a brief thought, Lu Mian looked at Gardner Martin and said without hiding his worry and suspicion:

"13 Market Avenue? I heard that something is wrong there."

"If there is no problem, what kind of test is it to send you to stay there for a night?" Gardner Martin responded with a smile. "As long as your response is no problem, I believe you can come out completely."

Is this testing how I respond to 'sudden' abnormal events without mastering any intelligence? Lu Mian first nodded with realization, then had more doubts:

"If this is really the purpose, why did Gardner Martin come over late at night and let me go to 13 Market Avenue immediately? Can't we wait until daytime to do this? That can also examine my ability to collect intelligence and see who I will come into contact with...

"In this way, the biggest impact on me is that I have no opportunity to summon Lady Magician's messenger, seek her opinion and possible help, and not face the danger hidden in that charred building alone...

"But Gardner Martin doesn't know that I can summon a demigod's messenger. What he is guarding against shouldn't be this... If he suspected that I was standing behind other forces, he wouldn't give me the opportunity to squeeze into the core layer, which is the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order'. He would have long thought of ways to make me completely 'disappear'...

"Hmm, if he really suspected, he would give me ample time to see where I would go, who I would contact, so as to determine if there is a problem...

"He made things so urgent, there should be other purposes...

"Giving me preparation time means I might regret it, not go to 13 Market Avenue, and turn around to sell the intelligence that the charred building is suspected to be related to the 'Iron and Blood Cross Order' to the official?

"But the problem is, even if I successfully stayed until the sun rose, I could still regret it, and I could still betray them... Take me away on the spot and sign a contract?"

Lu Mian thought about it, but still couldn't figure out Gardner Martin's true intention.

The test should be one aspect, but there must be hidden purposes!

The only thing Lu Mian could be sure of was that Gardner Martin didn't have the idea of killing him for the time being. There was a possibility of life-threatening danger in this mission, but it wouldn't be too big, and the risk was hidden in other places.

After various thoughts kept popping up and settling down, Lu Mian finally made a decision:

"Okay, I'll go now."

Gardner Martin laughed:

"Very good. If you had agreed very readily, I wouldn't be satisfied instead.

"One of the most important traits of personnel who can join the core layer is having brains and being able to think. Otherwise, wouldn't it be better for me to find ways to buy a few new steam robots from the 'God of Steam and Machinery' church?"

Do you mean Franca has brains but not much, can think but not comprehensively? Lu Mian couldn't help but slander in his heart.

Of course, he also knew that the reason why the boss didn't let Franca join the core layer definitely wasn't this.

After slandering, Lu Mian responded to Gardner Martin with a smile:

"I am looking forward to the core layer you described."

While speaking, he turned his body, prepared to walk downstairs, and headed to 13 Market Avenue.

Gardner Martin called him to stop and said as if casually:

"Don't reveal this matter to anyone, including those who sleep next to your pillow, such as Jenna who is singing below."

"Okay." Lu Mian said so, but didn't take it to heart in his heart.

This matter must be shared with Franca and Jenna!

However, these two guys have been busy investigating some gatekeeper disappearance case of the Deep Valley Monastery recently and don't pay much attention to the various affairs of the Savare.

After leaving the Breeze Ballroom, Lu Mian raised his hand and touched his left chest.

Immediately after, he drew a triangular holy emblem, as if praying for good luck to the "God of Steam and Machinery."

The ground that had just rained still had accumulated water. Lu Mian followed the iron-black street lamp poles and arrived at the intersection near White Coat Street at a speed that was neither fast nor slow.

Diagonally in front of it stood a six-story building burned to pitch black. The wall had many peelings, just like that house had grown pairs of hollow and deep black "eyes."

At this time, two or three homeless people were sleeping on the first floor where there were no gates and window frames, and there were scorched bricks and charcoal-like wood everywhere.

Lu Mian stood on the side of the road, looked up and observed for a while, but didn't find any blurry face stuck on the window.

Must put on "Spectator Glasses" to "see" it? Lu Mian didn't hesitate anymore, passed through the dirty door hole, and entered the target building.

Neither his body nor his soul produced any abnormal feeling because of this.

Bypassing those homeless people, Lu Mian found a place suspected to be a living room.

Inside, there was a small room. The wooden door was burned until it was swaying, but it wasn't completely damaged. Outside the broken glass window was the alley behind Market Avenue.

Lu Mian walked in and carefully closed the wooden door.

Then, he sat on the ground by the window, ready to flip out of this abnormal building at any time.

In the inevitable state of torment, time passed second by second, and the night became deeper and deeper. Lu Mian never noticed any problems. It was so quiet here that only the coughing sound of the homeless people echoed from time to time.

Suddenly, he straightened his waist with a brush.

He heard slow footsteps.

The footsteps got closer and closer, knocking on the broken wooden door that couldn't be locked at all, instantly dyeing the quiet night with an uneasy atmosphere.

Just at this moment, the magnificent and layered voice of Termiboros rang in Lu Mian's mind:

"Do not respond."

Do not respond... Lu Mian's hair stood up instantly.

Although he couldn't fully trust that Fate angel, after weighing for a few seconds, he still chose to look at the door silently, without saying a word.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking sound was one after another, with long intervals, slow and heavy.

Knock, knock, knock.

After the person outside knocked for a while, he finally made a sound:

"Help me, I am the person sleeping outside.

"Help me, help me, a murderer rushed in here!"

The compilation is too outrageous... Lu Mian relaxed his highly tense nerves with a self-entertaining attitude.

He never made any response, just like there was no one in this small room.

The voice outside became more and more intense, but the speaking speed slowed down a bit, and unclear, strange pauses appeared:

"He, came! He, came! I, am going to be, killed!

"The next one, is, you!"

As soon as the words fell, the knocker suddenly let out a scream.

Lu Mian then heard a dull heavy blow.

Thump! It seemed someone fell to the ground.

Then, the heavy object outside the door was slowly dragged to a farther place.

Not long after, the tooth-aching sound of cutting entered this room, interspersed with gnawing movements and huge chewing sounds.

A picture suddenly appeared in Lu Mian's mind:

A black shadow was squatting on the ground, using an axe and other items to divide a human corpse, and picking up an arm from time to time to tear and bite a few times.

After a while, similar movements disappeared.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lu Mian's small room was knocked again.

"If you, don't open the door, I will, open it myself, and come in." The one speaking was still the person who asked for help just now.

Lu Mian looked at the crumbling wooden door and had some thoughts:

"As long as I don't respond, the abnormality outside can't open this door and truly threaten me?

"This door clearly has no lock, and it was burned by a big fire, very fragile, yet it can't be opened...

"It doesn't have the ability to open any door, it must establish a connection in the occult sense with the person behind the door?"

Thoughts flashed, and Lu Mian had a further understanding of the current situation, and his heart had a lot more confidence.

Knock, knock, knock, in the knocking sound, the person outside said intermittently:

"I didn't, lie to you.

"I will, really open the door, and come in.

"I will, give you, ten seconds, of, time."

Lu Mian sneered, becoming more and more determined.

He wanted to mock the other party in his heart and let it "If you have the ability, open it," but worried that this would also count as a kind of response, so he forcibly suppressed those thoughts.

Knock, knock, knock.

It was three knocks with long intervals again.

Suddenly, Lu Mian heard a faint creaking sound.

He then saw the crumbling broken wooden door slowly retreat, opening a dark crack.

It was opening.

(End of chapter)