The Devil’s Cage

Kieran wasn’t surprised when he saw Teresa following them in her cruiser.

Teresa wasn’t the young officer beside him. After the horrifying assault from the enemy, if Teresa were to let Hoskin continue his watch over Kieran alone, Kieran would have to re-evaluate how Teresa had gotten promoted to chief officer in the first place.

”She looks furious but is actually very calm and knows that the coming down on us harder will only produce a backlash effect, instead she allowed us to move freely and followed us on her own. So the infuriated rage back there was just an act I assume?”

Kieran couldn’t help but laugh.

He didn’t mind being followed by the chief officer, even from a certain aspect, Kieran hoped that she would follow them.

After all, compared to Hoskin beside him, Teresa seemed to grasp more information about the Winchester House’s explosion.

It was an important aspect for Kieran in search of his main mission because Kieran had sufficient reason to believe his main mission was related to Winchester House’s explosion or at least one of the lead clues.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten the room key in his pocket.

There was also a possibility that both things were totally unrelated but the chances were slim.

Every dungeon world was like a real world in itself. While trying to find the main mission in a real world that would change every day because of different things, it was like searching a needle in a haystack. The difficulty level was enough to let one feel despair.

What if it really happened?

Kieran who was doubtful in nature started to look at the matter seriously unconsciously.

”If it really happens, then I will need to change my perspective of things. Every dungeon world might be as vast as the real world but there is a traceable track surrounding a theme. The main mission is closely related to these themes, just like the newbie dungeon was ”survival”, the first detective one was ”search” and the prison on the island was ”spirit beings” which also derived into the shaman dungeon with the mystical realm. After that was ”foreign matter”, ”fiends”, and ”war”!”

”So… What is the current dungeon theme? Or what does the system want me to do?”

Kieran squinted his eyes and recalled his previous dungeon runs in detail but unfortunately, he couldn’t get anything out of it.

It was just less than a day since Kieran entered the dungeon world and without any related memories, it was difficult for him to identify the theme of the dungeon.

Ultimately, Kieran took a deep breath and put aside the useless thoughts for the time being.

He started to focus on the useful information at hand.

”Do you know anything solid about the person that we are going to find?” Kieran asked.

”That guy’s name is Barney, nicknamed ”Jackal”. He was the boss of the neighborhood where I used to patrol. A drug-addicted bastard and was suspected of a murder when he was younger but eventually was pardoned by the judge because of the lack of evidence. However, the trial made his notoriety higher instead, he started to gather a group of people to sell illegal drugs. After that, he spent two years taking over that neighborhood’s underground business. Every prostitute, thug, nightclub, and gambling lair was under his control, so if anything illegal happened there, chances are it is related to him!”

Hoskin looked hateful when he stated all of these.

For a young police officer with a heart of justice, he wouldn’t allow such a human trash to exist in society.

Kieran, however, was concerned about another thing.

”Even if he relied on the notoriety of a ”murderer” to cheat many of his men, but without a certain level of power, he couldn’t have truly taken control of a whole neighborhood. Besides, it was not any John Doe that could be nicknamed ”Jackal”, he might be at least cunning and vicious like one.”

A person’s name might be wrongly given by their parents but a nickname from others wasn’t the case.

”This kind of guy wouldn’t be concerned about an explosive case without a reason.” Kieran was getting sure of it.

After half an hour, Kieran and Hoskin reached the entrance of a nightclub.

”Dancing Diva”.

The offed neon sign spelled as such, the entrance was closed tight and the trash before the steps hadn’t been cleared. For any nightclub out there, it was at night when it came alive. When the sun rose up high and before it set, it would be closed.

Of course, it was only news for those who didn’t know what was going on inside.

”Here!”

Hoskin glanced over the trash on the ground and quickly turned into an alleyway like he was walking on a familiar road.

At the end of the alleyway was a small short door.

”Those trash outside is actually the secret code for knocking.”

Hoskin said as he knocked on the door.

The moment where Hoskin’s finger knocked on the door, it opened up.

The door revealed a pitch dark entrance and blood stench gushed out on their face, causing Hoskin’s face to turn sour.

”Careful!”

Hoskin pulled out his gun, pointed at the dark entrance and warned Kieran.

He then wanted to venture in.

The short door wasn’t a leveled path but a stairway downwards. One would need to bend down to cross the short door and step on to the stairs before heading down.

It would be easier for one behind the door to walk down the stairs compared to the one outside.

In other words, it was easy to hold but hard to attack location.

Kieran reached out to Hoskin’s shoulder and pulled him back.

”If you don’t want to end up in pieces, you better don’t move!”

Hoskin was puzzled. Kieran then took out the lighter from his pocket and bend down.

Pak!

When the lighter produced a small fire, it lit up the stairway before them.

Hoskin saw a thin thread on the first step of the stairs easily.

A cold sweat straightaway broke out on the young officer’s forehead.

Hoskin wasn’t an idiot, he knew what the thin thread was for and if he stepped onto the thread, he knew what would happen to him.

Kieran raised his lighter and extended his head in the short door. He came back out after a quick glance inside.

”Call for the bomb disposal unit, the things inside aren’t something that we can deal with,”

Kieran said.

It wasn’t a simple trap mine that was created with mere grenades but a real bomb that was connected to an electronic circuit board.

Kieran couldn’t guarantee what would happen if he cut the thin thread before his eyes.

”O...Okay!”

After a brush with death, Hoskin looked at Kieran in gratitude and nodded hard.

He then took out his phone and called it in, however, the ringtone of a phone rung at the alleyway.

Hoskin was surprised when he saw Teresa walked over from the alleyway.

”Chief… you…?”

”How can a police officer not notice that you are being followed? I’m curious about how you got into the heavy crime unit in the first place!” Teresa voiced out the moment she walked out to frightened Hoskin.

Hoskin quickly showed embarrassment on his face.

The chief officer didn’t care further about her young subordinates but looked at Kieran who was calm and wasn’t at all surprised.

She knew Kieran had noticed her a while ago, which made her frown.

However, Teresa didn’t want to linger on the topic for long.

”What did you two find?” She asked.

”Chief, it’s a bomb!”

Hoskin reported quickly and Kieran lit up the darkness with his lighter.

After seeing the thin thread, Teresa followed Kieran in sticking her head inside for a look.

She then quickly called it in with her phone after seeing what was inside.

Her eyes once again looked at Kieran.

”I think we need to have a talk,” Teresa said.

”So do I,” Kieran said with a smile.