The Devil’s Cage

Pang!

Amidst the skidding noises produced by tires braking abruptly on the asphalt road, Eckart, trying to turn around, flew in front to the dashboard. His eyes widened when he saw a white cat’s figure running away.

The cat was a magical animal. No matter how poor or rich, healthy or sick, happy or sad you are, it would always look down on you.

Most of the time, cats’ appearances attracted people’s attention, thus giving birth to thoughts of touching or rearing one.

However, in this secluded, dark road, the sudden appearance of a cat did not produce the same thoughts. Instead, a strange, eerie feeling filled the group’s heads.

Eckart climbed up from his ugly state, loosened his tie, exercised his back to ease the discomfort, and looked at Kieran.

Kieran was still sitting there, no changes to his sitting posture and no expression on his face.

During normal times, Kieran’s expressionless face didn’t mean anything, but now, it made Eckart heave a breath of relief. Eckart sat back in his seat.

“How is it?” Eckart asked while looking around and sizing up the surroundings—he was afraid that something unexpected might come out.

It seemed like the director of the station was not as calm as he looked.

“Let’s move on,” Kieran said calmly.

“Drive!”

After Kieran’s reply, the director finally felt relief. He tapped the backseat of the driver, telling him to continue on.

The driver really wanted to say no, but he had no choice.

Those who had the rights to say no in this kind of situation were always the minority and could be much fewer than expected.

The minivan started again.

In his seat, Kieran took a quiet glance at Mei Huasheng beside him from the corner of his eyes, and started to recall the scene with the white cat.

Although it was just a flash, it was enough for Kieran to see the whole picture.

It was a white cat with blue eyes and strong limbs.

It was clean and beautiful, obviously belonging to someone.

And judging from how the cat moved around the area…

Kieran looked up and saw the building at the end of the road.

Edwood Mansion!

“Much more careless than I’d expect.”

“As I thought… Numbed because of the long period of time?” Kieran spoke to himself in his heart before closing his eyes.

The unexpected information gave him more confidence.

Now?

He had to wait before arriving at their destination.

When the minivan continued on, the other interview van, which had fell back for some distance, followed again as well.

Both vans were moving to their destination like tortoises climbing to the finish line. The drivers were hoping to never reach the mansion, but even a tortoise would eventually reach the end of the road, which wasn’t infinitely long.

After the little hiccups, the sky turned dark completely.

The three-story Edwood Mansion towered in the darkness, and even though the lighting man lit up the path ahead, it only showed a corner of the mansion.

The mansion was much bigger than it appeared in the photos.

Kieran came down from the minivan and walked to the mansion.

Behind him was the camera and lighting men, whose faces were pale as paper, and Eckart, who acted as the temporary host. They wanted to follow Kieran, but he stopped them with a wave of the hand.

“I’ll go have a check first. It won’t be long, give me 15 minutes,” said Kieran.

He then circulated the outer fence of the mansion slowly. Mei Huasheng, who didn’t utter a word, followed Kieran nevertheless.

Kieran sized up the surroundings, while Mei Huasheng locked her gaze on Kieran.

Kieran felt the judgmental gaze again, but he didn’t care. He was checking something else.

The flashlight shone through the fence and landed on the dried-up garden. The distinct shadow casted from the fence split the garden into columns.

As Kieran moved forward, the columns followed his flashlight.

The garden was already emptied of flowers, and all it housed now was weeds.

The weeds were unusually long and dense, some parts even went outside the fence and continued growing outside. At the same time, it created a subtle blocking effect, making it hard for one to truly see into the mansion without getting closer to the fence.

But not just the garden, even the small door behind the mansion and the other side of the mansion was in the same condition.

Weeds overgrown was an understatement to describe the condition–it was like the mansion was surrounded by the weeds.

Kieran set his gaze on the small door.

Unlike the other mottled, rusted spots, the fence beside the small door was much ‘newer’.

Kieran curled his lips into a grin.

He then continued circulating in Edwood Mansion without another pause. After that, he walked along the alleyway, and when the time was almost up, Kieran returned to the entrance of the mansion.

Eckart, the temporary host, had already started the show and was presenting in front of the camera. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we are…”

After some procedural introductions, the cameraman and lighting man turned to Kieran.

Although they were scared, their duty to their jobs allowed them to know what must they do.

Kieran ignored the lights and camera, striding to the mansion’s gate, which was tied up by a rusted chain and had a rusted lock at the end of the chain.

The site supervisor, who brought a saw, wanted to saw the chains off.

“We’ve gotten permission to enter this place through official channels, ladies and gentlemen, please don’t try—”

Eckart, with the microphone, was explaining the situation in a timely manner, but before he could finish, he was stopped by the sound.

When the site supervisor ran over, Kieran touched the rusted lock with his hand.

Under the many pairs of eyes, including the camera, the lock produced a clear noise.

Kak!

The lock fell on the ground.

Without the lock holding them, the rusted chains also slid down the fence and landed on the ground.

Ring! Bang!!

The slightly heavy clunkings brought the group back from their dazed state.

The temporary host Eckart wasn’t a professional after all. After the lock was removed, he couldn’t utter a word. He stood there with his microphone and stared at Kieran’s back.

The lighting and camera, however, handled themselves like professionals, and they followed behind Kieran without the host leading the scene.

The camera clearly captured the scene in which Kieran had touched the lock with his finger as well as when the lock and chains fell. Kieran’s expressionless face was also captured when he pushed the gate open, but…

The rusted gate didn’t open up after the noise—instead, it fell to the ground!

Bang!

Amidst the bang louder than the previous one, the heavy gate fell on the stone ground, splashing up dust everywhere.

Under the lights, the dust danced in the air like mist.

The camera then captured Kieran walking into the dust cloud.

Gak Tsk Gak Tsk!

The screech from the gate sounded with each step he took.

When his steps and the screech converged, it didn’t just become loud, it struck goosebumps into the group’s skin.

Kieran wasn’t holding back, neither was he covering up.

He was announcing his arrival in an unscrupulous way.