Chapter 344
Karl picked up his knife and chose a new spot to dig, quickly creating a shallow pit.
However, this time, he didn’t rush to lie in it. Instead, he decided to dig deeper, making sure he wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone later.
Besides… he’d tried before, and a pit that was too shallow couldn’t suffocate him.
Gradually, Karl worked from daylight until dusk. Exhausted, he finally felt satisfied enough to jump into the deep pit. But as he lay there for a moment, something felt wrong. He realized he had forgotten to find someone to cover him with earth.
An awkward silence filled the air, and the cawing of crows overhead sounded almost like mocking laughter.
“Shut up, damn birds!” Karl growled in frustration.
His patience finally snapped, and he hurled a knife at the crows, managing to skewer two of them, their half–dead bodies collapsing beside him.
Their pathetic squawks had barely faded when, without warning, the heavens opened, and torrential rain began to pour down.
It was late autumn, and normally, rain would have already passed. But Karl didn’t care anymore. If the rain could drown him in this pit, at least he’d be buried here, his body alongside Ava’s.
With this thought, he closed his eyes slowly. The water rose past his forehead, and then, in the distance, he heard muffled voices.
“The fugitive sure knows how to pick his hiding spots. This mountain is barren–where can he hide? He didn’t dig a mound to hide behind, did he?”
Another voice disagreed, “No, you don’t get it. Do you remember the fugitive’s name?”
“Wasn’t it something like Owl? Or was it something else? Hey, Channing, what the hell are you hitting me for?”
The one called Channing gave him a dismissive look and explained, “His name’s Karl, you know, the one from that viral live stream a few days ago. The one who’s after Elysia. I suspect, besides today’s airport incident, he’s probably behind those bizarre limb–severing cases.”
“Such a pity,” the other voice sighed. “I heard from higher–ups that Stellan might have found a way to bring her back, using her memories or something. If she comes back to life, won’t that just make Stellan’s life easier?”
Another scream pierced the air, and Karl, using his familiar method, swiped at the officers. This time, the knife turned into a chopping motion with his hand, and with two swift moves, he knocked them both to the ground.
“Dammit, you…”
Karl jumped out of the pit and knocked the noisy officer unconscious. Now only Channing remained.
Without retreating or flinching, Channing eyed Karl warily and narrowed his eyes, saying, “I know you’ve only ever killed people who’ve hurt Elysia. And Fuvre assaulting an officer is a serious crime. You’d better think this through.”
Karl lowered his gaze, seeming to think about what to do with them, but in truth, his mind was preoccupied with one thing: Where was Stellan?
The lab? The Rookwood Group? Or maybe… the park bench? A bridge tunnel?
Channing watched Karl closely, then subtly began reaching down to his ankle, trying to reposition his dislocated bones. But just before he could touch them, his gaze met Karl’s.
“You kill me, just don’t kill…” Channing began, but was cut off by Karl’s impatient demand.
“Where is Stellan?”
Channing stammered, giving him the rough location based on his guess.
Karl fell silent for a moment. Normally, he would have immediately rushed to hail a car and gone straight there. But now…
Fuvre’s highest–level research institute–finding it was one thing, but what if he walked in only to be riddled with bullets the moment he set foot inside?
“You’re taking me there.” Karl’s eyes hardened, and without a word, he helped Channing reset his dislocated foot, placing the knife at his back.
Together, they hurried down the mountain, rain pouring down over them, leaving the other young police officer to sleep in the downpour.
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12:44 PM
Chapter 344
C
The next part of the journey went unexpectedly smoothly.
However, just before Karl could reach Stellan, he encountered someone else–a woman, to his surprise, who was both expected and unexpected.
“Valeria,” Karl murmured, her name escaping his lips.
He had thought, given her insane nature, that she’d surely end up in a deadly confrontation with Stellan, but once again… another twist of fate.
“Torin and Caellan was only crippled, not dead–that was the first surprise. Fenwick was still alive–that was the second. And now, this?
Sometimes, it seemed you couldn’t trust women too much, except for his sister, of course.
When Valeria saw him, she let out a dismissive “tch” and said, “What’s this? You brought this useless waste here? We want someone who’s been closest to the Master, not a traitor who hurt the Master…”
The word “traitor” struck Karl hard–it was a title that, at least in Valeria’s eyes, he deserved. Unlike her, Valeria always did her dirty work openly, while he was… a rat in the gutter.
Karl didn’t respond, or perhaps he was too lazy to argue. Instead, he went straight to the point, asking, “Can you bring Ava back to life?”
Valeria rolled her eyes and started walking away, but then, after only a couple of steps, she glanced back at him with an annoyed expression. “What? You’re not coming?”
*She muttered something under her breath, “If it weren’t for needing you… I’d have you buried with the others eventually…”
After passing through several long corridors, they finally reached a steel door. Valeria lightly swiped her hand across the panel, and after the “beep” of the iris scan, a long corridor appeared before them.
Karl’s eyes darkened as he followed her.
B
