The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Page 177

Liu: "It's nothing more than turning the 'transaction' of information into 'torture.' Once I've killed them all, I'll slowly pry the truth out of you..."

The second-tier lower-level secret technique, [Blood Burning], has been activated. It enhances muscle strength, physical endurance, reaction speed, self-healing speed, and pain resistance.

Bartley rolled away from the cover, leaving several bullet holes in his wake.

He was incredibly fast, like a nimble black panther, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of an assassin.

A blade slashed upwards, slicing off half of his head, leaving his entire face intact.

"Clap."

Blood gushed out, and the skin on the ground was still twitching from the pain.

Bartley did not stop there. He grabbed the man by the neck and used his body as cover to shield him from the next few lead bullets.

He grabbed a person in one hand and held a knife in the other, charging straight at Louisa.

Although we intend to interrogate her, she's very slippery and could easily escape if things go wrong. We must disable her mobility first.

"Hey... coming straight for me? I think running away might be the wiser thing to do..."

Seeing Bartley charging towards her with almost unstoppable force, Louisa showed no fear whatsoever; instead, she chuckled softly.

"Qiang!"

An assassin attempted to stab Bartlett in the back with a dagger, but Bartlett instead severed both of Bartlett's hands from the wrists with a butcher's saw. Panic screams and the commotion of fleeing patrons filled the tavern, creating a chaotic scene.

Tsk, after something like this, Black Sea Tavern will definitely blacklist me next time. Their stout is one of the best in Foy, damn it…

Although Bartley is a madman like Black Banyan, he isn't actually that bloodthirsty. His hatred is more directed at evil beings.

He wasn't really interested in slaughtering these hired pirates... Of course, if these guys wanted his life, he wouldn't hold back either.

Come and take it if you want it, and see if you have the ability to survive my blade! (Three →) ≮∵—

"Is this guy even human? He's even more ferocious than the sea monsters..."

One of the assassins trembled slightly as he saw Bartley charging toward him.

For ordinary pirates, the weaker the opponent, the more cunning and ruthless they can display. But once they encounter a truly terrifying enemy, these ragtag groups will almost instantly collapse in morale.

Bartley's ruthless behavior was also intended to instill fear in his opponents. This tactic is very effective when fighting multiple opponents.

He swept through the crowd, occasionally slaying several assassins who attacked him, and approached Louisa with overwhelming force.

"As expected of a 'supervisor'..."

Limbs, blood, chaos, and the stench of death filled the tavern. But Louisa seemed to have no intention of leaving, her words filled with joy and enjoyment.

Yes, Bartley is also a funeral director.

After all, only those who reach the rank of supervisor are qualified to conduct assessments for newly promoted supervisors... But he has always disliked empty titles, so he never lets anyone call him supervisor, and he never wears the brass signet ring that symbolizes a supervisor.

Louisa's voice was sinister and laced with a smug mockery, which only made people more irritated.

"Old man, can you shut up?"

Bartley smashed the cheek of one of the men protecting Louisa with an elbow strike, then brought down a meat saw, slashing at her leg.

Although the restlessness and depression in his chest were constantly increasing, he still remembered to leave someone alive for interrogation.

"when!"

The moment the saw made contact with the woman's leg, it produced a sharp, metallic clang. The sharpened blade only managed to slice through the skin and muscle, becoming lodged in her bone.

The strange feel sent a chill down Bartley's spine, momentarily halting his anger and rage.

After that, he saw an arm covered in strange armor emerge from under the black robe.

Although this hand retains the five fingers of a human, it looks more like the chelicerae of a beetle, covered with mottled patterns.

"See this? This is the gift Nightmare Guest gave me, a gift that... I couldn't refuse."

"That was a noble metamorphosis, bringing me closer to a noble transformation than mortals and foolish creatures like moths."

Louisa laughed, making a rustling sound, like the chirping of a mole cricket.

Listening to that nocturnal, insect-like song, Bartley felt his own thoughts become chaotic and disordered, like an uncontrolled steed galloping wildly.

Is it the second-class superior secret technique, [Cicada Song]? And with such strong efficacy and spirituality, Louisa has already been promoted to high priest? But the transformation of the Moth Cultists only takes place at higher ranks, so why did she transform into insect form at the fourth rank?

Relying on some kind of relic or the remains of a holy heir? But Nightmare himself is not even at the High Priest level, so how could he possibly have such a high-level bargaining chip?

If her body could withstand a weapon made of [Pseudo-Physical Steel], it's likely that she has already become corrupted.

Was the purpose of preparing so many ordinary people merely to buy time for the secret technique to take effect? ​​We must break contact—should we climb through the window or break down the door? No, that's a meaningless question…

No, stop now! We must stop thinking!

Madness was rapidly building, and Bartley's mind was in unprecedented turmoil. He could only further catalyze the [Blood Burning] technique, abandoning thought and surrendering his body entirely to instinct.

"Ho-"

Bartley let out a low, inhuman growl, and golden-red embers gradually appeared on his body.

At the same time, several daggers pierced his body from various angles. A lead bullet even struck his shoulder blade, causing a bloody mess.

"How unwise... Beasts are the easiest to drive mad."

Seeing that the person in front of her reacted exactly as she had expected, Louisa's face beneath her black robe revealed a hint of mockery.

At this point, Bartley was trapped.

Even if the Hunter can kill some more assassins with his powerful body, he will soon exhaust his spirituality and physical strength due to unrestrained blood burning.

After all, they are mortals of the third tier, and even if they are armed to the teeth... they are still incredibly vulnerable.

"Peng!"

The sudden thud interrupted Louisa's thoughts.

A smoke generator was thrown in through a broken window of the tavern, and almost instantly, acrid, pale smoke filled the room.

The Secret Service often keeps these kinds of contraptions on hand, for use in emergencies or to confuse the enemy. Vivian is equipped with more than one in her regular armament.

The disciples of the Six-Eyed Raven also like to do this, which is why smoke bombs produced by the Hunters have always enjoyed a good price on the black market.

Looking out the window at the smoke-filled room, Derica gritted her teeth.

This smoke grenade is worth at least 10 Gore silver...8

I just wanted to see if the information broker at the Black Sea Tavern had anything new, but I didn't expect to encounter this situation... That hunter uncle looks like he's gone mad. If I go up to save him, will I get slashed?

As a seasoned speculator who had spent years in Foy, experience told her she had done her best; the rest was up to fate.

Minutes earlier, at the start of the conflict, Detricka had made spiritual contact with Ms. Vivian through the raven feather.

Hopefully she can get here soon...

Just then, Bartley leaped through the window and burst into the street from the smoke. Though covered in wounds, his breath remained fiercely hot.

Even in that state, you still know how to run?

Detrica was somewhat surprised, but she soon realized... the hunter was heading straight for her!

The thief panicked and could only start running away at full speed.

The horrific sight of those assassins was still fresh in her mind; she certainly didn't want to be chopped in two...

After running for a while, she suddenly realized that she could actually lead the hunter to a safe place this way. But the premise was that she couldn't be caught up, otherwise, with her physique, one knife wound would probably be enough to bury her somewhere.

-

As the acrid, pale smoke gradually dissipated, the hired assassins recognized each other, cursing and swearing.

"That guy had been stabbed at least five or six times, how could he still have so much strength? He's even stronger than a dogfish."

"Nearly ten of my brothers died this time, so we need to get that old woman to give us more money..."

As they spoke, one of the pirates looked somewhat taken aback.

Sometime later... Louisa, dressed in a black robe, had vanished without a trace, leaving only faint marks of struggle on the ground—marks resembling the scratches of insect limbs.

Meanwhile, a bloodstained raven feather with fine down was left there.

Outside the Black Sea Tavern, in a dark and gloomy alley.

Fran's figure was hidden in the shadows, and he was carefully comforting the raven Munin that was perched on his shoulder.

Because of Detricia's urgent call, it had to come to work the night shift in the middle of the night. And after it finished, another feather was plucked... which made it look quite listless, so much so that it took quite a while to coax it back to health.

At the same time, Fran had already extended the steel tailbone of the "Sphinx" chisel spine.

One could see a hunched woman in a black robe curled up from her clearly defined black tailbone... it was Louisa.

-

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Chapter Seventy: Ascension to Perfection

"clatter."

Fran snapped two fingers, and amidst the billowing gray mist, she had brought Louisa to the Fog Street. #2←.]∥

Of course, at this moment, the doctor did not want to return to the clinic; he simply needed a place for interrogation.

"You, who are you?"

Looking at the street filled with fog, Louisa clearly felt panicked.

She could feel that the gray, misty fog had obscured all her spirituality and perception, as if she had been swallowed by some unspeakable monster.

"Me? I'm just a doctor who's passing by."

Fran maintained his usual warm smile, almost like a gentle breeze, as if he were treating a patient with mental health issues.

"What do you want? No, what do you want to know? I can tell you everything I know, as long as you let me go..."

Louisa begged for mercy in a panic, and her mouthparts under her black robe made rustling sounds.

“I am one of Foy’s best intelligence brokers. Neither those thieves nor the crows of the Secret Service know as much as I do. I will answer any secrets you want to know truthfully…”

"An exaggerated and clumsy lie."

Fran simply laughed it off and paid it no further attention.

It is undoubtedly foolish to expect the followers of moths to be honest and open with each other.

"【The Song of the Pheasant】is indeed a very interesting secret technique, but if it is used as background music... it is somewhat noisy. Just like no one likes mosquitoes buzzing in their ear."

Fran gently raised his index finger, inserted it into his earlobe, and rubbed it.

Despite saying that, she didn't stop the other party from secretly using secret techniques. This action genuinely puzzled Louisa.

Judging from her words, she seems to have some understanding of the effects of this secret technique. But why isn't she responding at all? And why is she acting like...she's listening intently?

For Louisa, given enough time, she was confident she could gradually erode the sanity of even a disciple of the high priest rank, eventually driving him insane. Of course, this was contingent on the other party being bound and unable to escape or resist.

The woman dressed as a doctor seemed completely indifferent to this.

What bad luck! If I had known I would encounter something like this, I wouldn't have done it during the full moon...

"By the way, Ms. Louisa, before I begin my medical practice, I need to ask you a few questions. This is both to understand your condition and as payment for this house call."

Fran's voice rang out softly, interrupting Louisa's thoughts.

"...You ask."

After a moment of silence, the disciple of the Moth Cult chose to remain acquainted with her for the time being.

Fran didn't care about her true attitude. As an excellent psychologist, what kind of patients hadn't he seen?

"What's so special about the full moon in Gormouth? I don't feel much of a spiritual influence, but why does everyone seem to care so much about it?"

"This..."

Louisa licked the mouthparts beneath her black robe, carefully choosing her words.

"For the Kingdom of the Deep Sea, the full moon is a curse. Every time the moon goes through a cycle, those creatures from the sea will come ashore... and devour all flesh and living things within their sight."

"And some people will be drawn into the sea by the call of the Abyss, and eventually become sacrifices to the 'Abyss Well'."

Fran raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.

She had already heard a similar legend from the driver on her way to the Dream Flower Hotel. Apart from slight differences in the version and description, the information was almost identical.