Death Notice

“Boom!” Dark clouds rolled menacingly across the sky, and thunder rumbled overhead.

“Oh no, rain is coming! We must hurry, or the doctor’s scent will be washed away!” Skorzeny’s face darkened as he looked up at the sky. “Forget it, no matter what. The MPs have blocked this area; the streets should be nearly empty!”

The German lieutenant colonel muttered to himself, his expression turning fierce. He tore open his collar, ripped off his uniform, and watched his body visibly swell. Long golden hair sprouted wildly from Skorzeny’s face and neck. His shirt burst from his expanding muscles, his nails grew longer on all limbs, and a barbed tail punctured his trousers and dangled down.

In moments, the lieutenant colonel had transformed into a monstrous being with a lion’s head, a human body, and a scorpion’s tail. He took two steps running on all fours, then crouched slightly and leaped onto a roadside house, racing swiftly across the roof tiles.

“A descendant of the Sphinx?” Baron von Wurdenbeller’s eyes lit up with a dry chuckle. “Well, if Skorzeny doesn’t care about secrecy anymore, neither shall I!”

The Baron shook his heavy fur cloak and jumped into the air. With a soft “pop,” he transformed into countless bats, swirling like a dark cloud in hot pursuit.

“A lion-man… a vampire…” Qin Lun’s lips curled. Recalling Gerthard defeating two squads of German MPs while drunk, and his bizarre death, he finally realized the original Mountain Division lieutenant might have possessed special abilities too.

So, the core members selected for this commando unit must all be superhumans to some degree! Qin Lun, with his Moon Night Elf Bloodline, fit the criteria. Little Lian, Lin Feng, and Lili, entering the Other World for the first time with Law Bodies of human lineage, didn’t meet the main force standard. Thus, Shattered Starry Sky placed them in the regular Special Forces unit.

That meant Kluge, also a core commando member…

Qin Lun raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Kluge, alias Clown Grant, nearby. “The blood in the chimney was dragged, not splattered. Those two MPs were strung up with a poker after their hearts stopped beating!” Grant sensed his gaze, turned back, and gave a friendly nod.

Since recognizing each other, their interaction had been minimal, limited to polite greetings to avoid stirring unnecessary suspicion.

“Chests caved in, sternums and internal organs pulverized. Backflowed blood and organ fragments choked their throats. And the MPs on guard outside didn’t hear any shouts. They were likely killed instantly, simultaneously,” Grant continued, frowning in thought.

“Pulverizing a tough sternum in one blow? That’s like the impact of a battering ram!” A cold gleam flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes. “But the villa was crawling with elite German MPs. How could such a large, conspicuous weapon be smuggled into Dr. Keller’s study?”

“Unless it was someone with a Storage Space… another Apostle!” Grant voiced a possibility, then immediately rejected it himself. “No, even if Axis has hostile Novice Apostles, they aren’t this strong. A High-Rank Apostle couldn’t possibly be ahead of us, infiltrating Dr. Keller’s circle. If they had, this mission would be impossible!”

“Hmm… Judging from the area of impact and the perfectly undisturbed study, the attacker must have been known to the guards and the doctor.” Qin Lun’s eyes darted. He asked softly, “The Lieutenant Colonel seems sure about the attacker. Do you think it might be the doctor’s assistant?”

“Quite possible!” Grant nodded cautiously. “We were mistaken. That assistant might not have been a scientist, just a bodyguard. Given Skorzeny’s and Wurdenbeller’s nature, if that assistant joined the commando unit, chances are they’re a superhuman too…”

“I have a bad feeling. Are we the two weakest in this commando unit?” Qin Lun and Grant exchanged rueful glances. Facing such powerful superhumans, even two Serial Killers with their own trump cards felt thoroughly unconfident.

“CRACK!” With a final peel of thunder, the downpour unleashed its fury.

By the time Qin Lun and Grant arrived, Skorzeny had resumed human form. He was bent low, searching intently at the street’s center. Sheltering under the awning of a nearby shop, Baron von Wurdenbeller and Madame Monica were deep in quiet conversation.

The two Serial Killers exchanged incredulous looks, surprise mirrored in their eyes. Skorzeny and Wurdenbeller managing to arrive first was one thing, but Madame Monica? She was dressed in formal attire without a speck of rain on her skirt, leisurely holding a small parasol.

“A Magician?” Grant whispered uncertainly towards Qin Lun. Even if Madame Monica was an ally, this feeling of being outmaneuvered was uncomfortable.

“Not sure. I don’t sense any magic aura from her!” Qin Lun sighed with a complex expression. “Well, we’ll find out eventually.”

“The scent vanished here, and it’s not because of the rain!” Skorzeny paced restlessly through the downpour, his hair plastered to his forehead. Rain traced the lines of his facial scar, sharpening his expression.

“Lieutenant Colonel, look below!” Qin Lun felt a sudden intuition. His pale grey eyes scanned the street center like pendulums, settling on a manhole cover.

CLANG! Skorzeny stomped down hard. The iron lid and surrounding concrete crumbled inward, revealing a dark, gaping hole.

“Good! Found the scent again!” The commander twitched his nostrils and promptly leapt down without pause.