The Demon’s Menu

Chapter 72: ‘The Secret Room

The man holding the gun thought he was clever.

He had obtained a ticket to enter the “Mystical Side” from the beginning.

Then, he gradually established a firm foothold in the “Mystical Side” of Lorde.

What he relied on was his brainpower.

Not some mindless killing and fighting.

In the eyes of the gunman, any kind of physical confrontation was the lowest form of action.

As long as you find the other party’s weakness and firmly seize it, everything would be easily resolved.

That’s what the gunman had done before.

Now?

So when the gunshot rang out, the gunman was caught by surprise; he hadn’t expected Jason to actually shoot when he said he would!

Shouldn’t there be a discussion first?

I clearly had his friend in my grasp, didn’t I?

Why isn’t it working?

Isn’t this friend important enough?

Impossible. The friend’s significance was evident in everything I saw yesterday!

Moreover, didn’t the two just have a meal together?

Where exactly did things go wrong?

The unprepared gunman fell to the ground, with a scream in his heart.

The moment the gunman hit the ground, Taniel immediately dropped down and, using his hands and feet, crawled under the carriage.

One hand touching his temple singed by the bullet that had just grazed past, while the other hand took out a potion, ready for any emergencies.

In fact, there was no need for any “just in case.”

The moment the gunman fell, Jason charged out of the carriage, sweeping through with his MF92 pistol, UZ submachine gun, and lever-action shotgun and all the figures encroaching upon him fell to the ground.

The whole process was very straightforward.

There wasn’t a single tough character.

Jason scanned the surroundings with a slight confusion.

After confirming there weren’t any traps, he gave a kick to the carriage wheel with the back of his heel.

Immediately, a knowing Taniel crawled out from under the carriage.

Due to the angle, Taniel came face-to-face with the gunman who had lost his breath; even with a face full of blood, Taniel recognized the man in an instant.

“It’s Tonniel,” Taniel exclaimed.

Then, without waiting for Jason to prod, he spoke clearly and decisively,

“This guy was originally a merchant.”

“But somehow, he lucked into a secret technique or ritual.”

“And with it, he infiltrated the ‘Mystical Side.’

“At yesterday’s ‘gathering,’ he had a stall.”

“He probably came for you, Jason. After all, having taken the ‘Hulk Silver Potion,’ you appear to these guys as a walking tonic, a treasure vault… Alright, I’ll go call the cops!”

Taniel, slightly carried away as he started speaking, immediately sobered up at the change in Jason’s expression. He ran to the side of the road, shouting for the police.

Meanwhile, Jason bent down to search for any loot.

Three revolvers, several bullets.

Inside the wallet, 22 Gold Crooks, 11 Silver Crooks, 5 Copper Crooks, 2 Copper Corners.

And then…

A piece of parchment.

[“Flash Technique” secret technique found!]

[Evaluation complete. Conditions met. Do you wish to consume 1 point of Satiety to learn the secret technique? Yes/No?]

…

An unexpected surprise!

If it had been before, Jason would have learned it without hesitation, but now that he understood secret techniques may conflict and cause harm to the heart, Jason held back the impulse within him.

Even a secret technique that only appears weak against a single point of Satiety.

He carefully folded the parchment and tucked it into his chest.

Jason prepared to ask his “teacher” or to get a definite answer before making a decision.

At this moment, Jason’s mood, influenced by the awful food… no, something indescribable, finally started to improve a bit.

Jason was quite tolerant towards food.

The life in Nightless City had made it clear to him how rare and precious food was.

He believed that food shouldn’t be judged by its appearance but that one should taste its flavor wholeheartedly.

There might be a hidden delight.

However…

“Starry Sky” and “Eel Freeze” breached Jason’s limits.

Asking Jason to try it?

He really couldn’t do it!

He turned and took another look at the “Starry Sky” restaurant, which had fallen into chaos due to the gunshot.

Especially upon seeing a customer who was about to order, looking through the window, noticing the green plants knocked down by the panicked couriers, revealing the truth behind the dining table, and then fleeing with wallet in hand, Jason felt a bit better.

About a few minutes later, Finch and Holle arrived with their people.

Seeing the two, Jason’s eyes brightened.

Because Jason knew very well that after Bondi had devoted himself to investigating the sewers, Holle would be in charge of the police station, while Finch would definitely be accompanying Bondi.

The presence of Finch now certainly meant great progress in the sewer investigation.

“Holle, Taniel knows where these guys come from.”

“Finch, has Bondi found anything?”

Jason spoke directly.

“Um, found the place where Kultz used to hide.”

“And…”

“Bodies!”

Finch lowered his voice.

Bodies?

The missing bodies!

With a gleam in his eyes and without any hesitation, Jason said straightaway, “Let’s go!”

Finch immediately led the way.

“Wait for me!”

Taniel, who was being questioned by Holle, called out from behind.

But Jason had no intention of stopping; he just boarded the police carriage.

“Did you make Lord Jason angry?”

Holle asked in surprise.

“Accident! Accident!”

“Who would’ve known it would turn out like this!”

Taniel said annoyedly, then immediately smiled and promised, “Don’t worry! During the winter break, I’ll treat Jason to traditional delicacies. He will definitely forget about this unpleasant experience!”

“Alright.”

“I hope that traditional delicacy is truly delicious.”

With that, Holle stopped paying attention to these matters and earnestly questioned Taniel about what had happened.

While Taniel was giving a detailed account, Jason and Finch had already arrived at Kensing Street.

“Kensing Street?”

Jason looked surprised as he looked towards the center of the street.

There had been too many things happening in Lorde recently.

And these incidents were all more or less connected to Lorde’s most bustling street.

The ‘Moon Mask’ club was located behind Kensing Street.

The attack by the ‘Tomb Guardian’ Santel occurred at the end of Kensing Street.

And this time?

Was it finally Kensing Street’s main drag’s turn?

“I hope His Honor the mayor won’t get angry.”

“Otherwise, the Chief and the Commissioner are going to get scolded again.”

Looking at Kensing Street, now thoroughly under martial law, Finch said with a wry smile while pointing ahead.

Bondi was standing there.

“Jason.”

“It’s down below!”

Bondi called out, then pointed to the sewer in front of them.

The manhole cover had already been lifted, and a foul stench wafted out from within.

Standing on the edge and looking down, Jason could see a wooden ladder with several people shuttling back and forth, investigating below.

“I never would’ve thought Kultz would choose the sewers.”

“Not only did he carve out a huge space on one side of the sewer, but he also made a separate exit.”

“It avoided the stink and was sufficiently secretive.”

“If it hadn’t been for Ferrymon, we would never have discovered this ‘secret room’ in the sewer.”

Bondi spoke as he descended the ladder.

Jason followed closely behind.

Then, the two walked towards the ‘secret room.’

As they moved, Bondi asked with a smile:

“The smell is unpleasant, isn’t it?”

“It’s okay.”

“I just encountered an even worse smell a moment ago.”

Jason said earnestly.

Bondi was curious about what could be smellier than the sewer that Jason had encountered, but the secret room, now within reach, made the sheriff, who always put official duties first, hold his tongue.

He didn’t want his consultant to be distracted.

Following the hole in the wall, Jason stepped inside.

It was a space as large as two basketball courts. One side was clean, furnished with beds and other living items, while the other side was… bodies!

Bodies that had been treated and dried, like frozen pork, were stacked in layers.

“Clearly, Kultz has been feeding the bodies snatched from the cemetery to his creatures.”

Ferrymon, who had already conducted an examination, said.

Bondi nodded slightly, agreeing with the consultant’s sentiment.

However, Bondi wasn’t in a rush to conclude.

He looked at Jason.

Jason also agreed with Ferrymon’s statement.

Because it made sense.

“The monsters Kultz was raising needed a large amount of food, especially to feed that demonic beast. What could be more fitting ‘food’ than the bodies that disappeared?”

Jason thought to himself, about to agree with Ferrymon’s statement.

But just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, Jason suddenly stopped.

Because…

He suddenly thought of something!