It was getting late, and after Ed took a comfortable hot bath, he changed into casual clothes and lay down on the single bed in Bai Ya's room.
This is also Sissy's proposal to Ed: since he is often responsible for taking care of Charlotte, his room is closest to the top floor. Ed can live here directly to listen and observe what's going on on the top floor.
There was no annoying smell of powder in the room, no exaggerated colors, no fancy clothes, only black and white dust and cigarette butts, which Ed had already gently swept into the trash can.
If you haven't seen Byakuya himself, this place is more like the residence of a decadent middle-aged man.
The only thing worth noting is that there is a Falcon-type mechanical crossbow hanging on the wall. There is no trace of dust or rust on the dark black metal crossbow arm. It has obviously been maintained and wiped frequently.
Ed had never seen Byakuya use a firearm or other ranged weapon, and carried only a hunting knife in addition to a longbow. This guy has always been very proud of his bow and arrow shooting skills. Mr. Sea Monster tried to persuade him several times to carry a gun for emergencies, but Byakuya refused.
Why did this crossbow appear in Byakuya's room?
Although most of the drawers and storage boxes in the room were unlocked, Ed gave up the idea of rummaging through them secretly out of respect for Bai Ya himself. After all, he is also afraid that if something is discovered that will embarrass him...
Come on, don't think that these things are gone, just take a rest.
He adjusted the pillow to a comfortable position, adjusted his breathing, and soon entered a hazy state of half-asleep and half-awake...
…
"Edgar..."
There was a whisper in his ear, as if a woman was speaking softly in his ear. Ed was so surprised that he grabbed the white crow cane beside his pillow——
The voice sounded familiar, but it happened so suddenly that he didn't hear it clearly: Sylvie would definitely not do such a boring thing; Quinn wouldn't call him by his full name either; Catalina? She doesn't even know she's here; Tia, Charlotte? Nothing is right...
"Miss Olivia?" he whispered back, "where are you?"
Obviously, Miss Olivia is not crazy enough to sneak into her room to scare people with the "Moon Shadow" secret text. This must be the effect of the "Echo" secret text.
"There is a black carriage parked at the back entrance of the stronghold. Put on all your equipment and head there."
The sound then disappeared.
Could it be some kind of trap? Ed couldn't help but have some doubts.
I don’t know if the secret text of "Echo" has the effect of changing the tone, but if it is really a trap, there is no need for me to put on all the equipment and go there...
To be on the safe side, Ed opened the blinds and took a look: the fence gate at the back door had indeed been opened, and a black carriage was parked at the door, almost blending into the night.
As if guessing his worries, the curtains of the carriage were also opened. That was the side face of Dr. Rowan, the sharpshooter, nodding slightly in Ed's direction.
Doctor Luo Wen... is this an emergency special operation?
After the Colonel Harken incident, although Rowan rejoined the Bureau, he still worked in the hospital on weekdays and did not participate in the investigation. Participates as a reserve member only in special operations matters.
After roughly guessing what happened, Ed immediately started to get dressed: jacket, agent coat, metal mask, white crow cane, revolver, volcano pistol, two one-eyed spiders, wasp drone...
He stopped with his hand on an inconspicuous spherical metal can the size of a perfume bottle, hesitated for a moment, and finally put it in his pocket.
…
"I've been waiting for a long time, what's going on..."
Ed quickly turned over and got into the carriage. The anvil and the dragoon armor took up almost half of the entire carriage. He almost bumped into the big lump of iron on the anvil. The carriage immediately started moving.
"Be careful, little kitten." Anvil glanced at Ed and said with a half-smile, "Those who are careless will not survive tonight."
As he spoke, he took off the cigar from his ear, bit open the skin, and tried to put it into the power furnace behind him to light it.
"Ahem, let me briefly explain the mission objectives."
Resting his forehead in front of the old six-sided rifle loaded in the front, Rowan, who had been keeping his eyes closed and concentrating, suddenly cleared his throat. Anvil glanced at Dr. Rowan secretly, had to laugh twice, and put the cigar back to his ear.
"Graham Village on the west side of the city was attacked by unknown beasts..."
Luo Wen casually turned on the kerosene lamp on the wall of the compartment and took out a palm-wide notebook from his arms:
"This is a small village of 17 households, built along the tributaries of the Silver Mist River. The river is divided into circular tributaries to irrigate the central farmland. Here are the waterwheel mill, church, village chief's house, and corral... "
The hand-drawn map on the note is simple, detailed and clear at a glance. However, the text marked above is somewhat too sloppy. I wonder if this is a common problem among doctors.
"In addition, there is a watchtower built in the last century in the northeast corner of the village. The upper part has been damaged, but it is still the second tallest building in the village after the church and has certain tactical value."
"Nightingale, Bai Ya, Sea Monster, and Stranger will set off as the first echelon to clear out possible sentry forces, reach the south bank through the canal, and reach the church along the waterwheel mill."
"...The task of the three of us is to serve as the second echelon, occupy the watchtower to provide security and remote support, and clear out the livestock sheds, village chief's house, and other residences on the north bank of the river."
No Eaton, Quinn and Charlotte?
Mr. Eaton has been handling cases related to 'Mr. Smile', and Charlotte's mental state and expertise are not suitable for handling field tasks at night. But why wasn't Quinn involved in the action?
As if reading the doubts in Ed's heart, Anvil sneered and replied in a low voice:
"Boy, look out the window."
After hearing this, Ed gently opened the car window half a crack, and a beam of white moonlight penetrated the cold fog and came into view.
In the depths of the silted dark night, the bright moon was as bright as a disk in the sky.
