Chapter 146: The Arrival of Brons

Feng Tianlin was lost in thought when his gaze suddenly shifted downward toward the foot of the mountain, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.

“It seems someone has come seeking me. Official visitors again?”

Below the mountain villa, an elderly man carrying a briefcase and wearing glasses was making his way up. There was an unusual aura about him, one that hinted at a status beyond that of an ordinary person.

Though seemingly just an ordinary man, it was clear his rank was not low.

Seeing the gate open, he hesitated briefly before proceeding directly inside, passing through unimpeded into the estate.

He was first taken aback by the castle's decor: youthful and just right.

Even more surprising was that Wisford was already waiting for him.

Upon seeing Wisford, he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. “Young Wisford, quite a lot has happened recently, hasn’t it?”

Wisford nodded. “Let’s talk inside.”

Once in the living room, a servant poured a glass of red liquid for the elderly man as Wisford introduced it.

“This is Chinese black tea, very delicious.”

“Black tea?” The old man frowned, finding this somewhat different from the black tea he had tasted before. This one’s red hue was unusually deep.

Seeing his expression, Wisford smiled lightly. “This is authentic Chinese black tea.”

Upon hearing this, the elder understood. After all, Wisford had spent a long time in China and it made sense he could bring back genuine tea. Besides, he had no way of knowing if the teas he’d had before were truly authentic.

He took a small sip. Indeed, the taste was distinct from any he had experienced before, peculiar even, with a faintly fishy undertone.

Yet he paid it no mind, knowing that Chinese flavors might simply be beyond his palate.

Setting down the cup, he got to the point.

“Have you been killing people recently?”

Wisford also set down his cup and asked, “Which people?”

He had killed two groups: four officials and over a dozen wealthy men.

If this visitor was asking about the four officials, it implied he was likely an official himself. If it was about the wealthy men, then perhaps not.

Judging from how the visitor addressed him, Feng Tianlin surmised this man was a friend of Wisford’s father.

“It’s those agents who were collecting your taxes,” the elder said bluntly.

At that moment, he was almost certain this man was indeed an official. Ordinary people wouldn’t be concerned with those four deceased agents.

---

Wisford leaned back slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I killed more than just those four.”

The old man merely waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve heard about the others too; they don’t matter much. But killing those four agents is like slapping the Sunset Kingdom’s royal family in the face—that's a serious problem.”

This elder was not actually a friend of Wisford’s father, but rather a friend of Wisford’s grandfather. He had already pieced together the entire story.

First, the four agents, who, when collecting taxes, greedily sought bribes from Wisford. In his youthful arrogance, Wisford simply killed them.

Then, not knowing what to do next, he called over more than a dozen wealthy men to the estate, hoping they could help.

When they refused to cooperate, Wisford, in a fit of rage, killed them all—except for two younger ones, spared out of sympathy for their youth.

He had figured this out for two reasons.

First, Wisford gave off the impression of a hot-headed youth, lacking firm convictions, always asking the butler, the spiritual guardians, and previously his father for advice.

Now that his father was dead, the butler rumored ill, and the four spiritual guardians ineffective, he instinctively turned to someone more cunning. That made sense.

Ultimately, the elder was just a relic of a bygone era—though prominent in the Sunset Kingdom’s political scene, his understanding was outdated, trapped in the mindset of his time.

“Slapping the Sunset Kingdom’s officials in the face?” Wisford retorted.

“You don’t understand,” the elder said angrily. “Do you know how much I sacrificed to cover this up? I only did it out of respect for your grandfather and because you’re young—I didn’t want the Wisford family to crumble by your hand.”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong,” Wisford waved him off. “What I want to ask is, so what if I slapped the Sunset Kingdom’s officials in the face?”

“What!” The elder trembled in disbelief.

Wisford’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at him. “Did the government send you here?”

“No, I came on my own.”

The elder sensed something but maintained his composure.

“Hmph.” Wisford sneered. “I killed more than those four agents.”

Before the elder could react, numerous ropes suddenly descended over the castle, each bound to a corpse suspended midair, densely packed.

Among them were the four agents, several wealthy men, even the butler, the four spiritual guardians, and the two guardians secretly protecting Wisford.

What shocked him even more was that he saw Wisford himself among the bodies.

Suddenly, these corpses seemed to come to life, writhing in midair, baring teeth and claws with ferocious expressions.

Only then did the elder realize the truth. He took two fearful steps back, pointing at Wisford. “You… who are you?”

Wisford didn’t move, but his form began to shift, eventually transforming into a doll.

“A doll! Why do you masquerade as Wisford?”

---

The elder pointed at the doll, but no sooner had the words left his mouth than a sharp pain struck his neck.

Instinctively clutching the spot, he felt his blood gush out like a fountain, collapsing into a pool of crimson.

Until his last moment, disbelief lingered in his eyes.

Feng Tianlin slowly approached the body, plunging his hand into the skull to extract a chip-like device, which he crushed in his palm.

Having done so, he muttered to himself, “Why is the technology in this world so twisted?”

---

In a highly secretive base within the Sunset Kingdom, a man wearing headphones wore an expression of disbelief.

He held that look for a long time before removing the headphones and shouting,

“Mr. Brons is dead! Wisford is connected to that doll!”

His words immediately drew everyone’s attention as a crowd turned to look at him.

A man who appeared to be a leader approached, frowning. “What exactly happened?”

“Watch this clip.”

The leader put on the headphones and stared at the screen. Moments later, he was stunned.

Mr. Brons had arrived at a terrifying villa teeming with bizarre creatures, greeted by an extremely frightening doll.

Brons even addressed the doll affectionately as “Young Wisford.”

Then, in the living room, the floor was drenched in blood, without a single clean spot.

Yet Brons sat down calmly, showing no sign of disturbance.

Afterward, a grotesque creature served him a bowl of blood, mixed with hair and strange impurities taken from a human skull.

It was nauseating to behold, yet Brons drank it without hesitation.

The footage ended with countless eerie beings bound by ropes, jumping down, followed by Brons being killed and the surveillance equipment destroyed.

The leader was dumbfounded—nothing had prepared them for this outcome.

Now, besides shock, he was gripped by deep fear. The thought of Brons chatting with that horrifying doll gave him goosebumps.

After a long moment, he trembled as he said, “This must be reported to the higher-ups.”