Before Meyers could react, he heard a gunshot, and his head felt like it had been struck by an iron hammer, snapping violently to one side before he uncontrollably toppled to the ground.
Time slowed down at this moment.
Meyers saw Lex standing by the window, less than three meters away from him, holding that ornate crimson revolver.
He also saw that Lex was holding a strange finger in his other hand. A bandage woven with animal fur was hooked onto that finger.
That's my thing, why is it in his hand?
Meyers would never find the answer to this question; he fell to the ground and stopped breathing.
Most people with a bullet hole in their temple do not survive.
Seeing Meyers dead, Lex's taut nerves finally relaxed, and he looked at the 'thief finger' in his hand with lingering fear.
Just now, he remembered he had this item on him, so he opened the tin box to use it. As soon as he infused it with spirituality, Lex felt a trance, a sense of weakness, as if he had lost something.
Fortunately, this feeling came and went quickly, allowing him to use this finger in time to steal the strange bandage Meyers had tied to his arm.
As he expected, without the bandage, Meyers immediately exited his werewolf state, losing all related abilities.
Lex didn't dare to gamble whether Meyers had any other trump cards, so he decisively shot him, completely eliminating the danger.
Cromwell came to the window, looked at Meyers's corpse, and calmly said, "We need to leave quickly, and we need to take his body with us."
Lex didn't ask why; he put away his revolver and the two mystical items, picked up his golden revolver, and then he and Arbiter left the candy store, moving Meyers's corpse.
It was late at night when they returned to the hotel. Lex could have returned earlier, but he also went back to his safe house to create the illusion of turning off the lights and going to bed, which took some extra time.
Arbiter said he would properly dispose of Meyers's corpse. Lex also learned from Cromwell that he did this because he was worried the police would hand the case over to a special department.
The so-called special department was the official Beyonder organization. And in these departments, there was no shortage of people who could commune with spirits.
Arbiter, who was once an official, had seen more than once that Beyonder individuals skilled in spirit communication could obtain a lot of useful information from the lingering spirits of the deceased.
Cromwell also told him that if the time of death exceeded one hour, the information obtained through spirit communication would be quite limited. For example, they might know that Lex killed Meyers, but they wouldn't know the specific details and process.
This taught Lex an important lesson: if he ever killed someone in the future, he would have to do a good job of cleaning up afterward.
Lex, who was quite exhausted tonight, really wanted to appraise that strange bandage, but in the end, he chose to sleep.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Lex woke up early, and after washing, he summoned the 'Mysterious Book', intending to perform an appraisal.
But when the heavy yet ethereal book landed in his hands, Lex noticed that on the cover, the mist covering one of the symbols, which looked as if shrouded in mist, was rapidly dissipating.
Lex remembered that the last time this phenomenon occurred, the Mysterious Book unlocked 'Artisan of Mysteries'. Could it be that it was about to unlock a new function?
Soon, that symbol became clear. It was very strange; it was composed of two patterns, one clear and one relatively blurry.
The clear one showed a pair of overlapping hands making some kind of gesture.
The blurry one looked like a giant Dragon spreading its wings and soaring across the sky.
Lex was stunned for a moment, then thought, isn't this 'hand shadow'? This game, where you use your hands to make various gestures under a light to project different images, was played by almost everyone in childhood.
At this moment, the book's cover opened, and the pages turned by themselves. When they stopped, Lex saw a brand new page.
It was yellowish like parchment, with some tiny creases on its surface, and some information appeared on it.
Subscriptions: 1+
Record: Your adventure biography has been sold on the dimensional bookshelf and has received 1 or more subscriptions. You have met the conditions to lift the usage restrictions of 'Rank Projection'.
Rank Projection? What kind of function is this?
Wait.
Subscriptions?
Adventure biography sold on the dimensional bookshelf? Is the author starting to sell books?
Lex looked further down.
Rank Projection: With a certain number of summons and meeting certain conditions, you can summon the Rank Projection of an Observer to descend into this world. The descending Observer Projection cannot carry any items and only retains Their Rank and abilities.
The descending Projection, regardless of Rank, will unconditionally exist for 3 minutes. After the time limit, the summoner's spirituality needs to be paid. When the spirituality is exhausted, the Projection will disappear.
Additionally, the Observer Projection cannot be specified; it can only be randomly selected.
Summoning Authority: Affected by knowledge authority, you are currently only able to summon 'Saint' level Projections.
Summoning Count: 1. When the total number of subscriptions reaches 10000+, a new summoning count will be granted.
Instant Response: You can directly summon a Projection without needing to summon the Mysterious Book.
It can actually summon the Rank Projections of the Observers?
Although there are many restrictions, I can now summon 'Saint' level Projections.
Saint, sounds very powerful!
However, the current summoning count is only 1. Only when the total number of subscriptions exceeds 10,000 will I get a second chance to summon.
Hmm, I need to use it carefully. God knows when the total subscriptions will exceed 10,000. If the author's book flops and no one subscribes, who knows how long I'll have to wait for the next Projection summon.
But then again, the Observers are truly powerful. Not only can they provide me with intelligence, give me various labels, but now they can also descend in the form of a Projection.
With this new function, my sense of security has truly skyrocketed.
Uh, wait.
The book didn't say that the descending Observer would definitely help me. What if They don't help after descending? No way, that shouldn't happen, right?
Lex, feeling a bit uneasy, turned to 'Artisan of Mysteries' and began to appraise Meyers's bandage.
After paying 7 dimensional crystals, Lex felt a trance, and images began to appear before his eyes.
He saw a figure running rapidly across a dim grassland. He rushed up to a high ground and let out a wolf-like howl towards the high-hanging crimson full moon.
He also saw a man elegantly raising a teacup and showing a cold smile in a room adorned with oil paintings, red carpets, and various luxurious decorations.
Oh.
The images I'm seeing this time are a bit different. Previously, the images basically only had one 'protagonist', so why are there two this time?
In the appraisal vision of the Mysterious Book, the two 'protagonists' constantly intertwined, one wild, the other cold.
Gradually, Lex discovered that the man full of wild aura was a Werewolf. In one full moon scene, he released his desires, madly slaughtering humans.
The other cold, aristocratic-looking man seemed to have an extreme reverence for dark and evil rituals. More than one scene showed that after killing, he would use the deceased to perform evil rituals.
Soon, these two 'protagonists' appeared in the same scene.
In an ancient fortress, they fought each other, and on a night with a high, blood-red moon, the Werewolf bit off the aristocrat's neck, while the aristocrat gouged out the Werewolf's heart.
They died together!
The suffocatingly tense scene finally disappeared. Lex let out a breath and saw lines of text quickly appear on the page.
'evil bandage: This item was formed after a Werewolf and a Serial Killer died together, their characteristics mysteriously blending.
This bandage allows the user to partially transform into a Werewolf and can ignite 'madness' at the cost of rationality. In a state of madness, complete Werewolf transformation can be achieved, and physical attributes will receive a comprehensive boost.
Due to possessing the characteristics of a Serial Killer, this item can also effectively interfere with divination and Spirit Talking.
It has significant negative side effects. Using this item during a full moon will increase the chance of losing control. Even normally, using it for more than 30 minutes will lead to a tendency to lose control, and after one hour, loss of control will be immediate and irreversible.
Additionally, it has negative effects related to carrying it. Frequently carrying it will gradually amplify and distort the desires in one's heart, potentially leading to a bloodthirsty tendency.'
After reading the appraisal information, Lex was somewhat surprised. Beyonder of different pathways could actually combine their characteristics to form a magical item with the traits of two pathways.
Lex recalled last night's battle. Initially, Meyers only used partial Werewolf transformation, but later, he used 'madness' to fully transform into a Werewolf, simultaneously boosting his strength in all aspects, making him extremely dangerous in an instant.
If not for the thief finger, Lex would not have been able to keep him in that situation.
"This bandage is very useful."
Meyers had already proven this, and Lex felt that it could help him create another identity.
Although he was currently using the identity of 'Duke,' Bison knew about the abilities and magical items associated with this identity.
Therefore, this identity could not be used for too long in the long run.
With this bandage, he could create a completely new identity. The greatest use of this bandage was the ability to fully transform into a Werewolf. It was unlikely that anyone who knew 'Lex' would connect the Werewolf they saw with the Baron's son, even if they encountered him in his Werewolf form.
Furthermore, the bandage's ability to interfere with divination and Spirit Talking was also very practical, reducing the risk of exposure when he used an alternate identity.
And, if paired with the 'Flute of the Dead,' that would be a Beyonder of a completely different style.
As for the negative effects of the bandage, they could be weakened through Sealeds. In fact, I've already thought of a nickname for this identity.
It'll be Wolverine!
Alright, just kidding.
Lex amused himself for a moment, then communicated with the Mysterious Book, spending 32 dimensional crystal for enhancement and 26 dimensional crystal for Sealeds.
When the dimensional crystal remaining was 577, he saw that the information for 'evil bandage' had changed.
While retaining its original abilities, this bandage no longer required 'madness' to fully transform into a Werewolf, which was undoubtedly good news for Lex; he didn't want to turn into a lunatic every time.
Additionally, a 'Cold Spirit' and a 'Poisonous Claw' ability were added.
Cold Spirit could Sealeds off one's spiritual body, to a certain extent shielding against mental and spiritual influences. This seemed to originate from the characteristics of a Serial Killer.
The 'Poisonous Claw,' on the other hand, seemed like a hybrid product of the two pathways. It would make the Werewolf's claws longer and imbue them with potent, random toxins.
After the Sealeds, the safe usage time was extended to one hour, after which there would be a tendency to lose control. Using it for more than two hours would result in immediate loss of control.
The influence of the full moon could not be completely eliminated but was weakened, and the side effect related to carrying it was changed to gradually releasing one's inner beastliness. If there was a female nearby, one might lose control and become wild.
Well, aside from the chance of becoming wild towards a female nearby, everything else was pretty good.
Moreover, after enhancement, a new 'Cold Spirit' was added, which seemed effective against the Spectator pathway. Coupled with its ability to interfere with divination and Spirit Talking, this item became quite comprehensive.
Lex was also preparing to Sealeds the thief finger. This item had proven its value last night, playing a crucial role at critical moments.
However, after communicating with the Mysterious Book, he was informed that items left behind by a person who had lost control could not be Sealed.
Lex had no choice but to end the summoning and put the thief finger back into the tin box. Although he felt some regret, this finger also reminded him that true strength only comes from within.
Strength gained through external objects was ultimately a paper tiger.
Indeed, Meyers should be lying in that cold grave by now.
After ending the summoning, the surrounding scene returned to normal, and Lex immediately heard the parrot's screams from the washroom.
"Quick, someone come clean the poop! Oh my god, those disgusting things are piling up at my feet!"
Lex shook his head, left the bedroom, and asked Matthew to clean the birdcage, lest the bird die. He still wanted to exchange that parrot for the Pyromaniac formula.
Although it wasn't a complete formula.
In the living room, the butler had already prepared breakfast and the newspaper for him early. Lex took his seat, drank some milk, and picked up the newspaper as usual.
There were no mobile phones, no internet, no Douyin or Jinri Toutiao in this world, so Lex could only rely on newspapers to learn about the outside world.
He casually flipped through it and didn't see any performance announcements for the Red Maple Theater, but in an inconspicuous corner, he saw a news item.
"Horrible! Bankrupt Father Hangs Himself, Leaving Young Children Unattended!"
The reason Lex noticed this news was that the very small article included a photo.
It was Sandy's photo!
It was the man who couldn't find his son and went to the Elk Bar for help!
Lex was stunned. How did he suddenly go bankrupt? Even if he went bankrupt, given Sandy's emphasis on his son, he shouldn't have chosen suicide. How could he bear to leave Daniel?