Chapter 276: Evil Will?
[Writing this, I hope readers remember our domain name: Mass Taiwan Novels Read Easily]
"Also?"
Lorne keenly seized upon this keyword, chewing on the word as he scrutinized the dispirited Dr. Allen before him.
"Could it be that you've also become unlucky?"
"Exactly!" Dr. Allen, as if finding an outlet for his emotions, grew agitated and raised his voice slightly.
"Lately, things have been terrible!"
"I've been so unlucky! Several surgeries in a row have had inexplicable mistakes! Fortunately, they were only minor issues and didn't result in serious consequences—"
"Ahem." Lorne coughed twice, signaling to him with his eyes that they were still in a busy corridor.
"Ah, I apologize." Dr. Allen realized his lapse in composure. He pointed to a door not far away and said, "My office is over there, let's talk there."
"Mhm." Lorne nodded.
The two arrived at Dr. Allen's office, and Dr. Allen poured Lorne a cup of hot tea.
During the ensuing conversation, Lorne learned that Dr. Allen's recent experiences were strikingly similar to his own. Although he hadn't encountered any life-threatening major trouble, minor troubles came one after another: surgical mistakes, his home being robbed, and encountering a steam train accident while traveling. He even inexplicably got splashed with mud by passing carriages while walking—
"Are there any other people around you experiencing the same thing?" Lorne asked curiously.
"No." Dr. Allen shook his head. "You are the first person to come to me about this."
"Tell me—is it possible that we've been cursed?" Dr. Allen lowered his voice.
"A curse?" Lorne rested his chin in thought. "I don't dismiss the occult, but why do you think so? Do you believe that little boy named Will cursed you?"
"I didn't think of him at first, but—" Dr. Allen took a sip of hot tea, his expression complicated. "The Tarot cards you just mentioned reminded me."
"The day before Will's surgery, to comfort him and help him relax, I played a game of Tarot card divination with him."
"At that time, I drew a card, the reversed Wheel of Fortune." Dr. Allen's voice trembled slightly. "That child looked at me, smiled purely and innocently, and said, 'Doctor, your luck is going to get worse.'"
This is almost identical to my experience, even though I drew the "Tower"—
Hearing the other party's description, Lorne's brow furrowed.
Using Spirit Vision, Lorne knew that Dr. Allen was not lying, and the other party was just an ordinary person, not a Beyonder. It could be said that he and Lorne had almost no similarities.
The only common point was that both of them had interacted with the little boy named Will and had drawn his Tarot cards.
Could it be—that this Will really is suspicious!
All my recent bad luck was caused by him? With such a similar example before him, Lorne couldn't help but suspect the seemingly pure and innocent little boy.
That's right, the child acts like a little adult; maybe there really is something wrong—
Lorne recalled that the boy had even asked if he and Hugh were a couple back then; how could a normal child ask such a question!
To deceive people with such an innocent appearance, what an evil fellow!
"Um—" Seeing his silence, Dr. Allen cautiously spoke up.
"My name is James Scott."
"So, Mr. Scott, do you have any leads?"
"Do you think our encounters are due to supernatural causes?" Lorne countered.
"I—I can't say for sure. Although I am a devout believer in the Goddess, I don't rule out the supernatural." Allen lowered his head, feeling confused.
"Did Will give you anything? Like a small object—" Lorne asked again.
"—Yes!" Allen suddenly remembered something. He walked to his desk and pulled out a well-made paper crane from a drawer.
"He gave this to me before he was discharged, saying it would bring me good luck. I didn't pay attention at the time and just tossed it into the drawer."
"Could it be—that this is the cursed object?" He looked at the paper crane, a hint of horror in his eyes.
Lorne took the paper crane from his hand and examined it carefully.
It looks very similar to mine, but—I can't see anything unusual about it.
He returned the paper crane to the other party and mused, "I think, just to be safe, we should investigate that little boy named Will."
"If it were before, I would go myself. But, now—" Lorne pulled open his clothes, revealing layers of bandages wrapped around him, still seeping blood.
"Ah—was this also caused by an accident?" As a surgeon, Allen could tell at a glance that Lorne's injuries were definitely not minor.
He suddenly felt a wave of fear. Would he also suffer such an accident? Right now it was just minor troubles, but in the future, who knows—
He still had his job, he still had his family, and he was about to become a father; he absolutely could not let anything happen!
"I was very kind to Will, I took good care of him, he shouldn't—" Dr. Allen muttered, as if trying to convince himself.
"I treated him to ice cream too, and look what happened—" Lorne shook his head helplessly. Seeing Dr. Allen growing increasingly frightened, he knew that relying on this ordinary person was out of the question.
But is this Will only harming the people who helped him—
Under normal circumstances, Lorne definitely would have investigated Will himself. To be safe, he might have even called Sharon and the others along. But he was injured now and couldn't recover quickly, and Sharon was in the same boat.
Could it be that Will planned all of this? He knew we would be injured, which is why he dared to be so reckless—Lorne fell into deep thought.
He must find someone to investigate this matter in his stead.
That person must possess a certain level of strength, a certain level of professional expertise, and most crucially—he must have incredibly tough luck, so he won't easily suffer an accident due to bad fortune.
Suddenly, a certain persistent figure appeared in his mind.
That person is a Beyonder, and a capable detective. Most importantly, his luck is so good that he can make "Phantom" continuously misfire!
Moreover, he himself seems to harbor quite a few secrets, so he should be able to withstand the risks that the investigation might bring—
"I think we can hire some professionals to handle this matter." Lorne looked at Dr. Allen and slowly said, "For example—a detective."
"A detective?"
"Ah—choo!"
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein, who had just finished his mission and reverted to being Sherlock Moriarty, couldn't help but rub his nose.
"Why do I suddenly have a bad premonition—" he muttered to himself.
Just recently, his disguise mission officially ended, and Mr. Rastigue had successfully retired. He had publicly stated that his family visit was over and he had returned to Backlund, resuming his private detective business.
"I hope no more trouble arises," he sighed softly.
Immediately, he gave a self-deprecating smile.
"No trouble? How could that be—"