Volume 2 Chapter 10: The Fifth Albert

If ordinary people encountered such a mysterious event, they would probably feel scared immediately.

But Qin Lun was a bit different. He was a serial killer who had lived in terrifying illusions for a long time. This letter stimulated him even more than it would an ordinary person. It even made him notice a certain presence lingering in the guest room.

Presence, a mysterious term.

All living beings in the universe, whether they had intelligence or not, had various kinds of presence. Although presence was invisible and intangible, it truly existed.

Of course, this presence did not refer to any magical force field. It was the physiological and psychological effects that a living being’s actions, sounds, smells, and expressions had on other living beings when perceived by their senses.

For example: Even in modern free societies that promoted equality, most ordinary people would involuntarily have their hearts beat faster and their palms sweat when meeting someone of higher status. Their psychology and actions would undergo subtle changes. Students were always afraid of teachers calling their parents. Criminals, even when encountering police officers who were not chasing them, would feel nervous and change their expressions.

Intelligent life, including humans as the most advanced beings, had some outstanding individuals who possessed a strong presence. Outstanding speakers could use their words to make a whole square of people excited and cheering loudly. Excellent politicians could make an entire nation’s civilization go off track and give rise to crazy personality cults.

Sometimes, presence could be felt without direct contact between the two parties. A person of higher status with a presence could influence other lives by affecting the surrounding environment.

For example: A clever employee could sense whether the boss was paying attention to the subordinates’ work by noticing changes in the office atmosphere. A perceptive student did not need to look back to know if the homeroom teacher was observing from outside the window.

Qin Lun also had a presence, though it was sometimes quite hidden.

In fact, people who knew Qin Lun’s background, such as Lin Feng and others, knew that the young man had two personalities. One was the serial killer Joey who enjoyed killing, while Qin Lun himself did not want to harm lives. But they did not know that Joey and Qin Lun had another hidden similarity.

Back at the District 91 Base, Joey Foster fed the beautiful doctor Hu Fei to zombies. After Qin Lun woke up, he said sorry to the nurse Little Lian. However, upon careful thought, that apology was just a formality. Did Qin Lun truly feel sad or upset? Did he feel regret or guilt?

No! Although Qin Lun did not want to actively harm lives, up to now, he and Joey were the same in their disregard for life. Beneath his gentle, pleasant smiling face hid a cold, unfeeling heart.

Qin Lun’s attitude towards life came from the serious psychological trauma he suffered in his childhood. When he became Joey, this twisted attitude transformed into the terrifying presence of a serial killer.

This perverted presence, which viewed other intelligent lives as food or mud beneath his feet, slowly grew during his long years as a serial killer. By now, this presence had fully formed. Any sensitive living being would react immediately when Joey appeared.

This was also the fundamental reason why someone in the castle noticed Qin Lun’s true nature!

Of course, the lingering presence in Qin Lun’s room did not belong to him. To his senses, this was a very strange and novel experience. It even severely stimulated the serial killer Joey Foster.

After his mood calmed down a bit, Qin Lun looked towards the medical kit in the corner of the room. He opened the medical kit and carefully checked all the instruments and medicine tubes inside.

Because of the hint from the Otherworld Mission, Qin Lun understood that there must be some secret related to the epidemic disease in Albert Castle. As a doctor who had cured patients of the epidemic disease, he was very likely under some kind of surveillance and spying. His medical kit would naturally become a key target for others.

Qin Lun certainly knew that his medical kit held no secrets. However, that did not stop him from using the medical kit as bait. This was also why, after the banquet, he did not go directly back to his room. Instead, he lingered and wandered around the castle. He wanted to give the spy time to check the medical kit.

However, after checking the medical kit, Qin Lun frowned slightly. There were no fingerprints or traces left on any of the instruments or medicine tubes.

No one had touched the medical kit! Qin Lun reached a somewhat unwilling conclusion. Perhaps gloves could hide fingerprints, but he had intentionally sprinkled a thin layer of stone powder on these instruments and tubes. If anyone touched these things, whether there were fingerprints or not did not matter; traces would definitely be left behind.

Could there really be supernatural beings like ghosts? Qin Lun turned his head and looked at the letter on the desk, feeling a bit dazed.

Actually, this was not the first time Qin Lun had this thought. When Katharine told him that Stephen Albert had been dead for over a year, the same idea had also appeared in his mind.

The Otherworld Mission required saving Stephen Albert. However, the word “save” did not necessarily mean saving a life; it could also mean redeeming a soul. Of course, for a serial killer who had suffered from illusions, he would never believe in ghosts again unless he saw one with his own eyes.

On the first night Doctor Stan arrived at Albert Castle, many people could not sleep. This included Qin Lun, and also the innkeeper Katharine back in Audiya Town.

At the same time, in another guest room of Albert Castle.

“Zzz…” Loud snores carried far in the darkness. Through the moonlight shining into the guest room window, a large dark figure could be seen lying on its side on the wide wooden bed.

Amid the loud snores of the dark figure, a white figure suddenly flashed in front of his bed. The figure moved silently, walking at a steady pace around the wooden bed once, as if observing and examining the large body on the bed. Then it disappeared back into the darkness. Coming and going, it was like a strange ghost floating in mid-air.

There was one thing Qin Lun had not guessed wrong. There was indeed a spy hidden in Albert Castle. However, this spy was very cautious. He did not immediately target Qin Lun for investigation. Instead, he first chose Qin Lun’s servant, Frank.

As the saying goes, like master, like servant. Sometimes, just by observing the servant, one could learn a lot about the master. Clearly, this spy understood this logic, something that Qin Lun, who had always been alone, naturally would not think of.

A short while after the white figure left, the snoring in the room actually stopped. The hunchbacked, ugly man sat up in bed in one swift movement. His triangular eyes gleamed sharply.

“What is going on? How could there be… in the Baron’s castle? Strange!” The hunchbacked, ugly man scratched his head in distress and muttered to himself, “Should I tell Young Master Wellington? No, the young master’s work is at a critical stage. I should not make him worry about me!”

The spy who came to observe Frank absolutely did not expect that the hunchbacked servant would notice his existence. Of course, the reason why Frank could detect the spy, whom most people in the castle could not notice, was so simple and crude it was almost unbelievable.

Just as Qin Lun had said before, this was a very interesting matter.

…

“Bang, bang, bang!” Qin Lun, who had only just fallen asleep near dawn, was woken up groggily by the Old Butler’s knocking.

“Doctor Stan, did you not sleep well last night?” The Old Butler looked at the young man with bloodshot eyes and said with some surprise.

“Ah? I usually have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places!” Qin Lun forced a bitter smile and gave an evasive answer.

“Oh, I see! I’m very sorry. Would you like to lie down a bit longer now, or have some breakfast first?” The Old Butler asked with an apologetic look.

“Hmm… Has His Lordship the Baron woken up yet?” Qin Lun thought for a moment and then asked.

“In fact, it was the master who sent me to invite you for morning tea!” The Old Butler hesitated for a moment, but still answered truthfully.

“His Lordship the Baron must have important business to discuss with me!” Qin Lun said with a smile. “Please wait a moment. I will freshen up and go with you.”

“Please don’t stand on ceremony, sir. We have already prepared everything for you!” The Old Butler smiled and clapped his hands. Several maids holding water cups and towels filed into the guest room from outside the door.

After that, Qin Lun let the maids handle him like a puppet, enjoying the noble treatment of this world. Besides swishing the mouthwash in his mouth, even the action of wiping his face with a towel was done for him by the maids.

This was really thoughtful and thorough! Qin Lun finally began to understand a little why so many people in the books he had read pursued wealth and power. Such a noble life was indeed what many people dreamt of.

When the Old Butler brought Qin Lun to the castle’s courtyard, the old Baron was sitting under a sunshade, holding coffee and enjoying his morning tea.

“Doctor Stan, you’re here. Please, have a seat!” The Baron smiled and glanced at Qin Lun. “I’m very sorry to wake you so early. It looks like you haven’t had enough sleep!”

“It’s no problem. It’s just my sleeping habits aren’t very good,” Qin Lun said with a smile, waving his hand. “Last night, I enjoyed your generous hospitality, and Wellington has not repaid you in the slightest. Your Lordship must have something to ask of me. As long as my humble abilities can be of use, please speak frankly.”

“Doctor Stan, you are too polite!” The old Baron thought for a moment and then spoke. “Since you are so straightforward, I will not beat around the bush. I asked you to come not only to thank you on behalf of Audiya Town, but indeed there is one more matter I would like to ask of you.”

“Please, go ahead,” Qin Lun said, a flash in his eyes, his smile becoming even more amiable.

“The four members of the Albert Family you met last night are not all of them,” the old Baron said in a heavy tone, speaking with difficulty. “In fact, there is one more member of the Albert Family in the castle whom you have not yet met.”