Chapter 41: "Damn Twist!"
After Kane's ghost slunk away, Rango grumbled and returned to bed.
He settled himself into a comfortable position using his human pillow, intending to take a short nap.
However, there was another sudden knock on the door.
"Damn it, is this ever going to end?"
Rango glanced at Tori, who was fast asleep beside him due to exhaustion, and reluctantly got out of bed again, striding angrily towards the door.
As soon as he opened the door, a thick fog seemed to have swept in from another world, instantly filling the entire hallway.
In the hazy light, a ghost bearing a resemblance to Cindy, yet possessing an ethereal beauty, slowly appeared. She gently beckoned to Rango, her voice ethereal and mournful:
"Exorcist...please help me, exorcist..."
Rango frowned, then pointed at her and said, "I don't care how wronged you are, I'm not here to help you guys. Get out of here, or I'll send you to the light too!"
With that, he prepared to go back inside to get dressed, intending to take down Kane and his lover in one fell swoop.
"I am Caroline. I beg you to eliminate Kane. There's gold and antiques in the secret chamber; everything is yours."
Rango's hand, which was closing the door, froze in mid-air. He whirled around, his face instantly breaking into a smile:
"Hahaha, Mrs. Caroline! You should have led with that!"
He enthusiastically stepped forward, took the ghost's arm, and led her inside.
"Don't be shy, make yourself at home."
The scattered underwear and empty bottles in the room made Caroline feel somewhat awkward. She stood cautiously against the wall, avoiding eye contact with the intimate scenes.
Meanwhile, Rango lit a cigarette, sat leisurely on the edge of the bed, and asked, "You said you needed my help, but didn't you kill Kane and his lover? Even after they became ghosts, are they still tormenting you?"
Caroline shook her head sadly, then told a story completely different from the caretaker Hanson's.
It turned out that although Caroline was dissatisfied with Kane's behavior, she had always tolerated it, never once deviating from his wishes.
Until one day, Kane somehow obtained a blue-glowing stone, and from that moment on, Kane's personality completely changed.
He became like a madman, often talking to himself and glaring fiercely at his family, threatening to kill them all one day.
Moreover, as time went on, not only Kane became abnormal, but even the servants in the house began to act strangely and erratically.
Sensing something amiss, Caroline knew she couldn't stay any longer. One night, while Kane slept, she packed her bags to return to her parents' home for refuge.
Unfortunately, before she could even leave, the caretaker, Hanson, discovered her and immediately summoned Kane.
Enraged, Kane shot and killed her, then went on a rampage, killing everyone present, including his mistress, Daisy, who all perished that night.
Finally, in a fit of madness, he shot himself in the mansion's hall.
Only Hanson, quick-witted and agile, managed to escape the chaos.
Tragically, Caroline discovered that even in death, her soul remained bound to the eerie mansion, becoming an inescapable, earthbound spirit.
Similarly, Kane's lover, Daisy, couldn't escape this fate, while Kane, for unknown reasons, transformed into a powerful poltergeist after death, far surpassing Caroline's lingering soul and relentlessly tormenting her.
"Hmm,"
Rango pondered for a moment, quickly grasping the key information. "So, the root of all this is that [stone]? It drastically changed Kane's personality, making him cruel and ruthless?"
"That's right." Caroline's voice was filled with helplessness and despair.
Rango raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself.
If he wasn't mistaken, this stone should be a cursed object; obtaining it might significantly advance the progress of his system.
"Also, you just said that Kane turned into a poltergeist after he died?"
"Yes, he can not only levitate more than thirty feet high, but he can also move objects with his mind. Daisy and I have always tried to resist him, but even as ghosts, we are no match for him."
Upon hearing this, a glint of excitement flashed in Rango's eyes.
This was the first time he had encountered a poltergeist; he wanted to see just how powerful it was.
"One last question," Rango coughed lightly and asked seriously, "how did you know I was an exorcist?"
He entered the mansion that afternoon without showing any unusual behavior, yet this woman recognized him instantly.
"Actually, I was just guessing," Caroline said weakly. "When I approached you, I felt an inexplicable pressure, as if my soul was being torn apart, which made me think you were an exorcist."
So that's it.
Rango understood; it must have been because Amos had blessed him with holy water earlier.
No wonder Kane only dared to act mysteriously outside, not daring to easily break in and get close to him.
"Okay, I have no more questions. You can go back and wait for my good news. By the way, where are that stone and those treasures and antiques you mentioned?"
Rango asked casually as he dressed.
Since returning to New York, the more than one million dollars he had painstakingly laundered in Africa had visibly shrunk by half.
Now that he finally saw a chance to make some money, he wasn't about to let it slip away.
Caroline was taken aback, then, after a moment's thought, she described the location of the secret room and the mechanism to open the door.
A moment later, just as Rango put on his brass knuckles and prepared to go out and get to work, a faint groan came from the bed.
Tori rubbed her eyes and sat up.
When she opened her eyes and saw the scene before her, she froze.
Rango smiled at her. "Perfect timing! Come, let me introduce you. This is Caroline, the mistress of this mansion."
Tori looked around blankly, and when she saw Caroline floating in the air, her face deathly pale, she screamed in terror and fainted.
A moment later, Rango, fully dressed, rubbed his hands together and went to the location Caroline had told him about:
a corner on the first floor hallway.
He first carefully looked around to make sure no one was there, then immediately stepped forward and turned the wall sconce.
With each slight rotation, the wall slowly rotated open until a gap large enough for him to pass through was revealed.
Rango used a spoon to hold the lamp in place, then stepped without hesitation into the secret room.
Everything Caroline said seemed to hold true regarding the stone. Before going to deal with Kane, he needed to confirm whether the woman was lying to him.
Using the dim light of the corridor, he lit the candles in the secret room, instantly bathing the entire space in a soft, yellowish glow.
The next second, a secret room filled with various items appeared before him.
Rango frowned, glancing at it for a few moments. Seeing several wooden crates in the corner, he randomly opened one and peeked inside. It was filled with art pieces—oil paintings.
The other crates contained a variety of items: gold and silver coins, antique portraits, porcelain, and jewelry.
Seeing this, Rango smiled with satisfaction; this trip had been worthwhile.
Following Caroline's directions, he walked to a wall covered with portraits and gently removed one of her portraits.
Sure enough, a brick was missing from the wall behind the frame, replaced by a small wooden box.
Rango didn't rush to open the wooden box after taking it out. Instead, he took out the cross hidden under his collar, put on his brass knuckles, and sprayed his hands with diluted holy water.
Once everything was ready, Rango took a deep breath and abruptly opened the box.
Instantly, a square stone gleaming with blue light came into view.
This was the thing that had caused the tragedy in the mansion.
Rango slowly reached out, gently lifting the stone and examining it carefully.
Aside from the chilling blue glow, the stone itself seemed unremarkable.
However, just as he was about to put it down, he suddenly noticed writing on the bottom of the stone.
He brought it closer to the candlelight, his eyes widening as he carefully deciphered the words:
"Son of a bitch!!!"
Upon seeing the words, Rango instantly threw it away in horror!
The stone was engraved with several chilling characters:
Plutonium-239!!!
(End of Chapter)
[Milestone: 500 Power Stones = +1 Chapter]
[Milestone: 10 Reviews = +1 Chapter]
Enjoyed this chapter? Leave a review.
20+advanced chapters on P1treon Soulforger