Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 233 Wings of the Goddess
Inside a dark house on Lastville Street in the Backlund Bridge district.

Ryan Thomas, covered in sweat, put down his stethoscope.

“The child’s development is normal, but I can’t hear his heartbeat.”

Having been an obstetrician for over a decade, he'd seen all sorts of pregnant women, but this was the first time he'd ever witnessed anything like it. A man, carrying a child! Aside from the gender, everything about him was typical of a pregnant woman!
What he was seeing was violently impacting his understanding as a doctor.

"You can't hear it, that's because my child is very smart and actively controlled his heart."

Across from him, Lanius stroked his belly and said with a loving yet twisted tone, "Because He is the offspring of God, even the slightest heartbeat can drive an ordinary person insane. You are still useful to us, so you can't go crazy like this."

Lanius's eyes were bloodshot and his face wore a maniacal smile.

As if in response to his words, a bulge appeared on the surface of his protruding belly, making contact with his palm.

Goddess, please save me!

Lian felt like everything was going crazy; his stomach churned violently, and he almost vomited on the spot.

It was nighttime, and besides them, many indifferent women stood in the room. Their abdomens bore gruesome wounds, as if they had once carried something, only to have it burst forth from their bodies.

A strong stench of blood and rotting corpses filled the air.

Even so, they still moved like living people, as if they were manipulated flesh and blood puppets. Lian had seen these women dress up to cover their wounds and then go out into the streets to lure drunkards here, making them Lanluus's food.

The thought of Lanluus devouring living people and feeding the children in his womb finally made Ryan unable to hold back any longer, and he ran to a corner to vomit.

"How filthy."

"Rannius said softly."

He casually waved his hand, and several women walked over, grabbed Ryan, and forcibly pulled him back to them.

"When can I have a C-section?"

He asked Ryan.

"In a few more days."

"I said with fear," Ryan said.

Actually, the other person was in good condition and could have surgery right now. But he still wanted to delay. Because it was obvious that once he was no longer useful, he would become nourishment for the other person, just like those drunkards.

Lanius smiled at him, then tilted his ear as if listening to something.

“My child says you are lying.”

He said lightly.

"Shoot."

"Ahhh!"

The flesh-and-blood servant's fingernails pierced the skin of Ryan's neck, and blood trickled down his neck. He cried out in terror, "Almost there! Almost there!"

"That's true."

Lanius laughed. Soon, the women pushed over a surgical cart, on which various scalpels gleamed. He himself lay down directly on the bed, seemingly not wanting to delay a moment longer.

"Child, are you happy? You are about to be born into this world."

Lanius touched his belly and murmured softly.

“Our interests are aligned. You don’t want to become a consumable tool for your father’s divine descent, and I don’t want to die because of it either. We have already escaped the control of your father’s men, and now we are about to escape our predetermined fate and have you born prematurely. You must try your best to control yourself, and at least don’t kill him before the doctor takes you out, okay?”

His face was filled with compassion as he spoke to the divine child within his womb.

“Um, anesthesia,” Ryan said, gripping the scalpel, his body trembling with nervousness.

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's get started."

"Lanius said."

Ryan paused, gritted his teeth, drew a line on Lanius's protruding belly, and then raised the scalpel.

However, before his knife could make its horizontal cut, the obese man seemed to have heard something, suddenly got up, jumped off the bed, and nimbly darted to the window.

Lanius peered out the window, his expression gradually turning crazed and twisted.

"It's them! They've come! They want to kill my child!"

The scream was piercing and sharp, crashing into Ryan's brain. His vision went white immediately, and then he lost consciousness and knew nothing more.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On Lastville Street.

Late at night, the bars on this street are bustling with activity. Workers who have been busy all day carelessly exchange their hard-earned money for cheap, low-quality drinks to numb their minds and bodies.

An airship silently descended from the sky and hovered above. Its black paint allowed it to blend seamlessly into the night, making it difficult to spot even if someone looked up without careful observation.

On a distant clock tower, Luzer and Klein were secretly observing.

From this vantage point, they could see what was happening on the street from above without being affected.

"The night watchmen have finally arrived."

Luze said, looking at the airship above with great interest.

For some reason, Roselle didn't develop an oil industry or internal combustion engines in this world; its current air power consists of slow-moving, massive airships. However, judging from its alloy-supported hull and the machine guns and cannons extending from its interior, its firepower and defense are quite impressive.

Four or five figures dressed in black coats emerged from the end of the dimly lit street. They were silent and each held some peculiar objects in their hands. A bright red glint stood out against the darkness—the color of their gloves.

"Red Gloves"!
The elite force among the night watchmen!
Inside the bar, the revelry continued. The patrons were still drinking and boasting loudly, seemingly oblivious to the people around them.

Among the four or five people in red gloves, the leader was a tall woman draped in a black robe, her eyes calm and composed. She had slightly dark skin, long, slightly wavy hair that cascaded down from her hood to her chest.

It is worth noting that one of her sleeves was particularly large, and that arm did not swing while she was walking.

On either side of her, several people in red gloves walked cautiously forward.

Among them, one man was handsome with black hair and green eyes, exuding the air of a free-spirited poet; the other woman wore a mysterious black robe and had strange blue eye makeup, making her look mysterious and eye-catching.

"Those two people look like Leonard and Ms. Daly?"

"They've joined the Red Gloves?" Klein exclaimed in surprise from a distance.

Lu Ze remained silent, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

He was also surprised to see the two of them there. However, at this moment, he suddenly had a strange feeling, as if some danger was approaching.

"Your Grace, this is the place."

Leonard, who was at the scene, was unaware that he had been recognized by his old colleague and was still reporting to the tall lady who was leading the team.

He had just returned to Backlund after finishing his Red Gloves training when he heard about this case that was related to his past, so he applied to join. Daly was in the same situation.

　The reason Leonard and Daly weren't arranged to kill Laneus in the original work was because they had a grudge against each other and they were afraid of acting on their emotions.

　　In this article, Lanius does not have any direct hatred towards them.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)