Mystery: The Witch of Desire

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to show you some wonderful memories that Jason and I made together. That might help you find out more about him.”

Reeve nodded. He had confidence in Jason's character and was unwilling to believe that Jason was two-timing him until he saw solid evidence.

"Please follow me."

Chapter 37 Cynthia's Punishment

Cynthia tilted her head slightly, gesturing for Levi to follow her up to the third floor. Levi followed behind her, a faint fragrance wafting by. The curves of the figure before him swayed gracefully, causing a flutter in his heart, while the pattern on his chest burned with a stinging pain.

It has to be said that Miss Cynthia is a real beauty, and Reeves' confidence in Jason has waned even further.

Cynthia led Levi to a room on the third floor, stopped, gently pushed open the door, and went in first.

Reeve followed Cynthia into the room, which was decorated like a single office for women, with a desk, coffee table, meeting room, wardrobe, dressing mirror, etc. Although the space was not large, the furniture was complete.

Cynthia did not turn on the gas light on the wall, and at six o'clock in the evening, the whole room was in a quiet and dim light.

She pulled a slightly wrinkled photograph from her desk drawer, held it to her chest like a treasure for a while, and then handed it to Reeves.

Reeve took the photo, already prepared for the worst.

When he saw the photo, he couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart:

In the photo, a young man is seen with his arm around the waist of a beautiful woman, the two of them intimately close together, clearly a couple.

The woman was Cynthia.

And that man looked exactly like Jason!

The reason it's described as resembling Jason rather than being Jason is because the man in the photo differs slightly from the Jason in Reeves' memory.

The man in the photo, in certain details, looks more like Reeves himself; it's almost as if he's a character created by combining Jason and Reeves.

However, in a sense, this person is Jason; it's impossible for two people in Tingen to look so alike.

Reeve's hand holding the photo trembled slightly.

Jason's smile in the photo was so radiant, yet it sent a chill down his spine.

Just then, a warm touch came from behind Levi.

He was startled to find Cynthia hugging him from behind. The soft thing pressed against his back, warm as spring, dispelling the chill in his heart.

Levi instinctively wanted to struggle, but he was somewhat captivated by this gentle embrace, and his struggles ceased.

Cynthia's gentle, plaintive voice rang in my ears:

“I know I shouldn’t have done that kind of thing with Mr. Ronan, but I feel so empty inside. I need warmth, I need to be loved…”

“You and Jason look a lot alike. Ever since I saw you during the day, I’ve been deceiving myself, trying to see you as him, trying to use this method to express my longing. I know it’s wrong, but I really can’t control myself…”

"Would you be willing to warm my heart in Jason's place?"

The gentle rain flowed into his heart, and Levi felt himself melting. He couldn't help but succumb to the overflowing desire. He wished he could turn around immediately, push the beauty down, and release his desire to his heart's content.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through my chest once again.

Reeve instantly sobered up, a chill running down his spine.

He nimbly crouched down, breaking free from Cynthia's gentle embrace, and stood a few meters away from her, reaching for the pistol at his waist.

Even though Cynthia was breathtakingly beautiful, Levi was confident that he could not possibly succumb to desire so easily. Clearly, she had used some unusual means.

"who are you?"

"This ability to manipulate desires is very much like the methods of the great master whom the Hyena Gang worships," Levi asked coldly.

Cynthia gave a regretful look, clicked her tongue softly, and her previous plaintive expression vanished, replaced by a seductive and flirtatious smile:

"You two brothers have such strong willpower. You're both so cute, but I just can't bring myself to eat you."

Levi was momentarily confused, only to see Cynthia walk to the gas lamp and turn on the valve.

With a click, as light filled the room, Cynthia raised her hand and pulled out a black curtain in front of her. Under the cover of the black curtain, she twirled nimbly like a ballroom dancer, and the black curtain wrapped around her body, transforming into a hooded black robe that covered her body.

Beneath the hood, Cynthia's beautiful face was concealed by a mask that was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with small hands extending from both sides, giving her a mysterious and eerie aura.

Seeing Levi's stunned expression, Cynthia smiled:

"Heartless man, we just met a few days ago, and now you don't recognize me?"

Levi was taken aback, taking in the woman's tall figure, familiar physique, and fair hands...

Cynthia's image overlapped with another person in his mind.

"Ms. B!"

Levi exclaimed, his surprise evident in his voice.

Cynthia, or rather, Ms. B, removed her mask, her bright eyes filled with laughter:

"Correct answer, how should I reward you?"

Rewi snapped out of his shock, his heart gradually filled with anger.

Looking at the 'photo' in his hand again, it had long since turned into a blank sheet of paper, with a few lines outlining a pair of tiny figures of a man and a woman stuck together.

He questioned in a cold voice:

"Why are you trying to fool me? Why are you insulting Jason!"

Cynthia shrugged nonchalantly:

"This is your punishment for entering someone else's room without knocking."

Levi blushed and was speechless.

He was indeed in the wrong first, and Reeves was actually quite pleased to learn that Jason hadn't been two-timing. Furthermore, given Ms. B's strength, Reeves decided to let the matter rest for now.

Of course, he still had to write it down in his little notebook.

He pretended to be angry and said:

“I don’t want anything like this to happen again, and if you dare to fool Emily, I will never let you get away with it.”

Upon hearing this, Cynthia winked playfully and said in a pitiful tone:

"Oh dear, Sequence 9 is threatening Sequence 7, how terrifying!"

Levi was provoked and his face flushed red.

But then he discovered something strange:

Everyone in the mutual aid society wore masks and were extremely secretive about their identities. How could Ms. B have revealed her true face so easily in front of me? Or is her identity as Cynthia also fake? Also, she readily revealed that she was a Sequence 7, making no attempt to conceal her strength. Of course, what she said might not be true...

Reeves was a little puzzled by Ms. B's intentions; she didn't seem like a careless person. Or did she think there was absolutely no need to hide herself from a Sequence 9?

Ms. B glanced at the pensive Reeves and initiated a new topic:

"Although it wasn't a formal gathering, I'll still mention it: what have you gained from the Hyena Gang?"

Chapter 38 Demon Throat Honey?

Reeves thought for a moment, then said carefully:

“I have successfully joined the Hyena Gang. In addition, the leader of the Hyena Gang, Samira, is dead. The cause of death was pollution.”

He didn't reveal everything in detail, as it involved too many secrets about himself.

Upon hearing this, Ms. B raised her beautiful eyebrows.

She looked at Reeves thoughtfully again, then smiled and said:

"I understand a little better now."

"Hmm, what did you understand?"

Levi wondered to himself, waiting curiously for Ms. B to continue.

However, Ms. B did not explain, but instead asked another question:

"What about Samira's statue? Has it been found?"

While looking down on the riddle-maker who only spoke halfway through his sentence, Levi answered:

"No, it's gone."

Ms. B nodded and did not ask any further questions. Instead, she reached into her black robe and pulled out a stack of banknotes that smelled of ink.

Instantly, Levi's heartstrings were tugged, and his eyes were filled with greed as he looked at the banknotes.

As Ms. B counted the banknotes, she said:

"Although the reward for the mission that I told you before was 200 pounds, now that Samira is dead, regardless of whether it has anything to do with you or not, I have decided to give you an additional 200 pounds as a reward."

After saying that, she generously handed 20 bright green 10-pound notes to Reeves.

Reeves took the banknotes, feeling a surge of excitement, but a sharp pain shot through his chest, bringing him back to his senses. He wondered why Ms. B was being so generous; she had completely outmaneuvered him last time.

Sure enough, after Reeves took the money, Ms. B said with a smile:

"At the same time, this 200 pounds will also serve as your reward for your next task. Aren't I very conscientious? I've already given you the advance payment for the task."

"I knew you wouldn't be that generous..."

Levi mentally scoffed, then cautiously asked:

"So, what's the next mission? Let me make it clear first, I'll decide whether to accept it based on its level of danger."

Ms. B gave a meaningful smile:

"Tonight, satisfy me."

Reeve stared in shock, his eyes wide.

"One of the requirements."

After pausing with a wicked smile, Ms. B stated her request:

"Come with me to Raphael Cemetery in the suburbs."

"A cemetery? What would we do there?"

"I'm a little curious," Levi asked. His few memories of the cemetery came from the original owner's memories, when the original owner was ten years old. The original owner and Jason's parents died in an accident and were buried in the cemetery.

Ms. B frankly stated:

"It's simple, just help me hunt down a Demon Throat Honeydew."

"Demon Throat Honey?"

"The Demon Throat Honeydew is a supernatural creature that lives in the night. It looks like a crow and is completely black. Although its cry is nothing special, it can make people who hear it do all sorts of strange things involuntarily."

Ms. B smiled and continued:

"It is said that once, an extraordinary being heard the song of the Demon Throat Honeybee and mistook it for his lover. Every day, the extraordinary being would search for fresh human flesh to offer to the Demon Throat Honeybee. In the end, he even went so far as to gouge out his own eyes to satisfy the bird's appetite."

Reeves couldn't help but shudder. He was about to refuse this seemingly dangerous mission when Ms. B, as if knowing what he was thinking, spoke up:

“However, you don’t need to worry too much. The strength of the Demon Throat Honeydew is only equivalent to a weaker Sequence 8 Extraordinary. The two of us are more than enough to deal with it. If it weren’t so cunning and difficult to capture, I wouldn’t need to bring you along as a helper. Normally, the Demon Throat Honeydew doesn’t appear near cities. But I’ve received intelligence that traces of this creature have appeared deep within Raphael’s Cemetery. This is a rare opportunity.”

Levi was torn, unsure whether to accept the task. After a moment's thought, he decided to agree—after all, he still had the trump card of borrowing power from the being in the mirror, so he wouldn't be helpless if danger arose. Besides, he had no intention of returning the two hundred pounds he already had to Ms. B.

"Okay, I promise you."

Ms. B seemed to have anticipated that Reeves would agree, and simply nodded:

"Okay, meet me outside Raphael's Cemetery at midnight tonight."

After saying that, she turned around, intending to disappear into the shadows.

“Wait,” Levi called out hastily. “I want to know, what exactly do you need my help with?”

Ms. B glanced back at Reeves, a mocking smile on her face:

"Bait".

Levi: ...

After leaving the mutual aid society, Levi went home and had dinner with Emily before starting preparations for the evening's operation.

He had prepared a small bronze mirror in advance, tucked the Fennebot dagger into his waistband, and also carried a half-revolver with its wooden handle removed, loaded with the last two bullets.

"I need to get some guns and ammunition from Rowling tomorrow..."

Before ten o'clock, Levi left home, took the last public carriage, rode to the end of Narcissus Street in the West End, and walked a distance before arriving at Raphael Cemetery.

It was past eleven o'clock. He found a secluded corner outside the cemetery and waited quietly.