Chapter 50 Sealed Object "2049"

A group of Nighthawks, some in trench coats, others in overcoats, emerged from the passage. They all raised their left or right arms, performing arm flexing exercises in unison, as if lifting invisible dumbbells, frantically exercising their bodies.

While making these strange movements, the Nighthawks continued walking, their arm flexing synchronized with their pace as they approached Angel.

This eerie yet rhythmic behavior reminded her of an Eastern robotic dance group she had seen before her transmigration, who also wore odd outfits and moved mechanically through the streets.

As the group drew near, Angel recognized the leader as Dunn Smith, the Nighthawks captain who was in the upstairs office earlier. Behind him were the calm-faced "Midnight Poet" Leonard Mitchell and the hesitantly arm-flexing "Seer" Klein Moretti.

The three surrounded two unfamiliar Nighthawks. One stern-faced man carried a black iron box inscribed with the crimson moon symbol of the Goddess of Night. Next to him walked a female Nighthawks, about 30 years old, with a pretty face, dressed in masculine shirt and trousers like Angel, though the strange arm-flexing motion ruined her androgynous beauty.

As Angel observed the group, the female Nighthawks's flexing arm suddenly paused, her steps slowed, and then she stopped all movement as if a switch had been flipped. Her expression went blank, her eyes unfocused, falling out of the robotic dance formation.

Leonard, passing by her, frowned slightly and stopped, turning to gently push her shoulder.

She awoke as if from a dream, her movements becoming fluid again as she quickened her pace to rejoin the group.

The others seemed accustomed to this, showing no surprise or panic.

What was going on?

As the group approached, Angel felt her scalp tingle and her heart race, with an urge to distance herself from these people.

"I was about to look for you. This saves some trouble," said Dunn Smith, leading the robotic dance group, as they stopped about 5 meters from Angel, still flexing his right arm repeatedly.

"One of our members scheduled for this operation had to leave Tingen urgently. Get ready to join us for the upcoming..."

Before he could finish, Dunn experienced a situation similar to the female Nighthawks earlier. His flexed forearm froze mid-air, and the unspoken words halted on his lips.

Klein behind him hesitated, about to pat the captain's shoulder, but the stern-faced stranger acted first, gently pushing Dunn's back.

This light push seemed to re-oil Dunn's rusty machinery, making his movements smooth again, and the last word flowed from his mouth: "...operation."

Angel now understood. This group seemed affected by some mysterious force, occasionally experiencing body stiffness and inability to speak. They kept moving their arms to allow nearby teammates to quickly notice if they fell into this strange state.

A light touch from another person could quickly restore them to normal.

As for the source of this mysterious power...

Angel's gaze quickly swept over the two unfamiliar Nighthawks, finally resting on the iron box in the male Nighthawks's hand. Feeling her gaze, he looked back with knife-like brown-yellow eyes, and Angel noticed a scar on his face.

The three familiar Tingen Nighthawks didn't possess such abilities, and the woman's hands were empty. It seemed likely that the item affecting them was the object carried by the last person...

Realizing this, she moved her feet, quietly distancing herself from the iron box before carefully asking, "What's going on with you all?"

"Time is short, let's walk and talk," Dunn pointed to the box held by the scarred man. "Borgia is carrying a special magical item, Sealed Object '2-049'. It affects nearby people, prioritizing targets within five meters, causing the 'lag phenomenon' you saw with me and Lorotta earlier," he gestured towards the female Nighthawks who had also experienced body stiffness. "The effect can be dispelled by a light touch from a nearby companion."

"Fortunately, 2-049's influence range is only five meters, affecting one person at a time, and the three closest to it are most likely to be targeted. Start doing this arm-flexing exercise with us now, and don't stop until the mission ends. If you're affected by 2-049, we'll wake you promptly. Similarly, if any of us are hit, we'll need your help."

Angel nodded in understanding. She mimicked their movements, raising her left arm and flexing it at the same frequency as the others, becoming the sixth member of the robotic dance group.

The group then resumed walking, moving in pairs towards the basement exit.

Having been a Nighthawks for over half a month, Angel had learned some mysticism knowledge from Old Neil during her free time. She now had some understanding of "Sealed Objects" - objects with certain negative effects that must be kept and controlled by the church.

Most of these were created when the extraordinary characteristics of deceased Beyonder combined with certain items, or were parts of mutated Beyonder' bodies. If the church deemed an item too dangerous or with excessively negative effects, they would "seal" it and assign a corresponding code.

"2-049" was this Sealed Object's internal code in the Church of the Goddess. The first number represented the item's danger level, ranging from 0 to 3, with lower numbers indicating higher danger. "2" suggested the danger level wasn't high; there were likely several such items even within Tingen's Chanis Gate.

But low danger didn't mean no danger. Judging from how several people had been affected earlier, "2-049" required a team to carry it. If the carrier was alone, this Sealed Object would reveal its true danger.

Angel didn't know what would happen if the body stiffness negative effect wasn't resolved by others, but even a few seconds of lag could be fatal in battle.

Realizing this, she understood why Dunn Smith needed her to join the team for this operation.

Despite the Sealed Object's obvious negative effects, they were bringing it along, clearly intending to use some of its properties. It could be for combat or for finding someone or something, but the likelihood of combat or other dangers was high.

If someone fell into the lag state caused by "2-049", a teammate had to immediately wake them, or they'd become a stationary target.

According to Dunn's explanation, this Sealed Object would prioritize affecting the three closest people. In battle, a three-person team must protect this Sealed Object, or more distant teammates would become targets.

In this situation, the more people available for combat, the better. After the originally scheduled participant had to leave, Dunn came to recruit Angel as a replacement.

"Leonard, go up first and have Rozanne and the others move to the third floor to avoid the reception room for now. Then bring the carriage to the front door. You'll be driving later, let Cesare go home to rest," Dunn instructed as they neared the spiral staircase.

Leonard Mitchell nodded, quickening his pace to overtake the group, climbing the stairs and disappearing from view. Even in his haste, he didn't forget to comically swing his arms.

What's so funny? I'll be doing the same soon... Angel forcibly suppressed the smile on her face. Looking back, she saw everyone making the same motion, their expressions serious yet comical. Thinking about how they would soon be walking down the street like this, enduring the stares of passersby, she suddenly felt overwhelmed.

The group ascended the stairs back to the second floor of Blackthorn Security Company, filing into the reception room. Rozanne, who had been waiting there earlier, was now gone, presumably having moved to the third floor temporarily. Only the coffee cups on the table remained, still steaming.

"We'll go straight downstairs and take the carriage to Riel Bieber's house first. We should be able to get further clues there," Dunn issued the next order.

Everyone nodded silently, maintaining their arm-flexing motions as they maneuvered around the reception room sofa towards the main door.

Just as the formation changed, Borgia, carrying "2-049" in front of Angel, suddenly slowed his movements. Though he continued walking forward and flexing his elbow, it was like watching slow-motion footage, rapidly approaching a standstill.

This unlucky guy...

Angel prepared to push him, but found her own movements unresponsive. Her flexed right hand wouldn't straighten, let alone touch Borgia in front of her. Her legs felt leaden, unable to move, and her thoughts became sluggish. The footsteps around her and the street noise outside the window grew increasingly muffled.

Could it be...

She watched Klein appear in her field of vision, changing his posture frame by frame like a stop-motion animation, approaching to push her shoulder gently.

Klein and Borgia's movements suddenly became smooth again, the sounds around her returned to normal frequency, and her arm finally extended forward as she had been trying to do.

It wasn't Borgia who had been affected earlier, but herself!

Angel's newly agile mind finally realized.

This was the terrifying effect of "2-049"!

Earlier, watching Lorotta and Captain Dunn fall victim, their slowed movements like malfunctioning robots had seemed somewhat comical. But experiencing it herself, the sudden sluggishness of movement and thought was truly frightening.

Angel couldn't imagine how long this state would last if no one woke her, or if it might worsen, completely halting all movement and thought, ultimately turning her into a living statue.

At this thought, she felt her back drenched in cold sweat.