Zion continued to walk around the forest area for a long time before he could hear footsteps. Since he was practically running as his body flashed past many trees in the shadows, his pace was faster than the black-cloaked man, who was strolling as if he were in a garden.
But when Zion heard footsteps coming from the forest, he subconsciously slowed down his own pace as his eyes narrowed. Even though he rarely used to walk in the forest, back when he was in the FBI, he had been given the training to hide in the shadows and follow someone practically anywhere, even in the forest, while hiding the sound of his footsteps at the same time.
So he was confident that the black-cloaked man wouldn't be able to hear him at all. But that person might have other means of knowing whether Zion followed him. So the detective didn't lower his guard and was prepared to protect himself if the person in front of him attacked him. But nothing like that happened.
Instead, the black-cloaked man continued to walk forward at a steady pace. After a while, they both reached open ground in the forest surrounded by trees. There was a small house made of wood and dried leaves that looked as if someone had put together a few things to create a shade temporarily to hide from the rain.
Zion followed the black-cloaked man who went inside the house. His steps paused, and he frowned. Just what kind of shabby place was this? He pursed his lips and continued to follow the man and hid behind a window.
He still didn't know whether the black-cloaked man had identified his presence yet, but he was sure that he couldn't go back without finding something from this place. Even a small clue would be enough to save the day. He was confident that he could figure out the rest easily.
But as soon as he glanced inside the house, he saw a scene that made his eyes open wide, and his limbs frozen.
The black-cloaked man was inside and had opened a coffin lying in the corner. Even the design of that coffin was shabby, as if the person didn't have enough money to purchase a good one. But what shocked Zion the most was the person lying inside the coffin.
It was the Crown Prince, Bradley Vanne.
Zion was so shocked that he continued to stare at the dead body lying inside the coffin for a long time without blinking. He couldn't see a sign of a fake face or make-up applied to the dead body. That meant it was possible that the person lying inside the coffin was the original Bradley. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He should have known that this black-cloaked man was an imposter! There had been many signs already that he had failed to focus on! That was what he had been forgetting all this time.
He remembered the picture of Bradley that he had seen inside that cold room back then, in his aristocratic identity. In that pic, he could see that the man was bigger than most of the Dhampirs in the royal family. With a broad chest and shoulder-length hair that blew in the air, the man's tanned skin would shine brightly in the sun.
But when he saw the black-cloaked man the first time, he remembered that even though the man's hands and shoulders were like the pic that he had seen, the smile on the villain's face was nowhere near as similar to the prince's. If Bradley were someone who would smile at every single one of them despite the problems he was having in his heart, the black-cloaked man had a rather sinister smile on his face that made him look more dangerous.
Of course, he even remembered the conservation that Prince Linton and his daughter had back then. They had talked about how the prince's behavior had changed recently, ever since Princess Lia was captured. Back then, he didn't think this information was necessary.
But who would have thought he would end up stumbling into such a devastating secret!
That meant his enemy, who had been creating havoc and making this case difficult, was this imposter! Now that he thought about it, he could even connect it to the death of Oswin and Linton. Perhaps in the original plan, Prince Bradley should have worked together with them to take King Rhesus down from the throne and establish himself as a compassionate leader.
But something must have happened. Zion was sure that they must have perceived that their so-called prince had changed tactics and had become even more sinister than the current king! So when they thought of rebelling, the black-cloaked man finished them quickly!
Just when he was thinking of this, he heard the black-cloaked man clicking his tongue. "Do you think he looks better?"
A trace of astonishment appeared in Zion's eyes. He just knew that the black-cloaked man had sensed his identity! He didn't think that this person had a screw loose who would talk to himself like this.
Now what? The system was still offline, and he planned to keep it like that. He first wanted to figure out what this man knew about him and his system before calling 007 out.
But if he didn't turn 007 on, would he still be able to come out alive?
Zion's heartbeat rose rapidly as his eyes restlessly looked everywhere on the floor, as if trying to find a way out of this scene. Just when he thought he was doomed, he heard the black-cloaked man talking again. "Don't worry. I won't kill you now. After all, you are the only one who gifted yourself to my doorsteps. I can find your master with your help. So you're safe until your master appears."
A frown crossed Zion's forehead. So his decision to hide his system was good. He could at least be alive until then. But why did this black-cloaked man think that Zion could lead the man to his master? And how did he not know that he had a master in the first place?
His brows furrowed deeper, and just as he was thinking about this, he heard the man talking again, with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Whatever your name is, be a good boy and hide here until I finish off the rest of my work. I'll deal with you after coming back."
After saying this, the black-cloaked man's body flashed outside and came right in front of Zion before revealing a dark smile. "Sleep."
Then he tapped his index finger on Zion's forehead as the latter's eyes closed automatically.
No! He couldn't sleep! From the words of this black-cloaked man, this person was going to wage a war against the kingdom! He would have to warn the king that this person wasn't Bradley, but an imposter! In his anxiety, he subconsciously called out to the system in his mind. "007, come out and wake me up!"