After saying goodbye to his seventh uncle, Eren hailed a taxi and headed straight to the street where the Morningstar Bar was located.
By the time Eren arrived near the bar, it was already noon.
The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly.
Yet, as Eren stepped into the street where the Morningstar Bar was, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.
At the same time, two sharply dressed men—one with a receding hairline—also arrived at the entrance of the Morningstar Bar. They were Coulson and Grant Ward.
"So, this is the suspicious bar? Doesn't look all that special," Ward remarked, glancing at the building.
"Don't let your guard down, Grant. The NYPD already lost officers here," Coulson warned, taking a specialized protective suit handed to him by a nearby staff member and beginning to put it on.
Grant Ward followed suit, donning the protective gear and arming himself to the teeth. Once ready, they followed behind a tactical team, cautiously approaching the bar's entrance.
When the team pushed open the doors, a wave of serene music spilled out, growing louder as the door opened.
Inside, the bar's main hall was filled with people lying scattered across the floor. They looked as if they had fallen into a deep sleep, unmoving.
Coulson signaled the team forward.
The tactical team leader led his unit into the bar.
As nothing abnormal immediately occurred, a flicker of doubt crossed Coulson's eyes. Outside, Ward, who was monitoring the situation, found himself unknowingly moving forward, drawn by the bar's music. Step by step, he approached the entrance.
"Grant!" Coulson's sharp shout came through the earpiece.
The loud rebuke startled Ward back to his senses. He realized he was already standing at the bar's threshold, his foot raised to step inside. Cold sweat drenched his back.
"Fall back!" Coulson's voice barked again. Without hesitation, Ward retreated rapidly, stopping only when he was several meters away from the door.
Exhaling deeply, Ward cast a wary glance at the bar. Its inviting lights and soothing music should have made it a place of comfort, but now it seemed like a den of horror.
The brief lapse in his judgment sent a wave of unease coursing through him. As a professionally trained agent, he had still been compelled to follow the tactical team, against all reason.
"What happened just now?" Coulson demanded, approaching Ward.
"It was the music," Ward said grimly. "The sound interfered with my willpower, like hypnosis. If not for your shout snapping me out of it, I… I don't know what would've happened."
The memory of his altered state sent chills down Ward's spine. To be controlled so easily—by mere sound—was terrifying.
He couldn't help but imagine the potential danger if the music manipulated him further or even exposed his allegiance to Hydra. Such a revelation would mean doom for both himself and his family.
Ward's growing fear turned into deep dread toward the unassuming bar.
"Music? Hypnosis?" Coulson's eyes lit up as he considered this revelation.
Could the strange occurrences at the Morningstar Bar be linked to its music? Were all the people inside hypnotized by the sound, rendering them unresponsive to the outside world?
Just then, something inside the bar changed.
The people lying across the floor all suddenly turned their heads in unison, some twisting their necks a full 180 degrees, adopting grotesque poses to face the entrance.
And then… they smiled.
A sea of twisted, lifeless smiles fixed on Coulson. He felt his skin crawl and cold sweat soaked his back. The synchronized grins etched into those pallid faces were utterly unnatural.
Without hesitation, Coulson began retreating, stepping back until he was over ten meters away.
"What the hell is this?" he muttered, his breath uneven. As someone well-versed in human anatomy, he knew no living person could twist their necks to such angles.
If they weren't alive… then what were they?
Ward's grim voice broke Coulson's thoughts. "Sir, we've lost contact with the tactical team."
Coulson snapped his head toward the bar's door. Through the crack, he could see the team they had sent in now lying amongst the others inside, their faces frozen in those same eerie grins.
"This is bad," Coulson muttered.
Meanwhile, amidst the crowd behind the police barricade, Eren received a notification from the Scales of Fate.
Ding! A foreign fate singularity has been detected. The forbidden item 'Moonlight DJ' is disrupting the world's fate line. Capturing this item could yield significant fate points and unlock the ability to manifest fate. It is strongly recommended to contain this item.
Ding! The Scales of Fate have captured methods to contain the forbidden item 'Moonlight DJ' as follows:
Method 1: A demigod-level transcendent can temporarily ignore the traits of 'Moonlight DJ' by leveraging their divinity and forcibly contain the item.
Method 2: Use the forbidden item 'Silent Box' to neutralize the traits of 'Moonlight DJ' and then contain it.
Method 3: Under moonlight, sing along with 'Moonlight DJ' to achieve the accomplishment "Every Moonlit Night Reminds Me of You," temporarily containing the item. Of course, this depends on your singing not being too terrible.
Method 4...
(End of Chapter)
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