Invisible Security Guard
Chapter 1436 - 1435: Appetizer

Chapter 1436: Chapter 1435: Appetizer

"What? All sixteen of them vomited blood, lost consciousness, and their bodies are rotting?" Upon hearing the report from the servant, even Landyn Torres gasped in shock. These were sixteen newcomers, and even the worst among them had reached the Respect Level. Moreover, all sixteen had been under strict protection, making it nearly impossible for anyone to get close to them.

But even so, all sixteen newcomers still fell victim?

"Let’s go take a look." Landyn Torres’ face turned grim as he strode urgently toward Sunset Tower in the southern part of Sunset Square. The tower, a large inn that served meals and provided lodging, had recently been requisitioned for use. All the newcomers were stationed there on standby.

The discussions across the square grew increasingly loud. Many felt that a significant event was unfolding. Who could have the power to target newcomers like this?

Soon, the Eight Great Clan Leaders, along with Landyn Torres and others, rushed into Sunset Tower. As soon as Landyn stepped inside, his eyelid twitched violently. The stench of decay and overpowering smell of blood filled the entire space. Inside the main hall of the tower, fifteen—not sixteen—people lay side by side. Experts were already diagnosing them, but even the doctors’ foreheads were drenched in sweat. This situation was utterly terrifying.

"Hmm? Why is it fifteen? Who’s missing?" Landyn’s eyebrows shot up when he noticed one person was absent.

"It’s Karson. Earlier, Karson had another episode where she slammed her head into the wall, causing her head to bleed. I pressed her sleep acupoint to calm her down and left her in a guest room under supervision," Jake Schwartz, Karson’s father, spoke up.

"How is she?" Landyn asked curiously.

"I just checked on her. Apart from some skin abrasions on her forehead, she appears unharmed. She hasn’t shown any symptoms similar to theirs."

"Oh?" Landyn narrowed his eyes slightly and then turned to the Eight Great Clan Leaders.

At this moment, the clan leaders stepped forward one by one. They had already been investigating the cause of the affliction inside the tower, and now they had results to share.

"It’s confirmed. This is a contact-based curse," Callahan Ray, one of the Eight Great Families’ leaders, finally broke his silence. Known for his composed demeanor and profound mastery of witchcraft and curses, his grave tone caught everyone’s attention.

"What do you mean by a contact-based curse?" Several clan leaders expressed confusion.

Callahan Ray paused for a moment to explain, "This type of curse activates when individuals come into contact with a specific person or object. The curse energy then enters their bodies. After some investigation, I’ve discovered that all fifteen of them previously drank... drank Spring Xiao Tea, while Karson Schwartz did not."

"The curse energy was in the tea. The moment they ingested it, it took effect."

"Spring Xiao Tea?"

The Eight Great Clan Leaders and Landyn’s brows furrowed deeply.

Spring Xiao Tea, cultivated in the southern regions, was as much a delicacy as it was infamous. The tea’s name loosely translates to "Spring Night." According to rumors, men who drank the tea would remain energized for an entire night, while women would become intensely passionate. If two people shared the tea together, they would experience synchronized hallucinations, creating an indescribably euphoric illusion.

To put it bluntly, it was akin to a narcotic, enhancing pleasure during such intimate acts.

"What a disgrace!" Landyn Torres cursed under his breath. "The fourth generation of the Eight Great Families is a lost cause. At a time like this, they still have their minds in the gutter!"

"We’ve identified the source of the Spring Xiao Tea," Matt Graham interjected. Known for his unparalleled speed in solving cases, it didn’t even take him long to track down its origin as they discussed the matter.

"Xander Nash brought it himself."

"What?" Xander’s father, Clan Leader Nash Shengping, froze for a moment, then turned his icy gaze toward his son, who lay on the ground, his body oozing pus and blood.

"But he’s also cursed, just like the others!" Matt Graham explained with a bitter smile. "This likely means it wasn’t his doing. He may have been manipulated."

"I’ll perform a soul search on him!" Nash Shengping’s anger flared, his beard trembling. Ignoring the fact that Xander remained in a deteriorating state without medical treatment, Nash proceeded with a violent soul search immediately.

In no time, he extracted fragments of memory from Xander about the Spring Xiao Tea’s origins.

"Someone, go arrest Xander’s personal servant. Fetch them at once!" Nash Shengping bellowed.

A loud "thud" echoed near the door before anyone could respond. It turned out that Xander’s and the other heirs’ personal servants had accompanied them, as was customary when attending their masters—ensuring they were groomed and dressed properly. Hearing an order to apprehend him, Xander’s servant immediately collapsed to his knees in fright.

Nevertheless, someone quickly dragged him before Nash Shengping.

Without hesitation, Nash intensified his violent soul search.

"Buzz—" In an instant, the servant’s eyes rolled back, foam pouring from his mouth. A moment later, his head exploded with a resounding "bang!"

Nash Shengping flicked his sleeve, dispersing the rain of blood and brain matter as he growled, "Summon the workers, shopkeeper, and owner of Sunrise Tea Stall. Bring them all here!"

"Yes, sir!" Several individuals rushed out promptly.

"I’ll continue treating the cursed for now," Callahan Ray said as he crouched back down to apply his unique methods to attempt cures.

Meanwhile, Landyn Torres retrieved his Jade Simple and began contacting the Eight Grand Elders. The elders had previously warned him that the heirs of the Eight Great Families had been cursed—albeit with an imperceptible, slow-acting curse.

Now, however, this new instance was different. Fifteen—no, sixteen individuals had been cursed, and it was acute, taking immediate effect.

Truth be told, Landyn had little knowledge of curses and their nuances. He had no choice but to seek guidance from the grand elders.

Silence enveloped the room as everyone turned their attention to Callahan Ray, waiting to see if he could successfully treat the victims.

After a dozen or so breaths, beads of sweat began to appear on Callahan’s forehead. Even he failed to identify the source of the curse energy.

At that moment, those dispatched to capture personnel from Sunrise Tea Stall returned with six people in tow.

The group looked utterly terrified, trembling uncontrollably with pale faces. Even the tea stall owner’s teeth were chattering audibly.

Without wasting time, Nash Shengping resumed his brutal method of soul searching, starting with the tea stall workers.

After going through the first worker, he found no useful information.

The second worker yielded the same result—nothing.

He moved on to the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper’s memories also contained nothing incriminating. They showed no intent to harm Xander Nash or anyone else.

Lastly, he searched the tea stall owner, but still found no connection. The Spring Xiao Tea had been sold not only to Xander but to others as well. In fact, the owner himself had consumed the exact same tea.

What did this mean? It suggested that the seller hadn’t tampered with the tea. Something more sinister was at play.

"Let’s see who is behind this!" Just then, Landyn Torres finished his communication with the elders. He let out a cold snort and strode toward one of the heirs. Using the techniques and methods taught by the elders, not only would he neutralize the curse energy, but he would also track its origin. He was certain of one thing—the person cursing them was still within Sunset Square.

"Buzz—" As his mental energy penetrated the heir’s soul, Landyn quickly detected the presence of curse energy and began extracting it.

However, just as he made his move, the curse energy suddenly burst forth with a shockwave. A voice emerged: "Senior Landyn, this is just an appetizer. The main course is coming soon!"