This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 453: Arson

Chapter 453: Chapter 453: Arson

When Howard’s transformed monster staggered into view at the corner of the stairs, its two bizarrely large eyes emitted intense malice and spiritual contamination toward Chen Ke.

Had it not been for wearing a Florence suit, Chen Ke’s life would surely have been dropping nonstop due to the attack on his sanity.

He didn’t know whether Florence himself would have remained calm if he had encountered the current Howard.

Chen Ke couldn’t worry about that now. His right hand suddenly hurled forward, and the Spiritual Power Crystal Gun whizzed out, plunging into Howard’s big head.

Instantly, blood plasma sprayed, Howard’s eyes burst, the brain with its eerie crystalline patterns made a disgusting slushy stirring sound, exploded into mush by the Spiritual Power, and dropped to the ground.

Howard fell on his back, his lower legs twitching nonstop. Chen Ke got up, shot his heart three more times, and then with one foot, smashed the remaining brain tissue into a mess, not ceasing until the other side was completely still.

After Howard had thoroughly died, the strange atmosphere permeating the entire mansion also vanished instantly. Sounds of horseshoes passing through the streets reached his ears, and the yard seemed to be filled with people again.

Chen Ke glanced outside the window, three Administration Bureau horse-drawn carriages were parked at the entrance of the courtyard, with two security officers covering their eyes, looking like they had just rushed in upon hearing gunshots and were affected by Howard’s area-wide mental attack.

Had Chen Ke not killed Howard, those two security officers’ fate might have been fraught with much more bad luck than good.

Like with Bader, Howard’s form could not be seen through Spiritual Vision, which greatly concerned Chen Ke. It seemed that Yasla’s power might indeed be intricately connected to this blood.

Chen Ke surveyed the mess on the ground; this era should not have such things. He pocketed the five Holy Diamonds, summoned the long-missed Requiem of An Helei, then grabbed a nearby curtain with his right hand.

The mansion stood at the street corner. If it caught fire, it should not be difficult to handle. He intended to burn everything in the house with one blaze.

He first burst into the room where Sir Howard had been, a nondescript wealthy man’s living room, with only a bedside table carrying a blood vial identical to the one Baron Mox had used for his wife’s blood transfusion.

They all mentioned a man called William, the blood coming from that guy.

Chen Ke pocketed the blood vial and searched the bedroom, but no matter how, he could not find the Holy Diamonds of Moonlight and Blasphemous Dagger. In the end, he had no choice but to ignite An Helei’s Magic Flames and set the bedsheets ablaze.

Wherever Chen Ke went, the Flame followed like a shadow; wearing the black armor, he could not be harmed by the fire.

"There’s a fire! Quickly get the insurance company!" Before any security officer broke into the mansion, someone who first spotted the flames from the bedroom on the third floor left side shouted loudly, urging his comrades to ride for the insurance company.

The fire spread rapidly across the entire third floor with lightning speed and then onto the second floor. Thick smoke billowed from the windows; although the house was built of brick and stone, it had wooden floors and lots of flammable furniture. Plus, with dozens of bodies inside, it caught fire quickly.

Humans too are flammable.

By the time the water tank horse-drawn carriages from the insurance company arrived, the mansion had already become a blazing furnace, with flames so intense that even the adjacent shops were affected, the café on the side was also reduced to ruins.

Many people ran out of their homes, their faces blackened by smoke, crying out in panic, throwing water with basins toward their houses, and the insurance company’s workers were carrying buckets of water into Howard’s mansion.

In the 19th century, there were no fire alarms, and firefighting was contracted to various insurance companies whose equipment was not as professional as in the 21st century, so dealing with such fires was a bit strenuous.

More and more people came to help, the crossroads were jammed with crowds and carriages. The fire was so massive, it seemed as if the entire street was ablaze. The sky, gray with daylight, was dyed red by the firelight, and within the flames, one could almost see the face of a grinning woman.

Chen Ke leaped out from the back window, landing on the rooftop of the bakery, called back the armor, and then jumped onto the street, almost spraining his ankle.

The fire might lead to innocent casualties, but at least it would burn all the strange corpses in the mansion, and most people would continue living in an ordinary world.

Chen Ke looked back at the burning mansion, snorted, and mocked himself. Since when had he become so meddlesome, much like a member of the Administration Bureau?

He turned and left, leaving the noise behind.

Chen Ke returned to the abandoned building opposite Big Ben. Without Jacob’s whistle, the children would not let down the rope, and he would not climb the wall. Just as he was at a loss, little Jack appeared from behind him.

"Mr. Chen? Jacob told me, if you returned, to take you to him," Jack said.

Chen Ke saw a trace of unease on Jack’s face and squatted down to ask, "How is Jacob doing?"

"I don’t know... Miss Nightingale said his situation isn’t very good, he might become blind," Jack said uneasily.

"Maybe it won’t be so bad, take me to him," Chen Ke patted Jack’s shoulder.

"He’s at Miss Nightingale’s Good Golden Cup Hospital," Jack said with a nod. "It’s a distance from here; we might have to walk for quite a while."

"We’ll take a carriage," Chen Ke said as he pulled out his wallet, from which he had five 20-pound notes—a substantial sum in the 19th century.

The journey was silent as the carriage eventually stopped outside the Good Golden Cup Hospital. Chen Ke handed the driver 20 British Pounds, but the fare was only 20 pence. The driver emptied almost all the money he had on him to give Chen Ke his change.

He stuffed a handful of small bills and coins into his pocket, a sight that kept Jack staring fixedly.

Entering the hospital, to Chen Ke’s surprise, it resembled a hotel more than a hospital and there weren’t many patients.

Chen Ke caught a nurse and inquired about the whereabouts of Nightingale. The nurse looked at Chen Ke warily, reluctant to disclose more.

"You’ve misunderstood, madam. A friend of mine has just been brought here by her today; he’s suffering from an eye disease," Chen Ke explained, looking upstairs.

"Oh... I see, a friend of Jacob’s?" the nurse asked with a smile.

"I didn’t expect Jacob to have acquaintances here," Chen Ke said, spreading his hands.

The nurse smiled without comment and led him and little Jack to a room on the second floor, where Jacob was sitting on a stool, his eyes bandaged.

"Director Nightingale... Mr. Jacob’s friends are here," the nurse announced.

Nightingale, who was mixing a salve, turned around and nodded slightly; the nurse smiled and left.

"Chen Ke? I didn’t expect you to finish so quickly. Oh... let’s not talk about that now, we can talk more when we get back tonight," Jacob said, swinging his hand in the air.

"Don’t even think about going back, Mr. Jacob. Your eyes do not look good. I suggest you stay here overnight and let me see if this salve can ease your eye condition," Nightingale insisted.

"Hey... it wasn’t so serious on the street," Chen Ke approached Nightingale and inquired.

"I don’t understand why his eyes kept bleeding. Although it has barely stopped now, but... I’m not an ophthalmology expert. His eyes may be difficult to recover," Nightingale whispered to Chen Ke.

"Jacob, your eyes—did you see something you shouldn’t have?" Jack went up to Jacob, his voice filled with panic.

Jacob was the pillar for these children, both spiritually and in action. If Jacob became blind, how long could these children hold on?

"I don’t know; I feel my eyes aren’t a big issue anymore, but Miss Nightingale is still terribly worried," Jacob laughed.

"You’re called... Chen... Ke? Right?" Nightingale asked.

Chen Ke nodded.

"You see, his eyes are in poor condition, but he himself seems to feel nothing. I know a very good doctor, but he..." Nightingale said.

"But he’s not in Langdon now, right?" Chen Ke asked.

"No..." Nightingale shook her head, and grabbing Chen Ke’s arm, she brought him to the side of the door.

"What’s the situation, exactly?" Chen Ke asked again.

"That doctor is very expensive; I don’t think there are many people in Langdon City who can afford his fees," Nightingale spoke softly.

"How much?" Chen Ke asked.

"It could be over 80 British Pounds, an amount equal to the income of many people over a year or two..." Nightingale shook her head.

"80 Pounds, Miss Nightingale, there won’t be any additional charges, will there?" Chen Ke asked.

He could afford the money, and the currency meant nothing to him at this place. After all, he would return to 2009 after sorting everything out. Paying for Jacob’s eye treatment was a good use of resources.

"I had no idea... you were so wealthy..." Nightingale wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Bring that doctor here, Miss Nightingale. I’m really in a hurry..." Chen Ke said, hands on his hips, looking past Nightingale’s shoulder towards the inside of the room, where Jack sat on Jacob’s lap, at a loss for what to do.