453 Bell (1/2)

”Did you run into trouble?” Looking at Charles' dispiritedness, Constantine grew confused.

”No.” Charles shook his head and squeezed out a smile. ”Don't worry about me. I'm great. I don't have any morals so nothing in the world can scare me.”

Constantine studied him. He knew Charles was lying, and after a while, he shook his head. ”The troubles of youth?” Sighing, he lit his cigarette. He had been smoking constantly these days. He could not sleep at night and in the morning, there would be a mountain in the ashtray.

Seeming to remember something, he could not help but laugh at himself. ”Before, an Easterner called Ye told me a joke. He said that young people shouldn't be sad because of a period of pain. There are many more days of pain in the future…hahaha.

”It sounds heartless but it's true. When I was your age, I often thought that the world would end and grew hopeless. But later, I ran into more troubles and instead grew numb.”

He paused and patted Charles's shoulder. ”It'll pass, Charles. It'll all pass,” he said. ”All pain will pass.”

Charles shuddered and did not reply. For a moment, he almost wanted to stand up and tell Constantine that he was a spy from the Sacred City. He was going to betray the man to Gaius.

But he did not dare.

Charles wanted to cry because of his weakness and something else. He just lowered his head and said, ”Thank you, sir.”

And Constantine smiled. ”Oh right, this is for you.” He pulled out a small packet and placed it into Charles' hand. ”I'm actually quite sorry for dragging you into this.”

Taken by surprise, Charles opened it and found that it was a new identification card. It was clean, well-maintained, and free of any criminal records.

”I forgot to tell you yesterday,” Constantine said, ”Gaius agreed to meet me today.”

Charles froze as if he had turned into a rock. It felt like someone had hacked his brain open and Constantine's words crushed all his thoughts.

Gaius? Meet Constantine? Today?

”Scared?” Constantine smoked and looked out the window. ”Some things must come to an end. I will help you with Gaius. If I die, just leave the Sacred City. This is an identity I prepared for someone else but now he's dead. I'll give it to you so you can help live for him as well. In the future, don't be a musician…”

The sudden change was like lightning in a clear sky. It completely shattered the Silent Authority's plan. No matter what, the result would be clear today.

It was fast. Too fast. So fast he could not react.

The situation had suddenly fallen into the abyss. Constantine was ready to set things clear with Gaius even if it meant he would die. The result would be Gaius getting rid of him. He already knew this ending. But because it was Constantine's decision, the Silent Authority's next step was foiled, losing the restriction on Gaius.

In a daze, Charles felt relaxed for some reason. Perhaps he would never get any results and perhaps he would spend the rest of his life in the Judgement Tower. But at least, at least…Constantine would not die in his hands.

He would not need to be a traitor. He was ashamed by this feeling. Then he suddenly felt a gust of coldness. This almost tangible coldness came from his bones. His heart pounded and his face turned shockingly white. His veins were transporting blood but there was no warmth.

This was a sense of danger.

Horrible danger.

Headache.

His head pounded.

In extreme pain, Charles sank into a daze but his consciousness left his body. It followed the sense of danger and he could faintly see a bleary image.

”Charles…what's wrong?” Seeing Charles twitch, Constantine was shocked. But then Charles shot up from the seat and grasped his hand like a vice. He kicked the door open without hesitation. An explosion of aether tore apart the lock. There were countless carriages racing through the bustling city but Charles dragged Constantine out the car!

The sudden change caused a ruckus. There was a string of explosions, whinnies, yells, and roars. Dozens of carriages crashed while trying to avoid them. Some innocent drivers even fell to the ground with broken legs. The innocent passersby all screamed and dodged.

In the mess, everyone glared at the two who jumped from the carriage. Charles and Constantine tumbled on the ground. Constantine was old and had not processed everything until he fell. He moaned to Charles, ”Are you crazy?”

But Charles seemed not to hear. He just turned and stared at the carriage they were on. It was still going forward but slowing down. Finally, the two horses whined and the carriage stopped. Then the driver fell from his spot. When he landed on the ground, his flesh turned to dirt and slowly melted away, revealing the blackening bones.

He was dead.