Chapter 840
Bee Swarm
Chapter 840 Bee Swarm
Wade moved closer, his fingertips tracing the edges of the scratches, measuring the distance between the scratches with his knuckles.
“Werewolf,” he said softly, his tone certain.
"We also found this."
The young man in the hoodie walked over, holding a slender glass bottle containing some grayish-green powder scraped from the cracks in the floor, along with a few strands of hair.
"I compared the data of more than a hundred kinds of alchemical materials, and I can roughly determine that these things most likely came from trolls... Hmm, the probability is more than 70%?"
"Werewolves...and trolls?"
Wade said softly, a faint smile on his face, "I have a wonderful connection."
At that moment, the three puppets in the room also simultaneously revealed similar smiles.
"It's really fun."
The truck driver took off his hat and casually patted off the dust.
"If this conjecture is true, then I really can't wait to meet the mastermind behind the Purge."
“But they’ve been hiding for so many years, they won’t be easy to find,” Victor said. “We still need to be careful and can’t rule out other possibilities.”
The hoodie nodded and said, "For example... they also have connections with that organization that tried to mass-produce werewolves and vampires, and even included trolls in their experiments."
Victor said, "Isn't Cornelius trying to replicate that hormone? The one that induces werewolves to transform before the full moon. I wonder if they've developed an inhibitor. If they have, it might come in handy this time."
The puppets chattered amongst themselves, and every word they uttered actually represented Vader's thoughts.
As always, Vader remained silent, pondering as he continued to observe the rest of the base.
Suddenly, Wade paused slightly in his steps.
He saw an unusually empty room. The only piece of furniture was a shelf in the corner, on which were a few rolls of gauze and bottles of various medicines haphazardly stacked, gleaming faintly in the dim light.
The floor inside the room was covered with thick, dark-colored, worn-out mats. In some places, the dark yellow inner core was even visible. The surface was covered with dents that could not be smoothed out and marks of long-term trampling. If you looked closely, you could also see brown bloodstains that could not be washed off in some places.
In that instant, Vader seemed to hallucinate more than two years ago, when he pushed open that door and stepped into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that Professor Abigail had modified for the first time.
That time... he was full of youthful pride and unwillingness to admit defeat, and ended up getting a pretty bad beating.
As if possessed, Wade stepped into the empty room. His footsteps were absorbed by the thick material and landed silently.
His gaze swept over the shelf in the corner, and his breath hitched: even the haphazard arrangement of the medicine and gauze carried a vague sense of familiarity.
Wade walked to the cabinet, reached deep inside, and pulled his hand back to find a bottle of expired scar removal cream in his hand.
I could almost hear Professor Abigail's cheerful voice in my ears:
“Scars are badges of courage! But I can’t stand it if little girls are worried about being disfigured and crying! I’ve hidden the scar removal cream here, so those who need it will naturally find it.”
Wade turned around, his gaze slowly sweeping across the ground.
On the soft mat, the marks of repeated rubbing clearly outline the movement patterns:
Some practice rolling and dodging frequently; some stand for long periods of time; some represent thousands of push-ups; and some are intense fights where the two are unwilling to give way to each other, even breaking the mat.
He could almost imagine how the people who worked here honed their skills through daily practice and agility.
And the person who trains them is stern and unforgiving during practice, yet afterwards reveals warmth and ease.
The puppets that had been following behind him seemed to sense an unusual aura. They hesitated and remained at the door, not daring to speak to Wade.
The hoodie whispered, "What do you think... Master is thinking right now?"
"It must have had some kind of communication with the residual magnetic field in the room that is incomprehensible to ordinary people."
Victor said solemnly, "He deciphered some terrible truth that we hadn't noticed from these silent traces. No wonder he's my creator! Sometimes even I can't see through his thoughts!"
The truck driver stroked his chin and muttered, "I think... the master probably had some ominous associations..."
The other two glared at him simultaneously.
—We were having a nice chat, why did you suddenly tell the truth so bluntly?
Suddenly, the puppets all felt a chill run through them.
They turned around together and saw Wade staring at them with a sinister look.
Just then, Vilan, dressed like a repairman and who once made people question their existence because a drill appeared in his palm, strode in from outside.
"Master, there have been new developments in the intelligence!"
Vilan said solemnly, "We've discovered new werewolf paw prints about a kilometer away from this textile factory!"
"What?" Victor exclaimed, "They've discovered a new stronghold? I'm going to check it out right now!"
He dashed out like a gust of wind, leaving the hoodie and the truck driver dumbfounded as they watched his retreating figure.
Vilan, somewhat bewildered, said, "I haven't finished yet! Why is this guy in such a hurry?"
Wade stepped out of the training room, glared at the two guys who were cricketing behind him, and said irritably, "Ignore him, tell me what you guys found?"
Vilan withdrew his gaze and said seriously, "The paw prints extend towards the main entrance of the municipal sewer system..."
……
In the dark world below, viscous sewage flowed slowly, and the air was filled with a nauseating stench. Only the occasional glimmer of light shining through the gaps in the manhole cover briefly illuminated the moss-covered and filthy pipe walls.
A plump, brown mouse was sniffing rapidly, its front paws digging at a small piece of moldy bread. Its whiskers trembled slightly as it picked up its meal, when suddenly it heard a strange sound.
It raised its head warily, its small black eyes reflecting the scene gushing out of the pipe—
A dark cloud, shimmering with a gloomy luster, rolled in, like a storm cloud, but with a strange and deep hum; it also resembled the black smoke from burning garbage, but with a faint metallic sheen.
As they got closer, it turned out to be a "thick smoke" made up of countless wasps!
They seemed to fill the entire space, their wings flapping rapidly as they approached at an astonishing speed!
"Squeak!"
The mouse was instantly terrified. It dropped the food that was already in its mouth and turned to run away!
"Buzzing..."
The swarm of wasps flew in with a whoosh, passing by as if they never stopped. In the darkness, only the shrill cries of mice, muffled by the flapping of their wings, could be heard.
A few seconds later, the swarm of golems swept across the area like a tide, continuing to surge forward.
In the damp pipes, the dark red liquid gradually spread, quickly merging with the sewage as if it had never existed.
Cockroaches bred in decay and garbage, swarming water fleas, bats hanging upside down from steel bars, and slithering snakes—these inhabitants of the sewers, upon hearing the buzzing sound, some immediately flee, while others raise their heads and let out threatening hisses. However, there are no roars, no fierce struggles, only the continuous sound of flapping wings, intermittent cracking sounds, and the splashing of sewage falling into the sewers.
As the swarm of bees swept by, the entire pipe fell completely silent.
……
On the map spread out on the table, dark red veins are gradually extending.
Vilan picked up his pen and marked another cross on the map, signifying the discovery of a new wolf claw mark.
Finally, the red crosses of all sizes were connected, and after several twists and turns, they pointed to a certain place.
"They went back to Brooklyn?"
The truck driver said in surprise.
“That seems to be the case.” Wade pondered for a moment before saying, “I remember reading some information before that there are transport tunnels and smuggling routes under Brooklyn that date back to the 19th century, as well as subway tunnels that were excavated in the early years and then abandoned?”
He cast a questioning look at Victor.
Victor was the first puppet to arrive in America. Despite having no magic, he managed to infiltrate the alchemy competition and naturally made many connections with people from all walks of life.
Victor, who had been crouching on the chair, shamelessly pretending not to exist, touched his hair, jumped off the chair, walked to the table, glanced at the map, and said:
“That’s true. Most of those tunnels aren’t marked on public city maps. They connect a lot of abandoned warehouses, shelters, and basements of some buildings. I know some gangsters operate in those areas, and they’ve even built their own independently powered living quarters.”
"Have you been there?" Vilan asked curiously.
Victor shook his head: "I'm investigating wizards, why would I go to a place where Muggles mingle? Don't let my fierce appearance fool you, strangers will definitely be provoked if they go in. What if I get hurt and my identity is exposed? That would be terrible!"
"Well, you're actually more cautious than I thought."
Vilan said helplessly, looking at Wade, "If the swarm of bees goes in on a large scale, it will definitely attract the attention of those guys. To avoid alerting them, I think it's better for us to explore slowly."
Wade nodded: "You've done a great job. Your efficiency and accuracy have far exceeded my expectations. Don't rush things; stealth and security are more important."
The truck driver suddenly chuckled: "Don't worry, master. You've brought almost all your companions this time. Who can threaten us now?"
They were all puppets, and therefore had no fear of death.
Wade said seriously, "But once these guys are disturbed, they're like mercury seeping into the sand; they'll quickly disappear through every crack and be gone forever."
"They've managed to evade capture by the Magical Congress of America for so many years; their ability to hide is not to be underestimated. I don't want to leave any future problems and then have to clean up this mess again and again."
"I understand," the truck driver said, bowing his head. "I'm sorry, I underestimated the situation."
"and……"
Wade glanced at them, then at the wasps buzzing around the long table relaying messages, and said softly:
"There was nothing we could do when we encountered Voldemort, but now... I don't want you to achieve victory at the cost of utter destruction. Even if we encounter the enemy, we must try our best to bring back our core, understand?"
"Your mission is to scout, to win with me, not to become sacrifices for my victory. I hope you all remember that... Little ones, don't play dumb, I'm talking about you too!"
After a moment of silence, the puppets bowed and said, "Yes!"
"Om-"
The swarm of bees hovered briefly, their heads bowed, as if in a salute.
……
When Wade returned to the hotel, the sky was already showing the first light of dawn, and there were more and more cars on the road.
But for those who don't need to get up early for work, this is the time when they are sleeping the most soundly, with snoring echoing through the thin wooden board.
Wade was only thankful that he didn't actually need to rest in a hotel bedroom, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to fall asleep at all that night.
He glanced at the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the doorknob, flicked his finger, and cast a small detection spell.
After making sure the doorknob hadn't been touched all night, Wade opened the door and went inside.
Inside the room, on the bed that faintly smelled of mildew, stood a figure he knew all too well—
Dobby!
The house-elf was dressed just like a normal house-elf—wearing only a checkered pillowcase.
As for his favorite colorful hats, his vest with the reindeer pattern, and the different styles of children's shorts that Fiona bought from the mall, they were all replaced, so much so that Wade almost didn't recognize him when he opened the door!
Upon seeing Wade, Dobby immediately revealed utter excitement and joy:
"dimension--"
Vader quickly raised his index finger to signal him to be quiet, then drew his wand and waved it, casting a soundproofing spell on the entire room.
"—Mr. Wade Gray!"
Dobby shrieked, seemingly unaffected by the interruption, and bounced around as he said:
"Dobby finally saw Mr. Wade Gray again! Hearing about the plane crash, Dobby was terribly worried! But Dobby couldn't rush over because he still had a mission to complete!"
“Don’t worry, Dobby.” Vydra moved over to sit down and smiled. “The problems on the plane were resolved smoothly. I wasn’t injured… and neither was Harry, of course.”
Even before the plane landed, Wade had already messaged his parents and friends to let them know he was safe. However, when they met, everyone couldn't help but bring it up again.
“That’s wonderful! Dobby has been praying for you both. Merlin must be watching over the great Mr. Wade Grey and Mr. Harry Potter…”
Dobby grabbed a corner of the pillowcase and wiped away his tears, only then remembering the purpose of his trip:
"Dobby has recently gotten to know several house-elves who serve the Magical Congress, as instructed by Mr. Gray. There's Sammy, who wipes door knockers and statues; Poppo, who cleans the archives; Pudding, who works in the kitchen; and Furball, who oils door hinges and cleans the fireplace..."
It read out all the names of its new friends, and then said:
"They remembered the whereabouts of all the congressional officials recently, and Dobby asked them if they had noticed anyone's suspicious movements. At first, they were reluctant to tell me and even tried to kick me out, but..."
Dobby shook his head and laughed smugly:
“I told them that if anyone helped my master catch the spy hidden within the Magic Congress, my master would write to the Congress praising how well it had done its work and let all the wizards know. They all rushed to tell me…”
(End of this chapter)