The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 43 The Truth About the Mansion

"Stop!" Li Ang said again, "The armed detective has arrived, and she's a Sequence 6 being. You have no chance against her."

Although Helena in front of me is a Sequence 7, she has no combat ability bonuses and her actual combat strength is not as good as mine, a Sequence 9.

It can only be said that there are differences between those who follow a sequence.

Just like if the detective didn't hide anything, even though she's a Sequence 5 detective, her actual combat strength would probably only be slightly stronger than mine.

Of course, Li Ang wasn't that stupid.

Based on the details that woman has shown so far, she is definitely hiding something.

On the other side, Helena's expression changed drastically upon hearing that armed detectives were already at the mansion.

Noticing this, Li Ang pressed his advantage, saying, "So just surrender. At least you'll save your life, right? Otherwise, if a real fight breaks out, given your cult-like behavior, you'll definitely be beaten to death on the spot!"

"This is not a cult's sacrificial ritual!" Helena retorted through gritted teeth.

She's a witch! How can you lump her together with those filthy cultists? It's an insult to their title of witch!

Although the two are not too different in social status.

"So what do you mean by this? Cosplay?" Li Ang walked past her and looked at the magic circle on the ground.

"Hehe. You'll find out soon enough."

After Helena finished speaking, her body suddenly accelerated, like a pebble shot from a slingshot, heading straight for Li Ang's face.

The fist came crashing down with wind pressure, even more powerful than when he was in the collection room. Li Ang had no time to dodge and could only parry with his sword.

His fist slammed into the blade, producing a dull thud, and he staggered back two steps, barely managing to steady himself.

Without hesitation, he transformed the black blade into a long sword and slashed at Helena.

Since it's impossible to persuade a suicidal person with kind words, he wouldn't mind personally delivering the final blow.

Although he didn't know what methods the opponent used to block his black knife attack with just her small hands, her other parts of her body were unprotected, so Li Ang directly launched a fierce attack on those parts.

Helena's strength was indeed outrageous, but her technical shortcomings were more exposed in the cramped basement.

Because he was a fraction of a second too slow to turn around, Li Ang slashed his left arm, leaving a wound that, though not very deep, was still bleeding profusely.

Because of her wound, Helena's movements gradually became less fluid, especially with her vigorous movements, each swing of her arm pulled at her flesh, causing her brows to furrow more and more tightly.

After a flying kick, the two were briefly separated.

Helena retreated to the edge of the magic circle, glanced down at the blood seeping from her left arm, and then looked up at Li Ang.

Her breathing was a little more rapid than before, but Li Ang did not rush to pursue her.

He just stared at the nearly completed magic circle on the ground, and the four maids standing around it, who remained motionless the entire time.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Hearing his question, Helena didn't lunge at him again. She realized that continuing the fight might result in both of them being injured, so she prepared to find a better way to stall for time.

"Do you know what's buried beneath this mansion?"

Li Ang looked at her and replied, "Lime. You told me that."

What's underneath the lime?

Helena turned to the side, revealing the dark ground behind her.

The light shone on the stone slab, making the indelible dark brown stains particularly glaring, like an oil painting that had been repeatedly painted and would never dry completely.

"Beneath the lime," she said slowly, "lies human lives. It lies the darkness of this mansion."

No one knows what is brewing deep in the basement where the Viscount tortured and murdered the young maid.

The long-standing silence and indulgence had been accumulating in the shadows, rising slowly but irresistibly like the surface of an underground river, finally overflowing its last dam on this night.

She didn't look at Li Ang; her gaze was fixed on the stains.

"Every now and then, the Viscount would hire young maids from the market at high prices. He would specifically choose girls from families so poor they couldn't afford to eat, whose parents were bedridden, or who had nowhere else to turn. The money he offered was enough for their whole family to live on for several years, and no one would refuse."

"After they arrive, they will be brought here. Some can last for two months, some can only last for two weeks."

"But in the end, all that could leave through that door was a corpse. The old butler would bury them under the bushes in the southeast corner of the garden, sprinkle lime on them, and plant roses."

Li Ang's face turned just as grim as Helena's.

He thought of the sparse rose bushes in the garden.

The nutrients it should have absorbed were blocked by lime, ultimately turning it into this half-dead state.

"That fat pig really deserves to die," Li Ang said.

"Yes. He deserves to die. But not just him! Everyone in this mansion deserves to die!" Helena's answer made Leon frown.

"All the servants in this mansion know this."

"They've worked here for ten or twenty years, they've seen it all. But not one of them has stood up and said a word!"

"Called the police? Reported? Or even secretly told the visitors outside? None of that!"

"They chose to remain silent because silence would bring trouble, silence would save them their jobs, and silence would allow them to continue living."

Her gaze shifted to the instruments of torture in the corner, examining them one by one. "So they deserved to die."

Li Ang slowly spoke: "You can't expect everyone to have the courage to stand up."

"They are the lowest rungs of this mansion. They have no money, no connections, and no one to rely on. If they stand up today, they will be thrown into the Thames tomorrow."

Have you ever experienced a time when you felt completely hopeless? Have you ever woken up each day with only one thought in mind—how to survive today?

Something flickered in Helena's eyes, but she didn't say anything.

Li Ang continued, "The viscount is dead, and the owner of this mansion is gone. The police will investigate, the detective association will investigate, and these servants will either be dismissed or imprisoned."

"Even if we do nothing, their lives won't be easy from now on." He looked at Helena. "This punishment is enough. No more deaths."

Helena shook her head. "Not enough." Her voice was more determined than before. "Far from enough."

"They did nothing. They chose to remain silent, and silence makes one an accomplice. Accomplices should be punished along with the murderers."

"And so are you and your famous detective."

She squatted down and drew the last line on the ground with her finger.

The patterns of the entire magic circle began to emit a faint, dark red light, like lit fuses spreading from the edges to the center.

"You're going a bit too far."

Li Ang slowly raised the black knife.

This woman is crazy. She's dragged me into this mess, showing no regard for our past relationship, and now I'm caught in the middle.

Since that's the case, then I won't hold back anymore.