Alexander's action left everyone present stunned, practically dropping their jaws. He pointed a gun at Annandon’s head and pushed him forward.

Originally moving forward, the Deep One Roland was stopped by Janet with a gesture.

“Mr. Alexander, you intend to threaten Annandon and, by extension, me. I’m curious how you could be so foolish!”

Janet spread his hands: “Did you think such a clumsy tactic would force me to change my mind?”

“I’m not so sure!” Alexander replied firmly, “If you don’t believe me, we can test it.”

He pointed his Glock 18 downward and fired a shot at Annandon’s right foot.

“Ah!”

Annandon’s leg buckled as the bullet hit his foot, and he let out a pained scream, dropping to his knees.

Janet, who was standing at a distance, wavered in sync, his right leg giving way, veins pulsing on his face as if he were in great pain.

“As I suspected, you and Annandon underwent some kind of ritual to escape the Innsmouth curse. But what was the purpose of this ritual, and why did it make Annandon so fearful, suspecting you’d kill him…”

Alexander spoke calmly, “Annandon’s fear itself is problematic. If you intended to kill him, pretending to be insane would be futile. The contradictions in these small details caught my attention. Firstly, you don’t actually want to kill Annandon. In fact, you’re protecting him. Secondly, although Annandon fears you, he has intentionally misled us with his information…”

Alexander was someone who habitually noticed minute changes and derived conclusions from every detail.

…The attitudes of Janet and Annandon puzzled him, but he discerned some clues from their behaviors, unsure if his assumptions were correct.

He noticed that Janet didn’t wish to harm Annandon, but this wasn’t out of kindness; otherwise, Annandon wouldn’t be so afraid.

“This shows that while Janet doesn’t want to harm Annandon, he also doesn’t intend to help him. His protection of Annandon resembles imprisonment more than anything!”

During his conversation with Annandon, Alexander noticed clearly that Annandon and Janet had escaped the “Innsmouth” curse.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He hypothesized extensively, questioning if such a scenario was possible.

Based on Janet’s attitude toward Annandon, perhaps the ritual they performed solved their issues at the cost of creating a bond. This “bond” was likely a special state compelling Janet not only to forego harming Annandon but also to protect him.

For Annandon, Janet posed a genuine threat, prompting him to flee as much as possible.

Annandon’s confession was likely filled with lies, but mingled within were some truths.

“Considering the ritual’s properties, the answer is likely this: Janet and Annandon performed a ritual negating hybrid traits. Post-ritual, they share a unique relationship, forcing Janet not only to protect Annandon but ensuring they share harm equally.”

If one dared to speculate, it wasn’t hard to imagine the reason, especially when Alexander recalled how Carmen was affected when his shadow beast was attacked. This led to the realization of what kind of “relationship” this might be.

“Mutual symbiosis, exactly. You and Annandon share a symbiotic link, injuring him harms you; if Annandon dies, you would likely die too.”

Alexander held the gun to Annandon’s head, announcing loudly, “Janet, I’ll continue testing, first by breaking Annandon's other foot, then his hands, to see how far your symbiosis goes!”

“Wait!”

A cold sweat broke out on Janet’s forehead. He frowned deeply and then managed a bitter smile, “I didn’t expect you to figure it out, although you’re only half-right. Yes, our ritual involved the ‘Wretched Twins’ Lloigor and Zhar. As someone versed in the arcane secrets of the gods, Alexander, I’m sure you know their origins.”

“Arcane secrets of the gods” refers to those familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos. In this world, only a few scholars, cultists, or heretics and sorcerers possess the secrets of the Great Old Ones. Thus, Janet showed some appreciation for Alexander’s knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos.

“Yes, they are the spawn of the wind, antagonistic to the water lineage of Cthulhu, seeing each other as enemies. That’s precisely why you received the twins’ blessing and divine favor!”

Alexander thought for a moment and understood—Lloigor and Zhar serve Hastur, the King in Yellow, which naturally puts them at odds with Cthulhu.

“Mr. Janet, the circumstances have changed. I hope you’ll be wise. If you meet my conditions, we’ll leave immediately. But first, stop your pets’ actions…”

He threatened Janet, demanding he cease controlling the “Deep One Roland” and the “Mutated Shoggoth.”

“Hand over your magical book! Or don’t blame me for what happens next…”

“Hmph!”

Janet snorted coldly, gesturing for the Deep One Roland and the Mutated Shoggoth to halt, but he didn’t hand over the magic book and chose silence instead.

“I’ll give you three minutes to consider, or face the consequences!” Alexander inwardly wiped a cold sweat from his brow, honestly admitting he was mostly guessing without full confidence, especially regarding details.

“Alright!”

After about two minutes, Janet slowly spoke, “Handing over the book isn’t impossible, but you must give up Annandon. Otherwise, I’ll have Roland and the Shoggoth attack with full force. I might not survive, but taking you all with me is easily done.”

His cold voice echoed through the empty building, sending chills down their spines. Meanwhile, Eric had already reached Linda.

At that moment, Janet raised his magic book and tossed it toward Alexander. The book fell to the ground, and Spain hurried to pick it up.

“Watch out!”

Xu Lin sensed something wrong and suddenly shouted.