The Phantom Detective ✓

Chapter 27: Game Over

THE TERRIBLE lightning endowed by the fate has stunned everyone. Wendy couldn't believe it — she couldn't bear to betray her friends. However in actuality, it happened.

"Only fools would pull such plan to attack us," Hand said to break the silence. He hated occurrences with dramatic effects; from his perspective, it seemed so childish.

Sophie remained standing on the staircase, devastated and staring blankly at nowhere. The revelation couldn't process in her head. What happened? What's happening? she asked herself. Then she remembered what the blonde has said: You're the traitor, Wendy. She refused to believe it — she thought that that lady is just making up stories to ruin her trust for her friends.

"L-Lies . . ." Finally, she spoke yet with a broken voice. Part of her realized what Wendy had done and other part refused to believe it. "Y-You're lying!"

"Sophronia, right?" the blonde lady asked — known as Eye because Emily Jones wasn't her real name — to confirm the teen's identity. "Darling, no. Totoo ang sinabi ko. Tanungin mo pa si Wendy."

"Wendy! Tell me she's lying!" Sophie shrieked. Halos mapaos na ang boses niya dahil sa sobrang lakas ng sigaw. She wanted to ascertain it from Wendy's mouth. Pero nanatili lang itong tahimik na nakatitig sa kawalan. It made Sophie angrier. "WENDY! TELL ME!"

Sinabunutan ni Wendy ang sarili niyang buhok. She hardly pressed her eyes closed — and tears started streaming down her face. "I-I replaced all the bugs! I-I'm so s-sorry!"

Sophie thought she was dreaming. This should be a dream, because the Wendy she knew wouldn't do such thing to obstruct their plan. And now, she just couldn't find any words to utter.

"Ah. Here comes the drama." Hand gripped something from his pocket but Eye refrained him from letting it out by grabbing his arm.

"Not now, Hand. I want a show."

"But Brain is waiting."

"Pagbigyan mo naman ako, kahit ngayon lang. Please? Brain can buy more time, daldalan muna sila do'n."

"Stop being childish, Eye. We could not afford Brain to be vexed if we are too late."

"Hindi naman tayo mahuhuli e — please? Ako na gagawa ng paperworks mo bukas."

"For real?"

"For real," Eye replied with an assuring smile.

Zen climbed up the stairs with a facet devoid of any emotions whilst his hands were seeking warmth within his pockets.

Nang makalapit siya sa dalawang member ng QR, agad siyang nagtanong. "How does it feel to make us dance on your palms?"

"It feels kind of great," Hand replied. "But no fun at all."

"E, ikaw, Zen," Eye butt in and flashed a mocking smile. "How does it feel when someone dear to you made a promise yet broke it in the end?"

"The extremity of the pain reached beyond the maximum level that it became so subtle . . ." Zen replied with a bitter smile and empty eyes.

"The girl inherited the trait from her mother, plausibly." Hand looked down at Wendy — still sitting on the staircase and the realm that she's in is out of the world.