"No, the captain will be back soon, I can't just sit here and wait for death."
Klein, behind the Chanis Gate, also fell into anxiety. As Dunn Smith's return date approached, his mood gradually shifted from initial panic to extreme panic.
These past few days, he had considered various reasons and methods, but he ultimately rejected them one by one.
The main reason was that he couldn't stand up to scrutiny himself; he truly had a problem.
If he were truly just an ordinary Nighthawk, then this matter would be nothing. As long as it was investigated thoroughly, the worst-case scenario would just be a blemish on his future resume.
But with his identity as a Transmigrator + Evil God + Leader of a Secret Organization, if he were found out, he would probably be bound to the Chanis Gate for the rest of his life.
What he was suffering now was like the torment of waiting for death that a death row inmate experiences before walking to the execution ground.
"Lorne Disonke…"
Klein chewed on the name.
Although there was no concrete evidence, based on the current clues, Klein believed that the anonymous report was most likely written by Lorne Disonke.
But there was one thing he couldn't understand.
Why would he report me? Klein felt very confused.
I shouldn't have offended him, so why would he report me?
It couldn't really be because of Melissa, could it?
Klein's mouth twitched. He didn't think the plot would be that melodramatic.
Could it be that he inadvertently discovered my abnormality, and so reported me out of a simple sense of Justice?
If that were the case, then I would appear to be the bad guy.
"Don't overthink it." Klein shook his head, bringing his thoughts back into focus.
"Regardless, it's a fact that he reported me, and I must figure it out."
…
Above the Grey Mist.
Klein, having returned to the bronze long table, breathed a sigh of relief. Currently, only this peculiar space could bring him a sense of security.
"In this situation, only calling him, the person involved, will be useful…"
Thinking of this, Klein suddenly felt a bit awkward. He recalled his previous attempt to pull Lorne onto the Grey Mist, which resulted in a flash of light in his face.
Neither Miss Justice nor the Hanged Man, or even the little Sun from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, had reacted that way before.
"That Lorne indeed has some secrets, but… he shouldn't be able to directly harm me."
He recalled the several times he had been flashed in the face before. Although he was caught off guard, he didn't suffer any harm.
Moreover, if that Lorne Disonke could truly harm him through the Grey Mist, then he wouldn't have needed to write an anonymous report at all.
After thinking of this, Klein gradually formed a plan.
"What if I pull him onto the Grey Mist and bluff him with the identity of the Fool? Would that work?
Even if he can detect my peculiarity in reality, he shouldn't be able to realize that I am the Fool."
"And even an experienced Beyonder like the Hanged Man was bluffed by me…"
Klein pressed his forehead, contemplating the feasibility of this approach.
"Yes, even if I have to use an accusatory tone, I need to get to the bottom of it and let him know that reporting an evil… a secret existence is not a good habit."
"I don't believe he wouldn't be scared if a secret existence came knocking on his Door."
"If he wasn't scared, he wouldn't have needed to write an anonymous report."
Scared?
Wait… Klein, who was thinking about how to scare Lorne, suddenly thought of a possibility.
An absurd yet logical possibility.
Could it be that my previous attempt to pull him onto the Grey Mist scared that Lorne Disonke?
That's why he reported me.
This…
The atmosphere became awkward.
If I were in this situation, I would… Klein tried to put himself in the other person's shoes, to see what choices he would make in that situation.
He is a wild Beyonder with a secret, inadvertently targeted by a malicious secret existence.
Because he has a secret, he doesn't dare to seek Official help directly, so he writes an anonymous report, hoping that the Official can help him deal with the trouble without revealing himself.
This logic forms a closed loop!
If it were me, I would most likely make a similar choice… Klein's expression suddenly became wonderful as he thought of this.
Moreover, as a Nighthawk, Klein also knew that reporting such a situation to the Official was indeed permissible; to some extent, such behavior was even encouraged, as it could indeed help the Official eliminate potential risks.
"But why would he directly name me in the report?" Klein couldn't understand this point.
"Even if he found out my name, it shouldn't be like this; he's afraid of the Fool, not Klein!"
"Could it be that time at the Divination Club?"
Klein thought of the day he embarrassed himself at the Divination Club.
Lorne Disonke was also present that day, and he had secrets; perhaps he really could see something…
After a while, Klein cleared his thoughts.
"Although I'm not sure how he knew, he indeed discovered my connection to the Fool."
Klein recalled the report mentioning his belief in an Evil God, and a guess formed in his mind.
'Lorne Disonke probably thought I was a follower or Dear of the Fool.'
'He couldn't directly pinpoint the Fool's identity and location, so he hoped to use me as a breakthrough, and then leverage the Church's power to eradicate the Fool.'
If that were truly the case…
"If Frey hadn't believed me and temporarily suppressed this matter, it might have really…"
Thinking of this, Klein suddenly realized an embarrassing reality.
After all this, I did it to myself!
If he hadn't foolishly disturbed Lorne Disonke, none of this would have happened.
"But it's too late to regret now."
"To resolve this matter, Lorne Disonke, the person involved, must come forward."
Klein hardened his heart, materialized a pair of sunglasses, and put them on.
…
In the small hotel,
Lorne, who was originally lying soundly asleep in bed, suddenly had a strange expression.
His hands suddenly gripped the bedsheet, knuckles white.
Cold sweat trickled down his temples into the pillow, leaving dark stains on the fabric.
"Meow?" Sensing his owner's unusual movement, Lachi woke up.
He perked his ears and came to Lorne's front, extending a paw to pat his face. Seeing his owner still twitching unconsciously, he then used his wet nose to rub his trembling fingertips.
Some invisible force was pressing down on Lorne. He clearly knew he was awake, but his eyes simply wouldn't open.
Not a single sound could be squeezed from his throat.
'That gaze is back, and so is this oppressive feeling.'
Lachi suddenly jumped onto his heaving chest, letting out a sharp meow into his ear, hoping to wake his owner.
But Lorne still showed no reaction.
This is bad!
Lorne felt as if he was being pulled by two invisible forces.
This feeling reminded him of a scene he once saw in an old Spider-Man cartoon.
In Peter Parker's dream, Venom and the Spider-Man suit repeatedly pulled and fought over Peter Parker, and after a struggle, Peter Parker was enveloped by Venom…
He felt like he had also become the prize in a struggle between two invisible forces.
…
The mysterious space above the Grey Mist shook violently, the majestic palace collapsed inch by inch, and various incomprehensible sounds echoed all around.
"Why is this happening?!"
Klein hadn't expected such a result.
Just now, wearing sunglasses and enduring the strong light, he had tried to forcibly pull Lorne Disonke onto the Grey Mist.
Because he was prepared beforehand, Klein barely managed to ignore the flashes of light emanating from Lorne Disonke.
However, just as Klein was about to succeed, the entire Grey Mist suddenly began to boil.
The single flash of light suddenly turned into huge patches of light, illuminating the entire Grey Mist.
A tremendous impact then swept through his entire body.
When he came to his senses, he was surprised to find that the eternally unchanging majestic palace and ancient long table had both been damaged.
"Boom… rumble… boom… rumble…"
A series of crashing sounds echoed above the Grey Mist, as if something was trying to break free from its shackles.
Looking at the incomprehensible changes before him, Klein was at a loss for a moment.