By the time Lu Ze finished reading an entire copy of the Tingen City Gentleman's Daily, Cecilia was already fast asleep. Her head rested on Lu Ze's shoulder, and she let out soft, even breaths. However, she didn't seem to be sleeping peacefully; her brows were slightly furrowed, and her youthful face held a trace of worry that didn't suit her age.
Lu Ze carefully moved her body, allowing her to lie fully on the soft sofa bed. Then, he couldn't help but yawn himself. There was no clock in the lounge, so he didn't know the exact time, but he estimated it was probably one or two in the morning. After such a long day, he was also a bit sleepy.
"You can also get some sleep; staying up late isn't good."
Through the newspaper, Luo Yao suddenly spoke. To avoid disturbing the two sleeping people, she kept her voice very low.
"Alright, thank you."
Lu Ze also whispered, "Sorry for disturbing your rest."
After all, the other party was responsible for protecting him and definitely couldn't sleep.
Hearing Lu Ze speak, the newspaper in Luo Yao's hand lowered, revealing her face.
What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?
Lu Ze was a little bewildered.
"It's alright, we don't need to sleep at night," Luo Yao said, a hint of a smile appearing in her cold eyes.
Don't need to sleep? No wonder they're called Sleepless.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Since that was the case, Lu Ze no longer stood on ceremony, climbing onto another sofa bed and lying down fully clothed.
Sleepiness slowly overwhelmed him, and he closed his eyes.
At the same time, on a certain street in Tingen City.
"According to Klein's divination, Hainas Vincent is also a Sequence 9 Secrets Supplicant, just like Sirius. The danger level isn't high, so our priority is to gather clues."
Inside the moving carriage, the Nighthawks captain, Dunn Smith, said to the other team members, "When we arrive at his house, I will control him, and you will search the rooms."
"Hainas doesn't know that Sirius is dead yet; he's probably sleeping soundly right now," Leonard said with a smile. "His reaction when he wakes up and sees us will surely be interesting."
He clasped his hands behind his head, leaned against the back of the chair, and propped up his legs, an extremely unrestrained posture that sharply contrasted with Frye, who sat upright and had a cold demeanor beside him.
"What if he's more cautious and didn't leave any clues in the room?"
The Corpse Collector asked in a hoarse voice.
"Then I'll enter his dream," Dunn said indifferently. "There, he can't lie to me."
Upon hearing this, the two Nighthawks nodded in unison. Indeed, as a Sequence 7 Nightmare, their captain was already one of the strongest Beyonders in Tingen City, and dealing with a Sequence 9 was no trouble at all. He was even very cautious, bringing two team members for support in such a situation.
Presumably, the Aurora Order's Hainas, upon encountering their group, would have no choice but to surrender and honestly provide information.
"Oh, right, Captain, what do you plan to do about that Lu Ze Rondel?" Just then, Leonard suddenly changed the subject, asking an unexpected question.
Dunn looked up at him and said:
"According to past practice, survivors of Beyonder incidents can return to normal life after the case is over; we only require them to keep it a secret. But he—"
"But he's special, right?"
Leonard chuckled.
Unexpectedly becoming a Beyonder, and a highly dangerous Secrets Supplicant Sequence at that, there was a risk of losing control. — For such a ticking time bomb, it was unthinkable to simply let him go. Although Lu Ze Rondel was lucky enough to remain sane after becoming a Secrets Supplicant, and the Nighthawks wouldn't purify him, he would likely remain under surveillance for the rest of his life, living very unfree.
Thinking of the handsome young man in the straitjacket and the strong girl protecting him, so young, destined to live such lives for the rest of their days, the people in the carriage all felt a bit of pity.
"Is there no other way?"
Frye suddenly spoke.
"Of course there is," Leonard chuckled. "For survivors of incidents, besides returning to society, don't they have another option?"
"You mean joining us." Frye hesitated slightly. "But is that compliant?"
"That depends on how we communicate with the Holy Cathedral."
Leonard looked at Dunn.
Frye also realized and turned to look at the captain.
Under their expectant gazes, Dunn Smith pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "A Secrets Supplicant who believes in the Goddess and stands with us is very rare. And joining the Nighthawks can also serve as daily supervision — if we report it with such a reason, perhaps we can persuade the Holy Cathedral to keep him."
It was indeed a good reason.
Upon hearing Dunn say this, Frye couldn't help but nod secretly, and Leonard even clapped and praised with a smile, "As expected of the Captain, to be able to think of such a good method!"
The atmosphere in the carriage relaxed, and for a moment, it seemed even the carriage itself felt lighter, turning a corner and arriving in front of Hainas's house.
"Alright, enough idle chatter."
Dunn shook his head, "These things can be discussed later; for now, let's focus and successfully apprehend Hainas—that's the most important thing!"
"Yes!"
The three Nighthawks immediately adopted the demeanor of experts, alighting from the carriage and swiftly and silently infiltrating Hainas's residence.
The night was deep and boundless.
Lu Ze awoke from a restless dream and slowly sat up.
Looking around, his sister was not beside him, and the two Nighthawks were also nowhere to be seen. He was the only one left in the lounge, with a scattering of newspapers on the floor.
Where did they go?
How long did I sleep?
Why hasn't Dunn returned yet?
Anxiety and confusion swept over Lu Ze. He stood up from the sofa bed, clutching his head, and walked towards the door. Sleep didn't seem to have alleviated his fatigue; his head still throbbed, and a sharp, buzzing noise rang in his ears, gradually growing louder.
The sound was… crying.
Shrill crying, like that of women and children, desperate wails emitted after enduring torment.
Accompanying the ear-piercing cries, a more muffled, uncomfortable sound began in the hallway outside, dragging, sticky, as if a heavy body was crawling, wriggling, slowly approaching the lounge room. As it moved, its filthy, defiled body left long, foul-smelling bloodstains on the floor.
The eerie sound grew louder and louder, then abruptly stopped.
It had stopped behind the Door.
"No one's here."
At Hainas's residence, Dunn frowned, looking at the messy bedroom.
"No one in the other bedroom either; his wife and child are both gone," Frye's voice came down from the second floor, his cold, hoarse tone tinged with confusion. "Is his information so well-informed? He actually fled with his family overnight."
"If only that were true."
Leonard emerged from the basement, his face very pale. "Captain, there are traces of a ritual having been performed down here. The scene is very bad—"
Dunn glanced at Leonard's pale face, then keenly noticed something was wrong with his shoes; they seemed to be stained with some bright red liquid of unknown origin.
As if understanding something, Dunn's eyes suddenly narrowed.
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