Chapter 13: The Nightwatcher

Chapter 13: Nighthawk

*Thud!*

Klein couldn't help but take a step back, unsure for a moment whether he was awake or still in a dream.

The figure removed his black top hat, bowed slightly, and smiled in a low voice

"Let’s reintroduce ourselves. Nighthawk, Dunn Smith."

Nighthawk? The codename for the Beyonder team of the Church of the Evernight Goddess that "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" had mentioned? Klein felt a sudden flash of realization. Connecting this to what had happened earlier, he blurted out

"You manipulated the dream? You made me have that dream just now?"

Nighthawk Dunn Smith put his black top hat back on, covering his slightly high hairline, his deep, grey eyes holding a hint of a smile as he said

"No, I simply entered your dream to provide the necessary guidance."

His voice was mellow and soft, echoing in the dimly lit corridor without disturbing anyone’s sweet dreams

"In a dream, although suppressed emotions and various dark psychological aspects are magnified, making everything appear chaotic, absurd, and insane, the truth still exists, hidden within. To a veteran like me, everything is obvious and easy to see. I trust the you in your dreams more than the you who is awake."

This... who can control their own dreams? If I had dreamt of things from Earth, wouldn't Dunn Smith have discovered them? Klein was struck with horror, feeling a lingering fear about his experience in the dream.

But he soon sensed something strange, because he remembered being very clear-headed and rational in the dream, knowing what should be said and what shouldn't.

In short, it didn't feel like a dream at all!

So, did Dunn Smith only "see" what I wanted him to see?

Klein’s thoughts raced, and he gained a vague understanding.

Is this a perk of transmigrating, like the uniqueness of my spirit, or was it an effect added by that "luck-enhancement ritual"?

"So, Mr. Smith, are you certain that I have truly lost my memory?" Klein organized his thoughts and asked in return.

Dunn Smith didn't answer directly, instead giving him a deep look

"You aren't even surprised by such a thing?"

"The people I’ve dealt with before, even just after waking from a dream, don't believe in the existence of Beyonder powers; they would rather believe they haven't truly woken up yet."

Klein gave an "um" and said

"Perhaps it’s because I have been praying and hoping for such power to help me."

"A very interesting logic... perhaps you survived not just because of luck." Dunn nodded, his smile fading. "I can now confirm that you have indeed lost part of your memory due to this incident, especially regarding the event itself."

"Then can I go back?" Klein let out a long sigh of relief internally and asked tentatively.

Dunn walked over slowly with one hand in his pocket, the surrounding night becoming quiet and gentle.

"No, you still need to come with me to see an 'expert'." The corners of his mouth turned up in a polite smile.

"Why?" Klein blurted out, then quickly added, "Don't you trust your own guidance of the dream?"

Are you kidding me? If that "expert" is skilled in hypnosis or mind-reading, wouldn't my biggest secret be exposed?

The consequences would be unimaginable!

"I am always humble, but I do have some confidence when it comes to dreams," Dunn replied calmly and composedly. "However, it is good to confirm key and important matters once more. Besides, her expertise is quite different from mine; perhaps she can help you recover some of your memory."

Without waiting for Klein to speak again, his voice deepened

"After all, you are connected to the whereabouts of that Antigonus family notebook."

"What?" Klein was stunned for a moment.

Dunn stopped in front of him, his grey eyes fixed on Klein’s as he said

"The notebook left over from the Fourth Epoch was not at the scene. It wasn't in the entire house. Welch is dead, Naya is dead, and you are the only lead."

"...Alright." Klein was silent for a moment, then exhaled.

The notebook is gone... that really is strange!

I hadn't even thought about the whereabouts of that Fourth Epoch notebook before!

Dunn nodded almost imperceptibly, and as he walked past Klein, he said

"Lock the door. We are going to Welch’s residence now; the 'expert' is waiting for us there."

Klein took a silent breath, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He wanted to refuse, even to run away, but he believed that after the incident in the dream, Dunn Smith must have increased his vigilance. Given the gap in strength between a normal person and a Beyonder, there was little chance of success if he tried to force his way out.

He surely has a pistol on him... and he must have practiced shooting many times...

Various thoughts clashed violently in his mind, but Klein ultimately chose to face reality

"Okay."

*Sigh*, I can only take it one step at a time. Maybe the uniqueness I had in my dream will work again...

"Then let's go." Dunn’s tone was devoid of any ripples.

Klein turned to follow him for two steps, then suddenly stopped

"Mr. Smith, I... I would like to go to the washroom first."

I came out just to use the bathroom, after all...

Dunn didn't stop him, but gave him a deep look and said

"No problem, Klein. Believe me, in the night, I am far more powerful than you can imagine."

*In the night...* Klein repeated the words silently.

He didn't try anything reckless, honestly relieving his bladder, then splashed his face with cold water to calm himself down completely.

After changing his clothes and hat and locking his door, Klein followed Dunn down the stairs with soft footsteps toward the apartment entrance.

In the midst of this calm, Dunn Smith suddenly spoke

"At the end of the dream, why did you want to run? What were you afraid of?"

Klein’s thoughts moved like lightning as he pondered and replied

"I don't remember what I did at Welch’s house, nor do I remember if I directly caused his and Naya’s deaths. I’m afraid that if it’s proven to be me, I won't dare to gamble on it. It would be better to run away and start a new life in the Southern Continent."

"If it were me, I would do the same." Dunn opened the apartment door, letting the midnight breeze disperse the stuffiness inside.

He wasn't afraid of Klein running away, and he climbed into the carriage first—the same one Klein had seen in his dream: four wheels, one horse, a coachman, and the police system’s emblem of "crossed swords and a crown" engraved on the side of the carriage.

Klein followed him inside and found it was covered with a thick carpet, filled with the scent of incense that calmed the mind and body.

Sitting down casually, he looked for a topic, trying to probe for more information

"Mr. Smith, if—and I mean if—the 'expert' confirms that I have truly forgotten that part of my memory, and there is no other evidence to prove I am the perpetrator rather than a victim, is the matter considered closed?"

"Theoretically, yes. We will look for the notebook through other channels; as long as it exists, it can be found. Of course, before that, we will confirm that you are not cursed, that there is no lingering scent of an evil spirit, and that you have no corresponding psychological issues, so you can welcome your future life safely and healthily." Dunn Smith revealed a smile—a slightly strange smile.

Klein caught this keenly and, without waiting to catch his breath, hurriedly asked

"Theoretically?"

"Yes, only theoretically. In this field, it is always full of twisted, counter-intuitive, and unbelievable things." Dunn looked into Klein’s eyes and said, "Their continuation and their end are sometimes not things we can foresee or control."

"For example?" Klein felt a sudden sense of fear.

On the nearly deserted street, the carriage sped along. Dunn took out a pipe and sniffed it

"When we think a matter is over and everything has returned to normal, it can descend again in a terrifying, horrific way."

"A few years ago, we handled a cult case. They organized believers to commit suicide as a living sacrifice to please an evil god. After one of the believers was chosen, his instinct for survival overcame his stupidity, his heterodoxy, and the hallucinogens, and he snuck to the police station to report it."

"The matter was transferred to us. It was a very small task because the cult had no Beyonders, and the god they worshipped was just something their leader made up on the spot to hoard wealth and indulge in pleasure, destroying their humanity."

"We only used two team members, plus the cooperation of the police, to successfully resolve the cult without a single one escaping. As for the informant, we confirmed that he had no lingering scent of evil spirits, no curses, and certainly no psychological barriers, no personality issues, and no other strange traces."

"Afterward, his career developed well; he married a good wife and had a boy and a girl. All shadows seemed to have moved away from him, and the terror and bloodshed of the past seemed to have completely dissipated."

At this point, Dunn Smith smiled and said

"But just this March, despite his good financial situation, deep marital affection, and smart, cute children, he died. He strangled himself to death in his office."

The crimson moonlight from outside the carriage window shone in, draping over Dunn Smith.

At this moment, his seemingly self-deprecating smile made Klein feel a chill—an indescribable chill.

"He strangled himself..." Klein took a silent, sharp breath, as if he had seen his own miserable end.

Even if I dodge this bullet, is it only a temporary escape?

Is there any way to solve it completely?

By becoming a Beyonder myself to fight back?

The carriage fell into silence. Countless thoughts surged in Klein’s mind, only to fall away again.

In this unspeakable quiet, the carriage traveled for a long time, moving very fast.

Just as Klein made up his mind to shamelessly ask Dunn Smith for a solution, the carriage stopped.

"Mr. Smith, we have arrived at Welch’s residence." The coachman’s voice reached their ears.

"Let’s get out." Dunn straightened his black trench coat, which reached his knees. "Heh, let me introduce her in advance: the 'expert's' public identity is the most famous psychic in Awwa County."

Klein suppressed his other thoughts and asked curiously

"Then what is her actual identity?"

Dunn turned halfway, looked back, his grey eyes deep

"A true 'Seer'."