Chapter 10: 10. Chapter 10: Normalcy

Chapter 10: The Norm

"Who is it?"

Klein was just thinking about the original owner's mysterious suicide and the potential unknown dangers he might face. Upon hearing the sudden knock at the door, he subconsciously pulled open the drawer, took out the revolver, and asked with a tone full of vigilance.

The space outside the door was quiet for two seconds before a slightly shrill voice called out in a Tingen accent

"It’s me, Bitsch, Bitsch Monbatan."

The voice paused for a moment before adding

"Police."

Bitsch Monbatan... As the name entered his ears, Klein immediately thought of its owner.

He was one of the police officers responsible for the district where the apartment was located—a crude, savage man who loved to use his fists. However, perhaps only such a person could keep the drunks, thieves, part-time crooks, scoundrels, and hooligans in check.

And his unique voice was one of his trademarks.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Klein responded loudly.

He had intended to throw the revolver back into the drawer, but thinking that the police outside might have come for reasons unknown—perhaps even to conduct a search—he carefully ran to the stove, where the embers had long since died out, and placed the pistol inside.

Immediately after, he picked up the small coal scuttle, shook a few pieces into the stove to cover the gun, and finally placed the kettle on top to conceal everything.

Having done all this, he straightened his clothes and walked quickly to the door. As he opened it, he said vaguely

"Sorry, I was just taking a nap."

Standing outside were four policemen in black uniforms with white checkered patterns and peaked caps with badges. Bitsch Monbatan, who sported a brownish-yellow beard, coughed and said to Klein

"These three officers have some questions for you."

Officers? Klein reflexively looked at the shoulder straps of the other three. He noticed two had three silver hexagonal stars, and one had two. They all looked higher-ranking than Bitsch Monbatan, who only had three V-shaped chevrons.

As a history student, Klein didn't know much about police rank insignia, only that Bitsch Monbatan often bragged about being a veteran sergeant.

So, were those three at the inspector level? Influenced by the conversations of his older brother Benson and classmates like Welch, Klein knew a little common sense. He stepped aside and gestured into the room

"Please, come in. May I ask what this is about?"

The leader of the three officers was a middle-aged man with a gaze so sharp it felt like it could pierce through one's soul, making people feel instinctively afraid. He had prominent wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and light brown hair peeked out from the edge of his hat. As he looked around the room, he asked in a deep voice

"You know Welch McGovern, don't you?"

"What happened to him?" Klein’s heart trembled, and he blurted out the question.

"I am the one asking the questions." The stern middle-aged officer’s eyes were cold.

The officer next to him, who also wore three-star shoulder straps, looked at Klein and smiled gently

"Don't be nervous, we are just asking some routine questions."

This officer was about thirty years old with a prominent nose bridge. His gray eyes gave off an indescribable sense of depth, like a lake in an ancient forest that no one ever visited.

Klein took a breath in secret and organized his words

"If you are referring to the Hoy University graduate, Welch McGovern from Conston, then yes, I definitely know him. We are classmates and follow the same mentor, Senior Associate Professor Quentin Cohen."

In the Loen Kingdom, "Professor" was not just an academic title but a position—much like how the roles of professor and department chair are combined on Earth. This meant that a university department could only have one professor. For an associate professor to become "full," they had to wait for their superior to retire or use their own strength to push them out.

Given the need to retain talent, after years of exploration, the Kingdom's Higher Education Committee added the rank of "Senior Associate Professor" to the three-tier system of lecturer, associate professor, and professor, to accommodate those who had high academic standing or sufficient seniority but could not become professors.

At this point, Klein looked into the middle-aged officer's eyes and considered for a second before saying

"To be honest, our relationship was quite good. Recently, he, I, and Naia have been meeting frequently to interpret and discuss the 'Fourth Epoch' document he obtained—a notebook. Officer, what happened to him?"

The middle-aged officer did not answer but turned his head to look at his gray-eyed companion.

The gray-eyed officer with the badge-adorned cap and ordinary features replied gently

"I am very sorry, but Mr. Welch has passed away."

"How could that be?" Although he had some premonition, Klein couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Welch died just like the original owner of this body?

This was terrifying!

"What about Naia?" Klein hurriedly asked.

"Ms. Naia has also passed away," the gray-eyed officer said quite calmly. "They both died inside Mr. Welch's residence."

"Murdered?" Klein had a vague guess.

Perhaps it was suicide...

The gray-eyed officer shook his head

"No. Judging from the traces at the scene, it was suicide. Mr. Welch smashed his head against the wall—many times—until the wall was covered in blood. Ms. Naia drowned herself in a washbasin, yes, the kind used for washing one's face."

"That's impossible..." Klein felt his hair stand on end, as if he could imagine the bizarre scene.

The girl kneeling on a chair, her face buried in a basin full of water, her brown hair draped down, swaying with the wind, yet she remained motionless; Welch lying on the floor, his eyes staring fixedly at the ceiling, his forehead completely shattered and covered in blood, while the wall bore mark after mark of impact, dripping with gore...

The gray-eyed officer’s mouth twitched as he said

"We thought so too, but the autopsy results and the scene ruled out drugs and external force. They—I mean Mr. Welch and Ms. Naia—showed no signs of struggle."

Without waiting for Klein to speak again, he stepped into the room and asked casually

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Welch or Ms. Naia?"

As he spoke, he signaled to his companion with the two silver stars.

That was a young officer, looking about the same age as Klein, with black sideburns and green eyes. He was good-looking and had a romantic, poetic temperament.

Hearing the question, Klein’s thoughts raced as he pondered his answer

"It should have been June 26th. We interpreted a new part of the notebook together. After that, I went home to prepare for the interview on the 30th—the interview for the History Department at Tingen University."

Tingen was known as a university city, home to Tingen University and Hoy University, as well as technical schools, law colleges, and business schools, second only to the capital, Backlund.

Just as he finished speaking, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the young officer had walked to the desk and picked up the "notebook" that looked more like a diary.

Damn! I forgot to hide it! Klein shouted shortly: "You!"

The young officer smiled back at him but didn't stop flipping through the notebook, while the gray-eyed officer explained

"This is a necessary procedure."

At this moment, Bitsch Monbatan and the stern middle-aged officer were just watching from the side, not interjecting or assisting in the search.

Where is your search warrant? Klein had intended to ask this, but after thinking carefully, it seemed the Loen Kingdom's judicial system hadn't evolved to the point of having search warrants—at least, he didn't know if they existed. After all, the police force had only been established for fifteen or sixteen years.

When the original owner was a child, they were still called constables.

Klein couldn't stop them. He watched helplessly as the young officer quickly flipped through "his notebook," and the gray-eyed officer didn't ask any more questions.

"What is this strange stuff?" The young officer flipped to the end and suddenly spoke. "Also, what does this sentence mean? 'Everyone will die, including me'..."

Isn't it common knowledge that everyone dies, except for the gods? Klein had originally prepared to argue, but he suddenly realized that he had intended to "connect" with the police anyway to guard against potential dangers; he just lacked a reason or an excuse.

In less than a second, he made a decision. He covered his forehead with his hand and replied with a pained tone

"I don't know, I really don't know... Ever since I woke up this morning, I've felt that something wasn't right. It's as if I've forgotten some things, especially parts of what happened in the last few days. I don't even know why I would write such a sentence."

Sometimes, honesty is the best way to solve a problem. Of course, honesty requires technique; what can be said and what cannot is one thing, and what to say first or later is another.

As a "keyboard" expert, Klein had also studied a bit of rhetoric.

"Absurd! Do you take us for fools?" Bitsch Monbatan interrupted angrily; he really couldn't help it.

This lie was too clumsy; it was practically an insult to their intelligence!

If you were going to fake a mental illness, you should have at least chosen something other than amnesia!

"It's true." Klein met the gazes of Monbatan and the middle-aged officer calmly.

This matter couldn't be any truer.

"Perhaps it really is possible." At this moment, the gray-eyed officer spoke slowly.

What? They believed it just like that? Even Klein was surprised.

The gray-eyed officer smiled at him and said

"An expert will come in two days. Believe me, she should be able to help you recall your lost memories."

An expert? Help with memory? In the field of psychology? Klein frowned.

*Hiss*, what if this brings back my memories of Earth? He suddenly felt a toothache.

The young officer put down the notebook and searched the desk and the room. Fortunately, he focused on the books and didn't think to lift the kettle to take a look.

"Alright, Mr. Klein, thank you for your cooperation. For the next few days, it is best if you do not leave Tingen. If you must, please notify Officer Monbatan, otherwise, you will become a fugitive." The gray-eyed officer gave a final warning.

That's it? It's over for today? No more questions, no more investigations? Or dragging me back to the station for interrogation? Klein was dazed.

However, he also wanted to resolve the bizarre events brought about by Welch, so he nodded

"No problem."

The officers exited the room one by one. The young man walking at the end suddenly patted Klein on the shoulder

"It's good, you're very lucky."

"What?" Klein looked confused.

The green-eyed officer with the poetic temperament smiled slightly

"Generally speaking, when encountering such an event, it is the norm for all parties involved to die."

"We are very happy, and very lucky, to see that you are still alive."

After saying this, he walked out of the room and, with great manners, closed the door behind him.

It is the norm for everyone to die? Very happy that I am still alive? Very lucky that I am still alive?

On this June afternoon, Klein felt a chill run through his entire body.

(End of chapter)