Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 217 Investigator

The torrential rain washed over Nanwei City again and again.

Now, in the entire southeast, there is no sound of rain around the canal.

Countless silent men in black stood on both sides of the riverbank, seemingly lost in thought, letting the rain lash their bodies as they silently gazed at the blurred surface of the canal.

Everyone entered a strange dream.

Whether it's heartwarming or sorrowful, it varies from person to person; they lose their autonomy and become so immersed in their dreams that they can't extricate themselves.

……

But at this moment, Milo and the group of seven were not the only ones observing all of this on the canal.

There was another person who also remained conscious.

This person is standing on the bridge platform of the Confession Dock.

This is the place where the hanging corpse case occurred before. At this moment, the flowers and candles placed on the bridge platform have been washed away by the rain.

Several passersby, lost in their reverie, lingered at the bridgehead.

The only conscious figure had already torn off his black cloak, taken off his formal coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and taken out a syringe and a bottle of liquid medicine from his briefcase.

The man's movements were very skillful. He quickly pulled the medicine out of the bottle, tied a rubber band around his left elbow, and inserted the needle into the vein that had become visible in the elbow crease.

After receiving an injection of medication.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

But soon, he frowned again.

"not enough."

The man squatted down, drew another syringe of medicine, and injected it into the same spot on his arm.

This time, the man closed his eyes again, took out an exquisite dagger from his waist, grasped the dagger in his hand, and then pulled it out of his palm.

The blood quickly mingled with the rainwater on his hands and was washed onto the ground.

A look of pain crossed the man's face, but when he opened his eyes again, his gaze was calmer and more at ease than before.

……

Pain is the reaction produced when an organic object is subjected to harmful stimuli. It has very important physiological significance. When an organism is injured by the outside world, the role of pain is to transmit warning signals to the brain and set up a warning line, thereby driving the organism to make a series of defensive reactions. The most common way is to escape. Regardless of the type of reaction, it is a way for the organism to save its own life.

Of course, intense pain can also cause physiological dysfunction, and may even lead to shock.

Therefore, there is a saying in academia—

"Invertebrates have no sense of pain because their lifespan is short, while vertebrates have the sense of pain in order to prolong their lifespan."

This statement is valid.

There was such a research project in the early days of Miskatonic University.

That is, excessive painkillers not only fail to achieve their intended effect, but also amplify the pain exponentially.

This is a terrifying phenomenon, and it is a real one.

Research into the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon requires delving into the subtle nuances of the human nervous system, or it can be simply understood as the body's resistance to drugs.

But the greatest significance of the research itself lies not in this; it provides Miskatonic University's occult investigators with another way to protect themselves.

Unlike a dagger, a pistol, or a crowbar.

Painkillers, and in excess, that can amplify the pain experienced by the recipient in a short period of time.

This seemingly useless effect is actually very important in an investigator's career.

Because often, the greatest threat they face does not come from the body, but from mental confusion.

A calm and stable soul is most easily guided or seduced. There are many ways to resist the seduction of dreams caused by external forces. Apart from the victim possessing extreme willpower and rationality, the simplest and most direct way is to constantly remind oneself with pain, focusing all the attention of one's soul on the real world, even if the focus is on the sensation of pain.

This is another way that researchers at Miskatonic University are using painkillers.

……

The two syringes of medication that the man injected himself with were painkillers.

Although the blade had only cut a layer of skin and flesh on his palm, the pain he felt was far greater than that.

This is what he wants to achieve.

Pain is a way to trigger physiological self-protection mechanisms. When a person is unable to maintain rationality through willpower, they can only choose this method to amplify the alarm signal and leave the rest to their innate physiological mechanisms.

It must be said that this method has a tendency towards self-harm.

Because the man's palms, backs of hands, and even forearms were covered with knife marks.

However, these numerous knife marks also demonstrate that this method is feasible and effective.

……

Blood trickled down between his fingers and was washed onto the bridge deck by the rain.

The man neither bandaged his wound nor deliberately avoided the rain. He needed the rain to constantly stimulate the wound and send pain signals to his brain. Although this could cause infection, he preferred to die from an infected wound rather than fall into the dreams of some ancient people.

He did not rush to take the next step.

Instead, he took out his pocket watch, stood in the pouring rain, and stared intently at the hands of the watch for a full three minutes.

Three minutes later, after confirming that he was not in a hallucination, the man began to pack his things.

The first thing I packed was the notebook I kept in my coat.

He put the notebook back in his suitcase to prevent his notes from being destroyed by the rain.

……

His colleagues at school had teased him about this strange habit many times, but he didn't seem to care.

He took out the "tools" he needed one by one from the suitcase, then closed the suitcase and placed it on one side of the bridge platform.

"boom!"

"Bang bang!!"

At this moment, gunshots began to ring out on the river, but they were quickly drowned out by the thunder from the sky.

Through the blurry rain curtain, the man saw a small boat swaying in the wind and rain on the water ahead.

A dozen or so figures were constantly approaching the small boat in the river, and some had even climbed onto the deck.

On that small boat, there was only one person fighting against it.

……

...

"Who is this? Is he a citizen who has been led astray by a dream?... No, he's wearing a trench coat, is he a law enforcement officer?"

“Strange, why didn’t he fall into a dream?”

"Hiss~ Isn't this just plain suicide? To dare to wander around the canal at this hour, all alone, is hopeless, there's absolutely no saving him."

"Hey!!! Can you hear me!?"

"Officer!"

(End of this chapter)