Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 444
In fact, Milo didn't understand.

How exactly does one become considered one of his followers?

There doesn't seem to be any way to define this thing.

Take Grasso for example. In Milo's mind, their relationship was more like a mutually beneficial arrangement. They would have sex when they had free time, and could barely be considered friends, but it was more like they were physically involved but not in each other's lives.

Now, even Milo himself is confused, because his reaction after Grasso's death was very abnormal. If he had even a trace of sadness or self-blame, then Milo could certainly say that Grasso was his friend, but now he is also very confused.

……

This is outrageous.

Milo didn't found any religion, nor did he teach any religious doctrines, yet the people around him were considered his followers. What's going on?

...

Milo's itinerary over the past two days can be summed up in one sentence: constantly switching between the city and the cemetery.

Not long after returning to the law enforcement office, he set off again.

The destination was still the cemetery.

However, this time it wasn't a slum cemetery, but rather the adjacent cemetery belonging to the law enforcement team.

Moreover, Milo didn't come alone.

He also brought Rebecca along.

……

It's evening.

Rebecca led the horse behind Milo as they walked along a path in the middle of the desolate cemetery.

The hillside here is covered with stone tablets, including the graves of the seven men that Milo knew. If nothing unexpected happens, the law enforcement team will probably get one for the missing Theon as well.

The distant sky was still tinged with a scarlet afterglow. The dim light made Rebecca's red hair appear less glaring than usual, and it also stretched the shadows of the tombstones on the hillsides on both sides into long lines, like fences that locked up the area.

My advice is to speak your mind.

Rebecca watched Milo's retreating figure as he walked ahead.

Milo ignored him and just kept walking.

After navigating a winding mountain road, the two arrived at a grave facing south.

This is the grave of Nero, the previous law enforcement inspector of Nanwei City.

On a nearby hillside stands another tombstone, inscribed with the name "Karl Barnes".

"It's not even the Day of the Dead yet."

When Rebecca saw the two people's tombstones, her mood clearly dropped considerably.

But Milo didn't bring her here to reminisce about old friends.

He turned his head and glanced in the direction of the old man who kept the tomb on the other side of the hillside, wrinkled his nose to confirm that he could smell some "barbecue" in the air, then turned back to Rebecca and said:

"You asked me before what the abilities of a psychic are, right?"

“Mm.” Rebecca nodded.

"The most basic ability is called spying. Give me your hand."

As Milo spoke, he reached out his hand to Rebecca.

Without the slightest hesitation or reserve, the latter simply opened his palm and placed it in Milo's hand.

“One is enough.” Milo pushed away one of Rebecca’s outstretched hands.

"Oh." Rebecca calmly withdrew her left hand.

Then, Milo quickly drew a totem on Rebecca's palm with his finger.

He didn't use any paint, but his fingertips left very thin black lines wherever they touched Rebecca's palm. Those winding lines eventually formed an upside-down golden tree totem. Every branch and vine of the golden tree on the totem was twisted and grotesque, looking like some kind of eerie tentacles from a certain angle. However, this was only how it looked from Milo's perspective. From Rebecca's opposite angle, it was still the shape of a golden tree.

She saw Milo leave such a strange mark on her palm with just his finger, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she didn't ask anything or pull her hand back. She simply waited silently for Milo to finish the totem before asking:
"This is……"

"I'll leave this in your hands for now. It will disappear completely in about half a month. Remember what it looks like."

Milo held Rebecca's finger, turned her palm up to face him, and pointed to the totem on it, saying, "Memorize it."

"What can it do?" Rebecca asked, somewhat puzzled.

Milo slowly explained, "Remember what I said about the survival rule of spirit seers hunting each other?"

"Hmm." Rebecca carefully examined the totem on her palm.

“The way to plunder the spiritual vision of one’s own kind is through spying, and this is one of the methods of spying,” Milo said.

"How do I use it?" Rebecca blinked.

She did seriously consider what Milo said, and although it was difficult to understand, she never doubted what Milo said.

"Place your hand on the tombstone, and you can see all of the deceased's past."

Milo pointed to Nero's tombstone and then added, "At the same time, you will also gain some of the deceased's skills and physical abilities. And if a psychic is lying under the tombstone, then his psychic value will also belong to you. This is the fundamental reason why psychics have to fight to the death."

However, it was clear that Rebecca was completely absorbed in the first part of Milo's speech, and she probably didn't hear much of what he said afterward.

"You mean... I can see their memories?"

Rebecca's breathing began to quicken.

Milo narrowed his eyes and stared at Rebecca, confirming that she was only experiencing some emotional fluctuations and that her sanity was not starting to fluctuate. He then relaxed and nodded, saying, "Haven't you always wanted to know the truth? Karl's death, the town of Icam, and that night at the law enforcement office—I wasn't planning to tell you about these things. But now that you're a Visionist, I think I don't need to waste my breath. You can see it all yourself."

"All you need to do now is put your hand on Nero's tombstone, it's that simple."

He gestured to Rebecca that she could proceed.

……

Milo thought Rebecca would hesitate.

After all, the person lying under the tombstone is not a stranger, but an elder you once respected the most, someone like family. To relive the death of a deceased person is an extremely heavy thing for anyone.

But clearly, Rebecca's desire for the truth far outweighed her grief at the deaths of her loved ones. She didn't even hesitate for a moment before placing her hand on Nero's tombstone.

……

And Milo just stood quietly by, waiting.

He saw a complex mix of emotions on Rebecca's face, which was tightly closed.

The instant the voyeuristic perspective is formed.

She saw a boy who inherited a cursed bloodline. After returning home, he discovered the family's secret cannibalistic tradition. In the end, amidst endless nightmares, he wielded an axe and killed all the members of his family...

She saw the boy leave Ikham under Mogot's cover, and then gradually grow and mature, eventually becoming a member of the enforcement team.

She also saw herself as a child, with Carl, whom she was adopted and cared for by.

Rebecca saw glimpses of the past, those things she herself couldn't clearly remember, all now reappearing before her eyes.

But the precious moments passed in the blink of an eye.

In most of the scenes Rebecca saw, Nero was followed by a shadow, a ghostly figure that had been with him since he was a boy.

Every time Nero woke up in the middle of the night, every time he had a hallucination when he was exhausted, and every time he hovered on the edge of death during his career as a law enforcer, that shadow would become clearer.

She could feel Nero's inner turmoil and torment with perfect clarity.

All of this escalated after Karl's death, eventually erupting at the law enforcement headquarters on the night of the hunt.

……

Kay, who is worshipped as the mother of his birth...

Nero, completely controlled by the Shadow...

Within the wall formed by condensed mist, the figures of Milo and the hunter Monquia could still be seen, their bodies mangled with blood and gore.

...

Rebecca witnessed Nero's last moments of lucidity before his death.

That was his conversation with Milo in the Dream World.

She saw Milo shouting at "herself":
"Help me? Help me save that child..."

"You haven't done any of the things you promised her, you old bastard! Fuck your mother, are you just going to throw her away to that shitty alien god like that? Just like you sent Karl away?!"

"..."

...

Awakened, Nero finally drew his sword and ended his own life.

When the cold staff-sword slit her throat, Rebecca didn't feel the pain of flesh being torn apart, but rather the release after suppressing it for half her life, the heart palpitation and relief at the moment of pulling back from the brink.

...

In Nero's fading vision, she saw the projection of the enraged Outer God, and the disheveled state of Milo and Monquia as they bore the Outer God's wrath.

But when he saw the countless mycelia on the unconscious Kai's body begin to wither and dissipate, Nero's face showed a relieved smile.

The same applies to Rebecca in the real world.

...

……

The wilderness was now completely shrouded in night.

The wind blowing from afar carried a slight chill.

Milo stood calmly on the hillside, pulled out a flask from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

I just took a sip of wine.

Marshall then emerged from the bushes behind him.

Milo glared at it:
"Didn't I ask you to keep an eye on Enid for me?"

“I’m not your follower, why should I listen to you?” Marshall seemed a bit angry. It looked at Rebecca, who was kneeling before Nero’s tombstone down the hillside, then turned to look directly at Milo.

"I knew you were a heartless bastard. If I hadn't come along, Rebecca wouldn't be making it home alive tonight, would she?"

"I don't agree with your way of addressing her; it's just killing two birds with one stone." Milo curled his lip. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who wouldn't care whether she lives or dies?"

"Hmph, what fisherman would care whether the bait lives or dies?"

Marshall gave a cold snort.

……

(End of this chapter)