Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 28 Lanevus
After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Ze ultimately decided to stay at the mental hospital for one night.

After all, the captain's words made sense. If one were to still be labeled as a mental patient before the welcome banquet, the scene of introducing oneself in public would be somewhat awkward.

"That Dr. Wilder is terrible! He didn't help you at all when he was treating you, and now that you need him, he's just caused you so much trouble!"

Cecilia was very unhappy about this. She had originally wanted to spend the night with Luze, but he had firmly refused. Firstly, it wouldn't look good if word got out that a young girl was spending the night in such a place; secondly, she had class the next day. So, although she was very unwilling, Luze still led her out of the asylum and into a carriage to go home.

After seeing his sister off, Luze returned to the inpatient ward of the mental hospital and stayed in Dr. Wilder's office until he finished get off work that evening, where Dr. Wilder treated him to a truly disastrous patient meal. Afterward, Dr. Wilder arranged a room and roommate for Luze.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Rondauer, all the single rooms are full. You'll have to make do here for the night. This is your roommate, Hud Eugen. Don't worry, his condition is very stable. He enjoys chatting with patients, but he doesn't like to talk to us doctors."

In a double room on the third floor, Wilder pointed to the patient in the bed by the window and said to Luzer.

Lu Ze looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a man who seemed quite normal. He had a long, thin face and his light blond hair was neatly combed. Hearing someone mention him, he turned his head, glanced at the two of them with his gray-blue eyes, and then turned back without saying a word.

"See? It's completely non-aggressive."

Wilder said, “Your bed is brand new and you can use it as you like. I will be patrolling the third floor tonight and will come to check on you every now and then. Please rest assured and spend the night here. As long as I make sure you don’t have any episodes throughout the night, I will sign your certificate of mental recovery first thing tomorrow morning.”

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Dr. Wilder."

Since things had come to this, Lu Ze didn't stand on ceremony. After thanking Dr. Wilder and seeing him off, he lay down on the bed in the mental hospital without any hesitation.

Ah, this mattress, that familiar feel.
He was about to take off his coat when he suddenly remembered that the holster was still hanging on his shirt underneath, which was a bit inappropriate to expose. So he simply lay down fully clothed, on his back, with his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling of the ward.

Hud Eugen, standing to the side, ignored him and continued to look out at the night sky.

As darkness fell, the crimson moon slowly rose, casting its light through the iron-barred windows of the psychiatric ward onto the floor, creating crimson grids.

The room was very quiet; neither Luzer nor his roommate spoke. Only the occasional footsteps of Dr. Wilder patrolling the hallway and the faint cries of a patient from a distant ward could be heard.

Lu Ze's eyelids gradually grew heavy, and drowsiness washed over him.

What should I do? Take off my clothes and go to sleep?
But I have a holster on me. However, it probably doesn't matter if a madman sees it.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard footsteps echoing in the corridor outside once again.

Hmm, it's Dr. Wilder again. He's really been working hard. Hmm? It doesn't seem to be him.

Lu Ze sensed something was wrong from the footsteps.

Dr. Wilder was old and his steps were rather slow, but the footsteps were very light and quick, clearly those of a young man.

Was it someone who went to the restroom, or another doctor?
As Lu Ze was thinking this, he heard footsteps stop at the door of his hospital room. Then, with a "whoosh," the door was pushed open. The orange light illuminated the room, and a young man carrying a gas lamp in one hand and a bag in the other, stepped in.

Hi, good evening!

He curled his lips into a smile, completely unconcerned about Lu Ze's surprise. Instead, he waved to him as if Lu Ze were an acquaintance.

"you"

Lu Ze sat up abruptly, looking at the young man with some surprise. For some reason, he felt that the young man looked somewhat familiar.

Who was he, and why was he entering a mental hospital ward in the middle of the night? Just as Luze was about to ask, Hud Eugen, in his bed by the window at the back of the room, suddenly sighed. He pulled a silver bell from under his pillow, held it up, and shook it gently.

"Jingle Bell"

A clear sound echoed in the ward. The sound was very peculiar, as if it penetrated the body and rang directly in people's minds.

Lu Ze jolted violently, losing control of his body. He felt the world suddenly blur, other sounds seemed to come from a distant place, only the sound of bells echoing in his mind, until—

"Wow"

The illusory sound of ocean waves rose up, drowning out the sound of the bells, and also cleared his mind, allowing him to hear the conversation between the two.

"Lanius, why aren't you out there doing your scam? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Hud Eugen looked at the young man with displeasure and said, "I saw it in the newspaper. Your scam is really comprehensive. You even put out an advertisement for the iron ore company's IPO."

Lanius?

Is an iron ore company going public?

Oh right, it's that person in the newspaper!

Lu Ze finally remembered and understood why the face seemed familiar: a broad forehead, an ordinary face, round glasses, and that seemingly mocking smile. It was exactly the appearance of the iron mine manager in the newspaper that Rosanne had shown him last time.

Wait a minute, what did Hud Eugen mean by that? Was the iron ore mine a scam?

He seems so normal, could it be that he's not crazy at all?
Moreover, his props could actually hypnotize me; they seemed to be related to mysticism, perhaps even sealed artifacts.

And then there's his relationship with Lanius.
A flood of information rushed into Lu Ze's mind in a short time. He analyzed it quickly, without making any rash moves, and continued to pretend to be controlled, listening to the conversation between the two.

"Hehe. That scam has already been shut down."

Lanius patted the bulging bag in his hand and laughed maliciously. "Thanks to those greedy and foolish guys for telling the truth. I've had enough fun and I'm ready to leave Tingen."

"So you've come to say goodbye? Ha, I have nothing to say to someone like you."

"Don't be so heartless. When you used me to betray your companion and steal his extraordinary item, weren't you full of gratitude towards me?"

Lanius smiled and pointed to the bell in Hud Eugen's hand, directly exposing the other party's true colors.

Hud Eugen's expression changed, and then he let out a cold laugh.

It seems neither of these guys are good people.
Lu Ze thought to himself.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what Lanius's purpose was in coming over in the middle of the night.

　The fanfiction writer who promotes each other's work is a master of updating 10,000 words a day, far surpassing my 40,000 words a day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)