Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 9 The Visitor Behind the Door

By the time Luze finished reading the entire "Tinggen City Serious People's Newspaper," Cecilia was already fast asleep. Her head rested on Luze's shoulder, and she was breathing softly and evenly. However, she seemed to be sleeping restlessly; her brows were slightly furrowed, and her youthful face carried a worry that was beyond her years.

Lu Ze carefully moved her body, letting her lie down fully on the soft sofa bed, and then couldn't help but yawn. There was no clock in the lounge, so he didn't know the exact time, but he guessed it was probably one or two in the morning. After all that fuss, he was also a little sleepy.

"You can take a nap too; staying up late is bad for you."

Luo Yao suddenly spoke through the newspaper. To be considerate of the two sleeping people, she kept her voice very low.

"okay, thank you."

Lu Ze also said softly, "Sorry to disturb your rest."

After all, the other person is responsible for protecting him, so they definitely won't be able to sleep.

Hearing Lu Ze say that, Luo Yao lowered the newspaper in her hand, revealing her face.

What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?
Lu Ze was a little confused.

“It’s alright, we don’t need to sleep at night,” Luo Yao said, a hint of a smile appearing in his usually indifferent eyes.

No need to sleep? No wonder they're called "the sleepless."

"Then trouble you."

Since that was the case, Lu Ze no longer stood on ceremony, climbed onto another sofa bed, and lay down fully clothed.

Sleepiness slowly crept in, and he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, on a street in Tingen.

"According to Klein's divination, Hynas Vancent, like Sirius, is a Sequence 9 Mystic. He is not very dangerous, so we should prioritize obtaining clues."

Inside the moving carriage, Night Watch Captain Dunn Smith said to the other team members, "Once we get to his house, I'll take him under control, and you guys search the rooms."

“Hainas doesn’t know Sirius is dead yet; he’s probably fast asleep right now,” Leonard said with a smile. “His reaction when he wakes up and sees us will be quite interesting.”

He had his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his legs, displaying an extremely unrestrained posture that contrasted sharply with the upright and aloof Frye sitting beside him.

"What if he's cautious and didn't leave any clues in the room?"

"The corpse collector asked in a hoarse voice."

“Then I’ll go into his dream,” Dunn said calmly. “There, he can’t lie to me.”

Upon hearing this, the two night watchmen nodded in unison. Indeed, as a Sequence 7 "Nightmare," their captain was already one of the strongest in Tingen City, and dealing with a Sequence 9 was a piece of cake for him. In fact, he was very cautious, bringing two team members as backup in this situation.

It seems that if Hainas of the Aurora Society encountered their group, he would only have to surrender and obediently hand over the intelligence.

"By the way, Captain, what are your plans regarding Luzer Rondohr?" Leonard suddenly changed the subject and asked an unexpected question.

Dunn looked up at him and said:
"According to past practice, survivors of extraordinary events are allowed to return to normal lives after the case concludes; we only asked him to maintain secrecy. But he..."

"But he's a special case, isn't he?"

Leonard laughed.

Becoming an Extraordinary being by accident, and a highly dangerous one at that—a Mystic—risks spiraling out of control. It's impossible to easily release such a ticking time bomb. Although Luze Rondor is fortunate enough to have remained conscious after becoming a Mystic, and the Night Watchers won't purify him, he'll likely remain under surveillance for the rest of his life, living a life far from free.

The thought of the handsome young man in the straitjacket and the strong girl protecting him, both so young, and destined to spend the rest of their lives in such circumstances, filled the passengers with a sense of pity.

"Is there no other way?"

Fry suddenly spoke up. "Of course there is," Leonard laughed. "For the survivors of the incident, besides reintegrating into society, don't they have another option?"

“You mean join us?” Fry asked hesitantly. “But is that legal?”

"That depends on how we communicate with the Holy Temple."

Leonard looked at Dunn.

Frye also realized what was happening and turned to look at the captain.

Under the expectant gazes of the two, Dunn Smith pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "A confidant who believes in a goddess is very rare among those who stand on our side. Moreover, joining the Night Watch would also serve as a daily supervisory role—reporting it on such grounds might persuade the Holy See to keep him."

That's certainly a good reason.

Upon hearing Dunn's words, Frye nodded in approval, while Leonard clapped and praised him with a smile, "Truly worthy of being the captain, to think of such a brilliant idea!"

The atmosphere in the carriage relaxed, and for a moment even the carriage seemed to move much more smoothly. After turning a corner, they arrived in front of Hainas's house.

"Alright, enough of this small talk."

Dunn shook his head. "We can talk about these things later. Right now, the most important thing is to cheer up and successfully capture Haynes!"

"Yes!"

The three night watchmen immediately adopted the demeanor of experts, dismounted from the carriage, and quickly and silently sneaked into Hainas's residence.

The night was deep and boundless.

Lu Ze awoke from his restless dream and slowly sat up.

Looking around, his sister was not beside him, and the two night watchmen were nowhere to be seen. He was left alone in the break room with a pile of newspapers scattered on the floor.

Where did they go?

How long did I sleep?
Why hasn't Dunn returned yet?
Anxiety and confusion overwhelmed Lu Ze. He stood up from the sofa bed, clutching his head, and walked towards the door. Sleep seemed to have done nothing to alleviate his exhaustion; his head still throbbed, and a sharp, buzzing noise filled his ears, gradually amplifying.

That sound was crying.

The piercing cries sounded like the desperate wails of women and children after enduring immense suffering.

Accompanied by a piercing cry, an even more muffled and unpleasant sound echoed from outside the corridor. A dragging, sticky, limp body, like a heavy flesh crawling and writhing, slowly approached the break room. With each movement, its filthy, gruesome body left long, foul-smelling streaks of blood on the floor.
The eerie sound grew louder and louder, then abruptly stopped.

It stopped behind the door.

"Nobody's here."

At Haynes's residence, Dunn frowned as he looked at the messy bedroom.

"The other bedroom is empty too. His wife and children are gone." Fry's voice came down from the second floor, his cold, hoarse tone tinged with confusion. "How could he be so well-informed? He managed to flee with his whole family that very night."

"It would be nice if that were the case."

Leonard emerged from the basement, his face grim. "Captain, there are signs of a ceremony down there. The scene is terrible."

Dunn glanced at Leonard's pale face, then noticed something was off about his shoes; they seemed to be stained with some bright red liquid of unknown origin.

As if he had realized something, Dunn's eyes suddenly narrowed.

(End of this chapter)