Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

"Mr. Chenxi, that lady was staring at you intently just now. Did something happen between you two?"

Marcus, who had also noticed the gaze and felt relieved by Chenxi's appearance, was less reserved and asked what was on his mind.

"Hmm~ Some memorable things did happen, but..."

As she spoke, Chenxi once again cupped Marcus's face in her hands and turned her gaze toward the paintings on the wall that were charred and only half remained.

"Now, these are your tasks, aren't they?"

"I see."

This young investigator is always meticulous when faced with assigned tasks.

"These paintings that have been burned—works by Theofel von Dietersdorf."

"...is exactly the kind of object that is suitable for 'reading'."

Her fingers tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, gripping the lantern's handle tightly. With her movement, the lantern's glow swayed gently in the air.

"Only one-third of the painting remains... but I can see it clearly."

Marcus squinted as the painting was gradually interpreted and reconstructed, appearing before her like a book that could be read.

Observing the flow of mystical energy in the air, Chenxi was also simultaneously learning the "shape" of this mystical art.

"Hmm! The clever geometric arrangement achieves visual balance."

Following Marcus's lead, Chenxi began "reading" as well, but this time the object of his attention was changed to the little seagull beside him who had unintentionally become his "teacher," and her emotions were clearly visible to Chenxi.

The initial amazement on her face was quickly replaced by regret.

"But his creator was preoccupied with form and neglected expression. The material of the border... ah, that's not important, next page."

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over another painting that was slightly more complete.

"This one is much luckier; it's still half there, but only the upper half of the woman in the painting remains. However—"

He gently tapped his chin with his fingertip, and a faint blush gradually appeared on Marcus's face, but his tone of comment carried a hint of helplessness.

"Well, it seems Theophier is quite the womanizer. This isn't the first female model he's harassed."

Marcus's gaze swept over several empty picture frames, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Oh dear! This one only has a border. These works were severely damaged by the fire."

She turned her head to the side, her eyes searching for something in the air.

"I remember there was a complete picture in that direction just now..."

His gaze lingered in the void for a moment, then he gently waved his hand.

"...But that's all. Next page."

...!

She turned around and met a pair of light-colored eyes. From afar, it seemed Isolde was watching her.

For some reason, that gaze made her feel a chill run down her spine.

"People can be read too. This is Miss Isolde..."

Marcus took a deep breath to calm herself. An invisible, colossal book seemed to unfold before her eyes, its pages turning.

"She didn't follow Parisian trends, still wearing a conservative corset, only adorned with some Art Nouveau jewelry around her waist..."

Marcus squinted slightly, carefully examining the pages that had formed around him.

"Like a pale butterfly."

"She is a well-known psychic. It is said that the Dietersdorf family is very skilled in psychic arts. Nowadays, they mainly use it for art... to invoke a spirit to possess them in order to complete poetry, singing, and painting."

Marcus's tone became somewhat serious as he thoughtfully rested his chin on his hand.

"Their powerful psychic abilities also caused them to suffer from neurasthenia and hysteria. This ancient family is not large."

Her gaze was suddenly drawn to something, and her pupils dilated slightly.

"Wait a minute..."

"The painting behind her is complete! And...it's enormous—"

Marcus's voice held a hint of amazement.

"This is 'Salvation'...?"

"Strange. This painting...?"

"Miss, you have excellent taste."

"what!"

Marcus turned around in surprise, clearly not expecting anyone to suddenly speak to him.

A voice sounded from behind. Heinrich, with a bright smile on his face, gave a slight bow and performed an elegant greeting.

"This painting, 'Salvation,' by my dear friend Sigmund! His only surviving masterpiece."

He waved his arms excitedly, pointing to the details in the painting.

“One enchanting magic circle after another—oh, that’s what Miss Kacania said! We’re all very enthusiastic about this concept.”

"...!"

"It's a real pity. If she were still here, she could have given you a better explanation. Her words always stirred the heart."

Marcus's tone carried a hint of doubt, as if he found it incredible to hear this name from this person.

"You mean, Kacania? You have a friend named Kacania?"

“Oh! Yes, artists tend to have a unique nickname! I also know ‘Orange Knight,’ ‘Victor of the Rhine,’ ‘Apple Roll’…”

He counted on his fingers, then spread his hands, looking regretful.

"Do you know her? What a coincidence, she just left, and she's probably meeting with Dr. Schwarz in the conference hall now!"

The mentor glanced in this direction and gently shook his head.

Marcus quickly composed himself, speaking softly as he tucked his neck and chin into his large scarf.

"No, this is the first time I've heard of it either... Thank you for your introduction, sir."

In the air, the diffused spores stirred almost imperceptibly.

"Bang bang pop pop!"

The dust produced by the explosion is quite invasive to the nasal cavity.

"Cough cough!"

"What happened?!"

The foundation members at the branch waved away the spore dust that was being pushed towards them, but the remaining unseen wandering spirits that had been hiding in the painting were awakened by the spores and emerged from the painting one after another.

"...!"

Isolde looked up abruptly, a hint of panic flashing in her light-colored pupils.

"...A wandering spirit?! Wasn't it said there was no spirit summoning ritual?..."

He grabbed Isolde's arm, his face grim.

“Miss Dietersdorf, I need an explanation. You told me this was just a rehearsal.”

He angrily waved his arms, pointing at the chaotic scene around him.

“But now this has happened—and more importantly, my two assistants are still here!”

He stared intently at Isolde, his tone firm.

"I need a credible reason to report to my superiors."

"..."

The pale-skinned girl remained silent, avoiding the commissioner's gaze, and lowered her head slightly, her shoulders appearing even thinner under her oversized clothes.

"Where is your gentlemanly manners, sir?"

He flicked a finger at the commissioner's hand that was gripping Isolde's arm, and the electric-like pain made him involuntarily release his grip.

Chenxi caught Isolde's falling hand and gently pulled her behind him.

"doctor……"

Isolde's voice was very soft, like a snowflake about to melt, but Chenxi, who was called in this way, shivered for no reason.

Suppressing the urge to turn around and look, Chenxi gripped Isolde's wrist even tighter, hoping it would lessen the strange feeling rising in her heart.

However, while her body felt the same as when the agent had grabbed her before, a feeling she had never experienced before was growing wildly in her heart.

This burning emotion made her somewhat dazed, and her flushed cheeks unconsciously pressed against Chenxi's back, as if that would make her feel a little better.

Indeed, that was the case. His back was like an ice cube in the summer, absorbing the heat that was dancing on his face, but it was also like a seal. The more the heat left on his body was removed, the more fervent his emotions became.

Just as Isolde was about to raise her other hand, the commissioner, who had been pushed away, clutched her still throbbing hand and roared with a livid face:

"Where did this lowly mystic come from!"

This was the first time he had been so humiliated by a mystic, especially… He glanced at Isolde, who was cowering behind Chenxi.

There was a time when he was the one who watched from above in those dungeons that imprisoned anarchist mystics, fighting to the death for a few crumbs of bread, and then begging from him for a little charity.

"Where is your license for mystical arts! You lowly commoner with nothing, how dare you..."

In the eyes of the enraged commissioner, Chen Xi before him gradually overlapped with the figures he had bullied in the basement. But because of this, he overlooked the darkening expression on Chen Xi's face.

"Someone like you, I'd even lick your shoes for you..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Without warning, a hand reached out and clamped down on the commissioner's incessantly chattering mouth like an iron clamp.

Chenxi released Isolde, afraid that he might accidentally hurt her in his anger.

"first……"

Chenxi's smile was extremely distorted, and veins were bulging.

"boom!"

As his words fell, the previously menacing spirits around him instantly vanished like popped bubbles, leaving not a trace of ash behind.

"I said, these are just some exquisite stage effects. I wonder if you, sir, would agree?"

Chenxi lifted this usually aloof man up in front of her with one hand, like picking up a chick. Her narrowed, smiling eyes were filled with murderous intent as she stared intently at the commissioner's terrified pupils.

"Secondly..."

His five fingers suddenly tightened.

"Crack!"

The sound of teeth breaking clearly traveled up Chenxi's arm back to his brain, accompanied by several blood clots falling to the ground.

"Pfft."

Chenxi slammed the blood-soaked commissioner to the ground like he was throwing away trash.

“I’m an investigator from headquarters, not the lowly bastard you’re talking about or thinking about.”

"Chen Xi!"

Things took a completely unexpected turn, and Hoffman quickly called out to Chenxi, who had already identified herself as a member of headquarters. However, she was met with a highly threatening glare in return.

"You must have heard a lot about me at the foundation."

“You previously sent no fewer than a hundred tactical specialists to surround and kill me.”

With a stomp on the head of the fallen commissioner, Chenxi's voice was not loud, but it carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

"It's already quite an achievement that I've managed to hold back from killing him until now."

He kicked the man away, then squatted down and grabbed the blood-stained commissioner by the hair, displaying him to Hoffman.

"To be able to say such things, and to wield considerable power... Hoffman, can you even imagine what he's done?"

"I can only be considered lucky to have enough power, but what about the others?"

He looked down at the blood dripping from his mouth, and memories of running through the forest and being surrounded and killed came flooding back.

"In this world, isn't it a bit hypocritical to act under the banner of peaceful coexistence for all mankind?"

When Chenxi looked up again, all she saw was the dark muzzle of a gun.

"Investigator Chenxi, as a senior investigator of the Foundation, I order you to immediately put down the person you are holding, accept control and restraint, and be taken back to the Foundation headquarters at once!"

"Ah."

Chenxi was so angry she almost laughed. She casually let go, and the commissioner's head hit the ground hard, letting out a miserable wail.

But Hoffman remained calm, gripping the gun in his hand and aiming it at Chenxi.

“It’s been a long time since anyone has pointed a gun at me like this.”

Chenxi's figure vanished into thin air.

The next second, he appeared in front of Hoffman like a ghost, the two so close that their noses almost touched.

Hoffman's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could pull the trigger, the barrel of the gun in his hand snapped cleanly in the middle and fell to the ground with a clatter.

It was at this moment that Chenxi suddenly realized there was a "little kid" here.

He turned to look at Marcus, who was trembling and had an incredulous expression on his face.

She never imagined that the man exuding a fierce aura, Mr. Chenxi, was the same person who had been protecting her from the previous gentle and refined man.

Chenxi's heart softened, and he reached out, instinctively wanting to pinch Marcus's cheek.

However, before his hand was even out of the air, Marcus closed his eyes in terror and ducked his head.

The outstretched hand froze.

After a long while, he withdrew his hand and sighed softly.

"Different road non-phase plan."

As these light words fell, Chenxi's figure vanished completely before everyone's eyes, as if he had never existed.

However, behind him, Isolde's gaze followed his retreating figure, lost in thought.