Sleepless

It turned out she had been so exhausted that she had fallen asleep face-down on the stone table in the basement.

Angel remained frozen in the posture she had woken up in for nearly a minute before coming back to her senses. The dream had been too real. Even after waking, she still felt a chill down her spine and cold sweat all over her body.

Thinking back on it now, the middle-aged police officer with gray eyes in the dream—wasn't he the officer in the Police Carriage she had encountered on Iron Cross Street at midnight the day before yesterday?

What one thought of during the day, one dreamed of at night. It seemed she had been hoping too much for the authorities to intervene, which was why she had dreamed of Beyonder police barging into her home and even making her spill everything in her heart.

Even if this was not modern society, the Nighthawks, who represented official authority, would not pry open someone's door early in the morning, sit on the sofa as if they were the owners, and say, "Please, sit," would they?

Looking at the row of specially made bullets on the stone table, Angel carefully packed them into a box, just as she had in the dream, and carried them out of the basement.

Thankfully, the bullets were real. If that had happened in the dream too, wouldn't she have had to make them all over again?

Still shaken, Angel put the box of bullets into her desk drawer. Looking at the whitening sky outside the window, she decided to wash her face first and clear her head, then go to Saint Selena Church to ask yesterday's bishop whether he had passed the information on to a Beyonder organization.

If the Church of the Night Goddess was slow to react, she was prepared to try reporting it to the Church of the Lord of Storms' River and Sea Cathedral.

The moment she pushed open the living room door, Angel froze once more.

"Officer Dunn Smith," whom she had seen in the dream, was sitting cross-legged on the sofa beside the bay window. He wore the same black-and-white checkered police uniform as before and a police cap, with the same notebook in his hand. When he saw Angel emerge from the study, he lightly flicked the notebook onto the square table, adjusted his cap, and rose from the sofa.

"Let's get acquainted again. Dunn Smith, Nighthawk." He gave a slight bow, like a gentleman introducing himself at a ball.

"H-Hello. I'm Angel Granger, though I suppose you already know that." After a brief shock, Angel quickly reacted. The "Dunn Smith" from her dream was clearly the same person standing before her. He had most likely "invaded" her dream.

This reminded her of a type of Beyonder creature from her past life known as a "Nightmare."

The man before her had normal features and intact limbs. He did not look anything like those Nightmares, which resembled abstract paintings more than anything else. That left only one explanation: the potion Dunn Smith had consumed had granted him the ability to invade and manipulate dreams. With that thought, Angel asked, "Is this your Beyonder ability? Does every Nighthawk have it?"

"Not all of us, everyone has different Sequence pathways. I belong to the 'Sleepless' pathway," the brown-haired, grey-eyed officer replied with a smile, completely different from the gloomy and serious look he wore in the dream.

Sleepless. It sounded like a pathway related to night and sleep. Dunn Smith did not say which Sequence of the Sleepless pathway he was, and Angel did not press him. She merely noted in secret that this Sequence possessed the ability to manipulate dreams.

"People often release the emotions they suppress in reality while dreaming. Their darker impulses are magnified, making everything in the dream absurd and chaotic. But even the most chaotic dream reflects one's true self. To a Beyonder like me, the real you in a dream is more trustworthy than the conscious you in reality."

No wonder I answered whatever he asked, as if I were talking to an old friend. So I had lost control of myself in the dream? Angel suddenly understood.

Dunn Smith continued explaining his ability.

"It may sound frightening, but I merely guided your dream a little and obtained the answers I needed. Although you probably do not remember the details, I can assure you that we had a pleasant conversation in the dream and did not touch on any of your personal privacy."

He gave Angel an exaggerated wink, trying to be humorous.

But I remember it quite clearly, even the part where you mocked me for overestimating myself and trying to challenge Mrs. Sharon... Angel was a little dazed. Was she supposed to have forgotten the dream she had just had?

More importantly, her answers in the dream had been entirely evasive. She had deliberately blurred the distinction between "Cole Granger" and "Angel Gray." Though she had hardly lied, she had concealed her identity beneath the rest of the truth through clever wording.

That was far from the "truth in dreams" Dunn Smith had mentioned. By his account, once someone's dream had been invaded, they should become an excellent subject who answered every question.

Because I'm a Beyonder too, I have some resistance to dream manipulation? Angel secretly guessed, but quickly rejected the answer. As a Veteran Extraordinary, Dunn Smith could not possibly have failed to consider that.

Then it must be because of something unique about me—like being a soul that does not belong to this world? Or perhaps...

Several more guesses flashed through Angel's mind, but none could be confirmed. She could only set the matter aside for now.

Still, she knew the advantage of this "uniqueness" was obvious.

"I... I think I remember some things. You asked me so many questions..." She pretended to recall the dream, raised a hand to her forehead, and put on a pained expression as she spoke haltingly. "Mrs. Sharon... Right, you've already seen the report letter?"

"That's right. We received the letter forwarded by the Police Station last night, as well as the confession you made to the bishop at Saint Selena Church. By reviewing the Police Station's files and adding your testimony from the dream, we can basically confirm that the eleven murders and the three group incidents resulting in seven deaths or disappearances in Tingen City over the past year are all connected to Cole Granger. The mastermind behind them is Sharon Hoy, Mrs. Sharon." Dunn Smith pointed to the documents spread across the table. "Once my companions come downstairs, you'll return with us to the Nighthawks' Tingen branch. I cannot say it is the safest place in Tingen City, but it is certainly more suitable than here."

The outcome was still the same as in the dream. He did not seem to intend to let me take part in the fight against Mrs. Sharon... Wait, companions? Downstairs?

Angel was about to argue for another chance when she suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Ah, they're already here." Dunn Smith's gaze passed over Angel's shoulder toward her back. Angel turned around and saw two people step out from the shadows at the bend in the Stairs leading to the second floor.

Angel found it utterly absurd. She had woken up to find three strangers in her home. Were these Nighthawks holding a team-building event at her house?

The one in front was a young woman in a hooded Black Robe. Her hood had been lowered, revealing blue eyeshadow and blush on her face. She held a candlestick in one hand and a bronze wine goblet in the other.

Following behind her was a male police officer in his early twenties. He wore the same black police uniform as Smith, but all the buttons were undone, exposing the vest and fitted shirt beneath. He wore no hat, and his short black hair framed a pair of green eyes that carried a wild, unruly air.

"Daly Simone, Leonard Mitchell. They are both Nighthawks." Dunn Smith briefly introduced them to Angel. "You came down quickly."

"If we left you alone with this beautiful lady for too long, Leonard and I would both get jealous." Daly Simone, who had taken the lead, walked into the living room, found a sofa, and sat down. She set the candlestick aside but continued holding the wine goblet.

"Cough, cough..." The young police officer, Leonard Mitchell, followed her into the living room and stood in a corner of the room beside Angel. He gave an awkward yet polite cough, then replied, "Captain, there was nothing unusual upstairs. It's all ordinary furniture and clothing. There is a hidden compartment in the floor of the master bedroom, but it is empty. Ms. Daly's Medium abilities found nothing either."

"To be precise, even the normal spirits in this house have vanished, as though they followed something away. New spirits are unwilling to approach this place as well. I tried divination, but gained nothing. Heh, I'm becoming more and more curious about this Cole Granger." Ms. Daly said softly.

The empty compartment was where Cole Granger kept the notebook. Now the notebook is on the table in front of us... And she said "spirits"? Did she mean souls, or something else? Could this mysterious lady have the ability to communicate with souls?

Remembering Dunn Smith's words about everyone having their own Sequence pathway, Angel guessed that this woman might be a Beyonder from another pathway, one with Beyonder abilities even more "extraordinary" than an Assassin's Dark Vision and lightness of movement.

Then this man must be a Beyonder too. I wonder what abilities he has... She turned her head and glanced at the young police officer beside her from the corner of her eye. Noticing her gaze, the black-haired young man Dunn had called Leonard Mitchell looked back and gave a slight bow in greeting.

Three Beyonders had moved together, including Dunn Smith, a Sleepless who could directly invade dreams and make it impossible to distinguish illusion from reality. If Cole Granger were still alive, all it would take was for the Sleepless to hold him back in a dream while the others strode into the house. He would have no chance of escape.

So this was how the Nighthawks fought. Against a single target, it could be said that they were unstoppable.

As Angel considered how such a combat method might be countered, Dunn Smith spoke again. "Since we found nothing here, let's take this lady back to Blackthorn Security Company first. On one hand, it is for her protection. On the other, we must prevent any leaks before the operation."

"Operation." Angel caught that key word. It seemed that before she had woken up, the Nighthawks had already reached a consensus to take action against Mrs. Sharon.

She had wanted to participate. With Cole's memories, she could improve their chances against Mrs. Sharon and ideally kill her on the spot. Not only would that eliminate this Beyonder, who was clearly plotting something, it would also prevent her true identity from being exposed.

But after seeing their methods of combat, especially Dunn Smith's Sleepless ability to invade dreams, Angel felt that her participation would serve no purpose. Though she did not know the combat strength of Medium Daly Simone and the young officer Leonard Mitchell, anyone able to act alongside Dunn Smith was surely no inexperienced novice.

There was no need to forcefully insist on helping, especially since these people might not trust her anyway.

Looking at how the three of them stood casually yet vaguely surrounded her, Angel reached that conclusion.