Dream Visitor

"Oh, Luther, it's you."

Benson saw Luther outside the door and greeted him warmly.

"Good evening, Benson."

Luther also smiled and greeted him in return.

Benson Moretti, the eldest of the three Moretti siblings, had bravely shouldered the heavy responsibility of raising his younger brother and sister after their parents passed away. He not only ensured they were fed and housed but also made sure they both received an education. As an older brother himself, Luther held him in high regard. Moreover, this Benson Moretti was socially experienced and quite eloquent; he had provided a lot of help when Luther was renting his place, and Luther was very grateful for that.

"I heard from Klein that you're going on a business trip with him tomorrow. Are you here to discuss something about the trip? Come in and sit for a while, he'll be out once he finishes cooking."

Benson sent the little maid back first, then smiled and spoke to Luther, welcoming him into the house.

Unlike Luther, Klein's family did not know he was a Night Watcher; they only thought Blackthorn Security Company was a normal business involved in antique protection, so Luther could not casually reveal anything in front of them.

"No need, I have other things to attend to." Luther declined, "Besides, I'm not here to see Klein; I have something I'd like to ask of you."

"Ask me?"

Benson asked, surprised.

"Yes, it's like this. If I go on this business trip, Cecilia will be left alone at home, and I'm a bit worried about her." Luther spoke his concerns frankly, "So, I'd like to trouble you to look after my sister. You don't need to take care of her daily life, just... if anything happens, I hope you can help out..."

"I understand, you don't need to ask me to do something like that."

Benson smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I was actually just about to look for you... Klein only recently graduated from university and isn't very familiar with social matters. For this trip, I was also thinking of asking you to look after him..."

The two older brothers had thought of the same thing.

They exchanged a knowing smile.

Since he still had to hurry to buy a suitcase, Luther didn't stand on ceremony any longer. After a hurried farewell to Benson, he left Narcissus Street No. 2. He went to a luggage shop on the commercial street, buying not only a suitcase for himself but also a smaller, portable one for his sister Cecilia, along with a high-quality small calfskin handbag.

Returning home, he hurriedly packed his things and ate dinner. Luther left enough money for Cecilia and urged her to be careful before returning to his bedroom to go to sleep.

Luther was dreaming hazily. He dreamed that he was in his rental apartment from his previous life, drinking soda and scrolling through videos, surrounded by a television and game console. These things he hadn't touched in a long time made him feel incredibly nostalgic. Just as he was about to turn on the game console to play a few rounds, the world suddenly shook. The dream, which had been like water mist, quickly became clear. The surrounding environment was very familiar; it was the living room on the first floor of Narcissus Street No. 6, where he rented.

Am I dreaming?

Strange, I know what I'm doing...

Luther realized clearly that he was dreaming.

This feeling seemed to have happened before, when was it... Ah, right, it was that time Captain Dunn forcibly pulled him into a dream... Luther thought subconsciously, and when he looked up, he couldn't help but be startled.

Dunn was pressing against the window glass, staring at him intently!

What is the Captain doing?

What should I do?

Just as Luther was letting his imagination run wild, Dunn had already circled to the door, pushed it open, and barged in without ceremony. He hung his top hat and black trench coat on the rack behind the door, then nodded at Luther and walked straight to the sofa opposite him to sit down.

There's no help for it, I'll just have to play along.

Luther pretended to be in a dream and asked, "Captain, what's wrong?"

"Don't you welcome me?"

Dunn raised an eyebrow and smiled.

When in someone else's dream, he seemed less serious than usual.

"Uh, of course I do."

Luther's head was spinning, so he had to treat Dunn with the tea on the table. Afterward, Dunn didn't leave immediately but kept looking at Luther, as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to do either.

Could it be that he is trying to act as a "Nightmare"... Whatever, just finish acting quickly and don't disturb my sleep, I have a business trip tomorrow!

"On this trip, pay more attention to your own safety."

Perhaps Luther's internal grumbling had an effect, as Dunn suddenly took the initiative to speak.

"Ah? Oh, I know."

"Be careful of that Lanerius. He has a grudge against you, and he hasn't been caught yet."

"Understood..."

"Watch out! He's right there."

Just then, Dunn suddenly pointed behind Luther.

Luther looked behind him subconsciously, and sure enough, Lanerius appeared. He wore his signature mocking smile, gesturing wildly behind Luther.

Uh...

Luther looked at this "Lanerius," who was exactly like his image in the newspapers, and felt a bit at a loss.

Because this illusion was created by Dunn, he didn't understand the real Lanerius—the real Lanerius hated him so much that if he saw Luther, he would probably tear him apart alive; he wouldn't be here acting so harmlessly to scare him.

Facing "Lanerius," Luther couldn't help but glance at Dunn from the corner of his eye, only to find that the other man was waiting for something.

The Captain wants to scare me.

Should I cooperate with the Captain and pretend to be scared?

No, if I were to pretend, it wouldn't serve as any kind of "feedback" at all, and it wouldn't help the captain digest his potion; instead, it might even interfere with his understanding of "acting"...

In a flash of inspiration, Luther reached a conclusion.

React in the most authentic way possible!

"Lanerius, you son of a bitch!"

He cursed in a rage, grabbed the teapot from the table, and smashed it against the head of "Lanerius" with a loud clang, sending shards scattering across the floor.

Dunn and "Lanerius" were both stunned.

While they were frozen, Luther certainly was not. Taking advantage of the moment, he rushed over to the coat rack and snatched up the cane resting there.

This cane had been bought for him by Cecilia, who felt that a gentleman simply had to have one. Luther had carried it for a few days when he went out, but it felt wrong, so he had tossed it onto the coat rack—and now, it was coming in handy!

"Crack!"

He charged over and brought the stick down hard on the head of "Lanerius"!

"Lanerius" collapsed to the ground on cue.

"Crack! Crack!"

"You've got some nerve, daring to come back and look for me?"

Luther shouted in anger, continuing his assault on the fallen Lanerius, swinging the cane with all his might as if it cost nothing, raining blows down on his head and back. Lanerius clutched his head, wailing in agony.

Seeing that his opponent had lost the ability to fight back, Luther whipped his revolver from his holster and aimed it at his head...

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind wrapped in black mist roared in, sweeping up everything in the world. By the time Luther opened his eyes again, the dream had returned to a state of chaos, and both Dunn and "Lanerius" had vanished without a trace.

Finally gone...

Luther gave a bitter smile. Captain, you really should go and torment Klein instead; he's just two doors down from me...

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he finally felt the drowsiness return, so he let the dream envelop him and drifted into a deep sleep.