The Visitor Behind the Door

By the time Luther finished reading the entire Tingen City Proper Newspaper, Cecilia was already fast asleep. Her head rested on Luther's shoulder, and she let out soft, rhythmic breaths. Yet, she didn't seem to be sleeping peacefully; her brows were slightly furrowed, and her youthful face carried a touch of worry that didn't match her age.

Luther carefully shifted her body so that she was lying fully on the soft sofa bed, then couldn't help but yawn himself. There was no clock in the lounge, so he didn't know the exact time, but he estimated it must be one or two in the morning. After such a long day, he was feeling quite drowsy.

"You can sleep for a while too; staying up late isn't good for you."

From behind the newspaper, Luo Yao suddenly spoke. To avoid disturbing the two who were asleep, she kept her voice very low.

"Alright, thank you."

Luther also whispered, "Sorry for keeping you up."

After all, since she was responsible for protecting him, she certainly couldn't sleep.

Hearing Luther say this, Luo Yao lowered the newspaper in her hands, revealing her face.

What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?

Luther was a bit bewildered.

"It's fine, we don't need to sleep at night," Luo Yao said, a hint of a smile appearing in her cold eyes.

Don't need to sleep? No wonder they are called The Unsleeping.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Since that was the case, Luther didn't stand on ceremony anymore; he climbed onto the other sofa bed and lay down fully clothed.

Drowsiness slowly washed over him, and he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, on a certain street in Tingen City.

"According to Klein's divination, Hainas Vincent, like Sirius, is a Sequence 9 Black Knight. The danger level isn't high, so we will prioritize gathering clues."

Inside the moving carriage, Night Watcher Captain Dunn Smith said to the other team members, "Once we arrive at his home, I will restrain him, and you two will search the room."

"Hainas doesn't know Sirius is dead yet, so he's probably sleeping soundly right now," Leonard said with a laugh. "It'll be quite interesting to see his reaction when he wakes up and sees us."

He rested his hands behind his head, leaning against the back of the seat with his legs crossed, his posture extremely unrestrained, forming a sharp contrast with the stiff and cold-natured 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 will enter his dreams," Dunn said calmly. "In there, he won't be able to lie to me."

The two Night Watchers nodded in unison upon hearing this. Indeed, as a Sequence 7 Nightmare, their captain was already one of the top experts in Tingen City; dealing with a Sequence 9 was a trivial matter. He was even cautious enough to bring two team members along for support in a situation like this.

Presumably, that Hainas from the Aurora Society would have no choice but to surrender and honestly hand over the information when faced with their group.

"By the way, Captain, how do you plan to handle that Luther Rondal?" Just then, Leonard suddenly changed the subject and asked an unexpected question.

Dunn looked up at him and said:

"According to past practice, survivors of paranormal incidents can return to their normal lives after the case is closed; we only require them to keep it a secret. However, he..."

"But he's a special case, right?"

Leonard laughed.

Accidentally becoming a Beyonder, and a highly dangerous Black Knight at that—there was a risk of losing control at any moment. It was impossible to simply let such a ticking time bomb go. Although Luther Rondal was lucky enough to remain sane after becoming a Black Knight and the Night Watchers wouldn't purge him, he would likely spend the rest of his life under surveillance, living without any freedom.

Thinking of the handsome young man in a straitjacket and the strong girl protecting him—they were so young, yet they would have to spend the rest of their lives living like that—the people in the carriage all felt it was a bit of a pity.

"Is there no other way?"

Frye suddenly spoke up.

"Of course there is," Leonard smiled. "For survivors of such incidents, besides returning to society, don't they have another option?"

"You mean... joining us?" Frye hesitated. "But is that compliant?"

"That depends on... how we communicate it to the Cathedral."

Leonard looked at Dunn.

Frye realized this as well and turned to look at the captain.

Under their expectant gazes, Dunn Smith pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "A Black Knight who believes in the Goddess and stands on our side is extremely rare. Furthermore, joining the Night Watchers would allow for daily supervision—if we report it with that justification, we might be able to persuade the Cathedral to keep him."

It was indeed a good reason.

Hearing Dunn say this, Frye couldn't help but nod secretly, and Leonard even clapped his hands in praise with a smile, "As expected of the Captain, to think of such a brilliant solution!"

The atmosphere in the carriage lightened, and for a moment, even the carriage seemed to move more briskly, turning a corner and arriving in front of Hainas's home.

"Alright, enough idle talk."

Dunn shook his head. "We can discuss these things later; for now, let's focus our spirits. Successfully capturing Hainas is what matters most!"

"Yes!"

The three Night Watchers immediately adopted the posture of experts, stepped off the carriage, and quickly and silently infiltrated Hainas's residence.

The night was deep and boundless.

Luther woke from a restless, uneasy dream and slowly sat up.

Looking around, his sister was not by his side, and the two Night Watchers were nowhere to be seen. He was the only one left in the lounge, along with a pile of newspapers scattered across the floor.

Where did they go?

How long did I sleep?

Why hasn't Dunn returned yet?

Anxiety and confusion swept over Luther. He stood up from the sofa bed, clutching his head, and walked toward the door. Sleep did not seem to have eased his exhaustion; his head still throbbed, and a sharp, buzzing noise rang in his ears, gradually growing louder.

That sound was... it was crying.

A sharp, piercing wail, like the desperate cries of a woman and a child suffering from excruciating torture.

Accompanying the shrill cries, a duller, more sickening sound echoed from the hallway outside—dragging, sticky, as if a heavy mass of flesh were crawling and writhing, slowly approaching the lounge. As it moved, its filthy, foul body left a long, reeking trail of blood on the floor...

The eerie sound grew louder and louder, then abruptly stopped.

It had stopped right behind the door.

"There's actually no one here."

At the residence of Hainas, Dunn looked at the chaotic bedroom, his brows tightly furrowed.

"The other bedroom is empty too; his wife and children are gone." Frye's voice drifted down from the second floor, his cold, hoarse tone laced with confusion. "Is he that well-informed? He actually fled with his whole family the very same night."

"I wish that were the case."

Leonard walked out from the basement, his expression looking very grim. "Captain, there are traces of a ritual having been performed down there... the scene is absolutely terrible..."

Dunn swept his gaze over Leonard's pale face, then keenly noticed that his shoes looked off, seemingly stained with some bright red liquid of unknown origin.

As if realizing something, Dunn's pupils suddenly constricted.