Party-Line Telephone

Hope doesn't yet know what else Jack wants him to do.

But he understood what Jack was trying to say.

If Hope wants to live safely in the light later, she should do everything she can to help Jack and the others.

"But," Hope said, "What if I only have three months to live?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

He looked at Hope's face and asked again, "Are you sure about this?"

Hope shook her head. "But it's very likely true."

"If that's the case," Jack thought for a moment, "Did Wilbur or your other family members promise you anything? Like telling you that as long as you listened to them, you could live forever?"

They had no idea—

but----

Hope remembered Wilbur's dying words.

You can get almost anything you want.

Wilbur did indeed offer very tempting terms.

"That's great," Jack said.

Hope didn't understand what he was so happy about.

But Jack smiled. "Wilbur is dead, and the fact that you're standing here means you rejected his terms. Can I conclude that your desire to live in the light is even more important than your life?"

Jack helped Hope and led him toward the door. "Don't worry, you're not even sure you're going to die. The Federation, or Miskatonic University, or any other organization we can contact, will do everything they can to help you."

"Believe me, these organizations combined can do almost anything you can or can't imagine."

"Is this the promise you made to me?" Hope asked.

Jack shook his head. "Me? I can't promise you that much. I'm just a Second-Level Investigator of the Federation. The highest-ranking person here is Professor Armitage, but even he wouldn't dare make such a promise to you."

Hope followed Jack's directions and went outside. He was somewhat surprised by Jack's words. "So you were just bragging?"

"No," Jack replied, "I can't promise you that much, but you can earn it yourself."

Hope frowned. "To fight for it yourself," it sounded like empty promises. "So, you want me to work for the Night Hawk Union in the future, and in return, the Federation will provide me with assistance—ha, maybe those organizations you're talking about really are omnipotent, but I'm not worth that much."

Hope was somewhat annoyed, so her words were almost entirely sarcastic.

But Jack maintained his smile after hearing this.

He said, "You have high enough value."

"How come I didn't know I was so valuable?"

"You really don't know?" Jack asked. "Then do you know who your father is?"

Hope froze, his steps halted, and Jack stopped as well, waiting for him.

How could this be? Has everyone already known about this?

Hope asked, "How did you—"

"It wasn't me," Jack said. "To be precise, it was Professor Armitage. He went to the Whateley House and found Wilbur's diary there."

journal?

Wilbur's? ---- Why did he keep a diary? ----

Isn't he a major cultist, a son of God? Why would he keep a diary?

Hope's eyes were vacant.

Jack nudged him. "Are you alright? --- Ah, I know, listen to me, take a breath."

Hope gradually regained her breathing.

"Looks like you've recovered," Jack said. "Can you still hear what I'm saying?"

"I can hear you clearly," Hope replied.

"Honestly, Professor Armitage stole some of your credit because of this," Jack said. "That diminishes the value of the intelligence you possess."

"However, even so, your importance is high enough for the Night Hawk Union or Miskatonic University."

A son of God who voluntarily surrendered.

"If there were a newspaper that specialized in reporting on such secretive matters, your defection would undoubtedly be the most important headline."

"Will they slice me up for research?" Hope asked.

It took Jack a moment to understand what Hope was talking about. He seemed to seriously consider it. "Probably not— the Federation, while radical in its style, doesn't like to recruit lunatics."

"That's good," Hope said.

Jack suddenly leaned closer, his voice lowering, "Can you tell me this is true?"

"What?"

"Is it true that you are the son of some God— " Jack asked sincerely. "Although Professor Armitage said so, I still don't think so. I can accept someone like Wilbur as the son of God, but you—"

"If I said yes, would you be scared?" Hope asked.

"Probably not."

"Then," Hope said, "At least according to the information I received after my amnesia, yes."

Jack shrugged. "That's weird."

They entered the living room, where three professors were also present, along with Mr. Sawyer and Paul. Jack helped Hope sit down on the sofa.

"Love, you look terrible," Professor Armitage said with concern. "You should get some rest."

From his tone, Hope couldn't tell that he had discovered her identity; there was only genuine concern.

Perhaps the title "son of the God" is not so surprising to this venerable old man.

Remembering what Jack had just said, Hope responded to Professor Armitage, "If there's anything I can do to help—"

He raised his arm. "No matter what, I can still move. I believe that my current physical condition is insignificant compared to the situation Dunwich is facing now."

Professor Armitage nodded. "You're a good boy, and that's why I feel guilty in this situation."

As he spoke, he poured Hope a cup of coffee.

Everyone here is holding a cup of coffee; it's the middle of the night, and everyone needs this coffee to keep themselves awake.

Jack then approached Professor Rice and Dr. Morgan: "Are you ready?"

"The general idea is there," Dr. Morgan replied. "Wilbur's plan didn't go as smoothly as we thought, so things aren't as bad as we imagined. The Monster should be in a very unstable state now; we just need to set up a simple—"

Jack interrupted him, "Just tell us what we want to do."

Dr. Morgan paused for a moment. "Professor Rice and I will prepare the ritual, then someone will need to lure that guy over, and then—mission accomplished. It's that simple."

He had barely finished speaking when the phone rang.

The melodious ringing of the bell drew everyone's attention.

This is a shared-line telephone system. When any phone on the same line makes a call, all other phones will ring. People need to rely on the ringtone to determine if it is their own caller.

Paul shook his head. "This isn't a call to here."

But after waiting a few seconds, Jack stepped forward anyway.

"This is, after all, someone else's privacy," Professor Armitage said.

But at the same time, Mr. Sawyer walked up to him and blocked his way.

Jack answered the phone.

This seemed to be the last sound of the call.

It was a hoarse male voice, filled with despair: "----Help me----"

The following sound was barely audible and could no longer be heard clearly.