Parting (First Update)

In the living room, Abner saw Jane. A Jane completely different from the one he had known before!

Her once-beautiful shoulder-length blonde hair had become exceedingly dull, changing from radiant to gloomy. The fair, rosy skin she used to have had also turned deathly pale...

Of course, those were not the greatest changes. What Abner found hardest to believe was that Jane's eyes no longer held their former sunshine and cheerfulness, innocence and liveliness. All that remained was an ice-cold chill that could not be dispelled.

Abner did not even need to activate the Pure White Eye to know that she had only recently become a Beyonder. The Potion's power was overflowing and manifesting outwardly! And with such obvious symptoms, there had likely been some problems during Jane's advancement.

After briefly reasoning it out in his mind, Abner guessed the rough truth. He frowned and asked, "Jane, you became a 'Corpse Collector,' and directly used Mr. Grant's Beyonder Characteristic? Advancing like that is very dangerous. Didn't those two warn you?"

Jane was actually very happy to see Abner arrive. She even had the urge to pour out her grievances to him and vent her pain, but affected by the lingering influence of the Potion, she simply could not manage such intimate behavior. She only instinctively ran up to him and said, with an expression and tone that she tried to make less sinister, "Abner... so you really knew my father was a Beyonder! You even lied to me and said he was doing volunteer work... You're a Beyonder too, aren't you?"

Seeing Jane run toward him with a "gloomy" face and an expression like that of a "female ghost," Abner had nearly taken a step back and drawn his gun in self-defense... Fortunately, he noticed in time that she showed no signs of attacking. He restrained himself and somewhat stiffly reached out as usual to steady her.

Clearly the same person, clearly the same movements. The old Jane could make me feel relaxed and at ease, but now she makes me feel like I'm facing a formidable enemy!

After sighing inwardly, Abner outwardly acted as though he had not noticed Jane's changes at all. He said helplessly, "Jane, you need to learn to control your behavior. You're already a 'Corpse Collector.' If you crash into me like you used to, your Potion-enhanced physique could probably send me flying one or two meters."

"Sorry... Abner, you changed the subject again. You still haven't answered my question!" Jane first apologized guiltily. Then, perhaps because Abner's attitude had not changed, she found a trace of how things had once been, though her gaze remained cold.

It seemed her personality had not been affected too badly. That was still good... Abner quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as her mind had not been contaminated, the Potion's residual effects would eventually be digested. At the very least, there would be no danger of Loss of Control.

"You didn't answer my question either. Heh, yes, I'm a Beyonder. And I did discover that your father had embarked on the Beyonder path, but he had never harmed anyone. I also didn't want you involved with Beyonders, because Beyonders mean danger and madness... That's why I chose to hide part of the truth from you. Besides, I didn't lie to you. Strictly speaking, Mr. Grant really did go do volunteer work, didn't he?" Abner forced a smile.

Jane nodded coldly, but her words were far too weak to match that indifference. "Abner... you, you didn't want me to become a Beyonder? But if I don't become one, I can't avenge them..."

Abner sighed. "I just didn't want you to encounter danger... Sigh, there's no point saying this now. And I won't persuade you to give up on revenge. I may not be able to feel the hatred in your heart, but I can understand your pain and grief... I only want to remind you that the Beyonder path is destined to be mad and dangerous. You must be prepared for that!"

"Miss Sharron and Mr. Maric told me all of that... And don't blame Mr. Maric either. He repeatedly emphasized the danger of directly consuming a Beyonder Characteristic, but I had already made up my mind. No matter what, I will avenge them! I will kill the Werewolf who murdered my parents! I will completely destroy the Rose School!" As Jane spoke, her already pale face became even gloomier, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly.

"I only hope that after you take your revenge, that pure, flawless smile can return to your face." Abner did not comment on her declaration. He only said this solemnly.

"Thank you, Abner!" Jane's gaze seemed to soften somewhat, but she thought that she would probably find it difficult to return to how she had once been.

Maturity often came in an instant. But not everyone was willing to pay the price.

Abner also knew that this was merely a beautiful wish of his. He did not dwell on the subject and instead asked, "By the way, why did you ask me to come here today? Before I came, I thought it was Maric."

Jane wanted to smile, but failed to complete the gesture. Her expression twisted slightly as she said, "Miss Sharron and Mr. Maric recently needed to avoid enemies and the authorities. They often changed residences, so it wasn't convenient for them to take me along. They arranged for me to stay temporarily in Enmat Harbor and asked someone to teach me mysticism... I heard them say that Beyonder advancement required a lot of money to buy materials..."

"I can lend you some..." Abner immediately offered.

Jane shook her head. "I'm not asking to borrow money. My father once secretly told me that if something happened to our family, I should go to the basement of a house in Saint George Borough and find the assets he had hidden away... Thinking about it now, perhaps Father had some premonition back then."

Could it be that after becoming a Beyonder, he had realized the danger of this path and prepared a backup plan in advance? Abner habitually analyzed the matter.

Jane looked seriously at Abner and said, "Abner, it isn't convenient for me to go out now. I want you to retrieve the things Father left behind for me!"

"That isn't a problem, but why not entrust it to Maric and the others? The fewer people who know about your situation, the safer you'll be! The Mandated Punishers are sparing no effort to find you!" Abner gently warned Jane, hoping she could clearly understand her situation.

"Because I don't trust Maric and Sharron. Although they saved me... Although they kindly gave me a chance to repay them... They are still members of that so-called Rose School! I know I'm being unreasonable, but I can't suppress the resentment I've transferred onto them!" At this point, Jane looked at Abner nervously and asked, "Abner, do you think I'm awful?"

"Of course not. That's only human! But I believe you'll eventually think things through and restrain that misplaced resentment. After all, this truly has little to do with them." Abner smiled and comforted her. This was also the truth. Whether Sharron had gone to attack the Indulgence Faction that night or not, that Werewolf would have been unable to restrain his desires and would have attacked the Grant family.

"I'll try my best. Even though my attitude toward them has been terrible, they've always been patient with me... But right now, you're the only one I trust, Abner! That's why I took the risk of meeting you!" As she spoke, Jane handed Abner a slip of paper with an address she had written down long ago.

After quickly weighing the matter, Abner felt that there would at most be some arrangements Mr. Grant had left behind, and that the danger should not be great. He solemnly nodded. "Don't worry. I won't betray that trust!"

At one in the morning, since the Steam Subway had already stopped operating, Abner spent twice as long as usual reaching Saint George Borough. Even then, it was only because he had taken a "shortcut"!

After walking ashore from the Tussock River, Abner adjusted the hat on his head, worth a thousand pounds, and deactivated its Beyonder Ability. After checking his belongings, he could not help recalling a joke he had seen in the newspaper:

"A gentleman who had just arrived in Backlund got lost in the thick smog and had no choice but to ask a drenched gentleman passing by, 'Which way is the Tussock River?' The gentleman kindly replied, 'Go straight and don't stop. I just swam out of it.'"

"Although I didn't swim, and I'm not drenched, I really did just come out of it!" Abner mocked himself with a smile before walking straight toward the address Jane had given him.

Number 16 Chapel Street was a detached house with a small garden. The rent was around two pounds a week. Mr. Grant really hadn't been short of money, renting a house like this to hide his backup assets!

As he looked at the target house from afar, Abner grumbled inwardly a few times, but did not rashly enter.

He cautiously circled the house several times, then activated the Pure White Eye to observe every detail. He also performed a Scene Replay. Only after confirming there was truly no ambush did he carefully dig a Key out from beneath a flowerpot in the garden, unlock the door, and enter.

The moment he entered, Abner, who had already activated Spirit Vision, saw a terrifying, hideous ghost sense his aura and charge straight at him. Abner had expected this. While reciting "Unsheathe" in Ancient Hermes and transforming the Cane-Sword into a longsword, he calmly retreated outside with the speed enhanced by the Cane-Sword.

The ghost only reached a few steps from the doorway before some force bound it in place, preventing it from advancing any farther.

So there really was a guard. It identifies those entering by their aura? If Jane came, she probably wouldn't be attacked. Hmm, it's only some unknown kind of Earthbound Spirit, a living target. After quickly assessing the situation, Abner adjusted his hat. Several Wind Blades appeared from thin air and instantly carved several obvious wounds across the ghost's body.

The ghost was not very intelligent. Once it was genuinely hurt, it immediately flew into Wrath, wildly clawing at Abner from afar. Unfortunately, it was bound inside the house and could not get anywhere near him.

"Wind Blades aren't purely energy attacks after all. They can hurt it, but their power is reduced considerably... Teacher's Sun Brooch would be better against ghosts and the like!" After sighing, Abner used the hat to release several "wind ropes," barely binding the ghost. Then he rushed forward with his sword and cleaved it in two with a single horizontal slash!

This Cane-Sword possessed part of the abilities of a Sequence 8 Twilight Giant. Besides enhancing the holder's physical capabilities, it could also help weaken some of an opponent's supernatural effects, such as a ghost's "physical immunity."

"In the end, it's only a weak ghost that even a Sequence 9 can command!" After carefully inspecting the area and confirming that the ghost had truly been destroyed, Abner transformed the longsword back into a cane. Then, following the instructions on the note, he found the entrance to the basement.

The basement was not large, only around a dozen square meters. Other than a chest, there was nothing inside.

Abner carefully opened the chest. After confirming there were no problems, he inventoried and appraised its contents.

"Five hundred Gold Pounds in cash, gemstones and jewelry worth around three hundred Gold Pounds, the Potion formulas for Sequence 9 'Corpse Collector' and Sequence 8 'Gravedigger,' as well as a fake Bayam identity document... This can count as a treasure!"

Seeing what Mr. Grant had left behind, even Abner was somewhat surprised. He could not help wondering where the man had acquired so much wealth. Had Mr. Brain given it to him? But what had he done to make that Demigod so generous?

After thinking for a long time without finding an answer, Abner silently mocked himself for suffering another bout of occupational habit, then placed the things in the chest into the bag he had prepared.

After finishing, Abner carefully cleaned up the traces he had left behind, then quickly returned to Jane's temporary residence in Bridge Borough and handed every item over to her.

"Jane, when are you leaving Backlund?" Abner asked with concern as he looked at the girl who had already gathered up all the items.

"I'll probably have to leave this afternoon... Mr. Maric said he didn't know whether the authorities would use some Beyonder means to find me. The sooner I leave, the safer it'll be. Besides, I want to become stronger as soon as possible!" Jane fell silent for a moment before answering.

"That's true!" Abner thought it was fortunate that the Mandated Punishers were investigating this matter. If it had been the Machinery Hivemind instead, and they had been ruthless enough to consult the Simp Mirror, even he might have been exposed.

Of course, if it had been the Machinery Hivemind, Teacher would have been able to speak on his behalf.

"Will we... never see each other again?" Only then did a trace of Jane's former self appear on her cold face.

"We will. I'll go to Enmat Harbor to visit you!" Abner smiled and comforted her.

That afternoon, Abner did not personally see Jane off as she left Backlund. After all, that would not benefit either him or Jane. Though his friend Jane was temporarily moving far away from him, she had found her goal and was willing to work hard for it. Other than blessing her, there was nothing else he could do.

Therefore, Abner quickly calmed down and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the work and study assignments Teacher had given him, as well as his Analysis of 2-081.

More than ten days later, after Abner helped Teacher smoothly complete several commissions involving missing cats and dogs, lost objects, and catching adulterers, he gradually gained a little reputation in the nearby neighborhoods.

On Monday, June 25, an extremely charming and beautiful woman entered the office of Detective Isengard Stanton.