Leaning against the wall and gazing into the darkness across the corridor, Klein instinctively held his breath.
What is the captain doing? What's wrong with the captain? Is he drinking blood? Is he showing early signs of losing control? A series of thoughts flooded his mind, making it impossible for him to think clearly.
After a dozen seconds, Klein gritted his teeth and, with the help of " The Clown's " control over his body, silently moved to the top of the stairs.
Then, he deliberately quickened his pace and walked back, arriving once again at Madam Shermane's bedroom door.
Klein's gaze fell upon the captain standing there, his expression solemn, his grey eyes deep and unfathomable, his face clean, his black cloth wrapped tightly around the Sealed Artifact "3-0271".
What he had just seen seemed to be an illusion.
Out of the corner of his eye, Klein saw that there was nothing unusual about Kenley's body; it was still the same as before.
He took a deep breath and asked:
"Captain, how can I confirm whether the servants are asleep? It seems impossible to accurately determine this using only Spirit Vision. They will have different emotional reactions to their dreams, which will manifest in corresponding colors."
Dunn Smith, holding the " Spirit Medium's Mirror," paused for a few seconds, then said in a hoarse voice:
"I'm sorry, I forgot. I made too many Error tonight."
"You don't need to check, I'll confirm it."
He raised a hand, pressed it to his brow, then closed his eyes, letting invisible ripples spread to other rooms and down to the first floor.
Whether one is asleep or not is clearly visible in the face of a " Nightmare ".
Klein stared blankly at the scene, slowly lowered his eyes, and bit his lip tightly.
Captain, you really were just trying to get rid of me...
What are you doing? Do you even know what you're doing...?
He abruptly turned his head and looked out the window, where he saw the Crimson Moon hanging high, seemingly unchanged for millennia.
After calming down for a while, Klein used the pretext of picking up tarot cards, a revolver, and a half-high silk hat to carefully examine the bodies of Kenley and Madam Shermane.
They remained as they were when they died, their skin turning pale and bluish-purple at an abnormal rate.
Something was strange; they seemed to be missing something... not something specific, but a feeling... Klein muttered to himself, feeling the cool breeze blowing in through the broken window make his hair stand on end.
At this moment, Dunn opened his eyes and said in a low voice:
"They are all still dormant, but a few are close to waking up."
"That's good, that's good..." Klein looked at the captain, not even knowing what he was saying.
Dunn looked around and said:
"Clean up the items at the scene, then go to the nearest police station and get someone to come over. Oh, and while you're at it, go back to Zouteland Street and ask Frye for help."
Klein gave the captain a deep look, gritted his teeth, and nodded:
"Um."
With Dunn's help, he quickly cleaned up the scene and left Madam Shermane's house through the front door.
Crossing the garden and stepping outside, Klein couldn't help but look back one last time. The small building remained silently shrouded in darkness, without a trace of light.
He turned heavily and, based on his memory, quickly found the nearest police station—common sense that every Nighthawks must remember.
Knock, knock, knock, Klein knocked on the iron gate.
Not long after, the policeman on night duty, carrying a lantern, crossed the small courtyard, opened the gate, and looked at the man with suspicion:
Is there something you need?
Klein, unable to muster any expression, with a grim face, took out his identification and displayed it to the policeman:
"A serious murder has occurred at 15 Olsna Street. You must immediately call your companions and go help!"
The policeman picked up the lantern, carefully examined the identification document, then stood with his legs together, raised his hands in salute, and said:
"Yes, sir!"
Having dealt with the matter, Klein took a horse-drawn carriage back to Zouteland Street.
Throughout the journey, he sat in the dark carriage, his thoughts both chaotic and scattered:
Kenley is dead...
I remember he had just gotten engaged... his parents are still alive...
What exactly was the captain doing just now...?
Is he thirsting for blood...?
Or perhaps, there's another purpose...
His memory is still so bad, and there has been no significant improvement. This means that he did not show any early signs of losing control!
However, he had known about the " Acting Method " for some time, and the lack of improvement in his memory might also indicate that there were some underlying problems...
No! The captain must still be figuring out how to Acting the " Nightmare "!
... By the way, one of the key reasons for Kenley's death was the Sealed Artifact "3-0271," which the captain had given him...
What I was thinking! At that time, it was the inevitable choice!
... It was also the captain's suggestion to use the Sealed Artifact "3-0271"...
Calm down, calm down. Don't overthink it, and don't wait around, lest the situation worsen!
We'll send a letter to Ms. Daly to see if she knows what this situation means. Even if she doesn't know the specific answer, she'll certainly understand the danger it entails and inform the Holy Cathedral promptly...
This should nip the problem in the bud and get the captain back to normal!
No, the captain might not necessarily be the problem. Perhaps I've misunderstood something. Let's see what Ms. Daly has to say...
When the carriage arrived at 36 Zouteland Street, Klein had already devised a plan and made a decision, no longer as panicked and helpless as before.
He climbed the stairs heavily to the entrance of Blackthorn Security Company, took out his key, and opened the door.
The familiar setup and scene before him calmed him down considerably, just like when he always went to the captain for help.
Taking a breath, Klein went to the Nighthawks's recreation room and saw Frye reading a book alone under the gaslight.
He turned his head to look at Klein, his cold, gloomy face revealing obvious concern and tension:
What happened?
"Where are the captain and Kenley?"
Klein replied in a low, husky voice:
" Kenley is dead, killed by Madam Shermane. We all made mistakes..."
"The captain is over there guarding the scene; he wants you to go and help."
Before setting off, Dunn explained the specifics to Frye, telling him that if they didn't return within two hours, they should immediately send a telegram to the Holy Cathedral. Similarly, because they needed to apply for the Sealed Artifact "3-0271" and enter the Chanis Gate at night, Loyao, who was on duty in the watch room, also knew what their mission was. According to the internal regulations of the Nighthawks, opening the Chanis Gate at night required the captain's permission, and if the captain was present, only the captain could enter.
Frye paused for a moment, sighed softly, and drew a Crimson Moon on his chest.
He put on his coat and hat, and walked towards the door. As he brushed past Klein, he suddenly spoke in a low voice:
"You don't need to blame yourself; making mistakes is something that can never be avoided."
"We always trust our teammates."
"Hmm..." Klein closed his eyes, his vision seemingly blurring.
He and Frye first went underground to inform Loyao, then locked the gate of Blackthorn Security Company and rushed to Madam Shermane on Olsna Street.
By the time they moved Kenley's body and Madam Shermane's grotesque corpse, missing half a head, back, it was past midnight.
Wearing a thin black trench coat, Dunn stood at the door of the "morgue," silently gazing inside. After a long while, he turned to Klein and said:
"Go home first. You've just been through a fierce battle; you must be exhausted."
"Okay." Klein did not refuse.
He pursed his lips, glanced at the captain, and quietly left Blackthorn Security Company, taking a horse-drawn carriage back to Daffodil Street.
Just like last time, he easily entered his bedroom and locked the door from the inside.
Drawing his ritual silver dagger, Klein created Wall of Spirituality that sealed the room. He then sat down at his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, picked up his pen, and wrote hastily:
"Dear Ms. Daly:"
"I've noticed the captain's been acting strange lately; he's been quietly..."
As he wrote this, Klein suddenly stopped writing, his mind blank, unsure how to continue or how to describe it.
Snap!
He abruptly threw down his pen, grabbed the paper in front of him, crumpled it into a ball, and slammed it heavily on the table.
As the thud echoed, Klein closed his eyes, covered his face with his hands, and remained motionless for a long time, as if he had turned into a statue.
Five minutes passed in this way. He sighed, lowered his right hand, and used his Spirituality to ignite the wad of waste paper, watching it turn to ashes and fall into the trash can.
After organizing his thoughts, Klein spread out a new sheet of paper and began to rewrite:
"Dear Ms. Daly:"
"We have just completed a mission and sadly lost a teammate. Here are the details..."
"... At that time, I realized that my current level of Spirit Vision wouldn't be able to confirm whether the servants were asleep, and Divination one by one would be too troublesome, so I went back to ask the captain for advice. At that moment, through the reflection in the mirror, I saw the captain half-lying down next to Kenley's corpse, with dark red blood around his mouth."
"I don't know what happened, or what state the captain is in. I hope you can give me an answer."
After finishing writing, Klein read it through with a heavy heart, then folded the letter.
Next, he set up the ritual, activated his Spirit Vision, and summoned Daly's messenger, which revealed the eerie face with no eyes, no nose, and only a mouth.
Looking at the bright red tongue covered with irregular sharp teeth that had been protruded, and at the five thin, pale fingers at the tip of the tongue, Klein silently handed over the letter.
Once everything returned to normal, he sat down again and continued writing letters.
This time, he wanted to ask Mr. Azik:
"... During a recent mission, my superior acted strangely. He sent me away, then half-crouched next to my teammate's corpse, his mouth smeared with dark red blood."
"Do you recall anything similar happening to you? How can I help my boss?"
P. S.: This chapter is from June. I'll continue with three updates on July 1st. Please vote for me!