“Don't misunderstand, I didn't come here just to chat with you,” the female officer said with her head slightly tilted up, her expression deadly serious. “I was worried you'd forget something, so I came to remind you.”
Miss, I never said you were here to chat with me. Besides, don't you still have a report to write? And I didn't misunderstand a thing.
There were so many things to criticize that Lynch didn't even know where to start. He could only sigh and softly say, “I actually wanted to find you too. I was planning to visit the cemetery over the next couple of days. How about you come with me?”
Officer Natalie raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to the cemetery for?”
“Because I'm hungry. I want to learn from Dr. Sven and gnaw on a few corpses.”
Seeing the girl's shoe twitch opposite him, Lynch—mindful of his shins and toes—honestly explained:
“Look, it's been so long since I entered the world of the occult, and I haven't had the chance to pay my respects to the predecessors who sacrificed themselves to maintain order. Having just wrapped up a few big commissions, I finally have some free time, so I figured I'd visit. But I'm afraid of getting lost. If I end up in the wrong place and Elder Nikolai comes crawling out wiping his mouth while I'm leaving flowers, how awkward would that be? So I need you to lead the way. Oh, right, I heard that back in Rhine City, besides Mr. V, there was another person called Mr. L. Take me to visit him too.”
“You sure remember that sort of thing clearly.” The female officer turned her head away, though the corners of her mouth twitched upward into a faint smile. She suddenly gave Lynch's shin a light kick. “But who told you my father was buried in the cemetery?”
“Gasp! He's not?” Lynch asked in shock. “Then where is he?”
“Hmm...” She bit her lip in thought before letting out a soft hum. “In the cemetery.”
“Hey! I'm warning you, Miss Angel! If I weren't no match for you, I'd beat you up right now! Stop, stop, stop—don't raise your hand! No feet either!”
At that moment, Lynch finally realized that his future life might be filled with blood and tears. Truly cause for celebration, truly cause for celebration.
“You two, stop fighting upstairs! If you mess things up, I'm the one who has to clean it!” The landlady's gentle yet fierce roar echoed from downstairs. “Come down for dinner! Next time you come for dinner, give me advance warning. If I hadn't prepared extra today, you'd be going to bed hungry.”
Natalie anxiously replied, “I need to head back to the club! I'm not eating.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“I... fine, it doesn't seem like I need to rush back that urgently. I'll eat.” Seeing the person beside her chuckling behind his hand, the officer's face flushed red. She made a motion to step on his toes again, scaring Lynch into quickly stashing his grin. Only then did she huff, “I don't have time tomorrow, so let's go the day after tomorrow. Hmph, you'd better be careful, buddy. When my father sees you, he'll definitely crawl out in the middle of the night to beat you up.”
“For someone as pure-hearted and upright as me, Mr. L will definitely appreciate me...”
Muttering to himself, Lynch followed Natalie downstairs to enjoy a long-overdue home-cooked dinner.
Actually, it wasn't all that simple—there was meat on the table, and quite a lot of it.
A golden, glistening roast chicken sat in the very center of the dining table. The savory aroma of meat and fat blended with honey and sauces, fully released under the oven's high heat, filling the entire apartment with a rich chicken fragrance.
According to little Martha, this was the smell of a holiday.
However, children were notoriously fickle. When another lid was lifted, the little creature instantly fell in love with the new arrival.
No, the new dish.
A large pot of tender, slow-simmered beef, coated evenly in thick sauce. Each piece showed a glistening dark red, and every grain of muscle fiber exhaled an intoxicating aroma.
Thus, the little creature instantly forgot the smell of a holiday. A holiday? What was a holiday? Was it tastier than beef?
Green cauliflower, red carrots, purple cabbage, yellow potatoes, and orange lemons brightly adorned everyone's plate. In the midst of the clustered vegetables sat a large ladle of stewed beef, alongside a generous slab of fragrant roast chicken. Finally, the cloth cover on the basket was drawn back, revealing white bread baked to a golden brown—crispy on the outside, making a crunching sound with every bite that made one's mouth water, yet soft, sweet, and warm on the inside, bringing warmth straight from the mouth to the heart.
To celebrate Lynch's safe return, Mrs. Maggie had gone all out tonight. A simple meal was made to match a feast, allowing all four of them to eat to their hearts' content until the silver moon rose high into the night sky. By the time they finished this delightful dinner, it was nearly nine o'clock.
Little Martha was already fast asleep on the sofa, Mrs. Maggie was cleaning up the mess, and Lynch... was reluctantly walking the female officer back to the Scarecrow Club.
Ah, this damn conservative world.
Brushed by the cool summer night breeze, the two walked side by side down the long cobblestone street. The dim gas streetlamps cast two long shadows across the pavement.
Neither spoke. The street was filled only with the harmonious rhythm of two pairs of footsteps, clicking softly. Listening to each other's footsteps, breathing, and heartbeats, they both wished this moment could last forever.
Ding-ling-ling~
Unfortunately, the hurried ringing of a carriage broke their good mood. It was the distinctive bell of a police carriage from the Hall of Order, followed by shouts mixed with frantic, wild roars.
Another patient had appeared.
The two shared a bitter smile. Having experienced what they did inside the mystery relic, both knew that these afflicted individuals were essentially pronounced dead, falling right before the dawn could break.
They didn't go over to help. That was the police's duty. The two changed directions, avoiding the troubling event, and turned into a small alley.
Although they were not far from Station Square by the train station and the Scarecrow Club, the alley was pitch-black with no streetlamps. In the darkness, countless bizarre, mysterious heteromorphs seemed to lurk. Even their shadows looked terrifying, making Lynch shiver with fear as he grabbed the hand beside him for comfort.
She shook her hand and struggled, but the cowardly Lynch was too afraid, holding on tightly and refusing to let go. After a few unsuccessful attempts to free herself, the female officer bit her lip, glared at him fiercely, and then gave him a gentle kick to vent her frustration.
Why kick me? I'm scared! You're a Watcher—you're supposed to protect us ordinary citizens, so why are you hitting people?
Lynch looked entirely innocent, only tightening his grip even more.
The female officer let out a heavy huff, turning her head away and gently biting her lip. She only felt that tonight's breeze was a bit warm, making her cheeks feel slightly hot.
Click, flash!
The moment the two walked out of the alley hand-in-hand, a blinding flash of light burst before their eyes, leaving everything in their vision a stark white. It took a while before their eyesight recovered enough to make out their surroundings.
A group of journalists led by the female reporter Maya were crouching near Station Square, setting up heavy cameras that required multiple people to haul. They were capturing shots of the police apprehending plague patients in the distance. Hearing movement behind them, they instinctively snapped a photo of the two walking out of the alley holding hands.
...
The two sides stared at each other in silence. After a few seconds of silence, the female officer drew her rapier, while Lynch pulled out his handgun.
Maybe we should just silence them.
A few reporters who recognized the two froze. Then, with a shout, they scattered like a flock of birds, running faster than... well, they were reporters; they ran just as fast as anyone trying to save their skin.
“Those scoundrels!”
Officer Natalie was both amused and annoyed as she shook her fist at their retreating backs. She snatched her hand back, curved her lips into a smirk, gave the disappointed-looking guy a glare, tossed her hair, and strode off with large, easy steps.
“I'm heading back, cowardly Mr. Levive. See you tomorrow!”
Rate on N.U.
