[The current situation of the Inspection Squad and the arrival of personnel from headquarters]

“Yo, little freckle, not looking too good, huh?”

When Chris Chapman came to the police station to pick someone up ^[1]In Chapter 70, the author said that Archie bailed him out. It seemed like something happened and it was changed to Chris., he saw Edmund slumped in the temporary holding cell, looking listless.

“…Why is it you.”

“Who else could it be? The rest are all in the hospital. Only I could come get you.” Chris had changed into a white lab coat. His usually untidy hair was messily sticking up, and his chin was stubbled. “But really, you guys were a mess. That blonde captain and the hacker guy are still stuck in the ICU, and the glasses lady and Eunice looked like they were on the verge of death too. What happened?”

“…Who knows,” Edmund replied honestly.

He had received a distress signal from Edie at the base—along with a warning that the Starwatch Squad was suspicious and to be careful.

After regaining his memories, Edmund realized the perfect opportunity had come. In this chaos, killing members of that squad wouldn’t draw the Inspection Bureau’s attention.

“I received Edie’s message and went to assist, but on the way I was ambushed by that new recruit in the squad. I had no choice but to kill them. By the time I got there, the captain and the others were already…”

“Hm~ is that so.” Chris’s lips curled into a faint, ambiguous smile. He neither expressed belief nor disbelief.

Chris Chapman’s role here was vague and ambiguous. No one knew exactly what he was doing. He seemed to have a grudge with Job and the others, and they didn’t get along. Usually, besides repairing his machines, he kept to himself and had little presence.

After paying Edmund’s bail, Chris said lazily, “Come on, let’s go see what kind of sorry state our elite members are in.”

Edmund pursed his lips and gave Chris a strange look. “You don’t like them?”

“Nope. If you can’t stand what I say, feel free to ignore it.”

In the end, Edmund just frowned but didn’t say anything, and followed Chris Chapman.

Job and the others had been sent to a private hospital—far better in terms of equipment and medical staff than public ones. And unlike the hectic public hospitals lately, this place was still quiet and calm.

Here, Edmund finally saw the Inspection Squad again… or rather, the broken pieces of it.

Edie was reportedly still not out of danger. The operating light had been on for twelve hours and the surgery still wasn’t over. Job’s condition was just as bad—he was in a deep coma, with no sign of waking anytime soon.

The two women of the squad were in a regular ward. When Chris brought Edmund in, he saw that the usually composed Deputy Captain Dana was staring blankly out the window, not reacting at all to their arrival. Eunice was lying in bed with the blanket pulled over her head.

“They don’t seem to be doing well mentally,” Edmund whispered to Chris.

“Don’t mind it. It happens sometimes.” Chris seemed used to this kind of thing. He casually dragged a chair over and plopped down, helping himself to the fruit by the bedside. “Someone will be here to clean things up soon.”

“Clean up?” Edmund was confused.

“Yeah. An annoying man.”

An hour later, Edmund finally met the so-called annoying man Chris had mentioned.

His hair was neatly combed and sprayed into place. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a clean, handsome face. A polite smile sat on his lips. At first glance, he seemed approachable and courteous—yet Edmund immediately sensed something off.

“Hello, I’m Eugene Mendley. You must be the genius intern I’ve heard about,” Eugene said with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, I’m—” Edmund had just reached out his hand when Eugene completely ignored the gesture and walked past him, heading toward Chris who was leaning against the wall.

“Where’s Gage?”

“In the next room. He hasn’t woken up yet,” Chris replied.

“No matter. I’m here to wake him up.” Eugene adjusted his glasses with a gloved hand, glanced at Dana and Eunice on the beds, and said softly, “What a bunch of useless trash.”

He spoke quietly, but Edmund heard him. Eugene clearly knew this and didn’t care.

Now Edmund finally understood what had felt off. Even though Eugene maintained a smile the entire time, it was like something copied straight out of a textbook—a perfectly calculated expression. But beneath the glasses, his eyes were full of coldness and arrogance.

Eugene went into the room next door. Chris patted Edmund on the shoulder and said, “Don’t mind him. His status in the Inspection Bureau is… special. He’s the secretary of the mysterious bureau chief. He’s responsible for cleaning up after failed investigator teams, or delivering orders from the chief.”

“The Inspection Bureau’s… chief?” Edmund murmured. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him.”

“It’d be strange if you had. The chief rarely ever shows up. It’s almost always this secretary who delivers his orders. In a way, he counts as one of the higher-ups of the Bureau. Regular investigators rarely ever get to see the chief.”

“I see… So he’s here to clean things up? What kind of clean-up?”

“They say it has to do with his Origin Ability.”

Meanwhile, Eugene had already entered Job’s hospital room. Unlike Dana’s and the others’, the curtains in Job’s room were drawn tightly shut. Numerous medical devices were hooked up to his body. The blond man on the bed had lost his limbs; both his heartbeat and brainwave activity were dangerously low.

Eugene took off his gloves, revealing pale and slender hands, and placed them on Job’s forehead. “How much longer are you going to sleep? Get up already.”

Invisible threads passed through the skin at the point of contact, connecting from Eugene’s fingertips to Job’s forehead. The blond man’s body trembled, a pained expression flashed across his face, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

Half an hour later, Edmund stared in shock as Job actually walked out of the hospital room.

“Captain, are you okay?”

“Edmund, huh.” Job’s limbs had regrown, but the new flesh was much paler than his original skin. His complexion looked awful, and even his muscles seemed to have shrunk. A strained, bitter smile tugged at his facial muscles. “I’m alright. At least I’m still alive.”

“Captain, about Dana and the others…”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll go talk to her,” Job rubbed his brow. “But first, I need to check on Edie.”

Edie’s situation was even worse than Dana and Job’s. He had suffered critical injuries, and due to Job’s condition at the time, hadn’t been treated immediately. By the time they got him to the hospital, his heart had nearly stopped. Although he had been revived, he was still in critical condition.

Job activated his ability again, but this time it was clearly much more difficult. The light it emitted was weak and faded after barely one or two seconds.

Edie remained completely still on the bed. Job sighed. “I can only keep him alive for now. Looks like this is the best we can do at the moment.”

Afterward, he went to visit Dana and Eunice’s room. When they saw him, both women visibly reacted, but their faces were still full of fear and anxiety.

Job sat at the bedside and gently said, “Dana, Eunice—it’s me. We’re all still alive. Edie is out of immediate danger now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“B-Bugs…” Dana’s lips moved faintly.

“What?”

“Looks like she’s on the verge of a mental breakdown, showing signs of hallucinations,” Eugene’s voice came from the side as he looked down at Dana condescendingly. “It seems you’re no longer fit for field duty.”

Dana grew agitated. “It wasn’t a hallucination! We really saw it! Eunice, Edmund—you saw it too, didn’t you!?”

Eunice turned her head slowly, looking lost. “I-I saw the captain on the verge of death, and then… I heard Dana scream. That’s it.”

Dana stared at Eunice in disbelief, then turned her gaze to Edmund.

Edmund looked utterly confused. “I had just arrived when the police arrested me.”

Everyone fell silent. Job asked, “Dana, don’t panic—can you clearly explain what you saw back then?”

Dana pressed her lips together, her eyes flicking between Eugene and Job’s faces. In the end, she said nothing. “Maybe… maybe I just saw wrong.”

“Um… can someone please tell me what actually happened?” Edmund finally couldn’t hold back. “I suddenly received a distress signal, then got ambushed on the way by someone who just joined the Inspection Bureau, and then I was arrested—can someone explain to me why?”

Eugene let out a sarcastic chuckle. Edmund’s expression was perfectly natural, like he really was just an unfortunate bystander who knew nothing. Job offered a bitter smile and began explaining:

“Right, you probably don’t know yet—we walked right into an ambush. It was a trap targeting the Inspection Bureau. Black Poker’s leader, Karens, defeated me and cut off my limbs. And not just that—there’s no doubt the Secret Church we were investigating was also involved. This was their act of revenge against the Bureau.”

At this, both Dana and Eunice turned extremely pale, as if they were reliving the memory of those mad waves of attackers.

“They… they were complete lunatics!” Eunice curled up on the hospital bed, hugging her legs, eyes wide with lingering fear. “Madmen who felt no pain, no fear of death. Even crushing their comrades’ skulls in front of them didn’t make them hesitate—not even for a second.”

Just recalling the breakout was enough to terrify even trained soldiers—let alone redeployed investigators. Eunice had never killed so many people, nor had she ever been so thoroughly surrounded by maniacs. The endless bloodshed still haunted her vision; every time she closed her eyes, she saw bloodshot enemies rushing toward her.

“And they were completely irrational maniacs,” Dana added softly.

They’d fought cults before, sure, but never like this. This time, their enemies had brazenly attacked in broad daylight, right in the middle of the city, as if determined to drag them all into the grave together.

“That new squad member’s intel was accurate,” Job said grimly. “Black Poker really is part of the Secret Church’s power structure. Our interrogation of Karens definitely brought their wrath down on us.”

He’d expected retaliation—but not this fast, not this brutal. It hit them like a violent storm.

“So what do we do now?” Edmund asked, carefully probing.

Job pressed his lips into a tight line, then looked at Dana. “Let’s check your shoulder. See if that Blood Wolf mark is still there.”

Dana froze, then pulled back her shirt at the shoulder. Edmund turned away out of courtesy.

On her fair, smooth skin, the blood-red outline of a wolf’s head stood out vividly.

“Just as I thought…” Job’s face darkened. His own mark had disappeared—maybe it meant the other side considered his punishment complete. But Dana… and likely Edie too… still bore the mark.

“I don’t know what this mark does. We’d better find a way to get rid of it…”

“The matter of the Secret Church is none of your concern,” Eugene suddenly interrupted them.

“What?” Job was stunned.

Eugene pushed up his glasses. “Which word of mine do you not understand? You don’t have the time to butt heads with some mysterious church right now. The most important thing is to complete the mission assigned by that esteemed one.”

“But what about the mark on Dana?” Job frowned. “And I believe the Secret Church might be closely connected to that Gatekeeper. I don’t think it’s a waste of time.”

“I’ll request a special relic capable of dispelling curses,” Eugene replied coldly. “As for the task of finding the Gatekeeper you mentioned—that’s exactly why I came here in person. With your current strength, you’re not capable of handling two ‘Unknown’-level missions at the same time. So for now, forget about the Gatekeeper. Focus on finding Albert. As for the Secret Church, I’ll find a way to deal with them.”

“Why?” Job couldn’t accept it. “We’ve been investigating the Gatekeeper for a while now, and we’ve finally found a lead, after paying such a high price. Now you suddenly want us to switch missions? I can’t accept that.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Gage,” Eugene said. “This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a notification. Or you can just drop both missions altogether and crawl out of Arkham like a failure. Someone else will come to take over your work.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Job stood up with a dark expression and faced off against Eugene. He didn’t look well—like he’d just recovered from a serious illness—but his presence was fierce like a lion.

Edmund paled and backed up beside Chris. “Are all the higher-ups like this?”

“No, Eugene’s a bit special. But basically, yeah, they’re all bastards,” Chris replied.

Chris didn’t even bother lowering his voice. Eugene turned to glare at them, then pulled a laptop from his briefcase.

“Look, this is why I told you to temporarily abandon the first mission. Your previous direction and actions were completely off the mark.”

Job frowned, glanced at Dana and the others, and leaned in to look. Then they saw a video.

“Church Promo: Come Join the Secret Church!”

Job: ?

At this moment, the experienced investigators were completely baffled.

Then, the video began.

The content used animated illustrations to recreate the disaster in Arkham—how everyone lost consciousness and saw a certain scene in their dreams. The video succinctly conveyed its message:

The god worshipped by the Secret Church is none other than the Gatekeeper—the very one who once closed the door.

Under the investigators’ stunned gazes, their pupils practically trembling, colorful, flashy, and over-the-top bullet comments (danmaku) filled the screen like madness:

[(Symbol) The Shepherd God has descended (Music note)]  

[The God saves humanity; humanity should worship the divine]  

[Aaaaaah, Your Grace, Shepherd God!]  

[Those who believe in the Shepherd God shall be cleansed of sin]  

[Our church! We preach equality for all. In our daily lives, we perform good deeds to atone for sins. If you feel lost—if you believe in the god who saved Arkham—come join us!]

There wasn’t just one video. At some point, these kinds of videos began spreading like a virus. The common elements: self-made fan art of the Shepherd God, footage of church events, their creed, and all sorts of bizarre merch.

There were even fan songs. The lyrics were cringe-worthy, yet ridiculously catchy. These brainwashing anthems were pushed across every platform. And of course, what couldn’t be missing was the fanatical devotion to the Shepherd God.

The style of this kind of promotion felt strangely familiar—yet the more one thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Finally, in the chaotic comments under one of the videos, some divine-level replies appeared:

Random User: Isn’t this kind of like how idol fandoms promote their stars?

User #2: Damn, that’s exactly what I was thinking.

User #3: Where are these videos coming from? What’s up with this church? Since when are churches this trendy and up-to-date?

Pineapple Pizza: Wait a second—you guys don’t think it’s bizarre? I saw the same scene in my dreams as the one in that first video!

Beef Pizza: I was just about to say that! No matter what platform you use, just mentioning that dream gets you banned. But I checked with my buddy in real life—we both dreamed the exact same thing! The stuff in that video! This isn’t scientific! You can’t just chalk it up to hallucinations!

Sleepy Head: Yeah, I’ve been meaning to say something. I feel like this video’s gonna get taken down soon, but the more it’s hidden, the more suspicious it gets. Maybe that so-called god who saved Arkham is actually real!

Burger: …To be honest, I’m starting to consider converting. What’s going on in this world? Are gods and demons actually real? Does anyone have the contact info for this church?

Arthur: I know them. Lately, tons of members from that church have been volunteering. I’ve received help from them too. I’ve wanted to learn more about their church—it seems way better than any other one I’ve encountered.

Cola: (laugh-cry emoji) Seriously though, what is up with this church? Their promo methods are so modern—are they even allowed to do that? I’m kind of curious now.

Husi: Yeah, wouldn’t your god smite you for this kind of thing? But I gotta admit, it’s really fun and down-to-earth.

Job and the others had their mouths wide open from the moment the video started—and they hadn’t been able to close them since.

Old-school cults: low-profile, mysterious, lofty, insane, lurking in the shadows and underbelly of society.

Modern cults: fandom-style promo, video edits, fan art, theme songs, and catchy creeds.

This was the cult that had nearly wiped them out before?

Job and the others thought back to the rabid, bloodthirsty fanatics they’d previously encountered—and no matter how they tried, they couldn’t connect those people to the ones making these bizarre, over-produced videos.

“Th-this is…” Job’s mind was in complete chaos.

“This is exactly why I said your previous investigation was heading in the wrong direction,” Eugene said, pushing up his glasses.

Job: “I don’t understand… What does this mean? They’re openly promoting a cult online like it’s nothing… and they’re even publicly declaring that the Gatekeeper is the god they worship.”

How is this not just a full-on self-exposé?

“Oh, Job, Job,” Eugene sneered. “Did that last battle knock your brain loose? If the god they worship really had any connection to the Gatekeeper, do you think he’d just sit back and let his followers blow their cover like this?”

Compared to Job’s team, Eugene knew far more. The Gatekeeper’s existence was likely incredibly unique—even among the evil gods.

The evidence? Too many traces of various organizations were appearing in the city, all drawn here by the Gatekeeper. When the Gatekeeper appeared, his figure had been hazy—clearly a deliberate effort to conceal his identity.

Eugene hadn’t told Job’s team to abandon the Gatekeeper mission—he’d redirected them because he knew the Inspection Bureau wasn’t the only faction investigating the Gatekeeper in Arkham. Charging in too quickly would only make them targets for other predators in the shadows.

“What about those videos then?”

“Most likely, another faction is making a move,” Eugene speculated.

At this moment, Job and the others suddenly remembered—the force suspected to be behind the Starwatch Squad had once tried to steer them toward the Secret Church.

How eerily similar to the current situation. Back then, it was also through a ‘fated revelation’ that Job had learned the Secret Church’s god might be the Gatekeeper.

If not for that intel, Job and the others wouldn’t have even clashed with the Secret Church.

Thinking of this, Job clenched his fists tightly.

Too bad that group had already been taken out by Edmund. Otherwise, he really would’ve liked to settle the score and collect some interest.

Noticing Job’s expression, Eugene let out a cold chuckle. “So now you realize how stupid you were? You were being manipulated and didn’t even know it. And let me tell you, the situation in Arkham isn’t as simple as you think. Guess how many factions were secretly watching while you were being hunted down by the Secret Church yesterday?”

Dana and the others were at a loss for words.

Job closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Understood. We won’t go head-to-head with the Secret Church again.”

“A wise choice,” Eugene said coldly, glancing at the video playing on the laptop. “Just look at this mess. Even if we don’t make a move, someone else already has their eyes on the Secret Church.”

“Why would that mysterious faction target the Secret Church?” Dana couldn’t help but ask. “And why go out of their way to link it so blatantly to the Gatekeeper? Do they really believe the Gatekeeper is the god of the Secret Church?”

“No,” Eugene replied. “They’re probably doing it to destroy the church. If they were just suspicious, they wouldn’t make it so obvious.” He glanced at Job and the others. “Their goal was likely to bait fools like you into attacking the Secret Church—get someone else to do their dirty work.”

“Who are you calling fools?!” Dana instantly exploded in anger.

“Whoever falls for such an obvious trap is a fool,” Eugene said coldly. “Unfortunately, after what happened yesterday, no faction would be stupid enough to confront the Secret Church head-on. This faction’s plan is likely going to fail.”

Eunice muttered, “Are we really powerless against this mysterious faction?”

“Well, it’s your fault for not leaving a single survivor,” Eugene glanced at Edmund, “You took a loss without gaining any intelligence, and still don’t even know what faction is behind the plot against the Inspection Bureau.”

Edmund said, “The Starwatch…”

“What?”

Edmund whispered, “I remember now. In their conversations, they mentioned this word several times. It seems to be something like the Starwatch Guild.”

“Starwatch…” Eugene narrowed his eyes. “I’ll look into it. But for now, your primary task is still to track down Albert. As for the Gatekeeper mission, set it aside for now.”

Job pressed his lips together, looking reluctant. Eugene shot him a cold look before slowly pulling a silver card from his pocket.

The card’s patterns were strange and mysterious, causing a sense of dizziness when stared at for too long. The intersecting lines resembled the fabled threads of the goddess of fate.

“This is also an order from ‘that person’,” Eugene’s eyes flickered with a hint of fanaticism as he mentioned ‘that person’. “You understand what this means, right, Gage? ‘That person’ is watching here, and he’s determined that the more important task right now is to find Albert.”

“His judgment is absolutely correct. The others only need to obey. Only then can humanity be saved.”

Job’s posture relaxed as he fixed his eyes on the card, solemnly taking it from Eugene.

It seemed this represented a step back for Job. Edmund watched the exchange in confusion, silently analyzing its meaning.

The chief... It seemed that the chief held a very high position within the Inspection Bureau, and was deeply revered.

“Of course,” Eugene continued, “I won’t let those pests who dared to attack the Inspection Bureau off the hook. But you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll deal with them from another level.”

Another level? Edmund glanced at Eugene with confusion.

“I still need to know the specifics of this mission,” Job said in a low voice, glancing at Edmund. “I still have many questions about Albert.”

Edmund thought that it was probably because he mentioned Albert’s strange behavior when he was in the amnesia stage before, which aroused Job’s suspicion.

“I’ll tell you on the way,” Eugene said, tossing Job a set of car keys.

Edmund wanted to follow, but unfortunately, he had no reason to. He could only watch as the two walked away.

“Edmund~ I’ll need you to stay at the hospital and take care of Edie and the others for a while,” Chris suddenly leaned close to Edmund, their faces almost touching. Edmund’s pupils contracted, but he didn’t have time to change his expression. “Hmm? What’s wrong? Why do you look so serious?”

“…Nothing, I’m just thinking, did Albert really betray us?” Edmund said. “When I was at the police station, all the officers trusted him deeply. It’s hard to imagine him becoming a cultist’s accomplice.”

“Who knows?” Chris said faintly. “You can know a person’s face, but not their heart.”

“…Yeah,” Edmund said reluctantly, his mind sinking deeper.

Because he suddenly realized, if the Inspection Bureau’s next focus was on finding Albert, then who was the only clue left?

Archie!

That Eugene… he didn’t seem like a good person.

—-

Meanwhile, Archie was unaware of the looming danger. After discovering that there was no one else at the Inspection Bureau’s base besides him, Archie didn’t leave immediately but instead closed his eyes and entered the Dream Rift.

The intense vigilance of the past few days, coupled with the unknown punishment for answering the riddles incorrectly, made Archie too cautious to take any risks under the Inspection Bureau’s watch. He hadn’t visited the Sphinx to seek answers for a while, but the questions didn’t disappear—they kept swirling in his mind.

“You’ve come.” In the Dream Rift, the Sphinx lazily flicked its tail. “What do you want to ask today?”

“The thing I didn’t get a chance to ask last time. The faceless one who once replaced you—why did he appear?”

The Sphinx replied, “You can look but not see, you can listen but not hear, you can touch but not feel. Where is it?”

Archie thought for a moment and answered, “In the heart.”

“Correct.” The Sphinx licked its fur. “The reason he appeared is because he was always going to appear.”

Archie furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“It depends on how you interpret it,” the Sphinx said. “I can only say that as long as you keep walking down this path, you will eventually encounter these entities, but not necessarily this faceless one. It could be another strange being,” the Sphinx continued, “But the reason you encountered a strange being at this moment is intentional.”

“Someone wants to kill you, Archie, and it started when you entered the Dream Rift.”

“Who?” Archie asked.

The Sphinx shook its head. “I cannot answer that.”

“Just ask a riddle!” Archie said impatiently.

“No, this is not a matter of riddles,” the Sphinx replied.

Archie furrowed his brow. He suddenly remembered that when the Sphinx had reintroduced itself before, it had said it couldn’t answer questions beyond the level of the questioner.

In other words, this truth was beyond Archie’s current level—did it involve deeper individuals or matters?

Seeing Archie lost in thought, the Sphinx subtly hinted, “Just because you can’t know doesn’t mean you can’t uncover the truth.”

Isn’t there a god close by?

Archie received the hint. Before he could speak, the Sphinx suddenly said, “Someone’s coming. You need to leave.”

With that, the Sphinx kicked Archie out of the Dream Rift.

Archie opened his eyes in the real world, and sure enough, the next moment he heard footsteps outside the door.

The person didn’t knock but directly pressed the doorknob and opened the door, wearing a fake smile. “So you’re here, Doctor Archie.”

“Who are you?” Archie squinted. Standing outside the door was a face he hadn’t seen before, and Job, whom he had seen previously.

Archie had no idea about the previous conflict between the Secret Church and the Inspection Bureau. He only sensed that the situation outside might have undergone some changes he didn’t know about from minor details, such as that Investigation Squad not returning for a long time after going out to investigate, and also sending a distress signal to Edmund, who was staying at the stronghold.

Now, seeing Job again greatly surprised Archie, because the last time Job had left, he was in good health. Yet in just a short time, he now looked as though he’d been seriously ill—his face was pale, and on closer inspection, his body seemed to have become thinner and weaker.

What happened? Did something go wrong out there?

Archie kept thinking, but before he could react, Eugene had already walked in forcefully, eyes locked on Archie’s face. “First time meeting, I’m Eugene Mendley. I have a few things I’d like to ask you—about Albert Aiken.”

Archie’s pupils slightly contracted, but he remained calm on the surface. “Albert? I haven’t seen him in a long time. I don’t know if there’s anything I can tell you.”

Eugene stared at him, then slowly smiled. “As expected, you know something.”

“Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion?”

“Dr. Archie, your ability to control your emotions and facial muscles is truly impressive. But have you forgotten something quite important?” Eugene curled his lips. “When an ordinary person hears news about a long-lost close friend, would they really react so calmly?”

“Unless… he already knows where that friend is.”

Eugene’s words struck Archie’s heart like thunder. His vigilance shot up as he slowly raised his eyes to look at this cunningly smiling man.

“Almost forgot to introduce myself,” Eugene said mockingly. “Though I don’t have multiple PhDs in psychology like you, Dr. Archie, I do have some rather unique talents. Thanks to them, I’ve gained plenty of practical experience in the field of psychology.” Behind the black-rimmed glasses, Eugene’s gaze was like that of a hunting viper, locking onto Archie. “So please… answer my questions carefully. If I detect any deception, I might have to resort to some… coercive measures.”

Archie slowly smiled. “You’re threatening a consultant working for the police?”

“My apologies,” Eugene said, pulling out a badge. “Our headquarters can issue special arrest warrants—no charges, no evidence needed. Of course, I believe I’m quite capable of making sure you won’t even get the chance to contact any civil rights organizations. So please cooperate.”

Archie’s expression finally turned cold. He tilted his head slightly to glance at Job. “So I was invited here not as a consultant, but as a suspect.”

A bitter smile appeared on Job’s face. “Sorry, Dr. Archie. We didn’t originally want to resort to this.”

“Enough with the small talk.” Eugene dragged a chair over and sat down across from Archie. “Let me get straight to the point—Dr. Archie, do you know where Albert is?” 

“I don’t know,” Archie replied stiffly.

Eugene’s smile deepened as he raised a hand to the frame of his glasses. “Looks like we’ll have to resort to coercive measures right from the start.”

“Wait, Eugene,” Job stopped him. “Let me ask first.”

Eugene glanced up, coldly meeting Job’s eyes. Job stood firm. “You have ten minutes.”

The one sitting in front of Archie switched. Eugene stood off to the side with arms crossed, watching coldly. Job first offered an apology.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Archie. When I invited you, I never imagined things would come to this.”

“Oh?” Archie let out a bitter laugh. “So you’re saying the surveillance on my phone and computer was installed by me?”

A flicker of surprise flashed in Job’s eyes. He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words, shame flickering across his face before he finally lowered his head. “Albert is involved in a major incident. If you know where he is, I urge you to tell us. You’ll be compensated however you wish afterward.”

“Then tell me first—what did he do?” Archie said. “What’s so serious that your Inspection Bureau would go to all this trouble?”

“To explain that, let me go back a bit. You should still remember the recent disaster in Arkham, right? That was actually a plan by an organization called the Outsider. They wanted to drag the entire city into the Dream World. But of course, they failed.”

Archie knew full well the backstory, but pretended not to, feigning surprise. “Wasn’t that a hallucinogenic drug leak?”

“No,” Job replied. “That was just a necessary public cover.”

Eugene suddenly chuckled. “Still pretending to be a normal person, are we, Dr. Hayes?”

Archie looked over at him. On Eugene’s wrist was a watch that Job immediately recognized—it had once belonged to Edie.

The watch had only two hands, one long and one short, and now the pointer was indicating “bizarre.”

This too was an anomalous item—a shared tool within Job’s squad—used to detect whether someone was a transcendent. They had previously used it when investigating Karens and had confirmed he was not a transcendent.

But what was strange was that Karens later reappeared as a transcendent and came seeking revenge. Ethically, that didn’t make sense. Such a swift awakening of Dream Rift from an ordinary individual to transcendence was simply not possible.

Either some inverse-effect anomalous item was interfering, or the later Karens was a fake.

But neither of those options made much sense. If Karens had been a transcendent all along, there was no way they could have subdued him and used pollutants on him without resistance. And if the second Karens was fake, it didn’t add up either.

Because during that battle, Job had genuinely felt the searing hatred radiating from that man.

So only one possibility remained: the watch itself—the anomalous item—was faulty.

Job had already discussed this at length with Eugene, but the latter still insisted on taking the watch. Just as Job was about to remind him, Eugene silenced him with a glance.

Archie stared at the watch on Eugene’s wrist, a shock rippling through him. He remembered what Ranen had once told him—that in this world, aside from transcendent beings born from the Dream Rift, there also existed strange objects: anomalous items, pollutants, and more.

Is this one of them? A tool that can determine whether someone is transcendent?

If that is true, then his constructed identity has a fatal flaw—if Archie was a transcendent, then there’s no way he wouldn’t know the Arkham disaster was real.

No—wait!

Archie suddenly looked up at Eugene, only to find a barely contained excitement flickering in the other’s eyes.

“Dr. Archie, you’ve been silent a bit too long. Are you trying to figure out whether this is a transcendent item?”

A psychological trap!

Cold sweat beaded on Archie’s forehead. Whether or not that watch was truly an anomalous item, his initial reaction should have been to question it—not to stare at it. Doing so was essentially an admission.

“Speaking of which,” Eugene said as he tapped his temple with one finger, a smile spreading across his face like a serpent baring its fangs around captured prey. “The surname Hayes… it sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard it somewhere before. Ah—yes, I remember now. A long time ago, there was an investigator by that name. I believe it was… Charlie Hayes?”

“I wonder—what relation is he to you?”

In that instant, rage surged from the soles of Archie’s feet straight to his skull. He used every ounce of self-control to stop himself from punching the man across the face.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down—

Like assessing a criminal’s mental state, no matter how despicable the person in front of him, as a psychological consultant, the first rule was to suppress all prejudice and anger. Acting out of rage only led to irrational decisions.

Archie swiftly restructured his thoughts and strategy, then opened his eyes, his voice hoarse as he growled, “Don’t you dare mention that scumbag to me!”

“We’ve had nothing to do with each other for years!”

He gasped for air, chest heaving, as if Eugene had struck a nerve. His eyes burned with fury and hatred—but when paired with his previous comments and known background, it gave the appearance that he resented his father for abandoning him and his mother.

Eugene’s gaze swept across Archie’s face, scrutinizing every flicker of emotion. “Do you know who your father really is?”

“What does it matter if I do or don’t?” Archie replied coldly. “Does it change the fact that he left us behind? No matter who he was or what he did, in my eyes, he’s always just been trash.”

Job was momentarily stunned. He had previously looked into Archie’s background and knew he had grown up with his mother, with a mostly absent father whose whereabouts and work were unknown. At the time, he’d assumed it was just another cliché backstory—but now, after Eugene’s comments…

“Did you… learn about transcendent beings and anomalous items from your father?” Job asked.

Good question. Archie closed his eyes, pretending to be weary, then said, “I don’t know. He did leave behind a journal, and in it were scribblings about all kinds of supernatural nonsense. I gave some of it a try… and every now and then, I’d dream of being in a fog-covered place. That’s all.”

“What about the journal?”

“Of course I burned it. Why would I keep something that belonged to that scum?” Archie said coldly.

Eugene seemed to ponder something. “Since you already know the world isn’t as simple as it seems, why did you pretend not to know the truth about the Arkham disaster earlier?”

“I’ve never seen so many monsters before,” Archie replied. “I had my suspicions, but nothing concrete.”

“Alright, I’ll accept that answer for now. Since you already understand that this world is far from simple, then this will be easier to explain,” Eugene said. “Let me keep it brief—we captured a witness deeply involved in the Outsider’s conspiracy. He told us that the real culprit behind the disaster, the Outsider leader Soren, left something behind. That legacy may very well be the key to opening ‘the Door.’”

He continued, “And only Albert knows where that thing is. If we can’t find Albert, there’s a real risk the Arkham disaster could happen again.”

He pointed at Archie’s chest. “And if you, out of personal reasons, choose to conceal his whereabouts—then you’ll become one of the people responsible for the next catastrophe.”