“They’re here.
Not only Nighthawks, but also Mandated Punishers, it seems.”
From the deep blue, ocean-like astral light in his Spirit Vision, Beyonders of the Sailor pathway accounted for about a quarter.
Considering that the dock area was under the Mandated Punishers’ jurisdiction, Roger immediately concluded that this was a joint enforcement operation.
Not long after, a gentleman of about 30 with deep gray eyes casually looked at the pocket watch in his hand and walked slowly from across the street.
Behind him were Klein Moretti and a handsome young man with black hair and green eyes, exuding a poetic romantic aura, as well as another striking young woman who resembled a Author.
“Captain Dunn… and Leonard Mitchell.
The other lady should be Seeka Tron, who is also a Author.”
Roger carefully observed the members of the Nighthawks team for a while.
They all met with the Mandated Punishers at the crossroads, and then “coincidentally” walked towards the large building without a house number.
Seeing that they were about to move out of his sight, Roger quickly finished the last piece of cod, picked up the remaining half bottle of sparkling water, and slipped the banknotes into the leather wallet the waiter had given him earlier, then followed them.
…
The place where Klein and the others were currently located was the entrance to a dock warehouse.
The streets here were quite secluded and deserted; even a slightly louder conversation would sound unusually noisy.
“Captain, there are guards at the entrance.”
Klein put away his clockwise-swinging pendulum and whispered to Dunn.
“Mm, the Aurora Order gathered over a hundred missing people here, but they didn’t kill or sacrifice them.
This itself is suspicious.”
Dunn nodded lightly.
“Those lunatics must be preparing some evil ritual.”
A tall, dark-skinned middle-aged male Punisher next to him said through gritted teeth.
“That possibility isn’t ruled out.
Also, your voice is too loud.” Dunn remained noncommittal.
Seeing the second hand of his pocket watch turn to the predetermined time, Dunn Smith closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, the sound of someone falling to the ground came from inside the warehouse door.
This was the ability of the Sleepless pathway’s Sequence 7, Nightmare: Forced Dream Entry!
Seeing Dunn act, the ready Seeka Tron and Leonard Mitchell simultaneously rushed into the warehouse’s front hall, and a melodious and tranquil tune immediately began to play:
“Ah, the threat of fear, the crimson hope!
“At least one thing is true: this life flies by…”
With the two Midnight Poets controlling the scene, the Mandated Punishers, who could no longer contain their anger, swarmed in.
For a moment, shouts and gunshots echoed throughout the entire warehouse.
The battle came and went quickly.
Soon, the entire street became quiet again.
“Looks like it’s resolved.”
Roger, leaning against a nearby street corner disguised as an ordinary drunkard, nodded to himself.
But he was still a little uneasy and pulled out his pendulum.
“Is James Willis safe?”
The pendulum swung clockwise, with a large amplitude.
“Has Klein Moretti completed the task I gave him?”
The coin flew up and then fell, landing with the king’s head facing up.
Roger, having received double confirmation, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He finished the last sip of sparkling water, stood up, and left.
“It’s raining, Bandit, we need to walk faster.”
Half an hour later.
In the banquet hall of a high-end hotel, Mr.
Willis, dressed in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and faint dark circles under his eyes, was clinking glasses and chatting with other successful people while listening to the melodious music played by the band.
“Mr.
Willis, I heard about James.
You don’t need to worry too much; the Goddess will surely bless him.”
Facing the polite condolences of others, Willis merely nodded distractedly, occasionally looking out at the rain through the window, his heart filled with anxiety.
By tomorrow afternoon, the three-day deadline would be up.
Although he had entrusted the so-called Seer Metersbonwe as a last resort, he couldn’t help but harbor some expectation.
“Could I have been deceived?
Is James already dead?”
Just as Willis was unable to control his wild thoughts, an anxious female voice suddenly came from the entrance of the banquet hall.
“No, sir, pets are not allowed in the banquet hall.”
“Pet?”
Willis’s heart jolted, and he immediately thought of something.
When he had previously entrusted Roger to investigate James’s whereabouts, he had left the address of his hotel with the young Seer who had a cat.
Willis, for a moment, didn’t even bother to apologize, directly ignoring a beautiful lady who wanted to toast him, and almost ran towards the hall entrance, pushing open the door.
There, a hostess was anxiously trying to pull Roger, whose coat was a bit wet and who had a silver tabby cat perched on his shoulder.
“Wait, wait.”
Willis panted, “He is my guest.
Mr.
Meters, let’s talk for a moment.”
He quickly led Roger to the side and asked in a trembling voice:
“Mr.
Meters, little James…”
“Found him.
I entrusted a friend of mine who works at a security company to rescue James.
He was held with many other missing citizens,” Roger replied, wiping raindrops from his head.
The reason he braved the rain to see Willis was to complete the task delivery before James returned to his father.
This way, the credit for completing the task would firmly fall to him.
“Really?”
Willis grabbed Roger’s arm, but then realized he was a bit out of line and released his hand.
“It’s true. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Little James should be back soon.
We can wait and see.”
Roger replied simply.
Willis nodded, asked a nearby waiter to bring Roger a cocktail, and the two stood by the French window, silently waiting.
About an hour later.
Willis, who was almost falling back into uncertainty, was about to ask Roger, when he suddenly saw a carriage bearing the Tingen City police emblem approaching from a distant street corner.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the hotel entrance, and a young man in a dirty white shirt with several bruises on his face alighted with a middle-aged police officer.
Under Roger’s gaze, Willis rushed into the rain without thinking, embracing his son with red-rimmed eyes, and then thanked the police officer.
His demeanor was not like a mercenary businessman, but rather like an ordinary old father.
Soon, a radiant Willis returned with James and solemnly shook Roger’s hand.
“Mr.
Meters, you are truly a great Seer.
Please allow me to introduce you to the luminaries of Tingen.”
Seeing that Roger did not object, Willis straightened his clothes and, ignoring the hostess’s obstruction, directly pushed open the door and led Roger and James inside.
“Everyone!”
Willis was quite emotional; he shouted out, quickly attracting the attention of everyone at the banquet.
Even the band playing music temporarily stopped.
Everyone looked at him suspiciously, as well as the two strange young men behind him, each in a different state.
“Many guests here should have heard that my son, James, went missing a few days ago.
But today, he miraculously returned to my side!”
Immediately, many informed people in the audience began to whisper, and many more offered congratulations to Willis.
He pressed his hands down, signaling that he still had something to say.
Then, under everyone’s gaze, Willis pulled Roger, who had Bandit perched on his shoulder, to his side.
“Here, allow me to introduce a friend of mine, a Seer from the Tingen City Divination Club: Mr.
Metersbonwe.
It was through his miraculous divination that he helped me find my son!
“To be honest, in the past, I was always skeptical about divination, and even lacked trust in deities.
“But after this incident, Mr.
Meters has greatly changed my view.
He made me believe that miracles truly exist in this world!”
After Willis finished speaking, he raised his glass, his tone more sincere and devout than ever before: “Steam above!”
The guests present had various expressions on their faces, and some even began to discuss amongst themselves.
But out of politeness, they still raised their glasses in congratulation, uttering different prayers.
Feeling the curious, reverent, or skeptical gazes cast upon him, Roger also smiled.
Because at this moment, he felt something inside him give a crisp crack.
The Attention-Seeker potion was completely digested.