Light and shadow shifted, and Lynch appeared in the underground cavern of the Thorn Flower. He immediately pulled off his ring to return to his human form.
Maya was screaming as she scrambled out of her bedding, frantically slapping at her body as if she were on fire. She stopped only after a moment, staring blankly at Lynch with trembling lips, unable to speak a single word.
Lynch frowned and asked softly, "Are you awake?"
"I think I had that strange nightmare again. I dreamt you turned into a fire man, and then a ball of fire suddenly lunged at me, setting me ablaze too. That's what scared me awake."
Lynch sighed. "Have you been having that dream often lately?"
"Not often, but I did have it the day before yesterday." The reporter curled into a ball, clutching her head as she whispered, "Is something wrong with my dreams? I keep feeling like something isn't right."
"Why do you feel that way?"
"I had this dream the night before last, and I even dreamt of the homeless men who were in the same train compartment as me. At the time, I thought it was just because I saw them before bed, but then I dreamt of you just now, and you happened to be with me too. I feel like that's strange."
As expected of a reporter, her intuition was sharp; she had spotted the problem at a glance. Lynch didn't explain immediately and pressed further, "What about yesterday? Did you not dream then?"
"The dream from the day before yesterday terrified me, so I didn't dare sleep yesterday. I wandered around the station entrance for a long time and checked the memo board several times."
"I see. So, did those people you dreamt about do anything?"
"I don't know. I only saw them in the dream, and then I went to the temple just like in the first dream. I don't know what they did after that."
After listening to Maya's addition, Lynch gradually pieced together the rough outline of the incident.
It seemed that because of the dream in the cave, she had been targeted by Mordiggian. Although she escaped in time, the connection had already been established. Fleeing wouldn't help, and she was gradually beginning to transform into a ghoul. At the same time, since the day before yesterday, she had been able to pull people around her into her dreams while she slept.
The reporter was nervously clutching her quilt, her fingers unconsciously tearing at the fabric. Watching the volatile, blood-colored eyes of the reporter under the light, Lynch suddenly recalled his own feelings of terror and helplessness from a few days ago, and his heart softened.
"Actually, I shouldn't have told you the truth. I've come to understand Officer Angel's initial concerns, but I need your cooperation for what comes next. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it's better to be clear."
The reporter's breathing grew shallow, and her grip on the fabric tightened. She waited quietly for Lynch to pass judgment on her fate.
Lynch shook his head and told the reporter most of what he knew about Maya, Donnie, and the ghouls. To his surprise, she didn't react violently. She listened blankly, and only long after he finished did she sigh softly.
"So, it's not just a matter of me turning into a monster; I'm now a walking disaster source? And I've already caused the deaths of twelve people?"
"That's not certain yet, it's just my speculation. And it wasn't you who killed them; theoretically, you are just a medium."
The reporter wiped the corner of her eye and said with a self-deprecating smile, "So you didn't refute the description of being a disaster source, did you? Heh, even I feel like I'm extremely dangerous. The safest method at this point should be to shoot me on the spot, right?"
"In the world of mystery, it's not that simple. No one knows what would happen to your state after you die; you might become even more dangerous. If that happens, it would be impossible to fix."
The reporter nodded with a bitter smile. "So, what do you want me to cooperate with?"
"Stay here and don't run around. Aside from going to the washroom, try not to go upstairs." Lynch explained, "The range of influence when you are asleep is uncertain, but the gatekeeper upstairs wasn't pulled into the dream, which means the radius of influence is smaller than the depth of this underground cave. Staying here won't create a larger disaster, which is good for both you and others."
"How long do I have to self-imprison?"
"I'm not sure, but I will take this opportunity to hurry and investigate what is happening to you to help you return to a normal life. Don't be surprised by why I'm helping you. First, I accepted a commission, and through you, I can severely punish Mordiggian. Second, I heard that Mordiggian has usurped the divine authority of death, and I happen to need to perform an experiment, so helping you is helping myself. Third, while refusing others might require a thousand reasons, helping them often only needs one."
"Huh?"
"I feel like it."
"Heh..." A human-like smile appeared on the monster-like mouth. The reporter felt much more relaxed, let out a soft sound, and stared at Lynch while hugging her knees. "Fine, I'm willing to cooperate, but how are you going to investigate?"
"Actually, I've already found a breakthrough, but it requires enough time, so please be patient."
"I understand. Then I'll wait for your good news. Thank you, sir." The reporter fell silent for a moment before sighing. "Actually, there are two things I hid."
"Hmm?"
"On the last night in the cave, after I drank the hillman's wine, I wasn't just sleeping. My consciousness seemed to be wandering, going deeper and deeper. A long time later, I arrived at a massive cave entrance, just like in my dreams, and then something I don't know what it was crawled into my body from that entrance."
It seemed his candor had earned her complete trust, which would make things much easier going forward. Lynch breathed a sigh of relief and pressed, "And the other thing?"
"I actually heard clearly about Grant and those homeless monsters. They were conspiring: Grant would help the homeless achieve their goals, and the homeless would provide him with unpaid workers. Their cooperation must have started a long time ago; they are very familiar with each other."
Hiss. This big capitalist must be insane, right? Partnering with monsters just for money?
Lynch felt his fists tighten, but getting angry now was just a display of impotence. He mentally noted another mark against Grant before standing up.
"Officer Angel and I will bring you food every day, but for the sake of safety, we won't come down. If you have any requests, write them on a note and put it in the elevator; we will try our best to satisfy them."
"Good. Tell me anytime if there's anything I can do. Although I don't know how to do anything other than write news articles. By the way, why did you bring Martha to find me?"
Hm? Lynch's eyes suddenly lit up, and he revealed a sinister smile that made Maya shift backward, curling up in terror.
"No, no, don't be nervous. Do you want to take advantage of this time to stir up a massive news story? One involving the conflict between the royal institution and the city council, hundreds of deaths, a major factory owner ignoring the lives of workers, factory executives dying miserable deaths due to their own schemes, Chairman Grant cutting off his own tail to distance himself from the scandal..."
Before he could finish, a fierce ghoul had already lunged in front of him, gripping his shoulders tightly, her red eyes flashing with excitement.
"Quick, tell me the details." Maya's fighting spirit was almost visible on her skin. "Go and get me all the newspapers from the last five days. I smell the scent of a hot scoop. Also, tell Martha for me to get her subordinates moving. Every day from now on, I will write letters telling them what to investigate. Have them work hard; no one is allowed to slack off."
Lynch stepped back and rubbed his arms, feeling as if he had unleashed a terrifying beast.
It's over, it's over. This dream will be very useful later. There's no helping it; if I don't write it now, it will be even more troublesome later.
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