Lynch was seriously considering whether a creature like a Komodo dragon existed in this world. If one did, he would feed the bearded man to it. After all, the man owed him a lizard.
Or, it could be the other way around: feed the bearded man to the dragon.
Let's go with the latter. Who told him to kick down the door of 304 at such a critical moment? He even kicked the door off its hinges and then complained that they didn't close it.
Should he find a way to pin him to the ground and beat him up?
However, after seeing the few second and third rank Watchers who had entered one after another, along with Mr. V of the fifth rank authority, Lynch felt it was better to be broad-minded and temporarily forgive them for ruining his good deed.
After all, he couldn't beat any of them, not to mention that they were acting out of good intentions.
This was the headquarters of the Watchers, and unlike the basement, the dormitory hadn't been specially reinforced. If a distortion occurred in the dormitory, the club downstairs would sense it to some degree. A group of people, not knowing what was happening, had rushed up to support them and ended up witnessing a spectacular show.
Lynch even secretly rejoiced that he hadn't been doing anything indescribable, otherwise he would have had to charge them for tickets.
However, he couldn't have done anything anyway. Officer Natalie was so weak she was down to her last breath, relying entirely on the excitement of surviving a catastrophe. Now that she had been interrupted by Truen, she had fainted directly, which in turn startled the group of onlookers.
Fortunately, after an examination, Natalie was fine. She had just suffered severe exhaustion due to the distortion and needed to stay in bed for a while.
This left Lynch quite puzzled...
Is it my imagination, or does it seem like people who get close to me either end up in bed already or are on their way to bed?
It must not be my problem. That's right, it's just the arrangement of fate. Fate really is a clever thing.
Chuckling inwardly, Lynch explained everything that had just happened to Mr. V. Although it had been confirmed that Natalie was fine, there was still an uproar in the room upon hearing that she had begun to undergo distortion, even though they had been mentally prepared.
The result of soul erosion is loss of control, and the end of loss of control is distortion.
Once one becomes a twisted one, recovery is impossible. This is an iron law that no one has ever broken. However, within the short time between the start and end of the distortion, there is indeed a final opportunity to interrupt the loss of control and allow the victim to return to normal.
It is just that the success rate is extremely low, less than one in a million, so it has no practical reference value and is automatically ignored by everyone.
"The rare ability of End Resonance can theoretically enter a soul about to undergo distortion, but almost no one does this. Do you know why?"
After Lynch finished describing the whole process, everyone's expressions were very subtle. Mr. V patted Lynch on the shoulder, his tone less serious and rigid for the first time:
"Because from the moment one realizes they are being eroded to the completion of the distortion, there are often only a few hours. It is hard to find someone with this ability, and a more important reason is that the mortality rate for doing this is as high as two hundred to three hundred percent."
Lynch's mouth twitched: "Does that include the people watching the show?"
"Having two twisted ones appear at once is also very dangerous during a purge, and personnel losses are frequent," Mr. V nodded with a smile, "Anyway, as far as I know, no one has been able to save someone in the midst of distortion this way; it only leads to one's own desperate situation. You are the first to succeed."
"That serious, neighbor?"
Silence in his mind.
"Neighbor, are you there?"
Silence.
"Sigh, you're angry, aren't you, neighbor?"
【No, I am merely a witness, an Awakened. I will accompany you and witness your journey of awakening.】
"Hiss, you're quite angry. Sorry, sorry, don't be angry, I apologize."
【If apologies were useful, the Hall of Order would have no need to exist. You said that yourself.】 The gentle voice fell silent for a moment after saying this, and finally sighed, 【The path of the supreme is not easily come by. Please cherish it, Lynch. Do not waste your life. There is only this one chance for resurrection. Neighbor, I cannot help you awaken again.】
"So it really was you who helped me awaken. Thanks. I will be more cautious in the future. Was it really that dangerous this time?"
【Every action you took just now could have led to failure. It is no longer a matter of being dangerous or not.】
The gentle Lady Red Moon expressed such a long meaning for the first time:
【If you had not managed to turn the target to herself in time, you would have been distorted by now. If you had not left a sufficiently deep impression in her heart, you would not have been able to break into her soul world and penetrate it; then you would have been distorted by now. If your actions had not ignited her desire to survive, you would have been distorted by now. If her will were not strong enough to resist the erosion of the mysterious filth after being ignited, you...】
"I would have been distorted by now, I know."
【Hmm, there are good and bad sights along the journey; that is normal. Sometimes the rugged sights are more attractive. But I do not wish for the person I witness to underestimate a precious opportunity and gamble with their own life for a possibility that almost does not exist.】
"Heh, I understand what you mean, neighbor, but I have a question I would like to ask."
【Hmm?】
"Between humans and the supreme, which is greater? Between human life and the existence of the supreme, which is more precious?"
His mind fell into silence again.
Lynch ignored whether there was a response in his mind and thought to himself: "At the end of the First Age, that catastrophe that ended the Mythological Era—although I don't know what crisis was encountered at that time, I know that a deity stood out voluntarily, setting an example for all gods with their actions, challenging the catastrophe at the cost of their own existence. In the end, the gods fell and living beings withered, but at least hope was preserved, leading to the subsequent Savage Age and Dark Age."
【It is different, Lynch. Existing in this world and being worshipped by billions of living beings, we have an obligation to be responsible for this world. But you are human, at least for now; you do not need to have the same attitude as us.】
"There is nothing different. Existing in the world, as long as one has self-awareness, there are responsibilities we must bear. This is true for gods, and it is true for humans. I do not need to be responsible for the entire world like a god, and I have no interest in protecting people who have nothing to do with me. But I also have my own persistence. I will not avoid what I should do. Just like the ancient saying from my hometown: search your conscience. If it is something that must be done, I will persist to the end even if I face an army of millions."
Lynch smiled in his consciousness and said leisurely:
"I know you are worried about me, neighbor. I am very grateful to you, but I hope you will answer my question truthfully. If I had really swung my sword down just now, I could indeed have avoided the risk, but... is that kind of behavior really the scenery you want to see? Do you really think that the 'me' who did that would be qualified to take over the authority of the Red Moon?"
After a long time, a faint sigh came from his consciousness: 【Even if this means your path to immortality will be interrupted, you will not regret it?】
"In my lifetime, without regret." Lynch, feeling playful, pictured an image of a fist raised toward the sky in his mind.
【Pfft, alright, I understand. Then I will accompany you and witness your journey toward death.】
"Hiss, you... no, you gods are truly wicked."
Lynch smiled and withdrew his consciousness from harassing his neighbor. By this time, the professionals had already sent Officer Natalie to the underground infirmary, where she would receive professional treatment in the coming days.
Room 304 could not be used for the time being. The carpet was covered with filthy blood and minced meat, looking like a slaughterhouse. It would have to wait until the officer woke up to be cleaned. However, these things had nothing to do with Lynch now. Looking at the sleeping Natalie being carried away on a stretcher, Lynch finally showed a relaxed smile.
Finally helped you survive, partner. We will continue to entangle with each other in the future. Don't think about getting rid of me easily, hehe.
"Thank you, Mr. Lynch."
After the Watchers left noisily, a wine glass was extended from behind. Lynch turned his head and saw Mr. V holding the bottle from the coffee table, pouring two glasses of expensive red wine.
Hiss, you fellow are really bad. How could you take your subordinate's wine to give as a favor?
Lynch silently squeezed a note into the detective notebook in his mind before taking the wine glass.
"L is a good friend of mine. I am very grateful that you could save his daughter. A toast to you."
Lynch put away his playful attitude, nodded, and drained the glass in one gulp.
"The Watchers have received a lot of help from you. How about it, any interest in joining us? Not the Rhine City Watchers, but the Lande Kingdom Watchers," Mr. V asked seriously. "If you are interested, I will submit an application to the headquarters. You will directly enter the Watcher system and also have a codename."
Lynch was stunned. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head gently: "Forget it. I think the title 'Private Investigator Lynch Levive' sounds very good, and I don't plan on changing my name. Besides, if I joined, I would most likely use 'L' as my codename. I'm afraid that not only would Natalie not recognize me, but she would also cut me down directly. Let's just forget it; I'm more afraid of death."
"Heh, alright. Although it's a bit of a pity, I respect your thoughts. Let me know anytime if you change your mind," Mr. V said without offense. "Natalie still needs to rest for a few days. What are your plans for this time?"
"First, heal my leg so I don't end up with a disability, and then... go help someone collect a debt," Lynch said with a ferocious smile, clenching his fist. "Someone once wanted to use me as a pawn to achieve their own goals and dig up their own family's ancestral graves. This behavior is quite normal, and I don't blame them, but... if I don't bleed them heavily, I won't be able to close my eyes when I sleep."
Mr. V shivered, moved a few steps away from Lynch, and looked at him with strange eyes: "Grant?"
"And his ghoul allies. Heh, it's already time to collect the debt."
Rate on N.U.
