Infiltration

A small cabinet door was cleverly embedded in the wall, concealing the service elevator used for delivering meals.

The tray used for food was not on this level, revealing a pitch black shaft that extended both up and down.

The shaft was not large, barely enough for one person to move through, and the deceased must have used it to enter the basement.

Having witnessed everything just now, Lynch had roughly pieced together the man's experience.

The ones causing destruction during the protest were not the targeted hillmen and construction workers, but rather the railway workers who were supposedly protesting.

The goal was to create a greater public opinion effect, likely with the intention of framing the hillmen, thereby ensuring the railway project could be pushed forward as planned.

What happened afterward was easy to infer. After fleeing back, the deceased went into hiding, but drawn by something, he snuck into the basement and learned things he shouldn't have.

It was difficult to judge the motives of these people now, but the methods they employed seemed truly disgusting to Lynch. Not only did they kill hundreds of their own supporters, but they also became entangled with such grotesque things.

Lynch suspected that those little spiders were like gu-insects being raised; they killed and devoured each other until they finally grew into the giant spider he saw in his vision of the 'Snowflake'.

And all of this because he caught a glimpse of something he shouldn't have seen?

It was no wonder Madam Bessie had such a strong reaction. If she had been a step late, she would likely have ended up like this too.

Then what about Officer Natalie...

Lynch believed that as a native of this world who had interacted with this place, the officer must have known that the service elevator in the dining booths could provide access to the basement.

She could simply find an empty booth to reach the underground.

Lynch sighed, reached out to grab the steel cable inside, and imitating the moves of an agent from the movies, he thrust his body forward and fell directly downward.

As expected, television was all lies. Rappelling was nowhere near that easy.

Fortunately, it was only one level down, and there was a tray at the bottom; the vibration cushioned the impact, leaving him merely startled.

Lynch rubbed his chest, calmed himself for a moment, and then carefully crawled out of the elevator.

Outside was a narrow, long corridor. It was very dark, but light shone from a door in the distance.

The sound of his landing didn't seem to attract any attention. It was very quiet outside, with only the sound of gears turning and the faint hum of machinery coming from beyond the door.

Damn it, I came down without preparing a light source.

His heart was racing with fear. He kept feeling as though a swarm of spiders might jump out of the darkness at any moment to tear him apart, yet he didn't dare to move too fast. Holding his cane in one hand and his revolver in the other, Lynch dragged his feet along the wall, slowly shuffling toward the light.

Fortunately, he didn't encounter any danger. As the distance closed, the light from the doorway grew brighter, and he could vaguely make out the surrounding environment.

Lynch let out a long breath and was just about to speed up and stride toward the light, but the moment he took his first step, he felt his ankle brush against something.

Damn it.

Lynch’s heart immediately sank.

A small, hunched mass crouched on the ground. Given the size and posture, it looked exactly like a giant spider the size of a human head. His mind was instantly flooded with images of spiders. Lynch’s fingers moved toward his ring; the moment that thing moved, he would slip it on.

However, after waiting for several seconds, there was no movement. Lynch tentatively nudged his foot and kicked it a few times. Muttering a syllable from his hometown, he bent down and picked up the object on the ground.

A hat.

A top hat.

It was a false alarm, but Lynch felt no joy. Instead, he stared at the hat with a grim expression and finally brought it to his nose to sniff it.

A faint scent of hair drifted from the hat—a scent Lynch had smelled just that afternoon, along with the romantic scenery beneath the porch of the Hall of Order.

His muscles felt a wave of weakness; it was the aftereffect of sudden relaxation following extreme tension.

Lynch pressed the hat tightly against his chest, leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, and remained silent for a long while before whispering to himself, "I finally found you."

Yes, the heart that had been hanging all night finally settled. He had finally discovered her trail, but that was immediately followed by an even greater worry.

Since she wasn't here, it meant she was facing real danger.

Wait for me.

Lynch tossed his own hat aside, donned the officer's top hat, and then quickly walked to the door that let in the light, cautiously peeking outside.

It was a very ordinary underground kitchen. Even though it was past nine o'clock at night, several chefs and waiters were still busy. Further off, there seemed to be a steam engine room, where figures were faintly moving.

Before being noticed, Lynch retreated back into the room and frowned, leaning against the door frame.

It was different from what he had imagined. Outside was actually a crowded place.

These people were all normal humans; he couldn't sense any monsters. They should be like the waiters upstairs, all normal employees of the Thorn Flower.

The problem was, how could he infiltrate? He didn't know how to use stealth, and there were so many eyes outside. If he were discovered once, he would probably be kicked out. Being kicked out would be fine, but if they sent him to those monsters, that would be truly disastrous.

I must find a way, otherwise... hmm? Wait, that's not right.

If I can't infiltrate, how did the deceased manage to sneak in this afternoon?

According to what he said, he wasn't sent in, but had snuck in on his own.

There were more people in the kitchen during the day than there were now. Logically, a train driver shouldn't have that kind of ability.

Unless he didn't need to infiltrate at all. It was highly likely he never left this corridor.

I understand. Natalie's hat wasn't dropped here by accident. She placed it here intentionally. She... I'm afraid she was hoping someone would find her in time. She wanted someone to save her from the danger, which is why she left the hat to give herself a glimmer of hope, even while knowing it was impossible.

Then, the location of the hat must be the key to the problem.

Suppressing his impulsive emotions, Lynch took a few steps back, returned to the spot where the hat had been, and used the light coming from outside to carefully examine the surroundings.

However, there was nothing unusual around, nothing but the service elevators spaced out at regular intervals.

Hmm? The elevator?

Theoretically, this should be the lowest level, but what if there was another one below?

Lynch’s heart stirred. He knew he had grasped the point. He hurried to the elevator opening directly across from where the hat had been and leaned in to observe carefully.

At the first glance, he felt a wave of nausea.

On the edge of the elevator door, he found traces of blue-purple liquid flowing down the wall. On the surrounding door frame, there were numerous marks left by sharp objects. The door had a lock, but it had been pried open and was now casually tossed aside.

It was definitely here.

He gently opened the elevator door. The sound of metal friction seemed particularly piercing in the darkness, startling Lynch into holding his breath to listen. Fortunately, the mechanical sounds outside continued, and no one had noticed the movement here.

A foul stench mixed with something putrid rushed up from the opened door, making Lynch retch repeatedly. Looking down at the filth and scratches on the wall, Lynch gritted his teeth and simply cleared his mind.

He couldn't think about anything now. Even knowing it was suicide, he couldn't think about it; if he thought about it, he wouldn't dare to go down.

I am a man, not a coward.

He took off his trench coat and wrapped it around the steel cable. Lynch hadn't forgotten the lesson from earlier—a trench coat cost more than four pounds. You bastard, just wait to pay for the damages; don't even think about avoiding the debt by dying...

Cursing viciously in his heart, Lynch straightened his waist and slid down along the steel cable, submerging into the darkness.

Before he even landed, he felt a massive pressure emanating from the depths of the darkness.

It was the incredibly familiar, solemn, and dignified deterrence brought by the Order.

Lynch knew that was the soul of Officer Natalie Angel, fighting with all her might.