It was a face that could not be described as either wolf or dog, appearing as if covered in a layer of rubber with traces of rot and ulceration. The mouth was filled with sharp, pointed teeth, and saliva dripped from the corners of its drooping lips.
Lynch felt his stomach churn in waves, and he barely managed to hold back from actually vomiting. In a daze, he felt a firm, steady hand gently patting his back, which made his roiling stomach feel slightly better.
Fortunately, this intense urge to vomit quickly subsided. As his consciousness cleared, Lynch panted heavily and asked weakly in his mind.
‘Neighbor, what is going on here? I could understand feeling nauseated when Simon was burned to death or when Granville turned to ash, but although the thing in the photo is indeed ugly and disgusting, it shouldn't cause such a strong reaction in me. It’s far worse than most horror movies; I shouldn't be that fragile.’
【This is not a normal physiological reaction. It is because the bizarre image, which exists outside of common sense, has impacted your consciousness and caused serious harm to your sanity. Nausea and madness are protective responses generated spontaneously by your instincts to protect your brain and dissipate pressure. Once your willpower successfully resists the impact, the reaction will quickly fade.】
“Thanks, I’m fine.” Lynch withdrew his consciousness and waved a hand at the officer. “I saw a very strange photo, and I’m not sure if this counts as the impact of mystery documents on the will, but I’ve recovered now. I’ll continue, and you can look in a moment.”
As he spoke, he steadied his mind against the photos and took another look at the monster in the picture.
He still felt a shiver of fear, but at least the physical reaction from before was gone.
Then he would continue.
In the following photos, the situation had changed. Lights and other people appeared in the cave. These people were dressed as hillmen, and their expressions were quite friendly when they were photographed; some even posed with the pretty girl.
Lynch found it strange. After the incident with the monster in the earlier photo, why did this girl continue to advance with such composure, and why was she even brave enough to take photos with the residents here? Did she not see the monster when the photo was taken... no, that’s it.
Several photos later, Lynch saw a few masks hanging on the rock wall. They were the very same monsters seen in the earlier photo. In addition to the masks, there were matching terror claws and leather clothing; it looked like some sort of tribal totem. In one picture, he could even see someone wearing the mask.
Whew, it seems those were just hillmen wearing masks, not monsters at all. No wonder she could still smile.
Lynch chuckled self-deprecatingly and looked up to describe his discovery to the officer.
“But you didn't have such a strong reaction when you looked at the later photos.”
The smile froze on his face. Lynch immediately realized something was wrong and quickly flipped back to the photo of the monster from earlier, placing it side by side with the one showing the masks hanging on the wall.
They looked very similar, but they felt like two completely different things.
Although he had looked at the monster photo many times, the stimulation had faded, but the overwhelming sense of panic remained. Yet, the photo with the masks felt perfectly normal; it was just like looking at an ordinary picture.
Without needing to ask Lady Luna or the officer, Lynch had already realized the reason himself: the first photo definitely did not show hillmen wearing masks; that was a real monster being captured on film.
And because the pretty girl mistakenly believed they were just hillmen in costumes, she could be around them without any fear.
Does this mean there really is a monster in this cave?
Feeling a bit worried for the heroine in the story told by the photos, Lynch stopped reading for a minute to calm down before continuing. However, the cave experience lasted only a few more photos before coming to an abrupt end. He didn't know why the photography stopped, but as he held the last photo taken inside the cave, his scalp tingled.
The photo showed an old hillman with a dull smile and eyes so deep they seemed capable of sucking one’s soul right in.
Lynch would never forget this person for the rest of his life.
A few days ago, in the gray fog zone outside the abandoned factory, he had witnessed the power of this old man with his own eyes.
He was at least a powerhouse of the sixth grade of authority among the hillmen.
So, all of this could be connected.
Lynch stared blankly for a long time until the officer, suspecting something was wrong, came over to shake him back to his senses. Only then did Lynch shake his head and continue flipping through the photos.
The subsequent photos were actually of some documents. Judging by the main headings, they were likely the detailed intelligence on the Norin-Rhine Railway, including records the two had seen at city hall, as well as records from the Hall of Order that they had not seen before.
Lynch’s eyes lit up. This was exactly the information he had been looking for.
However, after only two glances, he punched his thigh hard.
The photography technology of this era was simply abysmal. Even though they were close-up shots, the small text and tables in the photos were still so blurry that not a single word could be clearly distinguished. It was as cruel as dangling the truth in front of him and then snatching it away.
In his heart, he offered a cordial greeting using the profanity of his hometown. Damn steam technology, damn Victorian era. Where was high-definition digital photography? Why couldn't they hurry up and invent that?
He quickly flipped through the blurry photos of the documents until the last dozen or so, when his pace finally slowed down.
These were clear because they were diagrams—the blueprints for various sections of the Lande railway.
Lynch recalled that he had seen similar diagrams in the materials at city hall, but they weren't this detailed. Those only showed the design for the Norin-Rhine line, while the photos included the entire rail network.
He put down the last photo and looked up at the bright flame in the gas lamp nozzle on the ceiling. Lynch felt that the mysteries in his mind had not decreased but rather increased. He looked down and gave the officer a comforting smile, then pushed the photos toward her:
“Take a look. It seems they really aren't mystery documents; they are quite safe. Aside from the one photo of the monster, everything is very ordinary. See if I missed anything. I’ll look at the other evidence you found first.”
Lynch placed his pocket watch beside him to ensure he could remind the officer every minute, then took out the other items from the evidence bag.
There were actually only three things: a letter, a photo frame, and a newspaper.
The letter was in an envelope. It was written by Maya to Donnie, but it had no stamp or address. The date on it was the 12th, likely delivered by little Martha along with the photos. The content was quite simple: it basically said that ever since she returned from Bester Mountain, she had felt that her body was not quite right, and she had filed her report hastily without even finishing the follow-up investigation. She suspected that she had encountered some strange event in the mountains, but since she was physically unwell, she could not come forward herself. Therefore, she passed the photos recording her experiences to Donnie, hoping that Donnie would find the shop owner he had mentioned before—the one who understood strange events—to ask what was wrong with her body.
The newspaper was from the 13th, and half of the second page was taken up by Maya’s report. It provided a detailed introduction to the hillmen and their conflict with the railway project, but it glossed over the subsequent bloody conflict and its causes, giving it a very rushed and anticlimactic feeling. This also confirmed the poor state of mind mentioned in her letter.
However, after reading it once, Lynch finally gained a detailed understanding of the origins of the hillmen.
These people were the indigenous inhabitants near Bester Mountain in the Carlos Mountain Range. They were accustomed to living in caves and led a relatively independent, primitive life. They all worshipped Gaia, the Lord of the Earth, and held the mountains in high reverence, so they had strong objections to the tunneling and had tried various methods to stop it.
They had even convinced the engineering personnel who arrived early to start building the supporting facilities, claiming that doing so would anger the gods and bring down a great disaster. After several fatal accidents, most of the engineering staff believed them and joined the hillmen in protesting, demanding that the government change the plan and divert the railway.
If Lynch had said this before seeing the photos, he might have believed the report. But having seen the monster in the pictures, Lynch believed the situation was far from as simple as the report claimed. Now, he had to clarify the reasons for the conflict between the two sides, determine their respective stances, confirm the ulterior motives of each party, and finally, use that momentum to find the purpose of the Shadow Alliance lurking behind the scenes.
Even without the commission from Duke Vane, he would still want to strike them hard. Lynch had always been one to hold a grudge, and he did not intend to let this organization that had targeted him off easily.
Let’s take it one step at a time. Our game of chess has only just begun.
Lynch sneered inwardly, put down the newspaper, and picked up the final photo frame. As soon as he saw it, he sighed.
The photo showed a man and a woman standing in front of a small wooden cabin. The man was dressed in a formal suit with a serious expression, while the woman was wearing a semi-long skirt—rare for this era—that exposed her ankles. Her face was full of smiles, and she didn't seem to care at all about the camera capturing her.
The man was the deceased Donnie, and the woman was the heroine from the photos earlier; she must be the missing Maya. The cabin seemed to be in the woods with many plants around it, and the majestic mountains could be seen in the distance.
Lynch’s heart stirred. Recalling the habits of many people, he immediately took the photo out of the frame and turned it to the back.
Sure enough, there was a line of small text written on the back.
May our friendship last forever and never fade. 1398, taken at the secret base.
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