Grant Screw Factory

In truth, Lynch could not describe exactly what those drawings were.

They were graffiti sketched with charcoal on scraps of used paper.

Most of the paper was smeared into a large, pitch black mass, from which a vague outline could be discerned.

With black lines against a black background, it was difficult to see the content. At first, Lynch only saw a blurry mass and felt no stimulation, merely puzzled by what the child had actually drawn.

But once he looked closely, a spark of realization hit him. He gradually understood the meaning behind the lines and, with that, grasped what the graffiti depicted.

Surrounding a twisted, eerie shadow in the center were groups of lines representing human figures. The shadow resembled a misshapen black ball of flesh, with long, irregular lines extending from its edges like countless tentacles reaching toward the figures, specifically toward their heads.

It was a simple doodle, but upon closer inspection, it felt quite sinister. The moment Lynch understood the image, a mental shock struck him. This time it was not a feeling of nausea, but heart palpitations brought on by intense fear.

His heart pounded violently, his limbs turned weak and sore, his muscles trembled uncontrollably, and he even found it difficult to breathe.

This is just a mental shock; I am not truly afraid. This is the natural influence of a mystery image. I must hold on; my willpower is enough to resist.

He gritted his teeth and held on.

A few seconds later, the fear indeed began to recede. Looking at the image again still caused a wave of panic, but it was no longer as terrifying as before.

"Neighbor, I was right, wasn't I? This is just like seeing a photo of a ghoul?"

【Yes, this is the shock coming from the mystery image itself, not the influence of a mystery document.】

"In other words, what she drew is something that truly possesses mystery, not just a simple doodle?"

【Yes. Even the most bizarre doodle would not cause a mental shock; only an image that possesses mystery can do so.】

"Hell, that means this scene likely happened in reality, and it also possesses mystery?"

Ms. Luna fell silent, though she had once said that if Lynch were to make a serious misjudgment, she would remind him.

Lynch did not ask further. He quickly flipped through the drawings in his hand and asked, "Do you all understand this?"

"No, it's just a child's random scribbling, right?" Mrs. Scott, seeing Lynch’s serious expression, nervously wiped her hands on her apron. "What is wrong with these drawings?"

"It is nothing. I did not understand them, so I was just asking. I will take these drawings with me today to study them properly when I get back."

As he spoke, Lynch had finished reviewing all the graffiti. The content was much the same: groups of human figures surrounding a shadow. The specific symbolism required further study, but judging by the existing clues, little Janet likely suffered a mental shock and fell into a coma precisely because she understood what she saw.

What on earth did the child see? Lynch pondered. Habitually, he turned the drawings over. The backs of the papers were printed with various texts, but scrawled in charcoal between the lines was a single sentence, present on every sheet.

Where have they all gone?

Hiss, the level of creepiness is higher than I imagined. A trace of hesitation rose in Lynch's heart.

Even if he needed to come into contact with mystery to improve his understanding of authority, was it really necessary to engage with such a high risk mystery event right from the start?

Just because it was related to the Grant Screw Factory?

However, looking at the old woman nervously wringing her hands, and then at the curious little heads peeking in from outside, Lynch's heart softened.

For a mystery event that had not yet erupted, it would be hard to get the Watchers to pay attention, and certainly no other private detective would be willing to risk their life for a few Lande pounds.

Forget it. I already promised, so I will help them. Maybe I won't even be able to help much anyway.

Having made his decision, Lynch stopped overthinking and pulled out his detective's notebook to quickly plan.

He intended to try and find the source of the drawings and figure out what little Janet had encountered. This matter had to be carried out as soon as possible; the little girl was already showing obvious progressive weakness, and it was developing very quickly. Lynch even doubted she could hold out until the next day. If the girl actually died, his investigation would lose all meaning.

As for the direction of the investigation, there were subtle differences in the drawings, including the number of human figures. Lynch speculated that this likely meant it was not a one time occurrence, but one that took place over many times or even many days. The number of people involved was significant, and besides school or the factory, there were few places where so many people could gather and the little girl could frequently interact with them. However, school had too many people and was prone to gossip, making it hard to keep secrets, while the workshops in a factory were relatively enclosed, fitting the conditions better.

Therefore, Lynch decided to go to the factory first to scout the situation; if that failed, he would check the school.

Afterward, if he could find the source and it was truly a mystery event beyond his ability to resolve, he would immediately go to Officer Natalie for assistance. With the two of them working together, they should be able to resolve most simple events.

Time waited for no one. Lynch immediately began to execute his plan, quickly returning to Charles Square, hailing a waiting hansom cab, and heading straight for the Grant Screw Factory.

Unlike previous investigations, this was a densely populated public area where safety should not be an issue, so Lynch was relatively at ease. Even so, he placed all his weapons in the most accessible positions.

The Gray Fog District is the second largest urban area in Rhine City, developed only in the last few decades. It is famous for its thick, black smoke that never dissipates and its endless stream of coal trucks. Factories stand one after another, and the pungent smell of coal smoke lingers year round. It is said that whenever it rains, the water here becomes highly corrosive, and experts are divided into the divine punishment camp and the climate change camp, arguing endlessly in the newspapers.

The closer to the Crown District and the Valley District, the denser the factories in the Gray Fog District become, as transport is more convenient. Thus, after only half an hour, Lynch appeared outside the grounds of the Grant Screw Factory.

In this era of steel and steam, screws are a very popular part with an extremely wide market, so the factory area here was quite large. Looking from afar, there were at least a dozen massive factory buildings, each with a chimney belching thick black smoke, and from within, the sound of massive mechanical roaring echoed constantly.

The factory grounds were surrounded by high wire mesh fences, with sturdy security guards patrolling back and forth. However, this level of security could no longer cause any trouble for Lynch. He merely pretended to wait for someone under a streetlamp outside the wire fence for a few minutes before taking advantage of a coal truck to slip out of the guard's field of vision, easily entering the factory grounds alongside the vehicle.

Lynch had estimated last night that if he maintained a state of lurking, his limit would be about thirty minutes. However, he rarely encountered situations where he had to maintain it continuously. By toggling it on and off, the duration could naturally be multiplied, so he did not skimp on using his ability. As soon as he entered, he left the cover of the coal truck and stood in a shadow, gazing at the entire factory area.

His only feeling was that it was deathly still.

The workers here all wore uniform coarse cloth work clothes. There were quite a few of them, with dozens rushing back and forth between the various factory buildings. But as Lynch looked from afar, many workers had numb expressions and dull eyes, mechanically repeating monotonous operations. Even when their companions nearby called to them, they would only react after a long delay, wooden to a point that was quite eerie.

It was as if he were looking at a group of lifeless walking corpses.

Could it be that the silent film Modern Times was all real?

Lynch shook his head, throwing the stray thoughts out of his mind. This was no time for such sentiments; he had work to do after sneaking in.

To figure out little Janet's encounter, he first had to find the area where she worked. Lynch had never expected to encounter trouble with this, but now he realized the factory was far larger than he had imagined. There were over a dozen factory buildings, perhaps even further subdivided within, and hundreds of workers.

Finding a specific location in such a large area was not going to be easy. Watching the workers coming and going, Lynch found himself in a difficult spot for a moment.