Reinforcements

Bang.

Lynch and Officer Natalie collapsed onto the ground in a tangled heap, rolling until they slammed against the wall and came to a stop.

Lynch immediately looked at his hands, only to find them empty. Little Janet, whom he had been holding, had vanished. A sense of desolation washed over him; perhaps no matter what he did within the memory, it would never change anything in the real world.

A hand reached out from beside him. Officer Natalie had already shielded him, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.

"At least we successfully suppressed the mystery relic's runaway state and made it back to reality."

Only then did Lynch notice they were back in the secret room of the Grant Screw Factory. Everything was exactly as it had been when they left. The five executives he had tricked into gathering around the mystery relic were nowhere to be seen.

This was the first time Lynch had personally sent people to their doom, yet he felt no guilt. In his view, these people who lacked any moral bottom line for the sake of profit were not worth pitying. Besides, they had caused this catastrophe themselves; it was only natural for them to be the ones to resolve it. If they died in the relic's memory, they had only themselves to blame.

"They sent hundreds of people to their deaths with their own hands, and the fear of those hundreds formed the foreman monster. Then, those foreman monsters hung them on street lamps. Hah, in the world of mystery, cause and effect are always this twisted and bizarre. But in truth, there's no need for so many excuses. Why not just say they deserved it? Dying like this is getting off easy for them."

The officer tapped Lynch on the head and pulled him up. She turned to the set piece tray and pulled out the pool of blood in the center.

This time, there was no resistance. The set piece was removed smoothly, and simultaneously, Lynch felt an invisible pressure dissipate, leaving the surroundings completely calm.

"It's a bit strange that we still remember them," Lynch said, puzzled. "Shouldn't they have been forgotten like those workers?"

"They weren't swallowed through the normal process, nor did they complete the conversion ritual of the blood pool. It's very likely they won't be forgotten like those workers," the officer speculated based on her past experience, though her hand holding the blood pool set piece suddenly paused. "If that's the case, then after the relic is completely contained, will they..."

Before she could finish, a series of startled cries erupted from outside the secret passage, followed by growing commotion, as if more and more people were gathering.

Realizing something unusual was happening, Lynch hesitated for a moment before taking off his Ranger uniform to cover the set piece tray as a disguise. He then hurried out of the secret passage with the officer.

A large crowd of workers had gathered outside the small building. Their expressions were clearly much more vivid, and they huddled together in panic, pointing in one direction. The foremen were not scolding the workers for being lazy; instead, they were gathered together as well, with some trembling in terror.

Because the five executives, who had always been aloof, were now lying outside the small building, emitting a nauseating stench.

Even from a distance, it was clear that the five had become corpses. They looked like food that had been chewed up and spat out, their bodies twisted into a mass of rotten meat, with white bones protruding from the dark red flesh, a shocking sight to everyone around.

The corpses had indeed been spat out.

A flicker of hope suddenly rose in Lynch's heart. If these people were spat out because they didn't complete the conversion, what about little Janet?

She hadn't completed the conversion either. Would her remaining soul have been spat out as well, perhaps in a soul state invisible to them, or maybe she had simply woken up within her body?

For a moment, Lynch desperately wanted to run to Mrs. Scott's house to see. This was his first commission, and she was an innocent little girl; he really hoped he could save her.

But after assessing the situation, he decided to deal with the problem here first. No matter what, he couldn't let Grant get off easy. Even if he couldn't destroy his factory, he had to at least seize his mystery relic. Since the Watchers were worried about political influence and found it inconvenient to step in, he would hand them the justification they needed.

With his mind made up, he grinned at the officer, gestured for her to watch him, and strode out of the building.

"What's going on... the gentlemen are dead... the bodies just appeared out of thin air... is the range really expanding?... chatter, chatter."

Whether it was the foremen or the workers, the crowd grew larger and the noise grew louder.

"Officer, Officer."

Seeing Lynch and Officer Natalie emerge, the three foremen from the gate immediately ran up with joy. This time, they intentionally bypassed Lynch and addressed Officer Natalie with sycophantic smiles:

"Officer, what happened? Why are the gentlemen..."

"There's a problem. Everyone listen up. We are officers from the Rangers, a special department of the Hall of Order, here specifically to handle factory accidents. You, go close the factory gates. From now on, no one is allowed to leave without our orders. If we don't solve the problem here, everyone will die. Running away won't help."

Lynch’s expression was dark enough to drip water. He pointed at one of the gate-keeping foremen and spoke in a grave tone to the foreman he had previously held at gunpoint:

"I can't explain what's happening right now, but including us, everyone here will soon end up like Mr. Lika. You should understand what I'm saying, right? Good. Since you know the severity of the situation, choose two people to accompany you now and take our carriage to report this. Not to the Hall of Order, but to the agency that specifically handles these matters. The coachman knows the address. Tell them there is a very dangerous situation here, five executives have perished, the workers are in chaos, production cannot be maintained, and we urgently need official intervention to restore order. Go now, as fast as you can. We will guard this place and wait for reinforcements. Once they are dispatched, everything will be fine."

He raised his voice for the last few sentences so that every worker and foreman present could hear, while simultaneously giving a wink to the coachman he had brought from the Scarecrow Club.

Although the coachman was just an ordinary person, he was also an external hunter for the Watchers. He immediately understood and beckoned the foreman to get into the carriage quickly.

With the identity verification from Manager Frank earlier, and given that the order was reasonable, the panicked foreman did not doubt Lynch’s words at all. Hearing that this could save their lives, he immediately jumped into the carriage and fled the factory at full speed.

Watching the foreman cooperate, Lynch suppressed the urge to smirk. He arranged for the foremen to guard the gates, ensuring no one could leave, as leaving meant going to their deaths. After confirming everyone was terrified and unlikely to run off to tip off Grant, he finally relaxed. He and Officer Natalie guarded the entrance to the secret passage, keeping a close eye on the mystery relic inside.

Such a dangerous object, even if it was only a fear grade relic, could not be treated lightly. He could not let anything go wrong with it.

Faster than expected, about forty minutes later, the sound of noisy crowds echoed outside once more. Lynch and Officer Natalie exchanged a smile and walked out of the secret passage to look, only to be taken aback.

There were many carriages outside.

There were special carriages for the Watchers, police carriages from the Hall of Order, and many inexplicable civilian carriages. Together, there were twenty or thirty of them, packing the area in front of the small building tightly.

As the carriage doors opened, the first person to jump out was Mr. V himself, leading the team. He was also dressed in the standard blue trench coat of the Watchers, with a bejeweled rapier hanging at his waist, his polite demeanor exuding an imposing aura.

Upon landing, Mr. V surveyed his surroundings and immediately spotted Lynch and Natalie in the building. He tipped his top hat to them with a slight bow, then tapped his cane lightly on the ground.

Following this action, the doors of the row of carriages behind him opened simultaneously, and people filed out one after another.

A large group of familiar faces, whether Soul Severers or ordinary people, were all wearing deep blue trench coats—the mark of the Watchers.

The reinforcements from the Scarecrow Club's mystery hunters had finally arrived.

More than forty people jumped down one after another; the Scarecrow Club had almost emptied its ranks. As soon as they got off the carriages, they immediately took up their duties. Some directed the blue uniforms of the Hall of Order to maintain order among the workers and foremen, while others surrounded the five corpses on the ground to conduct a detailed investigation, methodical and orderly.

The civilian carriages at the very back also showed movement. A group of ordinary people in loose casual coats stepped out. Lynch was just wondering about their identity when he saw them unloading quite a bit of equipment from the carriages.

Tripods, large wooden frames, thick black fabric, and magnesium lamps the size of human heads.

Once the bulky cameras were set up, the magnesium lamps flashed incessantly.

Lynch clicked his tongue in admiration. This V was truly cautious; he had even called in so many reporters. Once they arrived, the nature of the event was set in stone. Now, Chairman Grant would really have no way to voice his grievances.

"Indeed, the deceased are senior management personnel of the factory. Without a doubt, this is an attack aimed at the Chairman's property. There exists here a dangerous item that caused their deaths, which must be located and disposed of to allow the factory to resume normal production. To ensure the safety of the reporters, please do not wander around. Remain accompanied by professionals until we dispose of the dangerous item and lift the restrictions. I must begin work immediately, so excuse me."

V casually appeased the reporters before walking into the small building with several Soul Severer Watchers. As soon as they entered, the eight blue-coated Watchers bowed deeply and uniformly to the two waiting at the door.

It left Lynch and Officer Natalie a bit bewildered, unsure of what was happening until Mr. V stepped forward and gently patted their shoulders.

"To avenge the hundreds of innocent lives lost, you two ventured deep into danger alone, not hesitating to make enemies of a power-wielder like Chairman Grant. You did what we all wanted to do but couldn't, and you created a sufficient excuse for us to intervene. Everyone is filled with gratitude toward you. I must also praise you—well done."

Lynch coughed dryly, blushing slightly. He looked around for a long time before clumsily changing the subject: "Actually, the problem with the mystery relic is already solved. Why did you mobilize so many people, and even invite reporters?"

"These reinforcements aren't for dealing with the relic; they're for Grant to see. According to the information you provided, Grant attaches great importance to this place. With his inhuman performance, I was worried that if you had a direct confrontation with him, he might do something crazy to harm you. So, I called up all the hunters who weren't out on missions beforehand. If we are forced into a standoff, we have enough power to deter them, preventing him from having any adventurous ideas at the source. The reporters were just an excuse I found to invite them; I originally only wanted to add a layer of protection. I didn't expect your report to come so opportunely."

Seeing Lynch moved, Mr. V chuckled in a low voice:

"No need to thank me. If we can't make our partners feel comfortable cooperating, who would dare to work with us Watchers in the future? This is also an emotional investment for future cooperation, hehehe. So, don't be polite. As long as the problem can be properly resolved and we can prevent further innocent casualties, everyone feels it's worth it."

"Heh, I understand." Lynch laughed, nodding in agreement. "The relic is below and has been re-contained. How should it be handled afterwards?"

"Although this type of mystery relic is of a low grade, it carries a lethal risk when used and is not suitable for the hands of ordinary people. After we confiscate it, we will send it to the containment center in the capital, Norin, for centralized storage. There is sufficient power there to ensure the relic is not snatched. We... hm?"

Before they could say much, they discovered a few more carriages driving into the factory, making the area in front of the building even more crowded.

Before the carriages had even stopped, a man jumped out, stumbled a few steps, and walked toward the building.

Chairman Grant had indeed arrived immediately, and he had come very quickly.

Right behind him, Walker of the Rangers jumped out with two subordinates. There were also two familiar-looking people. Lynch thought for a moment before remembering they were the two inspectors from the Hall of Order he had seen once before, the two scapegoats who had survived thanks to Lynch.

As soon as these people walked a few steps, they saw the five broken, bizarre corpses on the ground. Chairman Grant immediately covered his mouth, his complexion turning ghastly. He was still hesitating whether to chase away the reporters who were taking photos or go into the building to stop the Watchers from sabotaging it when he saw Mr. V leading a group of people out, followed by several others carrying a set piece tray.

"Indeed, gentlemen of the press, as we expected, someone with malicious intent planted a highly dangerous item in the Chairman's factory, leading to the tragic deaths of these five gentlemen. Oh my, Chairman, you've arrived too." Mr. V greeted them with a smile and said leisurely, "Someone planted this set piece tray here. This thing causes one employee in the factory to die a miserable death every day. Fortunately, the employees in your factory reported it in time, otherwise it would have caused a tragedy. I wonder who hates you so much to use this method to harm you. By the way, this isn't from your factory, is it? You shouldn't have seen it before, right?"

"O-of course."

Chairman Grant’s expression was twisted with anger, but in front of so many reporters, he had to clarify his relationship on the spot and distance himself as much as possible. So, no matter how angry he was, he had to suppress it and force a smile while saying:

"Such a vicious thing certainly cannot be from the factory, and I have never seen it before."

"You must be certain. Our royal institutions have always had a close relationship with the City Council. If we were to accidentally seize your private property, we would be unworthy of Emperor Rudolph's trust. So, this really isn't something from your factory?"

"Rea...lly."

The Chairman felt a stabbing pain in his chest, his wig nearly falling off. He squeezed out the answer through gritted teeth, his extremely stiff smile faithfully recorded by the surrounding cameras.

"Then we will handle it according to protocol. Rest assured, Chairman, we will handle it properly. Your factory is safe now and can resume work at any time." Mr. V smiled. "You don't need to thank us. Protecting the safety of every citizen is our duty; we are always ready to serve you."

This V really knew how to infuriate people.

Lynch smirked and vanished into the shadows, drifting away from the crowd.

He had been acting as a Ranger all day, and his true identity might not have been exposed yet. Therefore, he decided to leave such public confrontations that attracted hatred to someone with V's status, while he himself just needed to quietly make a fortune behind the scenes.

Although the Watchers hadn't commissioned him to do the work—rather, he had sought help from the Watchers—given the dangerous nature of this incident, Lynch believed that with V's character, he would certainly find a way to satisfy him. That was why he had made an appointment to visit the club tomorrow.

Thus, Lynch watched Grant’s tearless, miserable expression from the shadows with peace of mind. This man had become the third most hated person since Lynch's transmigration, right after the deceased Randall and the still-living mastermind. So, Lynch really wanted to watch Grant almost explode with rage while unable to vent, just in case he could actually be angered to death.

However, he still bid farewell to the officer for the time being and hurried away in concealment.

Although there were still a few hours until the night appointment, he was anxious to return to the King's District to see if little Janet had woken up. If suppressing the relic could restore the little girl to normal, that would be wonderful.

Holding onto this anticipation, Lynch quietly left the factory and returned to the web of alleys near Charles Square with a heart full of apprehension.