Could suppressing the runaway mystery relic truly wake up little Janet? Even Ms. Luna could not provide an answer, as it depended entirely on her specific condition. All that could be said was that anything was possible.
This left Lynch feeling exceptionally restless. He did not understand why he was so worried about little Janet's safety; she was just a stranger he had encountered for the first time. Yet, ever since he had tried to save her within the mystery relic, he felt an inexplicable and special concern for her.
In his previous life, he had watched medical dramas where doctors often felt an irrational sense of responsibility for the patients they treated. He hadn't understood it at the time, but now, having experienced it himself, Lynch finally grasped this strange emotion.
It seemed to be a feeling that since he had influenced her fate, he was responsible for seeing her through to the end.
【Heh.】
"What is it?" Lynch was taken aback; Ms. Luna rarely initiated a conversation.
【Nothing. You are a good person.】
Lynch felt a bit bewildered, but as Ms. Luna fell silent again, he could only shake his head in confusion and stop dwelling on it. Ahead of him, the van and the old residential buildings were already in sight.
As soon as he approached, he heard screaming and crying coming from the second floor through the window. The chaotic noise made Lynch's heart sink, and he felt a growing sense of foreboding.
Something happened?
With mounting anxiety, Lynch rushed up to the second floor. Finding the door unlocked, he didn't bother to knock and pushed his way in.
The space behind the door was empty, but the crying, shouting, and screaming were coming from behind a cloth curtain.
Lynch dashed over and pulled back the curtain to see Mrs. Scott and the children gathered around little Janet's bed.
Little Janet, who had been barely breathing and unconscious just a short while ago, was now sitting propped up against the headboard. Though she still looked frail, her eyes had regained their luster. She was speaking in a crisp, clear voice:
"I feel like I had a very long dream. I dreamed of many terrifying things, though I can't remember what they were. I only remember that suddenly, two very powerful people rushed into my dream and pulled me back to the factory. I was a bit scared, so I ran all the way home, and then I woke... up..."
The girl looked toward Lynch, who had pulled back the curtain. To her, he was a stranger who had suddenly appeared in her home, yet why did he look so familiar?
Just as she was feeling puzzled, she saw him smile at her, press a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, and then, like a gentleman, bow with a hand over his chest before silently retreating back outside the curtain.
What a strange person.
The girl, still groggy from just waking up, didn't think much of it and assumed it was just a hallucination. She continued recounting her experience to her family, while Lynch outside stood with a faint smile, having exited the crowded room.
Leave some time for the reunited family; he could deal with the five Lande pounds commission tomorrow.
Lynch didn't know why, but the mood soured by Grant and those dead executives had suddenly improved, and even his footsteps felt much lighter.
Although this business deal had been a loss, the feeling of successfully saving someone was truly wonderful. Perhaps he could continue living like this in the future.
"Do you like looking at this kind of scenery, neighbor?"
【Scenery is just scenery.】
"But one always has personal tastes in scenery. How is the view along this path?"
【The path to immortality has just begun, and the scenery is just starting to unfold.】
"Don't change the subject, neighbor. Give me an honest answer."
【Hm.】
"What does 'hm' mean?"
In high spirits, Lynch chattered away, harassing the Ms. Red Moon who ignored him, as he wove through the spiderweb-like alleys. Halfway through, he suddenly heard a series of voices from a distance.
This voice was so familiar.
The youthful, clear, and crisp voice was like a mountain spring—very distinct. One listen, and he knew it was little Martha's voice.
This little brat is already out running around? It seems I didn't spank her hard enough.
What is she plotting now? She isn't planning to rob anyone again, is she? Didn't we agree to stop the robberies for now?
Lynch frowned as he thought it over, then decided to go take a peek.
Besides, all my abilities are currently sprinting down the path of a voyeur; wouldn't it be a waste of Ms. Red Moon's favor if I didn't go take a look?
【Hm?】
"Nothing. You heard wrong."
Seeing no one around, Lynch slipped into the shadows, concealed his figure, and followed the voices. After rounding two corners, he saw a group of children gathered in the alley.
It was indeed little Martha, along with Robert, whom he had tricked for information in Fox Lane yesterday, and several other children who had participated in robbing Lynch. This group of kids was currently huddled around Martha, looking obedient.
"Martha, do we really have to stop? Everything is going so well right now. Why do we have to quit?"
"Yeah, don't listen to that jerk. He even hit you; he's definitely not a good person."
"Lead us and keep going, Martha. We need you. We'll do it in secret; that jerk won't know."
"Shut up, I'm so annoyed. If we keep doing this, I'll get beaten up again. That guy hits really hard, and even Mom won't protect me." All the children were sitting, but only little Martha was standing, rubbing her backside as she complained. "He said doing this is wrong. I don't fully understand it yet, but he seems willing to reason with me, so I want to listen first. Before I figure it out, let's stop for now. What if that guy is actually right? I don't want to make Mom sad anymore."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" The little brats immediately started clamoring. "You can keep leading us while you figure it out, right?"
"Figure it out, my foot. Shut your mouths. Don't worry, I'll try to contact the reporter lady in the next few days and see if she can help everyone find some temporary work. I won't let everyone go hungry."
Hm?
Lynch, peeking from the side, narrowed his eyes, realizing he had been overlooking this problem.
Maya would only entrust Martha with delivering photos if the trust between them exceeded that of a normal informant. Maya could contact Martha directly; it seemed they had agreed on a method to reach each other. Perhaps I could use this same method to contact Maya directly as well.
After a moment's thought, Lynch made his decision. It was certainly worth a try, but he would first need to ensure Martha's safety and keep her from becoming involved with anything mystical.
Seeing the group of little brats still clamoring and cursing him, Lynch wasn't angry; instead, he felt a sense of relief. Behind-the-back comments were the most credible. Since this little brat was so quick to keep her word and actually wanted to try to stop, there was no harm in giving her a chance to repent. After all, she hadn't committed any unforgivable evil acts yet. If she could mature from this, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Alright, alright, it's settled. Everyone scatter. We're stopping for a while, and no one is allowed to act on their own." Listening to the noise, Martha waved her hand impatiently. "He didn't even explain clearly why we shouldn't take advantage of people's kindness, he just beat me up. Hmph, that jerk, just wait for my revenge. Once I find an opportunity, I'm going to do this to him, then that, and finally... why are you all looking at me like that? Have you lost your minds?"
While mentally beating up Lynch, Martha suddenly noticed the children around her looking terrified, all pointing behind her as if there were a monster there.
"Don't try to scare me. There's definitely nothing behind me, I just..."
Just as she pretended to be nonchalant halfway through her sentence, the little girl turned and ran. Unfortunately, the person behind her was not fooled and had already reached out a hand to pinch the back of her neck.
"Let me see what you were planning to do to me, little Martha."
"Ahhhhh, Uncle Lynch, please have mercy! I won't do it again!"
"Smack."
"Owwwww, it hurts, it hurts!"
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