Escaping Danger

Yet, the moment Lynch turned around, he heard a cry of alarm from the female reporter behind him.

Huh? Hadn’t she already run into the alley?

The thought had barely crossed Lynch’s mind when someone slammed directly into his back, making him stagger.

Immediately, a foul stench of decay filled his nostrils, yet he hadn't heard a single footstep prior to the impact.

Looking back, it was indeed the female reporter who was supposed to have darted into the alleyway. She had bizarrely collided right into him, standing frozen on the spot in utter panic.

It was as if the moment she charged into the alley, she had instantaneously reappeared behind his back.

At the same time, the sounds of the hillmen ghouls on the other side abruptly ceased, followed by a rapid flurry of hurried footsteps closing in on the three of them from all sides.

‘Neighbor.’

【It is the Authority of the Earth, Lynch. Please be careful.】

Lynch immediately thought of that eerie elder hillman. Without caring about getting covered in the putrid stench, he tucked the thrilled little Martha under one arm and slung the panicked female reporter over his other shoulder, charging once again toward the alley the reporter had just aimed for.

If she couldn't get through, let me try.

One step, two steps—the moment he took the third step, the alley suddenly morphed into a solid wall. Lynch was heading straight for a collision. His brow twitched; kicking lightly off the wall with the grace of a cat, he vaulted atop the wall and leaped down toward the other side.

Thud. Taking two forward strides to cushion the impact, Lynch landed nimbly with the two ladies. Yet, behind him, there was neither a wall nor an alley. The three of them had returned right back to their starting point.

Scattered footsteps echoed from up ahead. A group of hillmen turned the corner, escorting the eerie elder hillman as he strolled out unhurriedly.

His hair and beard were completely white, and his frame was withered and emaciated. Yet with every step he took, the ground seemed to tremble faintly, causing even the surrounding buildings to shudder. As the old man approached, it felt to Lynch as if an entire mountain were bearing down on them. His imposing aura blended seamlessly with the surroundings, exerting a tremendous pressure that caused Lynch’s heart to clench involuntarily.

At the same time, a surge of anger flared up from the depths of his heart.

The first time, I fled in panic. The second time, I scared you off with a bluff. And you think there’ll be a third time?

Then don’t blame me for unleashing my first Divine Authority on you.

“Stand behind me. There’s no need to be afraid. I’ve got everything covered.”

Lynch set the two ladies down. His calm, faint smile quickly eased the panic on the female reporter’s face. Taking a deep breath, the blood-red full moon soul manifestation rose from behind him.

The full moon was as dense as a solid object, radiating a cool yet gentle moonlight. Even though the two ladies could not see the soul manifestation, basking in that moonlight filled them with an inexplicable sense of gentleness and peace of mind.

The elder halted his steps and raised his palm toward Lynch. Lynch’s eyes flashed with brilliant light, his aura surging to its peak in an instant as the soul manifestation behind him emanated boundless majesty.

Divine Authority was on the verge of descending upon the world.

Yet, right at this explosive juncture, a sharp, urgent whistle sounded from the distant avenue.

It wasn't coming from just one spot, but echoed from multiple directions, accompanied by the urgent ringing of police carriage bells drawing steadily closer.

Huh?

Both sides were taken aback. The elder hillman, in particular, looked back over his shoulder in surprise, only to see a Watchers police carriage swing around the distant corner, hurtling toward them at breakneck speed.

As it appeared, the incessant clatter of hooves and rumble of wheels drew nearer all around. Evidently, more and more police were converging on the area.

“You cannot escape. Sooner or later, you will come looking for me.” The old man gave Maya a deep, lingering gaze. “Let's go.”

Without casting a single glance at Lynch or little Martha, he led the hillmen in another direction, slipping directly into the very alleyway that Lynch and Maya had been completely unable to penetrate.

Screeech! Amidst the shrill friction of wheels braking hard, the moment the hillmen departed, the Watchers carriage pulled up alongside them. From inside the cabin peered the face of the red-haired man he had met twice before, while Officer Natalie leapt directly out of the carriage.

Behind him, the female reporter gripped Lynch’s clothes tightly. Lynch gave her hand a reassuring pat before hearing Officer Natalie ask anxiously, “How is it, Lynch? Are you guys alright?”

“We’re fine. How did you get here so quickly?”

“Hm? Didn't you send someone to ask us for help? A little vagrant. As soon as I heard the description, I knew it was you. We had just finished assembling to conduct a search and came to support you on the way. When we got close, we saw your moon rising.”

Hiss, he actually went. Lynch realized Natalie was referring to the decoy Maya had hired. That kid hadn't been caught by the Rangers after all; instead, he had obediently run off to the Scarecrow Club for help, bringing unexpected reinforcements. Listening closely, the carriage sounds in the surroundings were fading into the distance, seemingly pursuing the hillmen to drive them away. Lynch was still somewhat puzzled. “Why were you assembling in the first place? What on earth happened? It feels like several factions have converged on the square.”

“Yeah, something happened. Twelve strange corpses appeared nearby yesterday, looking as if they were gnawed on by some massive beast. According to experienced occultists who inspected them, it’s highly likely they were eaten by ghouls. But this is very abnormal. Ghouls are intelligent, and they don't want conflict with humans either, so they hide the remains of their feeding. Exposing one or two corpses once in a while doesn't catch our attention, which is why we’ve never clashed, but twelve at once is just too exaggerated.”

Lynch came to a sudden realization. So the reason the Rangers had mobilized en masse yesterday was because of those corpses, and the sudden emergence of the sewer ghouls was likely connected to this as well. As for the hillmen ghouls loitering nearby, that was probably part of the reason too.

Had the three of them inadvertently stumbled into a major incident?

No, it definitely wasn't that simple. They claimed it was over bizarre corpses, but multiple factions were clearly keeping their eyes on Maya. There had to be something deeper going on.

Could it be...

A chill ran down Lynch's spine. He glanced back at Maya, who was holding hands with Martha, and lowered his voice. “Maya is currently transforming into a ghoul, isn't she? Could she have been the one who did it?”

“Impossible. I asked around—a ghoul’s appetite is only slightly larger than a human’s. There's no way she could have eaten twelve corpses.” Seeing Lynch breathe a sigh of relief while glancing back repeatedly, the female officer asked curiously, “Who is that person?”

“Maya.”

“Oh. Wait, who?! You found her?”

Lynch raised his voice slightly, also aiming to reassure Maya: “Yeah. But she doesn't trust any official organization. I plan to take her to hide in Thorn Flower’s secret passage for a while. Keep this a secret for her for the time being as well.”

Officer Natalie looked at the mysterious female reporter with excitement, then took out her Watcher badge and handed it to Lynch. “There are guards stationed there. Use this to reassign the guards, and you'll be able to enter. But why did you bring Martha out too?”

“If it weren't for this little rascal, I wouldn't have found Maya at all.” Taking the vital badge, Lynch simply handed Martha over to Natalie. “Take her back home for me. I’ll take Maya to Thorn Flower. Hopefully, she can help us unravel all these mysteries.”

“Alright. We’ll make sure to keep a close eye on both the hillmen and the ghouls. Multiple factions are entangled in this, so be careful with everything.”

Bumping fists lightly, the two smiled at each other, their movements brimming with tacit understanding.