Chapter 183 | The Crimson Moon Returns

Lynch was seriously considering whether Komodo dragons existed in this world. If they did, he would feed this to the bearded man. After all, the man owed him a meal of lizard.

Or vice versa: feed the bearded man to the giant lizard.

He decided the latter was better. Who told him to kick open the door to Room 304 at such a critical moment? He had kicked the door right off its hinges and still had the nerve to complain about them not closing it.

Maybe he should find a way to pin him to the ground and beat him up?

However, looking at the rank two and three Watchers who filed in behind him, as well as Mr. V with his rank five authority, Lynch decided to be broad-minded and temporarily forgive them for ruining his moment.

After all, he couldn't beat a single one of them. Besides, they had good intentions.

This was the Watchers' headquarters, after all, and the dormitories weren't specially reinforced like the basement. When a twisting transformation occurred in the quarters, those in the club downstairs were bound to sense it. Confused, the crowd had rushed up to help, only to end up watching a good show.

Lynch even felt secretly relieved that he hadn't done anything unspeakable. Otherwise, he would have had to charge them admission.

But he couldn't have done anything anyway. Officer Natalie was so weak she had barely a breath left, keeping herself awake solely on the adrenaline of surviving a near-death experience. Now, with Truen's interruption, she immediately fainted, which startled the crowd of onlookers.

Fortunately, after an examination, Natalie was found to be mostly fine. It was just that the twisting transformation earlier had taken a heavy toll on her, and she would need bed rest for a while.

This left Lynch rather puzzled...

Is it my imagination, or does everyone close to me end up either lying in bed or on their way to lying in bed?

It's definitely not my fault. Yes, it's just the arrangement of fate. Fate is truly a subtle thing.

With a silent dry laugh, Lynch explained everything that had just happened to Mr. V. Although they had already confirmed Natalie was fine, hearing that she had actually begun her twisting transformation still caused a stir in the room, despite everyone having been mentally prepared.

The result of soul erosion was losing control, and the end of an uncontrolled state was a twisting transformation.

Once one became a twisted one, recovery was impossible. This was an ironclad rule that had never been broken. However, during the brief window between the start and end of the twisting transformation, there was indeed one final opportunity to interrupt the loss of control and restore the victim to normal.

But the probability of success was extremely low—less than one in a million—making it of virtually no practical value, so it was automatically ignored by everyone.

“The obscure ability of End Resonance theoretically allows one to enter a soul on the verge of a twisting transformation, but almost no one does it. Do you know why?”

After hearing Lynch finish his explanation, everyone's expressions turned complicated. Mr. V patted Lynch on the shoulder, his tone less stern and rigid for the first time:

“Because from the moment one realizes they are being eroded to the completion of the twisting transformation, there are usually only a few hours. It's hard to find someone with this ability. More importantly, the mortality rate of doing this is as high as two hundred to three hundred percent.”

Lynch's lips twitched. “Even the onlookers get dragged down?”

“Two twisted ones appearing at once is highly dangerous during a cleanup, often resulting in casualties,” Mr. V nodded with a smile. “As far as I know, no one has ever saved someone in the middle of twisting using this method. It only drives oneself into a dead end. You are the first to succeed.”

'Is it really that serious, Neighbor?'

His mind was silent.

'Neighbor, are you there?'

Silence.

'Whew, you're angry, aren't you, Neighbor?'

【No, I am merely the Witness, Awakened. I will accompany you and witness your journey of awakening.】

'Yikes, you're pretty mad. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't be angry anymore, I apologize.'

【If apologies worked, there would be no need for the Hall of Order to exist—your own words.】 The gentle voice fell silent for a moment before finally letting out a sigh. 【The path of the supreme is hard-won. Please cherish it, Lynch. Do not throw away your life. There is only one chance for revival. As your neighbor, I cannot help you awaken again.】

'So it really was you who helped me awaken. Thanks. I'll be more careful in the future. Was it really that dangerous this time?'

【Every single action you took just now could have led to failure. It is no longer a matter of whether it was dangerous or not.】

For the first time, the gentle Lady Red Moon spoke at such length:

【If you hadn't redirected her focus to herself in time, you would be a twisted one by now. If you hadn't left a deep enough impression in her heart, you wouldn't have been able to breach her soul world to penetrate it, and you would be a twisted one by now. If your actions hadn't sparked her will to survive, you would be a twisted one by now. If her willpower hadn't been strong enough to resist the erosion of the mysterious filth even after being sparked, you...】

'I would be a twisted one by now. I get it.'

【Yes. The scenery along the journey can be good or bad; that is normal, and sometimes the perilous landscapes are more alluring. But I do not wish for the person I witness to disregard a precious opportunity and gamble their life on a possibility that virtually does not exist.】

'Heh, I understand what you mean, Neighbor. But I have a question I'd like to ask.'

【Oh?】

'Humans and the Supreme—which is greater? A human life and the existence of the Supreme—which is more precious?'

Silence fell over his mind once more.

Lynch didn't care whether there was a response in his mind, continuing his own train of thought: 'At the end of the First Age, during the great catastrophe that ended the Mythological Era, though I don't know what crisis occurred, I do know that a deity stepped forward. They set an example for the gods, challenging the catastrophe at the cost of their own existence. In the end, the gods fell and living beings withered, but at least hope was preserved, giving rise to the subsequent Savage Age and Dark Age.'

【It is different, Lynch. By existing in this world and being worshiped by billions of living souls, we have an obligation to be responsible for it. But you are human—at least for now. You do not need to share our attitude.】

'It's no different. To exist in this world, as long as one has self-awareness, there are responsibilities we must bear. This is true for gods, and it is true for humans. I don't need to be responsible for the entire world like a deity, and I have no interest in protecting people who have nothing to do with me. But I have my own convictions, and I won't run away from what I must do. Just like an old saying from my homeland: if it is something that must be done, even if I face an army of ten thousand, I will go forward.'

Lynch smiled in his consciousness and said leisurely:

'I know you're worried about me, Neighbor, and I appreciate it. But I hope you can answer my question honestly. If I had really struck down with my sword just now, I could have indeed avoided the risk, but... would such an act really be the kind of scenery you want to see? Do you really think that version of me would be worthy of taking over the authority of the red moon?'

After a long silence, a faint sigh echoed in his consciousness: 【Even if this cuts short your path of immortality, you do not regret it?】

'No regrets for the rest of my life.' Feeling playful, Lynch visualized an image of himself raising a fist to the sky.

【Pfft. Fine, I understand. Then I will accompany you and witness your death-seeking journey.】

'Yikes, you... no, you gods are too wicked.'

Lynch smiled and withdrew his consciousness from teasing his neighbor. By now, professionals had already sent Officer Natalie to the underground medical room, where she would receive professional treatment over the next few days.

Room 304 was also temporarily unusable. The carpet was covered in foul blood and shredded flesh, looking like a slaughterhouse. It would have to wait until the officer woke up to be cleaned. But none of this had anything to do with Lynch now. Watching the deeply asleep Natalie being carried away on a stretcher, Lynch finally let out a relaxed smile.

I finally managed to keep you alive, partner. We're going to keep being entangled in the future, so don't think you can get rid of me so easily, hehe.

“Thank you, Mr. Lynch.”

After the Watchers noisily departed, a wine glass was extended from behind him. Lynch turned around and saw Mr. V holding the bottle from the coffee table, pouring two glasses of expensive red wine.

Yikes, you're a wicked one, using your subordinate's wine to do favors.

Lynch silently noted it down in the detective notebook in his mind before taking the glass.

“Mr. L is a good friend of mine. I am extremely grateful that you saved his daughter. A toast to you.”

Lynch put away his playfulness, nodded, and drained his glass.

“The Watchers have received quite a lot of help from you. Tell me, are you interested in joining us? Not the Rhine City Watchers, but the Watchers of the Kingdom of Lande,” Mr. V asked solemnly. “If you are interested, I will submit an application to headquarters. You will directly enter the Watcher system and receive a code name.”

Lynch was taken aback. He thought for a moment, then gently shook his head. “I'll pass. I think the title 'private detective Lynch Levive' sounds pretty good, and I don't plan on changing it. Besides, if I joined, I'd probably have to use 'L' as my code name. I'm afraid Natalie wouldn't just disown me; she'd probably hack me to pieces. Let's forget it. I'm rather afraid of dying.”

“Haha, well, though it's a bit of a pity, I respect your decision. If you ever change your mind, let me know anytime,” Mr. V said, taking no offense. “Natalie still needs to rest for a few days. What are your plans for this period?”

“First, let my leg heal so I don't end up crippled, and then... go collect a debt for someone.” Lynch flashed a sinister smile, clenching his fist. “Someone once wanted to use me as a pawn to achieve their own goals and dig up their own family's ancestral grave. That kind of behavior is normal, and I don't blame them. But... if I don't bleed them dry, I won't be able to close my eyes at night.”