Chapter 71

Chapter 71

“Hey, freckles, you don’t look so good.”

When Clee Chapman came to the police station to pick someone up, he saw Edmund locked up in a temporary holding room, looking utterly drained.

“...Why is it you?”

“Who else could it be? Everyone else is in the hospital; I’m the only one who can come get you.” Clee, wearing a white lab coat, his usually neglected hair messy and chin stubbled, said, “But seriously, you guys are in a real mess. That blonde captain and the hacker guy are still in ICU, and the lady with glasses and Yunnis look like they're on their deathbeds. What happened?”

"Who knows," Edmund replied truthfully.

He had received a distress signal from Edie at the base, along with information that Edie found the Star-gazing Squad suspicious and warned him to be cautious.

With his memory restored, Edmund realized an opportunity had come. Killing the members of that squad amidst the chaos wouldn’t raise the Inspection Bureau’s suspicion.

"I went to support Edie after receiving his message, but on the way, I was attacked by members of that newly joined squad. I had no choice but to kill them. By the time I got there, the captain and the others were already…"

“Hmph~ I see,” Clee said, his mouth curving into a sardonic smile, neither expressing belief nor disbelief.

Clee Chapman’s role here was ambiguous, and no one knew what he was really doing. He seemed to have some friction with Job and the others, not getting along well. Apart from maintaining his machinery, he didn’t do much else, almost invisible.

After posting bail for Edmund, Clee said leisurely, “Let’s go and see the sorry state of our elite members.”

Edmund pursed his lips and looked at Clee strangely, “You don’t like them, do you.”

“Yeah, if you don’t like what I say, just ignore me.”

In the end, Edmund just frowned and didn’t say anything, following Clee Chapman.

The hospital Job and the others were sent to was a private one, with far superior equipment and medical resources than public hospitals, and unlike the bustling public hospitals, it was still very quiet.

Here, Edmund finally saw the Inspection Squad again... although in a broken and fragmented state.

Edie was reportedly still in critical condition, the surgery light having been on for 12 hours without concluding. Job was also in bad shape, in a deep coma with no indication of when he would wake up.

The two ladies of the Inspection Squad were in a general ward. When Edmund, led by Clee, saw them, he noticed the usually composed deputy leader, Dana, staring blankly out of the window, unresponsive to their arrival. Yunnis, too, was lying on the bed, her head covered with a blanket.

“Their mental state doesn't look good,” Edmund said softly to Clee.

"Don't worry, this kind of situation happens sometimes," Clee said nonchalantly, pulling up a chair and sitting down, then unceremoniously helping himself to the fruits laid beside the hospital bed, "Someone will come to handle it soon."

"Clean up?" Edmund was puzzled.

"Yeah, an annoying guy."

An hour later, Edmund finally met the annoying man Clee had mentioned.

His hair was neatly combed and fixed with hair gel, wearing black-framed glasses, appearing tidy and refined. He maintained a polite curve at the corners of his mouth, giving an impression of approachability and courtesy at first glance. However, Edmund sensed an odd dissonance.

"Hello, I am Eugene Mendry, and I presume you are the talented intern," Eugene greeted Edmund with a smile.

Eugene smiled at Edmund.

"Hello, nice to meet you, I am..." Edmund began, extending his hand, but Eugene ignored his gesture of friendliness, walking past him to look at Clee leaning against the wall, "Where's Gage?"

"Next room, but he hasn't woken up yet."

"No matter, I'm here to wake him up," Eugene adjusted his glasses with black-gloved hands, his gaze sweeping over Diana and Eunice on the hospital bed, murmuring softly, "What a waste."

His voice was low, but Edmund heard it. Eugene probably knew this but didn't seem to care much.

Edmund finally understood the source of his unease. Although Eugene always wore a smile, it was like a formula from a textbook. Beneath his glasses, his eyes were cold and arrogant.

Eugene proceeded to the next room. Clee patted Edmund's shoulder, "Don't mind him. His position in the Inspection Bureau is quite special. He's the secretary to the mysterious Director, handling the retrieval of problematic investigator squads and their aftermath, or conveying the Director’s orders."

"The Director of the Inspection Bureau?" Edmund murmured, "I don't think I've ever seen him."

"It'd be odd if you had. The Director rarely shows himself, always sending this secretary to relay orders. In a way, he's one of the top figures in the Inspection Bureau, and regular investigators seldom get to meet him."

"I see... So, he's here for the clean-up? What does that involve?"

"It's said to be related to his origin ability."

Meanwhile, Eugene had already entered Job's hospital room. Unlike Dana's room, the curtains in Job's room were tightly drawn, and numerous machines were connected to the body on the bed. The blond man on the bed, missing his limbs, had a very low heartbeat and brainwave frequency.

Eugene removed his gloves, revealing his pale, slender hands, and touched Job's forehead, "How long do you plan to sleep? Get up now."

Invisible threads passed through skin contact, from Eugene's fingertips to Job's forehead. The blond man's body shuddered, showing a pained expression, and abruptly opened his eyes.

Half an hour later, Edmund was astonished to see Job actually walking out of the hospital room.

“Captain, are you okay?”

“Ah, Edmund.” Job's limbs had regrown, but their color was much paler than his original skin tone. His complexion was poor, as if he had lost a lot of muscle mass, and his facial muscles struggled to form a pained smile, “I’m alright, at least I’m alive.”

“Captain, about Dana and the others…”

“Yes, I know, I’ll go and talk to her,” Job rubbed his temple, “But first, I need to check on Edie.”

Compared to Dana and Job, Edie’s condition was more critical. He was originally wounded critically, and due to Job's condition at the time, Edie couldn’t receive immediate treatment. By the time he was hospitalized, his heart had nearly stopped. After being resuscitated, he was still in critical condition.

Job released his ability again, but this time it was obviously more strenuous for him, the light was much weaker and quickly faded after a second or two.

Edie still lay motionless on the bed. Job sighed, “For now, I can only keep him from dying. We might have to maintain this state temporarily.”

He then visited Dana’s room. On seeing Job, both Dana and Yunnis visibly looked at him, their faces still filled with fear and worry.

Job sat beside the bed and gently said to them, “Dana, Yunnis, it’s me. We’re all alive. Edie is out of danger now, everyone is fine.”

“The, the worms…” Dana's lips quivered.

“What?”

“Seems like she's on the verge of a mental breakdown, experiencing hallucinations,” Eugene's voice came from aside, looking down at Dana with disdain, “It appears you are no longer fit for duty.”

Dana, agitated, said, “It wasn’t a hallucination, we really saw it! Yunnis and Edmund, you saw it too, right?”

Yunnis turned her head blankly, “I… I saw the captain nearly dying, then… then I heard Dana's scream, just these two things.”

Dana looked incredulously at Yunnis, then turned her gaze to Edmund.

Edmund, utterly confused, said, “I had just arrived when I was arrested by the police.”

Everyone fell silent, and Job asked, “Dana, calm down. What exactly did you see?”

Dana, her lips tight, eyes moving between Eugene and Job, finally said nothing, “Maybe… I saw it wrong.”

“Can someone tell me what actually happened?” Edmund finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity, “Suddenly receiving a distress signal, then being attacked by the newly joined Inspection Bureau team on the way, and then getting arrested. Can anyone explain why?”

Eugene scoffed. Edmund’s expression was flawless, as if he truly knew nothing, a hapless victim. Job explained with a bitter smile:

“You don’t know yet. We were ambushed. It was a trap against the Inspection Bureau. The leader of the Black Poker, Karens, defeated me and cut off my limbs. Moreover, the Secret Church we were investigating was undoubtedly involved. It was their act of revenge against the Inspection Bureau.”

Hearing this, Dana and Yunnis turned deathly pale, seemingly recalling the relentless onslaught of people.

“They are lunatics!” Yunnis, sitting up in bed and hugging her legs, her eyes filled with panic, said, “Lunatics who fear neither death nor pain. Even seeing their comrades' heads crushed in front of them didn't make them flinch an inch.”

Recalling the experience of breaking out, even soldiers on the battlefield would find it chilling, let alone converted investigators like Yunnis. She had never killed so many, nor experienced being surrounded by such madness. The endless bloodshed seemed still imprinted in her eyes, with enemies charging at her whenever she closed them.

“And they are lunatics beyond reason,” Dana added softly.

They had previously encountered hard clashes with cults, but never like this, daring to chase them in broad daylight on the streets, with a demeanor as if eager to perish with them.

“The information from that new team that joined us was accurate. Black Poker is indeed a part of the Secret Church. Our interrogation of Karens also triggered their retaliation,” Job said with a grim face.

He had anticipated retaliation but didn't expect it to come so swiftly and furiously.

“What are we going to do next?” Edmund probed subtly.

Job pursed his lips and looked at Dana, “First, let’s see if that blood wolf mark is still on your shoulder.”

Dana, startled, pulled open her clothes at the shoulder, while Edmund consciously turned away.

On her smooth, fair shoulder, a blood-red wolf head tattoo was strikingly visible.

“As expected…” Job’s face darkened. His own mark had disappeared, unsure if it meant the other party had completed their revenge. However, Dana, and probably Yunnis and Edmund, still bore this mark.

“We’re not sure what this mark does, but we better find a way to remove it…”

“You don't need to worry about the Secret Church anymore,” Eugene suddenly interrupted.

“What?” Job was taken aback.

Eugene pushed up his glasses, “Didn’t you understand my words? Right now, you don’t have the luxury to grapple with this obscure church. Your priority is to complete the task assigned by that ‘person’.”

“But what about Dana’s mark?” Job frowned, “And I believe the Secret Church might be related to the Gatekeeper. I don’t think this is a waste of time.”

“I’ll request a special artifact that can remove curses,” Eugene replied coldly, “As for the task of finding the Gatekeeper, that’s precisely why I’m here. With your current strength, you're incapable of handling two ‘unknown’ level tasks simultaneously. Focus solely on finding Albert. As for the Secret Church, I’ll handle them.”

“Why?” Job struggled to accept this, “We’ve been investigating the Gatekeeper for a while, and just when we're onto something, after such a huge sacrifice, you’re asking us to switch tasks? I can't accept this.”

“You seem to misunderstand, Gage,” Eugene said, “This isn’t a discussion, but a notification. Or you can choose to abandon both tasks and leave Arkham like losers. Others will replace you.”

Tension immediately filled the air. Job, looking unwell as if recovering from a severe illness, stood up confrontationally against Eugene, his demeanor fierce like a lion.

Edmund, pale, retreated to Cleary, “Are all the higher-ups like this?”

“No, just Eugene is a bit special. But essentially, they’re all bastards,” Cleary remarked.

Cleary didn't lower his voice, and Eugene turned back to glare at them before pulling out a laptop from his briefcase.

“Look, this is why I asked you to temporarily abandon the first task. Your previous investigations and actions were completely wrong.”

Job frowned, exchanged a glance with Dana, and leaned in to watch, only to see a video.

“Church Promotion: Join the Secret Church!”

Job: ?

At this moment, the experienced investigators found themselves engulfed in confusion.

Then, the video began.

It depicted the Arkham disaster using an animated style, succinctly conveying to the audience the scene everyone witnessed in their dreams while unconscious.

Specifically, the deity worshiped by their Secret Church was identified as the Gatekeeper, who had closed the great door.

As the investigators watched intently, their pupils dilating, a barrage of colorful and dynamic comments erupted:

[? The Shepherd God descends ?]

[The God who saves mankind, mankind should worship]

[Ahhhh, under the Shepherd God’s crown!]

[Those who believe in the Shepherd God shall be absolved of sin]

[Our Church! Advocating equality for all beings, we absolve sins through good deeds. If you are lost, if you believe in the God who saved Arkham, come join us!]

There wasn’t just one video; unknowingly, such videos started spreading virally. Their common themes included various self-designed images of the Shepherd God, the church’s daily activities and beliefs, and an assortment of peculiar merchandise,

As well as fan-made songs with cringe-worthy yet strangely addictive lyrics, promoted across all platforms. Naturally, they also featured an intense devotion to the Shepherd God.

This form of promotion felt oddly familiar yet bizarrely absurd upon closer contemplation.

Finally, amidst the chaotic mix of videos, a standout comment emerged in the comment section.

Bystander: Doesn't this seem a bit like fan culture promotion tactics?

Bystander 2: Lol, exactly my thoughts.

Bystander 3: How did these videos even pop up? What’s with this church? Are modern churches really this trendy?

Pineapple Pizza: Wait, don’t you guys find it absurd? The scenes in that first video, I dreamt about them too!

Beef Pizza: I was just about to say that! On any platform, any mention of this dream gets censored, but my buddy and I confirmed in reality, we dreamt the exact same thing! Exactly what's in the video, it's scientifically inexplicable! This isn’t something hallucinogens can clarify!

Sleepy: Yes, I wanted to bring this up earlier. I feel this video will be censored soon, but the more they hide it, the more suspicious it gets. Maybe the so-called God that saved Arkham is real!

Burger: ...Seriously, I'm starting to consider joining a religion. What’s going on with this world? Are gods and demons real? I want to know how to contact this church. Does anyone have their info?

Arthur: I know them. Recently, many people from this church have been volunteering. I’ve received their help too. I’ve been wanting to learn more about this church. It seems much better than any other church I’ve known.

Cola: (laughing emoji) Seriously, what's up with this church? Such modern promotion tactics, is that really okay? I'm kinda interested too.

Hussy: Yeah, won’t their deity smite the followers for this? Although I find it fun and down-to-earth.

Job and his companions' mouths gaped open, having not closed since watching the video.

Past cults: low-profile, mysterious, elitist, mad, hidden in darkness and society’s underbelly.

Modern cults: fan circle promotion, video editing, creating character designs, fan-made songs, church doctrines.

Was this the cult that nearly annihilated them?

Job and his team recalled the fervent and bloodthirsty demeanor of the cultists they had encountered, unable to connect them with the creators of these videos.

"This... this is..." Job's mind was a whirl of confusion.

"This is why I said your previous investigation was misguided," Eugene adjusted his glasses.

Job: "I don't understand... what does this mean? They’re blatantly promoting a cult online, and... they even openly declare that the Gatekeeper is the god they worship."

Isn't this the same as self-exposure?

"Oh, Job," Eugene sneered coldly, "Did the battle knock your brains out? Do you think if their god really has anything to do with the Gatekeeper, he would allow his followers to expose themselves like this?"

Eugene knew more than Job and his team. The existence of the Gatekeeper was probably extremely unique, even among eldritch entities.

Evidence of this was the influx of various organizations into the city, all targeting the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper’s appearance was deliberately obscured, clearly to hide his distinct features.

Eugene’s insistence on focusing them on a different task wasn’t abandonment of the Gatekeeper’s investigation but a strategic move. He knew that more than just the Inspection Bureau was probing into the Gatekeeper’s affairs in Arkham, and moving too hastily could attract unwanted attention from other parties.

"Then these videos..."

"Probably the work of other forces," Eugene speculated.

At this point, Job and his team also remembered how the behind-the-scenes forces of the Star-Gazing Squad seemed to be steering them towards the Secret Church.

The current situation strikingly resembled the past, where they first learned from Destiny that the god of the Secret Church might be the Gatekeeper.

Without their information, Job and his team might not have clashed with the Secret Church.

At this thought, Job clenched his fists tightly.

Regrettably, those people had already been eliminated by Edmond; otherwise, he really wanted to exact some retribution from them.

Noticing Job's expression, Eugene sneered, “Now you realize your folly, huh? Being played and yet clueless. The situation in Arkham is not as simple as you think. Guess how many powers were watching coldly from the shadows while you were being chased by the Secret Church yesterday?”

Dana and Job were rendered speechless.

Job closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, “I understand. We won't engage in a dead-end fight with the Secret Church anymore.”

“A wise decision,” said Eugene coldly, glancing at the video on the computer, “These things show that even if we don’t act, other powers have already set their sights on the Secret Church.”

“Why would that mysterious power target the Secret Church?” Dana couldn't help asking, “And why forcibly link them to the Gatekeeper? Are they suspecting that the Gatekeeper is the god of the Secret Church?”

“No, their actions suggest a desire to destroy the church. If it were mere suspicion, this is too overt,” Eugene glanced at Job and the others, “Their goal, I suspect, is to lure fools like you into the trap, making the Secret Church a target and killing them by proxy.”

“Who are you calling a fool?!” Dana flared up instantly.

“Whoever fell for such an obvious trap is the fool,” retorted Eugene impassively, “Sadly, after yesterday's incident, no force would be foolish enough to clash head-on with the Secret Church. This power’s cunning plan is likely to fail.”

Eunice murmured, “So we’re powerless against this mysterious force?”

“You didn’t leave any survivors,” Eugene glanced at Edmond, “You suffered in vain and didn’t get a single piece of information, not even the name of the force scheming against the Inspection Bureau.”

Edmond said, “Star-Gazing…”

“What?”

Edmond spoke softly, “I remember, in their conversations, they mentioned this term several times, something like the Star-Gazing Guild.”

“Star-Gazing…” Eugene narrowed his eyes, “I'll look into it. But your primary task remains the same: track down Albert. As for the Gatekeeper’s task, let's set it aside for now.”

Jobe pursed his lips, still seemingly reluctant. Eugene looked at him coldly, then slowly took out a silver card from his pocket.

The card was etched with strange and mysterious patterns that could induce dizziness if stared at for too long, its intertwined lines reminiscent of the fabled threads of the Fates.

"This is also an order conveyed by 'him'," Eugene said, a hint of fervor in his eyes when mentioning 'him'. "You know what this means, Gage. 'He' is watching over this place, and has judged that what's more important now is to find Albert."

"His judgment is absolutely correct. The rest only need to obey, and thus humanity can be saved."

Jobe's demeanor relaxed as he gazed at the card, accepting it with solemnity.

This seemed to indicate Jobe's concession. Edmund watched quietly, trying to decipher the meaning behind it all.

This Director... seemed to hold a very high and revered position within the Inspection Bureau.

"Of course, I have no reason to spare those pests who dared to strike at the Inspection Bureau," Eugene said. "You don't need to worry about it anymore. I'll dismantle them on another level."

Another level? Edmund glanced curiously at Eugene.

"I need to know the specifics of this mission," Jobe said gravely, glancing at Edmund. "I have many questions about this Albert."

Edmund thought it was probably his strange behavior during his amnesiac phase that had raised Jobe's suspicions about Albert.

"I'll tell you on the way." Eugene tossed a set of car keys to Jobe.

Edmund wanted to follow but had no reason to, so he could only watch them leave.

"Edmund~ You'll have to take care of Iddy and the others at the hospital for a while," Clee suddenly approached Edmund, standing very close. Edmund's pupils contracted, but he didn’t have time to change his expression. "Hm? What's wrong? You look so solemn."

"...Nothing, I was just wondering if Albert really betrayed us," Edmund replied. "When I was at the police station, the officers there really admired him. It's hard to imagine him as an accomplice to a cult."

"Who knows, really. It's said that one can know a person's face, but not their heart," Clee said nonchalantly.

"…Yes," Edmund replied, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.

Edmond suddenly realized that if the Inspection Squad's next target was to focus on finding Albert, then who was now the only clue?

— Archie!

That Eugene, he didn't seem like a good person.

……

Meanwhile, Archie, unaware of the looming crisis, didn't leave the Inspection Bureau's base immediately after finding no one else there but himself. Instead, he closed his eyes and entered the realm of dreams.

On high alert these past few days, coupled with the unknown punishments for incorrect answers to riddles, Archie didn't dare take risks under the Inspection Bureau's watch. It had been a while since he last sought answers from Sphinx, but his problems didn't disappear; they continually hovered in his mind.

"You're here." In the realm of dreams, Sphinx idly swished its tail. "What will you ask today?"

"I didn't get to ask you last time, about the Faceless One who replaced you. Why did he appear?"

Sphinx: "Seen but not beheld, heard but not acknowledged, touched but not felt, where does it reside?"

Archie thought for a moment and replied, "In the heart."

"Correct." Sphinx licked its fur. "He appeared because he was bound to, sooner or later."

Archie frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It depends on your interpretation. I can only say that as long as you follow this path, you'll inevitably encounter such entities. It might not always be the Faceless One; it could be other oddities," Sphinx said. "But encountering an oddity at this time, that was deliberate."

"Someone wants to kill you, Archie, and it's been since you entered the realm of dreams."

"Who?"

Sphinx shook its head. "I cannot answer that question."

"Then give me a riddle!"

"No, this isn't a matter of riddles."

Archie furrowed his brows tightly, suddenly recalling that the current Sphinx couldn't answer questions beyond the asker's level of understanding.

Did that mean the truth was beyond Archie's current scope, involving deeper players or matters?

As Archie sunk into deep thought, Sphinx subtly hinted: "Though you can't know, it doesn't mean the truth is beyond your grasp."

Isn't there a presence of an evil god right beside you?

Catching the hint, Archie was about to speak when Sphinx abruptly said, "Someone's coming. It's time for you to go."

With that, Sphinx promptly ejected Archie from the realm of dreams.

Archie opened his eyes in reality and immediately heard footsteps outside the door.

The visitor didn't knock but directly opened the door, revealing a falsely smiling face: "Just as I thought, Dr. Archie."

"Who are you?" Archie narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar face, quite different from the Job he had seen before.

Unaware of the previous conflict between the Hidden Church and the Inspection Bureau, Archie sensed changes in the external situation, such as the Inspection Squad not returning from an investigation and sending distress signals to Edmond, who stayed at the base.

Seeing Job now surprised Archie, as he had been healthy when he left but now appeared pale and weak, as if recovering from a serious illness.

What happened? What changed outside?

As Archie pondered, Eugene walked in authoritatively, fixating his gaze on Archie: "Nice to meet you. I'm Eugene Mendley. I have a query about Albert Aiken."

Archie's pupils contracted slightly, but he remained composed: "Albert? I haven't seen him in a long time and have nothing to tell you about him."

Eugene stared at him, then slowly smiled: "Indeed, you do know something."

"Oh? How so?"

"Dr. Archie, your control over your emotions and facial muscles is impressive, but have you forgotten something crucial?" Eugene's smile widened, "Isn't it unusual to be so indifferent about an old friend's mention?"

"Unless... you already know his whereabouts."

Eugene's words thundered in Archie's heart, instantly heightening his vigilance as he slowly raised his eyes to meet the cunning smile of the man before him.

"Almost forgot to introduce myself. Though I am not as accomplished as Dr. Archie with several psychology doctorates, my unique abilities have given me considerable practical experience in psychology," Eugene said, his eyes behind the black-framed glasses holding Archie's gaze like a hunting snake. "Please… answer my upcoming questions carefully. If I sense any evasion, I might have to resort to some coercive measures."

Archie chuckled slowly, "Are you threatening a consultant working for the police?"

"Apologies," Eugene pulled out a badge, "Our headquarters can issue special arrest warrants, no charges or evidence needed. Of course, I believe I have the ability to prevent you from seeking external civil rights groups, so please cooperate fully."

Archie’s expression finally turned cold as he glanced at Jobe, "So inviting me here was not as a consultant, but as a suspect."

Jobe showed a bitter smile, "Sorry, Dr. Archie, we didn’t want to use these methods initially."

"Enough talk." Eugene pulled up a chair to sit across from Archie, "Let me get straight to the point. Do you know the whereabouts of Albert?"

"I don’t know," Archie answered firmly.

Eugene's smile deepened, his fingers on his glasses, "It seems we need to take some coercive measures right from the start."

"Wait, Eugene," Jobe intervened, "May I ask first?"

Eugene looked at Jobe coldly, "You have ten minutes."

With someone else sitting across from Archie and Eugene watching coldly with arms crossed, Jobe apologized first, "Sorry, Dr. Archie, I didn’t foresee this situation when I invited you."

"Oh?" Archie almost laughed in disbelief, "So, the surveillance on my phone and computer was installed by me, huh?"

Jobe's eyes flashed with surprise, and for a moment he was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak. Finally, he lowered his head, "Albert is involved in a serious matter. If you know his whereabouts, please tell us. We can discuss any compensation afterwards."

"Then tell me what he did first," Archie said, "That makes the Inspection Bureau go to such lengths."

"It goes back to the recent disaster in Arkham. Actually, it was a plan by an organization called the Foreigners to drag the entire Arkham into a dream. Of course, they failed in the end."

Archie, of course, knew the whole story but pretended not to, "Wasn’t that a hallucinogenic drug leak?"

"No, it wasn't." Jobe clarified, "That's the necessary story for the public."

Eugene suddenly laughed, "Still playing the game of being an ordinary person, Dr. Hayes?"

Archie looked at him, noticing a watch on Eugene's wrist that Jobe found familiar, previously worn by Iddy.

The watch had only two hands, one longer than the other, now pointing to 'bizarre'.

This was also an oddity, shared within Jobe's squad, used to detect if a person was a superhuman. It was used once before when they went to find Karens, confirming that he wasn't a superhuman.

Strangely, Karens later became a superhuman seeking revenge. Ethically, this was impossible, as no one could awaken to the Dream Gap and simultaneously break through to become a superhuman with an origin ability in such a short time.

Either an oddity with the opposite effect was interfering, or the vengeful Karens they met later was fake.

Both possibilities were uncertain. If Karens was a superhuman before, it made no sense that he didn’t resist when they subdued him. And if the later Karens was fake, that didn't add up either.

Because when fighting that Karens, Jobe felt genuine, deep-seated hatred emanating from him.

So, the only possibility left was that there was something wrong with the watch oddity itself.

Jobe had discussed this with Eugene, but the latter still took the watch. Jobe was about to remind him when Eugene stopped him with a look.

Archie, seeing the watch on Eugene's wrist, was shaken. He remembered Lann mentioning that in this world, besides superhumans born from the Dream Gap, there were also strange objects, including oddities and pollutants.

Is this an oddity? Can it discern if someone is a superhuman?

If so, then there was a flaw in his previously crafted persona. If 'Archie' was a superhuman, he shouldn't have been unaware that Arkham's disaster was real.

No, wait a minute!

Archie abruptly looked up at Eugene, only to see suppressed excitement in his eyes, "Dr. Hayes, you've been silent for too long. Are you pondering whether this is a superhuman object?"

It's a psychological battle!

Sweat broke out on Archie's forehead. Regardless of whether it was an oddity or not, his initial reaction should have been skepticism, not fixating on the watch, effectively exposing himself.

"Speaking of which, the name Hayes sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere," Eugene tapped his temple with a finger, his smile widening like a snake about to bite its prey. "Ah, yes, there was an investigator long ago with that surname, I believe his name was Charlie Hayes…"

"Do you know what relation he has to you?"

In an instant, rage burned from the soles of Archie's feet to his brain. It took all his strength to restrain himself from punching Eugene in the face.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down—just like conducting a psychological evaluation for a criminal, no matter how despicable the person, as a psychological consultant, the first rule is to discard personal bias and anger, as rage can lead to irrational decisions.

Archie quickly reorganized information and strategies in his mind, then opened his eyes, his voice hoarse and growling, "Don't mention that scum to me!"

"I haven't had anything to do with him for a long time!"

He gasped for breath, his chest heaving, as if a nerve had been struck. His eyes revealed anger and hatred, but considering his previous statement and apparent history, one could deduce his resentment towards his father for abandoning the family.

Eugene's gaze carefully swept over his face, "Do you know your father's identity?"

"What does it matter if I know or not," Archie said coldly, "Can that justify him abandoning us? No matter who he is or what he has done, he's always been nothing but scum to me."

Jobe was taken aback. He had investigated Archie's background and knew he grew up with his mother, with his father rarely at home and his activities unknown. He initially thought it was just another melodramatic story, but now, connecting it to Eugene's words...

"Did you learn about oddities and superhumans from your father?" Jobe asked.

Good question. Archie closed his eyes, seemingly exhausted, "I don't know. He did leave a note, and it mentioned some strange things. I tried it once, occasionally dreaming about being in a place filled with fog, but that's all."

"What about the note?"

"Of course, I burned it. Why would I keep that scum's belongings?" Archie said coldly.

Eugene pondered, "Knowing this world isn't simple, why did you pretend not to know the truth about the Arkham disaster?"

"I've never seen so many monsters," Archie explained, "I only suspected before, wasn't sure."

"Fine, I'll accept that reason. Since you already know this world isn't simple, let me tell you briefly," Eugene said, "We caught a witness involved in the Foreigners' conspiracy. He revealed that the mastermind behind the previous disaster, the leader of the Foreigners, Soren, left behind an inheritance. This inheritance could be the key to opening 'the door.' Only Albert knows its whereabouts. If we can't find Albert, the disaster in Arkham might repeat."

He pointed at Archie's chest, "And if you conceal his whereabouts for personal reasons, you'll become one of the culprits behind this disaster."