Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Lan couldn't quite describe the feeling, he simply had a thought, and the dream realm responded.

When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed from the hospital in his divine realm to a familiar apartment.

Is this... where Archie lived as a child?

Compared to the apartment they had visited before, this one seemed newer. At least the white walls weren't overgrown with vines, the tiles were uncracked, and the attire of the passersby seemed outdated to Lan's current eyes.

Then, a breeze passed by Lan, and turning his head, he spotted a blond young boy running past him.

The striking part was... he had the same eyes and brows as the future Albert.

Lan called out tentatively, "Hey, Albert?"

The boy didn't respond and ran into the apartment like a gust of wind. Hesitating for a moment, Lan recalled this might be a subconscious or spiritual world, and followed by stepping inside.

A familiar apartment manager lay drunkenly at the front desk. Lan glanced at him and, without turning back, followed Albert upstairs.

The boy seemed completely unaware of the stranger following him, or was it that he couldn't notice?

To test his theory, Lan quickened his pace, attempting to grab the young Albert's shirt.

—He failed.

Lan's fingers passed through the fabric. Standing still, he watched the young Albert dash up the stairs, then gazed down at his own hand.

In that instant, his fingers became ethereal, suggesting he was like a ghost in this realm. Or was it because Albert's memory didn't include him, so Lan couldn't alter what had already happened in his memory?

More clues were needed.

Lan ascended the stairs, following Albert's steps, sensing he was about to witness something significant.

As expected, Albert rushed up to the third floor on the creaking staircase. A room's door on the hallway was already open, with a younger Archie, noticeably smaller, standing at the doorway, a small smile on his face: "Albert..."

Hiss—Could a young Archie really smile like that?

Lan's eyes widened slightly, instinctively memorizing this rare scene. The young Archie's face, softened by baby fat, made his adult features less stern. His eyes, rounder than in adulthood, sparkled with cuteness when he smiled.

Oh no, suddenly understanding the charm of the young Archie, how would he face the adult version after this?

Lan clutched his chest in distress, perplexed by what could have made Archie so aloof as an adult.

The two boys entered the room, chatting and laughing, oblivious to Lan's following them.

"Archie, you won't believe it, but everything written in that notebook is true!" Albert said excitedly as soon as the door closed, "I successfully entered that fog-filled space. The notebook isn't lying!"

Archie's smile faded into a forced one, and he lowered his head, "You... you tried it?"

Seeing Archie's complex expression, Albert seriously placed his hands on Archie's shoulders, "Maybe your father didn't abandon you. Perhaps he had some important mission, like the secret agents on TV, needing to hide his identity."

"Really?" Archie murmured softly, "But everyone around says he fled because he caused trouble outside, afraid of retribution."

"Don't believe what they say. Isn't the notebook he left behind evidence? There must be reasons we don't know!" Albert insisted, "I'll find out the truth and shut them up!"

Archie lifted his head: "Thank you, Albert, you're the only one who believes me."

Leaning against the wall, Lan blinked, musing, "So this is youth, huh? No wonder they say Albert is Archie's unrequited love..."

The promises and aspirations of youth indeed appear pure and beautiful to adults.

The two boys delved into the notes left by Archie's father. For boys their age, the idea of supernatural abilities was irresistibly fascinating. By the time they looked up from their notes, the sky outside had darkened.

Albert stood to leave, taking the notebook with him for further study. Archie didn't object. Following Albert on his way home, Lan thought this might be when Albert began suspecting Archie's father's identity, eventually leading him to join the Inspection Bureau as an adult.

The thought was quite romantic—seeking the truth for a dear friend...

However, this idea was brutally shattered by the reality Lan witnessed later.

Lan stared in astonishment at the plethora of clues piled up in Albert's room, a whiteboard standing at the window plastered with photos of Archie's father, marked with red and black lines tracing his movements.

Most of these photos, seemingly taken covertly, showed him attending church activities or entering secretive clubs.

In the center was even a photo with Soren and Charlie Hayes. Soren's gaze in the photo seemed to subtly notice the photographer, perhaps aware of the spying.

Impressive.

Lan looked at Albert, who was busily writing at his desk. This was no longer about seizing an opportunity. Was young Albert really this brave??

He couldn't help but walk over to the desk, seeing Albert writing something in a notebook.

[November 20th, three months since Charlie Hayes' disappearance, still no clue. According to the evidence from Archie's home and surroundings, Charlie Hayes likely disappeared around September 5th. During that period, people in the neighborhood reported seeing a group of suspicious men in black accompanying Archie's father into an alley.]

He circled the word 'men in black,' pondered for a moment, then stood up to search for something at the computer desk.

Lan, driven by curiosity, walked over to the seat where Albert had been working and looked at the contents of his notebook.

Men in black...

Ah, this must be about the incident involving Archie's father. Has the investigation reached this depth?

Lan was astounded, glancing at Albert, who was intensely typing on the keyboard, and decided to flip through the notebook.

The notebook was like a record of investigation, with the first page outlining Albert's ambitious goal.

He aimed to uncover the criminal activities of the organization behind Charlie Hayes and report this cult to the police, so that Archie's father would no longer be absent from home so often.

Lan: ...

It's remarkable that Albert has managed to come this far.

Turning the pages, Lan realized that Albert's lofty words were backed by action. The notebook detailed the activities of the 'strangers' organization, their recruitment times, meeting locations, etc. Though the methods were still naive, the investigation was systematically progressing and being put into practice.

However, Albert was trailing no ordinary people. Wouldn't the man named Charlie notice?

Lan flipped through more pages and noticed the records abruptly stopped.

[Discovered by Archie's father, the trail went cold, and I even got told off by my parents qwq]

[But it's strange, why didn't Charlie do anything to me? He even returned my notebook without destroying its contents, and there's even an additional line of handwriting.]

Handwriting...

Lan turned to the last page of the notebook and indeed found a line of handwriting starkly different from Albert's, firmer and more forceful. It was just a string of incomprehensible English letters, not indicating anything specific.

On the other side, Albert, frustrated, slapped the table, drawing Lan's attention back. Lan noticed that Albert's browsing history was filled with keywords like 'strangers,' 'special police,' 'mysterious disappearances,' and more.

Finding nothing, but that's to be expected. Matters about another world are all on a special website...

The next moment, Albert, previously frustrated at the computer, suddenly stood up, grabbed his notebook from the desk, and continued flipping through it. Then, as if recalling something, he picked up Charlie Hayes' notebook he had gotten from Archie and compared the pages.

"Is this a code?" Albert murmured, picking up a pen to rewrite something on the side.

Lan: ?

He moved closer to Albert, who was completely unaware of his presence, engrossed in deciphering the mysterious string of letters left in Charlie Hayes' notes.

An hour later, Albert excitedly entered the deciphered letters into the browser's address bar.

[Welcome to the truth of the world!]

As Albert logged in, Lan quietly read this phrase aloud.

The site Albert opened was the internal network of this world, the same website Lan had accessed before, which he had found from the information left by Charlie Hayes.

But why would Charlie Hayes leave such a message?

Lan recalled the diary recording Charlie's deepest secrets, from which it was clear he was a standard investigator: just, patient, willing to sacrifice for his cause.

Someone like him and Albert... were very alike.

Did he see himself in Albert? Psychologically, humans are deeply empathetic creatures, often understanding others' feelings and the meanings behind their actions. Therapists' empathy allows them to convey meaningful messages from their clients' perspectives.

Charlie Hayes saw the potential of an investigator in Albert and thus left an ambiguous string of letters in his notes.

But these letters didn't directly reveal the website; they had to be combined with his other notes to form a complete web address.

This means... he was assuming... if Albert could access his notes, did it also imply that he was no longer alive?

Lan tried to think from Charlie Hayes' perspective: seeing a young man so similar to himself delving into unimaginable darkness, as an investigator, his first instinct would be to intervene.

But he also knew the investigation he was involved in was perilously dangerous. If he were to die accidentally one day, this talented boy might repeat his mistakes, or even worse, could be targeted by the strangers due to his previous investigations.

The only solution might be to connect him with the Inspection Bureau for some protection.

Wait, was Charlie Hayes at this time already aware of the complexities within the Inspection Bureau but still continuing his investigation?

Young Albert excitedly explored the newly revealed world on the website, filled with an array of bizarre content that seemed like a gathering place for people with delusional fantasies, featuring posts about magic potions, spells, and supernatural abilities.

Hesitating for a moment, Albert tried to create a new post:

"Does anyone know about 'special police'?"

His finger hovered over the enter key, about to send the message, when suddenly he froze.

Lan, standing behind Albert, watched him curiously as the boy's back stiffened as if he had seen something unbelievable through the computer screen.

"Hmm, I should go to the bathroom first," Albert said nonchalantly, grabbing his phone and heading towards the door.

Lan, uninterested in following to the bathroom, remained where he was.

He didn't see that Albert, standing up and walking towards the door with his back to him, was gasping slightly, his face etched with terror.

That dreadful presence was standing right behind him.

It was dressed like a figure from a Western court painting, a vest highlighting a slender waist, but from the neck upwards, it was shrouded in mist.

What is that, what is that, what is that?

Initially, Albert nearly recoiled in fright upon noticing the reflection on the computer screen, but with the terrifying presence standing behind him, he endured, even though he was trembling with fear.

It's okay, it didn't follow him, still standing there.

Albert took a careful, deep breath and clenched his teeth, pretending to be normal as he walked to the door.

Soon he would be there, soon he could call for help. Luckily his parents weren't home today; he just needed to get out of this room.

Albert's palm finally grasped the doorknob. The 'monster' behind him still hadn't moved, and he sighed in relief inside his head. Twisting the handle, he hurried to escape the room with the lurking monster—

Whoosh—

Outside the door, a butcher with a pig's head, holding a blood-stained axe high above, swung it down viciously in Albert's stunned gaze!

Overwhelmed by terror, the blond youth's expression of narrow escape froze on his face. Suddenly, a powerful force yanked him back by the neck,

Lan, with quick reflexes, pulled Albert back by the collar, narrowly dodging the butcher's axe.

A D-level anomaly, the Heaven's Butcher!

Lan was about to use his staff but suddenly his expression changed.

He couldn't feel the connection to the Dream Gap anymore. Whether it was the dice, bell, staff, or other believers' abilities, they all seemed to lose their effect at this moment.

It was as if he had returned to his weakest period.

The Heaven's Butcher, a monster with a pig's head and a muscular human body, stood a whopping one and a half meters tall. Its arms were thicker than Lan's thighs. After missing its initial strike, its blood-red eyes scanned the room, its greedy gaze shifting between Albert and Lan, as if choosing its prey.

Lan's palms were sweaty; he could sense a strong murderous intent emanating from the anomaly, undoubtedly the gaze of a predator sizing up its prey.

But in his current state, with nothing at hand, could he really defeat a D-level anomaly?

As Lan doubted himself, he suddenly noticed Albert breaking free from his grasp. With deep fear in his eyes, he stumbled back, desperately lunging for a fruit knife on the table.

This is bad!

Sure enough, in the next second of Albert's movement, the Heaven's Butcher, previously still as if choosing its prey, set its target on Albert. Its massive body filled the room in an instant, closing the two-meter gap with a single leap and kicking Albert in the abdomen with its thick leg!

"Ugh!" Albert's body arched as he spat out blood and saliva, slamming harshly against the wall and passing out.

"Albert!"

Lan instinctively rushed to him but caught sight of the axe in his peripheral vision.

Lan ducked swiftly, dodging the swing. The Heaven's Butcher's axe missed its mark, eliciting an angry roar.

This is really bad!

The space in Albert's room was limited, and with the Heaven's Butcher's entry, it occupied nearly a third of it, leaving Lan very little room to maneuver. The doorway was completely blocked by the Butcher.

The only remaining exit…

Lan instinctively looked towards the room's window, only to see the Heaven's Butcher lifting a desk and throwing it towards the window, effectively blocking the only potential escape route.

A chill went through Lan as he slowly turned back, meeting the Heaven's Butcher's mocking gaze.

An anomaly... with intelligence.

Now, the situation was dire.

The Heaven's Butcher raised its axe high and swung mercilessly in Lan's direction. Lan quickly rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding the strike.

The axe cleaved the room's only bed in half, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

His heart sank further.

It's over.

Without his tools, he had no chance of defeating these anomalies. Wasn't this like delivering himself on a platter?

The sharp edge of the axe cut through the air again, and Lan barely dodged, but his space to evade was rapidly diminishing.

Almost the entire room was destroyed by the Heaven's Butcher, and for some reason, despite the commotion, no one nearby seemed to hear anything. It was as if this space existed only for them. Eventually, Lan kept retreating until he stumbled upon an obstacle. Looking down, he realized he had backed up to where Albert lay unconscious.

There was nowhere left to retreat. If he moved back any further, Albert would be killed by the Heaven's Butcher.

The pig-headed anomaly, as if knowing they had reached a dead end, raised its axe high, laughing sinisterly, and swung it down viciously!

In that instant, numerous images flashed through Lan's mind, like a carousel of memories. But finally, the feelings of fear and terror inside him ebbed away like a receding tide.

He suddenly thought, were those tools he unlocked in the Dream Gap just mere objects?

If he truly was a deity, then what did those tools symbolize in his dreams?

If he is a god…

Why should he fear the ants on the ground?

Mist spread from Lan's feet. The Heaven's Butcher's axe paused mid-air, and for the first time, deep fear appeared on its pig-like face.

Lan reached out and grabbed the sharp axe. The seemingly lethal weapon couldn't cut through his delicate, pale palm.

The mist swirled around his face, and Lan heard the sound of a dice spinning near his ear again.

But the dice had no physical form.

Or maybe, whether it was tangible or not didn't matter.

Because these things, after all, were within the domain of a god.

[Power Struggle: Successful]

[Brawling: Successful]

Lan lifted his head, gripping the axe tightly. His body soared into the air, and with a swift kick, his leg whip swept across the Heaven's Butcher's legs.

In the clash of small against large, the Heaven's Butcher, which didn't seem to feel much force from Lan, was overpowered by an indescribable strength and fell to the ground. Lan's youthful hand then grasped its throat.

The Heaven's Butcher let out a piercing scream, akin to that of a pig being slaughtered – sharp, shrill, desperate. The noise jolted the previously unconscious Albert awake, his senses overwhelmed by the smell of blood, barely comprehending his surroundings as he instinctively looked up.

He saw a creature dressed in elegant Western court attire, overpowering the pig-headed beast. The chilling screams from the beast's throat, the blood-like threads emerging from its body, coalescing into a seed in Lan's hand.

Thud—

The Heaven's Butcher's husk fell to the ground, its spirit completely drained, much like the Faceless Ones Lan had encountered before.

Lan had always thought the tools he acquired in the Dream Gap were the sources of his power, leaving him feeling helpless when deprived of them.

But at this moment, he had an epiphany.

Those objects existed because Lan, in his subconscious, resisted the fact that he was a deity. Believing himself to be human, he thought humans shouldn't possess such bizarre powers, hence manifesting them as tools.

But in reality, these were his innate abilities, his domain.

It was his true self, buried deep within his soul.

Once Lan realized this, he no longer needed the tools to wield these powers.

Crack—

The commotion behind him caught Lan's attention. Turning around, he saw Albert's face filled with fear.

emmmmm……

Did he really look that frightening?

Lan rubbed his face in confusion, unable to understand. His face, although not dazzling at first sight, surely wasn't terrifying enough to induce such fear.

Lan initially wanted to communicate with Albert, but upon looking down, he noticed his body seemed to be turning transparent.

Did this mean he would soon return to the state where everyone couldn't see him?

Thinking this, Lan walked up to Albert, crouched in front of him, and despite Albert's fear, moved closer. Soon, he satisfactorily saw his own reflection gradually disappearing from the young man's eyes.

But before vanishing completely, he wanted to make one last attempt.

"Albert, don't trust the Inspection Bureau," Lan said, "If possible, just be a regular policeman."

This path might be more suitable for him.

No need to carry the burden of darkness and responsibility, just execute your justice under the sun.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lan saw his reflection disappear completely from Albert's eyes. Simultaneously, the surroundings began to change rapidly, accelerating to the point where Lan couldn't see clearly. In this topsy-turvy environment, Lan remained motionless.

Finally, the changes stopped.

Lan reopened his eyes to find the environment around him had changed once again.

Before him stood a young adult version of Albert, now closely resembling the image Lan had of him – blonde hair, blue eyes, and a physique more robust than his peers, devoid of the baby fat from his youth and now possessing handsome, well-defined features.

And the person standing opposite him was someone Lan recognized all too well.

"The leader of the foreigners, Soren."

"'Albert, I need you to enroll in Miskatonic University as a student,' Soren said."

"'Why?' Albert furrowed his brow, looking puzzled. 'Is there something special about that university?'"

"To the locals of Arkham City, Miskatonic University was far less renowned than Arkham University. It didn't participate in academic rankings, had an odd academic atmosphere, and rarely produced universally recognized successes. Its students and faculty often delved into bizarre and obscure fields of study. No parent would send their child there unless they had no other choice."

"Strangely, despite admitting very few students each year, the university never closed and didn’t accept donations from anyone other than alumni."

Soren smiled oddly, "You'll find out once you get in. I need you to enter a certain lab and retrieve some documents. This is your mission to penetrate the core level."

"Yes, I understand."

Thus, Albert enrolled as a regular student at the university, with Lann following him, unnoticed by Albert.

At that moment, Lann was pondering the mechanisms of this mental world. He thought defeating the bizarre creatures earlier would have saved Albert and brought them back to reality, but it seems that wasn't the case.

Was it because other strange creatures still existed? Did they need to kill all the creatures to return? But why could Albert only see him at specific times? It seemed like the other times were just Albert's normal memories.

From the current situation, it seemed Albert was still following his original path, joining the Inspection Bureau and becoming an undercover agent amongst the foreigners. Lann's previous warnings had apparently made no impact, leaving no trace.

Lann continued to mull over the puzzle, following Albert and experiencing the legendary Miskatonic University through his memories.

Akam's weather was overcast, matching the Gothic style of Miskatonic University. Lann, following Albert's steps into the school, looked around curiously.

As rumored, Miskatonic University had few students. Unlike other university towns where students of all kinds could be seen everywhere, it was quite deserted here.

And so began Albert's student life.

Due to the small number of students, Miskatonic's curriculum was quite different from other universities. The first half of the first academic year allowed students to freely attend any class. In the second semester, they decided on their major and field, and from the second year, there were no more uniform major classes but instead research or study under a chosen mentor.

As for graduation, if your mentor deemed you qualified enough, you would naturally receive a diploma. Of course, if you really couldn't graduate, there was also the option of following the regular procedure.

"However, going the regular route usually means you won't get a recommendation letter from your mentor," Albert's senior grimly explained. "Our school is only famous for producing eccentrics. Just having a diploma won't do you much good outside… you’ll soon understand."

Indeed, Lann and Albert soon found out, right in their first class.

The history professor on the podium suddenly imitated a rooster crowing and, embarrassed, explained to the students that this was a side effect from his last expedition to the Amazon rainforest, and they shouldn't mind it.

A female student raised her hand, "Excuse me, professor, what ancient ruins were you researching in the Amazon? I vaguely remember there aren't any famous historical sites there."

"Oh, oh," the lecturer grinned, showing eight teeth, "Of course, you can't find this in history books. The era we researched is incredibly ancient. Most importantly, the dynasty we studied wasn't established by humans, but by a serpent race. They had similar living habits to ours. Our neighbor, Manuel Bromfield from another department, always believed that humans have the habit of living in groups because these serpent people used to enslave humans, making it easier to manage us."

The female student in the audience gaped in shock, then grabbed her book and left the classroom.

"Sorry, I was wrong; this is just a gathering place for lunatics."

She left those words behind and hurriedly withdrew from the university. The history professor remained unfazed: "Well, there will always be laymen who can't accept this. Shall we continue? Let me tell you about my fascinating journey. It was quite interesting."

...Perhaps this is why Miskatonic University's reputation outside is as a gathering place for madmen, frauds, fools, and eccentrics.

The only ones who could stay in such a school were, of course, eccentrics... and undercover agents.

Lann wasn't always with Albert, attending school alongside him. For him, this was like occasionally fast-forwarding movie scenes. Sometimes the flow of time was normal, and sometimes it sped up, leaping months or half a year, showing only key events like in a movie.

Since Miskatonic University students could only access the library after their second year, Albert spent his freshman year relatively subdued, until he chose his mentor in his sophomore year.

Soren summoned Albert again after a long absence, specifically directing him to join a particular lab and follow a specific mentor.

Albert finally couldn't help but ask a question he'd been holding back for a long time: "If I may ask, why don't you go in yourself?"

Originally, Albert thought Soren didn't enter Miskatonic University due to its tight security, but after a year there, he realized this wasn't the case. Although Miskatonic wasn't as open as most universities without fences, students and staff could freely come and go without guards or special enchantments at the entrances.

Faced with this question, Soren remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "No, I can't."

"There's a dog with a keen sense of smell there; it would detect my presence."

……

Thus, in the second semester, Albert chose his mentor as instructed by Soren: his name was Aldus McLeish.

Lan pondered, thinking that the name sounded familiar.

Soon, he recalled where he had heard the name.

Wasn't this the name he had encountered in the central courtyard of Arkham Hospital?

It seemed that everything was connected.

"...Few students choose my lab, hmm. My research in dreams is considered crazy by others, and it's hard to produce results," Aldus munched on a sandwich as he asked, "Why are you interested, Albert? I heard you were more keen on cryptid studies."

By the second semester, students who remained had undergone an orientation of worldviews, understanding that there are mysteries unknown to the common people. Those who couldn't accept this left the university, and their memories of these mysteries were erased.

"Knowing the unknown of this world is sometimes not a treasure but a curse."

The school psychologist said this regarding their mental challenges.

It was then that Albert realized why Soren insisted he attend this university. The place was a treasure trove of mystic studies, with countless hidden knowledge openly displayed in the library, a shocking revelation for every new student.

The monster studies Aldus referred to were actually studies of anomalies, teaching various types and levels of anomalies, some of which Albert had never found in the databases of the strangers or the Inspection Bureau.

"I'm interested in monster studies because I want to find an anomaly I encountered in my childhood," Albert explained. "But personally, I'm more fascinated by dream research."

"Oh? What kind of monster?" Aldus seemed indifferent to Albert's 'interest' but was more curious about the former. "I heard Horace spent a whole night searching the database for your anomaly and couldn't find it. He even bet me 10 yuan that such a monster doesn't exist."

"Well, I'm not sure either. It could've been a hallucination or a dream," Albert said with a wry smile. "It was a being in Western court attire, resembling a young man with a face shrouded in mist. It appeared in my childhood, killed a D-level anomaly attacking me, and then vanished."

Lan, who had been casually observing the lab, turned his head in disbelief upon hearing this.

The memory of that night actually remained?!

"Mist..." Aldus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting, it might not be an anomaly."

Albert was stunned: "Not an anomaly... then what could it be?"

"Who knows? Anything is possible in the world of dreams. Not only anomalies live there," Aldus said excitedly. "Care to bet? I'll wager 10 yuan that this creature exists!"

"But, it never appeared again after that day."

"Maybe there are certain conditions that need to be met for it to appear," Aldus suggested. "You might want to think back to that day, what you did to fulfill the conditions for its appearance."

What did I do?

Not only was Albert pondering, but Lan was also considering why he appeared at that particular moment.

Was it because Albert was in danger? Or due to the appearance of the anomaly?

And why could he see everything now? Was it his own power at play, or was it Albert's will?