The weightless feeling of falling suddenly woke Ed from his dream, and the residual pain surged up like superimposed waves, unforgettable.

He bit the feather pillow, veins popped out, and he was covered in cold sweat. He endured the feeling of his brain being twisted into a ball and tried hard not to scream.

After a while, until the pain gradually disappeared, he sat up from the bed tremblingly.

What exactly was the mechanical giant just now...?

Flame text appeared in front of the mirror:

[The incarnation of the subconscious. It seems that the other party has received subconscious protection training, and the defense mechanism is more complete than I expected.]

I hope you can be more accurate in your next life, so as not to let me suffer this kind of sin...

Ed was about to sneer when his eyes suddenly turned black and a touch of warmth flowed out of his nostrils.

It's a nosebleed.

What's going on? He covered his middle with his right palm and fumbled with the cotton handkerchief in his pocket with his left hand.

[The situation is not good. The emergency cut off of the dream link consumes a lot of temporary energy in the secret keeper program. In other words, we have less than 12 hours left. 】

12 hours?! This amount of time won’t even last until tomorrow night. There was a buzz in Ed’s head. He must find a way to get a character card by noon today at the latest.

Can I print character cards with the current data? Or at least give me some extra time.

[I'm afraid it won't work. The progress is stuck at 47%. You have to be at least 50% before you can print out the opponent's character card. 】

Is there really no other way? Ed covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, feeling despair.

【Shh, someone is coming.】

The flame text dissipated into nothingness.

Footsteps on the steps came from outside the door, was it Arthur? Did he see the clue?

"Ed, it's me." The sound of knuckles knocking on the door came from Arthur's voice.

"Oh, okay, wait a minute while I put on my clothes."

Ed hurriedly wiped his hands, mouth and nose clean with a handkerchief, turned on the light, looked in the mirror to confirm that his appearance was normal, and then opened the door:

"What's going on so late?"

Arthur looked serious, and the orange light of the incandescent lamp made his bright red curly hair particularly bright, like a burning flame. He held a piece of punched paper tape in his hand:

"Mr. Eaton sent a telegram saying that he had found important clues and asked us to leave for the Eastern District Police Station immediately."

Didn't he notice that I entered his dream? Ed was a little surprised. Bernard Eaton, he recalled the name mentioned in the recommendation letter, the owner of this detective agency.

Ed took the paper tape, which contained plain text code:

"There is an important discovery in the case, please come to the Eastern District Police Station immediately." At the end were the initials of Bernard Eaton.

It's almost 2:30 in the morning. What's so urgent?

After hesitating for a moment, Ed nodded: "Okay, I'll change my clothes right now."

"I'll call a rental carriage. You change your clothes and wait for me in the living room." Arthur nodded and turned around and went downstairs.

Ed pretended to change clothes in the room and looked up at himself in the mirror.

What should I do? Climb through the window and escape now?

He didn't think he could escape, and besides, this would arouse greater suspicion. He only had 12 hours, and if he was imprisoned, he would be dead.

The matter has come to an end, let's take advantage of it. Ed sighed and tied the buttons of his vest.

When Ed went downstairs while putting on his coat, Arthur was already waiting in the living room.

"Let's go, don't keep Mr. Eaton waiting too long." Arthur nodded to him and strode into the black night.

The air was filled with the smell of impending raindrops. Ed gently rubbed the tip of his nose, left his stick in the room, picked up his umbrella and followed.

…

Sure enough, it was pouring cold rain outside, and the moon was hidden in the clouds. It was almost impossible to see anything in the darkness, except for a few dim street lamps that gave off a little bit of light.

The wheels rose and fell on the bumpy road, driving away Ed's fatigue. The carriage driver in front was far less talkative than the one during the day, and was as silent as a stone.

The interior of the car was equally dim and dark, so quiet that one could hear the crows chirping under the eaves, the sound of water gathering into streams, and the sound of rutted wheels running over the brick road.

Going to the police station in the rain so late? What kind of clues did the Bureau of Investigation find that made it so eager to find me?

Could it be related to the Secret Keeper program... What would happen if the Bureau of Divine Investigation discovered the secret of my resurrection?

A bolt of lightning tore through the night, briefly illuminating the black world.

The flashing scene outside the window told Ed that this did not seem to be the way he came from the police station.

Damn it, is it possible...that telegram was not sent by Mr. Eaton at all?

Terrifying thoughts emerged in his mind, and the icy rain outside seemed to penetrate into Ed's skin.

"Boom -" the heart-stopping sound of thunder came from a distant place, and the downpour was coming in an instant.

"Arthur." Ed nudged Arthur with his elbow, trying to remind him of the strangeness in front of him.

"How..." Arthur was about to ask. Suddenly, his eyes widened with the same fear as Ed.

"parking!"

Arthur opened his mouth to order, but the trill at the end revealed his panic. Fear made him make a wrong move.

"I say it again, stop the car!"

While shouting, Arthur touched his hand to the holster under his coat.

"Bang -" This time it was not thunder, but the muzzle of the gun. The bullet was first shot from the direction of the coachman in front, ricocheted in the carriage, and ran rampant.

Ed wanted to push the door open and jump out, but found that the carriage door had been locked. He had to subconsciously protect his face with his elbows. He had already been shot in the head once and did not want to experience it a second time.

Arthur also reacted almost at the same time, pulled out the revolver in his holster and fired back - with the sound of several intertwined gunshots in the dark night, the coachman shook and fell sideways.

The panicked horses were frightened and struggled desperately, dragging the carriage over and neighing and getting loose.

Ed only felt that the world was turned upside down, the stars in the world were turning, and the stars in the sky were dim...

…

The cold rain soaked into his back, causing Arthur to wake up from a brief faint.

That coachman, I should have shot him.

He instinctively wanted to stand up, but his right leg fell sideways uncontrollably.

A warm current flowed through him, which was blood. The opponent's bullet hit the car seat and ricocheted into his knee.

Damn it! I should have thought of it a long time ago, how could Mr. Eaton send a message in clear text on this matter, and how could there be a rental carriage parked so close to the detective station at such a late hour...

He gasped shudderingly.

"Arthur, hold my hand!" On top of the car window, a palm dripping with raindrops stretched out.

It's Ed, he's okay! Arthur felt relieved for a moment. He held Ed's hand and endured the severe pain in his knees and climbed out of the cold car.

"We have to get out of here quickly, there may be more people on the other side!" Ed's tone was full of anxiety. The rain instantly drowned his voice, and he had to shout loudly.

There was lightning and thunder again, and several gloomy figures in the distance flashed past in the crackling rain curtain, heading towards their direction.

Ed supported Arthur and walked hard in the opposite direction while shouting for help. The heavy rain flowed down his face and into his mouth, making him inarticulate.

This is the East End, and no one is minding their own business. Arthur knows that.

The doors and windows all around were closed. At this moment, the dark city of bricks, stones and cement seemed like the abode of some ancient ghost, with tentacles of thunder and lightning streaking across the earth from time to time.

Arthur had a terrifying premonition that everything would end tonight. His mission, his story, his dream...and the glorious responsibility he firmly believed in.

But the sun will still light up a new day, it must be so, it must be so...

He let go of his hand on Ed's shoulder and let himself fall to the ground. Ed wanted to help him up again, but Arthur grabbed his wrist:

"Listen, Ed." He didn't care that his wet hair obscured his vision, stretched out his fingers, and his voice became higher pitched due to blood loss and trembling:

"Go forward from here and go through the alley. Cross three streets, which are the main traffic roads in the East District. There may be carriages passing by even on rainy nights."

"Arthur, I can't..." Ed was stunned for a moment.

"Listen, man, I'm going to find a way to help you delay a little longer, live well, and then end this."

Arthur stopped trembling and tried his best to smile. Another burst of thunder and lightning flashed, and his dark brown eyes shimmered.

"Okay, but I think it's best for both of us to be alive..."

Ed nodded, said backwards, and then ran deeper into the night without looking back.

"Of course, that's much better."

Arthur said in a voice that only he could hear. He forced himself to move behind the grocery bin, and black figures in raincoats were rushing towards him.

He tightened his grip on the revolver in his hand, praying that the gunpowder would still fire normally.

100 meters…

50 meters…

When it was confirmed that they were within range where he would never miss, Arthur stood up...
Chapter completed!