Night Journey

Chapter 153 Rainy Season
The city council did not try to hide its malice towards the Reverse Falcon, and within a few days, similar rumors spread throughout the city of Hel.

Once regarded as heroes, they have become enemies of the city in the blink of an eye.

Some protested, some agreed, and some remained indifferent, watching from the sidelines as if it were none of their business.

In a street-side bar, Elton sat at the bar, nervously clutching his cold glass, enduring the endless questions from those around him.

"Is it true that they're going to start a war against Gyoubun? So, who exactly is Gyoubun?"

"After all these years of activity, has the Reverse Falcon become an old man by now?"

"I estimate that the reverse falcon is not just one person, but a group of people playing the role."

People surrounded Elton, chattering incessantly, looking at him expectantly with each possibility they came up with, waiting for his response.

"Tell me, Elton, aren't you an employee of the City Guard? You must know some inside information!"

Someone nudged Elton, to which he could only manage a wry smile.

The City Guard has strict confidentiality agreements, so how could Elton possibly violate the ban? Not to mention, his knowledge of the Reverse Falcon is limited; any more than that, he can only make things up.

"I need to... go to the restroom first."

Elton, like a stray dog, squeezed through the crowd and slunk into the toilet.

Sitting on the toilet, Elton let out a long sigh.

He met with his audience as usual today, but the atmosphere became tense as rumors began to circulate.

In the end, fueled by alcohol, the audience members escalated into a verbal altercation.

After finally calming the group down, they launched into a barrage of questions, leaving Elton in a state of utter distress.

He began to regret attending the party.

A knock sounded on the door, followed by a familiar voice asking.

"Elton, are you in there?"

Elton cautiously pushed open the door, only to find Paul standing outside.

"It's you... Are they still there?"

Paul turned his head and glanced at it, saying helplessly, "They're still arguing."

Immediately afterwards, the door was pulled open, and Wenxi appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Elton's hand, and dragged him out of the bathroom.

"Instead of worrying about these things, I suggest we leave here first."

The three of them left silently through the back door of the bar, away from the drunkenness and the argument.

Under the murky night sky, the damp, cold night wind lashed against them, causing all three of them to shiver involuntarily.

When Wenxi saw the three of them moving in such unison, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha."

Paul still smiled at her sudden illness, while Elton found it somewhat inexplicable, simply taking it as a little unspoken understanding between the couple.

The crackdown has been over for several days, but the frenzy of that night has left a deep impression on people. Even at night, there are still very few people on the streets.

The three hurried past and sat down in yet another restaurant.

Elton and Paul waited at their seats while Wensey went to the front desk to order some food to fill her stomach.

"Damn it, what a horrible life..."

Suddenly, Paul began to curse under his breath.

Elton knew what he was cursing. The peace that Hull City had finally managed to regain was shattered by the declaration of war against the Reverse Falcon.

Although there has been no official statement, everyone knows that this will be announced during the subsequent victory speech.

Paul clenched his fist, then helplessly released it, leaving only a pale smile on his face.

"Elton, did you ever have any dreams?"

"what happened?"

Elton didn't understand why he was suddenly asking these questions.

"It just suddenly occurred to me."

After hesitating for a long time, Paul finally spoke up, "When I was a child, my family was poor and lived in a dilapidated house. At that time, I dreamed of becoming a superhuman and even planned out my destiny."

"I want to become a spirit craftsman. I don't need to study any deadly weapons. I just want to build a little home of my own."

"But unfortunately, I didn't wake up from my dream of the soul," Paul said self-deprecatingly. "After facing reality, I comforted myself by thinking that it's not bad to live a peaceful and stable life as an ordinary person."

Paul paused, then sighed deeply, "Only now do I realize that even living a peaceful and uneventful life is something that seems unattainable..."

Elton remained silent, not out of deliberate silence, but because he had absolutely no idea what to say.

Paul abruptly changed the subject and said something unexpected.

"I plan to marry Wenxi in a few days."

"what?"

Elton blinked, puzzled. "You weren't planning to schedule it a few months from now..."

"A few months is too far away."

Paul shook his head, his face grim. "I feel very uneasy about Hull City right now. Who knows what disasters and events will happen next?"

"I don't want to have any regrets, I just want to marry Wenxi as soon as possible."

Paul explained his plans: “It was an emergency, and I don’t have enough savings to hold a grand wedding. So, I plan to make an appointment at the Ink House in a few days to gather some friends for a simple ceremony.”

"Would Wenxi agree to something this important?" Elton said, turning to look at Wenxi on the counter, who was struggling with the overwhelming menu.

“I would tell her it’s a wedding party, and we’ll hire an emcee later to go through the ceremony first, and then…”

Paul took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "If I can live peacefully for a few months, I'll hold a more formal and grand wedding as originally planned."

"You really love her."

"Love?" Paul asked, bewildered. "I think I'm more afraid that my beautiful expectations will be dashed."

As he spoke, he unbuttoned his coat and hung it on the back of the chair.

"I've been dreaming about my wedding with Wenxi for a long time. I've been thinking about it day and night for so long. If it can't happen, I'll be devastated."

"Elton, why aren't you saying anything?"

Elton hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

What you're saying is a bit beyond my scope.

“Ah…hahaha.”

Paul scratched his head awkwardly, having been so engrossed in talking about himself that he had completely forgotten about Elton.

Elton sighed repeatedly, thinking that Paul would interrogate him endlessly like the others, but instead he was about to say something like this.

Paul said, "Will you have time then? I hope you can come too."

Elton was at a loss.

"Me? To hell with your...wedding?"

"Any questions?"

Paul didn't understand why he was reacting that way, and continued.

"But you're my friend."

Elton was somewhat dazed, as if he hadn't been addressed like that in a long time. He felt honored, but also a little apprehensive.

He readily agreed.

"Okay...okay, I'll go."

Wenxi returned with a tray of food and asked curiously, "What are you talking about? Where are you going?"

“It’s nothing,” Paul tried to steer the conversation away from the topic, “Is this mine?”

"No, this one is yours, this one is Elton's."

Wenxi handed Elton a plate of mashed potatoes with meat sauce and winked.

"Add more chili sauce, if I remember correctly?"

Elton stared blankly at the plate of mashed potatoes covered in hot sauce, a warm feeling that had been almost forgotten welling up inside him.

He nodded vigorously and affirmed.

"If I remember correctly."

Outside the restaurant, a fine, cold drizzle began to fall.

At first, there were only a few scattered spots, tapping on the stone pavement and making a soft "patter" sound, which then connected to form a gray curtain.

The entire city seemed to be enveloped in a damp, cold, rusty silence, with only the patter of rain whispering the lingering echoes of unresolved turmoil.

Birds flew through the cold curtain of rain, over the wet rooftops and pedestrians hurrying to find shelter, and finally landed next to a solemn building.

Ciri stood by the window, watching the bird taking shelter from the rain under the eaves.

Looking further into the distance, the city's outline is blurred by the rain. Raindrops meander across the glass, distorting the lights outside and seemingly distorting the city's landscape as well.

"Cillian, these documents have been checked and can be put back."

The shout came from behind him. Cillian responded and turned to walk away.

Tonight, Cillian worked overtime, which was extremely unusual for him. In Dalyn's office, he went through recent documents one by one, searching for the clues claimed by the golden duo.

Outside the office, several other people were working overtime, handling the paperwork to wrap up the operation. The sounds of papers turning and pens scratching across paper were particularly clear in the empty room.

After returning the documents, Cillian went back to his office. Dalin had stopped checking and was wearily curled up on the sofa.

"Still no progress?"

"No... Could it be that the golden duo lied to us?" Dai Lin asked doubtfully.

"They don't need to do that."

Cillian shook his head and pushed the last stack of documents on the table forward a few inches.

"These are the last ones left; maybe what we're looking for is inside."

"You help me find it."

Cillian decisively rejected the idea, saying, "Clerical work is not suitable for me."

"You boy!"

Dailin thought of getting up to kick him, but then wearily slumped back down.

“Alright, let’s call it a day. There’s no rush.” Dalin thought for a moment and then said, “You go back first, Cillian. I still have a report to write.”

Dailin reached into the drawer and pulled it open. Inside was the trap he had meticulously designed.

(End of this chapter)