Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

"Mr. Weber, is that you?" she asked hesitantly.

Wayne turned to look at her, but found her very familiar and paused for a moment.

She immediately stepped forward: "Mr. Weber, I'm Phoebe. I was at the Silver Gallery cabaret the night before last..."

Wayne suddenly realized, "Oh, of course I remember, it's Miss Phoebe. And you are now...?"

When Phoebe heard that Wayne still remembered her, her eyes lit up with joy, her smile radiant, a blend of allure and innocence overflowing with warmth.

"I'm off to work at the Silver Gallery Karaoke Bar now. It's an all-night shift tonight. What a coincidence! I never expected to have the chance to run into Mr. Weber again!"

Wayne was momentarily speechless, feeling somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say in this situation.

Actually, he didn't have much interaction with her. The only time he gave her a gift was secretly done by Ethan.

In such a situation, even saying half a sentence more would seem strange.

But since the other party was, after all, a friendly and enthusiastic female singer he had met after transmigrating, he shouldn't act too distant.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

Phoebe noticed Wayne's hesitation, opened his mouth but no sound came out, and realized that she might have been too enthusiastic.

Wouldn't that be strange?

Being too enthusiastic might lead to being mistaken for that kind of woman...

She knew she was just a passerby in Wayne's life, but she couldn't forget that Wayne had recognized her singing so much; it was the first time she had received the most expensive gift in the nightclub.

Later, when the boss Philip appeared and made trouble, Wayne dealt with it. At the time, I thought Wayne must be someone of high status and powerful, who outwardly appreciated her songs but was actually no different from Philip in real life.

But unexpectedly, Wayne didn't want anything else from her in the end; he simply expressed his willingness to listen to her sing her best song.

This deeply moved her and filled her with even greater joy. Her debts were almost paid off, and she had always wanted to become a real singer. She loved the feeling of being recognized for her singing, and she wanted another chance to sing for Wayne to express her gratitude. Her life and her mindset had been getting better and better ever since she met Wayne.

However, she also knew that there was a huge difference in status between herself and Wayne, and she shouldn't disturb Wayne's life; it was better to keep her distance.

At that moment, to ease Wayne's embarrassment, Phoebe had a sudden inspiration and came up with a clumsy excuse, her expression still showing some reluctance:

"Ah! Mr. Weber, I'm late. I'm so glad to have met you tonight. I hope I'll have the chance to sing for you again. I'll always remember you. Goodbye! Bye-bye!"

Without waiting for Wayne's response, Phoebe left with a warm smile, waved, turned around, wrapped in an old coat, and hurriedly left in her high heels.

[Charm Lv.1 - Affinity] Progress: 45.2%

Ethan, who had watched the whole thing, patted Wayne on the shoulder and laughed, "How was it? Pretty interesting, wasn't it?"

Wayne was speechless: "Interesting, very interesting. You're the one who started this, of course you find it interesting."

Ethan shook his head: "Actually, you might have misunderstood. What I meant by interesting is that supporting her singing is interesting in itself."

"What do you mean?" Wayne sensed a hidden meaning in Ethan's words.

Ethan's tone was one of surprise:

"No, are you a little slow on the uptake? The owner of the Silver Corridor nightclub is a crime boss, one of the toughest guys in Michigan. What do you think it means that she works for Philip?"

Wayne pondered, realizing that she had indeed overlooked this matter; being a resident female singer in such a place wouldn't be a good thing.

"You mean, is it possible that her personal freedom has been restricted?" Wayne asked.

"It's not just her, all of Philip's women are like that. They work so hard mainly because they're in too much debt. Philip binds them with debt, and it's hard for them to get away until they pay it off." Ethan sighed with pity as he watched Phoebe's retreating figure from afar.

Seeing that Wayne remained silent, Ethan suddenly realized that this kid was different from other rich guys; he seemed to actually have some... certain virtues. So he comforted him:

"Haven't we already supported her? If you have any ideas, you can support her again next time. Besides, seeing how hard she works and how diligently she works overtime, she's probably paid off most of her debts."

"Well, I hope she does well." Wayne let out a long sigh, and couldn't help but feel that after receiving more information from all sides, he was indeed hearing more uncomfortable things more often.

But times are like that, and some things are beyond human control.

Wayne could sense Phoebe's passion for singing and her longing for life in her eyes. She would probably be able to get back on track soon, and perhaps she could even become a real female singer.

Moreover, Wayne knew that as a messenger, he was constantly surrounded by contamination. Getting too close to an ordinary person like Phoebe, who had no one to rely on, could potentially have a devastating impact on her if something unexpected happened.

Sigh, once I become a full-fledged investigator tomorrow and am equipped with my own pollution-specific abilities, I should be able to combat some pollution.

With that in mind, Wayne and Ethan continued deeper into the Southern District.

Passing by the Hofhouse tavern, Joseph wasn't there, but the tavern was bustling with activity, clearly an entertainment venue exclusively for the lower-ranking members of the mob.

In the residential area near the pub, I also encountered a few young people who were letting loose. They each held a cigar and were competing with each other to smoke it, making a ruckus. There were also a few motorcycles parked nearby.

One of them shouted something like "So weak!" mocking another person for not enjoying their cigar enough.

The other person immediately expressed his dissatisfaction, gave up his cigar, took a lighter, put it to his mouth, and started flicking it.

Someone else shouted, "Lighters are still so lame," mocking the person who was smoking a lighter for no real enjoyment. After saying that, the person started the motorcycle engine, then leaned over the exhaust pipe and started smoking wildly into the exhaust fumes.

It’s not lively.

One of the blond young men stood out, dressed in a worn-out black leather motorcycle jacket, faded dark blue jeans, and old sunglasses, looking every bit the motorcyclist.

Theodore, the group leader of the fifth subject group.

Theodore recognized Wayne and Ethan from afar and greeted them, "Oh, what a coincidence! What a chance encounter! Where's Lady Lillian?"

Ethan stepped forward and said, "Lillian isn't here. What's going on? You five departments are in one group..."

Wei En's lips twitched: "Are you kidding me? These people are all from Group Five? Group Five is full of motorcyclists? That's a bit bizarre."

Theodore stroked his blond hair and tossed it:

"Well, a few Blood Gang underlings confessed that they also had some stone carvings left by Benjamin, so we just stopped by to finish things up."

"You five subjects, group one, got a third-class merit this time!" Ethan said.

"Your Seventh Division, Second Group also received a third-class merit award. You discovered the symbol, and we eradicated the alien species. Your cooperation was seamless, hahaha." Theodore grinned.

Wei En observed his colleagues from Group 1 of the Fifth Division, who were letting loose and being themselves, and found it all rather strange.

However, it must be said that within the Special Affairs Bureau, the Fifth Operations Division and the Seventh Investigation Division are the closest to danger, with death always looming over them. In this light, it is quite rare to be able to maintain a carefree attitude.

Thinking this through, Wayne couldn't help but look at Theodore with new respect, even though the blond-haired man's fashion sense was indeed peculiar.

The other colleagues from the Fifth Department also got to know Wei En and exchanged brief pleasantries.

Theodore noticed Wayne's gaze and realized that Wayne seemed different. He couldn't tell if it was in his demeanor or his eyes, but he inexplicably felt that Wayne was special and had a bright future. So he took the initiative to congratulate him:

"Brother, congratulations! I heard you're a messenger and will be promoted to a full investigator tomorrow. We've met through a gamble, it's all fate. If you ever need any help in the future, just come to Section 5 and find me, Theodore."

"Haha, definitely, definitely." Wayne didn't refuse or try to pull him away, still thinking about the mithril bullets he'd gotten for free last time.

Theodore was a generous man who didn't mind being taken advantage of. Since he said that we could ask him for help if needed, we should of course agree quickly.

[Charm Lv.1 - Affinity] Progress: 48.0%

Theodore simply nodded, seemingly unconcerned.

"Alright, let's go carry out our mission. You guys continue shopping. Give my regards to Lady Lillian and tell her that Theodore is improving his fashion sense and will definitely satisfy her later."

As soon as he finished speaking, Theodore and several colleagues got on their motorcycles: "Do you need us to give you a ride back to the hotel later?"

"No need, we're about to head back. You guys go ahead with your business." Ethan waved his hand.

"Alright, let's go."

Theodore twisted the handlebars, started the motorcycle, and drove off with several colleagues from the Fifth Division amidst the hum of the engine.

Wayne raised his hand to disperse the motorcycle exhaust fumes.

"Let's go back to the hotel. You're getting promoted to a full investigator tomorrow, so get some rest and prepare," Ethan reminded him.

"Hmm. What's the schedule like tomorrow?" Wayne asked.

"You'll understand the process once you go through it tomorrow. The messenger's process might be a bit special; I haven't experienced it before. The team leader will guide you then," Ethan said.

"Okay, remember to check which newspaper it is, mainly about that Benjamin portrait."

……

Ritz Hotel, 30th floor, room 3013.

Wei En raised his hand, turned the key to the door, pushed the door open, locked the door behind him, and hung the door chain.

He hung his suit jacket on the coat rack by the door, casually pulled out the stack of Federal Coins he had just won from his pocket, spread them out on the low cabinet by the door to count them, and then stuffed them all into his wallet.

He kicked off his leather shoes, which were covered in dust from the streets, and put on the slippers he had prepared. He then wiped away the coal dust and mud stains that had gotten on the shoes with a rag.

Then I went to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and washed up quickly.

"Last night—no, not last night, it should be from the time I fell asleep in the car in the early hours of the morning—I really didn't sleep well. I hope I won't have any more nightmares tonight."

After turning off the lights, Wayne pulled back the velvet bed runner, lifted the soft blankets, took off his shirt and trousers, changed into his pajamas, and lay comfortably on the bed.

"Sister Lena even changed all my bedding, and it feels so much better than before."

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night was deep, dotted with starlight and illuminated by a continuous stretch of neon lights.

Wei En cleared his mind. The breathing exercises he had been doing for the past two days had enabled him to consciously reduce his breathing volume. He no longer needed to stuff his nostrils with paper to get out of his excited state.

As his breathing weakened to an extremely faint level, he gradually fell asleep.

……

……

I don't know how much time passed.

In a hazy state, Wei En slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness still somewhat groggy, and subconsciously murmured to himself:

"It's so dark."

"Why did I wake up in the middle of the night? This is really ruining my sleep quality..."

He pulled the blanket over himself, turned over, and caught a glimpse of a huge painting on the wall outside the room. He rubbed his eyes in confusion.

"What? Who put this painting in my room?"

He paused for a few seconds, stunned.

"No. This... isn't my room."

Wei En's heart tightened, and he instantly became alert. He sat up and carefully observed his surroundings by the dim, elegant light in the room.

Before me was a familiar room, with a large, dark wooden desk on one side, upon which sat a brass lamp, a mechanical telephone, and a revolver.

A huge painting hangs on the wall behind the desk, depicting a city under construction and a vast lake view.

The corresponding memories immediately surfaced in Wayne's mind:

Underground Mayor Howard said the painting was created by the pioneers of Michigan when the city was first established, and it is of great historical significance.

He immediately recognized it:

"No, how did I end up in the Black Gold Bar... Howard's office?"

He glanced again at the pajamas he was wearing, and at the hotel bed beneath him, a stark contrast to the starkly decorated style of the room.

"Why was my bed moved here too?"

He quickly glanced at the reality deviation meter on his wrist.

The measuring instrument is still there.

The hands on the dial above trembled, fluctuating wildly between 0% and 50%.

"Am I dreaming again?"