Cthulhu Panel: One organ mutates every day

[Charm Lv.1 - Affinity] Progress: 58.4%

In the train corridor, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie passed by. When he saw Wayne's profile, he subconsciously stopped and patted Wayne on the shoulder.

Wayne turned his head to look.

"Young Master Wayne, what a coincidence, you're going to the Metropolis too?" the middle-aged man in the suit greeted him quietly.

Wei En looked at the kind features of the middle-aged man in front of him and searched his memory.

This person, named Harrington, is a long-time and experienced employee in the audit department of the Weber family business. As an internal auditor, although his position is not high, he still has considerable influence, especially in terms of oversight.

"Haha, it's Uncle Harrington! What a coincidence! I went to the Metropolitan with my classmates." Wayne smiled politely.

Harrington glanced up and was immediately drawn to Charlotte sitting beside him, and hesitated before asking:

"I wonder who this lady next to me is...?"

"Oh, she's my classmate, so she's like an older student," Wayne said with a smile.

Charlotte greeted him politely, "Hello, Uncle, I'm Wayne's senior."

Wayne's lips twitched: "You pick up the conversation really fast."

Harrington nodded, a knowing look on his face, and teased, "Young Master Wayne, I heard you've got a girlfriend lately. When are you going to let us uncles and aunties meet her?"

Huh? Girlfriend? Do you have one?

"Haha, if I ever get a girlfriend, I'll definitely let my uncles and aunts meet her." Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, Wayne changed the subject and asked:

"Uncle Harrington, haven't you been working in auditing in Lone Star City? Why are you suddenly going to Metropolis? Is there some business trip planned?"

Harrington stood at the edge of the corridor, leaning against Wayne's chair, and explained earnestly:

"I guess you could call it a business trip. There's been a bit of a problem with the company's operations in Metropolis. According to the company's board of directors, the business director in Metropolis hasn't reported on anything for half a month. Moreover, the expenses for the projects in Metropolis have been escalating, so the board decided to send me to Metropolis to check on the situation."

Half a month? That's a very delicate timeframe.

Wayne suddenly remembered that about two weeks ago, she and her sister had attended a banquet at the Metropolitan Hotel and met that gray-haired little girl.

That was the beginning of everything.

The reason Rosalind, the older sister, went to the Metropolitan was because of several important orders.

Now, the business director at Metropolitan is acting strangely. Is there any connection between this and the situation?

"Where's my sister? Where has she been lately?" Wayne asked.

"Your sister recently discussed a lot of business with the Metropolitan, and now that the Metropolitan's business director has gone missing and there are unusual expenses, she will probably come to the Metropolitan in person," Harrington said.

"Then I can see her again this time." Wayne nodded, but his mind was in turmoil.

Why is things developing so strangely?

The Metropolitan Gala Dinner two weeks ago, the gray-haired little girl at the dinner, the pocket watch the little girl gave her, the business deal her sister Rosalind discussed, and now the Metropolitan Business Director's disappearance, and the unusually large increase in expenses and expenditures...

Most importantly, my trip to the Metropolis was to acquire a special ability, specifically by confronting the past directly. That important figure was the gray-haired little girl, and she was still in the Metropolis…

Wayne vaguely felt that some small clues were about to connect, but some key information was missing.

The missing piece of crucial information seems to be something that can never be pieced together.

"Since you're dating, young master, I should certainly show my appreciation. Please wait a moment." Harrington smiled and returned to his seat, bringing a delicate little gift box, which he handed to Wayne.

"This is a gift box containing a long pearl necklace with a sun and moon design and men's cufflinks. The woman's necklace features a moonstone, while the man's features a sun pattern, symbolizing the companionship of the sun and moon, and their constant companionship. This is a small gift, please accept it, young master."

As he spoke, Harrington glanced at Charlotte beside him, once again captivated by her noble bearing, and inwardly sighed:

The young master has excellent taste; this young lady is most likely the daughter of a wealthy family. They are a perfect match.

Wayne noticed Harrington's gaze, felt a little embarrassed, but was too lazy to explain, and accepted the gift box:

"Thank you, Uncle Harrington."

Harrington said enthusiastically:

"Of course, young master. Have fun. Contact me anytime if you need anything when you get to the metropolis."

"Okay," Wayne replied.

After Harrington left, Wayne and Charlotte fell silent.

Wayne turned to look at Charlotte and asked, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Charlotte replied nonchalantly, "I'm not your girlfriend, what do I need to say?"

"Don't you feel embarrassed?" Wayne smiled.

"What's so embarrassing? I'm used to it." Charlotte continued curling her blonde hair, completely unconcerned about Harrington's misunderstanding.

"Alright, it has to be our esteemed Miss Charlotte, with her noble birth and rich experience," Wayne chimed in.

"However, I need to remind you of something." Charlotte's smile gradually faded.

"What?"

"Facing the past isn't entirely safe; you still have to be extremely careful," Charlotte said.

This doesn't need reminding. I thought you were going to remind me of something about a girl's innocence...

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Wayne asked.

"Because I think what that uncle from your family business just said might be related to that person from the past." Charlotte frowned slightly.

"You mean the company's business director who went missing, as you mentioned earlier?" Wayne asked.

"Okay, after we get off the bus, I'll telegraph my colleagues in Section Two at Metropolis to get the latest updates. Your approval process should be mostly complete by now. We'll discuss the details after we confirm the situation," Charlotte instructed.

"OK."

Wayne lowered his chair, half-reclined, and pondered his next move.

The box of rat-killing equipment had already been shipped by rail. When I arrived in the metropolis and spent the night there, I carried the box with me into my nightmares.

Since Lillian and Ethan were able to be pulled into this nightmare, there's a good chance they'll be able to kill that rat-like creature.

As for how to confront the past and return the tokens after arriving in the metropolis, that's something Charlotte and her colleagues in Department Two need to consider.

All I need to do is prepare myself mentally and face the past.

The discrepancy between reality and the past is quite high, exceeding 50%, and I hope I won't be affected by it.

Wayne glanced at the time; it was around 4:30 PM, and the train would arrive at Metropolitan Station around 6:30 PM.

That gray-haired little girl...

The gray-haired girl who stood on the dark stone bridge in my dream, waving...

Before I knew it, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

Wayne was powerless to resist and fell asleep.

……

……

I don't know how much time passed.

Wayne slowly opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of an unfamiliar room.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains. The luxurious room was spacious and had a retro feel, and the brass lamp by the bedside was the first thing you saw when you turned your head.

"Wasn't I on the train? How did I end up on someone's bed?"

"That's strange, how did I suddenly fall asleep?"

Wayne sat up and surveyed his surroundings.

A copy of the Metropolitan Times sits on the bedside table, and a half-closed built-in wardrobe sits on the other side of the bed. A full-length mirror reflects half of the room, and a faint scent of soap wafts from the bathroom.

"This...this environment feels so familiar."

"This is clearly the Grand Hotel in the Metropolitan."

The Grand Hotel was the same hotel where Rosalind took Wayne to a dinner party half a month ago. It was at this hotel that the original owner met that gray-haired little girl.

"Wait, am I in a nightmare?"

Wei En quickly got up from the bed, looked around, but did not see the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Monarch's Secret Scripture".

I glanced again at the watch face on my wrist:

Reality deviation 0%

"It's not a dream, this isn't a nightmare."

"If it's a nightmare, the reality deviation should fluctuate between 0% and 50%."

Did I black out in my sleep?

Logically, one should have nightmares when asleep, but now, I don't know what's interfering, I'm not having nightmares, or maybe I'm not asleep at all.

Wayne looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. There was no crimson fog outside, but a clear sky, revealing the brick and stone buildings of the metropolis. Against the wall in the room, there were still equipment boxes brought by the railroad.

He then glanced at the time.

It is 3:30 pm now.

Strictly speaking, it was 3:30 pm on the second day.

I took the train from Michigan at 3 p.m. yesterday. I should have arrived in the metropolitan area and settled in last night, but I slept until the afternoon of the next day, which is now.

"Something's wrong..."

Where is Charlotte?