Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 117 He just didn't want to be flushed down the sewer, what did he do wrong!

117 Burningham Road, Hillston Borough.

Ember lay in bed with a paper crane in his pocket. This paper crane was the one Fors had obtained from Will Onsetin, and it was this paper crane that had given her nightmares.

Although he didn't know Will Unsett's purpose, it was obvious that he was seducing him. Since that was the case, Ember simply gave in to his wish.

If he is indeed looking for himself, then as long as he also carries this origami crane with him, it shouldn't be difficult for him to dream of Will Uncrestin after nightfall.

And that is indeed the case.

Holding the origami cranes allows him to dream of Will Uncrestin, but only if Will Uncrestin responds to his dreams. For Will Uncrestin, this is akin to a beautifully wrapped gift being delivered to someone who desires it.

Therefore, Ember is destined never to dream of Will Unsettin, after all, he's not tired of living and doesn't want to be linked with the fire.

-

"Klein? What are you doing here?"

Dunn looked astonished, his deep eyes filled with disbelief.

He arrived in Backlund this evening, and as "punishment" for getting off the train in Tingen without permission, Captain Soster assigned him a mission to investigate a detective named Sherlock Moriarty.

The task wasn't difficult, and the so-called "punishment" was just a formality to appease everyone. Even Dunn himself didn't take it to heart, after all, he wasn't a novice, and entering dreams wasn't a one-time thing for him.

But he never expected that he would encounter Klein, who had already died, here!

"team leader……"

Klein opened his mouth, his throat dry. He was acutely aware that his identity had been exposed, but he didn't know how to begin, or what to say.

Are you expecting him to greet you with a smile and say, "Hey, surprise you, I'm actually not dead."

Klein felt that if he actually said that, he might get a good beating from his usually composed captain.

But what else could he say? How could he explain his resurrection?

Klein stood frozen in place, his lips pressed together, saying nothing.

He was waiting for Dunn to ask him a question. Although he would lose the initiative, at least he wouldn't have to think about how to lie.

After waiting for a long time, Klein still hadn't received a question from Dunn. This made him realize something was wrong, and he suddenly looked up, only to find that Dunn's figure was gradually fading away.

This panicked Klein, and he instinctively reached out to grab Dunn's figure. But everything around him was fading away, and he couldn't grasp anything at all!

When he suddenly awoke, Dunn had already vanished. He looked up and found himself on a dark, desolate plain, with black stones beneath his feet and not a single blade of grass in sight.

In the center of the plain stood a black spire, with a huge, silvery-white serpent coiled around it. Its head was raised, and its bright red eyes coldly stared in this direction.

This giant silver serpent has no actual scales; its body is covered with dense patterns and symbols that form interconnected rotating wheels, each surrounded by different markings.

The giant snake's tail and head each have only half of the rotating wheel, which looks quite disproportionate and could drive someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder crazy. But if the silvery-white giant snake could bite its own tail, the rotating wheel would be complete, and everything would become perfect, without any imperfections or changes.

These were scenes he had seen in Dr. Allen's dream not long ago.

"The Mercury Serpent"

Klein fell silent; he had realized what had happened.

He remained silent, approaching the dark spire step by step. The spire didn't seem close, but after only a few steps, his target was already in sight. He passed through an old, decaying wooden door and entered the dark tower.

The layout here is extremely chaotic. The staircase first spirals upwards and then drops diagonally downwards. Some of the halls, libraries, and rooms are normal, some are upside down, and some are embedded in other parts. This is a building that could not possibly exist in the real world.

Passing through door after door and through wall after wall, Klein had no idea where he was in the black tower—perhaps the spire, or perhaps the basement.

In the deep darkness, he suddenly noticed a figure huddled in a corner ahead.

That was Will Uncrestin, who only had one leg, looked chubby-faced, and was just over ten years old with a childish face.

Unlike the Will Onsetin of last time, who was both surprised and delighted, fearful and apprehensive, this time he appeared unusually mature and composed, holding up two fingers to Klein in succession.

"Two things. First, I can help you deal with that person. I can reset the dream, and everything will go back to when you first met. He won't recognize you the next time you meet, but only this once. Of course, I can also let you go directly back to the dream and meet him there, and nothing will change."

"Secondly, please tell your friend that I meant him no harm and made no threats! Could you please tell him to stop coming to me? I'm still just a child!"

After Will Onsett finished speaking, his once childish face was filled with complex emotions, including three parts helplessness, three parts annoyance, three parts grievance and one part resentment, just like a naughty child who had been given ten sets of Huanggang exam papers.

"I have a few questions."

Klein gathered his thoughts and tentatively began to speak.

"Ask quickly."

Will Onsett did not appear impatient, but simply noted, "I don't have much time left."

Klein carefully chose his words before asking, "Why...why have you become attached to Dr. Allen?"

"I need to restart."

Will Unsetin didn't hide anything, saying, "Dr. Allen was the best choice at the time. I felt he would be a good father and give me a complete childhood. Besides, he's friends with your friend, so even if it gets discovered, he wouldn't be able to harm a child out of friendship, would he?"

Klein's expression was strange, feeling that this answer was somewhat childish... After all, you are a Sequence 1 angel!

Klein didn't dare to think about it further and continued, "What about Ember? Why did he come to you?"

Will Onsett looked like he had a toothache, his cheek twitching slightly. He said with a wronged expression, "It was a misunderstanding. He happened to be there when I had surgery, and that's how he got his eye on me. But he didn't seem very interested in me at the time, so he didn't make a move on me."

"I originally planned to help his girlfriend break the curse before restarting, so that I could do him a favor and get him to let me go."

"But who would have thought someone would beat me to it, making me miss my chance! What was supposed to be a favor turned into him targeting me instead!"

Will Unsett looked aggrieved and resentful. He was aggrieved because he had meant well, but his good intentions had been met with ingratitude. His resentment was directed at the unknown 'angel' or 'deity'—

Are you even human? How could you take work from a little kid like him!

"..."

Klein's expression twitched slightly; he seemed to know what Will Onsetin was referring to.

The "little girlfriend" refers to Miss Fors, and the curse is the "whispering" she hears during the full moon. Will Unsetin originally intended to help Fors solve the problem of the whispering, so he gave Fors a thousand origami crane, but the side effect was that she would have nightmares.

If it were just a single nightmare, it could easily lead to misunderstandings and put Will Unsett in danger. But Will Unsett was prepared; once he resolved Fors's curse, the misunderstanding would naturally be cleared up, and he could even do Ember a favor.

However, his "opportunity" was snatched away by someone else. And the person who hijacked Will Onsett's opportunity was none other than the great "Fool"! Isn't that a coincidence?

Fearing his cover would be blown, Klein quickly changed the subject, saying, "If that's the case, why didn't you choose Miss Fors to 'reboot'?"

Will Onsett felt even more aggrieved upon hearing this. "I'd love to, but she's still a virgin! If I were to ask her to restart me, wouldn't that be suicide?"

"I'm just a child! I just want to live, what's wrong with that?!"

Klein's eye twitched, and he understood.

No matter who it is, if they find out their girlfriend, whom they haven't even slept with, is suddenly pregnant, unless they're a complete simp, they'll definitely have to abort the "bastard child."

If Will Uncrestin dares to ask Fors to "reboot" him, he'll be in the sewers that very day!

Moreover, the fact that a virgin gets pregnant is already baffling enough; are you staging the birth of Jesus here?

Klein mentally scoffed, then changed the subject, saying, "I'll pass on your message. Is there anything else you need?"

Will Onsetin waved his hand and asked, "I don't have any requests, just that he doesn't come looking for me. Also, have you thought about what to do with that person outside?"

When the question returned to its origin, Klein fell silent again, and after a long while, he said, "I don't want to acknowledge them yet."

"it is good."

Will Onsett waved his hand, knowing how to handle the situation, and then added, "That origami crane can be used a few more times. You can use it to contact me if you need it."

Klein nodded silently.

Suddenly, Will Onsett vanished from sight; the spire, the desolate plain—everything disappeared in an instant.

He returned to his house and was dreaming of arranging origami cranes in the living room.

"What a coward," Klein chuckled self-deprecatingly, exhaled silently, and transformed the origami crane in his hand into a women's aesthetic magazine.

The door creaked open, and a figure in a gray overcoat walked in.

Klein casually greeted the visitor as he flipped through the magazine.

Dunn took off his hat, sat down opposite him, and asked casually:

Did Allen come looking for you this morning?

Even though Klein was right in front of him, and his appearance was neither disguised nor altered, Dunn still couldn't recognize him, as if the person sitting in front of him was a complete stranger.

Looking at Dunn's familiar face, Klein smiled and replied.

"Yes."

That's good, at least everyone is still alive.

Klein wore a bright smile, but a hint of disappointment and bitterness lingered in his heart. Perhaps deep down, he had always been looking forward to a reunion, to recognizing each other.

After all, who would want to be alone forever?

"What happened to him?"

Dunn asked casually.

"He had a nightmare."

Klein did not hide anything and answered truthfully.

He described the scene of the dark tower, the silver serpent, and Will Onsett under layers of protection, as well as his and Allen's visit to Will Onsett the day before, and the origami crane.

Of course, besides that, Ember had also visited Will Unsetin, but Klein chose to inadvertently 'overlook' this. After all, the other party was an 'insider,' and 'Sherlock' and 'Ember' had no way of contacting each other, so he couldn't appear too truthful.

"A thousand paper cranes?"

Dunn raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had thought of something, and immediately stood up.

"And you? How have you been lately?"

Klein suddenly asked another question.

Dunn glanced at him with surprise, but didn't notice anything unusual. After all, this was Sherlock's dream, and he was essentially just an intruder who could glean some answers from the other party through questioning. But this dream ultimately belonged to Sherlock Moriarty, and it wouldn't be surprising if he did something in it.

The simple greeting perhaps reveals that, in reality, Sherlock Holmes is a person who deeply cares for his friends. However, he is ultimately just an intruder, not a true friend of Sherlock Holmes.

He could have simply ignored the question and walked away. After all, Sherlock wouldn't have noticed anything amiss once he woke up, and everything would have returned to normal.

But Dunn stopped in his tracks. As if lost in thought, his expression softened, and he said softly:

"It's all good. Leonard and I joined the Red Gloves, and Daly is here too. I went back to Tingen yesterday. Luo Yao became the new captain, and everyone else became Sequence 8 Extraordinaries. Everyone is doing well."

"I visited Klein's family. His brother quit his job to focus on the standardized tests. His sister is also studying hard to apply to a university in Backlund. Perhaps they will come to Backlund in a few years."

Klein smiled in response and murmured, "Oh, that's good. It's good that everything is fine."

Dunn shook his head, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh. Why am I telling him all this? But it doesn't matter anyway, he won't remember anything after he wakes up.

"Well then, farewell, Detective Sherlock."

Dunn politely placed his hand on his chest and bowed.

Suddenly, the dream began to ripple like water, and he vanished from the room.

……

"Captain, is it all done?"

In a room beneath St. Samuel's Church, Leonard sat in a chair and looked at Dunn as he walked in, asking a question.

"Um."

Dunn nodded slightly, placed a paper crane on the table, and said with some doubt, "This doesn't seem to be an extraordinary item. It looks like just an ordinary paper crane. I can't even be sure if Alan Chris's nightmare is related to it."

"As long as the task is completed."

Leonard nonchalantly replied, "That's not something we should be thinking about."

"Um."

Dunn nodded. Whether it was true or not, the mission was accomplished.

If the origami cranes are the problem, that would be best. If not, you can use the process of elimination to determine other possible causes.

"team leader."

Leonard suddenly asked, "Have you seen Miss Daly?"

"not yet."

Dunn was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I've been too busy lately."

Lennart said earnestly, "Captain, don't hesitate. You don't want to regret it again, do you? If Klein were still alive, he would be happy to see this."

"I see."

Dunn remained silent, picked up the origami crane, and walked out of the room.

Leonard sighed softly, stroking the dagger in his arms, and whispered, "Klein, if you knew all this, you'd be quite pleased, wouldn't you?"

……

At 15 Minsk Street, Klein was still lost in his dream, gazing at the seat where Dunn had once sat.

If he really doesn't want to be recognized by the captain, he should move out as soon as possible. Even if he doesn't leave Backlund, he can't continue living here.

Otherwise, the captain would only need to investigate again and would quickly discover the problem.

But he didn't choose to move out immediately, not only because he had paid six months' rent in advance, but also because he wanted to take a gamble.

After all, the chances of the captain visiting again are slim, and he doesn't need to keep an eye on a lowly detective like himself. And if he is recognized again, so be it; perhaps that would be a relief.

The captain has already arrived in Backlund, so Leonard will probably come along too, right?

He had submitted a promotion request before, and now he must be a Rank 7 "Nightmare".

Moreover, the captain seems to have joined the Red Gloves, and Leonard is probably doing the same.

Composing himself, he remained seated, not in a hurry to escape the dream, lost in thought for a long time.

After a while, he curled the corners of his mouth and sighed softly:

"I really miss those days."

"wrong."

Klein suddenly stopped thinking and his expression became serious.

That bastard Leonard still owes him a dagger!

That's no ordinary dagger; it's a dagger with a built-in sliding combat technique!

Although it looks unremarkable, its effect is absolutely divine. And Leonard actually went so far as to steal the borrowed dagger from his corpse—unforgivable!

early morning.

Ember opened his eyes, slightly puzzled, and touched the origami crane in his pocket. Theoretically, this origami crane should be able to induce dreams, to make one dream of Will Unsetin. But whether Ember used it incorrectly or it malfunctioned, it ultimately failed to work.

Will Onsett's Origami Cranes

A thousand paper cranes imbued with the power of the serpent of fate.

It can make users fall asleep.

I saw the legendary Serpent of Destiny.

Dreams, as the deepest secret of human beings,

Sometimes it might not be so secretive after all.

P.S.: Highly recommend Wan Jun's latest masterpiece!

(End of this chapter)