Chapter 033 Christmas Eve will never come
The air fell into a brief silence.
Rong Le glanced at him inconspicuously. The man looked very gentle, wearing a well-tailored coat, gold-rimmed glasses, and neat and tidy hair. If you just look at his appearance, you would never tell that he is the type to give such exaggerated compliments.
"Look, I found something." The man said with a half-smile, "It turns out there are other guests today."
Rong Le: "This also surprised me."
Beatrice said gently, "This is the detective who came to visit me on a commission. It's a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other. You're both young people, so you're sure to have something in common."
Beatrice was in a good mood. She enthusiastically asked them to sit down and then turned and left, saying that she would get them some snacks.
The two looked at each other.
As Beatrice disappeared around the corner, the two fell into silence.
No one spoke first, and they were all looking at each other without leaving any trace.
"Let me introduce myself," the man said first. "Xiao Bo, a detective."
Rong Le smiled and said, "Rong Le, it seems that this Ms. Bilis is also your target?"
Rong Le began to re-examine this uninvited guest who suddenly broke into his plan. Although he seemed to be fine, his keen sense of smell told him that this person was not as simple as he seemed.
Xiao Bo said politely, "Since it's a commission, it's better for me to keep it confidential."
"But...if you are willing to pay a price."
His eyes were sticky and unscrupulous as he looked at Rong Le. Before he could frown, he quickly retracted his brows and raised a slightly evil smile at the corner of his mouth: "I can also reveal some information."
This man looks serious, but sometimes he reveals his repressed nature.
"What are you talking about?" Rong Le tilted her head, "I can't play with weird people."
The live broadcast room is also complaining:
"This statement is really terrible. He appears to be an elite, but turns out to be a psychopath."
"This abnormal concentration is too high."
Beatrice came out with some snacks. "These are all we have at home. If you don't mind, have some."
Rong Le said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, ma'am. This is great for me."
Beatrice smiled and slowly sat down: "You two seemed to have a good chat?"
Rong Le said slowly, "Yes, Mr. Xiao Bo seems to be a nice person."
Xiao Bo said very modestly: "Me too, it's great to know him."
Beatrice said gently, "That's great. Actually, I need help with something. The post office in Portland is too small, and it's inconvenient to deliver messages. Can anyone help me deliver the letter to my child's home?"
They both said at the same time, "I can."
They looked at each other.
...Since both of them were very insistent, they ended up going together.
The place Beatrice asked them to take her to was Orianna's residence.
Things have formed a closed loop, and the final key to this relationship has been grasped by Rong Le. He has a premonition that the conclusion in his heart will soon be verified.
The two of them, one carrying fruits and food and the other carrying a letter, came to the address Beatrice mentioned.
But surprisingly, Orianna was not at home. It was Cohen who opened the door. He happened to be on vacation today.
"You..." His eyes swept over the two of them.
Rong Le: "We were entrusted by Ms. Beatrice to bring the things to Aoli."
Cohen invited them in. "Looking for Oli? She just left a while ago. It seemed like something happened. She said hello and ran out. She looked in a hurry."
Rong Le: "Really? That doesn't matter, as long as you bring the things with you."
Cohen glanced at Xiao Bo. Although the man looked gentle with a smile, they were not familiar with each other after all. He pulled Rong Le aside and wanted to talk to him alone.
"Speaking of which, are you still looking for Bai Tutu?"
Cohen asked quietly.
Rong Le narrowed his eyes and replied after a moment: "Of course, this is also the reason why I stay here."
Cohen hesitated, then thought for a moment before saying, "I advise you and Mr. Baiyue to be prepared. Polant is a strange place, and disappearances have always occurred quite frequently here."
"Anyone who tries to investigate further will either disappear without a trace, or end up like Roland."
Cohen: "There were experienced predecessors who had been trying to find the truth, but they eventually became mentally ill and became strange. We want to investigate, but there has been no progress. I don't want you to be targeted by those things because of your search for someone."
Rong Le looked at him and smiled: "I know what I'm doing, don't worry."
He pretended to be casual and said:
"Speaking of which, I'm curious about something. How did Ollie get to know Ms. Beatrice?"
Cohen scratched his head embarrassedly. "It's no big deal. Oli and I are not related by blood. When we were little, Oli and her mother, Grandma Beatrice, were neighbors. I heard that Grandma Beatrice often took care of them. Maybe she loved Oli and treated her like her own child because she loved her."
If he really treated Oli as his own child, why didn't he just adopt her when Oli's mother died?
Instead, he let Cohen, who had just reached adulthood and was also still a teenager, adopt her, and the two of them depended on each other.
Why doesn't Beatrice care about Cohen, who is also an orphan?
Cohen's words sounded suspicious to Rong Le, but he didn't say it directly.
After bringing the things, they said goodbye to Cohen. On the way back, Xiao Bo chuckled and said, "I didn't expect you to have connections with the military police. Is there any secret I can't hear?"
Rong Le: "Of course it's a private matter."
"That's right. After all, there are so many people from the University of Michigan. They've been acting so arrogantly lately. It seems they've given us a heads-up."
Rong Le paused for a moment: "Do you know me?"
Xiao Bo: "Of course, legendary investigator of the University of Michigan, even if you resigned as a professor, your reputation is still spreading in the other world."
In the live broadcast room:
"Please put the cards on the public screen."
"Professor at Miskatonic University, legendary investigator, what kind of persona is this?"
"I doubt this is just a character setting. Maybe the City of Mist is frantically patching things up. After all, how could an ordinary private investigator pull off such a spree?"
"If this is the initial setting, then this must be the beginning of hell."
"The University of Michigan is a very prestigious institution in the various modules of the City of Mist. It's incredibly impressive, with many powerful investigators. Most importantly, they are committed to protecting the world and fighting against evil, and they stand on the side of justice!"
"My focus is different from yours. I want to know where this person came from. He doesn't seem to be from Poland."
"Maybe it's a cross-map boss."
“…”
"Please reintroduce yourself."
Xiao Bo placed his hands on his chest and leaned forward slightly. "I'm Xiao Bo, the second-level prosecutor of the Archives."
He spoke in an elegant tone, "The purpose of the Archives is to collect and control dangerous creatures from around the world. The Director is the leader of all of us Inspectors and Operators. We are determined to carry out the Director's will everywhere, for the sake of world peace and stability."
Rong Le thought thoughtfully: "Collection Hall?"
It's another new organization.
"Who is your director?"
"I have no idea."
There was a strange light flashing in Xiao Bo's eyes. If the curator he mentioned came at this moment, Rong Le had no doubt that the man in front of her would immediately kneel on the ground and enthusiastically express his heartfelt feelings.
"The Director is divine, omniscient, and almighty. How can we possibly know His name? Carrying out the Director's will is our greatest honor!"
“…”
Rong Le couldn't help showing a look of disgust.
Xiao Bo smiled softly, not being annoyed by Rong Le's undisguised disdain: "Our philosophies don't conflict."
In any case, they would not be the ones to stand on the enemy's side.
No conflict means peaceful coexistence. In this crisis-ridden situation, one more ally is always better than one more enemy.
At least for Beatrice, she was the target of both of them.
Rong Le: "Then can I say, it's a pleasure working with you?"
“It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
The two men shook hands with smiles on their faces, their extremely similar smiles made them look like two foxes having a friendly conversation.
-
The boss sat in his old seat, lazily fiddling with his wine glass. He heard footsteps and slowly looked up. Seeing the employee who had been absent for several days coming back, he greeted him in a low voice, "Hey, isn't this my employee?"
Rong Le reached out and took the wine glass from his hand, sat on the chair in front of the bar, and wiped it for him.
Boss: "Why are you so hardworking?"
Rong Le lowered her eyebrows and said docilely, "Isn't this right in front of the boss? If I work harder, the boss will be happy too."
The boss chuckled twice. Said was holding a stack of information and was quite surprised to see Rong Le, whom he hadn't seen for a few days. The boss waved at him, and he tactfully put the things on the table and left.
Boss: “Is there something you don’t understand?”
Rong Le answered the question irrelevantly: "Boss, why do you think there is something I can't figure out?"
"If nothing happened to you, you wouldn't come to me and act pitiful," the boss said bluntly.
Rong Le laughed, thought for a moment and said, "Boss, why do you know me so well? And you're willing to help me? Since you really want to change all this, why don't you do it yourself?"
"When have I ever helped you?"
The boss was indifferent: "This is an equal exchange."
"Liar." Rong Le said in a light tone.
“…”
The consequence of irritating your boss is being sent to mop the floor.
Rong Le wore a small square scarf on her head and a floral apron around her waist, outlining her slender and flexible waist. I don’t know whose bad taste it was, but there was a circle of very girlish white lace on the edge of the apron.
He changed his clothes and came out, which made Said's jaw drop.
Rong Le didn't mind at all. After tying it on, she hummed a song and admired her new look.
The live broadcast room suddenly exploded:
“Ahhh I’m desperately taking screenshots!”
"Wife! Oh my god, what a beautiful wife!!"
"I'll die without regrets. I'm so happy to see this scene! Boss, you're so awesome!"
"Oh my god, my wife has such a thin waist and cute lace, and he even jumped a little bit, he seems to like it very much, oh my god!"
"It's over. I'm moved. What should I do? Can my wife come out of the live broadcast room and be with me?!"
"What are you dreaming about upstairs? Such a beautiful wife belongs to everyone!"
The boss sitting at the bar saw him twisting his waist from a distance and said, "...get to work!"
Rong Le: “Okay——”
He picked up the mop and began to mop the floor resignedly. As he mopped, he complained to Sayid, who had been sent to supervise him: "That's too much. I just called him a coward, and he got angry."
Said: “…”
Rong Le was still muttering, "I've been out on errands these past few days. Even if I haven't done anything great, I've definitely worked hard. Why are they asking me to mop the floor? Not only is it mopping the floor, but they've also sent people to monitor me. How can I possibly slip away? If I do, wouldn't that be considered skipping work?!"
"Damn it! Where's the money?!"
Rong Le threw the mop and yelled.
The boss was silent for a moment at the bar not far away: "...Come back."
Rong Le ran to the bar with light steps. The floor and the bucket mop were still on the ground, as if someone was reluctant to punish him and just let him pretend.
Anyway, seeing the figure running over and jumping around the bar, Said suddenly wanted to laugh.
The two went upstairs.
It was still the study room. As soon as the door closed, Rong Le said lazily, "Boss, are you sure you don't want to help me?"
The boss chuckled twice.
Rong Le's attitude towards him was like a kitten, staring at the ball of wool in his hand in distress, and occasionally coming over to tickle him, wanting him to give her the toy.
The boss said slowly, "It's not that I won't help you, but this matter is not that simple. However, I can tell you the last piece of the puzzle about Beatrice's identity."
Rong Le: "What is it?"
The boss said, "Kurosawa."
"Are you serious?" Rong Le raised an eyebrow. "I've screwed Hei Ze over so badly, and now I'm asking for it from him?"
The boss took a puff of his cigarette calmly and said, "You don't have to go."
Rong Le raised his eyebrows. Of course he couldn't not go, but he was also unhappy to see his boss looking so leisurely.
"I really don't understand, boss, why do you want to stay with Polant forever by guarding this tavern?"
Rong Le's question came suddenly, like the tip of a sharp knife, piercing his heart without warning.
The boss paused.
His face darkened, as if he was about to lose his temper. After a moment, he calmed down again and lowered his voice by two degrees: "If you have nothing else to say, get out of here right away. Don't be an eyesore here!"
Rong Le said calmly, "I want to rescue you. I don't want to see you assimilated into this town."
Separated by a wide desk, they sit facing each other like opponents in a game, but more like partners worthy of trust.
"Let me take you away from this swampy world."
Rong Le's voice and previous memories overlapped in the boss's mind.
This is a very strange attraction, but Rong Le is completely unaware of it. He is suspicious and cannot trust others, but he can attract monsters without temperature to come and draw warmth. This terrible attraction has created the greatest miracle of Rong Le's existence.
Why no matter how many times he goes through it, his choice remains unchanged, just like the eternal light in this swamp hell.
No matter what kind of encounter or reunion they have, this young man will still choose to reach out to him.
This may be the charm that belongs only to Rong Le.
"My world has been flooded by the swamp."
The boss spoke calmly as if he was stating a fact.
"I could never leave Portland."
…
The door to the second floor suddenly opened.
Sai De looked up and saw Rong Le coming out with a sullen face.
"Mr. Rong Le..."
Rong Le's tone was slightly depressed: "Send a bottle of wine to the boss, I'm leaving first."
Before Said could react, Rong Le passed him, her long legs swift as she pushed the door open and walked out.
Only two small wooden doors were left swaying in their place.
Said withdrew his gaze, glanced at the ground twice, and then stopped, took a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and brought it to the study on the second floor.
The boss sat behind the desk. The study, with the curtains drawn all year round, was dim and dark. He sat there quietly, as if he had never changed his posture.
"Boss, I brought you some wine."
The boss stirred, as if he had just noticed him, and slowly raised his eyes: "Wine?"
"Alright, just let me drink and have a good sleep."
Rong Le walked on the street facing the sunshine, the long hem of her coat blown by the wind.
"...I'm sure you'll have a good dream."
**
Hei Ze didn't expect to see Rong Le again in the hospital.
Rong Le sat in the patient's seat, supporting her chin with one hand and said, "Doctor, I'm here to see you again."
Kurosawa just felt a headache.
"What are you looking for me for? I don't have anything here that interests you."
Kurosawa's helpless attitude was subtly familiar.
Rong Le thought about it, but couldn't figure out who he looked like.
He tried to sound sincere. "How could that be? My target is you, the doctor. I'm here to check my condition today."
However, it was obvious that Heize didn't believe a word he said, but Rong Le stayed here and refused to leave, and she couldn't drive him away for a while.
“…”
“…”
The two stared at each other for a moment, and Kurosawa was defeated.
"Hallucinations?" Kurosawa flipped open the medical records and tapped the table with his pen. "Are you still taking your medication regularly?"
Rong Le remained calm: "I'm not eating anymore."
Hei Ze just asked casually, but Rong Le's answer shocked him and made him drop his pen: "What?!"
Kurosawa looked at him in disbelief. "Your medical records say you've been taking medication for many years. Why did you suddenly stop? Stopping the medication is likely to cause your condition to relapse or even worsen. You might go completely crazy!"
His tone became stern by the end.
Rong Le was not afraid, but laughed softly twice: "The doctor is worried about me."
Before Kurosawa's cold gaze flicked towards him, he said, "Because, it doesn't seem that useful."
Rong Le leaned lazily on the chair, and the tone seemed to be discussing what he had eaten this morning:
"In fact, I feel much better after stopping the medication. My mental state has also stabilized a lot. After all, I've been half-dead with this illness for so many years, but it won't end soon, so it's okay."
Kurosawa's face darkened, and he said in a cold voice, "Then why are you still seeing a doctor?"
Rong Le closed her mouth, rested her elbows on the table, supported her head with one hand, and looked at him obediently with her green eyes.
Kurosawa sighed, knowing that he couldn't easily get rid of this cunning detective today.
"Is this all you came here to tell me?" Kurosawa put down his pen, leaned back in his chair and looked at him.
"Okay, okay."
Rong Le raised her hands to show her surrender: "Actually, I do have something to ask you. As you know, I've been busy with some things recently, and there are some things I need to ask you."
"What are you busy with?"
"Busy saving the world."
Rong Le said with a smile.
Kurosawa glanced at him and didn't say anything sarcastic: "I can tell you everything except my own affairs."
Rong Le was surprised: "Aren't you going to embarrass me?"
Kurosawa laughed angrily: "Who do you think I am? No, who are the people you have met before?"
"Probably not a good person like you, doctor."
“…Please don’t mock me.”
Rong Le's smile faded, and she whispered, "Do you know Beatrice?"
"Her?" Kurosawa raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking about her?"
Rong Le: "Nothing, census."
Kurosawa snorted in response.
"She was a pretty good woman. When I was...when I was little, she was still very young and gentle, and she would sometimes take care of me."
Kurosawa recalled: "But then she moved away. I heard she had new friends, so I guess she didn't remember me anymore."
Rong Le: "Do you like her?"
"What?!" Kurosawa choked and said in shock, "She's old enough to be my grandmother! Are you crazy?"
His tone was full of disbelief.
"Sorry, sorry." Rong Le said repeatedly, "Please continue."
Kurosawa angrily said to him, then slowed down his tone and said, "Bealis is quite old now, but she hasn't been to the hospital very often, so she should be in good health."
He finished expressing his opinion on Beatrice from a doctor's perspective.
“…”
Rong Le lowered his gaze, his eyes turning dark green.
There is one more person who comes into contact with Beatrice.
The fact that she is entangled with so many people in the game already explains her problems.
Kurosawa, Orianna, and even Fairlight, seemed to be connected by a thread. They were of different ages and had very different professional statuses, but they had something in common.
Children's personalities are not stable when they are young, and they are easily influenced or completely changed by the outside world. If you think about it carefully, they are not born paranoid. There is always a big hand behind them, guiding them like puppets, and turning them step by step into the person they want.
So they embarked on a path of madness.
He still needed to go to Beatrice's house again.
Thinking of this, Rong Le stood up decisively, hurriedly said hello to Hei Ze, and strode out.
——And the prosecutor.
Although Xiao Bo said that they could cooperate, their positions were different and their cooperation was just a verbal agreement. They would not always have the same goals and would become rivals sooner or later.
Perhaps, he could drag Xiao Bo into this as well.
Thinking of this, Rong Le raised an innocent smile and walked towards Beatrice's house.
**
The detective is here again.
Beatrice opened the door, and the young man's cheerful greeting immediately rang out: "Good morning, Ms. Beatrice!"
Nowadays, there are more and more young people who are ignorant of the consequences. They are like troublesome little bugs that can never be driven away. They have a strong curiosity and want to find out all the secrets.
Beatrice felt her patience had reached its limit.
Beatrice said gently, "Good morning, Detective. It's nice to meet you."
...It’s better to kill the troublesome little bugs quickly.
"Come on, come in." Beatrice opened the door.
Rong Le stepped in. The moment he stepped into the house, an electric current pierced his mind directly, and his spiritual intuition sounded a warning of danger.
He stopped subconsciously.
"Why don't you come in?"
Beatrice turned around and looked at him quietly.
"Nothing." Rong Le smiled at her, "I suddenly remembered something."
Beatrice didn't know whether she believed it or not, so she nodded and let him come in and sit wherever he wanted. Rong Le sat on the single sofa where she had sat last time, thinking to herself.
She wants to kill me.
Rong Le ignored her spiritual intuition that kept shouting out danger signals and began to think of countermeasures.
"Belis suddenly developed murderous intentions towards me. There must be a reason. Does she find me too annoying? If that's true, it's a bit unlucky. However, this murderous intention came so suddenly that there might be room for maneuver."
Rong Le thought about it again.
Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something and gave a sly smile.
"Ms. Beatrice."
He suddenly spoke.
After attracting Beatrice's attention, his expression gradually became somewhat serious: "I came here this time because I have something to tell you. If I don't say this, I think my conscience will definitely condemn me."
Beatrice: "...What do you want to say?"
Rong Le: "Xiao Bo said he wanted to kill you."
As soon as these words were spoken, Beatrice's pupils shrank.
In the live broadcast room:
"Look at my backstab secret!"
"Hahahaha, poor Xiao Bo, they sold him out right away!"
"Xiao Bo:?? We agreed on cooperation, but you don't follow martial ethics!"
Rong Le's words did work. Beatrice had never trusted the two detectives who suddenly approached her.
And for some unknown reason, the fragile alliance between the two detectives ended with one of them betraying them, causing Xiao Bo's little tricks to be exposed in front of her.
Since he dared to say such words to Rong Le when they met for the first time, it showed that he was arrogant and confident to a certain extent.
Beatrice smiled slightly, her sharp white teeth faintly visible between her lips.
"It seems that I have been deceived by him all along."
"Thank you for your help, little detective."
Beatrice stood up slowly.
Rong Le seemed to be unaware of the impending danger and said with a smile, "You're welcome. This is what I should do. How can I let a lady be targeted without realizing it?"
"Yes, you are a good boy... Good boys should be rewarded. Let me think..."
Beatrice spoke softly, and there seemed to be some unknown object moving strangely under her long skirt.
"Is anyone waiting for you at home, kid?"
Rong Le's lips curled slightly as she looked at her calmly: "Go home? Yes, there are many people waiting for me."
There was a hint of tenderness in Beatrice's voice: "Didn't they tell you not to enter other people's homes casually?"
"What..." Rong Le seemed to sense something was wrong.
What was discovered in the live broadcast room? The barrage of comments was full of "Wow":
"Damn! High-energy warning!!"
"High energy ahead!!"
"Everyone, stop staring! It's easy to get contaminated through the screen!"
“Once you enter someone’s home, you may never be able to leave.”
Beatrice seemed to be talking to him normally, but the hem of her skirt was swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if something was surging uncontrollably.
Rong Le stood up in a panic: "You, you are not Ms. Beatrice!"
"Silly boy." Beatrice looked at him deeply, "It has always been me."
The next moment, the slippery and swollen tail rushed out in an instant, until Rong Le lost consciousness and Beatrice retracted the tail.
She looked at Rong Le lying on the ground, grabbed his ankles and dragged him into a deep place where no one visited.
…
The doorbell rang again.
Beatrice opened the door, and outside, a gentle and handsome man greeted her:
"Good afternoon, Ms. Beatrice, you are still as radiant as ever today."
She smiled gently:
"Come in, good boy."
…
The door creaked shut.
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