Chapter 15 Lounge Views
"Knock knock—" There was a soft knocking sound outside the lounge door.
"Come in." Angel, who was in a daze in the lounge on the second floor of Blackthorn Security Company, stood up from the sofa by the window. Her right hand subconsciously reached for the hem of her skirt, and then she remembered that all her weapons had been handed over to the young Night Watchman named Leonard Mitchell for safekeeping.
The doorknob was turned, and a white-haired man in a black windbreaker walked in carrying a wooden lunch box.
Angel thought it was an old man at first sight. When the person walked completely through the door into the lounge, she found that under the long white hair was a face of a woman about thirty years old. Her appearance was not outstanding, but her temperament was calm and peaceful, and her black eyes gave people the feeling that she could see through everything.
"Siga Theon, Nightwatchman." The white-haired lady introduced herself briefly. "The captain asked me to bring you lunch."
The captain is that stern-faced Dunn Smith... So this is the female Nightwatchman he said he would arrange to "watch" me? Angel hurried over and took the lunch box from Xijia Teon.
The box was not big. Inside it was a piece of oatmeal bread, a small bowl of stew soup, and a few thin slices of bacon. The portion was not large, but there was meat and vegetables, and the combination was reasonable.
This "Blackthorn Security Company" didn't seem to have its own kitchen, so she guessed that lunch was delivered from a nearby restaurant.
Angel hadn't eaten breakfast for nearly a day, and aside from two cups of hot water in the lounge, her stomach was completely empty. She didn't care about anyone else, so she placed her lunch box on the table and wolfed it down.
Xijia Teang sat quietly on the sofa beside him, picked up a copy of the Ahowa Evening News from a few days ago, and hid his eyes behind the newspaper.
But Angel always felt that her attention was still on him.
A woman's appetite was far less than Angel's originally trained appetite. Although she felt extremely hungry, after finishing most of a piece of oatmeal bread with the stew, she felt about 80% full.
After slowing down and gradually finishing the last bit of food, she picked up the napkin under the bread and wiped her mouth and hands, sighing with satisfaction.
Siga Teon lowered the newspaper and glanced at the empty lunch box, his eyebrows raised in surprise, making Angel feel his cheeks getting hot.
I've been hungry for almost a day, so it's reasonable to finish one meal, right? Besides, this lunch isn't that big. In the past, I could have finished three in one go...
"Where should I send the lunch boxes?" Angel asked to avoid embarrassment.
"Just leave it here. Someone from the restaurant will come clean it up this afternoon." The white-haired Nightwatchman replied with a smile. "I just think that the fact that you still have an appetite in this environment is... well, quite remarkable."
As long as I'm not embarrassed, the other person will be embarrassed... Angel glanced around, trying to change the subject.
"Your 'security company', I mean 'Nighthawks', how many people are there in total?" As soon as he finished speaking, Angel regretted that he had changed the topic too abruptly.
Xijia Teong didn't care. She simply put down the newspaper, put her long legs under her windbreaker into a comfortable position, leaned her back against the soft cushions of the sofa, and thought for a moment before answering:
"There are six combat personnel, including me. I believe you have already met some of them. Including the civilian staff, there are more than ten people in total."
The answer is very vague. Are you afraid of leaking some secrets?
Angel silently recalled the Nighthawks he had met: Dunn Smith, the captain, Daly Simone, who dressed like a psychic, the young Leonard Mitchell, and Xijia Teong, who was standing before him. That made four of them. He remembered that when he first arrived at Blackthorn Security, Dunn had asked Leonard to find two other personnel on leave. Apparently, these were the Nighthawks' entire combat force in Tingen.
Although they were small in number, if they were all Beyonders, they would definitely be a team that could not be underestimated. Even if they were all Sequence 9, they all possessed unique abilities. Once multiple Beyonders teamed up to fight, their endless variety of abilities would cause great trouble to the enemy.
"With only six fighters, won't they be overwhelmed?"
Angel asked, she was very curious about this. Late last night, three Night Watchmen came to her house just to investigate the incident of Cole Granger. That was half of the combat personnel. Excluding those who were resting at home and on duty, almost all the personnel were dispatched.
Xiga Teon chuckled, and her narrowed eyes made her look a lot younger.
"Actually, we're quite free. Tingen City doesn't have many supernatural incidents to deal with. Including your case, there were only four in June. And we, the Nighthawks, aren't the only ones working. We're only responsible for the North District, West District, and Golden Sycamore District. The rest of the area is handled by the Beyonders of the Mandated Punishers and the Mechanical Heart."
"If you hadn't reported it to St. Selina Church this time, it wouldn't have been our turn to intervene."
The "Made-in-Punishment" of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the "Machine Heart" of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, these are all "Nightwatchers" to the Beyonder armed forces of churches like the Church of the Goddess of Night. It seems that the power divisions of the three major orthodox churches in the Kingdom of Loen are quite clear. This way, at least there will be no conflicts or even fights when handling related cases.
Seeing that Xiga Teon answered every question, Angel then asked a lot of questions about the extraordinary teams in Tingen City. It seemed that Xiga's concern about "leaking secrets" was limited to her own Nighthawks team. When talking about the other two extraordinary teams in Tingen City, she basically told Angel everything she knew, which opened Angel's eyes.
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"...Because those people were followers of the Lord of Storms, the Mandated Punishers also arrived at the scene. They hadn't been open for business for a month. When they saw that the captain and I had already resolved the matter, their eyes widened and they almost started a fight with us..."
Sharing other people's embarrassing stories is indeed one of the best ways to enhance friendship. Angel and Xijia Teong quickly chatted with each other. When Leonard Mitchell, who had changed out of his black police uniform and casually put on a black vest, pushed open the door of the lounge and walked in, Xijia was holding his stomach in an ungraceful manner and almost rolling on the sofa.
"Ahem... ahem." Seeing someone come in, Xijia Teon instantly restored his upright sitting posture, as if his shattered image just now was just an illusion. "Leonard, what can I do for you?"
She looked at the lunch boxes on the table and said suddenly, "Are you here to collect the lunch boxes?"
Leonard Mitchell barely managed to maintain his feigned coolness. He paused for a moment before replying, "Of course not. The waiter has already cleared away all the tableware outside and probably forgot about yours. I'm here because the captain asked me to notify you to come to his office for a meeting regarding tonight's operation."
Hearing that it was related to the action in the evening, Xiga Teong also became serious. She stood up from the sofa and adjusted her windbreaker.
"Then I'll go to the captain first. You can take my place?" Xiga signaled with his eyes to Angel who was sitting on the sofa in the middle.
Leonard nodded. "No problem. I'm not fighting at night anyway."
He naturally sat down on the sofa where Xijia had just rolled over and picked up the copy of Akhova Evening News.
Seeing Xijia Teong preparing to leave, Angel also stood up and said goodbye: "Ms. Teong, thank you for your company during this time."
She remembered that the Night Watchmen were all believers of the Goddess of Night, and added, "May the Goddess bless you."
"May the goddess bless you." Xiga Teon drew a crimson moon on his chest and then left the lounge.
The room fell silent again. Leonard Mitchell seemed to have come here just to read the newspaper. He crossed his legs, holding the Ahowa Evening News in both hands, staring at the page intently, as if there was some code to wealth hidden in the news.
Angel felt that this person was too serious and liked to ask questions, so he didn't talk to him. Instead, he took out a newspaper from the bookshelf next to him, sat back on the sofa by the window, and passed the time.
This is a copy of the Intis Post, dated a week ago. It seems that the newspapers in the lounge are not updated very frequently, and the "Night Watchmen" who use it to kill time don't care much about this.
She focused her eyes on the front-page headline:
"Shocking! Several students at Tingen University have mysteriously disappeared, and the reason is actually related to a female teacher in the Department of Literature?"
What is this?
Angel frowned and put the newspaper aside. She was not interested in such a shocking headline. If such a headline could be put on the front page, this newspaper must not be very authoritative.
But after a few seconds, she picked up the Intis Post again, wanting to see if the article mentioned Cole Granger. After all, this guy used his "instigator" ability to trick many students into skipping classes and going to the Amanda Mountains north of Ahowa County. It was said that there had been no news of them for a month, so it was not quite accurate to say that they were missing. Angel felt that they should have been killed, and perhaps their bodies had been taken away by wolves.
After reading the text line by line, she concluded that this was a worthless piece of news, full of gossip-like speculation from her previous life. It was written in any way that would attract attention, using various fictitious "informants" to anonymously disclose information, and cleverly using words such as "maybe" and "perhaps" to avoid legal issues.
Turning to the back pages, various eye-catching headlines appeared one after another, covering all walks of life in all countries of the Northern Continent. The only thing they had in common was that they were groundless and sensational.
Just as she was about to throw the newspaper away, Leonard Mitchell, who had been buried in the newspaper looking for the "code of wealth", suddenly spoke.
"It seems like you and Xijia get along quite well. What was your first impression of her and us, the Nighthawks?"
There was a nonchalant tone in his words, and his eyes never left the newspaper, as if it was a casual question, but having had experience with conversations in carriages, Angel believed that he must have some purpose.
"Ms. Xijia Teong seemed a little cold when I first met her, but after chatting with her for a while, I found that she is a very warm-hearted person."
Angel answered, choosing his words carefully.
"As for you Nighthawks, honestly, my first impression wasn't good. After all, you broke into my house in the middle of the night and even invaded my dreams. If I weren't a Beyonder myself, I'm afraid your captain, Dunn Smith, wouldn't even give me a chance to talk, but would instead be prepared to obtain all the information through my dreams, right?"
She first expressed her feelings as an "ordinary citizen," and then changed the subject:
"But since this is about combating Beyonder crime, I can't say much. Subjective feelings aside, I'm very optimistic about your professionalism and ability to act."
"Usually, when we go to someone's house, we go with the neighborhood police. This time, it happened late at night, and it was urgent. Ms. Daly is leaving Tingen again tomorrow, so the captain was anxious to get the case over with as soon as possible."
Leonard Mitchell didn't expect Angel's comment to be so impolite, and explained with embarrassment.
"Compared to 'moderates' like us, the roughnecks of the Mandated Punishers tend to break down doors and arrest people first before questioning them. The Mechanical Heart is even more accustomed to fighting crime on the streets with guns. I'm sure you won't like their methods."
As if thinking of some past experience, Leonard's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.
He simply put down the Ahowa Evening News that he had not opened, changed the direction of his crossed legs, and stared at Angel with his green eyes.
"Based on your current impression, if you had the opportunity to join the Nighthawks, would you be willing?"
Join the Nighthawks? Me?
Angel looked at Leonard, trying to find a joking expression on his face, but Leonard's face was calm and his eyes did not avoid him.
He seemed to be serious...
Angel frowned. As a former Templar, her initial impression of the Nighthawks, the Beyonder arm of the Evernight Goddess, wasn't bad. The negative reviews were largely due to their portrayal as "ordinary people with a deep grudge against violent institutions." From a crime-fighting perspective, this resolute, unfussy approach became their advantage.
But what does this have to do with me? My current identity is just a witness who submitted a letter of complaint. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up in prison and be with Madam Sharon under her testimony. Now you ask me if I'm interested in joining the "Nighthawks"... I don't think you guys are the "Suicide Squad"?
She speculated on Leonard's purpose and did not answer immediately.
"Haha, I just asked casually, don't take it seriously."
Leonard saw Angel's expression change and he didn't answer, so he didn't ask any more questions.
"It's just that for 'victims' of supernatural events like you, the departments that handle them usually have to accommodate them to prevent further harm or leaks of secrets. Since you're already a Beyonder, your options are broader. Once Madam Sharon is apprehended, the captain will probably talk to you in detail."
Victim? Once Madam Sharon is apprehended, if she denies the existence of "Angel Granger" and then reveals the effects of the Sequence 7 potion "Witch," it's still a question of who will go to the gallows first, me or her. If I then say, "I'm a victim too. Cole Granger died during the Ascension Ceremony. I'm a possessed spirit from another world," will anyone believe me?
Although she had already made plans for the worst in order to solve the problem of Madam Sharon once and for all, the thought of this terrible possibility instantly evaporated the good mood that Angel had gained after chatting with Xijia Teon like dewdrops under the scorching sun. She picked up the Intis Post, which was full of gossip and rumors, and immersed herself in fictional news to pass the time.
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