章 29: Chapter 29: Emperor Roselle, Truly a Sage
Chapter 29: Emperor Roselle, Truly a Sage
After listening to Instructor Folen's account, Hastur was even more grateful that he hadn't gone in. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would never have entered the solitary confinement room that held the dead.
This way, he would be alone with Dean Darn outside, and he had no confidence in facing someone desperate to escape.
Perhaps Dean Darn might even stab him a few times when he wasn't paying attention.
That would be truly bad.
Hugh, having recovered from the minor setback, stared at Hastur and asked, "Where do you think the secret passage might be hidden?"
"If I were the designer of the basement, I would definitely build the secret passage inside the lounge. After all, the main purpose of the solitary confinement room is to hold prisoners, not to give them a chance to escape," Hastur reasoned, feeling it was a normal deduction.
Hugh nodded and asked, "Are you interested in entering the basement to find that secret passage?"
"Not interested."
Hastur flatly refused. Who knew what was on the other side of the secret passage? What if it was the boss's secret lair? What if the passage was rigged with deadly traps?
What if Dean Darn was hiding, ready to strike them from the shadows? There were too many unknowns, and he wouldn't risk it.
If he remembered correctly, Hugh was also just a Sequence 9, a person of extraordinary abilities who could easily perish with one misstep.
"Don't you want to find Professor Wayne?"
"Of course, I do, but finding someone requires wise judgment, not reckless action."
"Hmm, you're very cautious," Hugh mused, giving a fairly good appraisal.
"As a noble, I won't risk my life recklessly."
Hastur felt it necessary to emphasize this point again, lest these people all wanted to drag him into danger.
Hugh pouted her cute little mouth, wanting to say, 'Who isn't of noble birth?'
"So, as wise as you are, where do you think Professor Wayne might be?"
"That should be the reason we hired you, right?"
Hastur's faint retort made Hugh feel like she was punching cotton.
Hugh didn't dwell on the topic with Hastur. After pondering for a while, she offered her professional advice.
"I think Dean Darn has nothing to do with Professor Wayne's disappearance. Instead, it was Professor Wayne's disappearance that brought in the police department, causing him to flee in panic through the basement's secret passage."
"Professor Wayne is probably no longer at the charity hospital."
"There are some secluded places in the dock area, rarely visited on ordinary days. Professor Wayne might be hidden there."
Hastur had no objections to the first point; Dean Darn had exposed himself too quickly and had no motive to kidnap Professor Wayne.
However, he had a different opinion on the second guess; he still believed that Professor Wayne was more likely inside the charity hospital.
Dean Darn being innocent didn't mean others were.
And the oddities of the charity hospital weren't limited to Dean Darn—the people suspected of being brainwashed, the bell that rang in the middle of the night, the strange clock tower.
These questions still had no answers.
If it could be confirmed that Professor Wayne was playing hide-and-seek and was currently safe, then he would definitely stay away from the charity hospital and write an anonymous report to the Church of the Night.
He didn't think he, a Sequence 9, could solve much.
But the problem was, he couldn't know Professor Wayne's situation.
If he left here and Professor Wayne really was in danger, he would find it hard to forgive himself for standing by today.
Ah, Professor Wayne, you really know how to play hide-and-seek.
"The police department has taken over here; we can go check out those secluded places in the dock area first."
Hugh suggested, and Hastur didn't object, nor did Instructor Folen.
They would first take a look outside. If they couldn't find any clues, they would have to focus on the charity hospital.
Hastur sighed inwardly, following Hugh and Instructor Folen towards the dock area at the foot of the mountain.
After a while, he suddenly remembered the two young men who had revealed important information to him.
They seemed to have silently disappeared when Instructor Folen mentioned the encounter in the basement.
Seeing Hastur suddenly stop and look unhappy, Instructor Folen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Hastur shook his head, not mentioning the two men, deciding to first tour the dock area and sort out his thoughts.
What if they were lucky and actually found Professor Wayne?
…
At seven in the evening, the three of them, having scoured the dock area to no avail, sat at the entrance of a bar, sighing heavily.
Hugh doubted her judgment, Instructor Folen regretted that his detective skills hadn't come into play, and Hastur knew he had to reinvestigate the charity hospital.
Three people, three different thoughts.
Instructor Folen ordered two beers, Hastur ordered some snacks, a fruit wine, and a bit of white bread. Hugh glanced at the fruit wine Hastur ordered, thought about the price, and decided to drink the beer Instructor Folen passed her.
After replenishing their energy, Hugh tapped the empty beer glass on the table and said solemnly, "I think we've gone astray; Professor Wayne should still be inside the charity hospital!"
Instructor Folen leaned on the table and asked, "What's your reason?"
Hastur took a sip of fruit wine, nibbled on the cheese-wrapped ham, and quietly awaited Hugh's analysis.
"Dean Darn being innocent doesn't mean others aren't."
"There's a secret passage in the basement of the charity hospital, so there might be others elsewhere. We need to find that passage."
"The person who kidnapped Professor Wayne is clever; they know the most dangerous place is the safest."
Hugh said this and then praised Emperor Roselle.
"Very smart analysis," Hastur applauded.
"Emperor Roselle truly is a sage," Instructor Folen exclaimed.
…
Hugh looked at the two of them, feeling something was off.
The three finished the snacks and drinks on the table, Hastur paid the bill, and they headed to the charity hospital with Hugh and Instructor Folen.
Because of Dean Darn's fugitive escape and the discovery of bodies in the basement, coupled with Professor Wayne's disappearance, the police department paid extra attention to this matter and dispatched six more officers.
When Hastur and the others returned to the charity hospital, lights were on everywhere. Many charity hospital staff assisted the officers in searching and clearing every corner, and the ground had been dug up quite a bit based on some intelligence.
A total of six bodies had been found, two males and four females, all between fourteen and sixteen years old.
These six murder cases naturally accumulated on the fleeing Dean Darn's head.
The reason was simple: if it had nothing to do with him, why would he run away?
But to Hastur and the others' disappointment, they didn't find any trace of Professor Wayne, nor did they catch Dean Darn.
"What should we do at this time?"
Instructor Folen asked weakly, seemingly unable to help much.
"Don't worry, let's find three rooms to stay in first," Hastur said.
"Do you think something will happen tonight?" Instructor Folen thought of the eerie bell sound from that night.
"Well, it's possible, and we can't miss any possibility."
"Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
"We can contact a few more officers."
Hastur wouldn't risk his life recklessly; it was better to have more people for reassurance.
The only thing to note was that the eerie bell sound might not occur tonight.
If the bell sound was manipulated, given today's situation, that person would not want any complications.
Hugh stood by, silently listening to Hastur and Instructor Folen's conversation, curious about the unexpected changes they mentioned.
Could Professor Wayne's disappearance involve supernatural factors?
Soon, Hastur and the others found the current person in charge of the charity hospital, Vice Dean Bard, and after explaining their intentions, Vice Dean Bard let them stay in the rooms they had occupied the night before.
Hugh stayed in Professor Wayne's room, and the other two's rooms remained unchanged, right next to each other.
This time they didn't wait until midnight to meet; everyone freshened up a bit and then gathered in Hastur's room.
According to Instructor Folen, they wanted to keep the situation as consistent with last night as possible.
"Now you can tell us your story; hiding too much is not conducive to finding Professor Wayne."
Hugh sat on the table, Hastur and Instructor Folen on the bed.
Explaining last night's events, Hastur let Instructor Folen take charge.
He found that Instructor Folen had a strong storytelling ability; even the most mundane stories became exciting fantasy adventures in his telling.
After listening to Instructor Folen's version of the story, Hugh remarked, "It's good that you didn't follow the source of the bell sound last night, or you might be on the missing list today."
Hastur feigned surprise, "Do you think the bell sound caused Professor Wayne's disappearance?"
Hugh tilted her chin up slightly, analyzing calmly, "Last night, after the three of you returned to your rooms, Professor Wayne must have left his room alone, quietly investigating the source of the bell sound. He must have encountered something, which then led to his disappearance."
Hastur had considered this possibility, but Professor Wayne was prudent and not the type to risk his life recklessly.
Instructor Folen voiced Hastur's doubts.
Hugh said lightly, "Often, people can't fully control themselves."
Instructor Folen looked puzzled, but Hastur caught the implication in Hugh's words—she meant that Professor Wayne's disappearance
was influenced by supernatural factors.
Perhaps he was brainwashed or bewitched by the bell sound, losing control and making the rash decision to investigate its source.
Hugh pondered for a moment and then asked, "Do you remember what time the bell sound started last night?"
"Two twelve in the morning."
Hastur provided a very certain time; he always had the habit of noting the time.
After the bell sound appeared last night, he quietly checked his pocket watch.
"Then let's wait here until after two o'clock."
Hugh finished speaking, turned to the side, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes to rest.
(End of Chapter)
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