abnabooks Chapter 30 Conversation on the Steam Train
Chapter 30 Conversation on the Steam Train
Klein was shocked by Old Neil's death. He felt he had done everything he could. He confronted Leonard and successfully implicated him in the high-sequence power, trying to counteract the manipulation by the mastermind behind the scenes.
He thought he had succeeded and left Old Neil safely in the Blackthorn Security Company's underground, but he never expected that Old Neil would eventually die.
"No, I don't believe it. I want to go to the company with my own eyes. Maybe this is just a nightmare. Maybe it's because the captain's ability to enter my dreams left such a deep impression on me that I had such an absurd dream... Yes, yes, that must be it."
Klein thought to himself, then quickly got up, took off his old pajamas, grabbed the white shirt next to him, and buttoned it up from top to bottom.
But when he buttoned it all the way down, he discovered that there was an extra button on one side.
Klein then realized that he hadn't buttoned the shirt properly from the beginning, so he had to unbutton and rebutton all of them.
Frustrated, Klein tried to unbutton his shirt again, but because he was clumsy, he couldn't get a single button undone. In anger, Klein tugged at the collar a few times, wrinkling it completely.
Fortunately, this white shirt was a nice purchase Klein had made with his advance salary a few days ago, and despite his rough handling, it wasn't damaged.
Klein sat on the bed, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself down, even using some meditation techniques to barely suppress his emotions.
Finally, he dressed again, grabbed his hat and cane, and went out, even hailing an expensive horse-drawn carriage on the roadside, just to get to the company as quickly as possible.
When Klein arrived at the company, he immediately saw Rosanne, who had arrived before him, crying, while the slightly older Ms. Oriana, wearing a black veiled hat, was comforting Rosanne.
Seeing this, Klein's heart sank, knowing that his last glimmer of hope had been shattered.
Klein didn't greet Rosanne and went straight to the underground, where he found bishops praying and sprinkling holy water around the dead old Neil.
Old Neil had already closed his clean and tidy suit and lay there quietly, without a trace of pain, as if he were asleep, with Leonard and Frye guarding him.
Leonard saw Klein arrive, said something to Frye who was standing next to him, then gave Klein a look before leaving the underground.
Klein drew a crimson moon over Old Neil's corpse, said "Goddess bless," and then left the underground.
In the lounge, Leonard explained Neil's situation to Klein in a low voice:
"The captain intended to let old Neil sleep for the night and interrogate him again today, but unexpectedly he passed away in his sleep. The captain is currently sending a telegram to the Sanctuary to report this matter."
Klein remained silent for a moment, then asked directly:
"Can you confirm the cause of Old Neil's death? Is it possible that someone sabotaged it? You should remember what I told you last night about the recent spate of extraordinary events, right?"
Because of last night's confrontation, Leonard no longer concealed his connection to high-sequence powers from Klein, and answered directly:
"Old Neil died behind Charness Gate, and it's almost certain that it was a natural death. Of course, if you don't believe it, you can do some verification yourself."
Leonard simply didn't believe that Klein discovered his secret because of Evan.
Klein remained silent for a while before speaking:
"It's not that I don't trust you, but so much has happened lately that I have to be careful. Could you cover for me while I go out for a bit?"
Leonard didn't react much to Klein's lack of belief; he simply nodded silently.
After leaving Blackthorn Company, Klein glanced at his pocket watch and realized it was already 10 o'clock. Evan's train departure time from Tingen was 11 o'clock, so he went to see Evan.
So Klein hailed another overcharging carriage and sped towards the station.
Klein rushed as fast as he could and finally arrived just before the steam train sounded its first whistle to urge passengers to board.
When Klein hurriedly entered the station, he found Evan saying goodbye to an elderly man who looked like a butler. The butler was also a little surprised to see Klein, but then his eyes lit up and he said something to a servant who had followed him. After the servant left, Evan introduced Klein and the butler to each other.
Klein shook hands with the butler, Buck, then looked anxiously at Evan. Evan calmly gave the butler his final instructions and saw him off. Then, he took a train ticket from a returning servant and handed it to Klein, saying:
"I bought you a ticket from Tingen to Aleppo. Let's get on the train together and talk. I also have a lot to tell you."
Klein was taken aback, not expecting Evan to do this. Although he didn't know what Evan meant, Klein still took the ticket and boarded the train with Evan.
The so-called first-class seats on steam trains do not refer to individual seats, but rather to compartments.
First-class passengers will have a compartment with a bed for rest, and can also dine in a specially set up luxury train restaurant.
First-class tickets need to be booked in advance, so Evan bought Klein a second-class ticket, but that didn't stop Evan from taking him to his own box.
Upon entering the private room, Klein was eager to speak, but was interrupted by Evan's gesture.
"Don't say anything now. Wait until the train has departed for 20 minutes before saying anything."
Klein still didn't understand what Evan meant, but decided to listen anyway. He opened his pocket watch to check the time and then waited patiently.
After the train had been traveling for 20 minutes, Evan, as if his head had a clock, blurted out:
"That kind of power that can interfere with your thoughts, actions, and decisions covers an area the size of a metropolis. I have to get you on a train, some distance away from Tingen, before I can tell you anything."
Klein looked at Evan and asked expressionlessly:
"You know the truth behind Tingen, but you haven't told us everything?"
Klein hadn't thought of this before, but Evan's words just now had already explained everything.
Evan looked at Klein calmly. He knew that Klein would eventually discover that he knew a lot about Tingen, so he was mentally prepared and spoke without changing his expression.
"I can't say I know everything, but I do know a lot. I gradually obtained some information and learned part of the truth about the conspiracy behind Tingen through investigation. I also know who the mastermind is, but I can't tell you because 'you know him, and he knows you.' You have no secrets from him."
So even now, there are still many things I can't tell you, because you will eventually have to go back to Tingen.
Klein was already a bit numb. He knew that the mastermind behind the scenes was very powerful, but he didn't expect it to be this powerful. What was the point of struggling? It was practically one-sided transparency!
But this was not a reason for Klein to give up. He knew his time was limited and he needed to reserve time to return to Tingen, so he adjusted his mindset and asked:
Was Old Neil's death the result of manipulation by a mastermind?
Klein thought this was an easy question to answer, but Evan was surprised to find that he didn't know about it and asked in astonishment:
"Old Neil is dead? Tell me what happened."
Evan was genuinely surprised because the script he read last night didn't mention Old Neil's death, but today Klein told him that Old Neil was dead, which was quite shocking to Evan.
Klein told Evan about Old Neil's passing. Evan remained silent for a long time. He once again felt that he was not the chosen one of the world, and this was not a world of overpowered protagonists. Once he made a mistake, he would pay the price. Old Neil was the price he paid for his mistake.
Faced with Klein, the future strongest "fortune teller", Evan decided not to hide his mistakes and to tell the truth directly, because such things cannot be hidden in the future, so it is better to be honest now.
"I can see Tingen's 'script' through some means. When I found out that Old Neil was in the mastermind's script, I was worried that this was an arrangement against you. So I took it upon myself to provide you with a piece of content that I had written through Mr. Fool, hoping that you could 'defuse the mine' and eliminate potential dangers in advance."
However, I didn't expect this to actually help the mastermind behind it all. This is my fault, and I will ask Mr. Fool for punishment afterwards.
Klein was stunned by Evan's words. The "script" he had read last night was actually written by Evan?
A surge of anger welled up in Klein's heart, and he stood up agitatedly, but it quickly died down as he sat back down. Regardless of the outcome, Evan's motives were for his own good and for Old Neil's good.
Moreover, he understood that since Old Neil was now part of the script, there was a high probability that something unfortunate would happen to him in the future. After all, based on his understanding of the script, very few people besides him could survive. Therefore, he could not blame Old Neil's death on Evan, who had tried so hard to save him. In a way, Old Neil had also been pulled out of the 008 script, but his death was still too unexpected.
Klein knew that Old Neil's death was not directly related to the mastermind behind it, which ruled out the possibility of murder. Thinking back to the disappearing phantom he saw when he left Old Neil's house last night, he understood the real cause of Old Neil's death.
He had lost the will to live and all his energy, which is why he died in his sleep.
After a long while, Klein looked at Evan again and said:
"Since you didn't know about Old Neil's death, yet you went out of your way to buy me a train ticket so I could travel with you, is there something you want to tell me?"
Evan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Klein didn't blame him for Old Neil's death. After all, people are emotional creatures and can be unreasonable when they are emotional.
"I messed things up yesterday and ended up becoming an accomplice to the mastermind, helping him achieve his goal. I can't tell you the specifics."
For the foreseeable future, the mastermind's attention will not be on you and those around you; he will make other arrangements, the specifics of which I cannot tell you directly.
What I want to tell you is that you must seize the last window of opportunity to summarize the role-playing method, intensify your role-playing, and improve your skills.
At the same time, don't have too many reservations. Find a suitable opportunity and try to reveal the role-playing method. Ms. Daisy from your team will help you.
At the same time, you can be more honest with your colleague Leonard, so that he is also aware of the mastermind behind Tingen. This will be of great help to you, but of course, this requires Mr. Fool's permission.
As for the contents of the 'script,' I cannot reveal any more information to avoid making things worse again.
I made some arrangements in Tingen to see if I could create some obstacles for the mastermind behind the scenes, forcing him to abandon his goals and seek another path.
If all other methods fail, I will have no choice but to resort to a last resort, and at that time I will be sure to ask for your help.
Evan said solemnly to Klein.
Klein silently noted down what Evan said, and then said:
"I can do as you say, but I also need you to answer one question."
"What's the problem?"
"Where did you learn so much about this extraordinary world?"