"An abandoned shipyard? That is indeed a good spot."
Leonard smiled.
"Why do you say that?"
Silas asked.
The ritual had ended, and they were now cleaning up the scene, making sure everything was restored to its original state.
Otherwise, when Mr. Pond came to work the next day and discovered something amiss, he'd be on guard.
"Think about it. That place is definitely deserted most of the time, so they can do their business without worry.
Plus, the setting's just right. A boat rocking back and forth on the water, doesn't that just set the mood perfectly?"
Leonard explained, swinging the gas lamp in his hand back and forth as if mimicking a boat on water.
The lamplight circled around him, making his shadow sway along with it.
The Sleepless pathway granted excellent night vision; the lamp was mainly to light the way for Silas.
Your imagination is quite something.
Silas was speechless. He collected the bloodstained map and stood up.
As he put away the blood-marked map, he instinctively rubbed his fingers together, but no pain came from his fingertips.
The wound on his finger had already healed. The same thing had happened when they held the ritual for Old Neil last time.
For some reason, his wounds always healed incredibly fast.
According to internal Nighthawks resources, the high sequences of the Secrets Suppliant pathway possessed authority over flesh and blood.
Was that the reason?
Whatever. Better than not healing at all.
Silas set the thought aside for now, then asked Leonard, "So what do we do next? Pull out, or go take a look over there?"
"Of course, we'll go take a look. Unlike us, they don't know how to clean up a crime scene," Leonard said.
"We might even find direct physical evidence there."
"Ugh, in that case, maybe it's better not to see it."
Silas said with mild disgust, pulling open the door ahead of him.
Whoosh!
A flash of brilliant light suddenly shot out from the shadows beyond the door.
A cold sensation filled his chest.
"Pfft."
The soft sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
Silas belatedly looked down and saw a dagger run straight through his chest.
Due to the remaining momentum, the arm gripping the dagger was still pushing forward.
That force traveled along the blade and into his body, sending him falling backward.
Thud!
As his body hit the floor, he heard Leonard's furious roar.
"Silas!"
Leonard's eyes were bloodshot with rage. One second ago, the two of them had been joking around, and the next moment, Silas had been struck down. He saw the attacker's appearance.
The figure was lean, their entire body shrouded in a hood and cloak.
Taking advantage of the instant they opened the door, the attacker had thrust the dagger forward with full force.
The assassination was so swift and fierce that Leonard didn't even have time to react!
At the same moment Silas fell after being stabbed, Leonard charged forward, raising his leg in a fierce kick.
In the darkness, his strength was greatly enhanced. This kick actually created a howling wind.
But the hooded assassin nimbly retreated, dodging Leonard's attack as lightly as a feather in the wind.
The assassin glanced at the fallen Silas, then at the furious Leonard, and without hesitation turned and ran.
"Stars burn with my fury, the night wind is my dirge..."
Leonard's voice came from behind the assassin.
His magnetic voice seemed to carry endless tranquility and sorrow, echoing through the dark corridor, disorienting the listener's mind.
The running assassin's steps came to a halt. His body began to sway, his head drooped, as if he were about to fall into a beautiful dream. Just then, he suddenly raised his dagger and stabbed his own arm!
"Ugh!"
He let out a muffled cry of pain, but it also snapped him awake. He ran toward the end of the corridor even faster than before.
"Damn it!"
Leonard immediately drew his revolver and fired at the fleeing figure.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The gunshots rang out loudly, the muzzle flashing with light at each discharge.
The assassin's figure ran without slowing, reached the end of the corridor, crashed through a window, and leaped out.
Leonard chased after him and saw the attacker easily jump down from the third floor without any trouble, quickly disappearing into the lightless darkness.
He gritted his teeth but didn't pursue. Instead, he turned and ran back to the manager's office. Silas's injuries were still unclear. He needed to save him, fast!
***
Silas lay flat on the floor of the manager's office, breathing deeply.
He could feel the burning pain from the wound in his chest. With each breath, the pain ebbed and flowed.
But besides the pain, another sensation was also feeding back to his brain.
He could feel his flesh squirming, as if every muscle, every tissue had gained a mind of its own and was working to repair and mend itself.
So amid the fine, dense sounds of flesh writhing, the blood stopped flowing out, his internal organs spontaneously sealed themselves, muscles stretched and reconnected, tissues drew together and healed...
"Silas! Silas!"
He heard Leonard's anxious shouts. The sound of footsteps transmitted vibrations through the floor.
The Midnight Poet rushed back to his side, then came to an abrupt halt. His shouting stopped just as suddenly.
Needless to say, he must have witnessed the shocking sight of Silas's flesh healing itself.
Silas endured the pain and forced himself to sit up partway, looking over. Sure enough, Leonard was staring at him with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief.
"You... this is..."
"Stop making a fuss and help me up."
Silas extended his hand for Leonard to pull him to his feet. "You should be thanking me.
If I hadn't opened the door first, you'd be the one with a dagger in your chest right now."
Looking at the hand extended toward him, Leonard hesitated for a moment, but still reached out, grasped it, and pulled Silas up forcefully.
"Damn, that hurts..."
The movement was too abrupt. Silas grimaced in pain, and the muscles around his wound trembled and quivered. The scene was grotesque, making Leonard's heart skip a beat.
"Silas, are you... Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
Silas looked down at his wound.
His internal organs had already healed; only the muscles, blood vessels, and such were still slowly mending. Unfortunately, his shirt was ruined and stained with blood. "Did you catch that bastard?"
"No."
Leonard looked a bit embarrassed. "I figured I needed to come back and save you, so I just fired some shots to drive him off..."
If he'd gone after the attacker, setting aside whether he could catch the enemy, his teammate would definitely have been beyond saving.
So the choice was perfectly sound.
Silas nodded, then said, "That guy's no ordinary fighter, right?"
To spar with a Sequence 8 Midnight Poet and successfully escape basically confirmed the opponent was a Beyonder!
"Very strong. Definitely a Beyonder," Leonard realized as well. "He was specifically gunning for us, because we went into the manager's office!"
That raised a very odd question. Just to protect an affair, was it necessary to station a Beyonder as a guard?
Of course not. There had to be something more going on.
"Quick, we need to get to that abandoned shipyard right now! There's definitely some kind of secret there they can't let anyone know about!"
Both of them broke into a run. When they reached the corridor, Silas saw a pool of blood on the ground.
It must have been left when Leonard's gunfire grazed the hooded figure. An idea struck him. He crouched down and used a small vial to collect the blood.
You son of a bitch, you dared stab me with a dagger? I'm definitely going to get you for this!