Chapter 118: Not a Shepherd
"Lu Ze, I think you need to give me an explanation."
The regret in Dunn Smith's deep eyes lasted only a brief moment; he quickly turned serious, reassuming the posture a captain should have.
"Heh."
Lu Ze had no words in response and could only manage a bitter smile.
Being caught by the Nighthawks at the crime scene, covered in marks from the fight, with the corpse of a Beyonder who was clearly an evil god's believer lying on the ground—no matter how he denied it, he couldn't distance himself from what happened here.
Not only that, because he had used "Filthy Words" repeatedly, he was now radiating a strong aura of depravity; no matter how one looked at him, he didn't seem like a good person.
But Captain, why did you all arrive so quickly?
Lu Ze thought helplessly.
The police force in East Borough was relatively weak and fell under the Storm Church's sphere of influence. In his original plan, the police should have arrived slowly first, and only after discovering the scene's abnormalities would they contact the official Beyonders. By the time the Storm Church's "Punishers" arrived, he would have long since cleaned up the aftermath and escaped with Cecilia.
However, the result was that just as he had finished off Madam M, he was caught red-handed by the Nighthawks.
What should he do?
"Captain, I..."
Lu Ze's explanation had only just begun when he suddenly paused and said, "Captain, is this really necessary?"
It turned out that as the two were talking, he noticed a slight change in the surrounding environment in an instant. Having become familiar with Dunn Smith's abilities, he immediately realized he was being dragged into a dream.
This meant that Dunn Smith was already on guard against him and was prepared to arrest him just like that.
*Crack...*
The illusory dream shattered like glass. Lu Ze opened his eyes to see Klein Moretti and Leonard Mitchell already closing in, their dark muzzles pointed right at him.
"Lu Ze, come back with us, if only for Cecilia's sake."
Klein Moretti's tone was almost pleading.
Behind him, the other Nighthawks also gathered around—Royale, Secca, Kenley... the expressions on their faces were not pleasant either.
"Lu Ze."
Cecilia scrambled up and looked at Lu Ze, her gaze firm.
He knew what his sister meant; she wanted him to make a decision. Should he cooperate with the arrest, or fight them to seek a slim chance at freedom? Whichever path it was, she was willing to walk it with Lu Ze.
But Lu Ze had already exhausted all his means in the previous battle. Facing a group of Nighthawks in perfect condition, what chance of victory did he have? Unless he sacrificed himself to usher in an evil god. In that case, not only would the entire city be buried with him, but Cecilia's safety could not be guaranteed either.
Forget it. At least the damned Madam M had been killed as he wished, and his sister's life had been saved.
"Alright."
Lu Ze let out a long sigh.
Facing the approaching Nighthawks, he slowly raised his hands.
The next day, in the basement of Blackthorn Security Company.
Gas lamps embedded in the walls illuminated the iron-wrought Chanis Gate. In front of the gate stood a massive metal cage. The cage was large enough to hold a table, and at this moment, someone was sitting at that table, struggling with a steak on a plate.
Lu Ze kept his head down, diligently cutting the bloody steak into bite-sized pieces, then stabbing them with a fork and stuffing them into his mouth one by one. The tender texture of the steak and the unique aroma of the fat stimulated his taste buds, making him close his eyes in delight.
If not for the shackles on his hands constantly clinking against the plate as he cut the steak, and the cold underground wind blowing against his face, he might have mistaken himself for being in some high-end restaurant.
"Do you want more?"
Outside the cage, Leonard Mitchell asked.
"No thanks."
Lu Ze set the empty plate aside and took a sip of water. After eating four or five large steaks in one go, the emptiness and hunger within him were suppressed, replaced by the satisfaction of a full stomach.
"You really are... not nervous at all."
Seeing him like this, the usually flippant Leonard Mitchell shook his head helplessly. "To actually have such a good appetite in this situation."
Beside him, the silent Madam Secca nodded slightly in agreement. The gas lamps cast long shadows of them; as they moved, the large-caliber Steam Rifles in their hands reflected the light, looking cold and powerful.
Over ten hours had passed, and Lu Ze had been brought back to the company's basement by the Nighthawks. The place where he used to work daily had suddenly become the prison where he was confined; this shift in perspective gave him a strange sense of unreality.
According to the rules, Lu Ze should have been locked in the cells behind Chanis Gate. But considering that seeing the things behind the gate would be painful for his eyes, and to prevent him from losing control because of it, Dunn Smith had arranged for him to be held outside the gate, monitored at all times by two Sequence 8 Midnight Poets.
They held not only Steam Rifles but also other Sealed Artifacts. If Lu Ze showed even the slightest abnormality, they had the right to open fire and suppress him.
"Even if I were nervous, it wouldn't make things any better, would it?"
Lu Ze said with a grin.
He had figured it out. His actions had received the help and tacit approval of the Evernight Goddess; he was still useful to the Goddess. The Holy Cathedral probably wouldn't execute him, but it was hard to say exactly what they would have him do afterward.
As for his sister, she was considered an accomplice but wasn't even imprisoned; instead, she was kept upstairs under guard.
"By the way, where's the Captain?"
"He's off cleaning up your mess."
Leonard Mitchell said, "He's bickering with the Punisher captain. You committed a crime in their jurisdiction, and they're not happy."
Nothing to be done about it; who told that crazy woman to pick East Borough.
Lu Ze recalled Madam M, and his heart still felt a bit heavy.
Thinking back now, he still couldn't understand her final actions. Not only that, but in hindsight, before the final ritual, she hadn't even stripped Lu Ze of his Beyonder items. She clearly knew what he had on him through surveillance, yet she let him bring them to the scene.
It was almost as if she were seeking death... "Also, there's one more thing."
At this moment, Leonard Mitchell spoke up, pulling him back from his thoughts. "...Klein told me to apologize to you for him. He's sorry he didn't notice your situation in time, which led you to this point."
"He doesn't need to apologize."
Lu Ze said with a bitter smile.
It turned out that the reason the Nighthawks had caught up so early last night was all because of Klein Moretti. That night, he had planned to find Lu Ze to discuss watching a play, but when he arrived at 6 Daffodil Street, he found it empty.
Combining this with Lu Ze's previous solo assassination of the Demoness, Klein Moretti realized something was wrong. He performed a divination in the house and actually saw Madam M. Greatly shocked, he immediately rushed to Blackthorn Security Company to report the situation to Dunn Smith.
By the time the Nighthawks followed the divination to East Borough, they happened to arrive just as the battle ended and caught Lu Ze on the spot.
That was why they arrived so promptly.
The two were chatting when suddenly, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside. Soon, Dunn Smith's face appeared at the edge of the light.
"Captain."
Everyone called out together, including Lu Ze inside the cage.
Dunn Smith nodded to everyone and then looked at Lu Ze.
His expression seemed somewhat grave.
"Lu Ze, are you sure the one you killed was Madam M?"
"I'm sure... Captain, what's wrong?"
Lu Ze was a bit bewildered by the question.
He heard Dunn Smith say slowly:
"Judging from the characteristics seeped out of the corpse... Madam M was not a Shepherd."