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Chapter 12 - Visiting Again

 Girl, can't we just not bring up this subject again... Klein chuckled to himself, feeling his head start to throb again. The original owner's forgotten knowledge wasn't much, but it was definitely not insignificant. The interview the next day was coming up, and there was simply no time to catch up... And it was also involved in a strange and terrifying event. How could there be any energy to "review"... After giving a few perfunctory words to his sister, Klein began to pretend to read. Melissa moved a chair and sat beside him, doing her homework under the light of the gas lamp. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene. Around eleven o'clock, the siblings said goodnight to each other and went to bed separately. ... Bang! Bang bang! A series of knocking sounds echoed, and Klein woke up from his dream. He glanced at the dawn outside the window, then slowly turned over and sat up, slightly dazed: "Who is it?" What time is it? Why didn't Melissa wake me up? "I'm Dunn Smith." A steady male voice answered from outside the door. Dunn Smith? I don't know... Klein shook his head and got out of bed, heading towards the door. He pulled open the door and saw the police officer with grey eyes from yesterday. "Has something happened?" Klein asked warily. The grey-eyed officer replied solemnly: "We found a coachman. He confirmed that you went to Mr. Welch's residence on the 27th, the day of Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya's deaths, and that Mr. Welch paid for the ride for you." Klein was stunned for a moment, without the slightest fear or self-doubt that a lie would be exposed. Because he wasn't lying at all. Instead, he felt that the evidence provided by the grey-eyed officer Dunn Smith didn't deviate from his own expectations. On June 27th, the original owner indeed went to Mr. Welch's residence, and died that night after returning, just like Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya! Klein opened his mouth, but a bitter smile appeared: "This is not enough evidence to directly prove that I was involved in the deaths of Mr. Welch and Ms. Naya. Honestly, I really want to know the details and understand the fate of my two dear friends, but... but, I really can't remember. I almost completely forgot what I did on the 27th. You might not believe it, but I managed to guess that I might have gone to Mr. Welch's residence on the 27th, relying on my own notes. You might not believe it, but I relied on it to guess that I might have gone there." "Dominance in psychology is good," Dunn Smith, the grey-eyed officer, nodded without anger or smile. "You should be able to sense my sincerity," Klein stared into his eyes. I'm telling the truth. Of course, it's only a part of the truth! Dunn Smith didn't respond immediately. He scanned the room before slowly saying: "Mr. Welch lost a revolver. I think I can find him here. Right, Mr. Klein?" Surely... Klein finally understood the origin of the revolver, and his thoughts flashed like lightning in his mind, making a decision instantly. He raised his hands half-heartedly, stepped back, cleared the way, and then pointed to the bunk bed with his chin: "On the back of the mattress." He didn't specifically say the one below, because normal people wouldn't hide things behind the upper mattress, which would make it obvious to the visitor. Dunn Smith didn't move forward. He tilted his mouth and said: "Is there anything else you want to add?" Klein answered without hesitation: "Yes!" "The night before last, I woke up in the middle of the night and found myself on the desk, next to the revolver. There were bullets at the foot of the wall. It looked like a suicide attempt, but perhaps I was inexperienced with the revolver, or I was scared at the last moment. Anyway, the bullets didn't achieve the expected effect, and my head was still intact. I survived until now." "Since then, I've forgotten some memories, including what I did and saw at Mr. Welch's residence on the 27th. I didn't lie. I really don't remember." To clear his suspicion and solve the strange events that had attached to him, Klein almost told everything, except for the time travel and "party". Also, he modified his wording to make each sentence withstand scrutiny. For example, instead of saying the bullets didn't hit the head, he only mentioned that they didn't achieve the expected effect. His head was still intact, and he survived until now. To others, these two statements almost expressed the same meaning, but in reality, they were completely different. Dunn Smith listened quietly and spoke slowly: "This is consistent with my speculation and also fits the hidden logic of similar events before. Of course, I don't know how you survived." "Just believe it. I don't know how I managed to survive either." Klein let out a sigh of relief. "But," Dunn threw in a transitional word, "I don't think it will help. You now have a high suspicion level. You must get confirmed by the 'expert' to prove that you really forgot what happened, or that you didn't directly cause Mr. Welch and Ms. Noya's deaths." He coughed and his expression became serious: "Mr. Klein, please cooperate with the investigation and come back to the police station with us. This might take two to three days. If you really have no problem." "Has the expert arrived?" Klein asked in a stunned tone. Didn't we say it would be in two days? "She arrived earlier than we expected." Dunn turned his body and signaled for Klein to go out. "I'll leave a note." Klein requested. Benson was still on a business trip, Melissa was at school, and only a message could be left to tell them about something involving Mr. Welch, so that they wouldn't worry. Dunn nodded indifferently: "OK." Klein returned to his desk, pulled out a piece of paper to write, and began to think about what came next. To be honest, he really didn't want to meet that expert. After all, he still had a bigger secret hidden inside him. In a place with the Seven Churches, and with the suspected "elder" Rosel Emperor being assassinated, such a "time travel" would mostly have to go to the court and the arbitration tribunal! However, without weapons, combat skills, or extraordinary powers, how could he be an opponent to a professional police officer? Moreover, there were several of Dunn's subordinates standing in the dimness outside the door. They fired their guns in unison, and if he confessed, he would be done for! "Shh, let's just take it one step at a time." Klein left the note, took the key, and followed Dunn out of the room. In the dim corridor, four black-clad and white-striped police officers were lined up on both sides, very alert. Snap, snap, snap, Klein followed Dunn, stepping down the wooden staircase, one step at a time, and could hear the creaking sound from time to time. Outside the apartment, there was a four-wheeled single-horse carriage parked. Its side panel was engraved with the police system symbol of "Two swords crossed, surrounding the crown", and it was as bustling and crowded as every morning before, noisy and chaotic. "Go up." Dunn signaled for Klein to go first. Klein was just about to take a step when suddenly a mollusk vendor grabbed a customer and accused him of being a thief. The two started to wrestle, startling the horses, and the surrounding area suddenly became chaotic. The opportunity! Klein didn't have time to think too much. He suddenly bent down and rushed forward, entering the crowd. Either pushing or dodging, he ran frantically towards the other end of the street. In this situation, to avoid meeting the expert, they could only go to the dock outside the city, take a boat down the Tasok River, and escape to the capital of Beckland, where there were many people and it was convenient for hiding. Of course, they could also board a steam train, head east to the nearest Enmat Port, take the sea route to Priz, and then head to Beckland. Not long after, Klein reached the street corner and turned into Iron Cross Street, where several hireable carriages were parked. "Go to the dock outside the city." Klein pushed off with one hand and jumped onto one of them. He thought very clearly. He wanted to deliberately mislead the pursuing police until the carriage had traveled a certain distance, and then he would jump down directly! "OK." The driver pulled the reins. Tada, tada, tada, the carriage left. Iron Cross Street. Just as Klein was about to jump off the carriage, he suddenly noticed that the carriage had turned to another road, not the road leading to the outside of the city! "Where are you going?" Klein was stunned for a moment and blurted out. "To Mr. Welch's residence..." The driver replied in a monotone tone. What? In astonishment, the coachman turned his body, revealing deep and cold grey eyes, just like Officer Dunn Smith! "You!" Klein was in utter terror, suddenly feeling dizzy and his whole body jerked upright. Jerked upright? Klein looked around in confusion, noticing the bright red moon outside the window and the "gauze" covering the room. He reached out and touched his forehead, which was moist and cold, filled with cold sweat. The same feeling was in his back as well. "I had a nightmare..." Klein slowly exhaled, "Fortunately, fortunately..." He felt that he was quite clear-headed in his dream and could think calmly, which was rather strange. After a slight relaxation, Klein picked up his pocket watch and glanced at it. It was only a little after midnight, so he quietly got out of bed, planning to go to the public washroom to wash his face and relieve the bloated stomach. Opening the door, he stepped into the dim corridor, using the faint and indistinct moonlight to approach the public washroom very quietly. Suddenly, he saw a figure standing in front of the window at the end of the corridor. The figure wore black clothing that was shorter than a robe and longer than formal attire. The figure was partially blended into the darkness, bathed in the pale and crimson moonlight. The figure slowly turned his body, with deep, grey and cold eyes. Dunn Smith!

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