Chapter 108: Sixteen Visa’s Tongue_2
Chamos wasn’t showing off anymore. Frowning, he asked, “Do you really believe what he said is true?”
“I don’t know, but in my mory, he has never lied, at least not a lie like today’s.”
“It’s certainly surprising that he can co up with such a story,” Chamos said, “but even if it is surprising, a story is a story… Maybe he’s been mad for a long ti, maybe even mad ten years ago, or else he wouldn’t have caused the Night Star incident. All of this is nothing but the mumblings of a madman. And if you think he is not mad, or even that everything he’s saying is true, then the one who has gone crazy…”
“Is Lyra,” Kude said softly.
“No,” Chamos rolled his eyes, “the one who has gone crazy is you.”
Kude: “…”
...
Giving Kude’s shoulder a pat, Chamos said earnestly, “Be careful, Captain. When you start pondering whether a madman could be speaking the truth, it’s very likely the beginning of your own descent into madness. I had an uncle just like that. He was fine until one day, he suddenly felt sothing was wrong with the world. Then while proclaiming that the world had gone mad, he pulled off all of his prosthetics. God knows how he had the strength to do it.”
“But if he is mad, how do you explain the three destroyed train carriages?” Kude asked, “Did he destroy them himself?”
“That’s what I’m saying…” Chamos spread his hands, “God knows why madn can have such strength.”
Kude did not respond, but he knew Chamos was right.
Everything Gerard had said was extrely shocking. Either he had gone completely mad, or… it was Lyra, this world, that had gone mad.
And no sane person would consider the latter a possibility.
Just then, Gerard, who was inside the room, suddenly stood up, startling everyone.
“What are you doing?” The Knight imdiately tensed up.
“It’s ti,” Gerard said, pointing at the wall clock, “I think I can leave now. I have a lot of things left undone today.”
“Leave?” The Knight was astonished, “You want to leave tonight? What do you think we’re doing here? Playing house? You are not allowed to leave!”
“Why can’t I leave?” Gerard looked at the Knight before him, “Have I broken any laws?”
“You…”
“Am I part of the Skeleton Corps?” Gerard continued, “The Skeleton Corps has enforcent powers in Lyra, don’t they? So what’s wrong with , as a law enforcer, pursuing suspects after witnessing a murder?”
Gerard threw a series of questions at the Knight, leaving him speechless.
He had forgotten Gerard’s status.
Gerard, now belonging to Lyra’s city defense force—the “Skeletons”—did indeed possess enforcent powers.
Without this status, Gerard’s actions today would surely have resulted in the Skeleton Corps detaining him until the whole truth ca to light. But Gerard had the identity of a law enforcer, and that changed everything. His actions were in accordance with the rules, and even if there were slightly excessive behaviors in the process, they were certainly not illegal.
So, one could say that Gerard adhered to the rules, or that he exploited loopholes, but either way, there was no procedural issue.
Because Gerard could not prove his claims were true, and the “Skeletons” could not prove they were false.
Until the truth erged, they had no way to detain this law enforcer.
“It seems there is no issue with what I said.” Gerard walked towards the door, “If you do find anything, notify . I’ll cooperate.”
Perhaps irritated by Gerard’s “arrogant” deanor, the Knight seed eager to say sothing, but Kude, waiting outside the room, gestured for him to stop.
As Gerard approached Kude and Chamos, unlike the Knight indoors, Chamos didn’t hold back. He looked at Gerard and said coldly, “Gerard, you can’t run away forever by exploiting procedural loopholes. Eventually, everyone has to pay for their actions.”
Gerard was silent for a mont before quietly saying, “Yes, everyone has to pay for their actions.”
Then, without paying any more attention to Chamos, he walked away.
All the mbers of the Skeleton Squad in the office frowned tightly at the sight of him, then quickly moved aside, fearing any association with him.
Only Kude watched his back in silence.
Kude felt it too, Gerard had beco different from before. Though everyone said he had survived on procedural loopholes, during the year Kude had interacted with him, he had never found Gerard exploiting any loopholes. On the contrary, Gerard was the strictest in the team about following rules, even to the point of disregarding his own life. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken advantage of this trait to kill him.
But today, things had definitely changed.
Kude could feel it very distinctly.
If previously Gerard had seed bound by sothing in place, bound for a full ten years, now, he was like soone who had untied those bonds and started sprinting towards a certain goal, vowing not to rest until he reached it.
But what was at the end of that goal?
Madness, or destruction?
Kude didn’t know.
It was at this mont that Gerard suddenly stopped. He stood in front of a room, gazing inside for a long while before finally stepping away.
Seeing this, Kude’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. He walked directly forward, making his way to that room.
Inside the room was a pair of crying mother and child, whom Kude found sowhat familiar, being comforted by a Knight.
“Who are they?” Kude asked.
Chamos, who had caught up, replied, “The wife and child of the victim chanician.”
Kude fell silent. Not long after, the Knight who had previously interrogated Gerard ca over, holding a stack of docunts, “Captain, these are Gerard’s statents. Besides that, he’s made a request.”
“What request?”
“He wants an imdiate investigation into Carol’s death,” answered the Knight. “He says the killer isn’t just Ocot, but also soone behind him.”
Hearing this, Chamos rolled his eyes, “The nutcase is still putting on an act here. Isn’t he the murderer himself? There’s no need to bother with him…”
“No,” Kude interrupted Chamos, “Initiate an investigation.”
Chamos was montarily stunned, “An investigation? Who will conduct it?”
“I will.”
…
Gerard stepped out of the Skeleton Corps headquarters.
By now, the sky had turned completely dark, indicating he had been outside for the entire day.
It had only been a day, yet he felt as if he had experienced countless things.
After casting out the images from his mind of Carol begging him to leave Lyra and Carol’s wife and child sobbing in each other’s arms, Gerard slowly addressed the entity in his heart: “Earlier, you saw it, didn’t you?”
Bai Wei remained silent.
“You definitely saw it. You saw that Pollutant take his body away… Why didn’t you tell ?”
Bai Wei did not answer.
Gerard looked up at the star-filled sky and murmured softly, “Does it require an extra price?”
“Visas, what is it that you want?”
Bai Wei, deep within the sea of consciousness, continued to give no response to Gerard.
His pupils, like stars, reflected a monster beyond description.
The Monster writhed in a river before returning to that realm of chaos, a place where madness and noise intermingled.
It was unaware that it had brought back a [Gaze] that did not belong here.
Nor did it know that this [Gaze] pierced through the fog, through the madness, through countless indescribable things, and saw at the very depths, surrounded by nurous Pollutants… a piece of flesh.
Deep within the sea of consciousness, Bai Wei’s lips slightly curled up, whispering softly, “So, it’s here now.”
He had finally found it.
That which encased the [Domination] rules,
[Visa’s Tongue].
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