The Gentleman at the End

Under the rainy night.

No one chose the transportation tools or convenient umbrellas "provided" at the mall entrance.

After all, the purpose of this trip is to find William. Even though the goal has been achieved, everyone is still curious about William's condition and didn't bother with these approaching "evil."

Four umbrellas of different materials and colors moved side by side along the street.

1. Beneath the pitch-black leather umbrella corresponds to Yi Chen, and the umbrella naturally transformed from Yellow Skin.

The surface of the umbrella is completely inflamed, forming layers of regularly arranged psoriasis, making it impossible for rainwater to linger or seep through.

2. An invisible umbrella force field sustained above Reagan's head, with raindrops seeping out a colorful glow when falling on the umbrella surface, directly obliterating any malicious raindrops.

3. The pure silver umbrella formed by "Moonlight Materialization" corresponds to Lorrian, with its surface slightly glowing like a mobile street lamp in the dark, seemingly drawing energy from the surface of the Moon, or the umbrella might be the shell peeled off from the Moon's surface.

However, Lorrian's expression wasn't good.

Due to the night rain, the connection with the World's Moon was forced to weaken,

That moon, growing silver-white arms tearing the clouds apart, was obscured by dark clouds again, as if the rain was caused by someone's abilities or even concentrated Malice, specifically to suppress the relationship between Lorrian and the Moon.

4. Lastly, it was the most attractive umbrella.

A lotus-like umbrella held by Jin, any raindrop falling on the lotus's surface will be absorbed by a tumor. If the rainwater emits a dangerous aura, it will cause the tumor to explode instantly, and stable raindrops preserved in the tumor will be handed to Reagan for further inspection.

Also, confirmed through the ultra-long-distance Vision provided by Little Grape, the rain specifically targeted these four people.

Approximately one thousand meters away, several blocks apart, is the "boundary" of the rainwater, which moves along when the group progresses.

However, nobody paid attention, as they've long known the World's evil has noticed them traveling at night.

But for now, just watching them. If it means harm, the group wouldn't mind playing along.

Roughly crossing three streets, they still haven't found any normally operating shop, all the hotels, inns, and even some informal lodging places are closed.

And on the road, they repeatedly encountered middle-aged people holding "lodging" signs,

Claiming to have spacious places for young people to rest, cheaply priced with air conditioning and television, even offering bedtime stories or watching special films recorded by the owner, very stimulating if they needed.

Of course, staying is out of the question, but these people won't persistently pester. After being rejected "three times," they leave on their own, disappearing into the rainy night.

Due to not finding lodging and as dawn approached, nobody insisted on resting, walking continuously until daybreak.

Daylight dawns, night rain fades.

At the moment the night was pierced by dawn, everyone felt warmth and safety in their hearts, with the maliciousness hidden in the night fading along with the rainwater.

Why the Main Material Plane sets the World with 40%~60% Malice value at the center and marks it as unstable, requiring any New Recruits wishing to enter to file a report.

Lies in Malice indeed affecting the current World, but the World isn't completely out of control, just in an "unstable state."

Currently looking, the instability is quite intuitive; safe by day, dangerous by night, hence people strictly enforce the curfew, with no one daring to travel at night. Or those daring to go out at night are already dead.

When the first roller shutter on the street is opened, the deserted district quickly fills up. Every building sees a large number of people emerging from within, appreciating the 12-hour freedom time a lot.

As everyone puts down their umbrellas, feeling the city's smoke-like atmosphere.

Little Grape's Vision suddenly catches something, prompting Yi Chen to immediately turn towards a dark alleyway a hundred meters away.

Standing at the alleyway entrance is an elongated being beyond human bounds, its arm longer than Yi Chen's alone.

This being wears a larger brim top hat, completely obscuring its face, showing only black lips.

As the sunrise gradually approaches the alleyway, the figure vanishes.

"What is Mr. Yi looking at?"

As Jin looks in the direction Yi Chen was, the alleyway entrance is now illuminated by light, only some emerging food-hunting rats are seen.

"Something was watching us, maybe the night rain was formed by it…feels a bit different from what we encountered before, be slightly watchful for the next three days."

"Ah~ I didn't sense anything. Mr. Yi is really amazing!"

"I didn't sense it either. Grep saw it. Let's go; you probably haven't experienced this World yet. I'll take you to eat something."

"When will we talk about William?"

"We can discuss in detail once we've found lodging."

Several minutes later, inside a breakfast shop.

The always serious Lorrian was wide-eyed as if facing an enemy, sweat continuously trickling from his temples, placed before him was a local delicacy – "Fatty Intestine Noodles."

Originally scorned to eat the dirtiest organ inside living bodies, yet as the sweet potato noodles wrapped in soup entered his stomach, Lorrian's expression instantly changed, becoming sharp and focused.

"This…why can such a filthy organ produce such delicious taste?"

Lorrian couldn't help but question.

However, Jin has already raised his hand, asking for a second bowl.

While in front of Reagan are already three emptied large bowls, he, although having completed Mechanical Ascension, simulates the original eating system and retains appetite through machinery, unwilling to lose the pleasure of enjoying food because of Ascension.

After finishing the first bowl, Lorrian pondered for a while and made a major decision, slowly raised his hand asking the friendly boss for a second bowl.

And also spawned a Thought that those often abandoned Physical bodies in Moon Clinic might have more uses.

After eating and drinking their fill,

Yi Chen originally planned to take the group to a hotel, but recalling last night's being watched, recalling the Mysterious figure standing in the street alley, considering that the World might still be saved.

To minimize local people's deaths, he deliberately chose an old hostel with few residents in a secluded area.

The boss is a single old man, without family above or children below, who opened the entire top floor of the shabby hostel for Yi Chen upon receiving a large wad of cash.

Not knowing what these young people were up to, as long as the money was right.

"Take note, stay indoors until five in the afternoon and until the Sun rises the next day, don't cause any trouble for me. I still want to live."

"Alright."

As the four ascended the old staircase, the white-vested old man turned his head, eyes fixed on [Jin]'s well-shaped body, drool uncontrollably leaking from between his teeth.

Such beautiful sight, he didn't know how long since he last saw it.

The trembling right hand involuntarily opens the locked drawer to the right of the counter, inside are a pair of long-unused gloves, and the whole drawer is covered with newspapers related to a serial murder case twenty years ago, involving at least 17 female victims, with the perpetrator still at large.