Volume 7 The Inverted Man Chapter 66 Midnight Surprise

　　”Why does the escorted classified document mention Utopia?”

　　”What’s so special about this place?”

　　”……”

　　Thought after thought flashed within Wendel’s mind, as if there was a buzzing sound echoing in his ears.

　　At this moment, he had the feeling of just relaxing after overusing his brain, just like he was about to get sick.

　　Wendel quickly forced himself to calm down and carefully recalled all the experiences he had had since coming to Utopia, realizing that there wasn’t the slightest problem with the details of each and every incident, all of which were possible encounters in everyday life.

　　The only thing that made him less comfortable was that his own arrival was too coincidental:

　　It was common for a storm to cause a steam train to make a temporary stop, but the fact that the stop had something to do with the classified documents he was holding was by no means a coincidence that could be explained.

　　Wendel stared at the confidential document on his desk with a stony expression, hesitating to open it and read it carefully.

　　Perhaps there is just a passing reference to “Utopia”, my behavior will be a serious violation of internal discipline, or perhaps this is the report of an intelligence officer who secretly investigated “Utopia”, the contents of which will determine, to some extent, whether I will live, or die! …… After struggling for a while, Wendell looked out the window at the deep night and reached for the document.

　　Only by staying alive could I think about whether or not to suffer disciplinary action!

　　Having made up his mind, Wendell quickly unwrapped the outer paper bag and flipped through the machine-printed document inside.

　　As he read, his hands trembled slightly, only to feel a coldness in his back that not even a stove burning with coals could save.

　　No matter which way he read it, the classified report he held in his hands showed that something was wrong with Utopia, with the entire town.

　　It might not be a town that existed in the real world!

　　Wendell’s mouth went dry for a moment, as if he heard the footsteps of Death dragging his scythe, slowly approaching him.

　　He was about to get up instinctively, but he finally controlled himself and did not blindly react violently.

　　This was because he felt eyes after eyes watching him in the darkness outside the window, in the room upstairs, in the corridor by the door.

　　What to do? Until now, nothing unusual has happened …… This shows that if nothing is known, it is possible to greet the dawn peacefully …… Quite a lot of information I’ve read shows that hastily showing that one has known that there is weirdness in the surrounding environment will only lead to an early outbreak of danger …… However, it is not possible to do nothing and pin your fate on luck …… Wendel recalled the various dangers he had experienced before and quickly made a decision.

　　He was ready to return to the steam train instantly, to get out of Utopia in a way.

　　– where at least the vast majority of the people there were normal, and the city was full of dangers.

　　Of course, Wendell couldn’t just rush back; he had to make himself appear normal enough to look like he had left the hotel in the middle of the night and returned to the Steam Train station for some other reason.

　　As his thoughts wandered, Wendell put away the confidential report and stood up calmly, putting on his coat and bowler hat.

　　Then, with his suitcase in one hand and his umbrella in the other, he walked frankly to the door and twisted the handle.

　　The corridor was dark at this point, with only a few gas wall sconces on each side giving off an insufficiently bright glow, adding a touch of humanity to an environment so quiet that a sewing needle could be heard falling to the floor.

　　As Wendell stepped into the corridor, the wooden floorboards creaked slightly beneath his feet, which was so noticeable on the incredibly cold and silent night that it traveled far and wide.

　　Frowning slightly, Wendel took a deceptively unusual step forward, approaching the staircase located in the middle of the hallway.

　　He walked without a care in the world, not hiding at all.

　　As he saw the stairs getting closer, a sudden creaking sound sounded behind him.

　　”Sir, where are you, going?” A slightly broken male voice then entered Wendel’s ears.

　　Wendel’s body froze for a moment, and he slowly turned back to see the wooden door of the “service room” open, and a waiter walked out, standing in the shadow of the doorway.

　　He quickly piled on a smile and said in a calm tone:

　　”I have left an important article on the steam train, and I am afraid it has been taken, so I will have to return now.”

　　At this he grumbled in a low voice:

　　”There’s been a murder at the hotel, and I don’t want to stay here any longer; I can’t sleep at all.”

　　”I’m so sorry.” The maitre d’ responded, bending slightly.

　　”I won’t publicize this matter.” Wendel nodded his head in promise while not stopping any longer and turned back towards the stairs.

　　Perhaps because of the dim light of the night, he walked carefully and cautiously, each step was like walking on the edge of a cliff.

　　One step, two steps, three steps …… Wendel who had been vigilant against the waiter behind him finally returned to the first floor.

　　At this point in the hotel hall, there is no one present, all the items are hidden in the darkness, by the outside of a little light illuminated a vague outline, like a monster that wants to eat.

　　Wendel eyed ahead and reached the door through the gloomy hall.

　　He had just pushed his way out when he suddenly heard an OO@@@ from behind him, which sounded both like a rat moving about and as if someone was approaching this way at a very light pace.

　　The back of Wendell’s head tingled, but he resisted the urge to run off in a frenzy, looking up at the sky, which had stopped raining, as if it were unusual.

　　Then he inhaled the cold, crisp air, discerned his direction, and headed for the steam train station.

　　His pace gradually quickened, and he looked as if he was dreading the night a little and couldn’t wait for the trip to be over.

　　As he walked, Wendell saw a sign out of the corner of his eye:

　　”Utopia Telegraph Office.”

　　Telegraph office …… Maybe we can try to sneak in and send an emergency telegram to Becklander headquarters and Escoson military base respectively, so we can expect rescue from the demigods …… If I’m really trapped here and can’t leave, this is the only way to save myself! …… Wendel’s thoughts turned, and without a trace, he took a few steps diagonally to the entrance of the Utopia Telegraph Office.

　　Instead of rushing to find a place to dive into, he concentrated his mind and listened sideways to the action inside.

　　He then heard intermittent, heavier breathing.

　　It made Wendell think at times that there was no one inside at all, and at other times that there was more than one person.

　　Suddenly, the breathing stopped completely.

　　At this instant, all the hairs on Wendell’s body shrugged.

　　His intuition told him that behind the door of the telegraph office, a figure stood silently!

　　Without hesitation, Wendel immediately gave up the idea of shooting a telegram, crossed the gate, and continued on his way.

　　The rest of the way, even a gust of wind blowing by, made Wendell tremble, fearing to encounter unknown dangers.

　　In this way, time passed little by little in Wendel’s torment, and finally, he returned to the outside of the steam train station, and saw that the gate there was closed and could not be entered.

　　This is not difficult to Wendel, he first handed the umbrella to the left hand of the luggage, and then went around the side, looking for a fence, palms pressed, rose up in the air, and easily flipped over.

　　After landing firmly on his feet, Wendell breathed a little sigh of relief and walked quickly and slowly toward the platform ahead.

　　Just then, an inaudible footstep came from behind him.

　　”What are you doing, here?” A low, dark voice followed.

　　Wendel’s toes buckled for a moment, and cold sweat broke out behind him.

　　Without hesitation, he kept his hands ready at all times while letting his body turn slightly stiffly a little to the back.

　　The first thing that caught his eye was a classically styled glass marquee, followed by the station worker from before.

　　Wendel exhaled and said rather grudgingly:

　　”Such a night, such an environment, is not suitable for appearing in such a manner.”

　　”As a gentleman, one has to try to avoid startling others.”

　　”I’m not a gentleman.” The station worker responded not too kindly.

　　Wendell casually pointed to a corner of the platform:

　　”I’ll go to the lavatory.”

　　He had long ago observed the station’s surroundings and layout.

　　”And you, why are you over here?” The staff member pursued.

　　”Got lost.” Wendell replied succinctly.

　　Then, he stopped ignoring the other party and took a step towards the station washroom.

　　Behind him, the staff member watched in silence without saying a word.

　　This gave Wendell a great deal of mental pressure, but he did very well to keep his pace steady.

　　Inside the lavatory, illuminated by gas wall lamps, it took Wendell nearly a minute to relieve the tightness in his body and manage to pee.

　　Back on the steam train, looking at the passengers who were reclining and sleeping at various points in the compartment, Wendell finally found some sense of security.

　　He stayed awake for the next few hours, focused on guarding against accidents.

　　Just as Wendell became sluggish to the passage of time, the sky lit up a little, dispelling the darkness.

　　Within the next two hours, the travelers to Utopia returned, some buying bottles of the famous local red wine, others with haggard faces, looking hungover or beaten up.

　　Wendell was wary of them, but couldn’t detect anything unusual in the details.

　　Whoops!

　　At last the whistle sounded, and the steam train turned heavily and slowly from silence.

　　The clanking and clanking sounds echoed as the train pulled away from Utopia Station.

　　Afterward, they experienced another darkening of the sky, but fortunately, no storm descended, and the sun soon pierced the clouds and illuminated the land.

　　It was all so normal to Wendel, as it had been from the time they arrived at Utopia last night until now – he certainly didn’t think there could be anything wrong with Utopia if it weren’t for the classified report that was tucked away in his arms.

　　Once the steam train had arrived at its next stop, and a familiar one, Wendell finally relaxed, his head throbbing with a feeling of overexertion of energy after a while.

　　At this point, he went through a quick review of his experience in Utopia.

　　In the midst of the review, Wendell’s body suddenly sat up straight:

　　When he excused himself to go to the washroom last night, he had a suitcase and umbrella in his hand, completely unlike the passengers who had temporarily come down within the steam train.

　　And the platform worker had not even noticed this, or rather, had noticed it, but for unknown purposes had not revealed it!