Red Moon Returns

Lin Qi planned two small goals for himself.

First, find out the real cause of his death.

Second, get down from the rope hanging from his neck.

The second one is the priority.

He was kneeling on the ground, with a white candle burning in front of him and a rope hanging from his neck connected to the top.

Last time, Lin Qi proved that this posture could really hang himself.

Fortunately, he regained consciousness for a moment when his soul changed, so he could straighten his body by pressing his neck in pain.

Touching the deep marks of strangulation, Lin Qi was a little confused for a while.

He only remembered that he floated in a red mist after his death on Earth, accompanied only by a red moon hanging high in the sky.

It seemed to float for a long time, so long that time had lost its meaning.

Suddenly woke up in this body.

A memory emerged out of thin air.

Lin Qi Levi.

Living in an era when steam engines had just begun to enter the lives of the masses.

A down-and-out private detective in Rhine City, Land Kingdom, Middle-earth.

This place looks like the Victorian era of my hometown, but there seem to be countless indescribable unknowns hidden in the darkness, spreading weirdness and mystery to reality.

As for what is weirdness and mystery, Lynch used to find it difficult to understand.

But now he understands.

In his memory, he received a commission to help someone get a strange statue.

After getting the task item, the original owner of the body had a big meal at the best restaurant nearby, and ordered a bottle of good wine to enjoy tomorrow. He greeted every neighbor happily on the way and returned home happily.

Then he hanged himself on the gas pipe with a ritualistic posture.

Hmm?

What's the reason?

I couldn't find a reason after searching through my memory, as if this thing was supposed to be done.

There was no reason at all.

Lynch felt a chill in his heart, and he knew he had to figure out what happened to him.

Otherwise, if it happened again, his hard-earned second life would end.

Relying on his memory, he groped to the wall and pulled the switch on the wall.

The roar of gas flow came from the wall, and the dim light quickly illuminated the room.

There was no decoration on the yellowed walls, the old floor was black and shiny, the paint-chipped wooden desk and the sofa with a whitish cloth cover in the outer room, and the thin single bed in the inner room, making the whole room exude a faint smell of rotting wood.

There were several paint-chipped gas pipes winding on the wall, and the gas nozzles at the end spewed orange flames, spreading light through the stained glass lampshade, and the dim light added a bit of warmth to the place.

It was indeed the era of gas lamps, at most the level of the 18th century.

Is this my new home? The house is bare.

With a light sigh, Lynch walked quickly to the desk in the outer room, and a red moon-shaped pendant was placed on the table.

It was a necklace he had worn since childhood, and he took it off before committing suicide just now.

After habitually putting on the pendant again, Lynch felt a lot more at ease, and then he opened the drawer.

The commissioned items I got in the afternoon were...hiss.

A chill came out from my back.

The statue that should have been lying inside was gone.

The statue was as big as a palm, and it was impossible for it to be covered by something.

Lin Qi searched nervously inside and out, but found nothing.

What happened?

In my memory, the statue was still there before he hanged himself. How could it disappear in just a few minutes?

Did someone come in? Or did the statue leave on its own?

Lin Qi felt his throat was a little dry, and quickly checked the doors and windows, all of which were still closed.

Strange, could it be that this thing made him hang himself inexplicably?

I am just a dead otaku, and I am asked to face such a weird thing without knowing anything?

This thing is not the weirdness and mystery in this world.

The marks on his neck clearly told him that death is not a joke. For a moment, Lin Qi's heart was already confused.

[Yes, awakened, that is the mystery. ]

A gentle female voice suddenly sounded from Lin Qi's ear.

It was too abrupt, and Lin Qi subconsciously picked up the pen on the table, but his body did not move rashly, but just tensed his muscles and held his breath and stood there.

But he immediately realized that it was not a real sound.

The so-called sound came directly from his own consciousness.

Soft, soothing, like a pleasant serenade.

The language used was not any language known to Lynch, including the five languages ​​that his new body originally mastered.

Rather than saying that it was a language, it was more like a pure pronunciation, directly expressing a certain will, but his brain could not understand this behavior and misinterpreted it as the concept of "language".

And just by the process of "trying to understand" itself, Lynch felt a burst of pain in his brain, as if it was about to explode, and had to give up immediately to delve into this issue.

"System?"

[You can understand it this way, awakener. ]

"Then it's not a system, what are you?"

There was silence in his mind for a long time.

Forget it. Lynch considered himself a very ordinary otaku, proficient in games, movies, novels and animations. He accepted the reality as quickly as possible and asked: "Why are you in my consciousness?"

[I will accompany you and witness your awakening journey in this extraordinary world full of weirdness and mystery. 】

"Onlookers? Then what can you do to help me?"

[I will guide you to discover the mysteries on the journey, understand their characteristics, and look directly at their essence. That's what I can do for you, at least for now. 】

"Isn't that just a tour guide? Mysterious tips plus information identification, right? It's just the first stage. It feels very dangerous. Forget it, it's better than nothing. At least I have one more companion in this strange world."

For some reason, Lin Qi's already confused heart suddenly calmed down. It was not a relaxation after having someone to rely on, but more like a habit. He thought with interest:

"But after talking for a long time, what is the mystery?"

[Besides reality, there is also fantasyland, which is the embodiment of tens of thousands of years of memories of real creatures. The dirty memories of the dream seep into reality and form a mystery. The mystery is the echo from yesterday. 】

"So, the statue I came into contact with is... hmm?"

boom.

Suddenly there was a loud bang at the outer door.

The door was kicked open, and a black figure rushed in.

Just for a moment, Lin Qi felt like the world was spinning.

He was picked up and pushed to the ground.

I heard a voice in my ear.

"Lynch Leviev, I'm arresting you for illegal possession of dangerous goods."

His arms were twisted behind his back and his body was pressed tightly to the floor. The person behind him was so powerful that it made Lynch feel like even moving was a luxury. His consciousness went blank. Before he could recover from the shock, he heard the other party continuing to shout:

"If you want to live, hand over the statue you got immediately, otherwise I can guarantee you that you will die in the most bizarre way within five hours."

Um?

He sounds like a policeman, and he obviously knows something. Although his behavior is rough, his emotions are obviously kind, so he still can't find a way to struggle... Only five hours?

To scare people?

But after experiencing the bizarre suicide by hanging, Lynch no longer dared to think that the other party was an alarmist.

Within three seconds, Lynch had made up his mind to get closer to the other person first. At least he could make me understand my situation.

The previous life was not considered social fear, so Lynch naturally asked in the language of his original body:

"What if I die within five hours? Will I come back to die again?"

"As long as you are not really dead in concept, death will not stop... No, what are you talking about, hiss..."

Lynch deliberately twisted his neck, exposing half of his neck to the opponent's sight.

The deep marks on his neck were shocking.

"Already started?"

The other party quickly looked around, his eyes stayed on the rope and candle for a moment, and then released Lin Qi's hand.

"You, get up and talk."

As he spoke, a sheathed sword was stretched out in front of Lynch, indicating that Lynch should pull it and stand up.

What we want is this effect. Now that we have changed from a suspect to a victim suspect, it will be easier to handle.

Lynch breathed a sigh of relief, and while standing up with his sword in hand, his eyes were fixed on the weapon.

It was probably because he didn't have the opportunity to carefully observe such dangerous items in his previous life. Lin Qi felt a little flustered and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

When his consciousness was focused on the sword, Lin Qi saw a strange scene in front of his eyes.

A lonely figure in a windbreaker and top hat is holding this weapon and struggling to kill among countless weird monsters.

[Mysterious object, Wei Jin’s trial, the weapon that Chief Judge Wei Jin used to kill evildoers until he accidentally injured an innocent person. 】

The screen was cut off, and a soft female voice suddenly appeared. Lin Qi subconsciously looked at the intruder. Seeing that there was no reaction from the intruder, he slowed down and climbed up, patted the dirt on his body, and asked in his mind: "Can you give me more details?" Some? And what is the mysterious thing?”

[Mysterious objects are mysterious items that have special functions. Some of them can be used, but they are considered very dangerous by living creatures, especially fatal to ordinary people. If you continue to touch the body of the strange object and pay enough price, you can listen to deeper memories. 】

A very characteristic inner experience, like someone whispering in your ear while you are half asleep. Small and gentle, it makes people indulge in it unconsciously and leave them wanting more.

Forget it, let’s treat it as a system first.

Lynch withdrew his attention from consciousness and took a serious look at the intruder in front of him for the first time.

It was a lady dressed in men's clothing, wearing a blue windbreaker and formal clothes, wearing a top hat and carrying a sword.

She is tall, has slender legs, and has wavy chestnut hair. She looks pretty, but her face is sharp and angular, which makes her look a bit fierce.

Carrying a mysterious and strange object with terrifying power, this person might be an outlier himself.

[Yes, soul-shifters, humans who gain extraordinary power through alienated souls. 】

Lynch found that he had become accustomed to a voice suddenly popping up in his head. He was not distracted by it at all, but looked directly at the intruding lady. He hated this feeling of knowing nothing, so he took the initiative to ask:

"I don't deny that I got a statue and I am willing to cooperate, but I need to know what happened, what the statue is, and why do I only have five hours left?"

"At least I didn't pretend to be stupid and deny it."

The lady's expression softened slightly, but she still said impatiently:

"For ordinary people like you, that is knowledge beyond common sense and does not require exposure."

"But at least it makes me understand that this is my life, and I don't want to spend the last five hours in a daze."

"That's your idea, it has nothing to do with me."

"Whether we cooperate or not is also my idea, and it has nothing to do with you?"

The lady opened her mouth, but was blocked for a long time and couldn't say anything.

And Lynch had taken out a notebook from the desk drawer and sat on the sofa.

"You are wasting your last time, and the more you know, the faster you will die, but since you insist."

The lady couldn't refute, so she simply sat down opposite the sofa and said with a straight face:

"Lynch Leviev, born on December 17, 1378 in the Fifth Era, 20 years old, graduated from the Royal Secondary Vocational Education School in Rhine City, studying natural history and archaeology, and became a private detective looking for collectibles after graduation. This is you, right?"

Lynch nodded.

"We received accurate information that you got a..."

"You guys?"

"I'm from the Watcher in the Rye, a mysterious hunter organization directly under the Rand Royal Court. I'm Officer Natalie Angel..."

"Wait, I must declare in advance that the statue is gone."

Officer Natalie's face sank.

"Although it sounds like an excuse, what I said is true."

"I don't doubt the authenticity. It happens that strange objects disappear in incidents from time to time. Although it is a bit strange that you disappeared before you died. Disappearance is the most troublesome and will make the problem difficult to solve."

"What is the specific problem? What about five hours? I want to die with my eyes open."

"For some reason, you have established a connection with a dangerous object. Now there are seven people known to be involved in this incident. Each of them died within eight hours after the connection was established."

The police officer took out his pocket watch and looked at it, showing a regretful look to Lynch.

May 13, 1399 of the Fifth Era, 19:15.

"According to this calculation, you have four hours and forty-five minutes left to live, at most."

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