Why is the confidential document that I’m dispatching mentioning Utopia?
What’s so special about this place?
…
Many thoughts flashed through Wendel’s mind as he heard a buzzing sound.
At this moment, he felt as though he was going to fall sick from overexertion.
Wendel quickly forced himself to calm down. He carefully recalled all the experiences he had encountered after coming to Utopia, and he discovered that there were no problems with every detail. They were all things that he might encounter in daily life.
The only thing that made him uneasy was that his arrival was too coincidental.
It was common for the steam locomotive to stop at the last minute due to a storm, but to stop somewhere related to the confidential document in his hand couldn’t be explained away with coincidence.
Wendel stared at the confidential document on the table with a solemn expression. He hesitated as to whether he should open them and read them carefully.
Perhaps it’s just a passing mention of “Utopia.” My actions will severely violate internal affairs. Perhaps this is the report of a certain intelligence agent secretly investigating Utopia. The contents will decide whether I survive to a certain extent, or die… After struggling for a while, Wendel looked out the window at the dark night sky and reached for the document.
Only by being alive could one consider the punishment!
Having made up his mind, Wendel swiftly removed the envelope outside and flipped through the typed files inside.
As he read, his hand trembled slightly. He felt a chill run down his back. Even the burning furnace didn’t help.
No matter which angle he read it from, the confidential report in his hands indicated that there was something wrong with Utopia—the entire town.
This might be a city that didn’t exist in the real world!
Wendel felt his mouth go dry, as though he had heard the footsteps of Death slowly approaching him with a sickle.
Instinctively, he wanted to get up, but in the end, he controlled himself and didn’t react rashly.
This was because he could feel pairs of eyes staring at him in the darkness outside, the room upstairs, and the corridor outside.
What should I do? Up till now, nothing abnormal happened… This means that if I didn’t know anything, it’s possible that I’d be safe and welcome daybreak… I’ve read through a lot of information, and if I rashly show that I already know about the strange environment around me, it would only cause danger to erupt ahead of time… However, I can’t just not do anything and leave my fate to luck… Wendel recalled all the dangers he had experienced before and quickly made up his mind.
He was prepared to immediately return to the steam locomotive, and stay far away from Utopia to a certain extent.
At least, most of the people there were normal, while the city was full of danger.
Of course, Wendel couldn’t just run back like that. He had to act normal, as though he had left the hotel in the middle of the night to return to the steam locomotive station.
Amidst his thoughts, Wendel put away his confidential report and stood up calmly. He put on his coat and put on his top hat.
Then, with his luggage in one hand and an umbrella in the other, he calmly walked to the door and turned the doorknob.
At this moment, the corridor was dark, with only a few gas lamps on both sides of the corridor giving off light that wasn’t bright enough. It added signs of human life to the silent environment in which he could hear a pin drop.
When Wendel entered the corridor, the wooden floor beneath his feet made a slight creaking sound. It was so clear in the silent night that it traveled far into the distance.
With a slight frown, Wendel intentionally took a normal step forward and approached the staircase in the middle of the corridor.
He walked without any worries and had no intention of acting furtively.
As he saw the stairs getting closer, he suddenly heard a squeaking sound behind him.
“Sir, where are you going?” A slightly hoarse and intermittent male voice sounded in Wendel’s ears.
Wendel’s body stiffened. He slowly turned back and saw the wooden door to the service room open. An attendant came out and stood in the shadows of the door.
He quickly smiled and said calmly, “I have an important item on the steam locomotive. I’m afraid that someone would take it away, so I have no choice but to return now.”
At this point, he softly grumbled, “A murder happened at the hotel. I don’t want to stay here anymore. I can’t sleep at all.”
“I’m very sorry.” The attendant bowed slightly and responded.
“I won’t spread the news.” Wendel nodded with a promise and then walked back up the stairs.
Perhaps it was due to the dim lighting in the night, he walked very carefully. Every step was like walking on the edge of a precipice.
One step, two steps, three steps… Wendel, who had been on guard towards the attendant behind him, finally returned to the first floor.
At that moment, not a single person was present in the hotel lobby. All the items were hidden in the darkness, and the faint light from the outside cast a blurry silhouette, just like monsters eager to devour people.
Wendel looked ahead and walked through the dark lobby before reaching the door.
Just as he pushed open the door and went out, he suddenly heard some rustling sounds behind him. It was as if there were rats moving around, or it was as if someone was approaching him with light footsteps.
The back of Wendel’s head went numb, but he held back his impulse to make a dash for it. He raised his head normally and looked up at the sky which had already stopped raining.
Then, he inhaled the cold, fresh air and made his way to the steam locomotive station.
He quickened his pace, looking like he was afraid of the night and eager to end this journey.
As he walked, Wendel saw a signboard from the corner of his eye.
“Utopia telegraph office.”
The telegraph office… Perhaps I can try sneaking in and send an emergency telegram to the Backlund headquarters and Eskelson military base. That way, I can look forward to the rescue from demigods… If I’m really trapped here and unable to leave, this will be the only way to save myself… Wendel thought for a moment before taking a few steps diagonally, arriving at the entrance of the Utopia telegraph office.
He wasn’t in a hurry to find a place to sneak in. Instead, he focused his attention and listened to the movements inside.
Following that, he heard intermittent sounds of heavy breathing.
This made Wendel occasionally feel that there was no one inside, and at times, he felt that there was more than one person inside.
Suddenly, the sound of breathing stopped.
All of Wendel’s hair stood on end.
His intuition told him that a figure was standing quietly behind the door of the telegraph office!
Without any hesitation, Wendel immediately gave up the thought of sending a telegram. He walked past the door and continued proceeding forward.
For the rest of the journey, even a gust of wind left Wendel trembling in fear. He was afraid of encountering an unknown danger.
Time passed slowly as Wendel experienced the torment. Finally, he reached the entrance of the steam locomotive station and saw that the door was tightly shut. He couldn’t enter.
This wasn’t a problem for Wendel. He first passed the umbrella to his left hand that was carrying his luggage, then went to the side and found a wall. With a press of his palm, he rose into the air and easily flipped over.
After landing his feet firmly on the ground, Wendel heaved a sigh of relief and began walking towards the platform at an unhurried pace.
At that moment, an inaudible sound of footsteps could be heard behind him.
“What are you doing here?” A deep and hoarse voice rang out.
Wendel’s toes tightened as cold sweat broke out on his back.
He didn’t hesitate. As he prepared to get violent, he made his body turn slowly and stiffly.
The first thing that entered his eyes was a classic glass lantern, followed by the staff member from before.
Wendel exhaled and grumbled, “It’s not appropriate for you to appear in such an environment on such a night.
“As a gentleman, you have to avoid scaring others.”
“I’m not a gentleman,” the staff member replied in an unfriendly manner.
Wendell pointed to the corner of the platform.
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
He had already observed the platform’s environment and layout of the platform earlier in the day.
“Then, why are you here?” the worker asked.
“I’m lost,” Wendel answered simply.
Following that, he ignored the staff and walked towards the bathroom.
Behind him, the staff member watched silently without saying a word.
This gave Wendel a lot of mental stress, but he maintained his gait very well.
In the bathroom, under the illumination of the wall lamps, Wendel took nearly a minute to relieve the tension in his body and successfully peed.
After returning to the steam locomotive, Wendel finally found a sense of security as he looked at the passengers lying on their beds.
In the next few hours, he didn’t sleep at all and was on guard against any accidents.
Just as Wendel’s grasp of the passage of time slowed down, the sky gradually brightened and dispersed the darkness.
In the next two hours, the travelers who had gone to Utopia returned one after another. Some bought a bottle of local red wine. Some looked haggard. They looked like they had been beaten up or were hungover.
Wendel was very wary of them, but he couldn’t discover anything unusual in the details.
Choo!
Finally, the whistle sounded as the steam locomotive slowly began to move.
Amidst the chugging sounds, the train left Utopia Station.
After that, they went through another dark, gloomy weather. Fortunately, no thunderstorm descended, and the sun quickly pierced through the clouds and illuminated the ground.
For Wendel, all of this was normal. It had been like this since he arrived at Utopia last night. If not for the confidential report which was hidden near his chest, he definitely wouldn’t have believed that there was any problem with Utopia.
When the steam locomotive reached the next stop, one that everyone was familiar with, Wendel finally relaxed. He felt as if his brain ached with a throb, as though he had been drained of his energy.
At this moment, he quickly recalled his experience in Utopia.
As he recalled, Wendel suddenly sat up straight.
He had used the excuse of going to the bathroom last night, but he was carrying his luggage and an umbrella. He didn’t look like a passenger who had just come down from a steam train.
The station worker didn’t realize this, or rather, he had already discovered it, but he did not expose him for some unknown reason!
