Chapter 38: Why Is the Gap Between People So Large?
Old Neil's departure left the room in a silence deeper than the descent of any terrifying existence.
With his own fall, he mapped out the precise depth of the Abyss for everyone; and with his final moment of clarity, he turned back at the edge of that Abyss to draw a trembling but incredibly clear boundary for 'humanity'.
Klein stood in place, unable to move for a long time. Old Neil's words echoed repeatedly in his mind, and his heart was struck by an unprecedented impact.
He suddenly remembered what Nairn had said yesterday.
"A small trouble."
Could it be... An absurd yet terrifying thought began to grow wildly in his heart.
However, this thought startled even Klein himself.
No, it's impossible, right?
Although he was mysterious and possessed great powers, how could he possibly influence the mind of a veteran Nighthawk? And cause him to undergo such a massive transformation?
That was too exaggerated.
But... besides him, who else could it be?
The more Klein thought, the more chaotic his mind became... Klein practically spent the following Tuesday and Wednesday in a state of distraction.
Old Neil's monologue—labeled a "sharing session" but in reality a "confession" and "final lesson"—weighed on his heart like a giant boulder, making it hard to breathe.
He watched Old Neil being taken away, watched Captain Dunn's already tired face grow even gloomier, and watched the complex expressions of his colleagues—shock, regret, or contemplation. For the first time, he truly felt the cruelty and weight of the Beyonder world.
It wasn't an adventure from a storybook, but a cliff where a single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
Old Neil's "Final Lesson" had brought him such a huge shock that even now, he felt as if he were in a dream.
He saw how a Beyonder, driven by obsession, could step toward the edge of madness. He also saw how a person, in their final moments, could choose to admit failure with immense courage and responsibility, using their own destruction to warn those who followed.
Those words were like a brand, deeply etched into his heart.
This was more profound and soul-stirring than any "safety protocol" in a textbook.
He repeatedly pondered Old Neil's words, thinking about the lessons and warnings. He gained a deeper understanding of the "Acting Method," "humanity," and the "truth" of this world.
To the point that he felt his "Seer" potion had been digested by another significant portion.
That was awe for fate!
And what made him even more uneasy was that crazy speculation.
Old Neil's transformation was too sudden, and too... "perfect."
He was like a tragic hero in a screenwriter's pen who suddenly realizes the truth at the most critical moment, completing self-redemption and warning his successors in the most heroic way.
Was there really no hand pushing behind this?
Nairn's comment yesterday about "a small trouble" was like a thorn, deeply stuck in Klein's mind.
He had to go and ask clearly.
Of course, due to the investigation by the Church of the Evernight, Klein was delayed for a few days on this matter.
It wasn't until early this morning that Klein, sporting two faint dark circles under his eyes, sat at the dining table, nibbling on bread without much appetite.
He felt sorrow for Old Neil, but also an indescribable admiration for his final clarity and sense of responsibility.
"Klein, didn't you rest well last night?" His brother Benson noticed his exhaustion and asked with concern.
"Ah, it's nothing, maybe I've just been reading a bit late lately." Klein came up with a random excuse.
He couldn't exactly say he had insomnia because of a colleague's "Final Lesson."
After breakfast, Klein arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company with a heavy heart.
The atmosphere in the company was also somewhat oppressive; it seemed everyone had not yet recovered from the shock of that day.
Captain Dunn Smith called him into the office.
"Captain." Klein looked a bit nervously at the man who always seemed very tired.
"Have a seat." Dunn pointed to the chair opposite him, then picked up a watering can to give the potted plant on his desk some water.
"Regarding Old Neil's matter..." Dunn went silent for a moment before speaking, "The Church's investigation has begun. Because he turned himself in and there were no substantial serious consequences, plus his years of service, the punishment shouldn't be too heavy."
"In the end, it's a soft landing."
Hearing this result, Klein breathed a sigh of relief.
Though it was still regrettable, this was perhaps the best outcome. At least he wouldn't be "cleaned up" during a loss of control, and he retained his final dignity.
"That lesson of his had a big impact." Dunn's tone was somewhat complex. "The Bishop went silent for a long time after hearing the report. It's said that the Church's high-ranking officials appreciate the spirit he showed at the end, and they might compile his 'case' and 'lessons' into a booklet to be distributed to Nighthawks in all dioceses for study."
Klein nodded, filled with emotion. Old Neil had used his own tragedy to illuminate a path for those who followed, helping them avoid the Abyss.
"Thank you for telling me this, Captain."
"Mm." Dunn put down the watering can, his grey eyes looking at Klein. "You should also take this as a warning. On the path of a Beyonder, temptations and traps are everywhere. Remember, we are humans first, and Nighthawks second."
"I understand," Klein answered solemnly.
After coming out of the Captain's office, Klein's mood calmed down a bit.
But soon, he thought back to Monday—
He had seen that eerie eye behind him; he was clearly already being targeted by an Evil God or a hidden existence.
How did he suddenly have an epiphany overnight? And even put on such a profound "self-judgment"?
This transformation was more dramatic than a play.
A coincidence?
No, Klein instinctively felt there must be a reason behind it.
He remembered the sentence Old Neil said in class: "Last night, when I was on the edge of complete corruption, the thought of you all being in danger because of my fall... that 'Connection' stung me and held me back."
Last night... what exactly happened?
A name uncontrollably jumped into his mind.
Nairn.
It must be him.
That evening, Klein found an excuse to visit the place where Nairn lived again.
Since he already wanted to ask Senior Nairn, he should be more formal and bring a gift for the visit.
But once he arrived, he didn't go directly to knock on Nairn's door. Instead, he hesitated for a long time in the shadows across the street.
How should he start?
Should he ask directly, "Senior, was Old Neil's matter your doing?"
Would that be too direct? What if Nairn didn't want to admit it?
His mind was a mess, like a tangled ball of yarn.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nairn's familiar door open on its own.
Nairn was leaning against the doorframe, looking at him with leisure, wearing that familiar, spectatorship smile that Klein knew all too well.
"Yo, isn't this Mr. Klein, the lead actor of our 'The All-Old Association'? Lingering at my theater door for so long, do you have a new script you want to discuss with me?"
Klein's face turned red instantly.
His little thoughts really couldn't be hidden from this senior at all.
He steeled himself, walked out of the shadows, crossed the street, and came before Nairn.
"Senior Nairn..." He organized his words and decided to get straight to the point, "Do you know about Mr. Old Neil's matter?"
"I know." Nairn's answer was nonchalant. "Isn't today's Tingen Times headline 'Veteran Employee of the Church of the Evernight Suspected of Massive Corruption, Heart-wrenching Secret Revealed'? It's quite well-written, though it uses a bit of selective reporting. I suspect it's imitating Emperor Roselle's 'clickbait style'."
Klein was choked up by his response.
This guy actually had the mood to read the newspaper and criticize it.
He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and asked the most critical question.
"Senior, Old Neil's 'divine revelation'... was it related to you?"
"His transformation was too sudden." Klein's fist clenched unconsciously. "Yesterday he was still immersed in his own world, and today... it's like he's a different person. Moreover, the things he said—those truths about 'poor wretches,' 'humanity,' and 'accepting insignificance'... they were too profound, so profound that they don't seem like something a person about to lose control could figure out on their own."
Most importantly, in those words, there were faint shadows of the things Nairn had taught him in the "godhood crash course"!
Nairn put down his teacup, making a slight clinking sound.
He didn't answer directly. Instead, he stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the quiet street.
"Klein, do you think that resolving someone's knot in their heart and letting them crawl out of the Abyss of self-destruction counts as... something very fun?"
Nairn continued to ask: "And... what do you think? My lead actor. What kind of 'divine revelation' do you think it would take for an old man, tortured by obsession for decades with half a foot already in an Evil God's trap, to suddenly wake up overnight and even calmly walk to the judgment seat to complete that classic 'The Final Lesson'?"
Klein opened his mouth, unable to say a single word.
He knew the answer.
Other than the man before him, he couldn't think of anyone else who could do it.
"But... why?" Klein's voice carried a hint of trembling and confusion, "You and Old Neil don't even know each other..."
Nairn looked at him, his pitch-black eyes shimmering with a playful light.
"Who said I don't know him?"
"I not only know him, I also know his wife, Salist."
Klein was completely stunned.
How was that possible? Mrs. Salist had passed away many years ago!
He saw Nairn slowly raise his hand and snap his fingers.
In the next second, Klein felt as if his eyes had been pricked by a needle; he saw the outline of Nairn's body begin to blur and distort.
Bones made faint sounds; height, physique, and even the lines of the face were rapidly changing in a way that defied the laws of physics.
In just a few seconds, that tall, handsome Nairn disappeared.
In his place was a woman with a slender figure and a gentle temperament.
She wore a vintage, long-outdated dress, with a gentle yet sad smile on her face.
Although Klein had never seen Mrs. Salist in person, he had seen her photos during his investigation over the past few days.
The appearance of the woman before him was exactly the same as Salist in the photos!
"You..." Klein's mouth hung open, unable to say a word.
He was completely dumbfounded by this scene, which could be called a miracle.
"That afternoon, I used this identity to go see Old Neil."
"Salist" spoke, her voice turning into a gentle female one.
"I wove the most realistic Lie to make him believe that his wife had truly returned."
"I guided him out of his memories to face reality."
Nairn, or rather "Salist," looked at the dumbstruck Klein and said with a smile:
"I made him understand that true love isn't dragging another person to hell, but letting the one she loves live on better, carrying her share."
"After all, resolving someone's knot is also... something very fun, isn't it?"
Seeing Klein's dazed expression from having his worldview repeatedly crushed, Nairn snapped his fingers contentedly, lifting the Magician's disguise.
The bones and muscles of his body once again made a tooth-gritting squirming sound, and he turned back into that handsome young man Klein was so familiar with.
"How was it? My acting isn't bad, right?" Nairn patted Klein's shoulder, laughing like a child who had just finished a prank. "Interested in learning? I can give you some private lessons, twenty percent off the tuition."
Klein snapped back to his senses and subconsciously took two steps back, looking at Nairn as if he were looking at a Monster.
This was no longer in the realm of acting!
Changing one's own form, appearance, and even voice out of thin air, perfectly mimicking an existence—what kind of Beyonder ability was this!
What a terrifying and evil Beyonder ability.
Why can't I have it.
He also wanted to possess this bizarre ability that even allowed for cross-dressing.
Klein was very shocked, suddenly feeling that the Seer Pathway was a bit weak, even too useless.
"You... what Sequence are you exactly?"
"Shh—" Nairn raised a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture. "A deity's Sequence shouldn't be inquired about casually. Be careful not to let His neighbors hear."
Klein immediately shut his mouth, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He remembered Nairn's previous warnings about the Marauder and Apprentice Pathways; the tops of those two Pathways were occupied by powerful existences.
Well, but he was also completely stunned by this scene that could be called a miracle—no, by the inconceivable operation hidden behind Nairn's casual narration.
Playing a deceased wife to persuade a Beyonder who was about to lose control?
What kind of operation was this? Is this a method a human could come up with?
And it actually succeeded!
More successful than success itself! Old Neil was not only pulled back but also sublimated, taking the initiative to turn himself in and using his own experience to give everyone a soul-shaking lesson!
Klein felt his worldview being repeatedly crushed and then reshaped by Nairn.
He had previously thought Nairn was an unfathomable big shot, a mysterious existence who could freely enter and exit the Gray Fog.
Now he realized his imagination was still too poor.
This senior's style of doing things simply couldn't be measured by common logic!
He wasn't following rules, nor was he breaking them; he was... toying with rules, toying with hearts, toying with fate!
And the cause of all this might simply be because he thought it was "fun"?
Klein felt his scalp tingle.
"This... is this the 'little trouble' you mentioned?" He squeezed out these words with difficulty.
How was this a little trouble? This was a major event that had turned the entire Tingen Nighthawks squad upside down!
"Trouble?" Nairn raised an eyebrow. "I think it was handled quite well. Old Neil was saved, and you all learned a valuable lesson. The Church Higher-ups might even appreciate this spirit of brave self-reflection and give him a dignified end. Everyone's happy, aren't they?"
Klein was momentarily unable to refute.
Looking at the result, it was indeed a happy ending for everyone.
But this process... "Senior... just who are you..." Klein's voice carried a hint of awe, even fear.
"Me?" Nairn laughed. He walked back to the sofa, sat down, picked up his teacup again, and took a light sip.
"I'm just an ordinary Fun-seeker player."
"Alright, no more jokes." Nairn stopped smiling, his expression becoming a bit more serious. "The matter with Old Neil ends here. He obtained redemption in his own way. You also learned a valuable lesson from him. This is a perfect ending."
Klein nodded in silence.
From the result, it was indeed so.
Old Neil avoided the tragedy of losing control, and the Nighthawks squad received profound education because of it.
It was just that this process... was truly too "Nairn."
Using a carefully woven Lie to save a soul troubled by obsession.
Using a performance that could be called a miracle to resolve a mortal's knot.
Was this ultimately good or evil?
Klein found himself completely unable to define it.
"Don't look at me with that look." Nairn seemed to see through his thoughts. "I'm just a fun-seeking director who happened to see a play about to turn into a tragedy and modified the script along the way. As for whether the actor's ending is good or bad, that depends on whether his performance can please me, the sole Spectator."
"And Old Neil, his final performance was brilliant."
Listening to these cold yet contradictory remarks, Klein's heart became even more complex.
He felt like an elementary school student who had just learned basic arithmetic but was trying to understand calculus.
The gap between him and Nairn was too large.
"Alright, go back. Don't forget the ultimate goal of our 'The All-Old Association'."
Nairn waved his hand.
"In this process, you are the lead actor, and I am the director. You are responsible for shining at the front of the stage, and I am responsible for controlling everything behind the scenes. Only by cooperating can we perform this play called 'The World' even more brilliantly."
Klein opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but it ultimately turned into a sigh.
He bowed deeply to Nairn.
"Thank you, Senior."
Regardless of the process, Nairn had indeed saved Old Neil. He would remember this favor.
Having said that, he turned and left.
Watching Klein's receding back, the smile on Nairn's face slowly disappeared.
"Fun..." he murmured softly. "Sometimes, a good ending itself is the greatest fun."