New Gods of North America.

Chapter 590 Station
A map of Virginia was spread out on the table.
Inessa roughly circled an area with her slender index finger. "This area is where we previously thought Connor might have encountered an accident."

Wayne nodded, and then Inessa's fingertips traced across the paper, first following the lines representing the steam train route within the circles, and finally veer slightly, stopping at a blank space:

"Today I took the opportunity to see the steam train arrival records of the past six months at the station, and then I went to the city hall to check some files. To put it simply, there is a steam train station at this location that has been abandoned, but I believe it is still being used secretly."

"Although the arrival time of steam trains is not fixed, the regular occurrence of delays with similar intervals suggests that they were affected by the same factors."

"Although the city hall has officially abandoned the station, there are no records of its construction or maintenance. Moreover, although the records show it as public land, the city hall has actually excluded it from its jurisdiction. Even Ms. Susan, who has lived here for many years, only knows that 'there is an abandoned station there' and knows nothing else about the specifics."

It allows the public to "know but not know," while it "exists but does not exist"...

Wayne thought for a moment, "Could it be a secret facility at the federal or state level?"

"I also think so."

Inessa nodded. “I remember we passed through there when we took the steam train to Richmond. I recall it looking like a patrol or maintenance depot along the line, where the train neither slowed down nor stopped. But there are several railway branches there, and it’s located near a small valley, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there were any additional facilities.”

"Do you think something might have happened to Cornell and the others there?" Wayne asked.

Inesa shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure, but I can't rule out that possibility. Judging from the pattern, the arrival times are all affected by night freight trains, which means that the level of secrecy there is not low, and they wouldn't be openly entering and leaving during the day. And if we look back at the time when Connor might release the pigeons, there is indeed some overlap between the two."

"If Connor's disappearance is indeed related to that abandoned station, then perhaps they just happened to notice something and then launched an investigation on their own. Or perhaps they were in a hurry and secretly boarded a train they shouldn't have been on, and then got discovered."

Well……

Did the accident involve a secret official facility?

To be fair, compared to "someone is secretly targeting members of the detective agency," or "a powerful extraordinary individual has inexplicably appeared in Virginia, one that even Connor couldn't shake off,"...
Wayne, however, didn't think this possibility was too bad...

There are many extraordinary individuals in the local intelligence organizations. If that place really is some kind of official secret base, it doesn't seem so surprising that Connor, with a few outsiders, would suffer when encountering professional "regular troops".

……

Strictly speaking, for ordinary people to investigate official secret facilities without authorization is, at the very least, an "illegal act" in any country.
At that time, the laws in the United States were not perfect in this regard. There were "statements" but no "details", which made the situation even more terrifying, as if it would put people in a dangerous state where "it is not reasonable to speak out, and it is legal to deal with them however you want in secret".

Wayne thinks this is probably where Inessa's dilemma lies. On one hand, Connor is both a "hunter" and an "agent," and the chances of the others who came with him being from the Hunter Association are not small. Even if the possibility is small, Inessa would probably feel it necessary to investigate and confirm.
However, on the other hand, this approach is clearly "wrong" and also carries a certain degree of danger. Based on Wayne's understanding of Inessa, he feels that she is the type who "can go by herself but won't call on her companions."

After Lina returned in the evening, the three of them met up.

Inesa's final suggestion was largely in line with Wayne's guess: "With the restaurant and workshop opening these past two days, everyone's busy with their own things. I'll just go check it out myself tonight and let you know if there's anything new." "I'll go with you," Wayne immediately volunteered.

Inesa hesitated, wanting to dissuade them, "If it's really as you speculate, then this matter has little to do with the detective agency... there's no need to drag everyone into it."

Wayne's reasoning was also quite sound: "Connell is an agent of the Detective Agency, and I also have the Hunter's Badge."

Some things are like cockroaches in your house.
It's not that "seeing one means there are a thousand more," but rather "I feel like there's one on the sheet, and I can't sleep tonight without being sure."

Lina seemed even more excited. "I want to go too! I want to go too! I've never seen a secret American facility before. Even if Connor isn't there, I still want to go and see it."

Hey, why did you blurt out what was on my mind?

The secret base of the Great Beauty Dynasty, huh? Wayne has seen it quite a few times in movies and TV shows before, each one looking more and more high-end than the last. The final boss usually spawns a mad scientist and some fancy monsters.

It's hard not to want to see the real thing now that you might encounter it in person...

Inesa still felt that this was not a good idea: "For safety reasons, it would be best if a partner stayed at the workshop. So much effort has been put into the renovation of the mill; it wouldn't be good if it were vandalized."

Lina changed her excuse, "We're just worried about you. Although you still have the injections and the temporary unsealing badge from the church, the restrictions are still in place. Whether you get injured yourself or cause a big mess, it will have a significant impact on the detective agency."

While they were still chatting, Doug brought Damon McCready over.
Upon asking, Wayne learned that he had only wanted to have two personal items delivered to Connor in case he needed to "pray to the gods" for a while. However, he didn't expect that the guy would not stay at the headquarters to oversee things, but would make a trip in person for such a small matter.

Sensing Wayne's surprise, Damon McCready quickly explained, "Professor Maisel takes Emma's education very seriously and has visited headquarters twice already. I was thinking that if the situation is right, I'd like to take Emma back to Georgeburg as well. Don't worry, Peter and the others are cooperating very well now, and there won't be any problems if there are any minor issues at headquarters."

Well……

That little girl seems to be having too much fun lately. If you want her to go back to school obediently, you'd probably have to tie her up and take her back...

Since we're already here, we might as well help Wayne take the letter he wrote to Professor Maisel back, and we can also let that guy stay in the workshop tonight and watch over the place.
This kind of unauthorized absence from duty should not be repeated, but we can afford to wait a little longer for now.

Unexpectedly, after hearing the general situation, Damon McCready immediately raised his normal hand, which hadn't swollen into a "unicorn arm," and asked, "Can I apply to not guard the house and come along to check out the secret base?"

Wayne & Lina: "No way!"

(End of this chapter)