Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

Everyone turned around and saw a young man in a dark coat standing at the warehouse entrance, carrying a cloth bag. Sunlight shone in from behind him, gilding the outline of his elfin face with a faint golden edge.

He is the new leader of the dock area, the "first eater" of the Flying Hot Soup Church, and the captain of the long-legged bread truck—Lynn!

"It's dangerous here!" Al Hassen shouted instinctively. "Get out of here!"

Dunn stared at Lynn, a sharp glint in his gray eyes: "Who are you?"

"A kind-hearted citizen passing by." Lynn said expressionlessly. "Lynn." With that, he casually waved his hand, and a gust of wind shattered the monster that had just been formed, as easily as swatting a mosquito.

“Mr. Lynn,” Dunn realized that this was the powerful figure who had dealt with the Hammer Gang and whose existence was tacitly approved by the Church of Storms. He relaxed a little and even made a small joke, “These guys obviously don’t want to have a pleasant breakfast with us.”

Although she didn't know why Lynn said it was breakfast, Dunn went along with it anyway.

"Breakfast isn't quite accurate; this time should be called 'morning tea,'" Lynn strode into the warehouse, uttering a strange word. The silt inside the warehouse seemed to writhe faster with each step he took. "It's a pity Russell didn't carry on this tradition."

Lynn patted Klein on the shoulder: "I was dealing with some of the Hammer Gang's former protectors, so I'm late. The intimidation of the list and the Church's hints can't cover everyone; there are always some fools who want to do something."

"Don't they ever think about why the newspapers didn't report it?"

"Maybe when they're at their most intelligent, they're just curly-haired baboons," Klein sighed in relief. He looked around. "Lynn, is there anything we can do to help?"

"I have good news and bad news." Lynn glanced at the grayish-white humanoid figures that were coalescing. "The good news is, I know what these things are and how to deal with them. I can give you an item that can eliminate the source of this thing. The bad news is..."

He looked into the darkness deep within the warehouse, his brow furrowing slightly. "The source isn't here. I can sense a connection underground that appears and disappears intermittently. I need to seize the opportunity when it reappears. So, this matter is left for you to resolve yourselves."

Lynn shoved the cloth bag into Klein's arms, and the bag bulged right before Klein's eyes: "Take this, it's a tool I created to help you solve your problem."

Klein lowered his head and opened the bag, then his expression froze.

There were four lunchboxes in the cloth bag.

In the first lunchbox, white rice noodle rolls, submerged in bubbly cola, were slowly wriggling in a way that defied the laws of physics, as if trying to escape being submerged in the liquid.

In the second lunchbox, the bright red strawberry sauce drizzled over the Mapo Tofu was still bubbling, and each strawberry trembled slightly in the steam.

In the third lunchbox, a whole piece of melting chocolate was wrapped inside a dumpling cut in half, the edges of the dumpling skin already beginning to turn a caramelized gold.

In the fourth lunchbox, the pineapple chunks on the pineapple pizza were arranged in a complex geometric pattern, which slowly rotated under Klein's gaze.

Klein stared at this combination of food that was driving his sanity to the brink of madness, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to utter, "What the hell is this?!"

"Cola-soaked rice noodle rolls, strawberry mapo tofu, chocolate dumplings, and pineapple pizza," Lynn said matter-of-factly, as if reciting a menu. "Spread all four of these things evenly on that Antigonus family notebook, then throw the notebook and all that into the back of the warehouse. And then—"

He made an explosion gesture with his hand.

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple." Lynn's expression was a little strange. "But I suggest you hurry up. The proliferation rate of these clones is accelerating. If we delay for another ten minutes or so, this warehouse will be full of them."

He paused, then added, "While the individual strength of these clones is decreasing, their sheer numbers can still overwhelm you with sheer numbers. And your captain..."

He glanced at Dunn. "He's already used his Nightmare ability twice. If he uses it on this monster again, his mind won't be able to hold up."

Lynn was telling the truth. Klein could see that fine beads of sweat glistened in the moonlight on Dunn's forehead, despite his forced composure.

"What makes you think we should believe you?" Al Hassen asked coldly. His gun was still pointed in Lynn's direction.

"Because I'm still standing here talking to you," Lynn said with a rather papal air as he turned and walked towards the ground.

"I have already called for support from two other churches for you."

"If you manage to come out alive, you can learn about our Flying Hot Soup Church."

"Since it's free, I might as well believe it a little."

Then his body walked into the ground, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

As he left, he thought, "I just wanted a tool to solve my current problem. What does it mean that I created this?"

A brief silence fell over the warehouse.

"Um," Leonard broke the silence, his voice carrying a complex mix of emotions, "has anyone heard of the Flying Spicy Soup Church?"

Klein spoke quickly, "Captain, what Lynn said is true. He really did call the Church of the Storm Lord and the Church of Steam and Machinery."

Dunn nodded.

No one answered Leonard's question, because the first monster had fully emerged from the shadows.

Grayish-white skin, twisted joints, protruding white bone, and a full porcelain denture that's about to fall out—it's exactly the same as the previous two, only a size smaller.

Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.

Four Riel Biebers stood side by side, their increasingly lively eyes fixed on the night watchmen.

"Klein," Dunn's voice rang out, "You heard me? Smear those things on the notebook, then rush in. We'll create an opportunity for you."

Actually, Dunn wasn't sure if Lynn's method would work, but he was right.

"Since it's free, why not believe it a little?" Dunn smirked. "That makes sense."

Klein looked down at the bizarre food in his arms. The cola was still bubbling, the strawberry jam was still emitting a sweet aroma, and the chocolate and pineapple reflected an eerie sheen in the sunlight streaming into the warehouse.

His reason told him that these things could not possibly have any extraordinary effects.

Although it is indeed extremely disgusting.

But that's Lynn, the Thunder God!

"Since it's free, I might as well believe it a little!"

"Understood." Klein gritted his teeth and pulled out the Antigonus family notebook, stained with yellowish-brown dirt, from his pocket. The notebook's cover was cold and rough, and the disgusting stains on it gave it an indescribable eeriness.

He opened the cloth bag and took out the four lunch boxes one by one, placing them on the ground.

Dunn had already closed his eyes. The power of the nightmare spread from him for the third time, and the monster stopped in its tracks. His body trembled violently, and bulging muscles beneath his clothes writhed wildly; Klein could even hear the faint sound of the fabric tearing.

Klein opened the first lunchbox, and the cola-soaked rice noodle rolls emitted a strange sweet and sour smell.

He reached in, grabbed a handful of wet rice noodle rolls, and slapped them onto the notebook's cover. The moment the rice noodle rolls touched the notebook, its surface shimmered, and the cola bubbles burst on the antique leather cover, making tiny hissing sounds.

The second monster began to move, its movements more stiff than the first, but it was still slowly approaching Dunn. Meanwhile, deeper within the warehouse, more black slime was seeping out.

Borgia fired, the silver demon-hunting bullet striking the monster in the abdomen, causing it to stagger. Lorota also fired, her bullet piercing the same spot in the monster's abdomen, causing it to stagger and fall to the ground, struggling to get up.

As Klein smeared strawberry mapo tofu onto the notebook, he turned the pages with his other hand. Thick, red threads of strawberry jam stretched between the pages, releasing a strange aroma a mixture of sweet, sour, and spicy. The peppercorns from the mapo tofu crackled and popped on the pages, sending up tiny sparks.

"Are you done?" El's voice became hoarse.

"Right away!" Klein opened the third lunchbox. The chocolate inside the dumplings began to melt the moment it came into contact with the air. He gritted his teeth and smeared the sticky dumplings onto his notebook, the chocolate dripping through his fingers. The cloying sweetness mixed with the spiciness of Mapo Tofu and the sweet and sour taste of cola, creating a bizarre aroma that made one's sanity plummet.

This time, the Night Watch squad roamed around, holding off the monster without killing it.

But it seems that some kind of error has occurred again. A fifth monster has appeared. The slime dripping from the warehouse ceiling has condensed in the air into an upside-down humanoid shape, which is slowly descending. It seems to be mixed with the spiders that were already in the warehouse.

Then came the sixth one, where the slime seeping from the wall coalesced into something with only half a body, dragging its mutilated lower half as it crawled on the ground.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Leonard fired.

Leonard grabbed the last piece of pineapple pizza and pressed it onto the notebook. The geometric patterns on the pineapple slice expanded instantly upon contact with the notebook cover, spreading out like a net across the entire notebook, followed by all the food items—cola rice noodle rolls, strawberry mapo tofu, chocolate dumplings—woven together by the pineapple pattern, forming a constantly flowing, chaotically glowing film on the notebook's surface.

"Alright!" Klein picked up his notebook and stood up.

The mucus began to emerge at an accelerated rate, and in an instant, five or six new humanoid figures took shape simultaneously. They were no longer complete monsters; some were missing an arm, some hadn't grown a leg yet, and some didn't even have a head.

"Go!" Dunn growled, having broken free from the nightmare and begun chanting poetry. A much stronger, quiet aura enveloped the entire warehouse.

Nightmare's ability can only drag a limited number of individuals into the dream, making it somewhat useless when facing a large number of monsters.

Klein and Leonard charged out simultaneously. Klein held the notebook in his right hand, while Leonard provided cover with his gun.

The first monster lunged at them, its twisted joints drawing a grayish-white arc through the air.

"Your left!" Borgia shouted.

Leonard turned and fired. The bullet struck the monster precisely, hitting its vitals. The monster lost its balance and collapsed to the ground. Klein jumped over it and continued forward.

"The three in the middle!"

El Hassan and Borgia's bullets came from behind, one after another.

Lolota sprinted forward. The monsters were too fragile now; every time she rolled and punched, she could precisely shatter a monster's supporting structure.

She stopped trying to find weaknesses; that was too slow. She just needed to bring them down, to make them unable to get in her way.

Leonard suddenly yelled, "Watch out for your head!"

Before Klein could look up, he felt a gust of wind press down from above, and then a hand grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him backward.

Leonard grabbed Klein with one hand and pulled Klein's hand holding the notebook with the other, raising the notebook above their heads. The monster's outstretched hand, which was hanging upside down from the ceiling, touched the light on the surface of the notebook, and its entire arm instantly began to melt, making a sizzling sound like boiling oil being poured.

"This thing really works!" Leonard exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

Together they raced through the final stretch. Deep within the warehouse, the darkness had thickened like boiling ink, countless viscous threads weaving a dense net in the air. At the center of that net was a dark blue mass of flesh surrounded by a string of jet-black thorns, writhing to form the shape of Riel Bieber.

Klein instinctively felt that this was the prototype.

The light from the notebook shone into the darkness, and the web woven from slime began to ripple violently.

"Now!"

With all his might, Klein hurled the Antigonus family notebook, covered in cola rice noodle rolls, strawberry mapo tofu, chocolate dumplings, and pineapple pizza, into the darkness.

The notebook traced a parabola through the air before gracefully falling into the darkness.

The colorful film wrapped around its cover left an eerie trail of light in the dark night, and the food mixed together made a sizzling sound, emitting a strange aroma that was a mixture of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.

It looked like a book that had been splashed with swill was thrown into the trash can.

An irregular sphere of light erupted from the point where the notebook landed, rapidly expanding in the thick darkness. Inside, the deep brown of cola and the bright red of strawberry jam swirled wildly, while the crimson of mapo tofu and the dark brown of chocolate collided, tore, and reformed. Finally, the bright yellow of pineapple appeared, and the geometric patterns burst forth from the notebook's surface, weaving a vast golden network within the sphere that covered the entire depths of the warehouse.

Then, everything returned to darkness.

Only heavy breathing could be heard in the darkness, while sunlight streamed in from the warehouse roof, illuminating the faces of the night watchmen.

"Live...alive?" Leonard's voice came from Klein's left, trembling with the relief of surviving a close call.

"It seems...yes." Klein gasped for breath. He found himself kneeling on the ground, his revolver lying somewhere.

Thankfully, the hat didn't fall off.

Dunn leaned against a collapsed wooden crate, his eyes half-open. "Are the others... all alive?" he asked, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible.

"I'm alive." Lolota raised her hand, her arm covered in bruises, but her smile had regained its nonchalant tone. "However, I think two days of vacation isn't enough, at least five."

"Cough... I'm alive." Borgia propped himself up on his knees with his hands, then his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. "My legs won't obey me, but I won't die."

Leonard slowly got up from the ground and brushed the dust off his clothes. He looked into the empty depths of the warehouse, where the slime, monsters, and even years of accumulated debris had all vanished, leaving only a large expanse of smooth, polished cement floor.

"Those foods," he said blankly, "really worked."

An aged voice asked blankly in his mind, "Did it really work?"

Pales had only wanted to find an opportunity to get closer and observe, but it actually worked.

From that moment on, His mind went blank.

Klein stood up too. He stared at the smooth ground, his mind filled with questions. What was the deal with all that food? Did the Flying Spicy Soup Church really have something? What was underground? What did he mean by "the source"?

But now is not the time to ask questions, because Captain Dunn's voice has stopped.