CHAPTER 462: CHAPTER 78 RAINY SEASON_2

"Alright."

He replied like this.

...

In fact, Joey’s mental state isn’t great either. Although he seems normal on the surface, sometimes he feels somewhat similar to Lorenzo. To be precise, they are both somewhat pessimistic people.

Lorenzo has a severe tendency toward self-destruction. Although it’s considered pessimistic, on the path towards death, he always approaches it with enthusiasm. Joey, on the other hand, finds it hard to explain, as he sometimes feels everything is meaningless, unable to summon strength.

This may be related to fighting demons. Battling those evil anomalies, more or less, leads to some psychological trauma.

Joey once again recalled those unpleasant past events, forcing himself not to think about them, hoping that doing so would mean those past events didn’t exist.

"How have you been recently?"

During the walk under the rain curtain, Hig suddenly asked.

He was slightly shorter than Joey, and Hig lifted the edge of the umbrella, smiling as he looked at him.

"Not too bad."

Joey replied briefly.

Perhaps not wanting the conversation to become too silent, he glanced at the hazy rain curtain and quickly added.

"I quite like the rain."

Saying this, Joey looked up. The gloomy sky was covered by the torrential rain, as if the sea and sky had been swapped, and the steel whale slowly sailed within the rain curtain, occasionally emitting a melodious whale song.

"They say rainy days make people depressed." Hig said.

"To be precise, it’s not seeing sunlight."

Joey said that humans, like plants, need the care of sunshine, but Old Dunling isn’t a city friendly to humans; it rarely has a clear sky.

"Is that so?"

"More or less, I remember the doctors at Black Mountain Hospital said this, that rainy days only exacerbate everything."

The two chatted casually, and soon, the White Church gradually revealed its original appearance in the hazy rain mist. It seemed that the place had indeed been repurposed, piles of debris and weeds had been cleared, and faint singing came from the historic church, as if a group of people were hand in hand praising the sacred.

"Sometimes rainy days always remind me of home."

Hig suddenly said.

"I haven’t returned since the day I left home; it’s been so long, long enough that I don’t remember clearly. Only on rainy days, perhaps, the blurry outline becomes clearer."

Hig said halfway, giving Joey a kind smile, though Joey didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up; perhaps it was what is called inner dialogue.

"It’s a coastal town... I can’t remember clearly either. The only connection with the outside world was a railway crossing the wilderness. At the time, I felt that the town was a cage and the railway was the only escape route.

Due to being coastal, some storms would always affect it, with torrential rain pouring in the night, lightning and thunder."

"You don’t seem like someone who would actively talk about these things." Joey asked, as Hig was somewhat introverted, and introverted people usually don’t do this.

"Indeed, but people have to make changes, change is a good thing, just like the steam engine changed the world, sometimes our lives also need change."

Approaching the White Church, Hig’s expression had an undeniable hint of joy.

"Is it because of the Mutual Aid Association?"

Joey suddenly felt wary for some unknown reason; he didn’t understand why this was happening.

"More or less, everyone has different flaws, but here we encourage each other to overcome those flaws and become better, more genuine versions of ourselves."

Hig said, looking at Joey, his voice carrying an eerie magic power.

"Aren’t you the same, Joey? You can see it, you share a similar confusion with me."

Joey hesitated for a long time.

"Perhaps."

Every member of the Purification Mechanism is required to undergo regular psychological evaluations, and Joey’s always shown normal results. But he’s aware that they’re just numbers on paper; as long as someone’s psychological quality is good enough, they can fake it. He’s also aware of his own desolation but has always resisted talking with a consulting doctor.

It is a process of opening up, but not everyone wants to do so; behind every door hides a person’s unspeakable secret.

"Hello everyone."

Hig’s overly cheerful voice brought Joey’s thoughts back to reality, separating the cold vapor with the closing of the door, as warmth slowly crept up.

In the sea of candle flames, a group gathered together, just like Joey saw before, different in age, gender, and social status, yet harmoniously sitting together like a close-knit family.

At the forefront of the group, a man was smiling at everyone.

Joey could easily tell the man was different; his position was on the platform, seemingly close to everyone, yet in a superior position.

He wore glasses, creating an impression of tranquility, unlike the fierce and menacing doctors at Black Mountain Hospital, he exuded a calm aura, like warm sunlight under a rain curtain.

For a doctor, such a demeanor is quite advantageous; without saying much, patients would consider you trustworthy, opening up, revealing hidden sins and wrongs.

It seemed only the doctor noticed their arrival; the others continued their chatter, endlessly talking.

Outside, the world poured with relentless rain, cold and lonely, yet beneath this white-brick fortress, different individuals gathered warmly, sharing their innermost thoughts, the contrast bewildering. Beneath the cold world, the warmth within was palpable.

For a moment, Joey couldn’t help but want to immerse himself in the warmth, but soon found the feeling odd, instinctively sensing a bizarre danger, though unsure of its source.

Quickly he realized the difference.

Joey still remembered these people’s appearances last time; they had a repentant look, but now that repentance was over, and everyone bore an intense positive attitude towards life, as if overacting, creating an indescribable discord beneath the warmth.

Hig also blended in, joining their cheerful chatter, yet this strange feeling resembled some kind of gathering.

Joey suppressed the strange feeling within him, then slowly lifted his gaze, fixing it on the man.

He was clear-headed, and so was Joey.

Eerie atmosphere permeated the church; aside from the two, everyone else sank into that inexplicable goodness.

Joey calmly assessed; he couldn’t pinpoint where the bizarre feeling originated from, so he could only try his best to disguise himself as oblivious, treating it as a regular Mutual Aid Association meeting.

Soon, the man approached, wiping his glasses as he walked, putting them on.

"Joey Joshua, I remember you."

The man spoke before Joey could respond.

"Last time, I wanted to say hello, but you left before I could."

Joey didn’t respond, he merely stared intently at the man in front, attempting to gather enough information from that face, seeking ways to tear off the peculiar disguise.

But soon he gave up; the disguise was so perfect that its only flaw was precisely its perfection; on that face, Joey saw nothing but an unknown blankness.

Suddenly, the man reached out his hand, seeming to notice Joey’s silence, he proactively introduced himself.

"Currently, I am the advisory physician of this Mutual Aid Association."

Lightning flashed outside, its pale white reflection appearing on the man’s lenses, seemingly igniting upon contact, then fading away.

"James Moriarty."

That’s the man’s name, resonating in Joey’s mind like a strange incantation.