When he left the club hall, Lex took off his iron mask. Behind the mask was another layer of disguise: a fake beard and slightly darker skin.
Now he was no longer 'Duke', but an employee of Airos Security Company.
In the Elk Bar, Lex located his target, a man in his thirties. He was well-dressed, but his clothes were a bit faded from washing. He didn't look like a laborer, but he was far from being middle-class.
Due to the alcohol, his cheeks showed an unnatural flush under the lights. His eyes were dazed as he picked up a glass of beer with his ringed hand and gulped it down.
Lex noticed that his ring was on his pinky finger, and considering he had a child, this indicated he was either divorced or widowed.
Walking up to the gentleman, Lex sat down and said softly, "Good evening, Mr. Sandy, I am an employee of Airos Security Company."
The man named Sandy was startled: "You are really efficient, I just registered..."
"You flatter me."
Lex gestured to the Bartender for a beer: "Could you tell me the detailed situation?"
Sandy nodded, holding an empty glass, and said, "This is all my fault. Two nights ago, I was supposed to be home before evening."
To hear more clearly, Lex moved his chair closer to the gentleman, the two of them less than a foot apart.
"But when I was leaving work, Young Miss Jenny asked me for a favor. Then we had a small incident. These things happen often, but we were very careful not to let outsiders notice..."
Wait, why does this sound a bit like an adult story?
"That night, Jenny was exceptionally enthusiastic. We spent almost an hour in the office before finally finishing."
No, no, you don't need to tell me even this kind of thing.
Lex suddenly looked at the pocket of his jacket, where his 'secrecy keeper' was.
He quickly moved away to prevent Sandy from saying anything more embarrassing.
The person involved was completely unaware. He continued, "So that night, by the time I got home, it was already dark. It was from that day on that I couldn't find my son, my Daniel."
"I searched all the nearby neighborhoods, but it's been two days, and there's still no news."
Sandy suddenly grabbed Lex's hand and said excitedly, "But I can feel him! I can feel Daniel is nearby! Even, his handwriting appears on the previously blank message board the next second."
"I feel like he's right beside me, but I can't find him no matter what."
Why does this sound like a ghost story?
Sandy looked around and said somewhat nervously, "And, I think there's something wrong with my neighbors. They tell me Daniel is right beside me, and they look at me with pity, as if I'm a mental patient!"
"Sir, no matter what, you must help me. Help me find my poor Daniel."
Lex calmly withdrew his hand and used a handkerchief he carried to wipe the spot where Sandy had held him: "Tomorrow morning, I will pay a visit. Do you have time?"
"Yes!"
Sandy left his address. Lex looked at it; his home was in the South District.
South District.
I remember there's an art exhibition being held there.
Lex had an idea of how to get rid of the servants and bodyguards tomorrow.
The next day.
Lex arrived at the exhibition hall. When the staff saw the Horse Riding Club cufflink on his sleeve, they invited him into the hall with smiling faces.
The bodyguards and servants stayed in the lounge, where tea and pastries were served, all of them, of course, ordinary fare.
Lex first walked around the exhibition hall, then slipped into the restroom and climbed out the window.
When Lex arrived at Sandy's residence in the South District, he had two more mustaches on his face. He pulled the doorbell, and a few seconds later, the door opened.
Sandy, dressed in casual clothes, enthusiastically said, "Please come in quickly."
Lex saw that behind Sandy was a boy of eight or nine years old. He looked thin and was curiously observing Lex.
Is this Daniel's brother?
Led by Sandy into the living room, Lex saw the boy walk up to a message board and erase some writing on it.
"Mr. Sandy, please take me to Daniel's room first."
Sandy immediately said, "This way, please."
Daniel's room was very ordinary, with unorganized building blocks on the floor and some books. Besides that, Lex saw no other special items, and his spiritual intuition was not triggered.
Upon returning to the living room, Sandy exclaimed, "It appeared again!"
Lex looked at him, completely puzzled: "What appeared again?"
Sandy pulled Lex to the message board: "Look, what's written on this!"
Lex looked. On the message board was a line of writing: Dad, we're out of bread, I'm hungry.
He also saw the little boy sitting nearby, looking helpless.
"Mr. Sandy, this is a child's handwriting..."
"This is Daniel's handwriting!" Sandy said, holding his head, "You saw it too, didn't you? This proves I'm not crazy, Daniel is indeed here!"
"He's used this message board to communicate with me more than once!"
Lex was stunned, then suddenly looked at the little boy next to him: "Are you Daniel?"
The little boy looked up: "Yes, sir. I'm not missing, I've been home all along. But Dad can't see me or hear my voice, so I can only talk to him using the message board."
"Could you tell him I haven't had breakfast yet, I'm hungry."
Sandy, however, looked at Lex in shock: "Who are you talking to? No, are you also like my neighbors, thinking Daniel is at home, thinking I'm mentally ill?"
It was clear that Sandy was on the verge of a breakdown. If he were a Beyonder, with this mental state, he might have lost control directly.
Lex cleared his throat and said seriously, "I believe you, Mr. Sandy. Likewise, your neighbors are not lying; Daniel is indeed at home."
"He said he hasn't had breakfast yet, he's hungry."
"Now, it seems something peculiar has happened to you, which causes you not to see Daniel or hear his voice."
Sandy said in bewilderment, "Is my son really here?"
Lex pointed to the boy next to the message board: "He's sitting right here."
Sandy looked towards the message board, extended his hands, and slowly approached the little boy. But just as he got close, he held his head and backed away: "No, I'm going crazy, how can this be!"
Lex was also at a loss. He had originally thought Daniel was kidnapped or encountered a Beyonder event. Now, it seemed that what happened to Sandy was indeed not simple, but it was a bit different from what he had imagined.
He had no experience with such a bizarre situation and didn't know how to resolve or handle it.
At this moment, the church bells rang outside. Lex suddenly had a flash of inspiration and looked at Sandy: "Do you have a faith?"