107

A few hours later, Bai Zhi arrived at the orphanage gates.

What was left of it, anyway, since the six-story building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The area had been cordoned off with police tape, and several official-looking people were busily working amongst the debris.

According to official estimates, there had been about six casualties as a result of the collapse, and it would take three to five days to clear the rubble completely. There was continuing speculation about whether they would find more bodies, as well as discussion about the building's state of disrepair, which had led to the collapse.

It was all rather standard.

After a moment's thought, Bai Zhi walked straight up to the site. In many ways, the orphanage was his home, and its director the only family he had in the world. There was no way he could sit on the sidelines twiddling his thumbs in response to such a disaster.

For safety reasons, unauthorized personnel were not allowed near the pile of rubble, and even after Bai Zhi tried to explain how he was related to the place and people there, he was eventually turned away by the police.

Realizing with some disappointment that he wasn't likely to make further headway by hanging around, Bai Zhi decided to visit the campus belle and her friend at the hospital instead—perhaps he would learn something from their account of recent events. Just as he was leaving, his path was blocked by an unexpected arrival.

"...Nightwatch?"

Bai Zhi raised a curious eyebrow at the dashing, twenty-something year old man sitting across from him, who wore a thick scarf that obscured his neck and mouth, despite the blazing-hot sun outside.

"Yes. The Nightwatch's mission is to protect the world of light while staying hidden in the shadows. You should have heard of us from Old Xu."

The man placed some photographs on the table and slid them over to Bai Zhi with a smile.

"You've done well staying hidden thus far, but we finally found you when you surfaced to save those people. I assure you, we come in peace."

...Hidden? I wasn't aware I was hiding...

Bai Zhi felt somewhat perplexed, but reached for the photos anyway.

They appeared to have been taken by a surveillance camera, and depicted him entering and leaving the hospital on the day he rescued the unconscious students who had been turned into marionettes.

"You were the one who brought them out of their coma, weren't you? I heard all about it from the two girls. Old Xu always said you were just a normie and begged us not to drag you into our matters, but the truth is, you secretly became a Player and hid it from Old Xu all this time, didn't you?"

The man shook his head sadly.

"Old Xu was always too stubborn... In the name of protecting you, he kept so many secrets, which must have led to that big fight you had. A shame, really, but you endured it all... Out of spite? Or..."

"What exactly is the Nightwatch?"

Bai Zhi had been listening with a blank expression, as if everything was going over his head, and he suddenly changed the topic. "Also, what do you know about what happened at the orphanage?"

The man leaned back in his chair.

"Before I answer, let me ask you this: the supernatural entities showing up lately, do you think that they came into existence recently, or that they have always existed?"

"Are you saying they've always existed?" said Bai Zhi as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"In earlier ages, they were called spirits, cryptids, bogeymen, myths... over time, they all became collectively known as 'supernatural entities'. Whether awakened from ancient legends, or excavated from history, or summoned from another dimension, or dreamed up in a fantasy..." The man shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but this world is slowly sinking into darkness. Thus, the Nightwatch was founded expressly to stand guard against the long night, until humanity sees the light of dawn again."

Bai Zhi was reminded of the other dimensions he himself had visited, such as the lost haven known as Shadowland and the village at the entrance to the Underworld. The message he had received from the impostor campus belle just before the strange coach had left the station also came to mind.

<...I am not unfamiliar with your human folklore, but I can tell you that if they were to emerge into your world, there would be no more divine deities...>

...Could that impostor campus belle be a creature from another dimension?

"As for what happened at the orphanage... Don't you think it strange that Old Xu refused to leave the place even if it killed him?" said the man as he turned his head toward the orphanage, his voice low and grave.

"You see, he couldn't leave because there was an Impossible-class entity—or something like it—sealed in the area where the orphanage was. If nobody volunteered to guard it, the entity's influence could expand to the size of a neighborhood, possibly even the whole city.

Bai Zhi fell silent as he took in all the new information the man had revealed.

The word "impossible" said it all—supernatural entities known to be Impossible-class invariably possessed powerful abilities and were beyond any known methods of elimination. They could only be contained. Should one such entity rampage out of control, the consequences would be nothing short of catastrophic.

The most obvious example was the incident that had occurred in North America.

The supernatural entity known as "Falsehood Hell" had initially surfaced in an apartment block in a small town. Neither the Official National Forces of North America nor the other Players in the region had paid it much attention at first, but as Players after Player went after it, only to end up mysteriously disappearing, the entity's power grew to encompass the whole town, eventually causing death and injury to tens of thousands.

To this day, the small town was still designated a Restricted Zone under military control.

The man sighed and continued, "Over the ages, we've lost more good men than we can count... As the long night stretches on, we the old guard find our strength waning—thus it is time we entrusted our hopes to the new generation... Will you join the Nightwatch?"

"How many organizations like the Nightwatch are there? Are you affiliated with any official organizations? What is the nature of your relationship with the Concerning Department?"

Bai Zhi was in no hurry to answer the question, and instead spat out several questions of his own in quick succession.

"There aren't that many, but certainly a significant number. Often based in other countries... The Church of Light, for example. Names like that are popular with those people.

"We make sure to cooperate with the official organizations, of course. Well, all the various Player guilds do the same to some degree, but we're a little different... You could say we're deeply involved with them, more than most."

The man grinned.

"Hmm. Last question," said Bai Zhi, then took a deep breath.

"Is the orphanage director dead?"

A few hours later, Bai Zhi arrived at the orphanage gates.

What was left of it, anyway, since the six-story building had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The area had been cordoned off with police tape, and several official-looking people were busily working amongst the debris.

According to official estimates, there had been about six casualties as a result of the collapse, and it would take three to five days to clear the rubble completely. There was continuing speculation about whether they would find more bodies, as well as discussion about the building's state of disrepair, which had led to the collapse.

It was all rather standard.

After a moment's thought, Bai Zhi walked straight up to the site. In many ways, the orphanage was his home, and its director the only family he had in the world. There was no way he could sit on the sidelines twiddling his thumbs in response to such a disaster.

For safety reasons, unauthorized personnel were not allowed near the pile of rubble, and even after Bai Zhi tried to explain how he was related to the place and people there, he was eventually turned away by the police.

Realizing with some disappointment that he wasn't likely to make further headway by hanging around, Bai Zhi decided to visit the campus belle and her friend at the hospital instead—perhaps he would learn something from their account of recent events. Just as he was leaving, his path was blocked by an unexpected arrival.

"...Nightwatch?"

Bai Zhi raised a curious eyebrow at the dashing, twenty-something year old man sitting across from him, who wore a thick scarf that obscured his neck and mouth, despite the blazing-hot sun outside.

"Yes. The Nightwatch's mission is to protect the world of light while staying hidden in the shadows. You should have heard of us from Old Xu."

The man placed some photographs on the table and slid them over to Bai Zhi with a smile.

"You've done well staying hidden thus far, but we finally found you when you surfaced to save those people. I assure you, we come in peace."

...Hidden? I wasn't aware I was hiding...

Bai Zhi felt somewhat perplexed, but reached for the photos anyway.

They appeared to have been taken by a surveillance camera, and depicted him entering and leaving the hospital on the day he rescued the unconscious students who had been turned into marionettes.

"You were the one who brought them out of their coma, weren't you? I heard all about it from the two girls. Old Xu always said you were just a normie and begged us not to drag you into our matters, but the truth is, you secretly became a Player and hid it from Old Xu all this time, didn't you?"

The man shook his head sadly.

"Old Xu was always too stubborn... In the name of protecting you, he kept so many secrets, which must have led to that big fight you had. A shame, really, but you endured it all... Out of spite? Or..."

"What exactly is the Nightwatch?"

Bai Zhi had been listening with a blank expression, as if everything was going over his head, and he suddenly changed the topic. "Also, what do you know about what happened at the orphanage?"

The man leaned back in his chair.

"Before I answer, let me ask you this: the supernatural entities showing up lately, do you think that they came into existence recently, or that they have always existed?"

"Are you saying they've always existed?" said Bai Zhi as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"In earlier ages, they were called spirits, cryptids, bogeymen, myths... over time, they all became collectively known as 'supernatural entities'. Whether awakened from ancient legends, or excavated from history, or summoned from another dimension, or dreamed up in a fantasy..." The man shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but this world is slowly sinking into darkness. Thus, the Nightwatch was founded expressly to stand guard against the long night, until humanity sees the light of dawn again."

Bai Zhi was reminded of the other dimensions he himself had visited, such as the lost haven known as Shadowland and the village at the entrance to the Underworld. The message he had received from the impostor campus belle just before the strange coach had left the station also came to mind.

<...I am not unfamiliar with your human folklore, but I can tell you that if they were to emerge into your world, there would be no more divine deities...>

...Could that impostor campus belle be a creature from another dimension?

"As for what happened at the orphanage... Don't you think it strange that Old Xu refused to leave the place even if it killed him?" said the man as he turned his head toward the orphanage, his voice low and grave.

"You see, he couldn't leave because there was an Impossible-class entity—or something like it—sealed in the area where the orphanage was. If nobody volunteered to guard it, the entity's influence could expand to the size of a neighborhood, possibly even the whole city.

Bai Zhi fell silent as he took in all the new information the man had revealed.

The word "impossible" said it all—supernatural entities known to be Impossible-class invariably possessed powerful abilities and were beyond any known methods of elimination. They could only be contained. Should one such entity rampage out of control, the consequences would be nothing short of catastrophic.

The most obvious example was the incident that had occurred in North America.

The supernatural entity known as "Falsehood Hell" had initially surfaced in an apartment block in a small town. Neither the Official National Forces of North America nor the other Players in the region had paid it much attention at first, but as Players after Player went after it, only to end up mysteriously disappearing, the entity's power grew to encompass the whole town, eventually causing death and injury to tens of thousands.

To this day, the small town was still designated a Restricted Zone under military control.

The man sighed and continued, "Over the ages, we've lost more good men than we can count... As the long night stretches on, we the old guard find our strength waning—thus it is time we entrusted our hopes to the new generation... Will you join the Nightwatch?"

"How many organizations like the Nightwatch are there? Are you affiliated with any official organizations? What is the nature of your relationship with the Concerning Department?"

Bai Zhi was in no hurry to answer the question, and instead spat out several questions of his own in quick succession.

"There aren't that many, but certainly a significant number. Often based in other countries... The Church of Light, for example. Names like that are popular with those people.

"We make sure to cooperate with the official organizations, of course. Well, all the various Player guilds do the same to some degree, but we're a little different... You could say we're deeply involved with them, more than most."

The man grinned.

"Hmm. Last question," said Bai Zhi, then took a deep breath.

"Is the orphanage director dead?"