"Sara... I'm sorry."

I silently watched her receding figure from afar, with words in my heart that couldn't be contained, wanting to speak to her.

Yes, I still held onto fantasies and hopes... but it was no longer possible.

"And then what?" the detective asked, his voice tinged with concern, trying to avoid further distressing Heather who was still grieving.

"I can survive on my own," Sara turned her face away and answered, "I am my father's daughter, I should have arranged a dignified funeral for him. But now... there are still some things I must do. I must return to that world, there are things that require my personal resolution there."

The last sentence was spoken softly, even she didn't know why she said it.

Although it wasn't very significant, the detective's eyebrows furrowed tightly upon hearing those words.

"The other world? Why do you want to go there? Are you alright?"

"I have to go because the woman who ordered the monster to kill my father said she would be waiting for me there. I know nothing good will happen, but I must go. I want to make that woman pay with her own blood!"

"How will you get there?"

"There will always be a way."

"...Alright, I'll drive you there."

"But..."

"I can find a way for you to enter, but for now, say goodbye to your father."

Upon hearing the detective's words, Sara turned her gaze towards her father and spoke.

"If you come with me, you may die. Are you still willing to go?"

"I don't care. Even if I die, there won't be anyone who cares, right?"

A faint smile appeared on the detective's face, hidden beneath his cowboy hat, and then he left the room.

I won't say goodbye, Father! Because I'll be back soon, and perhaps we'll meet again in another world?

Sara prayed for her father in her heart once again, her shoulders beginning to tremble.

Tears that she had restrained in front of the detective finally escaped, running down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"This vengeance must be repaid!" she said with a trembling voice.

The car was covered in rust, clearly neglected and not given any maintenance, let alone cleaning, for many years.

Sara bent down and climbed into the muddy passenger seat of the car. The back seat was piled with strange wrapping paper and empty plastic bottles, resembling a garbage truck, emitting a strong scent of beer.

"While I was waiting for you, a silver-haired man came," said the detective who had just started the car, "Do you know him?"

"I vaguely recognize him." In order to hide her swelled eyes from him, Sara replied coldly.

Explaining her encounter with the silver-haired man inside the building would be troublesome. The only thing she knew was that the man had some deep connection with her father.

"He knows a lot about you, as if he already knows everything. He told you to go to that world and find a man named Yuanhui. He also kindly gave me a map. And I found this next to the body..."

Sighing, the detective handed her a diary.

Sara opened it and saw her father's handwriting.

"Waaah... Didn't you promise to always be by my side? Dad... you're such a liar!"

"...Perhaps your father had his own reasons, he wouldn't lie," the detective said.

This time, tears once again fell unbidden from her eyes, and she cried heavily with a particularly heavy heart.

Afterward, she silently flipped through the diary, and the detective no longer disturbed her, focusing on driving.

After a long time, raindrops fell on the dusty windshield, breaking the silence between the two and washing away the dust.

"It's raining... Achoo!" the detective sniffed.

By now, Sara had closed the diary, lost in deep thought.

"Did you fall asleep? Be careful not to catch a cold."

"No, I'm awake, just thinking about something."

"...Something seems off, should you..."

"Can I get out now?"

"Hmm... Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, Sara's face showed a pained expression. She seemed lost and her complexion was as pale as a corpse."Do you get car sick? Do you want to rest in the car for a while?"

"No! I have to go..." Sara said with a trembling voice, as if she wanted to vent her frustration that had been bottled up inside, "I have to get out!"

"Don't make such absurd jokes!"

"I'm not joking!"

"Why?"

"Don't you understand what it feels like to lose a loved one?"

Sara looked out of the window with a melancholic expression and continued, "The same thing cannot happen again. I have to stop everything."

"…Sara?"

"…"

Sara's expression became somewhat stiff, but she didn't cry.

But outside the window, it was raining, perhaps reflecting her current state of mind.

She gently flipped open her father's diary again with her fingertips -

Hopefully these things will never come into play. For you, maybe not knowing the truth is the happiest. But the truth is occasionally useful. So I write these things down, while I'm still not lost in death and forgetfulness.

"I'll go to Yuanhui's house first. Sara, I'll leave the hospital to you... Are you really okay going alone?"

"I'm not a child. Are detectives afraid of acting alone?"

"Of course, I've lived for over fifty years, and this is the first time I've experienced something so strange! Right now, I still feel like I'm dreaming."

"It's obviously a terrifying nightmare!"

"Yeah, I wish I could wake up earlier. Then, after you finish investigating the hospital, come back here."

"Okay."

After speaking, the detective left the designated meeting place for the two - the room in the bar hotel.

Sara was still making final preparations. Unlike men, women needed some extra time.

It took them three days to finally reach the city center. For Sara, who didn't have a driver's license, it was quite a hassle to come here alone... Her heart was filled with gratitude towards the detective, a man who was willing to accompany her into the other world.

It was also thanks to the unfunny jokes he told along the way that Sara's grief over her father's death and the impact of the past incidents had slightly subsided.

Now, even though she witnessed the strange atmosphere of this world with her own eyes, it didn't feel as terrifying as before.

But her anger towards Lilith remained undiminished - she would never let that woman go.

To make it in time for this meeting, Sara brought all the weapons and ammunition from her home.

A handgun and military knife were holstered on her belt, she held her father's cherished shotgun in her hand, and she also brought as much spare ammunition as possible. She didn't forget to bring a radio and flashlight either.

"This should be foolproof."

Finally, she began exploring the streets of the city.

Leaving the hotel room, Sara was immediately surrounded by the moist white fog.

There seemed to be something strange in the moisture molecules in the air, making the fog feel sticky. It even made one feel like their lungs would be polluted if they breathed this air, it would be best to stop breathing if possible.

Sara was currently in the south of Toruka Lake, the central area of the city, and the street facing the hotel she had just left.

According to the map, the hospital was not far from the west side of the commercial street, then to the south in the residential area.

Last night, when the two had just arrived in the other world, it wasn't like this. But today, the concentration of fog suddenly increased, and she could only barely see a few yards ahead, perhaps even worse than smog in terms of visibility.

To ensure she wouldn't get lost in this directionless place, Sara moved carefully on the sidewalk while staring ahead with wide eyes.

Due to the thick fog causing traffic paralysis, there were no vehicles on the road at the moment. It didn't matter if she walked in the middle of the road, but that would make the buildings on both sides of the road very blurry, and it would be difficult to notice other intersections... This abnormal scene was truly terrifying.

Apart from vehicles, there wasn't even a trace of human presence.

Since entering this world, such weather conditions had often occurred in the city.

Those people!

Sara thought of what the detective had told her about the residents.Lilith's companions.

Gods who support the act of sacrificing Sara!!!

Those guys are still here, trying to perform a terrifying ritual again.

Using me...

Although Sara might be gradually walking into the trap set by the enemy, she doesn't regret it. There is simply no other way, and even if she chooses to escape, those people probably won't give up easily. She can't relax until she settles the score with them.

Just as she reached the street, Sara heard a commotion.

Amidst the static from the radio, the howls of the werewolves echoed from the depths of the mist. Sara casually aimed her shotgun at the creature, then fired. She felt no fear facing this creature, only annoyance. Sara calmly stepped over the monster's body, which had been shot into a honeycomb pattern.

However, that overconfident feeling would soon be shattered.

An indifferent figure appeared before her eyes. The monster that Sara saw for the first time had a metallic body with two heads and insect-like appendages resembling blade claws for hands. Its appearance was incredibly grotesque and silly. As it walked, the upper body continued to make ridiculous movements.

The shotgun was useless. Before she could shoot, it quickly leaped into the air with agility.

Although it didn't have wings, this creature was able to fly in the air. Its movements were completely different from when it was on the ground, turning from comical to agile and quick. Sara's attempts to aim with her shotgun couldn't keep up, and she could only focus on dodging the opponent's sharp blade claws.

Danger!

The dense fog that pervaded the whole world made Sara shiver, as the flying creature quickly disappeared into the mist. She couldn't determine from which direction it would launch an attack.

She had no choice but to run.

Driven by the fear of death, Sara began to sprint.

Fortunately, the hospital was nearby.

The weak sunlight, obscured by the thick fog, couldn't illuminate the interior of the hospital. The building, faintly smelling of disinfectant, was dim, and one had to rely on the light from a flashlight to see the surroundings. Although there was no sign of doctors, nurses, or patients anywhere, Sara heard the sound of shoes rubbing against the floor, as if someone was planning to come out and greet her.