47. "Confession"

Stepping out of the Coordination Bureau, Dunne pulled out his phone and casually sent a text message to Qin Lan.

Although the Church still did not know that he was the Wing-Clipper from four years ago, they undoubtedly regarded him as a suspect. This was precisely why his past self had sought refuge in the Victor Sanatorium.

Yet, the moment the Coordination Bureau tracked him down, continuing the charade became impossible. Therefore, the best course of action now was to provide a plausible explanation before the Church grew suspicious.

A lie.

Dunne opened his contacts, located the name he had in mind, and pressed it.

Beep, beep...

The call connected immediately.

"Dunne, is something wrong?" Chen Yun asked with a hint of concern.

"Nothing's wrong," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you remember what things were like right before I was hospitalized four years ago?"

"Of course I remember," Chen Yun said. "During that time, you always seemed to be lost in thought. Sometimes, even when I walked right past you, it was as if you couldn't see me at all, and you kept saying the strangest things to me."

Just as she was speaking, a flash of white caught Dunne's peripheral vision.

It was a pair of pristine wings.

"Mmm," he said, his expression unchanged. "And that I wanted to be admitted to the Victor Sanatorium."

The angel had found him.

"Yeah," Chen Yun smiled faintly, a trace of fondness in her voice. "It feels like it was just yesterday. Even now, I still sometimes catch myself forgetting that you've already been discharged."

"What I wanted to say is..." Dunne began, "actually, not everything I told you back then was the truth."

To Dunne's surprise, Chen Yun's voice remained remarkably calm:

"Whatever the truth might be, you don't need to worry about how I'll feel."

It sounded as though she had sensed something was amiss long ago.

"What I'm about to say might sound strange, and you might even think I haven't been cured at all, but please hear me out patiently," Dunne said. "Four years ago, I truly believed I was losing my mind, but until recently, I realized that there was never anything wrong with my mental health."

Chen Yun affirmed gently in a warm tone:

"Mmm."

"My mental state was unstable because I was awakening my superpower at the time," Dunne said calmly. "I possess the ability to erase the memories of others, but back then, I hadn't learned to control it yet, which severely affected my brain."

Chen Yun said firmly:

"I believe you."

Dunne had no idea whether she genuinely believed him or was merely humoring him, but it did not matter, because this conversation was not meant for Chen Yun's ears alone.

He continued:

"A while back, a government agency approached me and offered me a job. Remember when I said I had enough money to rent a place? That was actually the real reason.

"The reason I'm calling you is because East New Province is going to become quite dangerous for ordinary people in the near future. I hope you won't return for a while."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.

Then she asked:

"Are you in danger?"

Dunne answered:

"No. My ability isn't suited for combat, so I don't need to be anywhere near dangerous places.

"If you still doubt whether this is true, I can have another member of the agency call you."

Chen Yun said warmly:

"Dunne, no matter what you tell me, I will believe you. Besides, I am a believer; do you really think the existence of supernatural powers seems unbelievable to me?

"I'll speak with the Bishop, but while I believe the part about your superpower, I can't be sure about you being completely safe. So if you don't want me to come back, you'll have to check in and let me know you're safe on time.

"Can you do that?"

Dunne agreed instantly:

"No problem."

In truth, he was not particularly worried about Chen Yun's safety; she was very likely being followed by a new guardian angel right now. This also meant that if she rushed back to his side, he might once again fall directly into the field of vision of the angels.

Though he had already been spotted anyway.

As Dunne hung up the phone, the angel in the distance simultaneously beat its wings and soared upward.

If he wanted to remain unfettered, he either had to become powerful enough to entirely disregard the Church and the angels, or find a way to clear his suspicions and masquerade as an ability user incapable of fighting angels.

Aside from all that, there was one trivial little matter waiting for him to resolve.

Golden Banyan Province.

Chen Yun put away her phone and stepped into the cathedral.

The local bishop was waiting for her inside.

"Little Yun," the elderly bishop said with a benevolent smile, "you mentioned wanting to talk to me about your work?"

Chen Yun gave a slight nod:

"My younger brother has been discharged from the hospital, so I might have to step away from my duties here at any time..."

He said kindly:

"It's quite alright; I understand your predicament. If you wish to return, just let me know."

She nodded:

"Thank you."

Chen Yun indeed had no way of knowing whether what Dunne said was true or false.

Yet, if it were true, staying here was undoubtedly the best choice. If Dunne was of sound mind, then everything he said was worthy of her trust.

She knew her younger brother.

And if it were false, she had no intention of rushing off to East New Province anyway. Based on the knowledge she had acquired over the past four years, displaying deep distrust toward someone with mental health struggles was a terrible way to handle the situation.

Regardless of what the truth actually was...

Chen Yun was well aware that the bishop before her was not nearly this accommodating to just anyone, nor could any ordinary priest easily secure an annual medical subsidy of over two hundred thousand for her brother.

Many things were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.