Just like every spring in Old Dunling, the cold rain washes over this steel city. Although it is often maintained, in this hazy water vapor, the whole city still looks rusty and rusty.

The light was dizzy and turned into a magnificent neon.

The residents of Old Dunling have long been accustomed to this kind of climate. The dark umbrellas opened one by one and gathered into countless blooming flowers on the streets. These black flowers followed the flow of water and swayed between buildings.

Surges in the gaps.

Joey held a black umbrella and stepped through shallow puddles.

The rainy season has arrived in Old Dunling, and the city will be like this in the next few weeks. The rain keeps falling, and it is extremely gloomy, as if it will never stop. Joey feels that his soul is being soaked.

This mysterious conversation finally ended with Lorenzo leaving. Joey just followed orders and stayed outside the gate. He didn't know what was specifically talked about. He just saw the abominable scene of Lorenzo leaving.

appearance.

Arthur didn't reveal much information, but just asked Joey to observe Lorenzo's mental state after that. He didn't know what happened to them.

Finally, when Joey came to the building again, the door number of 121A Cork Street was hanging on it.

After gathering his emotions, Joey knocked on the door, then pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Is Lorenzo back?"

Joey stood at the door and shouted into the room. After a while, Mrs. Van Rude came out and looked at Joey with a puzzled look on his face.

"Huh? Didn't you take him away this morning?"

Strange people often take Lorenzo away. Of course, Lorenzo looks different every time he comes back. Sometimes he looks like a tired social animal, and sometimes he is radiant, as if he had robbed a bank.

Happy, of course, more often than not, he is covered in blood, but it is usually other people's blood.

"He hasn't come back yet?"

It seemed that after leaving there, Lorenzo did not return to 121A Cork Street, which confused Joey.

Just as Arthur said, everyone has a place to return to, except Lorenzo. Joey thought hard and couldn't imagine where Lorenzo would be at this moment. Only here did he realize that this guy is so unrestrained.

.

"That's it..."

It looked like he had missed the point, but there was no need to worry so much about Lorenzo. Maybe that guy was venting his anger on a group of unlucky people in an alley in the lower city.

"Joy?"

Suddenly another voice sounded.

Sigur walked down the stairs slowly. He only heard the familiar voice upstairs, but he didn't expect it to be Joey.

Joey raised his head and saw Sigg looking at him with some surprise.

Obviously Joey is one of Sigg's few friends, although this way of making friends is a bit strange.

"Are you going out?"

Joey saw Sig dressed neatly and holding an umbrella in his hand.

"There is a mutual aid meeting today, and the doctor wants to discuss mental issues with us."

Sigg was very interested in mutual aid groups. It can be said that he was able to quit hallucinogens, partly thanks to his fellow patients.

"Mental problem?"

Joey couldn't help but care about this word. After the end, Arthur always mentioned this word intentionally or unintentionally. It seemed to be the main content of that secret conversation, not to mention that he came here just to understand Lorenzo's mental state.

.

"After all, that doctor came from Black Mountain Hospital. To be honest, I have always heard some strange stories about Black Mountain Hospital, but I have never seen it with my own eyes."

Sigg said with some confusion.

There will never be a shortage of mysterious urban legends in the city of Old Dunling, such as the rat that knows everything, the butcher bird that eats flesh and blood, the mechanical city built deep underground, etc... Black Mountain Hospital is also one of them.

It is a hospital specializing in mental health, and it is also equipped with a sanatorium covering an extremely large area.

Some people say that there are many lunatics hiding there. They whisper crazy prayers all day long, and those who hear them will be contaminated by them and join in the crazy murmurings.

Some people also say that cruel human experiments are being carried out there, and that Inverg is trying to create terrifying monsters to dominate the world.

Of course, these are just some common rumors. Under the news control of the scavengers, these surprising things have become a small piece of information for citizens.

However, Black Mountain Hospital still has its own peculiarities. For example, it is so huge, but in this crowded old Dunling, you can hardly detect its existence.

Yes, that's it. Everyone knows that there is such a hospital, but when asked about its location, no one knows its location.

"Black Mountain Hospital..."

As he whispered the name, Joey tried his best not to think about his experience in that hospital.

"Do you want to come together? Joey, it seems like you haven't been to the mutual aid group for a long time."

Higger asked tentatively. He really hoped that Joey could go with him. It was always better to have a companion than to go alone.

Just when Joey was hesitant, Sigg continued.

"If you are looking for Lorenzo...he usually comes back at night, and you never know where he will be until he comes back? Waiting is just waiting anyway, isn't it?"

Joey was silent for a while and looked at the gloomy rain curtains outside the window. They were falling, and the hazy mist seemed to be some kind of unknown monster, swallowing up the passers-by one by one.

"All right."

He replied.

…

In fact, Joey's mental state is not very good. Although he is normal on the surface, sometimes he feels that he is somewhat similar to Lorenzo, but to be precise, they are both somewhat negative people.

Lorenzo has a serious self-destructive tendency. Although it is said to be negative, this guy is always full of enthusiasm on the way to death. Joey is a little unclear. He just sometimes feels that everything he does is meaningless.

Can't find the strength.

This may be related to fighting monsters, being an enemy of that kind of evil creature, and having more or less psychological trauma.

It seemed like he was thinking of those bad pasts again, and Joey forced himself not to think about them, as if those past things didn't exist.

"How are you these days?"

While marching under the rain, Sigg suddenly asked.

He was slightly shorter than Joey. Sigg raised the edge of his umbrella and looked at him with a smile.

"It's okay."

Joey said briefly.

Perhaps because he didn't want the topic to become too quiet, he looked at the hazy rain curtain and then said.

"I quite like the rain."

Joey raised his head as he spoke. The gloomy sky was covered by heavy rain, as if the sea and the sky had been replaced. The giant steel whale slowly walked through the rain curtain, emitting melodious whale calls from time to time.

"They say rain makes people depressed," Seager said.

"To be precise, it's not seeing the light of day."

Joey said that humans are like plants and need the care of the sun, but Old Dunling is not a friendly city to humans, and there are few clear skies here.

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely. I remember what the doctors at Black Mountain Hospital said. The rainy day just made everything worse."

The two chatted casually, and soon the White Church gradually revealed its original appearance in the hazy rain and fog. It seemed that the place had indeed been reused, and the accumulated debris and weeds had been cleared away, leaving the historic church behind.

There was a faint singing voice, as if a group of people were holding hands and praising the sacred.

"Sometimes rainy days always remind me of my hometown."

Hig suddenly said.

"I have never gone back since the day I left home. It has been so long that I can no longer remember it clearly. Only on rainy days may the blurry outlines become clearer."

Halfway through, Shige smiled kindly at Joey. Joey didn't understand why he suddenly mentioned this. Maybe this was also a so-called inner conversation.

"It was a small coastal town... I can't remember exactly. The only connection with the outside world was a railway track that passed through the wilderness. At that time, I felt that the town was a prison, and that railway track was the only way to escape.

Because there are always storms along the coast, with heavy rain pouring down at night and thunder and lightning."

"You don't look like someone who would take the initiative to talk about this." Joey asked. Heig was a somewhat introverted guy, and introverted guys don't do this.

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

As he approached Whitechapel, Sigg's expression showed a hint of uncontrollable joy.

"Is it because of the mutual aid association?"

Joey didn't know why, but he suddenly felt wary, and he didn't know why.

"Almost everyone has different flaws, but here everyone encourages each other to overcome those flaws and become a better version of themselves, a more authentic version of themselves."

Sig looked at Joey as he spoke, his voice filled with strange magic.

"Aren't you the same, Joey? You can see that you and I are similarly confused."

Joey was stunned for a long time.
To be continued...