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Chapter 414: Creeping Dread [2]

“Huh? Mirelle…? Is that the name of the person who was working here? Check this out.”

Jamie flashed the camera over the metal plate.

“Project D-15? What’s this supposed to mean? Do you all think it’s some name for the thing that they were building? Hehe, or maybe it could be one of the experiments?”

Jamie threw out the words as a joke, but I didn’t laugh at all. Staring at the metal plate, a quiet creeping dread began to settle inside my chest.

There was no doubt about it.

This was the Mirelle that I knew.

’…She was an experiment. Yes, I should already have been aware.’

This was information I was already aware of.

’But it says Project D-15? What does that imply? Does it imply that there are 15 more of them? No, it could also be more.’

I knew that Mirelle was of great importance to the cult.

From the old lady responsible for the Twisted Man to the subsequent cult quest missions, I knew that Mirelle had some major importance to this cult. I just didn’t know why, but now… I was a little bit more certain.

’This project… It’s turning humans into anomalies.’

I took a deep breath.

Based on all the evidence and information that I had learned, this felt like the most obvious conclusion.

This cult…

It was turning people into anomalies.

However, at the same time, this cult was also responsible for providing tools that could help people heal their fragments.

Thinking about it, a creeping thought entered my mind.

’Doesn’t this sound an awful lot like my circumstances?’

I had a Cognitive Shard, and I was slowly turning. The system provided me with medicine to heal my Shard, or at least contain it.

In that regard…

“H-hoo.”

My chest trembled.

Despite my best efforts to remain calm, the creeping sense of unease only grew.

’There’s no confirmation yet. I might be jumping to conclusions.’

“Has everyone looked online to see if they could find anything? Nothing? Well, I guess that makes sense. Let’s see if we can find any more clues.”

Jamie’s voice broke me out of my thoughts, and when I turned towards him, I saw him head towards the nearby drawer and pull it open.

“Clement white? Senior Inspector?”

His hand reached inside before eventually taking out an ’ID’ pass and looking at it.

For a moment, I was confused.

He knew the name before he pulled the card out?

“Hm? No?”

Jamie looked at me.

“I just looked at the card and saw the name. I didn’t know the name beforehand.”

“…..”

My eyes narrowed.

I could ignore it the first time. Maybe the second time, but the third time?

“How did you know what I was about to say?”

“What?”

Jamie looked at me weirdly.

“Are you okay?”

Judging from his expression, he really looked lost.

“I just answered your question. Was it not you who was speaking?”

I frowned, but didn’t answer.

Instead, I took out my phone and checked the comments.

Surely…

—Lol, the two are already losing it.

—He forgot he asked the question? He’s really losing it.

—What’s wrong with him?

Huh…?

I looked at my phone again.

Seeing the comments, I was at a loss.

They said that I had asked the question, but…

’I didn’t.’

I was almost certain of it.

“See?”

Jamie moved next to me, staring at my phone as he pointed at it.

“You did ask the question.”

“…Oh.”

I licked my lips, feeling that they had become drier than usual.

“Anyways, check this out.”

Jamie handed the ’ID’ card over to me.

“This is the ID of the Chief Inspector. Do you think we can go to different areas with this? I’m sure that with this, you won’t have to smack each door apart.”

“…Yeah.”

I looked at the ID card.

===

[ID]

Name: Clement White

Sex: M

===

The edges of the laminated card were slightly warped and bubbled, as if it had been left near extreme heat. A faint oily residue stained the photo side, obscuring the face, but in the flicker of the drone’s light, the image seemed to shift, just slightly.

“Alright, everyone. We’ve got ourselves a keycard. We might finally get into the sealed section. Maybe we’ll find the famous Furnace Core everyone’s been talking about, right?”

Jamie kept joking with the chat, his voice light and casual, but the unease twisting in my chest wouldn’t fade. If anything, it only grew stronger with each passing second. The longer I looked around, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that something, or someone, was watching us from the shadows.

But even with the glasses, there didn’t seem to be anything.

The only thing that stood out to me was the strange symbols on the wall.

’I’ve never seen symbols like these before. It’s strange, though… I know they’re connected to the cult and the number ’71’, but no matter how much I look, there’s nothing about them anywhere. And what’s worse… I have no memory of ever encountering them before now.’

Clank! Clank!

In the background, Jamie looked through all of the drawers in search of any other clue.

I stopped him.

“Stop, I’ve searched all of the drawers. There’s nothing.”

“Ah?”

Jamie stopped, looking at me weirdly.

“You did? When?”

“Just before?”

“What? Really…?”

“Yes.”

I could still recall myself opening. Besides a few pieces of paper, there was nothing else in the drawers.

Seeing how Jamie didn’t believe me, I pointed at the first and second drawers.

“Papers and a stapler.”

Jamie did as I said, pulling open the first two drawers. Inside was exactly what I expected. Stacks of old papers, yellowed at the edges, and a dusty stapler resting on top. He scratched his head, letting out a small laugh.

“Hmm. I guess you did.”

“…Yeah.”

I glanced at the comments as I walked over to the drawers, then pulled them open again myself. Paper and a stapler.

I looked at the chat.

But the moment I looked, my expression couldn’t help but change slightly.

What?

—Is this supposed to be a skit or some shit?

—Lmao? Do they think that we’re fucking stupid?

—This shit is the most obviously rigged stream that I’ve seen in a very long time.

—Lol, wtf?

—Naaaah. Clip this shit! Someone needs to call out these two clowns lmaoooo!!

Staring at the comments and then Jamie, we both frowned.

What were these guys talking about? Rigged? What about this was rigged?

Jamie seemed to have an idea as he pointed towards the graffiti.

“Are you all talking about this? Well, I know they look fresh, but neither of us has been to this place before. What? You’re saying that Seth didn’t check the drawers? That you’ve got clips of it?”

Jamie paused, turning his attention towards me.

My frown deepened.

“I’m pretty sure that I did.”

“But the chat says you didn’t. They have a recording of everything.”

“Let me see.”

Walking closer to Jamie, I stared at his phone. He was replaying the video of the two of us entering the control room at the same time. The video looked normal, with the exception of my sunglasses, as we casually looked around the place and I checked a few drawers.

But—

“See? You’ve never checked the first two drawers.”

Jamie suddenly pointed out.

I opened my lips, but found myself unable to refute.

It was true…

But I was certain that I had opened it. How did…

“Huh?”

Jamie suddenly froze, his brows knitting together as he stopped at a specific frame in the footage. His expression shifted, growing tense as he slowly zoomed in. The video came to a halt on the faint reflection in the glass panel of one of the monitors. Under the drone’s pale light, we could see our faces staring back, only, something about the reflection wasn’t quite right.

It was…

Looking at them.

Right at the drone.

“…..!”

“…..!?”

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