He seemed to hear some kind of sound.
The sound of two people arguing over something, hurling furious insults at each other, sharp and confrontational.
Whose voices were those?
And where was this place?
His consciousness seemed to sink into a state of murky confusion.
At the moment he was pulled into the water.
It was as if he were sinking into an endless deep ocean, plunging into darkness where no light could reach.
Gradually, he seemed to be able to hear all kinds of sounds.
He heard footsteps passing through the cave.
He heard the voices of people in this place talking among themselves.
And mixed in beyond those sounds were others—much more distant, much more obscure.
A cold malice spread among them.
Vaguely, he seemed to sense that he was drawing closer to the source of that malice.
Such an intensely powerful emotion.
That feeling… a hatred so strong it wanted to destroy everything.
No—no!
He couldn't keep sinking like this!
Takumi's eyes flew open as he struggled to lift his head amid the surging currents.
He had already put the Rescue Team Badge back on. Relying on the badge's power and his own willpower, he broke free from the grasp of that bizarre force that had ensnared him.
But at the moment he raised his head, Takumi could not help but freeze.
He was sitting in a sunlit office.
On one side, a glass display cabinet held many certificates. Among them, one certificate regarding Red Nut Grey Cave being designated a national-level tourist attraction had been deliberately framed, and its placement was deliberately set right at the center. On the other side, near the window, there was a tea table and several sofas that looked to be used for business discussions. There was even a liquor cabinet in the room, inside which were displayed all kinds of foreign liquors.
A carpet that was clearly not cheap at a glance was laid across the floor.
A fireplace had also been built into the wall behind him, but there was nothing inside it at the moment, and it did not look like it was in use.
Takumi lowered his head and looked toward the desktop in front of him.
On this office desk lay a sheet of paper.
"Second Quarantine Wall Collapse Incident Report and Letter of Resignation"
A collapse incident report? A letter of resignation?
Takumi's gaze moved to the contents written on the page.
[To Patrick, to you, you idiot whose head is full of nothing but money:]
[Since the sealing of Big Slide, this is already the second collapse of the quarantine wall. Last time, poor Eugene was stuck in the "blood vessel." Fortunately, because he was too fat, he got stuck at the entrance, so in the end he was still rescued. But this time, Evan and Bert—they did not make it back.]
[Of course, you have already smoothed everything over. The security guards you chose were all loners with no families. Even if they died inside, no one would ever know. After all, you are the president of the national-level scenic spot Red Nut Grey Cave tourism development company—someone who even dines together with senators, isn't that right?]
[There isn't much I want to say. I only hope you understand that this will not be the last collapse of this wall. No—you already know it. All of us know it. Ever since that incident, there has never been any peace inside. You and I both know exactly what the situation inside is. It's just that you think the tourists haven't been harmed, and that the ones who died were insignificant people. Everything can still be covered up, everything can be pretended not to exist, and you can continue to sleep soundly while making money—so none of this matters, right? If that's what you think, then all I can say is that you will pay the price for it sooner or later. I hope that when that day comes, you will be able to bear it.]
[The investigation results of the collapsed area are very simple—just like the first time. Something applied force from the inside, a very large force, and directly smashed the wall open. Yes, what I mean is that there is something inside Big Slide that smashed this concrete wall apart—smashed apart this wall that was specially thickened and even reinforced with steel bars.]
[I won't keep doing this anymore.]
[That's right—this is also my letter of resignation. I believe you already understood that when you saw the title.]
[Whoever loves this hellhole can stay. I'm done. I'm not going to keep playing along with your little tricks anymore. That's it—this is the last thing I have to leave you.]
[You think you can smooth all of this over, right? Then go ahead. It has nothing to do with me. I resigned.]
[I just truly can't believe that one day you would sink to this point, but so what? Keep playing with your scenic spot, keep showing off your wealth, and keep making those pitiful people pay for your desires.]
[—Wilbur]
The president of the Red Nut Grey Cave tourism development company… Patrick? And this person resigning—his name was Wilbur?
For the first time, Takumi had obtained character information related to the instance. After being tossed around in this bizarre, twisted place for several hours, he had finally found something useful.
This information… did it come from someone's memory?
At the moment he sank into the water, he seemed to have come into contact with a large amount of the memories left behind by the obsessions of the dead.
Those were the echoes of those who had been buried here.
And this one seemed to come from the memory remnants of someone with an extremely strong obsession. Because the dead person's obsession was too deep, this document had actually left behind complete, clear text.
Patrick—was this man the boss who once operated Red Nut Grey Cave?
He, and the person named Wilbur, both knew very well about the incident of the security guards going missing. In other words, when this Patrick was managing the company, Red Nut Grey Cave was already in a period of gradually giving rise to bizarre Horror Story anomalies. No—not just that. This report mentioned an incident, and it emphasized that all anomalies happened after that incident. In other words, the two people mentioned in this report were very likely people who had come into contact with the Horror Story core, who had come into contact with the source of this instance!
Splash—
This not-very-large office was gradually becoming blurry, little by little.
This echo of obsession that he had captured—he did not know what it was being affected by, but it seemed that it was gradually unable to be maintained.
Could he find intelligence here that was directly related to the core obsession?
Takumi lowered his head and looked toward the cabinet under the office desk.
No matter who this echo of obsession came from, since he could obtain this kind of intelligence, then further still, intelligence that could directly point to the core was also possibly present.
It was just that once he learned the relevant intelligence, perhaps he would suffer a curse like he did back at the Shirakawa Apartments.
But right now, he was already in a crisis because he was being watched by something, and it was very likely that he already had no way to leave this instance alive.
Since that was the case, a little more pressure wasn't a problem either!
Without the slightest hesitation, Takumi pulled open the drawer and looked at the stacks of documents placed inside.
The handwriting on these documents was extremely blurry. It was clear that the owner of the memories had not regarded them as important, to the point that no clear records had been left behind.
Takumi grabbed all of the documents out, but did not find anything useful.
So he pulled open the second cabinet. This one turned out to be empty.
He stood up from the chair and squatted down.
Takumi grasped the handle of the third cabinet at the very bottom.
It wouldn't budge. This cabinet was locked.
So Takumi smashed his fist straight through the cabinet door and forcibly tore the cabinet out.
Sure enough, there was a document placed inside—a document sealed and stored in a document pouch.
It seemed as though someone's voice was calling out beside his ear.
But Takumi no longer had the time to worry about that. He directly ripped open the document pouch and yanked the file out from inside.
He saw the cover of the document, and he saw the line of text written at the very top.
[It has been confirmed that the body cannot be brought out]
[The possibility of further collapse inside the blood vessel may increase, and it is no longer suitable for use as an Explorer recreational area]
[Final decision: seal off Big Slide and cease development of the areas beyond it]
[Erect a monument at the entrance to Big Slide—let this place serve as his grave]
[May he rest in peace, may Ander…]
He was unable to finish reading the remaining content.
Because an intense sensation—like surfacing from deep water—engulfed Takumi's entire body in an instant. In the very next moment, when he opened his eyes, he discovered that he was wearing a yellow-and-white striped uniform. In front of him, Fujiwara Chika, her entire body soaked through and likewise dressed in the same yellow-and-white striped uniform, was coughing up a bit of muddy water with a pained expression on her face.
"You…"
Takumi had already understood what had happened.
After Fujiwara Chika, who had already put on the yellow-and-white striped uniform, discovered that Takumi had not followed her over, she changed back into the rescue uniform she had been holding in her hand and had been teleported away with. She then teleported back again, found Takumi who had sunk into the water, and helped him change clothes underwater.
Was this girl really that bold, with such strong initiative?
Takumi didn't know how he should evaluate Fujiwara Chika. Just as he was about to say something, he felt a faint sensation of pain coming from his body. Pulling open his clothes, Takumi then discovered that his body was actually covered all over with bluish-purple handprints, as if countless people had been grabbing him, trying to drag him toward somewhere unknown.
'When I came into contact with the residual echoes within the obsession, I was also simultaneously touched by the bizarre force formed by that obsession. It was just that because my mind was immersed in an illusory state, I was unable to realize that I was walking toward death, unable to feel the pain and the malice?'
If she hadn't come back to rescue him, then even if he had managed to obtain the intelligence, he would probably already be dead by now.
"Thank you."
In the end, Takumi still offered his thanks very earnestly.
"Ahaha, it felt like taking part in an extreme sports challenge. Oh right, Takumi-kun—our numbers seem to both be c3."
Chika forced out a cheerful smile toward Takumi, then pointed at the number on her clothing as she spoke.
Takumi was just about to say something in response when the sound of a door opening and footsteps rang out nearby. Only then did he realize that he was inside a large white room, something like a shower area. Not far away, a fully armed soldier dressed head to toe in black entered with a gun in hand, the muzzle pointed directly at both him and Chika.
Not human—it was a Horror Story entity.
The instant the other party appeared, Takumi realized its true nature.
[Number c3, please enter the corresponding area to bathe. After bathing is complete, proceed to the personnel lounge.]
The soldier spoke in a dull voice. The tone did not sound particularly threatening, but its finger was already resting on the trigger.
"Quick, move—don't just lie there…"
Enduring the pain in his body, Takumi stood up, then helped the somewhat weakened Fujiwara Chika to her feet. Turning around to look behind him, he discovered that there were a total of three fully enclosed shower stalls here, numbered c1, c2, and c3. Taking into account that both his and Chika's clothing were marked with the c3 number, he supported the girl and led her directly into the c3 stall.
The stall inside was cylindrical in shape, a small area with a metal door for entry and exit. After Takumi helped Chika inside, the metal door automatically closed.
[Please complete bathing within 15 minutes.]
A cold mechanical voice sounded out. Immediately afterward, Takumi saw a small platform automatically extend from the wall, with shampoo, body wash, and towels placed on it.
Wait.
He suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
Both of their clothes were marked with the c3 number, and now they were both trapped inside this small stall.
This development—could it be that…
Takumi opened his mouth, not knowing what kind of expression he should be showing right now.
At the same time, on the other side of the Cave Research Base, Maki and Kaguya, both wearing puzzled expressions, entered a small room and looked at the various surveillance displays inside.
"Clearly all the Explorers have already returned and completed the procedure, so why did the shower area suddenly activate again?"
With that question in mind, Maki walked up to the monitors. As her identity was automatically recognized, the surveillance feed immediately switched screens.
As a result, in the very next moment, both Maki and Kaguya froze in place.
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