"Greetings, Captain Caine!"

The moment the words echoed through the hall, everyone lowered their heads at once.

Blake was caught off guard for only a second before quickly bowing alongside them. Still, his eyes remained fixed on the man standing atop the platform.

There was no way he knew him.

Among the characters in the story, Blake only knew the important ones. The protagonists. The major antagonist. The people constantly mentioned throughout the plot.

This man had never appeared.

Not on television, not in the original story. At least, not that Blake remembered from the forums.

So why did he feel so strangely familiar?

The sensation crawled unpleasantly beneath his skin.

’I’ll have a lot of research to do, it seems...’

Captain Caine stood perfectly straight, hands behind his back, his expression cold enough to silence the entire room without effort.

Then he finally spoke.

"As you have already been informed," he began calmly, "an intruder infiltrated this section of the underground facility approximately one hour ago."

His voice was low and controlled, every word precise.

"The individual successfully reached a restricted zone and extracted confidential information from Subject 00001."

A heavy silence settled over the room instantly.

What shocked everyone was the fact that he managed to do this while guards were outside the door.

Why did nobody scan his badge?

How was it possible for him to get through everyone so smoothly?

"Every entrance and exit connected to this section has remained sealed since the intruder’s disappearance. None have been tampered with. At present, a selected force continues searching the underground systems while all other sections have been placed on alert."

Caine’s gaze slowly swept across the crowd.

"As expected, a large-scale investigation is already underway."

Nobody moved or even dared whisper.

"However," he continued coldly, "because the intruder specifically entered this section, stricter procedures will naturally be enforced here."

Blake quietly listened from beneath the lowered brim of his cap.

"The target is described as tall, physically trained, and equipped with weaponry inconsistent with standard military issue."

Caine paused briefly.

"Additionally, reports indicate notable inaccuracy while handling said firearm."

Blake raised an eyebrow.

’Right...’

Because he wasn’t killing people instantly with headshots, they assumed he wasn’t good with guns.

Not because he was intentionally avoiding lethal hits whenever possible.

Honestly, that misunderstanding worked in his favor.

"Despite wearing military attire identical to our personnel, it is highly probable the intruder does not belong to this facility’s armed divisions."

Blake let out a quiet breath.

Well, that much wasn’t difficult to figure out. Maybe he should’ve tried finding the same gun these soldiers owned.

"The individual was also reported to be wearing a mask."

At those words, Blake instinctively lowered his head further.

"Therefore," Caine said sternly, "regardless of whether one matches the provided physical description, every single person present in this section will undergo interrogation procedures."

A subtle tension spread through the room.

"I assure you, information will be extracted by any means necessary."

The silence deepened.

"Should cooperation prove insufficient, family members and personal contacts will likewise be investigated and monitored accordingly."

Blake looked around quietly.

Surprisingly, nobody seemed truly panicked.

Uneasy, yes.

A little nervous too, but not terrified, as though this was simply normal.

"As for anyone attempting to conceal, assist, or cooperate with the intruder," Captain Caine said calmly, "the consequences will extend far beyond employment termination."

His eyes sharpened slightly.

"Such actions will be interpreted as direct hostility toward AL-TECH itself."

Even the air felt heavier afterward.

Blake frowned faintly beneath the cap.

’What exactly should I do here?’

Part of him wanted to stay longer, this place kept revealing information little by little.

But at the same time, an interrogation was, of course, quite inconvenient, no matter how he looked at it.

The mask alone already made this dangerous enough.

And since he is stuck in this big hall, he already has no possibly of getting out without being noticed.

Maybe he could’ve tried escaping like before, but it would be a waste of time, even then.

He wouldn’t be able to investigate properly. Everything was throughoutly guarded, so he had no chance of moving as freely as before.

Should he have avoided coming here entirely?

’No... there is no point regretting it now.’

Earlier, refusing the soldier’s orders would have attracted attention immediately.

Captain Caine finally concluded his speech.

"Interrogations will begin in approximately one hour."

Then, without another word, he turned and walked off the platform, and the tension in the room loosened slightly afterward.

People slowly raised their heads again.

Quiet murmurs spread almost instantly.

Blake exhaled deeply.

’Alright.’

One hour, that still left him some time.

Maybe he could gather more information before going home.

Blake glanced around briefly before approaching one of the cleaners standing nearby.

The man looked middle-aged, exhausted, and entirely uninterested in being there.

"Uh..." Blake started awkwardly. "Are you new here?"

The cleaner blinked at him before shaking his head.

"No."

Blake nodded vaguely before scratching the back of his neck.

"I’m kinda new myself," he lied casually. "Honestly, I don’t know much about Captain Caine either, who exactly is he?"

The cleaner immediately looked away.

"By contract, you should already know that," he muttered. "Didn’t you read what you signed?"

Blake laughed awkwardly.

"I needed money desperately. I didn’t exactly study the papers."

That answer apparently sounded believable enough, because the cleaner sighed before sitting down against the wall.

Blake quietly sat beside him.

Soon, a few other workers drifted closer too, likely out of boredom more than anything else.

One of them spoke quietly.

"Captain Caine oversees the fifth section. Usually he doesn’t show himself unless he’s checking on patient progress."

"Patient?" Blake repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"That’s what they call them."

He lowered his voice slightly afterward.

"I cleaned near the holding areas once. Those people looked completely insane."

Blake wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

Of course that was the image AL-TECH spread internally.

Dangerous patients and mentally unstable people.

Not victims.

’Then again, that is what I also thought until yesterday, so I can’t blame them.’

Blake looked down quietly.

"What do you guys think about this place?"

Silence fell almost immediately.

Everyone exchanged hesitant glances. Eventually, one person sighed.

"There’s not much to think."

Another nodded slowly.

"This place is obviously shady."

"Yeah," someone else muttered. "And even if they call those people patients, everyone knows there’s probably more going on. But honestly..."

The cleaner shrugged tiredly.

"Who cares? It’s not our business to know."

Blake’s fist clenched slightly against his knee.

Honestly, this reaction made sense. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

People survived by looking away.

A sudden voice interrupted them.

"And what exactly are you discussing?"

Everyone stiffened instantly. A soldier stood nearby now, staring down at them coldly.

The workers immediately lowered their heads.

"N-Nothing..."

The guard scoffed.

"You people should learn to keep your mouths shut."

His gaze sharpened.

"The contract you signed should already be frightening enough."

Nobody answered.

Blake did wonder what exactly was written in those contracts.

But obviously, asking directly would be suspicious.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly.

"What about you soldiers?" he asked carefully. "Do you know much about this place?"

The guard snorted.

"Not really."

Another nearby soldier crossed his arms.

"Some units know more depending on their assignments. But they don’t get told much either."

Blake sighed internally.

’So even the armed personnel barely knows anything. What a waste of time.’

He slowly stood up again.

At this point, staying here was becoming pointless.

Time to go.

"I’m collaborating with the intruder."

Even the nearby workers stared at him in horror.

"Hands up!"

Several soldiers immediately pulled out their guns.

The cleaners backed away in panic.

Blake quietly reached for his own gun too. Of course, he did this intentionally. It wouldn’t become dangerous for himself if he wasn’t in an extremely deathly situation.

’Better to trigger Spoon’s emergency teleportation directly, then.’

One soldier aimed toward Blake’s legs first.

Bang!

Bang!

The bullets slammed against the invisible barrier surrounding him.

The force still hurt.

Blake’s knees buckled slightly from the impact.

Murmurs spread through the room instantly.

"What the hell—?!"

The soldiers fired again, this time closer.

The closer the shot, the stronger the impact transferred through the barrier became.

The defense skill blocked penetration, but it couldn’t completely erase force.

At longer distances, bullets merely stung.

At point-blank range the pressure became brutal.

That was why the earlier shot to his foot hurt so badly.

The proximity amplified everything.

Blake slowly walked closer toward one of the soldiers despite the guns aimed at him.

The man instinctively stepped back.

"What are you—"

Blake grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it directly against his own chest, right over his heart.

The soldier froze instantly.

"Shoot," Blake said quietly.

The man hesitated.

His finger trembled slightly against the trigger.

Because despite everything, watching someone calmly force a gun against their own heart was horrifying.

Blake’s pulse pounded violently.

The barrier was weakening.

He could feel it.

His body hurt everywhere.

If the soldier actually fired at this range, would the buff hold?

Honestly Blake wasn’t fully sure anymore.

But that uncertainty was exactly what Spoon reacted to.

The system warning suddenly flashed across his vision.

[ !Warning! ]

[ Dear Host, as you are currently in great danger, emergency teleportation will commence in 3... ]

The soldier’s eyes widened.

"Fire!" someone shouted.

[ 2... ]

Blake smiled faintly beneath the mask.

Honestly, this was probably the dumbest plan he’d ever made.

[ 1... ]

And then, he vanished, right in front of everyone’s eyes.