Chapter 416: Creeping Dread [4]

’

What the hell is going on?’

I glanced around. The faint light filtering from above, and the towering silhouette of the factory ahead.

Everything...

It was exactly as it had been at the very beginning.

"Some locals call this place the

Dead Forge

. They say it still hums at night... like the machinery’s running underground, even though there’s no power feeding into it. And, uh..." Jamie gave a nervous laugh, "Some of the old staff swear that during the shutdown, the higher-ups were running some kind of ’experimental refining process.’ Something that had nothing to do with steel."

Even the words that Jamie was saying were the exact same as before.

’Did I travel back in time? A loop?’

This wasn’t the first time I’d gone through something like this. So, after the initial wave of confusion passed, I managed to steady myself and regain my composure.

’...Can this be a loop like the Hourglass Gate?’

The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but after looking at Jamie, I started to believe that perhaps it wasn’t.

’He was there and also noticed the strange things. However, given how he’s talking calmly, it doesn’t seem like he remembers any of the things that have happened.’

In that case...?

"...We might just be able to find something absolutely earthshaking! Sit tight and watch the two of us do the exploring for you."

Jamie stopped and then turned to look at me.

"Is everything alright? You seem to be spacing out."

I looked at Jamie before shaking my head.

"No, I’m fine."

I’m not.

"Oh, good. Let’s go."

Taking a brief pause, he signaled the drone to move away a little as he whispered, "Don’t let the comments get to you. They’re usually always like this."

"Yes, I know."

He didn’t need to tell me this.

I was already aware.

"That’s good. Let’s go. The viewers are growing impatient."

"...Alright."

The two of us continued ahead, eventually stopping before the same door as before.

===

MILLWALL STEEL PRODUCTION — FURNACE DISTRICT C

[Authorized Personnel Only]

===

Creeaaaaaak!

The door creaked open just like before, its rusted hinges releasing a deep, grating groan. As it swung inward, the stale, metallic stench of the factory spilled out, and Jamie’s face scrunched up.

"Christ."

He muttered under his breath, his nose scrunching up.

"Smells like something died in here."

Nothing changed from this point.

Pulling out my flashlight, I stepped inside and swept the beam across the walls. As I’d expected, the symbols were there again, etched into the surface just like before, their dark lines twisting faintly under the light.

"Ah?"

Jamie walked closer, looking at the symbols with a frown.

"These look fresh. Graffiti?"

"Maybe."

I kept my expression neutral, my eyes fixed on Jamie. The thoughts from before still lingered in my mind, and the longer I watched him, the heavier the unease grew.

’...I am usually never wrong about my thoughts. Something is off about Jamie.’

Tapping my foot against the ground, my hands twitched.

’Can I trust him? I’m not sure if I can trust him. However, he looks completely the same as before. It doesn’t seem like he remembers anything. Should I keep observing him? Yes, that might be the way.’

"What do you think?"

Jamie turned his attention towards me as he squatted down to look at the ’graffiti’ on the walls.

"Do you think they are graffiti, or—Heuk!"

WHAM!

I kicked Jamie right in the head, forcing his head to smash against the wall as he slid down across the wall a moment later.

"..."

The surroundings turned completely silent.

Even my phone turned silent as I stared at the passed-out Jamie.

’I’m usually never wrong about my feelings. Might as well do this before it’s too late.’

If it turned out I was wrong, I planned on apologizing.

...If that would help.

WHIIIR—!

The drone hovered steadily in the air, its faint whir filling the silence. The camera stayed locked on me, the small red light blinking, as it recorded and captured every second.

Adjusting my glasses, I moved away from Jamie and headed deeper into the factory.

At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.

’I’ve been kicking people a lot lately, haven’t I? I wonder where I got that from.’

Step, Step—

I walked in silence, heading deeper into the factory. I didn’t speak, didn’t glance back. I just kept moving toward the control room. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about the stream anymore. The only reason I’d kept it running was because, in a place like this, having eyes on me felt like the only form of protection I had.

It prevented the ’cult’ from taking any drastic actions.

’Of course, they might have a way to stop the cameras, but I also have ways to prevent that.’

Narrowing my eyes, I stepped into the control room, the air just as heavy as before. Moving straight to the drawers, I pulled one open and retrieved the ID card.

’Clement White?’

Staring at the ID, I placed it in my pocket.

Just before leaving, I took out my phone and checked the comments.

—...Kek! That was funny as shit!

—This guy is batshit crazy!

—Hahaha. Do you all think this is a skit? It has to be a skit!!

—He should’ve done it before lol. He waited too long.

—Yeah, it took so long. I was getting tired of all the talk. He wasn’t bringing much to the stream anyway, and the chemistry wasn’t that good. Nobody liked the weird ’mind-reading’ nonsense. I guess he saw that, too.

—Still feels scripted like everything else we’ve seen so far. I mean, come on... there’s no way such coincidences can occur at the same time.

As expected, the comments were going crazy.

I stared at the cards for a long moment before turning my attention to the drone footage. Replaying the video, I focused on the reflection just as I had before. But this time, it was different. The reflection was normal.

’Strange.’

I put the phone away, turning my attention towards the monitors.

Within the blue-tinted world of the glasses, I could see everything clearly, and as I scanned my surroundings, I didn’t feel any other presence besides the cold.

The only thing that stood out was the symbols, etched across the walls, the floor, even the table, each one seeming to twist toward me, watching from every direction.

’...Let me head out.’

With the card in hand, I moved out of the control room.

Outside the control room, the factory was silent again.

The hum that had followed since the entrance had faded, leaving only the faint hiss of the drone’s rotors.

The corridor ahead stretched into a wall of darkness. Each step landed with a dull, heavy thud, louder than it should’ve been, and the cold pressing in from all sides grew sharper, heavier, almost suffocating.

I pushed the unease aside and kept moving, forcing myself deeper into the shadows.

’If I turn left, I should be able to get to the staff area. There should be an elevator there that I can use to access the lower floors. That’s where I need to go in order to—’

Suddenly, I stopped.

Pausing for a moment, the frown on my face deepened.

"How...?"

How did I know all of this?