Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 835: Eve of the Court [2]

It was more or less what I expected.

I spent the next day inside the glass box, doing absolutely nothing.

At first, I sat on the bed.

Then I moved to the chair.

After a little while, I went back to the bed.

The cameras followed everywhere I went. I even went as far as threatening to strip myself, but it seemed like the agents outside had grown used to my madness and just started ignoring me.

“…..”

To make matters worse, I couldn’t even bring out any of my anomalies. Not that I had any plans to.

In other words, I was thoroughly stuck.

“Haha.”

Instead of being depressed, I laughed. This was exactly what I wanted.

Reaching for my phone, I started doom-scrolling.

⎯Here’s a high-quality 50g of protein dish that only takes 5 ingredients.

“Five ingredients?! Madness! Water is an ingredient! That’s six!!!”

Clank!

The video was interrupted by the sudden opening of the door.

Venn stepped inside.

He exchanged a few words with the people at the monitors before approaching the glass, a tablet resting in one hand.

I was becoming quite familiar with him.

More specifically, the way he looked at me before speaking.

As though he was talking to a mentally ill person.

They hired the right person.

“…How are you feeling?”

“Stuck.”

His fingers stopped against the tablet.

“Besides that?”

“Well, nothing much.”

I chuckled softly.

Venn didn’t.

He looked down and entered something before returning his attention to me.

“Have you experienced any changes since we last spoke?”

“No.”

“Dizziness?”

“A little.”

“Worse than before?”

“Not really, no.”

This was the surprising part. I actually felt okay…? It was strange, but at the same time, I felt a certain sense of unease. It felt as though it was the prelude of the storm.

He nodded.

“What about your sleep?”

“Actually, pretty good. I’ve been getting a decent amount of sleep.”

I mean, there was nothing else to do.

“Do you remember anything unusual?”

I looked towards the ceiling for a moment.

Then I shook my head.

“Nothing new.”

Venn continued asking questions.

I answered everything.

For the most part, the questions were rather easy.

There wasn’t much to remember when all I did was move between a bed and a chair.

“Is there anything abnormal that you’ve noticed with your body? Pain in your nodes?”

“No.”

“Just making sure.”

He looked towards the monitors, and one of the staff members brought up another screen. It was just recordings of me doing absolutely nothing.

After a little while, Venn returned his attention to me.

“We’ll come back once we finish reviewing the observations. As things stand, there doesn’t seem to be any abnormality in your behaviour.”

“Mhm.”

“Your condition doesn’t appear to be worsening either.”

I stopped moving my thumb against the phone.

Venn glanced towards the glass.

“The containment measures are preventing VILE-1048 from approaching you directly. That’s most likely why the symptoms haven’t progressed.”

“Most likely?”

“We’re still comparing the information.”

“Right.”

I looked towards the people behind him.

They were both staring at me.

“So… you’re saying that keeping me here is actually helping me?”

“More or less.”

I nodded slowly.

Venn’s attention remained on my face.

“That doesn’t mean you should lower your guard.”

“Of course.”

“VILE-1048 isn’t an ordinary anomaly. Once it sets its sights on someone, it continues pursuing them. It won’t stop until it finally gets you. Nothing has happened yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I want you to remain alert.”

The room grew a little quieter.

Strangely, it felt as though the entire room had grown quiet.

Venn lowered the tablet as his voice lowered.

“I’m saying this because, from our experience, there’s never been a case where VILE – 1048 has ever abandoned its target. It will always. Always get to them.”

“…..”

“I need you to understand that. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Wasn’t planning to.”

“That’s good.”

His voice remained steady as he nodded.

“I can’t tell you a specific date for how long you’ll remain here, but we’ll try our best to get you out as soon as possible. We understand the inconvenience.”

I watched him for a little while before smiling.

“That’s good.”

Venn’s brows relaxed slightly.

“I’m glad that you’re taking this seriously. We want to capture this anomaly as much as you do.”

“Awesome.”

I continued to smile.

The deputy remained in front of the glass for another moment before looking down at the tablet.

“That’s all I have to say. I’ll speak with you again later.”

“Alright.”

He left shortly afterwards.

The door closed, and the people outside returned to their work.

I leaned back against the bed.

The radio sat on the small table beside it. They did take most of my stuff, but they still allowed me to keep the radio.

It was quiet.

For now, at least.

“…I wonder for how long.”

***

News of Seth’s return to the Bureau spread quickly through the Severed Stars Guild. By the following morning, even the recruits knew about it.

Some asked whether he would be coming back.

Others were more interested in the articles appearing online.

But despite the conversations, there was little movement from the people in charge.

The Guild was occupied with something else.

Reports concerning Ivory Thorn continued arriving throughout the day. Outside the Section Chief’s office, two members stood beside a stack of files.

“…Apparently, they cleared the Ranked Gate.”

“The one Ivory Thorn failed to deal with at first?”

“Yes.”

One of them lowered the folder in his hand.

“I heard it was because of what Seth told them during the meeting.”

“About the doll?”

“That’s what people are saying.”

The other man glanced towards the office.

“Those are just rumours. They still suffered casualties.”

“Still, if his information helped—”

The door opened before he could finish.

Secretary Kim stepped outside and looked towards the files.

“Leave those here. The Section Chief is on a call.”

Both men immediately straightened.

They placed the folders where indicated and left, their conversation growing quieter as they moved down the corridor.

Kim gathered the files and returned to the office.

Johansberg stood beside the window, his phone pressed against his ear.

The rain continued falling outside.

“Please don’t worry.”

His voice was low. Considerably lower than the one he usually used during meetings. In a way, it almost sounded submissive.

“We’ll do as we originally planned.”

Kim placed the files on the desk before taking a position a short distance behind him.

Johansberg remained facing the window.

“There was… a troublesome person before. I’m sure you’re aware of him.”

He paused, listening.

“But now that he’s gone, we can proceed.”

“…..”

“No. There shouldn’t be any further interruptions.”

The voice on the other end was too quiet to hear.

Whatever it said made Johansberg straighten slightly.

“Yes. I understand.”

His free hand moved towards his beard as he smoothed it once before continuing.

“The arrangements are being reviewed. I’ll make sure everything is ready.”

Another pause followed.

Kim watched him without speaking.

The Section Chief’s expression gradually changed. At first, it was only a small curl near the corner of his mouth. Then he lowered his head slightly, his fingers tightening around the phone.

“Thank you.”

He lowered his head.

“Yes. Thank you.”

The call ended.

For a few seconds, Johansberg continued looking at the screen.

Then he slowly turned around.

Despite trying his best, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

Secretary Kim’s head lowered as a smile soon marred his lips as well.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Guild Master.”

“Oh, stop it.”

Johansberg waved a hand.

“I’m not the Guild Master yet.”

“But you will be soon.”

Kim’s smile remained.

“Now that he’s no longer here, there’s nothing stopping you.”

“I suppose so.”

Johansberg looked down at the phone again.

He tried to keep his expression composed, but the smile refused to leave. Eventually, he shook his head and made his way back to the desk.

The files were already arranged neatly in front of his chair.

He sat down, placing the phone beside them.

“Did anyone else ask about Thorne?”

“A few people.”

“And?”

“They were told that the Bureau is handling his situation.”

“Good.”

He opened the first folder.

For a moment, his eyes moved over the contents.

Then he leaned back.

“He should’ve listened to me.”

Kim remained standing beside the desk.

“I gave him enough opportunities.”

Johansberg’s fingers moved slowly through his beard.

“Instead, he chose to make a scene every time we spoke. From the start, I knew that things were going to turn out this way.”

His gaze shifted towards the door.

“In the end, he’s only in this position because he refused to listen to me.”

Kim gave a small nod.

Johansberg returned his attention to the files, pulling one of the proposals closer.

“The success got to his head. I’ve always said this.”

His lips curled a little farther.

“He’s nothing without the previous Guild Master’s coddling.”