Read Novel Full Chapter 837: Eve of the Court [4]
Chapter 837: Eve of the Court [4]
The Gate stood on the road just outside Sines.
It was large enough to block most of the view beyond it. Rain ran down its dark outline, gathering on the road beneath before flowing towards the drains.
Several vehicles were already stopped nearby.
More arrived shortly afterwards.
Chief Investigator Hale stepped out of a black SUV, pulling his coat closer as an agent approached with a tablet.
“Current classification?”
“Still B.”
Hale looked at the screen.
Then towards the Gate.
The opening was covered by a dark surface. He couldn’t see anything beyond it, even with the portable lights pointing directly towards the entrance.
“The readings are still increasing,” the agent added. “But they haven’t crossed the threshold yet.”
“Has anyone entered?”
“No. We haven’t been able to get anything through.”
Hale’s brows drew together.
“…..”
Hale looked towards the equipment beside the entrance.
A small wheeled camera sat on the ground, its cable trailing back towards one of the vehicles. The operator moved it forward as it gradually reached the Gate.
Its wheels continued turning as it tried to enter the Gate, only to stop right near it, almost as if an invisible force was preventing it from entering.
“Bring it back.”
Hale handed the tablet over.
The operator stopped the wheels and reversed the camera.
There was no reaction from the Gate.
“A [B] Ranked Gate…”
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t require this many people to gather so quickly. But something about the Gate felt off to him. He wasn’t the only one to feel this way.
Hale looked towards the buildings behind them.
“Keep the road closed. Move the barriers back another fifty metres.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And make sure nobody approaches from the other side.”
The agent nodded and hurried away.
Hale remained where he was, studying the dark opening as the rain continued to drip down.
For some reason, it felt as though the rain had started to fall harder.
The sound of the numerous engines made him turn.
Another row of black SUVs approached the barriers. An agent stepped forward to stop them, only to move aside after the first driver showed him something through the window.
Hale’s expression changed.
The doors opened, and several people stepped out beneath umbrellas. Their suits remained dry as they looked towards the Gate, occasionally speaking to the people beside them.
He recognised a few of the insignias immediately.
Helios Vanguard.
Arithmus.
There were others too.
‘Greedy bastards.’
The road wasn’t even fully cleared yet.
But they were already here.
Hale turned towards the operator beside the equipment.
“Keep watching the readings. Tell me the moment anything changes.”
Then he approached the new arrivals.
A man wearing a dark coat stepped forward, a polite smile forming on his face.
“Chief Investigator. We came as soon as we heard.”
“I can see that.”
Hale forced a small smile as the representative from Helios Vanguard glanced at the massive Gate.
“Is there anything we can assist with?”
“For now, remain behind the barriers.”
“That’s only natural, but has a Guild been assigned to the Gate yet?”
The smile on Hale’s face became a little harder to maintain.
“No.”
“Then we’d like to make our availability known. We can have a team ready immediately.”
“So can we.”
Another representative approached before Hale could answer.
“There’s no reason to make a decision before everyone has been informed.”
Hale looked between them. He was struggling to keep his composure. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to scenes like these. The top Guilds liked to throw their weight around, trying to claim Gates like these all the time.
“Nothing is being assigned until we finish the initial assessment.”
“Certainly. We only wanted to—”
“Sir!”
The voice came from behind him.
Hale turned immediately.
The operator was standing now, one hand holding the tablet while the other pointed towards the Gate.
Instantly, all heads turned. A narrow opening appeared in the middle of the dark surface of the Gate as it slowly widened.
The conversations behind Hale stopped.
“Everyone stay back.”
Hale moved towards the equipment, his eyes remaining fixed ahead as the darkness slowly withdrew from the entrance.
A floor appeared.
Then the ends of several wooden benches.
Hale’s steps slowed.
“…..”
Beyond the Gate was a large room.
The same room from the first recording.
Rows of benches stood on either side of a central passage, all facing a raised desk at the far end. A wooden railing enclosed a smaller area near the front.
That’s…
Hale pursed his lips.
The room was dark, with the light from outside reaching only the nearest benches. Farther in, the outline of the podium was clear for him and everyone to see. An invisible pressure bore down on the surroundings.
Rain fell across the opening.
“Readings?”
“Still [B].”
“Any sudden increase?”
“No.”
Hale stared at the entrance for another moment before turning towards the road.
A transport vehicle stopped behind the SUVs.
Unlike the people arriving earlier, those inside didn’t step out on their own.
Two guards opened the rear doors.
“Move.”
Four people in orange uniforms came down one after another. Their wrists were restrained, and each stopped briefly upon catching sight of the Gate.
The first scouting group. All comprised entirely of Death-Row inmates.
One of the men looked towards the guards.
“You’re sending us in there?”
“Keep moving.”
Hale watched them approach the Gate.
The restraints were removed near the equipment, and cameras were secured to the front of their clothes. One of the agents checked the radio on each person before directing them towards the opening.
The first scout stopped.
He looked into the Gate
Then back towards the people gathered behind the barriers. An uneasy feeling spread across his stomach.
“Go.”
One of the guards placed his hand against his shoulder.
The scout stumbled forward, entering the Gate.
“…..”
Hale’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the scout inside the Gate. His shoes rested on the courtroom floor, water dripping down his wet clothes.
The other three entered shortly afterwards, their orange uniforms standing out against the dark benches.
“Sir…”
“I see it.”
Hale moved a little closer, stopping before the line marked on the road.
The first inmate turned around.
He was looking straight at them.
⎯What do we do now?
His voice came through his earpiece.
Hale glanced towards the monitor.
The camera showed the same room he could already see from outside.
Hale returned his attention to the Gate as he pressed his hand against his earpiece, trying to drown out the noise of the rain outside as it thundered in the background.
“Proceed down the central passage. Don’t touch anything.”
The scout hesitated before turning around.
The others followed.
Their lights moved across the benches, revealing empty seats and the plain wall beyond them.
One stopped beside the railing.
Another looked beneath a bench.
There was nothing.
⎯I don’t see anyone.
“Check the front.”
They continued.
Everyone outside watched.
Even the Guild representatives were quiet now. It was as if the very air had been stripped from the world.
The first scout approached the raised desk, lifting his light high enough to see over it.
⎯There’s nobody here.
“What about behind it?”
He moved to the side.
Hale could follow every step. The scout disappeared briefly behind the desk before returning from the other side.
⎯Nothing.
Hale’s brows furrowed.
Nothing…?
This didn’t bring him any relief. If anything, it made him feel even more uneasy.
“Stay where you are.”
He turned towards the operator.
“Has anything—”
Trrring!
A phone rang behind him.
Then another.
Trrring! Trrring!
All of a sudden, numerous phones began to ring across the monitoring room.
Hale stopped.
Across the site, people reached into their pockets almost at the same time. The agents beside the equipment looked down, followed by the Guild representatives beneath their umbrellas.
One of the operators suddenly stood.
“Sir.”
Hale’s own phone vibrated.
He took it out.
An alert covered the screen.
[Gate located in — Northern Residential District, Sines]
“…..”
His thumb stopped.
Another notification appeared before he could open the first.
[Gate located in — Western Commercial District, Sines]
Hale slowly straightened.
[Gate located in — Southern Station Area, Sines]
The operator beside him said something.
He could barely hear it; the rain thundering so loud it made it difficult for him to focus.
[Gate located in — Central District, Sines]
Trrring!
Another one.
The people behind him started speaking at once. Someone was calling the monitoring centre, while another shouted for the drivers to remain with the vehicles.
Hale looked up.
The four inmates were still standing inside the courtroom.
Waiting for instructions.
Rain ran from his hair and down the side of his face, but he didn’t lift a hand to wipe it away.
His phone vibrated again.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
“Just what sort of…?”