Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! - Chapter 282: Prelude of the Gate [1]
Chapter 282: Prelude of the Gate [1]
D – 3
Even more people had gathered around the island.
The atmosphere was heating up. Journalists from all over the world had started to cover the situation at the gate.
Central Times — [The rise of a potential S-Ranked Gate?]
Sun Daily — [The disaster of Malovia Island. Evacuations have already started. Will the residents be able to return, or will this island be abandoned?]
GateNews — [Who to watch out for in the upcoming gate? Which Guilds to watch out for, and the potential Dark Horses]
A new headline appeared every day.
Each headline growing more and more somber in tone.
“This is ridiculous.”
So much so that even the Section Chief found it to be ridiculous.
“The situation isn’t as bad as they make it out to be. It’s not like we haven’t cleared an <A> ranked gate before. This gate is still <A> rank. There’s no guarantee that it will evolve into an <S> rank. Why are they speaking as though it’s almost guaranteed that it will be?”
Based on all the information that they had gathered, it looked unlikely that the gate would immediately jump into an <S> ranked one. As a result, the Guilds coming from outside the island weren’t allowed to interfere.
It was only when the gate reached the <S> rank that they’d be allowed to interfere.
At least, this was what the bureau had decided.
’I’m sure these news outlets are all paid by those Guilds.’
The Guilds were trying to force their hand into the matter. After all, who wouldn’t want an <S> ranked gate under their control? This gate would provide them with a lot of high-quality fragments.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, the Section Chief closed off the page and checked his messages with the bureau. He had reported to them about the anomaly they had spotted in the <B> ranked gate, and he was hoping that they somewhat figured something out.
However, it didn’t look to be the case.
’The same goes for the people I sent, just in case. Nothing from the Guilds on the island as well. Looks like everyone’s focus is on the situation over here.’
This didn’t sit well with him.
The situation was rather urgent. While everyone was busy focusing on the gate, an anomaly was roaming freely in the world. While there wasn’t much detail about the anomaly, nor what its class was, the Section Chief wanted to be on the safe side.
’…I’ll send more men for now. I’ll go visit myself when all of this is over.’
In the meantime, he had to focus on the gate at hand.
“How troublesome.”
Sighing, the Section Chief was just about to toss the phone to the side when he received a sudden call.
Trrr!
“Who—”
The Section Chief’s face changed upon seeing the identity of the one who had called him.
He quickly sat up straight and answered the phone shortly after.
“Guild Master?”
His tone was low, and while it still carried its usual traces of laziness, there were still hints of respect in his tone.
“Yes, yes.”
He quietly nodded his head as he listened.
Then—
“Huh?”
His face changed again.
“Announce the list of participants tomorrow?”
***
D — 2
A crowd had formed in the Containment Department.
Everyone was huddled together at the main entrance. Walking into the place, Kyle paused in confusion.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered here?”
His words were drowned out by the noise.
In the end, Kyle had no choice but to force his way into the crowd before he finally caught a glimpse of what was stirring the crowd.
The moment he did, his expression froze.
“That…”
A long list of names appeared stuck on the wall.
The list was simple. All it had were names. No fanciful title, nothing. It was just a bunch of names.
And yet, the moment everyone read the list, they all understood what it meant.
Kyle’s expression grew grim the moment he saw his name, alongside that of a few people that he was familiar with. However, what truly made his expression darken was a specific name.
Right at the last row.
Seth Thorne.
Before he even had the chance to think about protesting, a hand grasped his shoulder.
Kyle turned his head to see a familiar pair of eyes staring at him. However, looking at those eyes, a certain unsettling feeling settled in his chest.
They seemed different than before.
’Right, he’s been a little weird recently. And just when I thought he got back to normal. It looks like he’s back to that weird version of himself.’
Kyle’s eyes narrowed subtly as he looked at Seth.
Seth stared back, cocking his head in confusion.
“Is something on my face?”
“Mh, no.”
Kyle shook his head before turning his attention elsewhere.
“I’ll go talk to the Section Chief. Hopefully, I can get you off that list.”
“Can you do that for me?”
“Yes. It shouldn’t—”
Kyle stopped as he turned back to look at Seth. He had a surprised look on his face.
“Wait, you don’t want to participate?”
“I don’t.”
Seth shook his head.
“This is too much for me. Why would I want to go?”
“That’s…” Kyle felt stumped. On one hand, he agreed. However, he also found it odd that Seth would want to actively not participate in the gate, especially due to his past behavior, where he chose to directly involve himself in troublesome things like this.
This felt more in line with his old character.
’Oh my god, why am I starting to get surprised with him acting like he’s supposed to?’
Kyle scratched the back of his head as he looked away from Seth.
Seth…
He was really starting to confuse him.
***
D — 1
It was the last day before the start of the gate.
Things were heating up on the island.
Even more reporters started to flood, and helicopters started to roam the skies of the island, focusing directly on Zone 2, where the opera house was located.
It had been a very long time since such a massive event had occurred.
Especially for an <A> ranked anomalous gate. While they were rare and often treated with the utmost care, never before had an <A> ranked gate garnered national headlines.
This was the first time.
People from all over the world were tuning in for the upcoming expedition.
“The gate will be televised and streamed for everyone present. After checking with the scouts, we’ve been able to determine a connection. The broadcast will also be entirely safe. No effect will be transmitted through the stream.”
A young female reporter stood before the large opera house within Zone 2.
Holding onto a microphone, she turned back. The entire place was sealed by yellow lines, and standing within the lines were agents all dressed in black.
The place was guarded with incredible security.
“…Many of you may not feel it, but look.”
The reporter raised her hand and pulled down her sleeve to show her hand. The camera zoomed in, displaying her hair. They were all raised.
The camera moved out.
“I’ve visited and reported many gates in my life, but..”
Turning back, the reporter’s face turned grim.
“This is the very first time I’ve ever felt like this.”
Her voice lowered.
“Dread. Absolute dread.”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
