Chapter 55

Chapter 55

In a small office building rented out in Arkham City.

Edmund, who had been in a deep sleep, opened his eyes and murmured subconsciously, "Lord Lanen..."

Then, the next second, he was blinded by the light in front of him.

"Oh, you're awake, sorry, I'll dim the lights."

A male voice spoke, and as the light on his eyelids noticeably dimmed, Edmund tentatively opened his eyes. His retina still seemed to retain shadows of darkness. He blinked confusedly, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

To Edmund's shock, he was bound on a table inclined at 40 degrees, resembling an operating or experimental table, with a surgical lamp above him. It was this that had been shining. The surroundings resembled a laboratory, deserted except for surveillance cameras and speakers in the corners of the ceiling. The voice came from the speakers.

The material binding his hands and feet was soft but robust. Edmund tried to break free, to no avail.

"Don't be nervous, relax, you're in the Inspection Bureau," the male voice spoke again.

However, Edmund's brows furrowed tighter, "I don't believe I've done anything to warrant such treatment."

"Oh, these are necessary precautions. After all, we couldn't be sure whether you'd wake up mad, attacking everything you see. But it looks like you've overcome the second layer of the test. Just a moment, I'll release you."

As soon as the voice finished speaking, Edmund heard two 'puff' sounds from the table beneath him, releasing his hands and feet.

He sat up halfway, rubbing his wrists and ankles. The laboratory door opened from the outside, and a strange man entered. He had messy black curly hair, pale skin as if he hadn't seen sunlight for a long time, wore glasses, had a baby face, and his eyes squinted into a sly smile.

"Sorry for unsettling you. Let me introduce myself. I am an investigator sent by the Inspection Bureau headquarters, named Clark Chapman, and I also serve as a researcher."

"Sent by the headquarters?" Edmund looked at him curiously, "Is it about the organization of foreigners?"

"Uh... sort of. Unfortunately, I arrived too late, and the situation has already been resolved," Clark rubbed his messy hair, "But that doesn't mean my mission is over. On the contrary, I'm quite interested in what that organization left behind. I guess I'll be staying in this city for a while. Oh, right."

He suddenly leaned in close to Edmund, excitedly grabbing his hand, "I heard from people here that at the final moment, everyone saw a strange door in their dreams. When the door opened, there appeared a bizarre world and a gigantic hand. Is that true?"

Clark's gaze was too intense. Edmund, with his timid personality, instinctively shied away, "What do you mean? Everyone saw it?"

"Yes, didn't you know? Everyone dreamed of that scene. Or were you alone when you saw it? What perspective did you have? How did it feel? Were there any mental changes?"

Edmund's eyes flickered, pretending to recall with effort, "I don’t remember much. I lost consciousness after the attack. I think I have a vague impression of the door you mentioned, but I’m not sure... Could you tell me what you've learned? Maybe it will jog my memory."

This was half-true, half-false. Edmund knew from experience that one indeed loses memory of the time spent in madness after entering the second layer of the Dream Rift. However, he lied about when he regained consciousness; Edmund had been awake since the 'door' appeared and saw the subsequent events.

And unlike others, Edmund was very certain that the figure who ordered the door closed was Lanen.

He naturally didn’t want to reveal any information about Lanen to the Inspection Bureau.

Clark stared into Edmund's eyes, then laughed heartily, "Of course, no problem. Everyone saw it! A dark dreamscape where suddenly a door appeared. A mysterious entity tried to descend upon the human world but was stopped by another being. He declared 'close the door', separating the two worlds again!"

At this point, Clark couldn’t help but shiver with excitement, "Ah, how much I wish I had witnessed that moment, I'm dying to research and investigate what happened, why wasn’t I there at that time!"

Watching Clark's excited demeanor, Edmund pretended to remember something, "... Now that you mention it, I recall a bit. But my consciousness was very blurry at the time. I just glimpsed it before passing out. I didn’t notice if there was anyone else around."

"That's too bad."

Realizing Edmund didn't know much about the 'door' incident, Clark lost interest in him, his earlier enthusiasm fading. He slumped into a chair, opened a file, and said, "Well, let’s talk about why you suddenly entered the second layer, and what happened then. The headquarters is very interested in this matter, all involved personnel must write reports and undergo investigation."

Edmund asked, "Before that, can I ask how my team members are doing?"

"Everyone from your squad is safe and currently undergoing separate investigations. I hope you understand, it’s standard procedure to check the mental state of investigators after a mission. But don’t worry, they woke up before you did, you'll see them soon. Any other questions?"

Although he asked if there were any more questions, Clark's impatient expression seemed to suggest he wanted Edmund to hurry up and proceed without any further queries.

Edmund: "No, nothing else."

"Okay, then tell me about what happened at that time."

Edmund recounted everything without any concealment, explaining how they were assigned the mission and then attacked. Since these events were experienced with his team leader and others, it wouldn't make a difference if he didn’t speak up, others would.

As for the latter part, where the team leader and others were severely injured and unconscious, Edmund vaguely mentioned that he faced an enemy and became desperate, with no way out, and somehow ended up going mad.

As an investigator, Edmund knew that it was usually impossible to enter the Dream Rift during the day. He wasn't sure why it was possible at that time but felt it was somehow related to Lanen, which he naturally couldn't mention. He could only vaguely claim not to be clear about it.

Clark, previously stoic, became excited again, "Are you saying you indeed entered the Dream Rift during the day?"

"Yes... but I don’t know why..."

Clark didn't doubt Edmund’s words. Instead, he began muttering theories Edmund couldn’t understand, about the subconscious, dreams, and interfering with reality.

At this moment, there was an impatient knocking outside, "Chapman, have you finished questioning? Why is it taking so long?"

Hearing the voice outside, Clark's face instantly lost its enthusiasm. He stood up and went to open the door, "Almost done."

"Then step aside, we have questions for this kid too."

The person at the door didn't wait for Clark to make way and barged in, casually addressing Edmund, "Yo, it's you, huh? The genius who broke through two layers in less than a year. You've become a hot topic at our headquarters. Everyone is wondering when you'll return to become a formal investigator. Every team is eager to recruit you."

The newcomer had short blonde hair and rugged features. He was followed by several people, two women and one man. The woman with a high ponytail and glasses pushed up her frames irritably, "Captain, he’s still in quarantine; you shouldn’t be discussing this with him yet."

"Ah ha, what’s the big deal? Researcher Chapman is here too." The blonde man looked at Clark, "If this guy posed any danger, with his timid nature, he would never have come in here."

"I’m just being cautious," Clark adjusted his glasses, "Unlike you ‘expendables’, I am a precious intellectual asset."

"You!" A vein popped on the forehead of the young man behind the blonde, ready to argue, but he was held back by the blonde, "Let it go, you don’t know who he is. One punch from him and you might be begging him not to die."

Although defending Chapman, the blonde man’s tone carried unmistakable disdain and provocation.

"Exactly," Clark Chapman, unfazed and disdainful, "So, keep your muscle-bound gorillas away from me."

The blonde man took a deep breath, choosing to ignore the researcher, and approached Edmund with a casual arm around his neck, "Genius kid, how about joining my team? We have a spot for a scout, and I hear you have great intuition."

Edmund opened his mouth, instinctively glancing at Clark. Finding that he had averted his gaze, Edmund said awkwardly, "Well... I already have a team."

"Oh, you mean your original squad? Don't worry about that. Your squad will probably be disbanded. Gefel, your team leader, I believe, is likely to lose his right arm and will be reassigned to logistics, retiring from frontline investigation."

The blond man added, "There's also another guy in your team who didn't pass the psychological analysis and will probably leave the frontlines too. The squad will be disbanded, and its members will be reassigned."

Edmund was momentarily stunned, not expecting to hear such news, and lowered his head.

He didn't have strong feelings for the other members, but the team leader had taken good care of him. He hadn't expected that he wouldn't make it.

Humans are indeed too insignificant in the face of these extraordinary disasters.

The blond man patted Edmund on the shoulder, "Don't be sad. It's fortunate enough that nobody died. You're lucky that no one in your team perished. And don't blame yourself. Everyone in this line of work is prepared for death at any time. You must have written a will before accepting this mission, right? We are asked to write one every time because life can be so easily lost."

"If this makes you hate the organization behind this conspiracy, the foreigners, I won't tell you to give up your hatred. On the contrary, I would encourage you to join my team. My squad will officially take over Gefel's team's mission and continue investigating in Arkham."

Edmund looked up in surprise, "Isn’t it... over already?"

After speaking, he thought he might have said too much and quickly added, "Everyone saw the scene of someone rushing through the door and then being crushed. I thought that was the leader of the foreigners."

"Oh, I know, the other members of your original team mentioned it too. But who told you it's over? On the contrary," the blond man shrugged, "the supposed door linking to the dream world, and the being that appeared at the end, I believe Arkham is going to get quite lively soon. Not just us at the Inspection Bureau, but other powers won't miss this feast."

"I bet they'll soon swarm into this city like hyenas, investigating the true identity of that 'Gatekeeper'," the blond man said, "Of course, we're no different. The headquarters has upgraded the task of investigating the 'Gatekeeper' to 'unknown'. You get what I mean?"

Edmund's gaze sharpened slightly.

Unknown mission.

In the classification of missions at the Inspection Bureau, they range from D to S level, divided into five grades based on the degree of danger. Simply put, a D-level mission might involve dealing with D-level anomalies or even just armed individuals or gangs. C-level corresponds to the risk of encountering C-level anomalies, and so on.

But 'unknown' is special and hasn't appeared for several years. It's said that only the mysterious director of the Inspection Bureau has the authority to assign such a level.

Such missions are only available to veteran or even ace investigator teams. Once accepted, they must be prepared never to return.

Does that mean this group is the elite of the elites from the Inspection Bureau headquarters?

Edmund subtly raised his eyes to observe the two men and two women in front of him. Beneath his timid gaze seemed to lurk a cold, crazed persona, like a hunter in the dark sizing up his prey.

The only common trait among these people was their youth. The blond man had a natural leadership quality and was clearly well-built, showing signs of rigorous training.

Next, the woman with glasses behind the blond man. When Edmund glanced her way, she swiftly caught his gaze. Edmund pretended to look away in panic, then shifted his gaze to a nervous young man with a bob haircut, who kept glancing at his phone screen, seemingly suffering from severe digital dependency. The other girl, looking lively and cute, was sneaking snacks into her mouth while the blond man was distracted.

Hm, there was no aura of elite about them.

Noticing Edmund's doubtful look, the blond man scratched his head, "Don't be fooled by appearances; we've completed quite a few A-level missions in recent years."

Edmund was surprised, "A-level... So, you all have been able to enter above the fourth layer of the Dream Rift?"

"Ahem! Of course not!" The blond man was startled and chuckled bitterly, "Edmund, the Dream Rift isn't as simple as you think. Not everyone can break through quickly like you. Let me be frank, in our team, only one person has reached the third layer."

"Captain," the woman with glasses frowned.

"It's okay, Diana, we're all on the same side," the blond man waved his hand, turning to Edmund, "You seem not very familiar with the workings of the Inspection Bureau, hmm, no wonder, you were still an intern. I guess you'll know more once you return to the headquarters for training. First, let me explain, it's not that only investigators who have reached higher levels of the Dream Rift can undertake high-level missions."

"In high-level tasks, like A or B grade, it's not guaranteed that corresponding high-risk anomalies will appear. At most, they'll only appear in the 'worst case' scenario. Understand? That means, as long as we can prevent the worst situation from happening, we don’t have to face these dangerous anomalies."

"Investigator ratings are based on task acceptance and completion. In other words, even an ordinary person who takes on 10 A-level investigation tasks and completes them successfully can become an ace of the Inspectorate."

"After all, we are investigators, not warriors. We have the responsibility to prevent the worst situation from happening, not to sit back and then save the day after it occurs."

At this moment, the neurotic man suddenly said, "Like your team's mission this time. If you had discovered the foreigners' conspiracy earlier, it wouldn't have escalated to this."

The woman with glasses frowned: "It's already happened, no need to dwell on it."

The neurotic man didn’t say anything further and looked down at his phone.

"Alright, so, are you willing to join our team?" the blond man struggled to bring the topic back. He had specifically come to see Edmund because he saw potential in him.

Edmund pretended to ponder and asked a question: "Why exactly does the Inspectorate's headquarters want to investigate the 'Gatekeeper'?"

"From the information gathered from witnesses, didn't the 'Gatekeeper' close that door, preventing unknown monsters from descending upon the human world? He should have no hostility towards humans, so why is there a need to find him?"

The neurotic man, namely Iddy, scoffed: "Rookie."

"Shut up, Iddy. You started as a newbie too, and besides, he hasn’t undergone formal investigator training," the woman with glasses scolded Iddy, then turned to Edmund and said:

"I understand your confusion. According to our preliminary investigation, residents who woke up from the dream have, more or less, residual fondness for the 'Gatekeeper,' with some even becoming his followers. This is a dependency that arises from placing hope on an entity in desperate times. As investigators, it's best to quickly rid yourself of such mental states."

"As for why we need to investigate the 'Gatekeeper,' it’s simple. No one can guarantee the motive behind his action of closing the door. To most ordinary people, the Gatekeeper's act might seem like a savior move, but according to our research on non-human entities, they mostly don't care about humans. The best attitude they have is to ignore our existence and not intervene in human affairs."

The blond man nodded: "Simply put, the act of closing the door does not equate to a friendly attitude towards humans. It might just be annoyance at other beings entering their territory or something else. We shouldn't hold preconceived notions when speculating about these entities."

Edmund blushed and lowered his head: "I'm sorry, I'll correct my thinking."

"It's okay, everyone starts as a newbie," the blond man patted Edmund's shoulder, "What Diana mentioned earlier is just one reason. There's another more important factor. Before that, I want to ask, how much do you know about the dream world?"

"Well, my previous team leader briefed me. The dream world is the 'realm of the gods', and anomalies are its inhabitants, hosting various kinds of monstrous creatures."

"Hmm, close enough. Then you should know that it's the barrier of the dream world that prevents evil gods and powerful anomalies from easily appearing in reality," Jobe said. "Have you ever considered that the 'Gatekeeper' who can close the door can naturally open it too?"

Edmund lifted his head in astonishment, his eyes filled with shock.

"This is why the Inspection Bureau has classified this mission as 'unknown'," the blond man said with a bitter smile, "Not just us, but all other forces, including secret societies and religious organizations, are bound to flood into Arkham in search of Him."

"Because the 'Gatekeeper' is the only known being capable of opening or closing that door."

The waters of Arkham are deeper than anyone could have imagined.

The foreigners' plan, which had been in the works for a century, started when the door was opened. Probably every entity knew that Arkham was doomed, but who could have expected an unexpected intervention.

Most importantly, the powers revealed by that entity... capable of opening the door to the dream world, those coveting the surface world, the evil gods, and their forces, will surely not let Him go.

They will stop at nothing to find Him, control Him, sacrifice Him, until they open the door to the dream world and welcome the arrival of their gods.

Edmund bowed his head in silence. Seeing this, the neurotic man, Edi, couldn’t resist a snide remark, "Don't tell me you're already scared."

"Edi," Jobe frowned, "Edmund, don't mind his bad temper."

"It's fine, I'm not bothered," Edmund raised his head, speaking softly, "I was just thinking, we need to deal with those forces entering Arkham City quickly."

When talking about dealing with them, there was not a trace of timidity in Edmund's eyes. It was as natural as discussing what he had for lunch, leaving the blond man stunned.

The lively girl, Eunice, whistled, "Yo, little bro, I'm starting to like you. You're pretty crazy, huh? I was worried you might not be able to keep up with our pace."

"I'd like to commend you, but we can't just rush in during investigations. After all, we are investigators, not warriors. Avoid fighting if possible. But your determination is good," the blond man said approvingly, patting Edmund on the shoulder, "Headquarters is also very interested in this mission. I believe we will definitely uncover the true identity of that 'Gatekeeper'."

Edmund showed a shy smile, "I hope I can be of help."