Day three at Grovement University began darker than usual for Narey. A thin mist shrouded the central campus park, and the usual birdsong was eerily absent. In the Experimental Biology classroom, an unusual silence hung in the air. One student was missing—Julius, Arka's classmate, who had sat beside him the day before, visibly anxious near the end of class. Not wanting to lose the thread, Narey waited until the class dispersed and approached Arka again. She pretended to ask about the lecture material, but Arka was more eager to share something strange.
"Julius didn't show up. But he once told me… he felt like he was being watched," Arka whispered, lowering his voice. "He also mentioned an old lab in the west wing. Said he saw lights on there late at night… even though it should've been empty."
Narey feigned surprise, but her instincts as a detective flared instantly.
Note 3: Julius missing. Old lab in west wing. Investigate nighttime activity.
That night, Narey slipped out of the dorm, carrying a small flashlight and a hidden camera tucked in her necklace. She headed toward the west wing—an old building, mostly abandoned for academic use.
The hallways were quiet. Dust clung to the windows, and the lingering scent of old chemicals hung in the air. Narey moved slowly, following a faint glow beneath one of the heavy steel doors. Behind it, she heard… hissing.
Peering through a small crack under the door, she saw a shadow bent over a laboratory table. A man in a long coat. Head bowed. No sound but the hiss of equipment and the pulse of electronics. Suddenly, the lights cut out. Darkness swallowed everything. Narey held her breath. Seconds later, the corridor lights flickered back on. The steel door creaked open... but the room was empty. Whoever had been there had vanished.
Narey returned to her room, her heart pounding. She couldn't sleep that night. The silhouette in the lab, the whispers of "Professor Vellan," and Julius's disappearance convinced her—this was no ordinary campus experiment.
The next day, Narey visited the central library, requesting access to archives under the guise of an independent research project. After hours of digging, she found an old internal journal article about a controversial experiment called Project Cerebrum Shift, led by senior scientist Prof. Dr. Arlo Vellan.
The project claimed to enhance human cognitive ability through targeted neural stimulation. But all publications abruptly ceased two years ago—the same year Professor Vellan disappeared from teaching.
Note 4: Cerebrum Shift. Prof. Vellan involved in neurological experimentation. Possible link to missing students.
The pieces were starting to connect. But Narey also knew: the closer she got to the truth, the greater the danger.
In a dark corner of campus, someone was already watching her every move.
That night, beneath the gray, misty sky of Grovement University, light rain tapped against the old roofs—roofs that had seen decades of secrets. Narey stood before the central administration building, staring at its tall wooden doors. This wasn't just an office building. It held classified archives few were allowed to access.
She knew exactly what she needed: the original documentation of Cerebrum Shift. The only way to uncover the truth was to find the experiment records, activity logs, and names of all those involved.
Her infiltration was carefully planned. Using an internal campus map secretly transmitted via a coded device from BIN (National Intelligence Agency), she located a rear entrance rarely monitored by CCTV. She used a stolen security pass, acquired after distracting a guard by "accidentally" spilling a stack of files in a corridor.
Inside, the building was dark and silent. She moved quickly, climbing to the second floor where research archives were stored. The archive room was secured with a digital lock—but she had an electronic code-breaker from BIN.
Click. The door opened.
Rows of drawers stood in perfect order, bathed in the narrow beam of her flashlight. She searched by code: CS-017—the Cerebrum Shift file. After a few minutes, she found it.
Inside the folder labeled "CS-017," Narey discovered:
A full research proposal listing the names of the research team.Diagrams of the human brain with electrode placements.Annual reports noting: "Side effects unpredictable. Subjects exhibited short-term memory loss, delusions, and extreme behavioral shifts."Names of original test subjects—all senior students. Among them: Rafi Ardana, Anjani Kusumo, and Julius Lesmana—all currently missing.
But one document stood out: a faked resignation letter from Prof. Dr. Arlo Vellan, signed by the faculty dean. In contrast, an internal memo still listed Vellan as having access to a restricted underground lab. Narey copied all the documents onto a mini flash drive. Just as she was about to leave, footsteps echoed in the corridor. Heavy. Fast. Getting closer.
She switched off her light and hid behind an old filing cabinet. Holding her breath. In the doorway's shadow, a tall, broad-shouldered figure appeared. He stood silently for a moment, then turned and left. But Narey knew—someone had noticed her break-in.
Back in her room, she sent a secure message to BIN:
"Cerebrum Project active. Vellan never resigned. Missing students are test subjects. Evidence secured. Mission continues."
Narey knew time was running out. If she wanted to stop the experiment before the next victim fell, she had to move faster. And she had to find the hidden place where Professor Vellan was conducting his twisted research.
Two days after the infiltration of the archive room, the atmosphere at Grovement University seemed unchanged. Students hurried between classes, professors lectured with focused intensity, and the world appeared to be moving along just as it always had. Yet, for Narey, everything had shifted.
She now knew the truth: the Cerebrum Shift project was real. And Prof. Dr. Arlo Vellan, the mastermind behind it, was still very much active, operating in the shadows of this grand campus. The normalcy of everyday life felt like a mask, hiding the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface.
Narey's mind raced as she processed the documents she had uncovered. The project had been much more than a failed experiment—it was a dangerous manipulation of the human mind. And with the mysterious disappearances of students tied to the project, she understood that her pursuit of the truth had only just begun. The risks were greater now, and the stakes higher. With each passing day, the walls around the project seemed to close in tighter. Yet, Narey couldn't back down. She knew she had to expose the horrors hidden within the university, no matter the cost. Time was running out, and the shadows of the past were about to surface.