Two days after the infiltration of the archive room, the atmosphere at Gravemont University seemed unchanged. Students were going about their business as usual, professors were lecturing with their usual seriousness, and the world seemed to be going on like any other day. But for Narey, everything had shifted.
She now knew: the Cerebrum Shift project was real. And Prof. Dr. Arlo Vellan, the mastermind behind it, was still active, operating in the shadows of this grand campus.
Narey began tracing Vellan's digital footprint through the university's internal library network and the department's computer lab. With her hacking skills, she successfully found a route to access old data linked to a professor's account that had been inactive for two years—Prof. Vellan's account. Despite officially being reported as having resigned, the account was still being used periodically to access experimental neurological research data. The access point: a computer terminal in the underground laboratory building.
That building had once been a biomedical research facility, but it was now locked down and only senior staff had access. Narey knew she had to get inside. But this time, she couldn't do it alone. She returned to Arka, a sophomore who had caught her attention from the start. After several small meetings and careful conversations, Narey began to reveal part of the truth to him.
"I'm not just a regular student" she said quietly in the back campus garden. "Something evil is happening here. People are disappearing. I need your help."
Arka paused for a long while. But eventually, he nodded. "You're not the only one who suspects something. I lost my brother two years ago. He was a student here, too. And he disappeared... just like that. No trace."
That night, they infiltrated the laboratory building together. With the access code Narey had obtained from the internal system, they made it into the ground floor. But when they tried to open the door to the underground corridor, a small alarm went off, flashing red.
"Someone just opened the door from the inside," Narey whispered.
They hid. Footsteps approached. A middle-aged man slowly walked out of the dark corridor, carrying a folder and wearing a lab coat.
Arka held his breath. "That's... Prof. Vellan. I recognize his face from my brother's photo."
Narey noted the time and location. They couldn't follow him directly that night. It was too risky. But one thing was clear: the professor was no longer just a campus legend. He was real. And he had just come out of his experiment facility.
Note 5: Prof. Vellan confirmed still active. The underground building is the center of the experiments. Next step: infiltrate further.
Narey's mission had now shifted. It wasn't just about investigating anymore. It was about stopping him. And time was running out.
The days that followed at Gravemont University felt increasingly quiet for Narey. Since that night's infiltration, she sensed a change in the atmosphere. Some campus staff seemed more vigilant, security cameras were installed at new points, and access to the archive room was now guarded by two armed security officers.
But what disturbed her the most wasn't the heightened security. It was something else: all the evidence she had gathered only led to assumptions. Assumptions that Prof. Arlo Vellan was behind the Cerebrum Project. There were no direct recordings or witnesses that explicitly stated Vellan's involvement. In fact, most of the documents with his name seemed to have been deliberately inserted. Too easy to find. Too neatly arranged.
Narey began to suspect—was this a trap? Or a diversion?
She decided to trace the information from another angle: the students. She started blending in more, sitting in the faculty cafeteria, attending public lectures, and quietly observing the interactions between professors and students. In a neuroscience biology class, she noticed a young teaching assistant named Ezra Wicaksana. His gestures were nervous, and his answers to students' questions were often vague.
One day, Narey pretended to leave a book in the classroom. When she returned quietly, she found Ezra talking on the phone in a low voice:
"...Yes, the third subject failed to survive. But the project is still on. We're on schedule. V must be protected, don't let that name come up."
Narey held her breath. "V"? Was that Vellan? Or someone else?
She recorded part of the conversation, then left before being caught. That night, she sent a message to BIN:
"There's no strong evidence about Vellan. The name might just be a cover. A teaching assistant is involved. Further surveillance needed. I'll approach Ezra."
Now, Narey knew: the real enemy might still be hidden. Or perhaps... they were much closer to her than she thought.
And if Prof. Vellan was merely a mask—who was the true face behind the Cerebrum Project?
Day five at Grovement University began with a darkness thicker than usual. The campus, usually bustling with students, now felt suffocating. Narey could sense the change—the air was heavier, faces looked more alert, and security had tightened. She knew her movements were starting to be detected.
However, her suspicion grew stronger. Everything she had uncovered seemed too perfect, as if someone was deliberately letting her find these clues. Was this a trap? Or a diversion from a bigger truth? One thing was certain: someone—perhaps more than one—was trying to distract Narey.
That night, after class, Narey approached Ezra Wicaksana again. The teaching assistant, whose unease had become increasingly apparent, was the one Narey was now focusing on. She watched his every movement carefully. She knew that if Ezra was a part of this puzzle, she had to know more.
Narey approached him, pretending to be confused as she carried a few books from the classroom. Without realizing it, she had positioned herself close to Ezra's desk, where he was busy checking reports. "There was an unexpected test this morning," Narey said, trying to strike up a casual conversation.
Ezra looked up, slightly startled but keeping his face calm. "Yeah, sometimes that happens," he replied shortly, but Narey could sense the underlying tension in his words.
After a few seconds, Narey saw an opportunity to ask more. "I've heard about the Cerebrum Shift project. Do you know about it?"
Ezra froze. His eyes darkened, and Narey could see the fear beginning to creep onto his face. "You shouldn't be talking about that," he said quickly, almost like a warning.
"What's really happening here, Ezra?" Narey pressed, her voice calm yet filled with resolve. "People are disappearing. This all ties back to the experiment, doesn't it?"
Ezra looked uneasy, glancing around as if searching for an escape. Then, slowly, he opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice. "You need to be careful, Narey," he said with a deeper tone. "That project... it's not just about science. It's gone beyond anything that can be understood by reason."
Narey could feel that there was more being hidden. "What really happened to Julius? To Arka? All those missing students... they were part of the experiments, right?"
Ezra let out a long sigh, looking down. "I... I don't know if anyone can stop this. The project is bigger than anyone here. Vellan isn't the only one involved."
"Vellan," Narey said carefully. "What do you mean by that?"
Ezra glanced at her nervously. "V isn't just Vellan. It's the initials for several different names. The people running this project... they're much deeper into it than you think."
Narey felt as if she had gotten closer to the truth. "Then who is really running the project? Who's behind all of this?"
Ezra paused. He blinked, hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I don't know their exact names... but I've heard they're called the 'Cerebrum Organization'. This isn't just an experiment. It's a... bigger plan. And I'm afraid you've already gotten caught up in their game."
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Narey and Ezra immediately fell silent, realizing someone was approaching. Without another word, Narey stepped back and silently slipped out of the classroom, her heart pounding in her chest. Every word Ezra had spoken felt like a new clue, but also increasingly confusing. There were multiple hands controlling this project, and maybe Vellan was just one piece of a much darker puzzle.
That night, Narey returned to her room and opened the digital notes she had made. Note 6: The Cerebrum Organization. She felt like the answer was getting closer, but the threat also felt more real.