Creak—
Accompanied by a sharp, piercing screech, a very plain wooden door was slowly pushed open.
A blood-colored doll, concealing its presence, quietly slipped in. It scanned the interior of the room before stealthily shrinking back outside. Next, Gao Hai's head poked into the room; he observed carefully for a moment before fully opening the door and walking in.
It was a small storage room.
One could see neatly arranged training equipment, such as rope ladders, hooks, and water gun nozzles.
On one wall of the storage room hung a full row of firefighter uniforms and rescue personnel outfits. The two types of clothing differed only slightly in color and style.
The existence of two different uniform styles seemed to be because, in the America of this world, firefighters and rescue teams were established as two distinct organizations. The former mainly operated in urban areas, while the latter operated primarily in complex wilderness environments like mountains and lakes. There was also a theory that the insurance benefits and leave systems for the two organizations were different. However, others claimed that while there appeared to be differences in benefits like insurance on the surface, in reality, workers in both positions were often owed back wages, so there was effectively no difference.
Gao Hai had seen quite a bit of information regarding this. Before entering the Red Nut Gray Hole instance, Gao Hai had paid attention to some news from America. Although he knew it was impossible to find information related to the instance in the real world, he had browsed some news from that region when he was bored. As a result, he saw some negative news about American fire brigades and knew that many firefighters and rescue team members who retired due to injuries on missions were unable to receive the insurance compensation they deserved.
Nevertheless, the equipment and facilities of this fire station looked quite good. Perhaps there was some special reason for it?
Thinking this, Gao Hai stepped cautiously into the warehouse and signaled Chika to stand guard at the door and watch the situation outside.
Through the power of his Blessing, he could sense a strange aura.
It was right here in this warehouse.
Somewhere within this very room.
Only, he didn't know why the strange aura seemed somewhat odd. Gao Hai vaguely felt that the existence of the thing itself seemed very illusory, like firewood that was about to burn out and could no longer continue burning.
No...
This feeling... is it some kind of residual echo?
Gao Hai circled to the depths of the warehouse, a dimly lit corner area where nothing was stored and which looked very concealed.
Here, he perceived something obscure—remnants from the past, left behind by those obsessions that had turned into anomalies.
Slowly, he began to move. Inch by inch, Gao Hai leaned against the wall in this corner, extended his hand, and placed his fingers by his ear, mimicking the posture of making a phone call, as if communicating with someone.
"I'm in a very difficult position if you keep this up. Can't you think of a way to completely seal that place off?"
A man wearing a suit leaned against the wall, speaking into his phone with a look of displeasure.
"If only it were that simple. You know very well that we've thought of various ways to seal the Great Slide, but the walls just keep collapsing. People keep inexplicably getting trapped inside. Originally it was just security guards, but now more and more tourists are getting trapped."
A man's voice rang out from the phone, filled with exhaustion; his mental state sounded very poor.
"I've lost several of my men too, Mr. Pedi. I can't keep suppressing this matter forever. The continuous disappearances have already attracted increasing attention. Tourists from out of town might not know the situation, but the locals basically won't go to that cavern anymore. I trust you understand what I mean. This matter truly cannot be suppressed forever. This involves over fifty missing persons, including tourists from around the globe and local firefighters and rescue teams. The situation is only going to get worse from here."
The man making the call sighed wearily, his tone becoming increasingly helpless.
"...So, what is your solution? Isn't the reason I pay you so much money every year precisely so you can suppress these things? Are the families of those missing rescue team members making a fuss again? Didn't you say you had already handled them?"
The voice on the phone carried a tinge of confusion.
"That batch was indeed handled, but what about the next? We aren't fools. What do you think will happen if this continues? The current situation is already terrible. If it goes on like this, I think I have no choice but to pull out."
The man making the call sighed again, and his next words carried a hint of hesitation.
"You want to pull out?"
The voice on the phone seemed agitated, the pitch suddenly rising.
"The money you pay me isn't worth wading into this muddy water anymore. I advise you, it's better to give up early too."
The man's voice became firm; clearly, he hadn't said this on a whim.
"...You know I cannot shut down the Red Nut Gray Hole."
This time, the voice on the phone hesitated noticeably.
"Because it's a nationally famous emerging scenic spot? Because it brings you countless wealth every day now?"
Not expecting the other party to put it that way, the man on the phone paused for a moment before continuing.
"...Because it exploded in popularity during the Mr. Mayor's term and was selected as a national-level scenic spot. This attraction cannot be closed before our mayor leaves office. It must be maintained and continue to operate as one of the glorious achievements of his tenure. This matter is not for you or me to decide, do you understand?"
"..."
"So, don't talk about pulling out. Right now, neither of us can pull out. The problems with the Red Nut Gray Hole cannot be known by anyone. This place must remain 'normal,' and we, the people who know there are problems, must remain in our positions. Do you understand what I mean?"
"...Damn it."
With those final words, the man let out a deep sigh, his tone becoming weary.
The voice on the phone also fell silent; one could hear a deep sense of exhaustion in the last few sentences spoken by that person as well.
Gao Hai slowly lowered the hand covering one ear.
The residual echo of that scene had already dissipated.
And the content recorded by this residual echo was now imprinted in Gao Hai's mind.
"The reason the Red Nut Gray Hole wasn't closed after the abnormal events occurred, but instead continued to operate, was because of pressure from above?"
"The person making this call should be a leader within the Fire Station, and the person he contacted was Pedi?"
"As early as when the Great Slide was initially being sealed off, tourists had already begun to gradually disappear. Security guards, as well as rescue teams and firefighters, also went missing during that time."
Gao Hai, now completely clear-headed, realized the intelligence contained in the voices he had just heard.
He had to leave this place.
Gao Hai realized that as he continued to advance, he would likely see even more residual echoes.
Those people closely linked to the changes and development of the Red Nut Gray Hole were also dragged into this hell after this place completely turned into a horror playground. Although they had already become obsessions wandering here as well, based on the memory fragments left by these people, he could certainly unravel the truth step by step.
A nauseating smell drifted into his nostrils.
Gao Hai turned his head sideways, looking at the wall radiating a cold chill, where rows of clothes... where expressionless firefighters hung.
They all hung there motionless with their heads lowered, like commodities whose fates had already been decided in advance, whose transactions had been settled, simply placed here waiting to be retrieved when the customers needed them.
Their bodies gradually swelled.
Water droplets dripped down from their bodies.
And as Gao Hai gazed at these people, in a trance, he understood the situation.
Those people trapped inside the cavern had actually been alive all along; they had never completely died.
Regardless of what these trapped victims encountered in that place beyond the Great Slide which had turned into an anomaly, they hadn't fully died; there was still a possibility of leaving alive.
Until a rainstorm submerged the cavern.
Everyone floated up in the water.
Everyone was drowned within the accumulated water.
The sounds of breathing gradually ceased.
Replaced by the sound of rushing water.
And the sound of residual water droplets falling after the current gradually disappeared.
Drip—drip—
Like the sound of dripping water from very far away, yet seemingly right beside him.
And hidden within it, faintly, was the sound of someone sobbing in a low voice.
Gao Hai made no reaction to this.
He simply maintained his calm demeanor, stepped forward expressionlessly, avoided the area where those things hung on the wall, and quickly walked out of the room just like that.
Drip—drip—
The sound of falling water droplets continued to echo behind him.
But Gao Hai himself had already reached the door of the room, arriving beside the warehouse door where Chika Fujiwara was keeping watch.
But the young girl was not there.
Outside the door was not the Training Area he had passed through initially either.
Appearing in Gao Hai's field of vision at this moment was another corridor, one somewhat familiar to him, only somewhat dilapidated.
He knew this place because, during the first loop, he had already seen it in another residual echo. This was the office building of the Red Nut Gray Hole Tourism Development Company, the place where the attraction's first director, Auston, and his successor, Pedi, had both appeared.
And now, Gao Hai could see that at one end of the corridor was that familiar window, the place from which one could look directly out at the Red Nut Gray Hole's surface facilities in the residual echo.
And at the other end, was a large red door.
A blood-red door revealing a deep crimson color, evoking intense unease, as if radiating light within the darkness.
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