NOVEL NEXT WORLD “It’s a bit sad to say, but I guess there’s no special reason for someone like us to be saved otherwise.”
She chimed in on the man’s words.
Indeed, there was no reason for them to expect any help at all.
They were simply one of many staff members who had gone missing in this facility.
If it were a normal situation, it wouldn’t be a rescue team coming their way but rather—
The moment they locked eyes with someone from the Management Office, they’d probably have a hole blasted in their forehead.
“More than anything, thinking about how you talked to us so casually… makes me want to believe that.”
She remembered the conversation with the girl in the elevator.
There was no sense of incongruity whatsoever.
Thus, despite harboring doubts, they didn’t make a fuss about it.
Even during the moment of falling, her asking about regulations seemed fitting, given the girl’s appearance.
Upon rethinking, the girl she had talked to seemed truly like a girl of her age.
However, the scenes she had witnessed were things that couldn’t happen unless it involved Abnormal Phenomena.
Humans can’t stop a falling elevator. Especially if it’s a child, even more so.
It was practically confirmed that the girl was not human.
So then, what could be the reason she understood humans?
Had an Abnormal Phenomena capable of interacting with humans appeared without anyone realizing it?
Is that really true? Or could it just be another high-level deception, just like everything else so far?
Were they merely being toyed with by an Abnormal Phenomena, becoming victims like many others?
“…”
Who knows.
Probably, no one other than the girl herself would know.
However, if there is one certain truth he is aware of:
Without the girl, he would have been dead already.
And also, right now, without the girl’s help, it would likely be tough to escape this facility unharmed.
And if he were to die regardless of what happened…
Isn’t it better to put his bets on a side with a bit more hope right now?
“No, I’m not trying to say that it’s hard to believe that guy now. Just…”
With a small sigh, he scratched the back of his head.
His mind was tangled with thoughts, and he just needed a moment to cool down.
“I’ve got nothing more to say. If you want to know something, go directly to the Headquarters later and ask.”
“…Fine. It’s just a relief if I don’t end up with a gag order.”
Elijah added a word, but Cooper waved his hand in refusal.
After all, he didn’t have the guts to openly ask the Management Office about confidential matters.
Curiosity kills the cat, after all.
Whichever of the two is the truth, they will find out naturally at some point.
So there’s really no need to poke around for no reason.
“So, what now?”
After things had calmed down a bit.
Eleanor asked about the course of action from here on.
Therewas only a path blocked by a pile of rocks behind them.
In front of them stretched a hallway just like the one they had seen earlier.
At present, they had only two choices left: wait or move forward.
“I guess we should wait. If we move around recklessly, we might miss each other.”
Elijah’s choice was to wait here.
Moving forward without preparation wasn’t likely to yield good results.
In a situation where it could directly relate to their lives, it wouldn’t be wise to gamble with their lives.
“Yeah. Since it’s come to this, let’s just wait here until the bomb goes off.”
Cooper’s choice was the same.
Thus, the current guideline was naturally established.
Deciding there was no more need to move, it was as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.
Cooper found a pile of rocks in a suitable shape and lightly laid down on top of it.
“…Are you getting too relaxed?”
“I can’t stand the whole time. To be honest, I’m pretty worn out.”
It was a careless action, but Eleanor didn’t bother to say anything to him.
Having gone through too many things in such a short time, she came to realize that her own body craved rest.
“Haah, I hope nothing happens until then…”
With a thud, she sat down on a nearby pile of rocks.
A short sigh escaped her lips, along with a prayer-like statement hoping for no further disasters to come.
How long had it been?
As the thick dust around them settled, visibility returned, and only a cold silence lingered.
Suddenly…
“…?”
Cooper felt a sensation like something brushed against his ear.
“—Huh, ugh, huh…”
It was the sound of crying.
A sobbing, mournful female voice.
And as far as he knew, there was only one woman among them.
When he turned his head toward Eleanor, he found her with her face buried between her knees.
“…”
Suddenly, Cooper and Elijah exchanged glances.
Perhaps he too had heard this sound of weeping.
Cooper felt as if he detected an unspoken urge to do something coming from behind that invisible mask of Elijah.
To be honest, it was hard to believe that the man in front of him had the sensitivity to comfort someone.
Instead of protesting against him, he simply sighed quietly and—
Carefully stood up to approach her without making a sound.
“Cough, cough!”
Before he tapped her shoulder, he cleared his throat awkwardly a couple of times.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. He was just as embarrassed after all.
He wasn’t particularly considerate by nature.
And comforting a woman wasn’t something he was particularly skilled at, either.
“Hey, uh… I get it’s tough, but hang in there! Honestly, it’s not that dire of a situation right now, is it?”
Out came a standard, awkward consolation from his mouth.
A thought flickered through his mind, wondering if such words would even serve as comfort.
But he couldn’t stop the words that had already flowed out, so he desperately tried to offer hopeful encouragement.
“At least you don’t have to worry about getting blown up; all that’s left is to find a way out of here—”
As if his feelings had reached her, just then, her head slowly lifted.
And when she looked up, her face held—
“…Wha, huh? Yes?”
She seemed like she just woke up from a nap.
Her half-closed, drowsy eyes were fixed on him.
“I’m so, so sorry! I think I fell asleep without realizing it because I’m a bit tired.”
Feeling embarrassed, Eleanor hurriedly got up and wiped her mouth with her hand.
It had been a brief time, but it seemed she had fallen into a deep sleep.
“You weren’t crying just now?”
“Did I cry?”
Cooper asked.
However, she seemed not to understand what he meant.
She started to cautiously touch around her eyes, appearing as if she didn’t even know what she had done.
Is she putting on a show?
No, it doesn’t seem like it.
There were no traces of tears, not even a hint of moisture around her eyes.
If this was truly an act, she would need to seriously reconsider her career path from here on out.
“Then where is that sound coming from—”
Focusing his mind, he could still hear the sobbing sound in his ear.
At the same time, chills began to creep over his entire body.
Number 4891 Abnormal Phenomena Manual, the sounds that sometimes echoed from beneath the facility.
With a feeling as though different pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.
Now, a much clearer sound of weeping began to emanate from the hallway.
“…Ah.”
The crying sound coming from the far end of the hallway.
Unlike earlier, when he had to focus his mind to notice, that voice was now getting closer and closer to them—
“Damn it.”
Realizing what that meant, he inadvertently let out a curse.