[The Headquarters of the Inspection Bureau]

In a small office building in a certain part of Arkham City.

Edmund, who had been asleep, opened his eyes. He instinctively mumbled, “Lord Ranen…”

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

“Oh, you’re awake. Sorry, I’ll turn down the lights.”

A male voice sounded, and after the blinding light faded, Edmund cautiously opened his eyes, his retina still burning with afterimages. He blinked in confusion and instinctively began to assess his situation.

What shocked Edmund was that his entire body was restrained on an elevated platform at a 40-degree angle, something similar to an operating table or an experimental platform. Above him was an operation lamp, which was the source of the light just now. The surroundings resembled a laboratory, with no people in sight. Four corners of the room’s ceiling had surveillance cameras and speakers, and the voice was coming from the speaker.

The restraints on his hands and feet were soft but strong, and despite Edmund’s efforts, he couldn’t break free.

“Don’t worry, relax. You’re at the Inspection Bureau now,” the male voice spoke again.

However, Edmund didn’t feel at ease. Instead, he furrowed his brows. “I don’t think I did anything to deserve being treated like this.”

“Oh, it’s a necessary precaution. After all, we can’t be sure if you’ll go mad when you wake up and start attacking everything you see. But it seems like you’ve passed the second level of the test. Just a moment, I’ll loosen your restraints.”

As the voice finished, Edmund heard two ‘puff puff’ sounds from the operating table, and his limbs were freed.

He sat up halfway, rubbing his wrists and ankles, and the door to the lab opened. A strange man walked in. He had messy black curly hair, pale skin as if he’d not seen the sun in a long time, glasses, a baby-faced look, and a sinister smile when he squinted his eyes.

“Sorry to make you uncomfortable. Let me introduce myself. I’m an investigator sent by the headquarters of the Inspection Bureau, my name is Chris Chapman. I’m also considered a researcher.”

“Sent by the headquarters?” Edmund looked at him with curiosity. “Is it for the Outsider organization?”

“Well… something like that. But unfortunately, I arrived too late. The matter’s already over.” Chris ruffled his messy hair. “But that doesn’t mean the task is over. On the contrary, I’m quite interested in the things that organization left behind, so I’ll probably stay in this city for a while. Oh, by the way.”

He suddenly moved closer to Edmund, excitedly grabbing his hand. “I’ve heard people here say that in the final moments, everyone saw a strange door in their dreams. After it opened, a strange world appeared, along with a huge hand? Is that true?”

Chris’ gaze was too intense, and Edmund’s natural shyness overtook him. He avoided eye contact. “Wh-what do you mean? Did everyone see it?”

“Yes, didn’t you know? Everyone dreamed of that scene. Or did you not see anyone else when you looked? What was your perspective like? How did it feel? Did you experience any mental changes?”

Edmund’s eyes flickered, and he covered his forehead, pretending to think hard. “I don’t remember much. I lost my memory after the attack started. I think I have some impression of the door, but maybe not… Can you tell me what you’ve found out? Maybe it’ll help me remember a bit.”

This statement was half true, half false. Edmund knew from experience that after entering the second level of the Dream Rift, people did indeed lose memory of the time they spent in madness. However, he lied about the timing of his memory loss—he had actually regained consciousness as soon as the ‘door’ appeared and witnessed what followed.

And unlike everyone else, Edmund was absolutely certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the figure who gave the command to close the door was none other than Ranen.

When it came to information about Ranen, Edmund had no intention of revealing even the slightest detail to the Inspection Bureau.

Chris stared into Edmund’s eyes for a moment before suddenly laughing heartily. “Of course, no problem! After all, everyone saw it! In the midst of the dark dream, a door suddenly appeared. A mysterious existence attempted to descend upon the human world, but another existence stopped it. It declared ‘Close the door,’ and thus, the two worlds were separated once again!”

As he spoke, Chris couldn’t help but tremble all over. “Ahhhh! How I wish I had seen that moment! I want to study it, I want to investigate what exactly happened! Why wasn’t I there at that time?!”

Watching Chris’s excitement, Edmund pretended to recall something. “…Now that you mention it, I do remember, but my consciousness was very fuzzy at the time. I only caught a glimpse before passing out, so I didn’t notice if anyone else was around.”

“I see. What a pity.”

Realizing that Edmund didn’t know much about the ‘door’ incident, Chris’s interest in him dropped significantly. The energy he had just now vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of dejection. He casually dragged over a chair, sat down, and flipped open a file. “Alright, then tell me why you suddenly entered the second level and what happened at the time. Headquarters is very concerned about this matter. All relevant personnel are required to write reports and undergo investigation.”

Edmund asked, “Before that, can I ask how my captain and the others are doing?”

“All members of your team are safe and currently undergoing separate interrogations. I hope you understand—this is standard procedure to assess the investigators’ mental states after a mission. But don’t worry, they woke up earlier than you, so you’ll be able to see them soon. Any other questions?”

Though Chris was asking if there were any other questions, his impatient expression clearly said, “Just go through the process quickly and don’t make this any more complicated.”

Edmund said, “N-no, that’s all.”“Good. Then tell me what happened.”

Edmund didn’t hide anything. He recounted everything in full detail—how they went on the mission and how they were attacked. After all, his captain and teammates had experienced it alongside him. Even if he didn’t say anything, the others would.

As the events unfolded, the captain and the others were gravely injured and fell unconscious. Edmund only vaguely mentioned that he had encountered an enemy, was pushed to the brink, and, having no other choice, suddenly went berserk for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.  

As an investigator, Edmund was well aware that under normal circumstances, it was impossible to enter the Dream Rift during the daytime. Why he had managed to do so at that time was something he wasn’t entirely sure about himself. However, his instincts told him that it had something to do with Ranen. Naturally, this was something he couldn’t reveal, so he simply gave a vague response, claiming he didn’t really know.  

Chris, who had been maintaining a neutral expression, suddenly became excited again. “Are you saying that you actually entered the Dream Rift during the day?”  

“Yes… but I don’t know why…”  

Chris didn’t doubt Edmund’s explanation. Instead, he began muttering to himself, spouting theories that Edmund couldn’t quite understand—something about the subconscious, dreams, and interference with reality.  

At that moment, an impatient knock sounded from outside.  

“Chapman, are you done questioning him? What’s taking so long?”  

Hearing the voice from outside, Chris immediately lost interest. He stood up and opened the door. “I’m just about finished.”  

“Then step aside. We still have questions for this kid.”  

The person at the door didn’t even wait for Chris to move before squeezing into the room. He strode in boldly, looking directly at Edmund. “Yo, so you’re the one, huh? A genius who’s broken through two levels in less than a year. You’re already a hot topic at our headquarters. Everyone’s wondering when you’ll come back as a full-fledged investigator. All the squads are itching to recruit you.”  

The newcomer had short golden hair and sharp, well-defined features. Behind him followed three others—two women and a man. One of the women, wearing glasses and a high ponytail, adjusted her frames with her index finger and said disapprovingly, “Captain, he hasn’t finished his quarantine period yet. We shouldn’t be telling him these things.”  

“Haha, what’s the big deal? Even Researcher Chapman is in here.” The blond man turned to Chris. “If this guy were dangerous, there’s no way someone as cowardly as him would have dared to step inside.”  

“I’m just cautious,” Chris retorted, pushing up his glasses. “Unlike you ‘disposable assets,’ I’m a valuable intellectual resource.”  

“You—!” The young man behind the blond captain clenched his fists, a vein throbbing on his forehead, about to step forward and argue. But the blond man stopped him with a casual gesture. “Forget it. You have no idea what kind of guy he is. If you hit him, you might just end up begging him not to die.”  

Though he seemed to be defending Chris, the scorn and provocation in the blond man’s tone were obvious to everyone.

“Exactly.” Chris Chapman remained completely unfazed, his face full of disdain. “So, all you muscle-brained gorillas, stay away from me.”  

The blond man took a deep breath, deciding to ignore the researcher entirely. He swaggered forward and slung an arm around Edmund’s neck. “Hey, genius kid, want to join my team? I just happen to have an opening for a scout. I heard your intuition is top-notch.”  

Edmund opened his mouth but instinctively glanced at Chris. Seeing that he had looked away, he hesitated before saying, “Well… I already have a team.”  

“Oh, you mean your original squad?” The blond man waved a hand dismissively. “You don’t have to worry about that. Your squad is likely getting disbanded. That guy, Geffer—he was your captain, right? His right arm is probably going to be amputated. He’ll be retiring from field investigations and moving to a logistics role.”  

He continued, “There’s also another guy in your squad who didn’t pass the psychological evaluation, so he’ll probably leave the front lines as well. The squad structure will be dissolved, and the members will be reassigned.”  

Edmund froze for a moment, caught off guard by the news. He lowered his head.  

He didn’t have much attachment to the other members of the squad, but the captain had indeed taken good care of him. He hadn’t expected that, in the end, he still couldn’t save him.  

Humans were simply too insignificant in the face of these supernatural catastrophes.  

The blond man patted Edmund’s shoulder. “Don’t be too upset. The fact that no one died is already a stroke of luck. Your squad got off easy—everyone made it out alive. Don’t blame yourself. Everyone in this line of work knows they could die at any moment. You probably wrote your will before taking on this mission, right? They make you do it every time. That’s because losing your life is just that easy.”

“If this incident has made you hate the organization behind this conspiracy—the Outsider—I won’t tell you to give up on that hatred. On the contrary, I’d encourage you to join my team. My squad has officially taken over Geffer’s team’s mission and will continue investigating Arkham.”  

Edmund looked up in surprise. “Wait… isn’t it already over?”  

As soon as he said it, he realized he might have misspoken and quickly added, “Everyone saw it—the thing that rushed through the door and got crushed. I thought that was the leader of the Outsider.”  

“Oh, I know. The rest of your squad said the same thing. But who told you it was over?” The blond man shrugged. “On the contrary—there’s that suspected gateway to the Dream World, and then there was the entity that appeared at the end. I’d say Arkham is about to get a lot livelier. It’s not just our bureau—other factions won’t let this feast slip through their fingers either.”  

“I’d bet they’ll swarm this city like hyenas, all trying to uncover the true identity of the ‘Gatekeeper,’” the blond man said. “And of course, we’re no different. Headquarters has just raised the investigation of the ‘Gatekeeper’ to an ‘Unknown’ classification. You know what that means, right?”  

Edmund’s eyes narrowed slightly.  

An Unknown-level mission.  

The Bureau categorized its missions into five levels, from D to S, based on their danger level. Simply put, a D-class mission might, at worst, involve a D-level anomaly, or it could just be dealing with armed civilians—gangs, for example. A C-level mission meant the potential presence of a C-level anomaly, and so on up the scale.  

But “Unknown” was different. It hadn’t been assigned in years. It was said that only the Bureau’s elusive chief had the authority to classify something at that level.  

These missions were reserved for the most senior or even ace investigator teams. Once a team took on an Unknown-level mission, they had to be prepared for the possibility that they would never return.  

So that means… these people are the elites among the elites at Bureau Headquarters?  

Edmund raised his eyes slightly, scanning the two men and two women before him. His timid gaze masked something else deep within—an icy, almost manic presence lurking like a predator watching its prey from the shadows.  

The one thing they all had in common was their youth. The blond man, in particular, carried an innate air of leadership. He was strong, his well-trained physique making it clear that he had undergone rigorous conditioning.

Standing behind the blond man was a woman with glasses. The moment Edmund looked her way, she keenly turned her gaze toward him. Edmund quickly averted his eyes, feigning nervousness, and instead looked behind them.  

There, a neurotic-looking young man with a bob cut was compulsively checking his phone every few seconds, as if he suffered from severe electronic dependence. Beside him, a lively and cute-looking girl was stealthily stuffing snacks into her mouth while the blond man wasn’t paying attention.  

They didn’t seem like elites at all.  

Noticing Edmund’s slightly doubtful expression, the blond man scratched his head. “Don’t judge us by appearances. We’ve completed quite a few A-level missions over the years.”  

Edmund was startled. “A-level… That means all of you have reached at least the fourth level of the Dream Rift?”  

“Ack—cough, cough! Of course not!” The blond man looked startled before forcing a wry smile. “Edmund… The Dream Rift isn’t as simple as you think. Not everyone can break through as fast as you did. Sigh, let me be straight with you—out of our entire team, only one person has reached the third level.”  

“Captain.” The woman with glasses frowned.  

“It’s fine, Dana. He’s one of us,” the blond man said, waving a hand dismissively before turning to Edmund. “You don’t seem to know much about the Bureau. Well, I guess that’s understandable. You were still an intern before this. Once you return to Headquarters for training, you’ll learn more. But for now, let me explain a few things.  

“It’s not that only investigators who’ve reached the higher levels of the Dream Rift can take on high-ranking missions.  

“For missions classified as A- or B-rank, that doesn’t mean high-risk anomalies of the same rank will necessarily appear during the task. That’s only the ‘worst-case scenario.’ Get what I mean? As long as we can prevent things from escalating to the worst outcome, we don’t have to face those high-level threats directly.”  

“An investigator’s ranking is determined by the missions they take on and complete. So even an ordinary person could become one of the Bureau’s ace investigators if they successfully complete ten A-level investigations.”  

“After all, we’re investigators, not soldiers. Our duty is to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening, not sit back and wait until it happens before trying to fix it.”  

At that moment, the neurotic young man suddenly spoke. “Just like with your squad’s mission this time—if you had uncovered the Outsider’s plot earlier, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”  

The woman with glasses frowned. “Enough. It’s already happened. No point in bringing it up again.”  

The young man said nothing more and simply lowered his head, staring at his phone.

“Alright, so, are you willing to join our squad?” The blond man struggled to bring the conversation back on track. Yes, the real reason he had come to see Edmund was that he had his eye on this promising recruit.  

Edmund pretended to ponder for a moment before asking, “Why exactly is the Bureau Headquarters investigating the ‘Gatekeeper’?”  

“According to witness reports, didn’t the ‘Gatekeeper’ close that door and prevent an unknown monster from descending into the world? It shouldn’t be hostile toward humanity, so why is it necessary to track it down?”  

The neurotic-looking young man—Edie—scoffed. “Rookie.”  

“Shut up, Edie. You were a rookie once too. And besides, he hasn’t even undergone formal investigator training,” the woman with glasses rebuked him before turning to Edmund.  

“I understand your doubts. Based on our preliminary investigation, many of the residents who woke up from the dream retained some degree of goodwill toward the ‘Gatekeeper.’ Some even became its followers outright. This is a typical psychological response—when faced with a desperate situation, people place their hopes on a singular entity. But as an investigator, you’d best rid yourself of that mindset as soon as possible.”  

“As for why we’re investigating the ‘Gatekeeper,’ the answer is simple—no one can guarantee what its true motives were for closing that door. To the average person, it might seem like the Gatekeeper saved them. But based on our research into similar non-human entities, most of them don’t actually care about humanity. At best, they ignore our existence entirely, and they certainly don’t involve themselves in human affairs.”

The blond man nodded. “Simply put, the fact that it closed the door doesn’t necessarily mean it holds any goodwill toward humanity. It might have just been displeased that another entity was trespassing on its territory, or it could have had other reasons entirely. We can’t afford to make assumptions about these beings.”  

Edmund’s face flushed, and he lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I’ll correct my mindset.”  

“It’s fine. We all started out as rookies,” the blond man said, patting Edmund on the shoulder. “What Dana just explained was only part of the reason. There’s actually a more important factor at play. Before I explain, let me ask—how much do you know about the Dream World?”  

“Uh, my previous captain gave me a basic rundown. The Dream World is the ‘realm where the gods reside.’ The anomalies are its inhabitants, and it’s home to various monstrous races.”  

“Hmm, close enough. Then you should also know that the Dream World acts as a barrier—without it, eldritch gods and powerful anomalies would be able to manifest in reality unchecked,” Job said. “Now, have you ever considered that if the Gatekeeper can close the door… it can also open it?”  

Edmund’s head shot up, his eyes wide with shock.  

“That’s why the Bureau classified this mission as ‘unknown,’” the blond man said with a bitter smile. “And it’s not just us—every other faction, from secret societies to religious organizations, will be swarming Arkham to find it.”  

“Because the ‘Gatekeeper’ is the only known entity capable of opening or closing that door.”  

The depths of Arkham’s waters ran far deeper than anyone had imagined.  

The Outsider had spent centuries laying out their grand scheme. The moment the door opened, every entity knew that Arkham’s fate was sealed. But no one had anticipated the emergence of a wild card.  

Most crucially, the power it had revealed… The ability to open the Dream World’s gates.  

The eldritch gods who coveted the surface world, along with their followers, would never let it go.  

They would stop at nothing to find it—whether to control it, sacrifice it, or force it to open the Dream World’s gates and herald the descent of their gods.

Edmund lowered his head in silence. The neurotic man couldn’t resist making a snide remark. “Don’t tell me you’re already scared.”  

“Edie,” Job frowned. “Edmund, don’t mind his foul temper.”  

“It’s fine, I didn’t take it to heart,” Edmund lifted his head and said softly, “I was just thinking… we need to eliminate those factions that have entered Arkham as soon as possible.”  

When he said “eliminate,” there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his eyes—he spoke as casually as if he were discussing what he had for lunch. Even the blond man was momentarily stunned.  

Eunice, the energetic girl, whistled. “Damn, kid, I think I’m starting to like you. You’re just as crazy as us. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to keep up with our pace.”  

“I’d love to praise you for your resolve, but remember, we can’t just charge in recklessly during an investigation. We’re investigators, not soldiers—if a fight can be avoided, we avoid it. But I appreciate your determination,” the blond man said approvingly, patting Edmund on the shoulder. “Headquarters is keeping a close eye on this mission. I believe we’ll uncover the true identity of the ‘Gatekeeper.’”  

Edmund gave a shy smile. “I hope I can be of help.”