The European Division's archives were located in an underground stone cavern, the entrance narrow and low, seemingly designed to ruin anyone's mood.Ethan stood at the top of the steps, staring down at the dim yellow light, and his first thought was:"If there are ghosts, this is probably their office."
Alicia stood at the doorway, her voice cold:"You have fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes? Wow, you really know how to welcome guests," Ethan shrugged, a sarcastic smile on his face."Add a glass of red wine and some snacks, and I could throw a party in this haunted place."
No one paid him any mind.
The air inside the archive was thick with the musty scent of old paper, the lights flickering intermittently. Ethan started with the first row of cabinets, pulling out a few files—mundane reports on missing persons, sleepwalking cases, and energy fluctuation curves.
"Ah, thrilling stuff," he muttered, yawning."If I hadn't died once already, this would bore me to death again."
Then he stumbled upon a rusted iron box sealed with red wax. The lid was corroded, the label torn, leaving only a faint imprint: Shadow Dossier · Fragment.
Ethan whistled."Ah, an old friend. Like a terrible ex—you can try to shake it off, but it always shows up in some corner."
He opened the box to reveal a stack of crumpled files. The handwriting was messy, yet readable enough:
Years ago, a secret government department had collaborated with the Nightmare Investigation Bureau on a series of experiments.
Subjects were "human hosts," forcibly injected with Nightmare energy.
The dossier noted: Control failure rate: 68%. Mortality rate: undisclosed.
Ethan stared at the numbers, chuckling."Wow, a 68% failure rate? That's slightly better than my odds with unrequited love—at least the other party only says 'no,' they don't turn into monsters on the spot."
Flipping further, he discovered a special document stamped with two seals—one from the Investigation Bureau, the other unmistakably from a European government. The document outlined a Shadow Protocol: governments allowed the bureau to conduct Nightmare experiments in designated regions, provided research results were shared and the truth concealed when necessary.
"Oh, now it gets interesting," Ethan murmured."So, the righteous Investigation Bureau and the noble government… secretly a couple. Only their romance is built on using ordinary people as bed sheets."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the archive. The lights flickered, and dust rained down from the ceiling.
Ethan quickly shoved the files back into the iron box, slipping a few pages into his coat. He winked at the half-open cabinet."Don't worry, babies. Next time, we'll have another date."
The door swung open. Alicia stood in the doorway, her gaze icy."Time's up."
"So soon? Too bad—I was just starting to bond with these paper friends," Ethan patted his coat, an innocent smile on his face."Don't worry, I didn't touch anything… except for the few files screaming 'Do Not Read'—can't resist a classic warning."
Alicia narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
As they left the archive, Ethan felt clearer than ever.The government colluded with the Investigation Bureau, large-scale Nightmare experiments existed, and ordinary people were mere casualties.
This wasn't just bureaucratic infighting—it was a far-reaching web.
He whistled softly to himself."Looks like I should get life insurance. Too bad I already died once—pretty sure the company won't pay."
The smile lingered on his lips, but behind it lay an ever-growing shadow of darkness.