Chapter 4 - CHAPTER 4: SHADOWS IN MIRROR

Arata barely slept that night. The image of room 709 haunted his dreams—the pale light, the whispered screams, the cruel message smeared in blood. Waking felt like surfacing from a drowning abyss, but reality offered no respite. The city's darkness crept into his bones.By dawn, Arata was back at the precinct, a cold determination steeling his gaze. He needed allies—someone who understood the cold calculus of his enemy's mind. Saki met him before he could ask."You're chasing ghosts," she said, voice sharp but uncertain. "Or maybe the ghosts are chasing you."Arata frowned but nodded. "Either way, we don't have time to lose."She slid a small device across the table—a pocket scanner used for frequencies and encrypted signals. "We pick up static in the city's dead zones. Whoever's sending those messages is broadcasting from somewhere close."Together, they traced the signal: an old subway system buried beneath the city like a sleeping beast. It hummed faintly, a ghost network from decades past.Descending into the tunnels was like stepping into another world. Dark, silent, alive with unseen eyes. Every footstep echoed like a warning.Arata's hand hovered near his gun as whispers floated on the stale air—a distorted voice repeating his name, twisting it like a curse.They reached a derelict station—its walls plastered with torn posters and cryptic graffiti. Amidst the chaos, a fresh message scratched into the concrete: "Trust no one. The mirror never lies."Arata stared at the words, the meaning sinking deep. The puppeteer's game was psychological warfare, designed to break trust and turn ally against ally.Suddenly, Saki's scanner beeped violently—an unexpected burst of energy surged from deeper within the tunnels.Without hesitation, they moved toward the source, senses sharp, adrenaline rising.At the tunnel's end, they found a smashed terminal and flickering screens displaying static and fragmented images—rooms, faces, symbols.Then the screens snapped to a live feed—Arata's own face watching back.A cold laugh echoed through the tunnels."You wanted the truth, Detective," the voice taunted. "Now watch it shatter."