“The disappearance was two months ago?”
The white-haired old man clutched the crumpled rental agreement, his sparse eyebrows knitted together: “Yes, I couldn’t find him two months ago. I didn’t even collect the rent!”
He scanned Kido Shinji’s face, “Can you… really find him? How many groups have come asking already?”
Kido Shinji tightened his grip on his notepad, his eyes shining with an overly serious light: “Please believe me! Our ORE Daily will definitely…”
Before he finished speaking, the old man impatiently pulled out a key and, with a clang, unlocked the dusty door.
The door hinges let out a grating groan.
A mix of dust and a faint musty smell wafted over him, and Kido Shinji instinctively held his breath. He stepped into the dimly lit room and was instantly rooted to the spot by the sight before him—
All the mirrors, regardless of size, were completely covered with thick kraft paper tape.
The window panes were not spared either; layers of crisscrossing tape glowed eerily in the dim light.
Cluttered items were piled in the corners, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of dust, with only a blurred trail of footprints leading deeper into the room.
“There, see for yourself. Strange stuff,” the old man mumbled, retreating to the doorway, clearly not wanting to stay longer.
Paul’s heart pounded. His professional instinct told him something was definitely wrong here.
He carefully avoided the clutter, his sharp gaze sweeping across the floor.
Suddenly, a small black box lying in the dust caught his eye.
He bent down to pick it up; it was cold to the touch.
The box was exquisitely crafted, with no markings on its surface. Inside seemed to be a stack of cards, completely blank without any patterns.
Is this a personal hobby?
Just as the thought arose, his peripheral vision was firmly caught by another anomaly.
Deep in the room, next to the only window not completely covered by tape, a large hole was gaping in the wall.
Shattered bricks and stones were scattered on the floor, their edges terrifyingly sharp.
The marks looked as if something had directly struck through from inside the mirror.
Paul, clutching the blank card box, his feet uncontrollably moved to the window, and as if by a ghost’s whim, he leaned out to look.
The midday sun made him squint.
Across the street, the glass curtain wall of a high-end office building was like a giant mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and his tiny self.
Just then—
A massive, deep red shadow suddenly shot out from the depths of the reflection in the opposite glass curtain wall! Its speed was like lightning, carrying an indescribable violent Qi!
“What?!” Paul exclaimed in shock, his hair standing on end!
He spun around abruptly, the blank card box clutched tightly in his hand.
“Hey! Reporter boy!” The old man’s puzzled shout came from the doorway.
Paul couldn’t hear him at all.
Only one thought remained in his mind: Chase! Find that shadow! He shot out like a cannonball, pushing past the bewildered old landlord at the door, and frantically rushed down the dirty staircase!
Bursting out of the apartment building, the blinding sunlight made him dizzy.
He anxiously looked around, his gaze Lock-On on the office building across the street that reflected the strong light.
“It’s there… it must be there!” He sprinted towards the other side of the road!
Whoosh—!
A tearing shriek of air suddenly exploded above his head!
Paul snapped his head up, his pupils instantly shrinking to pinpricks!
That deep red, blood-like Dragon shadow, enveloped in scorching Qi waves, was actually pouncing down on him from mid-air!
Its ferocious maw opened, as if to devour him whole!
“Ah—!!!”
A desperate scream caught in his throat, and a massive impact slammed into his chest.
Kido Shinji’s vision went black, and he flew out like a kite with a broken string, his consciousness completely swallowed by boundless darkness.
…
“Kido? Kido! Wake up!”
A familiar voice, laced with anxiety, sounded as if from the bottom of a distant body of water.
Kido Shinji laboriously opened his eyelids, the dazzling light making him squint again.
Momoi Reiko’s face, etched with worry and anger, gradually came into focus.
“Re… Reiko Senior?” His throat was as dry as sandpaper.
“You’re finally awake! You scared me to death!” Reiko breathed a sigh of relief, then her eyebrows shot up, “You idiot! How can you faint by the roadside while investigating a missing persons case? Heatstroke? Hypoglycemia? Or did you get too hot-blooded again and knock yourself out?”
She fired questions like a machine gun, casually thrusting an opened bottle of mineral water into his hand.
Paul sat up in a daze, looking around.
He was lying on a plastic chair in front of a convenience store, surrounded by hurrying pedestrians.
In his hand… he was still clutching that blank card box.
Was that terrifying red shadow a dream?
“I… I don’t know…” He shook his heavy head, trying to dispel the sense of unreality, “It’s like… I saw something…”
“Alright, alright!” Reiko interrupted him, clearly not taking his “saw something” seriously, “From the looks of you, I won’t get anything out. I’ll explain to the editor. I’ll take you home to rest first!” She pulled Paul up without question and put him in the passenger seat of her small yellow car.
The engine started, and the car merged into traffic.
Paul leaned back wearily, clutching the blank card box, his fingertips unconsciously caressing the card slot on the box’s surface.
The scenery outside the car window flew by, only a few minutes passing.
The small yellow car began to slow down, finally stopping gently below his cheap rented apartment building.
“We’re here. Go home and get a good night’s sleep. Don’t think about those pointless things anymore!” Reiko turned sideways, her tone carrying undeniable concern.
“Thank you, Senior…” Paul unbuckled his seatbelt and, after a few steps out of the car, went up the stairs.
Buzz…
A sudden, intense dizziness struck without warning.
The world before his eyes instantly twisted and spun.
“Ugh…” Paul painfully clutched his forehead.
Just at the edge of his distorted vision, his peripheral glance suddenly caught the image reflected in Reiko’s car’s side mirror!
The mirror was perfectly clear, reflecting the street scene behind the car.
And deep within that mirror, a massive, spider-like monster covered in grotesque metallic carapace was slowly raising a huge, gleaming forelimb, lifting it high, aiming it at the oblivious Momoi Reiko!
Cold sweat instantly drenched Paul’s back!
“Reiko Senior! Danger!” All dizziness was dispelled by immense terror. He burst with all his strength, slamming open the car door, and rushed like a madman towards the rearview mirror that reflected the image of death!
“Don’t go any further!”
A cool female voice came from his side.
A young girl in a cream-colored knitted sweater had appeared by the roadside at some point, blocking his path as he rushed towards the car’s rear.
She had a delicate appearance, but her eyes were unusually serious, carrying a worry beyond her age.
“Get out of the way!” Paul was burning with anxiety and had no mind to pay attention.
The girl’s gaze fell sharply on the blank card box he was clutching tightly, her voice lowered but incredibly clear: “Are you… a Kamen Rider?”
Kamen Rider? What’s that?
“No! Get out of the way! There’s a monster in the mirror that’s going to kill Reiko Senior!” Paul tried to go around her.
“The Mirror World is not a place for ordinary people! You’ll die!” The girl’s voice carried a hint of seriousness.
“I don’t care about that!” Paul’s angry shout cracked.
He forcefully pushed away the girl’s blocking arm, his body lunging with an unyielding determination, fiercely throwing himself towards the rearview mirror that reflected the grotesque monster!
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the cold mirror surface—
Buzz!!!
The silent blank card box in his palm, without warning, erupted with an intensely brilliant white light.
It was like holding a small sun! The strong light instantly swallowed Paul’s figure!
“Ah!” Kanzaki Yui instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.