LIGHTNOVELONLINE Interview Record III
Interview Subject: Agent Henry Russell
Interviewer: Senior Researcher Yul ██████
Introduction: Agent Henry Russell was thought to be missing due to unexpected fluctuations of the 1983rd abnormal phenomenon, but was identified at a general hospital in a downtown area on September 25, ████. When discovered, he showed signs of malnutrition and severe mental disorientation and was subsequently taken into protective custody by the Management Office. Currently, Agent Russell has mostly recovered physically, though he still exhibits mild symptoms of anxiety.
Additional Explanation: Previous interviews were stopped due to his excessive mental disorientation manifesting during the sessions. Every time he attempted to describe the anomalous entity he encountered, the same symptoms appeared, which is why he has been prohibited from discussing that entity since then.
[Record Start]
Yul ██████: Thanks for agreeing to meet, Agent Russell.
Henry Russell: No problem! I had to do it, and I’m feeling much better now.
Yul ██████: That’s good to hear. So, can you tell me how you managed to escape?
Henry Russell: Uh, where had we got to last time?
Yul ██████: You mentioned going through the red emergency exit and coming back out.
Henry Russell: Oh, right! The red emergency exit, not orange—definitely red. It was a door that led nowhere, but at least it was useful enough to be called an emergency exit. The thing I encountered didn’t follow me into the exit!
Yul ██████: Keep going.
Henry Russell: After that, it was just a cycle of the same things. I searched for an escape while trying to avoid the flickering lights. Whenever they started blinking, I just took off running toward the exit. And when that flickered out, I’d collect info left by others.
Yul ██████: Wait, others left information?
Henry Russell: Yes, they had scribbled all over the walls! A lot of it was useless, but some of it was pretty helpful. I had no choice but to follow the clues left by others since those were the only hints I had for escaping.
Yul ██████: What did they say?
Henry Russell: They said to look for orange. That was my only clue. I had no idea what the orange meant, but I had to search every corner for something orange. However, I couldn’t find a single thing in that color, and just as I was left with one last area to check… I fell into a trap.
Yul ██████: A trap?
Henry Russell: Yeah, while I was running toward the emergency exit, something suddenly popped out from the side! I thought if I went into the exit, it would catch me, so I rushed toward the last area I hadn’t checked. But it was a dead end, and I was chased by it—
spasm gasp
Henry Russell: —I nearly lost it there, but it subsided after a few seconds.
deep breath
Henry Russell: I was caught up to it. It almost made contact!
Yul ██████: So you didn’t actually touch it, then?
Henry Russell: Exactly! To this day, I have no idea how I got away. I just had such good luck at that moment! Suddenly, a door appeared right next to me, and I jumped through without even thinking. It was only after I leaped through that I remembered it was orange! Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared what color it was. Anything was better than being caught!
Yul ██████: So you managed to escape through that door?
pause
Henry Russell: No, not exactly.
Yul ██████: No?
Henry Russell: For a while, I thought that. After going through it, instead of a desolate, empty shopping mall, I was greeted by bright skies and a residential area with people!
I rushed toward them joyfully. It had been decades since I last talked to someone; the thought of escaping that hellhole and finally seeing another person was exhilarating!
rapid tapping
Henry Russell: But what I thought were people—
retch
Henry Russell: —oh no…
heave
medics rush in but he waves them off, assuring he’s fine
after a few minutes, calm once more
Henry Russell: I appreciate your concern, but I’m okay. It’s painful to recall, but it’s history now, and who knows when that phenomenon might activate again? If my experience helps, I want to share it as soon as possible.
Yul ██████: All right, if you’re sure, let’s continue. So, what was it you thought were people?
Henry Russell: They were mannequins. When I touched one’s shoulder, it just collapsed forward. I flipped it over, hoping, but all it had instead of a face was the phrase “there’s nowhere to escape.”
Yul ██████: …That’s malicious.
Henry Russell: Well, isn’t that how all phenomena are? They all play those wicked games with us! I know I’m making light of it now, but back then, I was on the brink of losing my mind—my mental state was a wreck! I saw realities flipping upside down, bodies appearing and disappearing, surrealistic landscapes crashing all around me.
I don’t know whether that was real or just a product of my insanity. Either way, I lost consciousness afterward, left waiting for death, unable to move.
Yul ██████: But you were found in the city, weren’t you? So did you just suddenly appear outside?
Henry Russell: No, it’s not like that… um, how should I put it?
Yul ██████: Take your time. There’s no rush.
pauses for thought
Henry Russell: As I mentioned before, I wasn’t in a normal mental state, so I can’t say for sure, but… at that time, I felt like someone picked me up.
Yul ██████: Picked you up? You mean the entity inside?
Henry Russell: I can’t say for certain whether it was the entity or not. I was too weak to even open my eyes; I had no choice but to be taken wherever it went.
What I can say for sure is that it was quite small! My knees were scraping the ground as it carried me!
Yul ██████: Even if you’re not sure, tell me what you can recall about its characteristics.
Henry Russell: Hmm… it had fingers, sure. And it seemed small and soft, like a little child. It’s not that important, but…
hesitant, scratching head
Henry Russell: It smelled really nice! If I could, I’d want to smell it again.
[Record End]
click
The sound of a mouse clicking accompanied the end of the playback on the monitor. The one who pressed the button was none other than Researcher Oliver Smith. Surrounding him were numerous piles of documents, with one revealing prominently the number “163-19” on its front page.
“…”
Without saying a word, he stared intently into space, just like Henry Russell had done in the footage. He rested his chin on his hand, nervously drumming his fingers on the desk.
tap, tap, tap, tap
The rhythmic sound could not be distinguished from the ticking of a clock. And finally, when his fingers stopped, he slowly closed his eyes and sighed softly, murmuring with conviction—
“It’s getting clearer.”