Chapter 5: A Sinister Revelation

The mythical man approached me with an icy demeanor, sending shivers down my spine. “Hello, what do you want?” I asked, awaiting his response. Immediately, a coworker sitting nearby jumped up, visibly shaken. She stammered, “Hello, Sir. I’m sorry, he’s new here and doesn’t know much yet.” She looked both anxious and nervous, leaving me confused. I wondered if I had made a mistake or if this intimidating man was someone important.

It turned out my second thought was right: he owned approximately 30% of the company—a significant share. However, his ownership didn’t make him my direct boss. Clara, the office director, was my immediate superior. Essentially, he couldn’t fire me, but he could certainly give a bad review.

He stood there for a while, and I felt something was off about his presence, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Suddenly, he asked, “What’s your name?” I hurriedly replied, stammering, “Um, Alex.” After that, he walked away, wearing an expression that clearly conveyed his disdain.

As the day ended, I felt like it had gone better than expected. Just as I was about to leave, I heard my name. It was Clara. “Hi, I heard you met Mr. Mason,” she said.

“Yeah…” I replied, curious about what she was going to say next.

“Be careful. That man is no good,” she said, looking as if she regretted her words immediately. With a sudden smile, she added, “Forget what I said. Bye.”

I was left more confused than ever. Why would she say such a thing about him? My initial feeling that something was off about Mr. Mason seemed to be confirmed. One thing was certain: he wasn’t a good guy.

A couple of months passed, and I had adapted to my new job. I was slowly managing to pay off some of my debts. More importantly, the Glampri hadn’t contacted me since our last encounter, and I was even starting to forget about its existence.

One evening, just as I was about to leave the office, the silence was broken by the sound of a door creaking open. I turned to see Mr. Mason stepping into the room, his eyes locked onto mine. “Hello, Alex,” he said, his voice cold and calculating.

“Hello, Mr. Mason. I didn’t know you were around,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

He walked closer, his presence overwhelming. “I have a proposition for you, Alex,” he said, his tone making it clear it wasn’t a request. “Meet me at the old factory on the outskirts of town tonight at 11 PM. There’s something you need to see.”

Before I could respond, he turned and left. The room felt colder after his departure, and a sense of dread settled over me. I was confused—why would he want me to meet him at such an isolated place? What is he planning to do that he couldn’t do here? As much as I wanted to decline his invitation, I decided to find out what he wanted. Who knows, he might not have any ill intentions.

The factory was a relic of the past, its dilapidated structure looming in the moonlight. I arrived a few minutes before 11, my heart pounding in my chest. As I walked through the rusted gates, I saw Mr. Mason waiting near the entrance, resting his back on his sleek black sports car, his silhouette stark against the eerie glow.

“You’re here,” he said, his voice echoing in the empty space. “Follow me.”

We walked through the dark corridors until we reached a large room. In the center was a table covered with papers, photographs, and strange artifacts. It looked like a villain's lair straight out of a movie.

I was confused. Turning back, I asked, “What’s this, Mr. Ma...” I was terrified. What was behind me was Mr. Mason holding a pistol pointed right at my face.

As I looked into Mr. Mason's eyes, all I saw was that same cold stare he always wore, and his finger tightened on the trigger. Just as he pulled the trigger, a loud clank reverberated through the factory. The bullet fired, and in that instant, a large, rusty gear from the ancient machinery above dislodged and fell with impeccable timing.

The gear crashed to the ground directly in the bullet's path, its thick metal absorbing the impact and causing the bullet to ricochet wildly around the factory. The bullet zipped past my ear, causing me to duck instinctively, and finally embedded itself harmlessly in a nearby wall.

We both froze. My mind raced with questions: why would Mr. Mason want to kill me? Who is this man? A moment of stunned silence followed, broken only by the slow, echoing drip of water from a leaky pipe above.

Seizing the absurdity of the moment, I looked at Mr. Mason and chuckled nervously. "Guess this factory isn’t as abandoned as we thought, huh?"

Suddenly, he let out a little grin. This was probably the first time I had seen him express any kind of amusement. Something was definitely off.

“I knew it,” he said, looking directly at me. I was confused. “Does he know about my inability to die? Does he know about the Glampri?” I thought to myself.

“You are not an ordinary human, are you? You met him, didn’t he? Tell me everything,” he said, still keeping his composure.

I knew it—he knows something. But there’s no way I’m giving him any information. Considering that he knows I can’t die, he should know a lot. I’ll make him tell me what he knows first. “What the hell are you talking about? You just shot a gun directly at me! What do you want from me?” I said, trying to look as believable as possible.

“Don’t play games with me. There’s no way this would be the reaction of someone who was about to die seconds ago,” he replied. “Oh no, I messed up,” I thought to myself.

I wasn’t ready to open up yet, so I replied, “Please, let me go. I didn’t do anything to you. Why do you want to kill me?”

He stood there and stared at me for a while, then started walking slowly towards me. I took some steps backward, but he was closing the gap between us. Then he looked me in the eye, his grin still on his face. His stare felt like it was piercing through my soul, making me feel both exposed and terrified.

Suddenly, he uttered a sentence that sent chills down my spine: “What do you know about the GLAMPRI, Alex?”