Exploring the Backrooms

Investigators, Foundation members, and members of various cults from the Death World have all gathered in a city called Hilda.

As the last city established during the expansion of the Land of New Life, Hilda's prosperity and population size cannot be compared with other cities.

But in the grand era of Magic Energy, this place isn't too bad; in fact, it's far more in line with the style of the Magic Energy era than any other city before it.

The style of the Magic Energy Era, on the other hand, is more artistic.

After all, most of the crazy people, or those on the verge of madness who wield power, are artists.

A sleek, towering black castle, a magic tower hundreds of meters high, and gear-like mechanical houses remodeled in the style of the steam age—all sorts of architectural styles can be found here.

However, during this period, this city, which was usually deserted, suddenly became incredibly lively.

Many famous figures gradually arrived from the central cities, with Arkham as the main city.

Their purpose in coming here was, of course, the legendary SCP-001 supernatural event.

At this moment, everyone gathered in front of a wall, Common steel city wall, which looked nothing special.

But no one dared to approach within five meters.

"This is it. Wow, I never expected that such an ordinary-looking place would lead to another world."

A member of the Esoteric Order of Dagon muttered something, then picked up a stone and threw it.

The stone, which should have struck the wall and made a sound, simply disappeared before their eyes as if it had sunk into the water.

"Who dares to give it a try?"

"Aren't you Esoteric Order of Dagon members going to lead the charge? Otherwise, you'll be letting down all your followers."

"After all, your great god is watching you from the darkness, and our lives are dark enough already."

Other sects wanted the Esoteric Order of Dagon members to try it out.

"Fuck you, get the hell out of here! Your mouth stinks as much as my socks. You'll be thrown into the ocean to feed the fish one day. This kind of thing should be done by the Foundation members."

The Foundation's task force present completely ignored them; they were there to investigate, not to die.

However, they still took the necessary action, immediately contacting the nearest Foundation location via the Magic Energy communicator.

"Bring five Class-D Personnel over immediately; their help might be needed here."

Immediately, someone spoke up, "By the time your people arrive, this strange space will probably have already disappeared. We can't afford to miss this opportunity to discover it, otherwise, who knows how long it will be before we encounter it again."

"What are you waiting for? You go down first. Anyway, some people have already successfully come out of there, so there must be a passage to the Real World."

"Then why don't you go?"

For a moment, everyone present was arguing.

They all wanted to know where this place led and what was inside.

When it comes to the unknowns of this world, all humanity, regardless of church or organization, shares the same goal: to understand them.

However, they were terrified of this completely unknown place.

They knew all too well that the unknown was the most terrifying thing in the world.

But just then, someone from the crowd behind shouted, "Make way, make way! Mr. Francis is coming!"

"Oh, our legendary investigator has finally arrived, Francis, old buddy, what took you so long?"

The crowd parted, making way for them.

A man who was 1.8 meters tall, wearing a leather jacket and a cowboy hat, with slightly dark skin and a calm expression on his face, walked in as if nothing could shake his composure.

Francis, the legendary investigator, was also a familiar face in various churches; everyone present knew him.

There were even quite a few "comrades" who had participated in the investigation together. As for what betrayals occurred during the investigation, only they themselves know the truth.

However, when it came to investigating and handling Eldritch Beings events, they all unanimously felt that Francis was extremely reliable.

"Francis, what do you think?"

Francis didn't look at it, but instead stated the results of his investigation into SCP-001 over a long period of time.

"According to reliable records, at least a thousand people vanished into thin air, but only one person reappeared afterward."

"That world has a passage back, but returning would definitely be extremely difficult."

Francis raised his head as he spoke, a confident smile spreading across his face.

"But compared to the endless Mountains of Madness and the unfathomable Sea of Death, do you think this place is more dangerous?"

No one present dared to say such a thing with such confidence; only Francis could.

Because he had truly returned from those places unharmed.

Some say he was lucky, but luck is precisely a part of ability.

"Since you all want to know what's inside, why don't we go in and explore together?"

"Isn't this the very purpose for which you were sent here?"

"And with me leading the way, don't you old buddies want to rediscover the thrill of the past?"

Everyone was intrigued; indeed, as Francis had said, their purpose in coming here was to investigate this place.

Before, I was afraid, but now that someone has taken the lead, and it's Francis, who seems to have a natural leadership quality, he doesn't seem so scary anymore...

"Alright, Francis, with you saying that, we'll follow you as long as you go down. We're all people who've walked on the edge of death; what's so scary about death!"

"Exactly. There are many things in this world more terrifying than death. Maybe there's a place out there that's far better than this world."

"My Lord, please bless me."

Seeing that everyone had agreed, Francis looked at the wall in front of him.

His eyes were resolute, which explained his willingness to take all sorts of risks and act without hesitation.

It wasn't just a childhood dream; I wanted to investigate all the Eldritch Beings and truly understand this world.

It was also to find that person.

The mysterious person who once gave him bread and a letter of introduction to make him an investigator.

Since settling into a stable life, Francis has been searching for that person.

But after searching for several years in the streets where they had met, there was still no news.

They then conducted investigations through various connections, but found absolutely no leads.

The person who once helped him is now as if they never existed.

But Francis had a feeling that the other party was not simple, perhaps just like those Eldritch Beings.

It is a mysterious existence that cannot be detected in this world.

So he kept searching for her everywhere.