In this world, there exists such a group of people.
They are spread across the globe, with all kinds of identities—thugs, con artists, reporters, hooligans, students, university professors, archaeologists, merchants, tycoons, even detectives, soldiers, and police officers…
Their professions span nearly every occupation you can imagine.
They can be men or women, young or old, scattered across every corner of the world. They are not members of any single organization. They do not worship the same religion, nor do they share a common belief.
And yet they have one thing in common—
At some point, by accident or intention, they encountered the indescribable, terrifying existence hidden on the other side of this world—of this universe. Faced with horrors capable of driving mortals insane, forcing them to kneel and beg for annihilation, they summoned their courage. They stood against those unspeakable threats and again and again thwarted schemes meant to drag humanity and the world into chaos and destruction.
They are the greatest unsung heroes of this world—
Investigators.
That's how this world's setting defines them.
Government agencies here are aware—more or less—of such matters. In fact, they secretly research these indescribable threats. Of course, publicly they deny their existence. If such things were ever exposed, it would only cause widespread panic.
Logically, you might expect them to establish a specialized organization like in movies or comics—Men in Black, for example.
But that isn't the case.
The logic is simple.
If the government denies their existence, then it obviously can't create an official department to research or exterminate them. That would be admitting they're real.
By the same reasoning, public officials can't handle these matters either.
It's like how everyone says spirit-medium rituals are feudal superstition—so you can't exactly have government employees performing them.
But since the threat is real, what's the solution?
That's where Investigators come in.
According to this world's setting, if someone is lucky—or unlucky—enough to encounter such an incident and survives, they will almost certainly call the police. If the police confirm the situation upon arrival, they will invite the "survivor" to become an Investigator.
From the government's perspective, Investigators are essentially external contractors or temporary workers for the police department.
It's a compromise born of necessity.
Just look at what Investigators actually do.
You go to a small town to investigate mysterious disappearances.
You find a suspicious house and pick the lock to break in.
Inside, you discover clues. Then you crack open a safe and find documents.
You discover a hidden room inside a wall—so you smash the wall down.
You alert an unspeakable monster, and to prevent disaster, you set the entire house on fire.
Breaking, smashing, looting, burning—the full package.
If it involves human sacrifice or kidnapping, and the police arrest someone later, imagine them exploding in court:
"You had no warrant and you dared break into my house, smash everything, even set it on fire? Is that how you handle cases? Is this evidence even legal?!"
Of course it isn't legal.
But look at it from another angle.
If a thief breaks into someone's house to steal, then discovers drugs hidden inside, and suddenly grows a conscience—taking the drugs to the police to report drug trafficking—
That's not the police's fault, is it?
After all, the police didn't steal it.
Once there's a report, the police now have legitimate grounds to search the property.
And the thief?
He can atone for his crime with merit.
Investigators play the role of the "thief."
That's why every mission requires Investigators to gather all clues. These are essential for legal evidence. With sufficient proof, even breaking and entering or arson can be treated with leniency as "meritorious service."
But if the evidence is insufficient…
Well.
Then you're a criminal.
This is also why Investigators never become official government personnel.
As long as you are an "outsider," whatever you do has nothing to do with the government. You weren't instructed or authorized by them. Everything was your own doing.
For that reason, being an Investigator is often just a title.
Since you're not affiliated with the government, you receive no special allowance. No benefits. No official status.
And if something weird happens?
The police's first thought is probably to call you.
In other words—
You're probably being fed to the tiger.
Of course, Investigators aren't just scapegoat temps.
On one hand, becoming an Investigator gives you a "backdoor channel" with the police. As long as the evidence is solid, whether you picked locks or burned buildings, you can likely make bail and sleep in your own bed that same night.
On the other hand, once you become an Investigator, you receive sponsorship from an organization called "The Foundation."
After all, on the surface, it's a civilian organization.
Which means it has nothing to do with the government.
In fact, the day after Duanmu Huai returned home, a blank envelope appeared in his mailbox.
Inside were two sheets of paper.
One was a card bearing his name and a large "D" symbol.
The other contained a website URL.
Duanmu Huai silently turned on his computer, entered the address, and accessed the Foundation's website.
On the surface, it looked like a normal charitable foundation site, full of content about public welfare and humanitarian aid.
Only after entering his name and ID number did the Foundation reveal its true face.
However…
"Not very useful…"
Looking at the list on the screen, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but complain.
This interface was the Foundation's "benefits store" for internal members. In simple terms, the points earned from evidence and artifacts recovered during missions could be exchanged here for various items.
Houses. Vehicles. Weapons. Equipment.
All sorts of things.
Unfortunately, Duanmu Huai was currently a D-class member. So the items available to him were nothing special.
Reality Stabilization Anchors?
Kant Counters?
Forget it.
D-class personnel (shrug).
For Duanmu Huai, the most important thing right now was a weapon.
Typical Investigators carried daggers, revolvers, or small knives. Easy to carry. Convenient to use.
But that didn't work for him.
Firearms were useless. His shooting skills were terrible. And with hands his size, normal guns looked like toy pistols.
As for melee weapons…
What was he supposed to do? Walk around the city carrying a greatsword or a warhammer?
This wasn't a fantasy world.
Fortunately, he eventually found something suitable.
A cane.
In the game, there was a similar weapon called a sword cane. It looked like a gentleman's walking stick, but with a pull of the handle, a blade could be drawn from within.
It was popular among players—wear a sharp suit, carry a sword cane, and look cool.
Stylish and practical.
But Duanmu Huai obviously couldn't use a normal one.
In his hands, that would be no better than a toothpick.
However…
He could custom order one.
No blade. No mechanism.
Just have someone forge a solid black steel cane.
Problem solved.
Given his height, the cane would need to be over two meters long. It wouldn't weigh less than dozens—if not a hundred—kilograms. Carve the head into an eagle's beak shape for aesthetics.
Elegant enough to pry open crates.
Heavy enough to smash people.
With a hundred kilograms coming down, he'd like to see who could withstand that blow.
Big man drives big truck, swings big stick, fires big rifle.
What's wrong with that?
Oh right. The truck…
After returning home, Duanmu Huai immediately had the maid send the heavy truck for modification.
MMP, that thing was basically a shipping container for transporting lions and tigers. How was a human supposed to sit in it?
At the very least, it needed proper seating and interior modifications.
Sure, he was large.
But you couldn't just throw him into an empty container.
The modification company was stunned—especially after meeting Duanmu Huai in person.
They immediately realized—
This might be the hardest job they'd ever taken.
Still, for the sake of money, they gritted their teeth and agreed.
Modifying the heavy truck and container would take time.
And during that time, Duanmu Huai didn't intend to sit idle.
Since he was already here—
If trouble didn't come looking for him,
He could go looking for trouble.
So very quickly, Duanmu Huai set his sights on a pilgrimage site that almost every player visited upon arriving in this world.
A place in the same region as Arkham City.
Well-known.
Widely celebrated.
Coveted by players.
Innsmouth.
(End of Chapter)