So, Ryuto and others leaned against the door and sneaked a peek inside.

There was a huge space inside that was disproportionate to the size of the door; the door looked just like an ordinary one from the outside, but inside, it was several hundred square meters.

The enormous rectangular space was divided into two sides by a spacious road in the middle, and what could be seen on the sides against the wall was... iron bars?

No, more precisely, it was a fence formed by intersecting iron bars.

Thus, there were many small spaces enclosed by the fence and the walls.

Huh?

It seems like I didn't come to the wrong place. This shouldn't be a prison.

But even though he reassured himself, the scene in front of him was not much different from a prison. Well, there was one slight difference; in a prison, typically each cell would only have one person.

But aside from that, no other differences could be found. Whether it was the cold iron bars preventing escape, the heavy chains on the bars, or the narrow spaces where one could only pace back and forth, everything appeared no different from a prison.

Anyone who saw this scene would surely think it was a prison.

Though, in a certain sense, this place was indeed similar to a prison, albeit only in a certain sense.

As Ryuto contemplated this, the masked man in black had already entered the space and seemed to have just arrived, looking around bewilderedly.

Although he should have known what this place was when he came, he gave off an air of not knowing anything, appearing only bewildered.

Although Ryuto didn't know the reason behind his reaction, he understood that the bewilderment was not due to unfamiliarity but rather because the reality surpassed his imagination, causing an unexpected kind of shock. Moreover, another emotion could be seen behind that bewildered gaze.

It was a different emotion from astonishment, but the two were causally related, and Ryuto understood this clearly. How to put it? Should he say...

Was it due to the camaraderie among them?

On the other hand, the original inhabitants of this space were also looking bewildered upon seeing this suspiciously dressed intruder...

Although he wanted to say that, in reality, it was not so. Even though they should have seen him, it felt like they were completely ignorant of his presence.

Indeed, they only had empty, lifeless eyes, focusing on the intruder, but showing no reaction that one would expect in such a situation.

There was no surprise, no panic, no joy; just a vacant stare at the intruder in front of them.

While one side was stunned in place, the other side remained motionless far away, one due to temporary immobilization and the other due to a deliberate lack of movement from the start. Even though they were all in handcuffs and ankle restraints, no sound of metal clanking could be heard, and despite that, everyone was still restrained.

The vast space was devoid of life, suffocatingly silent, and could only be described as oppressive, so stifling that it was hard to breathe.

Since they were strangers to each other, this deathly silence could not have been prearranged. The only possibility was that it happened by chance, that this stifling atmosphere was formed accidentally. But was it really just by chance?