The knocking interrupted Jason's reading once again.
Jason frowned slightly as he looked toward the 'door'.
The 'Initiator' spoke politely.
Jason nodded lightly.
The color faded from the 'door', revealing the 'Initiator' Pers.
Unlike the few previous encounters, this always calm and gentle 'Initiator' Pers now had a trace of something unusual on his face, a sign he tried to hide but still showed through.
Jason guessed based on the other's expression.
And the next moment, the 'Initiator' cut straight to the chase.
"Billder just had a car accident."
"The person is in a comatose state."
"Hospital tests indicate a high likelihood of vegetative state."
As his words ended, Pers's gaze fell on Jason.
It wasn't a stare, nor was it a peek.
But rather, it was something strange.
Or rather, an indescribable feeling.
This sensation was somewhat uncomfortable for Jason.
He felt that Pers's gaze upon him was as if he was looking at a 'harbinger of disaster'.
Send 9 met him, and then died.
Billder met him, and then became a vegetable.
But what does that have to do with Jason?
Others were plotting.
He, Jason, was innocent.
"Ahem, ahem, contestant Jason, no offense intended."
The 'Initiator' Pers cleared his throat lightly, starting to regulate his emotions.
The gaze from before, Pers assured himself it wasn't intentional.
It was just too coincidental.
So coincidental that he couldn't help but suspect more.
However, now that he had calmed down, he also believed that these two incidents must have been targeted.
Someone had made a move against the 'Send Family'.
He was involved in it all.
The Send Family definitely wouldn't see it that way.
With that family's approach, he could completely foresee what would come next.
He, most certainly didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
Thinking this, the 'Initiator' Pers somewhat regretted coming here directly.
He should have waited.
Waited until someone from above came to inquire, then he could have arrived.
Instead of coming over directly out of curiosity.
I had warned myself, to remain uninvolved!
But what's done is done.
He had no room left for regret.
Was it too late for a remedy?
As Pers pondered this, a conflicted look unwittingly appeared on his face.
"Contestant Jason, if you need anything, please press the call button."
"I am available 24 hours."
With these words, Pers turned and left.
As for what more to say to Jason?
The previous words were already the limit for an 'Initiator'; saying more would indeed risk being 'cleared' by the 'Send Family'.
Moreover, even with just this,
The 'Initiator' was already on tenterhooks.
In Pers's mind, some 'risky' plans started to emerge.
Pers turned and left, and the color of the 'door' returned to normal.
Jason watched the 'door'.
A hint of amusement appeared on the face obscured by the mask.
When Send 9 was assassinated, Jason felt an intuition that 'someone was plotting'.
The accidental car accident involving Billder solidified his intuition by a fraction.
The arrival of Pers further confirmed his suspicions.
Of course, Pers had no connection to 'The Planner'.
This 'Initiator' was likely just a 'pawn' like Galen.
Simply put, both Pers and Galen were carefully chosen by 'The Planner'.
Galen's kindness, diligence, yet not cowardice was what the other party valued.
What Pers was valued for was the curiosity and impulsiveness that he kept hidden.
According to Jason's reasoning, if it weren't for curiosity, Pers simply wouldn't appear at this time and would have chosen a more appropriate moment instead.
For example, accompanied by someone else.
Or simply, it would be when he was given an order.
Showing up alone at this moment would put Pers at an absolute disadvantage.
If he were Pers, what would he do at this time?
He likely would delete the footage of his visit here.
But by doing so, Pers would fall into another trap set by 'The Planner'.
Then, it would be a quagmire from which he couldn't extricate himself.
And all these were expected by 'The Planner'.
"Or... something bigger?"
Jason thought to himself, a glint flashing through his eyes.
He hadn't forgotten his own identity: The Hunter.
Known by 'viewers' and most of the time as 'The Hunter', and in official records referred to as 'The Brutalizer'.
Similarly, how could 'The Planner' have possibly overlooked him after scheming so much?
Just like Galen, just like Pers.
But slightly different.
His pawn identity was 'random', not fixed.
Initially, he wasn't a 'pawn'; the 'pawn' identity was established as he became a 'victor' in the preliminaries.
This meant that in the previous preliminaries, whoever became the 'victor', would be the victor.
Whether it was the 'Big Boy', the 'Wheelchair Strategist', or the 'Skull Collector', any could have.
But, this type of 'arrangement' had many uncertainties.
For 'The Planner' to quickly arrange for Pers as the 'Initiator' was not easy.
"This Planner, not only holds a significant position in the 'game', but also has everything prepared well in advance, just waiting for me, or another 'Hunter', to appear, then to initiate this plan."