Chereads / The Last Gate: Rise of the Analyst / Chapter 8 - The Watcher

Chapter 8 - The Watcher

Jun Xin picked up his pace, his shoes clicking faster against the empty pavement. The dim streetlights stretched his shadow long across the ground, flickering with each step. He tried to tell himself it was nothing—just exhaustion from the day's chaos. But deep down, he knew better.

Someone's there.

He glanced over his shoulder again. The street remained empty, but this time he caught something—just a trace—a shadow moving against the light.

His breath quickened.

Jun Xin's mind raced. Why would someone follow me? Is it connected to the Gates? To Park?

He turned down a smaller alley, the kind of path he usually avoided late at night. The air was damp, carrying the faint smell of garbage. He hoped the narrow path would give him an advantage—force whoever was following him to reveal themselves.

He walked a few steps deeper into the alley, then stopped abruptly. Without turning around, he called out.

"Who's there?"

The silence answered him. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.

"I know you're following me," he said, his voice louder now, though his hands remained stuffed in his coat pockets. His fingers curled tightly into fists. "Come out."

Still nothing.

Jun Xin's heartbeat thundered in his ears. He turned around slowly, scanning the alley. The shadows seemed to shift unnaturally. He blinked, squinting into the darkness. For a moment, he thought he saw the faint outline of a figure—a person with sharp, piercing eyes staring straight at him.

Then, just as quickly, the figure disappeared.

Jun Xin stumbled back a step. "What the hell…"

The streetlights buzzed overhead, and for a second, the nearest one flickered and died. Darkness swallowed the alley. Jun Xin froze, his body tensing as every hair on his neck stood up.

Run, his instincts screamed.

He bolted.

Jun Xin's feet pounded against the pavement as he sprinted out of the alley and back onto the main road. He didn't stop, even as his legs burned and his lungs screamed for air. The cold wind bit at his face, but he kept running, weaving through the quiet streets.

After several minutes, he ducked into a small convenience store at the corner of a block. He staggered to the back of the shop, leaning against the shelves as he caught his breath.

"Hey, are you okay?" the store clerk asked, eyeing him curiously.

Jun Xin straightened, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah… I'm fine. Just… a long day."

The clerk gave a shrug and turned back to his phone. Jun Xin glanced out the window, scanning the street outside. There was no sign of the figure.

Did I imagine it? he thought.

But it felt too real—the chill, the stare, the indication of movement. Jun Xin shook his head and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his phone. He hesitated for a moment, then called Min Su.

The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Jun Xin?" she answered, her voice dizzy. "It's the middle of the night. What's wrong?"

"Sorry to wake you," Jun Xin said quietly, his voice steady despite the uneasiness. "I think someone's following me."

Min Su's tone shifted instantly. "What? Where are you?"

"I'm at the convenience store near 8th Street. It's fine now—I think I lost them."

"Lost them? Who?"

"I don't know." Jun Xin ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't get a good look. But this doesn't feel random. Something's not right."

Min Su was silent for a moment. Then, "Do you think it's about the Gate?"

"That's what I'm worried about," Jun Xin replied. "We already know Park doesn't like people asking questions. What if—"

"Stop," Min Su interrupted. "Don't jump to conclusions yet. Stay there, okay? I'll come pick you up."

"You don't have to—"

"I'm coming," Min Su said firmly, and the call disconnected.

Jun Xin sighed, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He rubbed his temples, trying to clear his thoughts.

Fifteen minutes later, the convenience store door jingled, and Min Su walked in, wearing an oversized hoodie and sneakers. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were still half-asleep, but her expression was serious.

"You look like hell," she said, walking straight to him.

Jun Xin slightly smiled. "Thanks."

She grabbed a bottle of water off the shelf, paid for it, and handed it to him. "Drink. You look like you ran a marathon."

Jun Xin took the bottle gratefully and drank. "I don't think I imagined it," he said after a moment. "Someone was there. Watching me."

Min Su frowned, sitting on the edge of one of the low shelves. "What did you see?"

"Not much," Jun Xin admitted. "It was just… a shadow. But their eyes… I swear I saw them, just for a second."

Min Su looked thoughtful. "You think it's someone from HQ?"

"Or worse," Jun Xin said, his voice low. "Maybe someone connected to the Gates. Someone who doesn't want us looking too closely."

Min Su bit her lip, her expression uneasy. "This is getting serious, Jun Xin. If someone really is after you…"

"I'll be fine," he said quickly, trying to reassure her.

"You don't know that," she shot back. "If this has to do with the abnormal Gates, then we're dealing with something way bigger than we thought."

Jun Xin stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. We need answers."

Min Su leaned forward. "So what now?"

Jun Xin thought for a moment, then met her gaze. "We keep digging. If someone's trying to scare me, it means we're close to something."

Min Su hesitated. "Close to what, though?"

Jun Xin shook his head. "I don't know yet. But we're going to find out."

The next morning, Jun Xin and Min Su sat in the monitoring room at headquarters. The screens around them glowed softly, displaying data from various Gates. Most of them looked normal, but Jun Xin's focus remained on Gate #2092.

"Here," he said, pointing at the logs. "Look at this."

Min Su leaned over, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the screen. "The mana levels are fluctuating again."

"Exactly," Jun Xin said. "This Gate isn't stable. It's like… it's alive."

Min Su shivered. "Don't say things like that."

Jun Xin ignored her. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he pulled up old Gate records. "Remember what we saw before the signal cut out? That creature?"

Min Su nodded reluctantly. "I can't forget it."

"I've been thinking," Jun Xin continued. "What if that thing wasn't the Gate's guardian?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if it was the Gate itself—or part of it?" Jun Xin leaned back, his expression serious. "These Gates aren't just openings to another place. They're changing, and evolving. Maybe they're becoming something else entirely."

Min Su stared at him, her face pale. "You're talking like they're alive."

Jun Xin hesitated, then nodded. "Maybe they are. Or maybe something inside them is."

Min Su didn't respond right away. Finally, she said, "If that's true, what does it mean for us? For Rankers?"

"It means we're not prepared," Jun Xin said quietly. "And Park knows it. That's why he's trying to bury this."

Min Su frowned. "So what do we do?"

Jun Xin stared at the screen, his mind racing. "We need proof. If we're going to confront Park—or anyone—we need hard evidence."

Min Su sighed. "And where do we get that?"

Jun Xin glanced at her, his expression resolute. "We go back into the Gate."

Min Su froze. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Jun Xin said firmly. "We need to see what's happening inside Gate #2092. If it's really changing, we need to know why."

"Jun Xin, that's insane," Min Su said, her voice rising. "Ryu's team barely made it out alive. And you want to go back in?"

"I won't go unprepared," Jun Xin replied. "We'll find a way. If we don't do this now, more teams are going to die. And we still won't know what we're dealing with."

Min Su stared at him for a long moment. Finally, she sighed and rubbed her temples. "You're crazy."

"But you're in?" Jun Xin asked.

She gave him a hard look. "I'm in. But we do this carefully. One mistake and we're dead."

Jun Xin nodded, his jaw set. "Agreed."

Later that evening, Jun Xin left headquarters alone. The day had been long, and his body was sore from the stress. He walked down the familiar streets toward his apartment, hands in his pockets.

The streetlights buzzed softly above him, and for a while, everything felt quiet. Too quiet.

Then he felt it again.

The chill.

Jun Xin's steps slowed. He didn't turn around right away, but he could feel the presence behind him—like a weight pressing on his back.

Damn it, Not again.

This time,