The email's content was succinct:
"You've got some nerve, looking for me. Want to know more? Click this, but don't tell anyone. Be careful, don't die too quickly."
Attached below was a URL, a string of seemingly random characters and numbers: http://x7k9p2m.onion. Alex frowned, murmuring, "A dark web?" He tried entering the URL in the browser, but it prompted "Unable to connect." He adjusted his glasses, analyzing in his mind: this wasn't an ordinary link, it probably required special means. He tried opening it with the Tor browser, but it still failed, the page displaying "Access restricted."
Alex stared at the screen, anxiety welling up within him. He wasn't a tech expert, and this kind of encrypted URL was beyond his capabilities. "I need to get help," he whispered. He flipped through his phone contacts, finding a name: James Li, his high school classmate, currently studying computer science at MIT. James had been a tech geek, having hacked the school's firewall. Alex knew he could help.
He dialed the number. After a few rings, a lazy voice came through. "Alex? Two in the morning, why aren't you sleeping?" Alex lowered his voice. "James, I need your help. There's a URL I can't open, it might be encrypted, I'll send it to you."
James yawned. "The dark web, huh? Send it over, let's take a look." Alex sent the URL. On the other end of the phone, he could hear the sound of keyboard strokes. A few minutes later, James said, "This isn't an ordinary address, the server has a time limit set up. I tried pinging it, the response is weird, like it's intentionally hiding."
Alex frowned. "Time limit?" James hummed. "Yeah, I analyzed the traffic packets, the server only opens at specific times. Factoring in the time difference and response latency, it's probably only accessible from 3:00 to 4:00 AM every day. There's no use trying now, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."
Alex whispered, "Anything else?" James paused for a moment, his tone becoming serious. "This website… it's strange. I looked at the page's source code, didn't find any specific content, but some of the annotations are bizarre, like 'trade,' 'blood,' 'weapons,' things like that. It doesn't seem like the work of ordinary hackers, more like… how do I put it, completely out of sync with our world. What are you looking into?"
Alex hesitated, whispering, "Some strange things, don't ask too much. Thank you, James." James chuckled. "Alright, just don't get yourself lost. Try again at three tomorrow, call me if there are any problems." The call ended, and Alex leaned back in his chair, feeling both excited and uneasy.
Alex closed his phone, looking up at the clock, it was already two in the morning. "Three to four…" he murmured. He had one more hour. He got up, adding "SCARLET Email: Dark Web URL, Limited Time Login" and "James: Open 3-4 AM, Bizarre Code" to the clue board. He stared at the string of characters, thinking: If I want to know what's going on with these monsters, this website might be the key.
He walked over to the window, pulling back the curtains, the New York night as black as ink, the distant skyscrapers sparsely lit. The bizarre realm flashed through his mind—the Sound Thieves' low growls, the woman's screams, Scarlett's red hair. He was too eager to know what was really going on, whether it was his inexplicable interest in the occult or these recent strange and exciting experiences.
Time ticked by, and he sat at his desk, staring at the computer screen. At precisely 3:00 AM, he took a deep breath, opened the browser, and typed in the string of characters. He pressed the Enter key, the page began to load, the screen flashing once, prompting "Connecting." He held his breath, awaiting the unveiling of the unknown.