“That’s right.
The scenery here is beautiful, and it’s a great place to bring your family.
As for Bigfoot, I’ve heard the rumors, but no one has ever actually seen one.”
The park director was more than happy to cooperate with the filming.
If the show got good ratings, the park would attract more visitors, which would mean considerably more income for him.
He wasn’t particularly concerned about whether Bigfoot might be dangerous.
If anything, he was looking forward to all those curious people flocking to the park.
Seeing how cooperative the park director was, Liam turned toward the camera.
“The park director has worked here for decades, so he must know the area inside and out.
Why don’t you take me into the forest and show me around?”
“No, no, no.
I’m getting too old for that.
I can’t keep up with you young people.
I’ll have a forest ranger take you instead.”
The park director waved his hands repeatedly.
Talking confidently in front of a camera was one thing.
Actually trekking through the forest was another.
As the man in charge, he naturally left that kind of physical work to his subordinates.
Before long, a Latino man in a forest ranger’s uniform walked in.
Behind him were three young people, two men and a woman.
The forest ranger approached the park director.
“Director, these three are film students from a nearby university.
They want to shoot a documentary about the Witch legend for their final project.”
The Witch?
The moment Liam heard that, his interest was piqued.
He stepped forward and approached the students.
“Guys, can you tell me how you found your lead about the Witch?”
The three students exchanged puzzled looks, unsure what this stranger who had suddenly approached them wanted.
Then one of the men abruptly pointed at Liam.
“I know him!
He’s the host of ‘Exploring the Truth’!”
The other man frowned.
“‘Exploring the Truth’?
Isn’t that a kids’ show?
Mike, you watch that?”
“No, actually, my little brother likes it…”
Mike instinctively started making excuses, but then immediately turned toward his companions.
“Didn’t we just get a lead about the Witch?
Josh, Heather, this guy’s an expert on this kind of thing.
We should hear what he has to say.”
Heather, the girl who had remained silent until now, was the leader of the group.
She had never seen Liam’s show, but from the little she had heard from her classmates, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
“We’re film students at a nearby university,” Heather finally said.
“We’re planning to shoot a documentary about the Witch legend.”
Seeing that they were willing to talk, Liam gave them a friendly smile.
“A Witch?
Sounds interesting.
What kind of lead do you have?”
Mike answered casually.
“Nothing particularly solid.
Just an anonymous letter about a Witch legend.”
An anonymous letter?
Liam immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Can I see it?”
Heather casually pulled an envelope from her backpack and handed it to him.
Liam opened it.
The letter had been written in crayon and described a legend about a Witch who bewitched villagers and performed human sacrifices in the forest.
Seeing how serious Liam suddenly looked, Mike gave an embarrassed explanation.
“Honestly, it’s not much of a lead.
We’re about to graduate, and we still had no idea what to do for our final project.
Then this letter showed up, so we figured we might as well come out here and see what we could find.
Even if there’s nothing to it, we can still shoot some wildlife and scenery…”
He continued venting his frustration, but stopped halfway through when Liam pulled out a letter of his own.
The paper and handwriting were exactly the same as theirs.
Liam stared at the two letters, his mind racing.
Bigfoot and the Witch.
Two seemingly unrelated things had somehow been connected in exactly the same way.
There had to be something much bigger behind all this.
Liam pulled out the Events Logbook and checked it.
Sure enough, something had changed.
[Unknown Creatures in the Forest]
[Event Level: C]
[Exploration Progress: 5%]
The increase in Exploration Progress meant the contents of the letter were connected to at least part of the truth.
Heather immediately grew excited.
“I get it.
Either this is some huge prank, or there’s an organization behind it hiding some kind of conspiracy.
Whatever’s in that forest, this is perfect material for our final project.”
Mike slapped his thigh in agreement.
“Exactly!
If this project turns out well, we might go straight to Hollywood!”
The three university students eagerly began checking and adjusting their equipment, ready to throw themselves into the investigation.
Liam smiled as well.
The more complicated the Event became, the more valuable the exploration would be, and the greater the Reward.
He also had a feeling that whatever secrets this forest held, they went far beyond Bigfoot and the Witch.
He turned to Heather and held out his hand.
“Looks like we’re after the same thing.”
Heather extended her hand as well.
“Then let me introduce everyone.
I’m Heather.
I handle the directing and narration.
This is Mike, our cameraman, and Josh, our sound engineer.”
Liam shook her hand, sealing their cooperation.
The park director watched the group of young people preparing to stake their futures on this project, then moved closer as well.
He lowered his voice and spoke to Liam.
“Hey, Mr.
Liam, if you get footage of anything interesting, make sure you show me first.
If your show becomes a hit, this place could turn into a major tourist attraction.
Then I’ll start selling souvenirs, and we can split the profits fifty-fifty.
What do you say?”
What a tacky idea.
That was what Liam wanted to say, but seeing how sincere the man looked, he decided not to turn him down.
Just as everyone was enthusiastically discussing where to begin the investigation, a tremendous crash came from outside.
BOOM!
Even the windows of the ranger station shook from the impact.
Everyone froze, afraid to move in case it was an earthquake.
Liam was the first to recover.
He rushed outside, with everyone else close behind.
They gathered in the clearing in front of the station and looked toward the source of the noise.
Above the forest, a helicopter trailed smoke as it circled unsteadily through the air.
Then it suddenly plunged into the depths of the woods.
Its rotor blades tore through a swath of tree trunks before the helicopter slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, gouging a shallow crater into the forest floor.
Everyone stared blankly toward the crash site.
Moments ago, they had been discussing fantastical things like Bigfoot and the Witch.
Now a helicopter had crashed right in front of them.
The surreal turn of events left the young students completely stunned.
The forest ranger nervously turned to the park director.
“Director, shouldn’t we call the police?”
The park director snapped back to his senses.
“Right.
Call them now.
I’ll head to the crash site first.
We might still be able to save some of the injured.
Damn it, why did all those lazy bastards have to take the day off today?”
With that, the park director climbed into one of the ranger station’s utility carts.
Without hesitation, Liam opened the door on the other side and got in as well.
The park director gave him a puzzled look, so Liam explained.
“I work for a TV station.
There’s no way I can pass up footage like this.
Besides, I can help.”
Heather, Mike, and Josh exchanged glances.
After a moment’s hesitation, they gritted their teeth and decided to follow as well.
Once everyone had left, the anxious look on the forest ranger’s face gradually faded.
He never called the police.
Instead, he took a different trail and disappeared deep into the forest.