Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 10: Mission Update

Eclipse's eyes widened. "What the heck?! All this time, you thought this was just a test?" She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Obscura pressed his lips into a thin line, offering no response.

Is he seriously treating this mission as just a test? Eclipse glanced at him in disbelief.

This is the trickiest, most dangerous mission I've ever taken! I'm fine fighting those bastards, but not in this terrifying, horror-movie-like atmosphere.

No ghosts, please!

She almost wanted to plead—no, pray—that there were no ghosts involved.

She hated this—the feeling of fear. It reminded her of what happened twelve years ago, when she had been powerless. She had trained relentlessly to become stronger, ensuring that she would never feel that way again. Every past mission had been a success because of that determination.

But now, for the first time in years, that old fear was creeping back.

And it wasn't just fear of the unknown. This mission was classified as Level 7+—the highest and most dangerous ranking.

Eclipse exhaled slowly, her pulse hammering. The mannequins stood motionless, their hollow eyes locked onto the door. There was something wrong about them—too deliberate, too unnatural.

Obscura, seemingly unfazed, scanned the hallway with his usual calm. "Keep moving," he said quietly. "Don't stop. Don't turn back."

Eclipse forced herself to nod, swallowing hard. "Right. Sure. Just a normal hallway... full of creepy mannequins." She tried to sound casual, but her grip on her knife was white-knuckle tight.

They stepped forward.

The silence pressed down on them, heavy and suffocating, broken only by the faint echo of their footsteps. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the floor itself resisted their passage.

Then—

A shift.

A whisper of movement.

Eclipse stopped. "Did you hear—"

Obscura's hand shot out, gripping her wrist. "Don't look."

But it was too late.

She had already seen it.

One of the mannequins had moved.

Not much—just the slightest tilt of its head. But that was enough.

"Obscura—"

"Move."

Something in his voice sent a chill down Eclipse's spine. She didn't argue. She just moved.

They strode forward, past the rows of mannequins, past the eerie silence.

Then—

Click.

The distinct sound of a lock shifting.

Ahead, a door creaked open on its own.

Eclipse stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, that's not ominous at all."

Obscura didn't hesitate. He stepped through without a word.

Eclipse took a deep breath and followed.

The moment they entered, the door slammed shut behind them.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

Neither of them moved.

Then, dim lights flickered on.

And they saw it.

A massive room lined with surveillance monitors.

Each screen displayed different parts of the amusement park—crowds, rides, food stands. But some screens showed something else.

Something wrong.

A performer in a zombie costume dragging an unconscious worker into a maintenance tunnel.

A guest sitting at a café, staring blankly ahead, their fingers tapping out a slow, rhythmic click-click-click against the table.

And on the largest screen—

A live feed of the hallway they had just walked through.

The mannequins were no longer still.

They were all facing the camera.

Obscura exhaled sharply. "I told you," he murmured. "This isn't just a test."

Eclipse felt a chill crawl up her spine. "You're the only one who thought it was."

Before he could respond, a new message flashed onto one of the screens.

MISSION UPDATE: SURVIVE.

Eclipse's breath caught in her throat as the words burned into the screen.

Not eliminate the target. Not retrieve an item. Just survive.

She turned to Obscura, who was already analyzing the surveillance feeds. His expression remained calm, but Eclipse knew better. That blank stare? That stillness? It meant things were far worse than they seemed.

She was right.

Deep down, Obscura was unsettled.

He hated this—this feeling of not being in control. Of not knowing what would happen next.

It reminded him of what happened twelve years ago.

Back then, he had been confident—too confident—that he could take down the kidnapper on his own. He hadn't anticipated a second attacker. He had been careless. Reckless. And because of that, he had been struck from behind.

Because of that, he had lost his father.

If only he had paid more attention. If only he had prepared better, instead of arrogantly assuming he had everything under control.

That was why, ever since that day, he had made sure to plan everything meticulously. To anticipate every possible outcome. To have multiple backup plans.

He only felt confident after assessing every scenario.

But this time?

He had nothing.

No plan. No answers. No way out.

For the first time in years, he felt completely lost.

His fingers curled into fists.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Eclipse.

She looked wary, but determined. Ready to fight. Ready to survive.

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Obscura took a slow breath, forcing himself to push aside the fear clawing at his mind. He couldn't afford to freeze. Not now. Not again.

He had already lost someone because of his mistakes.

He wouldn't let it happen again.

A low hum filled the room. The screens flickered. One by one, they switched to static—except for one.

The largest screen now displayed a countdown.

00:30:00

Thirty minutes.

Eclipse felt something cold settle in her stomach. "I don't like this," she muttered.

Obscura ignored her, fingers flying over the control panel. "The cameras are on a closed system," he said. "I can't access anything outside this room. But—" He tapped a few more keys. "I found a backup generator. If things go dark, we won't be completely blind."

Eclipse forced herself to focus. "Okay. So what's the plan?"

Obscura glanced at her. "First, we find out what happens when that timer hits zero."

Eclipse stiffened. "You want to wait and see?"

"We don't have a choice."

She wanted to argue, but before she could, a new sound filled the room.

A rhythmic click-click-click.

Eclipse's blood ran cold. She turned slowly, eyes locking onto the door they had entered through.

The handle was turning.

Click-click-click.

"Argh!" She clenched her teeth. She hated that sound.

The mannequins were no longer on the surveillance feed.

And now... something was trying to get in.

Eclipse tightened her grip on her knife. "Obscura—"

The lights flickered.

The door creaked open.

A shadowed figure stood in the doorway.

Then, it moved.

Fast.

Eclipse barely had time to react before something lunged straight at her.