I think it's not so much "missing" it as it is dismissing it as a red-herring. ARGs often have fake-outs. And the site's code/logo lean hard enough into the fic

I think it's not so much "missing" it as it is dismissing it as a red-herring. ARGs often have fake-outs. And the site's code/logo lean hard enough into the fictional Black Mesa lore that people are skeptical of it.