The next day, August 25, 2030, Eastern Federation.
"According to regulations, we'll just go through the motions."
They met at two in the afternoon.
Section Chief Liu pulled a flat strip resembling a ruler from his pocket and gestured for Bai Zhou to expose his wrist.
"What's this?"
Bai Zhou extended his left hand. He watched as the other man smacked the orange "ruler" against his hand, then flicked it.
With a crisp slap,
the taut "strip" suddenly bent like a startled snake and tightly clasped around Bai Zhou's wrist.
The sudden, icy restraint made Bai Zhou somewhat uncomfortable.
"This is called a Huami Bracelet. It's very convenient to wear."
Section Chief Liu said,
"Sometimes, we also call it a Pat Pat Bracelet, or a Slap Bracelet."
Immediately afterward—
With a ding-dong, a semitransparent little screen lit up on the flat bracelet.
"Commissioner ID F100000086, authentication successful."
"Huami Bracelet Military Special Edition Honor, delighted to serve you."
A gentle yet mechanical female voice rang out.
"'Best Employee of the Month' voting is now underway—scan your work ID's QR code to participate."
Bai Zhou slid his finger across the little screen in amazement a few times and quickly saw Section Chief Liu's familiar face.
A crew-cut, square-faced man with a complexion black as the bottom of a pot, wearing a stiff smile in his ID Photo.
Bai Zhou had only just cast his vote when Section Chief Liu's voice came over:
"It has many practical functions, but there's something I need to make clear first."
He pointed at the bracelet.
"According to regulations, two special functions have been installed on it specifically for you."
"—One is a force-field restraint for Void Contamination, meant to prevent the Void Contamination on your body from affecting ordinary people outside."
"And the other is..."
Section Chief Liu's voice faltered.
His solemn expression held a trace of awkwardness. After a long while, he finally forced out two words:
"Location tracking."
Location monitoring.
It would self-destruct if forcibly removed.
In short, it was a shackle in another form.
There was no need to say more. Bai Zhou understood immediately.
...It might even be more reasonable this way.
Yesterday, he had still been wondering how he could leave so easily.
In the eyes of the Special Management Department, Bai Zhou was hardly some innocent, respectable young man—
He had grown up in a Blood Worship Cult Stronghold and carried contamination throughout his body.
He was still in the Special Management Department's "observation period," and had not completely shed suspicion of being a Blood Worship Cult spy.
They had not taken him away and locked him up for several years first for two reasons. One was that he had cheated during the test;
the other was thanks to modern civilization's emphasis on human rights.
So in the short term, he had always regarded this base as a prison where he could move freely and receive free food and lodging.
That was fine, too.
—The people of neighboring Evening City were still lying in hospitals, receiving controlled treatment!
Now that he could actually be taken outside, Bai Zhou himself would have felt uneasy if they had not imposed some restrictions.
He might even have been terrified—
They're suddenly treating me this well. Am I about to be given a last meal?
This matter was also recorded in the Black Robe of Evening City.
Whenever someone was about to be dragged to the square for judgment, they would be given a good meal in prison the day before.
Apparently, Sister Li had asked for "finger-licking original chicken," though nobody understood what she was talking about.
In the end, she ate a bowl of egg fried rice.
"..."
Bai Zhou shook his wrist a few times. Seeing that the bracelet showed no abnormality, he blinked.
But...
Wearing this thing really was uncomfortable.
Nobody wanted to be "watched" at all times, and even fewer people liked carrying an uncontrollable bomb on their person.
Fortunately—
The previous night, he had asked Ya about going outside.
Ya had mentioned the existence of the "bracelet" in advance.
While telling Bai Zhou not to worry about wearing it, Ya had also drawn several Rituals on his back.
Some concealed his spirituality, while others could block the bracelet's signal at a critical moment...
So Bai Zhou had actually anticipated everything happening now. He only had to pretend to be shocked and frightened.
What truly surprised Bai Zhou was Section Chief Liu's honesty.
He even turned around and comforted the embarrassed Section Chief Liu.
"It's fine. I understand! You're just following the rules."
But Bai Zhou's "understanding" only made Section Chief Liu feel even more ashamed.
"After spending these past few days together, I know what kind of person you are. Of course I believe you."
"But this is a sensitive period, and the rules are the rules..."
His voice grew softer and softer, while Section Chief Liu's dark face turned a deep reddish black.
For someone with his personality, nothing was more painful than betraying the trust of a colleague who believed in him.
"It's fine, it's fine... Chief, I really understand."
Bai Zhou continued comforting him without blushing or missing a beat.
"It's just the 'observation period.' This won't be necessary in the future."
"Actually..." Section Chief Liu said in a low voice, "if you set aside those two functions, the Pat Pat Bracelet really is a rare and excellent thing."
"Generally, only Level P2 Specialists can be equipped with one. And unless they're going on an external assignment, they absolutely aren't allowed to wear it!"
"An excellent thing?"
Bai Zhou lowered his head and looked at the flat bracelet clasped tightly around his wrist.
Going on an external assignment wearing this thing... Were they planning to turn him into a human bomb?
Considering how extreme the Special Management Department was, it was impressive that the Blood Worship Cult had managed to survive until now.
"The whole point of developing it was to make it convenient for Commissioners to use under all kinds of circumstances, while improving their hidden combat and survival capabilities."
As he spoke, Section Chief Liu also pulled out a similar flat strip and slapped it around his wrist.
The two were identical in shape. Bai Zhou's was a vibrant orange, while Section Chief Liu's was green.
"Commissioner ID..."
A similar mechanical voice rang out.
After a few simple operations, under Bai Zhou's gaze, Section Chief Liu first voted for himself on the Best Employee of the Month page without changing expression.
Then he lightly tapped the surface of the bracelet twice.
With a hum—
Under Bai Zhou's incredulous gaze,
a deep-blue beam of light shot upward, instantly unfolding into a suspended, semitransparent 3D holographic projection.
As Section Chief Liu grabbed, swiped, pinched, and rotated the image, the projection changed along with him, displaying different pages.
"Accessing nearby holographic maps, satellite communications, and recording scanned documents are only the basic functions."
Section Chief Liu tapped an icon on the menu.
The next second,
Section Chief Liu vanished invisibly before Bai Zhou's eyes.
Just as Bai Zhou was staring in astonishment, Section Chief Liu "slowly" reappeared in the same spot.
It was as if he were surfacing from underwater, normal colors gradually appearing on his body.
Like a chameleon.
"This is called Optical Camouflage, the latest technology developed by the Special Management Department Research Institute."
"Unfortunately, it can only be used in areas with strong light, so it's rather particular about the environment."
Section Chief Liu introduced the bracelet.
"Besides that, it also has an energy shield, electromagnetic interference, and so on. You can try them yourself."
Even without being told, Bai Zhou had long since been unable to hold himself back. He played with it to his heart's content.
It was miraculous.
Truly miraculous!
The remarkable techniques Ya had shown him were miraculous in a different way.
The key was that no learning was required. Even a child could turn into a mysterious agent with countless tricks simply by receiving one of these bracelets!
—What surprised Bai Zhou was that such a situation really had happened in reality.
"Once, a senior Commissioner took his bracelet home. His mischievous child stole it, and it nearly caused a major disaster."
"That's why the Special Management Department strictly controls them. They can't be worn unless necessary, and they're even less permitted to be taken outside the base."
As he spoke, Section Chief Liu removed the bracelet from his wrist.
"—But occasionally, this bracelet has another use."
Section Chief Liu pointed at Bai Zhou's wrist.
"Like now."
"Once we return to the base, you'll have to hand it back."
"Tsk..." Bai Zhou shook his head regretfully.
He suddenly felt—
Electronic Shackles were not entirely unacceptable after all.
He had actually obtained special equipment meant for Level P2 Specialists early, while still holding the status of a Level P1 newcomer.
—Although this equipment came with "extras."
...Later, the department's Commissioners arrived one after another.
There were more than ten of them. Aside from a few newcomers, most were Level P2 Specialists.
"Let's go."
Section Chief Liu tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground, twisted open his Stainless Steel Thermos, took a sip of tea, and then spat a tea leaf onto the ground.
"It's time to set out."
The base was brightly lit, while the tremendous hum of machinery echoed overhead.
Walking against the patrols, the group passed one gray building after another as if out on an excursion, strolling leisurely toward the base entrance.
Surveillance cameras, guard posts, and roadblocks were all present here. More than a dozen fully armed soldiers guarded a massive...
Cave?
Or rather, the entrance to a tunnel.
Every Commissioner filled out a form and registered their departure.
The moment they stepped into the tunnel, a chill clung to their skin.
The rock walls were uneven, while dim yellow mining lamps hung along both sides like sparse decorations.
The long tunnel tracks wound upward, pitch-black and leading straight into an unfathomable darkness from an unknown time.
This was Bai Zhou's first time reaching the exit of the underground base.
He silently followed behind the others, observing without speaking.
At the same time, he muttered inwardly:
The ground is full of potholes, and the road ahead is pitch-black... They aren't seriously planning to walk up, are they?
Why is leaving the base more arduous than joining a mountaineering expedition...
"We need transportation."
Section Chief Liu said calmly:
"Land mines, electromagnetic nets, Pulse Guns, machine-gun fire lines..."
"This tunnel is filled with traps designed to defend against outside enemies."
"—Only a specific means of transportation can get past them safely."
Bai Zhou's heart tightened. Looking at the profound tunnel that seemed to devour people, he felt a chill rise within him.
After walking a few steps deeper by the dim light of the mining lamps, he indeed saw a winding steel track.
It lay there silently, spiraling upward.
At the starting point of the track, an "open-top" Rail Mining Cart resembling a Small Cart appeared before the group.
Its four wheels clung tightly to the rails. The gray, dusty mining cart was flecked with rust.
At its rear, an enormous industrial electric fan that looked as though it had been salvaged from a garbage heap had been installed in an extremely incongruous manner.
Several of the blades were bent and warped, while the protective grille had vanished without a trace. It was extremely crude.
Two iron pipes had been attached between the broken blades, their intended purpose highly suspicious.
"What...?"
Bai Zhou was examining it when Section Chief Liu handed him a heavy yellow Miner's Hat.
"Safety first."
After dropping that remark, Section Chief Liu briskly organized everyone:
"Let's go in batches. Bai Zhou, you're with me."
With a click, Bai Zhou switched on the lamp on his "Little Yellow Hat."
A brilliant beam immediately shot from his forehead, piercing the depths of the darkness.
"..."
He felt less like he was heading out to experience freedom
and more like he'd been abducted and taken down a black mine to dig for ore.
After putting on his helmet, he approached the "convertible" Rail Mining Cart and carefully climbed aboard.
--Even so, he still managed to get some dust on his trousers.
"Sit tight!"
His fellow miner, Section Chief Liu, who was also wearing a Miner's Hat, crouched down inside and pressed a button as he spoke.
"I'm setting off!"
"...Clank! Clank!"
The ground jolted beneath their feet. The "convertible" mining cart began moving slowly, its cheerful clanking echoing rhythmically through the silent tunnel.
The mining lamp above his head illuminated only the darkness immediately ahead. A hidden underground world slowly unfolded before Bai Zhou.
Water droplets pattered down. The tunnel walls were covered in dark, damp rock, colorful and brilliant like a magnificent starry night frozen in place.
When Bai Zhou turned his head, the beam from his helmet lamp swept across the walls, occasionally revealing sudden flashes of crystalline light. They were tiny fragments of ore embedded in the stone.
There was a simple yet wondrous novelty here, as though he were listening to the heartbeat of the planet at close range.
The mining cart traveled along a secret path that seemed to come from the heart of the earth, making Bai Zhou think of the Underground City Adventure Short Story he'd once read in Evening City--
The Adventurer exploring the treasures of an underground city swung his sword at a Slime blocking the way.
The Slime didn't dodge. Its body stuck to the sword.
Then the Slime reported the matter to Black Robe--because Evening City prohibited privately keeping bladed weapons.
--Bai Zhou remembered that the full title of the adventure short story seemed to be Late City Ban on Blades Popular Science. It was said to have been compiled by an Elder with a black badge.
There were no Slimes here, but this was a genuine underground world.
In that case, Bai Zhou was the Adventurer riding the mining cart.
But there were no treasures from the Previous Civilization here,
only countless traps that the Special Management Department had hollowed out the ground to install...
Bai Zhou had already glimpsed many bunkers and electric fences from the corner of his eye.
This tunnel was the only passage connecting the base to the outside world. It was also the safe zone the Special Management Department had built for itself.
Under these circumstances, did the Blood Worship Cult really dare target the Special Management Department...?
Bai Zhou was muttering inwardly when Section Chief Liu's deep voice suddenly came from beside him:
"Do you know? This tunnel leading to the surface is extremely long. Traveling through it normally takes twenty minutes, which is very inconvenient."
"In the end, the madmen at the research institute solved the problem."
As he spoke, Section Chief Liu suddenly pulled out a strap from the side, fastened it into the slot from left to right, and secured himself in place.
"Sit tight, Bai Zhou!"
"What?"
Bai Zhou immediately copied him, but he was utterly confused.
Section Chief Liu's expression turned profound. "Have you heard of..."
"Propeller Jet Acceleration?"
"Huh?"
Bai Zhou could no longer understand what he was talking about at all.
"I'll say it one last time--"
Section Chief Liu's voice came again.
"I'm accelerating!"
Then, under Bai Zhou's ghost-struck stare as he turned his head:
The nonsensical broken fan blades began spinning faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, they emitted the enormous roar of a propeller.
The several crooked "water pipes" inserted beside them suddenly sprayed out a translucent gas.
Then,
the wind began to blow.
With a boom,
the translucent gas behind the "water pipes" ignited, shooting out into long, ghostly-blue flames.
A powerful force suddenly shoved them back into their seats.
"AAAAAAAH--!"
Accompanied by Bai Zhou's cry, the open-top mining cart roared and accelerated through the endless darkness of the tunnel.
The lights on their two helmet lamps flashed past like ghost fire.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
Faster than the wind, leaving everything in the dust!
A group of bats resting upside down on the cavern ceiling were startled awake. They flapped into the air in a huge swarm, like a moving velvet cloak, only to be left far behind in the darkness behind the mining cart in the blink of an eye.
On Blue Star, they were racing through the belly of the planet.
Racing through an underground world in a modified mining cart that looked like a Small Cart...
Although it sounded even more unbelievable than a fairy tale, Bai Zhou was indeed experiencing this absurd adventure.
In the blink of an eye,
the mining cart crossed mountains and ridges and arrived at the end of the tracks.
From far away, Bai Zhou saw a tightly shut, sealed Great Door.
"Clank, clank..."
The mining cart began to slow down.
The "propeller" stopped spinning.
The "Jet Pipes" stopped spewing flames.
"We're here."
Section Chief Liu squirmed inside the cramped mining cart and undid his safety belt, preparing to get out.
--Bai Zhou, the Underground Dweller from below,
was about to arrive at the unfamiliar surface.
"Beep--"
Section Chief Liu swiped his card to authenticate himself before the door.
The pitch-black, heavy Great Door slowly opened.
What would the world outside look like?
Bai Zhou's imagination ran wild.
But he actually knew that the first thing he'd see definitely wouldn't be Tinghai City.
The underground base was so enormous that there obviously couldn't be a city inhabited by people directly above it. Even without thinking, he knew it had to be in the suburbs.
So he should first see Blue Star's flowers and trees, and the boundless, deserted Wilderness.
Then he would enter the city with everyone else.
Would he have a chance to visit Dongxing Road along the way and take a look at that Dead Sea Scrolls...?
It seemed unlikely.
Bai Zhou pondered.
The rock wall trembled, and dust rustled down.
The outside world gradually came into view.
"This is..." Bai Zhou blinked.
What met his eyes was completely different from the boundless, desolate outskirts he'd imagined.
But it wasn't a city, either.
--It was merely a bare... storeroom?
The Great Door was embedded in one of its walls.
Following Section Chief Liu out of the storeroom, Bai Zhou found himself in a room filled with shelves. The light was dim, and the roller shutter was tightly closed.
Then Section Chief Liu slowly walked over, bent down, and opened the door.
The roller shutter was lifted bit by bit.
Light poured in.
A surging, pure gift from nature--golden light utterly unfamiliar to Bai Zhou--came flooding through the widening gap.
"Tap..."
Bai Zhou slowly reached the doorway. Towering unfamiliar buildings, made from countless enormous panes of glass and gleaming metal, glittered brilliantly beneath the dome of the sky.
Neon lights flashed in alternation. The honking of horns, the friction of tires against the ground, and the indistinct laughter and conversation of crowds converged and surged toward them like a sea tide.
In the distance, the "iron boxes" Bai Zhou had only recently learned were called cars formed moving ribbons of light, while crowds flowed endlessly like rivers.
There was also an unfamiliar azure, crystal-clear sky.
And a golden sun.
Everything unfamiliar and tremendously prosperous appeared vividly before Bai Zhou.
--Right across the street stood the tallest and most eye-catching skyscraper among all the buildings.
A huge electronic sign hung from the roof of the imposing building.
Its lights flashed conspicuously even in daylight, displaying--
"Tinghai Welcome You!"
Perhaps the entire Tinghai City could see that enormous sign.
Bai Zhou stared blankly at everything before him, then belatedly turned to look behind him.
The greatest concealment was in the city!
The underground base wasn't in the suburbs after all. It was directly beneath downtown Tinghai City.
...Bai Zhou looked up.
This shabby little building sat in the city center and kept its doors closed year-round, topped by a sign that had almost completely lost its paint.
--"Oddities General Store."
The underground base entrance of Black Box Special Management Department Branch 36 was hidden inside it.
At that moment,
with a boom--
a deep engine roar suddenly came from beside him, bringing Bai Zhou back to his senses.
Only then did Bai Zhou realize that Section Chief Liu had disappeared at some point while he was distracted.
"Where did he go...?"
"Beep beep!"
The horn sounded twice, followed by Section Chief Liu's shout. "Bai Zhou! Over here!"
Bai Zhou hurriedly looked toward the voice, then blinked. He could hardly believe his eyes.
"Are you Section Chief Liu?!"
On the busy street, a car was parked by the roadside.
A pale-yellow Maserati MC20 looked as elegant as a swan craning its neck.
In the driver's seat, a cool and handsome Square-faced Middle-aged Man in a striking white suit waved vigorously at Bai Zhou.
He wore the same style of sunglasses as the Major, a gold chain around his neck, and a flamboyant bright red rose tucked into the breast pocket of his suit.
If not for the Stainless Steel Thermos in the car, printed with the words "Thank-You Return Gift, Limited Edition"...
Even if the man had called out to him, Bai Zhou would never have dared recognize him as Section Chief Liu!
--Never mind where this car had come from.
The man had even changed into an entirely different outfit from who-knows-where!
Where was that reliable, plainly dressed older brother?
Bai Zhou stood there blankly.
"Now that we're in the city, we should look like city people."
Section Chief Liu calmly stepped out of the car, his gleaming custom Leather Shoes striking the pavement as he walked straight toward Bai Zhou.
An absurdly large cigar glowed and faded between his lips.
"We can never disgrace the Special Management Department, no matter where we are. You'll get used to it."
He patted Bai Zhou's shoulder, removed the heavy Big Gold Chain, and placed it around Bai Zhou's neck without giving him a chance to refuse.
Under the admiring, repeatedly turning gazes of passersby, Section Chief Liu turned around and opened the convertible's passenger door for Bai Zhou.
His cool face, hidden behind his sunglasses, broke into a smile.
"Welcome to Tinghai City."
"Or perhaps I should say--"
"Welcome home!"
Before you continue