Staying alive

The unvarying routine in the containment facility always made people lose track of time.

Four days later.

Only when Shi Yaming saw Zhou Ze emerge from his room did he ready his gun and walk beside him toward the elevator.

"Come to think of it, what exactly is your relationship with the Instructor? Special training for Class-D Personnel? That's practically unheard of."

Shi Yaming's face betrayed little emotion as he watched Zhou Ze out of the corner of his eye. "But if you really had connections, how did you end up as Class-D Personnel?"

Power existed in every organization built by people, and where there was power, there was room to maneuver. But the Anomaly Containment Facility had always imposed strict limits on that power.

Before you got caught up in it, connections might still help. But once you were officially locked in a cage, getting out was no longer so easy.

"Why don't you ask Lu Fei directly?"

Although Zhou Ze was just as baffled, he still put on an inscrutable expression.

"I'll pass." Shi Yaming shrugged. "I don't want a dressing-down."

Despite Shi Yaming's unapproachable appearance, after spending a few days with him, Zhou Ze had discovered that he was much easier to talk to than he had imagined.

Without a doubt, the guy was practically Lu Fei's fanboy.

Their conversations mostly revolved around the "Instructor." Or rather, he was the only topic a Class-D prisoner and a security guard had in common.

But Zhou Ze knew even less about Lu Fei than Shi Yaming did, so most of the time, he could only imitate Old Yang and speak in riddles, offering nothing but vague remarks.

Ten minutes later.

They reached the Site's guard training grounds. Along the way, they had encountered only a handful of people.

The training grounds were in Area C, a spacious indoor complex equipped with everything from a standard 400-meter track and a shooting range to a fitness training area.

Lu Fei stood at the control console beside the shooting range, apparently having waited for some time.

At first, Zhou Ze had wondered why even the training grounds were indoors. But over the past few days, aside from some basic physical training, what he had gained most was a grasp of everyday facts.

For instance, Site-17 was actually located deep in the remote mountains, disguised as a large storage warehouse belonging to a private company. Most of the Site's facilities were underground.

The sunlight and bustling city scenery Zhou Ze had previously seen through the window were all illusions created by advanced holographic projection technology.

Lu Fei had explained that mental illnesses caused by the constant high-pressure working environment had once been the greatest threat facing the facility's employees. Ample recreational facilities and simulated environments like these were essential.

Another example was that Lu Fei had formerly been a Mobile Task Force captain. The Mobile Task Force was the Anomaly Containment Facility's most elite combat division.

They dealt with the most troublesome anomalous entities and organizations, and provided a rapid response to major containment breaches that proved difficult to resolve.

They were both sword and shield, the elite of the Anomaly Containment Facility's elite.

After they arrived at the training grounds, Shi Yaming nodded to Zhou Ze and left.

Only Zhou Ze and Lu Fei remained in the vast space. With his back to Zhou Ze, Lu Fei held a gun aimed at a target.

"Do you know what the point of these past few days of training was?"

Sensing Zhou Ze's approach, Lu Fei asked without lowering his gun or turning around.

"No..." After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ze answered honestly.

The so-called "special training" over the past few days had actually been basic physical conditioning, and the workload had not been particularly heavy. Zhou Ze found it hard to imagine what practical use training at that level could have.

"There was no point at all," Lu Fei said calmly.

"Huh?" For a moment, Zhou Ze was at a loss.

Lu Fei finally lowered his gun and turned to face Zhou Ze. "Death is the only fate awaiting Class-D Personnel. And there's only one way to escape that status-join the Anomaly Containment Facility.

"You need to prove your worth and ability. I'll work behind the scenes, but before any of that, you first need to learn how to stay alive."

His gaze deepened. "You'll encounter many unbelievable beings and experience things that defy common sense. You might lose your memories. You might question your own existence.

"But whatever happens, remember one thing: survive. Only while you're alive do you have a chance to change your circumstances."

Zhou Ze's heart leaped at those words. This was undoubtedly the best news he had heard since crossing over.

The road ahead was no longer a murky blur. Even if the process would not be smooth sailing, at least he now had a clear goal.

Could it possibly be worse than being a lab rat in a cage?

"So, this training..." Zhou Ze asked tentatively.

"The training I originally planned wasn't nearly this simple... Unfortunately, my proposal was rejected."

Lu Fei's lips twitched into a smile that, to Zhou Ze, carried a hint of cruelty. "My initial plan was to have you fight several Class-D prisoners to the death with your bare hands. I would tell them they could regain their freedom as long as they killed you..."

Fuck...

What kind of devil are you, sir?

Zhou Ze's eyelid twitched, and that sense of contradiction welled up again.

"You certainly think highly of me, sir..." After choosing his words for a moment, Zhou Ze continued, "And isn't that approach a little..."

"Do you feel sorry for those Class-D prisoners?" Lu Fei narrowed his eyes at Zhou Ze.

"No. If my life were threatened, I'd kill them without any guilt." Zhou Ze frowned slightly. "But that doesn't mean I'd enjoy it. You, on the other hand, seem..."

"To lack even the most basic reverence for life?"

When Zhou Ze remained silent, Lu Fei added evenly, "Yet even so, plenty of people still think I'm indecisive."

Madness...

The word suddenly surfaced in Zhou Ze's mind.

He finally understood where that sense of contradiction came from.

Perhaps, after facing too many decisions over who lived and who died, they gradually descended into madness amid the brutal reality. Yet that very madness became an anchor for their reason, allowing them to make the right choices even in the most difficult circumstances.

"If you manage to join us, you'll have to face that day sooner or later, Zhou Ze."

Lu Fei turned his head toward the distant target, riddled with holes. "Only when your decisions truly affect the fate of one person-or many-will you understand what kind of person you really are. Then you'll discover that theory and reality are worlds apart."

The trolley problem again?

Just as with his assessment of Wang Lei's words last time, questions like these still felt far removed from him.

After a long silence, Zhou Ze sidestepped the subject and asked quietly, "Tomorrow... What will I be facing tomorrow, sir?"

"An experiment. I'm not sure which project the interaction experiment concerns..." A trace of gravity flashed in Lu Fei's eyes. "But one thing is certain: that thing is extremely dangerous."

"Do you have any advice, Officer Lu Fei?" Zhou Ze let out a breath.

"Stay alive."