Madman

"You actually described classified information as trivial... your arrogance is as repulsive as ever." Wang Lei snorted, seemingly unfazed by Dai Yong'an's aggressive attitude.

"Normally, I'd be happy to waste half an hour arguing with you about this, but now clearly isn't the time..." Dai Yong'an rubbed the stubble on his chin, his eyes thoughtful.

"Back to the point. Under normal circumstances, those little butterflies are very docile. They even offer humans help and protection of their own accord. Only when threatened do they transform into creatures such as lions and tigers to try to frighten their adversaries away..."

Wang Lei pursed her lips almost imperceptibly, lit the cigarette in her hand, and took a deep drag.

"And yet, during this incident, they took on the appearance of that giant lizard. That can only mean they believed they were facing a threat no ordinary creature could possibly match..."

Dai Yong'an raised his eyebrows. "Interesting, isn't it? I was puzzled at first, too. After all, the only people accidentally caught up in the incident were a security officer and a member of Class-D Personnel. Where the threat came from was genuinely baffling..."

"You overlooked that point... no, you of all people would certainly notice a detail like that, Ms. Wang Lei."

Dai Yong'an's eyes grew brighter. "Yet, contrary to your usual behavior, you ignored such a crucial question and chose to take the initiative against me after keeping a low profile for so long..."

"Dai. Yong. An!" At this, Wang Lei's gaze turned razor-sharp. She enunciated every word. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to?!"

As the woman's icy words rang out, the smoke spilling from her nostrils and the corners of her mouth suddenly formed a thin cord, shooting forward and tightening around Dai Yong'an's neck.

In a single instant, Dai Yong'an's face flushed red from suffocation, and his hands instinctively clawed at his neck.

"You... know exactly... how far to go..." Dai Yong'an forced out an ugly smile with difficulty and spoke in broken gasps.

"This... avoids the carotid arteries... only compresses the windpipe... makes me... extremely uncomfortable... without... causing permanent damage..."

"Of course... that... doesn't matter... what matters is... quite coincidentally..."

Seeing that the man before her still refused to shut up even under these circumstances, Wang Lei gritted her teeth and waved a hand irritably. The smoke wound around Dai Yong'an's neck instantly vanished without a trace.

"Tch..."

Freed from his restraints, Dai Yong'an first coughed violently several times, then gulped down air.

After recovering a little, he actually offered no comment on Wang Lei's actions. Instead, he continued with a smile on his pale face.

"Quite coincidentally... this member of Class-D Personnel burst into your office while escaping, and you, Ms. Wang Lei, dutifully followed emergency protocol and wiped his memory..."

"Ms. Wang Lei, you must know something..." Only now did Dai Yong'an soften his attitude, a hint of sincerity entering his eyes. "Would you be willing to share your findings?"

But Wang Lei had already regained her indifferent expression. Leaning back in her chair, she lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly blew smoke toward Dai Yong'an.

As though enclosed by something, the smoke landed squarely in his face despite the considerable distance between them.

"Are you dreaming?" the woman said flatly. "Under our agreement, I won't interfere with your research, but don't expect me to offer you any help, either."

Dai Yong'an's expression remained unchanged as he continued trying to sway her.

"The truth is, the two of us shouldn't be at each other's throats like this. Our fundamental beliefs aren't at odds. Quite the opposite-as a Thaumaturge, you ought to be on my side. Isn't the Containment Facility as it stands now the perfect stage for both of us to put our talents to use?"

"Hmph. I have no interest in putting my talents to use inside a powder keg." Wang Lei sneered.

The smile gradually faded from Dai Yong'an's face, leaving it expressionless. "Ms. Wang Lei, your principles really are regrettable at times... but perhaps this is for the best. I never readily trust other people's conclusions. Whatever secrets D-87465 might hold, I'll find out sooner or later..."

By this point, the conversation had all but broken down.

Wang Lei lowered her eyelids halfway, exhaled through her nose, and waved a hand as though shooing away a fly.

"Get out, get out. Just looking at your face pisses me off."

At her words, Dai Yong'an rose from the sofa and bowed slightly. "Then please excuse me. I wish you success in your work."

Only after silence returned to the office did Wang Lei's muttered curses emerge.

"What a madman... I miscalculated..."

She turned to look at the brilliant sunlight outside the window, her gaze flickering as her lips moved. "But madmen are the one thing the Containment Facility never lacks..."

When Zhou Ze woke and opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

Or rather, everything around him felt unfamiliar.

Zhou Ze was no longer in his original cramped quarters.

This was a spacious, brightly lit room that looked like a standard dorm room for Site employees.

A comfortable double bed occupied the center of the room. Its soft sheets and fluffy comforter made him want to linger in bed a little longer. On one side of the room, a floor-to-ceiling window led out onto a small balcony. Sunlight streamed through the half-drawn curtains, bathing the entire space in a warm glow.

A desk and an ergonomic chair stood against the wall, with several physical books neatly arranged on the desktop. On the other side of the room was a walk-in closet, next to the door leading to a private bathroom.

Old Yang sat on a stool beside the bed. This time, he hadn't turned his back. He simply chewed something and stared at Zhou Ze in silence.

After sitting up, Zhou Ze sat blankly for a while. Once he confirmed that nothing was wrong with his memories, his gaze quickly swept the corners of the room before finally settling on the surveillance camera in one corner of the ceiling.

He knew very well that, however the incident had ended, his current circumstances were nothing like before.

Judging by his accommodations alone, things seemed to be taking a turn for the better, but this also meant he was now fully on those people's radar.

Only after a long while did Zhou Ze slowly get out of bed, pretending to cast Old Yang a casual, questioning glance from a discreet angle.

"Don't worry. In theory, no one except the Higher-Dimensional Observer can notice our conversation..." Old Yang's voice was as hoarse, unpleasant, and indistinct as ever.

"Higher... what the hell?" Zhou Ze frowned, then shook his head. "Forget it..."

It wasn't the first time he hadn't understood what Old Yang was saying, anyway.

Although Old Yang's judgment had never been wrong, Zhou Ze still made a show of inspecting his surroundings out of caution before entering the bathroom.

Then Zhou Ze stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror and couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.

"Fuck... how long was I fucking asleep?!"