"I've already told you my name. From here on, I want you to tell me everything without hiding anything." Su Jin took a pen and notebook from his bag and looked up at Fu Qingdai. "Your daily life, your family relationships, what the company said to you, and why you're in a psychiatric hospital."
Fu Qingdai rested her hands on her knees and said earnestly, "I'm not mentally ill. I was sent here by mistake. I'm a student at Dragon Mountain Middle School, and it's just me and my parents at home..."
Su Jin listened carefully, nodding as she spoke.
He was a little surprised that Fu Qingdai wasn't mentally ill, but it was clearly good news.
From what she said about her daily life, people's habits here were very similar to those on Earth, though considerably less advanced.
I went through this stage of development as a kid, too... So far, adapting to this world shouldn't be much of a problem. It might not even take any effort.
Fu Qingdai continued her account. When she mentioned her dreams, Su Jin's pen abruptly stopped. "You mean there was something wrong with that rain? A torrential downpour lasted five days, some people went mad, then people started eating people, and the whole world descended into chaos?"
"Yes..."
Su Jin's jaw stiffened, and his heart felt as though someone had seized it in a crushing grip!
He had gritted his teeth and accepted being transported to another world. He had known about the apocalypse in advance, too.
The apparent possibility of a zombie outbreak wasn't all that strange.
But the problem was that the infection spread through rain?!
Water contamination that seeps into everything... Water is the most important resource for survival. If something's wrong with the water, how can anyone stay alive?!
"Cousin, are you okay?" Seeing how distracted he was, Fu Qingdai quietly asked.
Forcing down his dread, Su Jin managed a strained smile. "I'm fine. Keep going. You also mentioned the company in your dreams. When did the company contact you, and when did it tell you I was coming?"
"I only found out about the company and that you'd be coming over the last few days."
"A voice suddenly appeared in my dream and said something about the Heavenly Dao Company. It asked if I wanted to stay alive. I said yes, and then it said the contract was signed and it would send someone to help me. After that, the voice disappeared... That's pretty much everything."
"That's right. That's how our company works." Su Jin agreed aloud while inwardly unleashing a torrent of curses.
Isn't this fucking coercion? Forcing a deal down someone's throat! Who doesn't want to live? Wanting to live means you have to sign a contract?
All I did was click a mouse, and they shipped me off to outer space as outsourced labor.
But there were plenty of problems with Fu Qingdai's account. She had known he was coming several days ago, yet the company had only hired him a few hours earlier.
There was a considerable time discrepancy. Was it because he had traveled between worlds?
Could the company foresee the future? Had it planned this in advance, or was something else going on...?
The reasons behind it were too complicated to figure out right away, and Fu Qingdai knew next to nothing about the company.
But judging by this situation alone, he probably had no way to contact the company unless he completed this assignment!
In other words, his only option was to finish the mission!
Swearing viciously again in his head, Su Jin picked up his pen and continued. "Let's keep going. Wait until I'm done, then you can ask your questions."
"Okay," Fu Qingdai answered meekly.
"How many days until that rain starts? Do you remember exactly?"
"Seven days, counting from today. I remember that very clearly!"
"Seven days... Within those seven days, could you get home, whether by playing pitiful or putting on an act?"
"I don't know. I've said I want to go home, but my mom keeps telling me to stay here for treatment. Still, she's pretty worried about me being here. She comes to see me every day."
"All right, let's skip that for now... Are there any places for rent near your home? The closer to you, the better."
Fu Qingdai's eyes gradually lit up. "Yes! There are several apartments for rent in our building. The phone numbers are posted right on the windows."
"Mm... Keep telling me about your daily life and your parents."
Ten minutes later, Su Jin stopped taking notes again.
He had uncovered some information about the apocalypse and gained a better understanding of this world.
But with only seven days left, he had to pick up the pace.
Fu Qingdai seemed fairly bright, but she was severely lacking in real-world experience.
If he kept asking about her personal life this way, the information he gathered could very well mislead him.
After twirling his pen twice, Su Jin changed tack. "How much does your family of three spend each month? How much do your parents earn?"
A question mark seemed to slowly rise above Fu Qingdai's head. She hesitated before answering, "They both make a little over two thousand... I think our family spends about two thousand a month."
Su Jin continued, "Is this a society governed by the rule of law?"
"Huh? Of course. We have lots of laws."
"If something goes wrong at work or school, do you need to pull strings or find someone you know?"
"Of course you do. How else would you get anything done?"
"All right, got it."
He set down his pen and considered briefly. "Would you say you're pretty?"
"Um... Why wouldn't I be?"
"Do you think I'm handsome? What about the way I dress?"
"You're pretty handsome... Your clothes look nice, too. They just look really hot."
"Are there any music and video stores, produce markets, or internet cafés nearby?"
"The first two, yes. But I don't know about internet cafés."
"What's the chemical formula for water?"
"H₂O."
"Mm... Do you menstruate? Do you use sanitary pads?"
"Huh?" Fu Qingdai's pretty face slowly flushed red.
"Answer me!"
"...Yes, and yes..."
After several more questions in quick succession, Su Jin closed his notebook and sank into thought.
This society had little regard for the law and placed great importance on personal connections.
The apocalypse might begin in seven days. After five straight days of torrential rain, problems would become apparent, with suspected zombies emerging.
The area covered by the rainfall was unknown. The security forces in affected regions could very well collapse rapidly, and this world's military was probably not something he could count on in the short term.
At the molecular level, the water was no different from Earth's and was safe to drink. But water contamination would effectively rule out surviving in the wilderness. He didn't have much time or money to prepare a shelter, and he couldn't exactly abduct Fu Qingdai by force.
Still, the seven thousand or so he had carried considerable purchasing power. It should at least be barely enough to rent a place and stockpile supplies. Setting up near her home was the best option.
There were no major differences between Earth and this world in communication, everyday knowledge, culture, or personal appearance, so he could blend in quickly.
For these seven days, he had better keep his head down, avoid breaking any laws or regulations, and not antagonize anyone.
As for everything else, he would have to figure it out himself once he got out...
As he thought, Su Jin suddenly realized something!
He picked up his pen, wrote H₂O on the paper, and held it out for Fu Qingdai to see.
"Do you recognize what I wrote?"
"No."
"Fuck!"
"Why are you swearing at me?" Fu Qingdai looked bewildered. "What is that? I really don't recognize it..."
Just as I thought!
Su Jin frowned deeply.
He could understand all the spoken and written language in this world, and everyone could understand what he said. That had to be the work of the company or that mask.
But once he put his writing on paper, the people of this world couldn't understand it at all!
Renting a place here also required signing a contract. If no one could read what he wrote, that was a major problem.
At that thought, Su Jin tore out another sheet of paper and handed the pen to Fu Qingdai.
"Write two characters for me: Su, as in 'awakening,' and Jin, as in 'ashes.' Press hard, and write each stroke carefully."
Fu Qingdai didn't understand why, but she obediently did as he asked.
Once she finished, Su Jin took back the paper and glanced at it.
Seeing the two Chinese characters on it, he reached out to feel the back of the sheet.
As he felt the raised impressions left by the pen, a deep sense of helplessness welled up inside him.
It should match my ID card, but what I'm seeing is completely different from the actual strokes!
The company's service has a bug. Forced translation... I can't take the mask off, so now the only way I can figure out how to write my own name is by touch.
Resigned, Su Jin put away the sheet with his name on it. "That's all my questions for now. Go ahead and say whatever you want."
Fu Qingdai nodded nervously, then mustered the courage to ask the question on her mind. "Cousin... You're an alien, aren't you?"
Before you continue