Ren Ye heard the words, his voice flat with a hint of indifference, "Ah, then what?"
Huang Wei, a storyteller by nature, leaned forward, his tone dripping with intrigue. "And then there's the second story." His voice held a strange magnetism, pulling Ren Ye's attention into the moment. "In January 1995, a scientific research station in Antarctica encountered something... unusual. A vast fog, suspended in the sky, unmoving despite the strong winds below. This fog, eerily round in shape, seemed like a door hanging in the sky. The team, curious, tied a balloon carrying a precision instrument to a rope and sent it into the fog, hoping to gather data. But when they retrieved it, the time on the instrument was... wrong. It read the year 1965."
Ren Ye's brow furrowed, his mind tracing back through memories of past news stories. "I think I've seen something about that..." he muttered, his voice distant.
Huang Wei, unfazed, cut in with a cold, grim tone, "What the news didn't tell you was that years later, the fog reappeared. And three of the researchers... they vanished without a trace."
A cold silence fell over the room, and Ren Ye's heart skipped a beat. "Gone?" he asked, the word escaping his lips like an echo in a vast, empty room.
"Yes. Gone." Huang Wei's nod was slow but sure, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
Ren Ye's mind buzzed with confusion, the threads of logic slipping away. "I don't understand," he admitted, his voice tense. "What are you trying to tell me with these stories?"
The room grew heavy with silence. Even the faintest noise seemed muffled, swallowed by the weight of the moment. Huang Wei's gaze was sharp, his eyes boring into Ren Ye. "I'm telling you," he said, his voice low, "people know far too little about this world... about the universe. Strange things happen all the time. We just don't notice."
Ren Ye remained still, his mind racing. This man... someone with the power to meet him in this place, to isolate him and speak freely, wasn't someone likely to waste time on metaphysical nonsense. His instincts buzzed. This wasn't a random conversation.
Huang Wei exhaled a long plume of smoke, and his voice shifted again, more serious now. "There's a chance you can get out of here. The price... it's likely death."
Ren Ye's body tensed, but he did not flinch. His gaze remained steady, questioning. "Will I die?" he asked, his voice laced with a curious, almost detached tone.
Huang Wei paused, looking at him, his expression unreadable. "It's not a request or a service," he said carefully, "it's... something else. Something you'll need to decide for yourself."
Ren Ye's lips curled into a faint smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Who's asking me?" His voice was light, playful, yet beneath it was a sharp edge of wariness.
Huang Wei's eyes darkened slightly, his expression tightening. "I can't say yet," he replied, his tone carrying a weight of secrecy. "Not until you sign a series of documents. As for who wants you... it could be anyone. A group of people, a government... even me. But you'll understand when the time comes. Our nation is... facing something. Something difficult."
Ren Ye leaned back in his chair, quiet for a long moment. The smoke lingered, curling in the dim light. He didn't ask any more questions. Huang Wei, recognizing the shift, leaned back as well, his gaze focused on Ren Ye, giving him space to think.
Time passed.
Ren Ye finally lifted his head, his eyes hard, sharp. "Do you remember what I just told you?" His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Huang Wei blinked, momentarily stunned by the question. "What do you mean?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
Ren Ye's expression remained unchanged, and he repeated with unnerving precision, "I said, I'm out in two years, eight months, and twenty-five days."
Huang Wei's mind clicked, understanding dawning on him. "Ah. I see what you're saying. This isn't about earning favor or doing something heroic."
Ren Ye nodded slowly, his voice steady. "I've been here for more than three years. My family—my sister, my father—they visit me every month. They suffer just as much as I do, waiting for me to return."
"This opportunity, if successful, is enough to change your life," Huang Wei said, his gaze drifting upward, his words coming slowly, as though weighing something heavy. "A life... a magnificent one, beyond anything you could ever imagine."
Ren Ye's voice was flat, indifferent, laced with subtle cynicism. "You said 'if.'"
The room fell into silence. The weight of the unspoken words hung heavy between them.
Huang Wei sighed, seemingly finishing his part of the conversation. He stood up, the chair scraping across the floor. His hand moved to press out the cigarette in the ashtray, then, without warning, he spoke decisively, "I'm done here. You'll be escorted back soon."
The silence lingered for a beat before a voice rang out from the hallway, clear and commanding. "00848!"
Ren Ye stood, instinctively straightening, his posture rigid, hands gripping the line of his pants as if the command had rooted him to the spot. "Here!" he called back, his voice sharp and unwavering.
"I'm waiting for the exit, ready to go back to prison." His words were deliberate, carrying an air of finality.
"Yes." Ren Ye's response was curt, the same simplicity he had carried throughout.
Huang Wei, not looking back, reached for Ren Ye's file on the table. He slapped the ash off his leg, unbothered by the mess, and walked toward the door with a deliberate slowness.
Ren Ye, turning to leave, swung his arms by his sides, moving to the exit with the mechanical precision of a soldier. He then bent down, squatting against the wall, his head cradled in his hands.
It was a position he had seen countless times—one he had once forced many suspects into.
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. Huang Wei had reached the door, but something caught his eye. He paused, his gaze catching Ren Ye's quiet form reflected in the mirror. Without thinking, he turned back.
"Ren Ye!" His voice was abrupt, cutting through the stillness.
Ren Ye did not look up, his body frozen in place. He only raised his eyes, glancing towards Huang Wei, his gaze cold and unreadable.
Under the dim light, Huang Wei stood at the doorway. His posture stiffened, and he straightened his legs, lifting his arms in a precise salute. "Officer Ren," he said, his voice carrying a weight of respect. "Good job."
For a long moment, Ren Ye didn't react. He remained crouched, his mind spinning.
In the span of a single sentence, the carefully constructed walls that Ren Ye had built up over years began to crumble. His eyes, once emotionless, flickered with the faintest trace of something... vulnerability. "What did you just call me?" His voice cracked, raw and unguarded.
"Officer Ren."
Ren Ye's breath hitched. A wry grin tugged at his lips. "Ah... it's a little strange," he said, nodding slightly, as if the words themselves were foreign. "But... it's not bad."