The steady ticking of the clock echoed in Ren Ye's mind. Each tick felt like a countdown, a grim reminder of what was to come.
[First-Order Star Gate - Qingliang Town, opening countdown: 6:00:00.]
The ethereal voice faded, and Ren Ye's thoughts quieted, the rush of time becoming palpable in the air.
The office, heavy with the scent of smoke, seemed to suffocate. Huang Wei sat across from him, his expression darker than usual, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.
"Believe me," Huang Wei began, his voice more tentative than before. "We've tried everything with that pen. You copy and read the words aloud, and anyone who gets it... can use it. But I didn't expect it to be tied to you. It might have something to do with that voice."
Ren Ye's gaze fell to his palm, his fingers gripping nothing but air. His mind, already stretched thin, tried to process the events. The Star Scar Gate had appeared, and the brush—vanished. His mind buzzed with the countdown, the ethereal reminder still lingering. Then, that voice. The one calling him from the abyss. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
How could it even be explained? His mind, sharp as it was, had no words for this.
Silence stretched between them, the weight of the situation pressing down. Ren Ye needed to think. He raised his hand slowly, his voice calm but strained. "Give me a cigarette."
Huang Wei hesitated, watching him, concern flashing in his eyes. He passed the pack over, speaking softly as he lit his own cigarette. "...Do you feel anything changing inside you?"
Ren Ye took the cigarette, his fingers trembling slightly. The lighter sparked twice before catching. He inhaled deeply, the smoke filling his lungs, momentarily grounding him. "A voice," he muttered, his voice almost a whisper. "A six-hour countdown in my head."
They exchanged a glance, and Huang Wei's lips tightened. "That's... binding. You're already marked."
Ren Ye's brow furrowed as the weight of those words sank in. "That means I have to go in?" He coughed once, the smoke hitting his throat sharply, and frowned. "No choice?"
"None." Huang Wei's voice was firm. "In six hours, you're in—whether you like it or not. The Starmark Gate has chosen you."
Ren Ye's gaze turned inward, a steely calm overtaking his features. "Did you do what you promised me yesterday?"
"It's done." Huang Wei nodded.
Ren Ye smirked, but the edge of exhaustion still lingered in his voice. "I've got six hours, then I leave this world. You coming with me?"
"Yes." Huang Wei stood, motioning for them to leave.
Ren Ye took a final drag from his cigarette, his fingers curling tightly around it. "Your cigarette's fake," he said, exhaling sharply. "Choking my throat."
Huang Wei's eyes narrowed in surprise. "You didn't notice? You're smoking it upside down."
Ren Ye glanced down, blinking in confusion. "What?"
"You're lighting the cigarette holder." Huang Wei pointed out with a slight grin.
Ren Ye, still keeping his calm façade, chuckled under his breath. "The holder's good... lots of strength in it."
Huang Wei smirked, seeing the cracks in Ren Ye's composure. He wasn't fooling anyone, still trying to maintain that calm in the face of overwhelming strangeness.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Together, they left the office, the door clicking shut behind them.
As Huang Wei approached the main staircase, a glance over his shoulder revealed the faintest motion, a subtle wink at the camera positioned in the corner of the room.
In the monitoring room, a dozen figures stared intently at the live feed of Ren Ye, his every movement under scrutiny. The silence in the room was palpable, as each person remained transfixed on the screen.
At the front, a young man cloaked in dark blue stood with his back to the crowd, his presence commanding the space. His voice cut through the tension like a blade, cold and unwavering.
"Inform Huang Wei. Ren Ye, Shanghai market number 001—effective immediately, any unauthorized information leak regarding 001 will be treated as treason."
"Understood," came the terse reply from the middle-aged man standing nearby, his voice betraying a hint of unease.
In the blink of an eye, the room shifted as the young man's figure blurred, transforming into a wisp of smoke that vanished into the ether. Only a Dao talisman remained, burning slowly and falling to the ground where he had stood.
The atmosphere in the room, once tight with tension, seemed to release all at once. A collective exhale, followed by an eruption of voices.
"Stargate's calling for an ordinary person? This has never happened before... It's a phenomenon!"
"This is bad. Brother Huang, we've completely blown it! This kid's luck is off the charts."
"Why's Ren not locked up in our district? Why the hell's he free?!"
"If this guy ends up with me, I could find him a few young ladies to ease his day. Doesn't matter to me."
"The first four are dead. How's a newcomer supposed to survive this?" Another voice echoed in the room. The mood shifted quickly, as every word sank like a stone.
The discussions faltered, and silence overtook the group, the weight of the unknown pressing down upon them.
Later that afternoon, beneath the canopy of a simple parasol by a kindergarten, Ren Ye sat with his cap pulled low, sipping hot coffee. Huang Wei lingered beside him, his casual appearance at odds with the weight of the moment.
Ren Ye's mind raced. What Huang Wei had revealed earlier gnawed at him—four players before him had ventured through the stargate, only to meet their deaths. A corpse, dead for three days, had returned with the mysterious "pen." And now, the ethereal voice calling him... the final stargate beckoning.
A sense of dread filled his chest. Could it be that Yama himself had summoned him? The thought lingered, cold and heavy.
Huang Wei, ever the picture of disarray, glanced at Ren Ye's profile. His voice, soft but insistent, broke the silence.
"Are you really not going to visit your family? I have the means to make it happen."