In an office, where precisely is a mystery, shrouded in darkness with no lights turned on. A person sits in front of a massive screen, on which a dozen small frames play simultaneously.
The content being displayed is the footage captured by the cameras during the sudden incident that occurred hours ago in "Anomaly Research Area 15." And within each frame, there's Chen Xiao.
Frontal, profile, walking, laughing wildly, tearing at the guard's clothes. Nearly every angle of his entire body is included.
This person leans back in a large, comfy armchair, fingers from both hands touching at the fingertips, forming a triangle positioned under their nose—this is the pose they adopt when deep in thought.
They're pondering a question, one they've considered many times before, now laid out before them once again.
Watching Chen Xiao's wide, grinning faces on the screen, they mutter softly to themselves, "Has it appeared again?"
Time passes, yet they continue to ponder, with few problems ever demanding such prolonged contemplation.
Except for that nauseating smile.
Suddenly, the person reaches for an old-fashioned telephone beside the sofa. The faint light from the screen illuminates their amazingly slender and pale hand.
They don't dial but simply lift the receiver to their ear, to the sound of the call connecting with its "beep beep."
Soon, the phone is picked up at the other end, the voice sounding very panicked yet still striving to maintain respect and politeness, "Hello... Hello, this is Anomaly Research Area 15, may I help you with..."
"I need to speak to Mr. Zou," the person interjects with an indifferent tone.
The voice is cool, but detectably female.
——————
Chen Xiao's head is spinning, similar to sobering up, with a jumble of strange thoughts gradually fading away.
He recalls the actions he just took, including the old man who sucked away his memories, prancing down the hallway, and the talk Mr. Zou just had with him about the true nature of this world. He knows these events genuinely took place, but they feel unreal, as if he's just awakened from a dream.
"What's happening?" he begins to think instinctively, his mind no longer in chaos like before.
However, he can't seem to remember anything at all, as if his thoughts automatically skirt around these events.
Before long, Chen Xiao strangely gives up trying to recall the matter.
At this moment, Mr. Zou, sitting across from him, notices some changes in him. Although his gaze is still disoriented, it's more from thoughts whizzing by too fast for anyone to keep up rather than the madness that was unbearable to look at before.
Mr. Zou frowns, about to ask, "What's wrong with you?" but quickly abandons the thought. He believes he's already said enough to this damn kid, and besides, by tomorrow morning, the kid would be executed. The order was already given before Mr. Zou entered the interrogation room.
"Alright, I've told you the story you wanted," Mr. Zou says. "Let me also tell you, tomorrow, you will be executed."
After delivering this line, Mr. Zou feels quite delighted, so he adds another, "Enjoy your last night."
During Mr. Zou's speech, Chen Xiao is rapidly gathering information about his surroundings.
"Two guards outside the door, I could obtain the keys, but this interrogation room clearly has cameras. Though I could dislocate my thumb to slip out of the handcuffs without attracting camera attention, since the execution is tomorrow, there's no need to rush. If I'm not mistaken, I should be taken to a solitary cell soon, allowing me to get a rough idea of the building's layout." Thinking this, he glances at the ventilation duct overhead and smells the air around him, "This place is likely underground but not too deep, so there are roughly three escape methods.
First, stealth—escaping by relying on my own abilities, facing challenges like surveillance, night patrols, and the need to acquire various access cards. Difficult.
Second, taking a hostage—although it simplifies the process, considering how little life is valued here, the risk is hardly less than suicide. Who knows if someone will just order both me and the hostage to be shot on the spot.
Third, disguise—arguably the best method, but currently, I lack enough understanding of the situation. Both the clothes and escape routes require substantial information to be feasible. Otherwise, one slip could spell doom.
So, I still need information! But luckily, with the execution set for tomorrow, there should be a chance!"
As Chen Xiao thinks, there's not a hint of panic. In just one second, he completes his observations and the aforementioned analysis, and also hypothetically prepares several escape plans as backups.
At this moment, he even feels a sense of anticipation at the thought of pulling off an escapade right under the noses of these armed guards.
Mr. Zou, with his sharp senses, catches Chen Xiao's burst of thought, but assumes that it's fear from realizing his impending execution.
Even the insane are afraid of death after all. After all, everyone only lives once. So, Mr. Zou is quite pleased, with the impulse to taunt the wretched kid in front of him.
Suddenly, he frowns and takes out a mobile phone from his pocket.
Chen Xiao notices the phone is all black, an old-fashioned model with a small screen and physical buttons, bearing no logos and kept in a small inside pocket of the upper half of Mr. Zou's garment, suggesting that the phone is seldom used yet must be carried at all times.
Mr. Zou appears confused as he looks at the phone, unsure why it has rung. Despite his doubt, he answers the call immediately.
This phone clearly has special features; Chen Xiao can't hear any sound from it. But he watches Mr. Zou's expression.
"Hello!" Mr. Zou says.
"Respectful, yet fearful," Chen Xiao thinks to himself.
"Yes!" Mr. Zou answered some question, perhaps unwittingly lowering his head as if bowing.
"————A high-ranking figure within the organization, with immense power!"
"Right.... he's here!" Mr. Zou was momentarily stunned, glancing at Chen Xiao, his eyes filled with confusion.
"————Hmm? Does this have something to do with me?"
At this moment, Mr. Zou seemed to hear something that not only compounded his confusion but turned it into outright terror!
"Damn, what's going on?" That look had startled Chen Xiao.
"...Yes!" Mr. Zou said, his voice still exuding a panicked and clueless quality.
"What the heck is happening?" Chen Xiao was equally bewildered.
He watched as Mr. Zou pocketed his cell phone into his jacket, then stared at the floorboards, maintaining this posture for about two seconds before lifting his head to gaze blankly at Chen Xiao, as if pondering a question he knew he couldn't fathom.
For a moment, Chen Xiao didn't know what to do; it felt like even if the person on the other end of the phone had told Mr. Zou that he was his biological son, it couldn't have prompted such an expression.
So, treading carefully, Chen Xiao leaned towards Mr. Zou and, in the faintest of whispers, ventured, "What's up?"
Mr. Zou blinked several times, fell silent for a while, as if waiting for a dream to fully dissipate; then, about five seconds later, he swallowed and finally said, "Take a bath tonight... tomorrow someone will take you to report to the field operations team!"
After saying that, he stood up, wobbly walking out of the interrogation room, scratching the back of his head in confusion.
"......" Having heard this response, Chen Xiao also felt at a loss. Many speculations flashed through his mind, but the only explanation for Mr. Zou's words just now was that he must have misheard! Thus, it wasn't until Mr. Zou had left the interrogation room that Chen Xiao snapped out of his high-speed contemplation, which had abruptly seized up.
"Hey, hey! What the hell? Wasn't I supposed to be executed by firing squad?" he blurted out loudly.
...
...
...
Twenty minutes later, Chen Xiao stood at the doorway of a room, his face a complete agony.
He looked back at the guard behind him, who was wearing a riot helmet, and asked, "We're talking big brother, is this some kind of special treatment before my execution?"
The guard immediately replied, "Reporting, sir! This is the temporary resting room for field operations staff, all facilities have been sanitized and renewed, and you can use them with confidence!"
Chen Xiao's twitched in the corner of his eye, struggling to adapt to this abrupt role reversal. Twenty minutes ago, he had been in handcuffs, figuring out how to escape, and now the guard had started addressing him as sir, isn't this a joke?
"This big brother, what exactly does this field operations team do?" Chen Xiao inquired further.
"Reporting, sir! The field operations team is the frontline combat unit of the Order Foundation, primarily responsible for containing or eliminating anomalous entities and handling some emergencies!"
Chen Xiao nodded, thinking, "Well spoken, sounds like you've memorized the manual!"
"So why was I suddenly included in the field operations team?"
"Reporting, sir! I don't know!"
Chen Xiao nodded again, "Impressive, even 'I don't know' is delivered with such strong and clear conviction, professional training really makes a difference!"
"What's the field operations team's mode of operation? Is it by squads or individual? Are tasks assigned or self-applied for? Is there an independent department? Can I refuse to perform s tasks? .....blah blah blah...."
Chen Xiao rattled off a barrage of questions in one breath, and then hesitated, evidently holding many more inquiries for another round.
This time, the guard appeared flustered, sensing that Chen Xiao might stand there in an unending stream of questions, akin to "The Hundred Thousand Whys." So, the guard hesitated for a second.
"Reporting, sir, in the resting room, there's a communication device exclusively for the field operations team, where you can preview all the materials you wish to learn about, and even browse all tasks within your execution authority!"
"Oh..." Chen Xiao pinched his chin, mimicking a sudden realization.
The guard seized the opportunity, quickly saying, "Sir, please rest early. I will come to escort you to report in tomorrow morning!"
With that, he stood up straight, heels clicking together, and thumped his chest with his right hand.
Chen Xiao understood that this must be the saluting posture here.
As expected, after the guard saluted, he turned on his heel and marched away, swiftly disappearing around the corridor corner, as if afraid that Chen Xiao might call him back.
Chen Xiao merely shrugged and walked into the luxurious temporary resting room before him.