Lu Yunfei sat on the unfamiliar bed, trying to calm his racing heart. He looked down at his hands—warm to the touch, the veins clearly visible, and he could even feel the tension in the lines of his palms. But everything seemed too "perfect," like… like a convincing illusion.
He took a deep breath, his fingertips brushing the edge of the bed. The cold touch reminded him: everything felt real enough to be terrifying.
The silence after the screen went dark made the room feel even more oppressive. Lu Yunfei glanced around, trying to spot anything unusual. The walls were spotless, the floor so smooth that it reflected his shadow, and the only sign of life was a bowl of soup and some bread on the table.
"Is this a hospital? Or where…?" he muttered to himself, lifting his shirt to check his chest, arms, and even his neck, searching for any potential scars or abnormalities. But everything seemed fine, too perfect to be believable.
"Wasn't I dead?" The thought suddenly crossed his mind, and his breathing quickened, sweat starting to form in his palms.
He turned to the door and pushed it forcefully. The metallic door didn't budge. He knocked twice, and the sound was deep and heavy, like… like a completely sealed coffin.
Finally, unable to tolerate the eerie silence any longer, he jumped to his feet and shouted, "Hey! Is anyone there? Where am I?!"
His voice echoed hollowly in the room, then passed through the thick metal door, dissipating into the hallway.
After a brief silence, Lu Yunfei suddenly heard a male voice from the hallway, asking loudly, "Is there anyone else here? Who are you?"
He froze. The voice sounded deep, with a hint of urgency. Finally, he wasn't alone. Lu Yunfei rushed to the door and raised his voice in response, "I'm Lu Yunfei! Who are you?"
There was a slight pause, and then a cautious voice answered, "Li Yachen."
"Li Yachen?" Lu Yunfei repeated the name, finding it somewhat familiar but unable to place where he had heard it. He shouted again, "Where are you? What is this place? Do you know?"
The other person didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "How did you get here?"
"I… I had a car accident," Lu Yunfei frowned, trying to recall, "and then I woke up here. What about you?"
Li Yachen's voice lowered, tinged with wariness, "I don't know. I remember having… a gunshot wound, and then I just appeared here."
A gunshot wound? Lu Yunfei's heart skipped a beat. Who was this person? He suppressed his curiosity and asked, "Which room are you in?"
"I don't know, a room at the end of the hallway," Li Yachen replied, his tone low. "Can you open your door?"
Lu Yunfei turned to look at the room's only exit, a tightly shut metal door. He tried pulling it, but it didn't budge. Frustrated, he muttered a curse. "The door is locked! What about you?"
Li Yachen seemed to have tried the same, then replied helplessly, "Same here, it's locked. But I can see a hallway."
"You can see?" Lu Yunfei furrowed his brow, suddenly sensing something was off. There were no windows in his room—completely sealed. Why could he not see the hallway?
"Yeah, there's a small window on my door," Li Yachen's voice became slightly impatient. "Don't you have one?"
Lu Yunfei glanced around again, then shook his head. "No."
A brief silence followed.
"Hey, Lu Yunfei," Li Yachen's voice came through again, "Do you… feel like something's not quite right here?"
"Not just not right—it's downright bizarre." Lu Yunfei sat back on the bed, lowering his voice. "What do you think this place is?"
Li Yachen snorted lightly, "I'm wondering if it's some kind of experimental facility, or a detention place."
A chill ran down Lu Yunfei's spine. The image of the "doctor" flashed in his mind. Although the person had tried to seem friendly, every word felt odd, like part of a carefully designed script.
He took a deep breath and cautiously asked, "Do you think we've been kidnapped?"
"If it's a kidnapping, it's way too elaborate," Li Yachen replied calmly. "Who would go through all this trouble to bring someone like me here? Besides, I didn't feel any discomfort when I woke up. It's more like… I've returned to a younger version of myself."
Those words struck a chord in Lu Yunfei. Li Yachen's statement perfectly matched his own suspicions: was this really his original body?
"Hey!" Li Yachen's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Do you have any special equipment over there? Like cameras or something?"
Lu Yunfei looked up, scanning the room. Sure enough, he spotted a small camera tucked in a corner of the ceiling. It was well-hidden, almost invisible unless you looked closely.
"There is!" He looked up at the camera, gritting his teeth. "Someone's watching us!"
Li Yachen chuckled lightly. "Well, that's obvious. This place is definitely not a regular hospital."
Lu Yunfei instinctively touched his neck, recalling the sharp pain from the car accident. A cold shiver ran down his spine as a terrifying thought crossed his mind: Could it be… I really am dead?
But the thought was fleeting and quickly pushed aside. He couldn't draw conclusions so quickly. He had to find a way to escape this place.
"Li Yachen," he gritted his teeth, "We need to find a way to open the door. Staying here, we won't get any answers."
"I agree," the voice replied darkly. "But these people obviously don't want us messing around, so be careful."
At that moment, a low mechanical sound echoed from the direction of the hallway, followed by the sound of some device powering up. Lu Yunfei raised his head alertly. "Did you hear that?"
"I heard it," Li Yachen's voice lowered. "Something's moving."
"Is it the door?" Lu Yunfei stared at the metal door in front of him, holding his breath.
"I don't know," Li Yachen's voice carried a hint of tension. "But I have a feeling they're coming for us."
Just then, a faint "click" echoed from Lu Yunfei's room, like the door lock being unlocked.
He sprang to his feet, staring at the slowly opening metal door, his back breaking out in a cold sweat—standing outside was a stranger in a uniform.
"Lu Yunfei," the stranger spoke coldly, "Welcome to the 'System.'"