Li Yecheng's eyelids flickered open suddenly. As he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. The stark contrast between the white ceiling and the yellowish light hurt his eyes, piercing through his already blurred vision.
A sharp pain throbbed in his head, as if thousands of memories collided within, but could never come into focus. At that moment, Li Yecheng felt as though he had been disconnected from the world.
He suddenly sat up, his gaze scanning his surroundings. He found himself in a minimalist room with bare, featureless walls. The dim yellow light filtered down from the ceiling, and the air in the room felt heavy and stagnant, suffocating.
"Where is this…?" Li Yecheng muttered hoarsely, his throat dry, his voice raspy. His memories were scattered like fragments, unable to piece together a coherent picture. He remembered being a Marine Corps soldier, severely injured during a mission, and the vivid memory of the pain and unconsciousness, until he lost consciousness.
He couldn't recall anything after that—until now, when he woke up again, in an entirely unfamiliar place.
He tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness hit him, and he grabbed the edge of the bed to steady himself, fighting off the throbbing pain in his head. A strange weakness washed over him, and every nerve seemed to scream: This was not the world he was familiar with. Even though his body still felt as strong and agile as before, the confusion in his mind only deepened his unease.
He glanced at his arm, which appeared perfectly fine, the muscle definition unchanged. Yet the heavy feeling made him question whether any of this was real.
He looked around again. The room's simplicity only deepened his suspicions. This was a situation he had never encountered before. He was alive, yet why was he here? He suddenly recalled the moment during the mission—being shot, losing consciousness, the feeling of losing his life still lingered in his heart. But now, he was alive again, or perhaps still existing in some space.
Just as his doubts and unease intensified, a strange voice suddenly reached his ears: "Is there anyone else here?"
Li Yecheng turned sharply, quickly getting to his feet and moving toward the source of the voice, his heart racing. Realizing he might not be alone, a flicker of hope rose within him, though more questions filled his mind.
The voice was deep and clear, with a sense of unfamiliarity: "Who are you?"
"I…" Li Yecheng frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, then responded quietly, "I'm Li Yecheng."
There seemed to be a brief pause on the other end of the line before the voice echoed back: "Are you the person who was just calling out, named Lu Yunfei?"
"Lu Yunfei?" Li Yecheng repeated the name, a brief moment of confusion flashing in his mind. It seemed like just an ordinary name.
He took a deep breath and spoke again, "Where are you? Tell me."
The other person seemed to realize their current situation, and there was a hint of urgency in their voice: "I have an access card that can get you out. Are you ready?"
Li Yecheng felt a subtle weight in his mood, a strange sense of tension and unease. He looked down at the empty space in his hands, seemingly searching for a way out. Without hesitation, he nodded. "Okay."
With a "click," the door to the room opened, revealing a dim corridor, its walls glowing coldly. Li Yecheng stepped out, still uneasy. This was not the world he knew—where was he? This unfamiliar environment seemed fraught with unknown dangers, no matter how he looked at it.
"We need to figure out where this place is," Lu Yunfei said in a low voice.
The corridor seemed endless, and the space around them felt unusually vast and empty. The silence weighed down on them, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure. Li Yecheng couldn't help but quicken his pace, with only one thought in his mind: To uncover the truth of everything, to find out who he truly was and what this place really was.