My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 31

When Lin Xiao and Zhou Wan were brought to the clinic, the corridor was already crowded with people. Fang Lin’s parents, Song Yang’s colleagues, Lu Xinyi and Chen Ke’s families—it was unclear who had notified them; perhaps Sun Yuan, perhaps the town doctor. Lin Jiqiu stood at the end of the corridor, leaning against the wall, looking at the anxious faces and red, swollen eyes, without saying a word. Cheng Ran stood beside her, holding a tablet displaying information that A Zuo had just sent. He looked at it for a while, then handed the tablet to Lin Jiqiu. “Lin Xiao. Forty-five years old. Marine geologist, worked at the National Institute of Oceanology for twenty years. Disappeared three years ago during a deep-sea exploration mission, initially ruled a death in the line of duty. His wife remarried a year after his disappearance, and his son lives with his grandparents. Zhou Wan. Thirty-one years old. Marine biologist, missing for two years. Her parents are still in their hometown and searching for her.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the two photos on the screen. Lin Xiao looked much younger in his ID photo, with black hair and a smile on his face. Zhou Wan’s photo was the same; her eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were curved, as if she was talking to the person taking the photo about something interesting. She handed the tablet back to Cheng Ran. “Does Lin Xiao’s family know he’s still alive?” “They’ve already notified them. They’re on their way.” “And Zhou Wan’s?” “She’s on her way too.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “What about Fang Lin? She’s been discharged?” “She was discharged yesterday. She went home with her parents.” “Song Yang?” “He’s still in the city hospital. His recovery is better than expected; the doctor said he can be discharged next week.”

At the end of the corridor, the doctor emerged from the ward. Sun Yuan went up to him, asked a few questions, and the doctor nodded. Sun Yuan’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned to walk towards Lin Jiqiu. “They’re all stable. Lin Xiao’s leg needs some time to recover, but there’s no permanent damage. Zhou Wan mainly suffers from malnutrition and psychological trauma; there are no major physical problems.” Lin Jiqiu nodded. “Can they talk?” “Yes. But not for too long.”

Lin Jiqiu entered the ward. Lin Xiao was lying on the bed by the window, and Zhou Wan was on the bed by the door. Both of them were receiving IV drips, and their faces were still pale, but their eyes held something more than when they were in the underwater cave—it was hard to say whether it was hope or lingering fear.

“Lin Xiao.” Lin Jiqiu walked to his bedside. Lin Xiao looked at her, his lips moving slightly. “You are… the one who caught me in the water.” “Yes.” Lin Jiqiu pulled up a chair and sat down. “I want to ask you a few questions. Can you speak now?” “Yes.” Lin Xiao’s voice was still soft, but it was steadyer than when he was first rescued. “Why did they capture you?” Lin Xiao was silent for a few seconds, his gaze shifting to the ceiling. “I saw something I shouldn’t have seen. Underwater, in a cave. There was a metal door.” The same answer as Fang Lin and Song Yang.

“Did you go in?” “No. I just saw the door, and then there were people behind it. They were wearing black diving suits, two of them. When I woke up, I was already in that room over there.” “Where is that?” “It wasn’t the cave where you found me at first. It was another place. Smaller, darker. No windows, only one light. I was moved several times before finally ending up in that room with the door.”

“How long were you locked up?” “Three years.” “Three years.” Lin Jiqiu repeated the number. Three years. More than a thousand days. No sunlight, no fresh air, no idea what was happening outside. It was a miracle that Lin Xiao survived. “Did they ask you anything?” “No. Never. Just locked up, occasionally someone would come to check on me, watching from outside the door, not saying a word, not coming in. They’d be taking notes.” Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly on her knees. An observation experiment. Not interrogation, not forced confession. It was observation. Observing what a person would become without external stimuli. She stood up. “You rest. I’ll come see you later.”

Lin Xiao called out to her. “Wait a minute. What’s your name?” “Lin Jiqiu.” Lin Xiao’s eyelids twitched. “Your surname is Lin?” Yes. Lin Xiao looked at her, his lips trembling. After a while, he said, “It’s nothing. It might be a coincidence.” Lin Jiqiu looked at him for a few seconds. He knew someone with the surname Lin? Was it related to her? She didn’t press further and walked out of the ward.

Cheng Ran was still in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall, looking at a tablet.

“Finished questioning?” “Yes, finished. He said he was arrested after seeing that door and imprisoned for three years. They never asked him questions, just observed him.” “That fits the Mirror Society’s pattern.” Cheng Ran looked up. “Control, observe, record. No explanation, no communication. Let the imprisoned slowly break down in the unknown.” Lin Jiqiu thought of Fang Lin’s knocking on the wall, Song Yang’s response, and the people on both sides of the wall communicating with knocking in the darkness. “In the photo of the record file in the monitoring room, there are also records of XK-01 and XK-02. Lin Xiao is number three, and before that there were number one and number two. They might be gone.”

Cheng Ran pointed. “The answer might be behind that wooden door from yesterday.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “Go find it tomorrow.”

In the afternoon, Lin Jiqiu and Cheng Ran went to the quarry. Sun Yuan drove, and A Zuo sat in the passenger seat. The car drove north along the coastline for twenty minutes before turning onto an unpaved dirt road. The road surface was full of potholes, and the car bounced violently. Sun Yuan gripped the steering wheel, his body swaying back and forth with the car.

“The quarry is just ahead,” he said, pointing to a clearing ahead. The clearing was large, littered with rubble and abandoned equipment: rusty conveyor belts, broken motors, and tires half-buried in the ground. At the end of the clearing was a steep cliff face, its gray rock exposed, eroded by wind and water into lines of varying depths. At the foot of the cliff were several dark openings of varying sizes, some piled with rubble, as if from a landslide.

Cheng Ran got out of the car and walked to the nearest cave entrance, shining his flashlight inside. The cave wasn’t deep, only about five or six meters to the bottom. There were drill marks on the cave walls, left from quarrying. He stepped back and walked to the next cave entrance. This cave was deeper; the flashlight beam couldn’t reach the end. He squatted down and looked at the ground—there were footprints. They weren’t new, but old, mostly filled in by wind and sand, but the outlines were still there.

“Someone has been here,” he said. Lin Jiqiu squatted down beside him, looking at the footprints. “It might be them. They came in and out from here, without having to go through the underwater door.”

Cheng Ran stood up, held the flashlight in his mouth, and squeezed sideways into the cave entrance. The cave was narrow; his shoulders were almost brushing against the walls. After walking about twenty meters, the cave began to widen, and the ceiling rose, allowing him to stand upright. He stopped to wait for Lin Jiqiu. She followed behind, also holding a flashlight. The two continued forward. The cave grew deeper, the air more humid, and the air smelled salty and fishy. Shallow puddles began to appear on the ground, making a splashing sound when stepped on.

“We’re almost at the sea.” Cheng Ran’s voice echoed through the cave, carrying far. Lin Jiqiu shone his flashlight on the cave walls; seaweed and barnacles grew on the rocks—this was where seawater would flood in during high tide.

After walking several dozen meters more, the cave came to an end. It wasn’t blocked by a landslide; it was man-made—a wall, made of red bricks, with fresh mortar joints, a stark contrast to the ancient rock walls around it. In the middle of the wall was a wooden door, identical to the one Lin Jiqiu had seen in the underwater facility. It was rotten, half-closed, and a chemical smell emanated from the cracks.

Lin Jiqiu walked over and gently pushed open the door, his movements very light and slow, so as not to disturb anyone who might be behind it. Behind the door was a short corridor, less than two meters long, at the end of which was another door—made of sheet metal, and closed. There was a turntable on the door, just like the one underwater. Lin Jiqiu grasped the turntable, turned it half a turn, and pulled the door open.

Behind the door is the corridor leading to the underwater facility. The rooms are numbered XK-01 to XK-10.

Lin Jiqiu stood in the corridor, her flashlight beam sweeping across each door. XK-03’s door was open, empty; XK-04’s door was open, empty; XK-05’s door was also open, empty; XK-06, XK-07, XK-08, XK-09, and XK-10 were all empty, completely bare. Only XK-01 and XK-02’s doors remained closed. She walked to XK-01’s door, pushed it open, and it was empty; the bed was neatly made, and no one was there. XK-02 was also empty.

“They moved. Or,” Cheng Ran looked at her, “they’re no longer here.”

Lin Jiqiu didn’t speak, walking along the corridor, past the corner, until she reached the natural cave. She shone her flashlight into the corner where Lin Xiao and Zhou Wan were imprisoned; the corner was empty, except for two shackles. The wooden door on the wall was still open, and the smell of chemicals lingered from the crack. She shone her flashlight inside; behind the door was another passage, narrower and lower, requiring one to bend over to pass through.

“Cheng Ran”.

“exist.”

“This road may lead to another exit to the sea.”

“It could also be the passage they use to enter and exit.”

Lin Jiqiu bent down and crawled inside. The passage was about twenty meters long, ending at an iron door. There was no turntable, only a small sensor area. She took out her LVL-3 key card and tried it, but the red light didn’t respond. She tried LVL-2, but it was still red. The door wouldn’t open. She stepped back out.

“We need a more advanced card,” Cheng Ran said, looking at her. Lin Jiqiu squatted by the door and shone her flashlight through the crack. There was the sound of water on the other side of the door. Not the sound of water coming from pipes, but the sound of waves crashing against rocks. “The sea is right outside. It’s probably their secret entrance, accessible only to insiders.”

The two retraced their steps, passing through corridors, numbered rooms, wooden doors, red brick walls, and a long cave before exiting the quarry. It was almost dark outside; the setting sun peeked through gaps in the clouds, bathing the entire quarry in a dark red hue. Sun Yuan leaned against the car, smoking, while A Zuo stood beside him, gazing towards the cliff face. Seeing them emerge, Sun Yuan stubbed out his cigarette, and A Zuo opened the car door.

“How’s it going?” “We found the passage. It leads from a cave in the quarry to the underwater facility. But they might have moved; XK-01 and XK-02 are empty.” Sun Yuan’s face looked even older in the setting sun. “So… is this case closed?”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the sea and remained silent for a few seconds. “The case is closed. But the truth has not yet been found.”

On the way back to the hotel, the car was quiet. Sun Yuan was driving, A Zuo was looking out the window, Cheng Ran was looking at his tablet, and Lin Jiqiu had her eyes closed. The setting sun shone in through the car window, casting a half-light and half-shadow on her face.

Back at the hotel, Lin Jiqiu went straight to her room. She put down her waterproof backpack, changed out of her wet clothes, and took a hot shower. The water was scalding hot, stinging her skin slightly. She closed her eyes as the hot water poured over her head. The ball on her wrist vibrated gently in the water, in sync with her heartbeat. She turned off the water, dried herself, changed into clean clothes, and lay down on the bed.

Cheng Ran knocked and came in. He carried two cups of coffee, placed one on the bedside table, and pulled up a chair to sit down. “Lin Xiao and Zhou Wan’s families have arrived. Lin Xiao’s son is with him in the ward. Zhou Wan’s parents also came and cried.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her coffee and took a sip. “How old is Lin Xiao’s son?” “Fourteen. He was only eleven when he disappeared.” Three years. From eleven to fourteen, a boy grew from a child into a teenager. He didn’t know his father was still alive, perhaps he had slowly accepted his father’s absence. And then suddenly he came back.

“Cheng Ran”.

“Um.”

“The passage behind that wooden door requires a higher-level keycard to open. That level of keycard is probably in the hands of someone at a higher level. For example—the core management of Mirror Technology.” Cheng Ran tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair. “It could also be someone from Rustbone.” Lin Jiqiu put down his coffee cup. “Do they know about us?” “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have emptied rooms XK-01 and XK-02. They know someone has broken into the facility, but they don’t know who. What we need to do now is wait.”

“Wait for what?”

“Wait until they make a mistake. As long as they’re still active, they’ll leave traces. People coming and going, funds flowing, supplies being replenished. These are all traces.” Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “You should continue pursuing them.” “Aren’t you going to pursue them anymore?” She thought for a moment. “I will.” Cheng Ran stood up and picked up his empty coffee cup. “Then let’s wait.”

He walked to the door and stopped. “Lin Jiqiu.” “Hmm.” “Lin Xiao… his gaze was a little off when he looked at you. He kept glancing at you. Maybe it’s because you also have the surname Lin. Or maybe there’s another reason.” Lin Jiqiu paused, startled. “What reason?” “I don’t know. But my senses tell me that his heart raced when he recognized your surname Lin.” She was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

Cheng Ran walked out and gently closed the door.

Lin Jiqiu lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Lin Xiao. His surname was Lin. His gaze was off when he looked at her. Her heart raced. She racked her brains—she didn’t know many relatives on her father’s side. Her mother had died long ago, and her father rarely mentioned family matters. Had she ever heard of a relative named Lin Xiao? She couldn’t remember.

She turned over and pulled the blanket over herself. The round ball on her wrist vibrated slightly. She held it in her hand, feeling its warmth. “What do you know?” The ball didn’t answer. It just vibrated, in sync with her heartbeat.