Longshan Psychiatric Hospital

"Oh, for f's sake... Where the f'ing hell did they send me..." Su Jin muttered to himself, staring at the massive sign for the psychiatric hospital before him.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed.

Like a startled bird, Su Jin spun around. He saw a blue and white trolleybus, its long poles trailing behind it, rolling over the asphalt road.

A sparse line of cars followed the trolleybus.

Not far off was a row of shops, their wooden window frames all half-open and painted in various colors. Through the windows, he could see glass counters, the decor possessing a strong sense of a bygone era.

On the street corner, an old man was packing up his popcorn machine.

The bang just now had been the sound of the popcorn roaster popping open.

The sun was scorching, and the air was thick with the smell of popcorn mixed with diesel and asphalt.

Su Jin's heart pounded with alarm, his gaze wavering.

The scene before him was both strange and familiar.

The sun was slightly reddish. The people on the street... they still looked East Asian, and their clothes, while a bit rustic, weren't particularly odd.

The cars and architecture also looked somewhat 'primitive'.

His own stylish trench coat, especially standing under the hot sun, seemed rather out of place.

Some of the passersby on the street were glancing sideways at him.

Seeing this, Su Jin quickly took off his trench coat, draped it over his arm to cover his briefcase.

He turned back to look at the psychiatric hospital again, his heart thumping wildly.

I've really been transported!

A moment ago, he was in his own rented apartment. In the blink of an eye, it was broad daylight, and he was standing on a major road.

Although this place looked familiar at a glance, the details made it clear this was definitely not the world he knew.

The shocking experience of being transported to another world was truly indescribable.

That bizarre company... everything they said was true!

But a dying world, an apocalypse... This world looked completely harmonious. It didn't seem like the end was nigh, nor did it look like it was in a state of emergency preparedness.

Su Jin shakily wiped his face, taking two deep breaths to quickly steady his nerves.

Forget being transported to another world, his heart couldn't even handle being sent to another country in a second.

But it seemed there was no turning back now... Either complete the mission or get in touch with the company.

Now wasn't the time to think about those two options. The urgent thing was to find this so-called client.

It must be the guidance provided by the mask. In his vision, a red dot was now flashing conspicuously inside the psychiatric hospital.

There was a guard booth at the entrance, and the guard inside was staring intently at him.

Su Jin frowned and walked quickly past the guard booth toward a distant corner, stopping in an inconspicuous patch of shade under a tree.

He crouched down and began to search the pockets of his trench coat and his briefcase.

Before long, he pulled out a wad of cash and an ID card from his coat pocket.

The banknotes were from the "Longshan Huitong Bank," and the ID card had a unique vertical layout, like a work ID.

Su Jin pressed his lips together, feeling slightly more at ease.

Looks like the company's notice didn't lie. They really did provide currency exchange and identification. The Chinese characters everywhere must also be the company's translation service.

Tiandao Responsibility Unlimited Company. He had no clue about it. He would probably have to rely on the client for information.

Since this person was a client, they must have communicated with the company before.

But the client was in a psychiatric hospital... I hope they're a doctor or a nurse.

Su Jin prayed silently, put the money and the gun in his bag, and put his trench coat back on.

The wall of the psychiatric hospital was right beside him, a low wall less than two meters high.

Su Jin reached up, grabbed the top of the wall, and peeked over. Seeing no one around, he pushed off with his legs and vaulted over.

Once inside the courtyard, he jogged straight into the building.

Su Jin glanced around nervously.

There were quite a few nurses and patients walking around inside, but he could understand their language perfectly.

He could also read the signs on the walls. Up ahead was... the restroom!

Su Jin ducked inside decisively.

...

In the multipurpose hall of Longshan Psychiatric Hospital.

Fu Qingdai, dressed in a patient's uniform, sat dejectedly by the window.

Outside, sunlight dappled the ground and the trees cast lush green shade, a pleasant scene.

But with the creaking of the ceiling fan overhead, the surrounding crowd of catatonic or screaming patients, and the heavy weight on her mind, she was in no mood to appreciate it.

Gradually, Fu Qingdai's eyes reddened, and her small hands clenched the hem of her clothes.

There wasn't much time left... She had tried so hard for so long, but in the end, not a single person believed her or helped her.

Was there really no escape?

No, there was still one more chance.

The voice in her dream told her that the man would come for her.

If she could just wait for him to arrive, maybe there was still a chance. If he didn't come... that would be a good thing too. It would probably mean the dream was fake, and the apocalypse wouldn't happen!

As long as there's no apocalypse, being thought of as mentally ill is worth it!

At this thought, Fu Qingdai wiped the corners of her eyes, her mood brightening a little.

Although her emotions had been swinging back and forth like this for the past few days...

Tired of the view outside the window, Fu Qingdai got up, ready to head back to her room.

But the moment she turned her head, a black silhouette appeared in the dim hallway, trench coat fluttering, carrying a briefcase!

The back of the figure from her mind—standing under a dark sky amidst a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, a briefcase in one hand and a gun in the other—overlapped almost perfectly with the silhouette before her!

Like a bolt from the blue!

Tears instantly streamed from the corners of Fu Qingdai's eyes.

At this moment, only one thought remained in her mind.

We are "pawread dot com", find us on google.

It's over... The apocalypse is real after all.

...

After splashing his face with water in the restroom, Su Jin walked out, his panic having subsided considerably.

The restroom was similar to those on Earth. It had running water, just with squat toilets... and the familiar stench of piss was strangely reassuring.

It was practically the smell of home!

Walking to the middle of the hallway, he had already locked onto Fu Qingdai.

His heart immediately sank to his stomach... A kid in a patient's uniform, looking like she was probably in high school.

She was exceptionally pretty, but her looks were completely irrelevant right now!

Before entering the building, he had been praying that even if the client was a psychiatric patient, he would be granted a strapping man. He would have accepted that!

But reality was...

Psychiatric patient! Student! Beauty! Each one of these was a strike against her!

Walking into the hall, Su Jin scanned his surroundings, casually pulled up a chair, and sat down in front of Fu Qingdai.

The moment they faced each other, the red dot on Fu Qingdai's forehead in his vision abruptly disappeared.

Neither of them spoke. Su Jin studied Fu Qingdai, who had her head down, her small hands twisted together.

After a moment, Su Jin spoke tentatively, "The company... they've already contacted you, haven't they?"

Fu Qingdai nodded, her heart racing to its limit!

The man from her dreams had appeared in reality, and his presence meant the apocalypse was coming.

"What's your name?"

"Fu Qingdai."

"Sir... I don't know how I should address you..." Fu Qingdai said softly, her head still bowed.

How to address me?

Su Jin hesitated.

Her current state didn't seem like that of someone with a mental illness. It wouldn't be a big deal to tell her his real name, but the company's f'ing regulations forbade revealing any company information.

He was connected to the company, but who knew where the line for confidentiality was drawn?

Logically, there was no need to be on guard against a client, but he couldn't risk the client blabbing... It was better to make something up. These were all trivial details.

The most important thing right now was to gain the client's complete trust and gather more intelligence.

After a moment of silence, Su Jin sat up straight, his expression serious. "The following conversation is strictly between you and me. I hope you will not reveal my identity to anyone. Do you understand?"

Fu Qingdai nodded heavily, her eyes filled with earnestness.

"I am the director of the Special Operations Department and an elite agent of the company. My name is Li Haocheng. You can call me Director, or you can call me Brother Hao. From today on, in front of outsiders, I want us to act as cousins. Understand?"

"I understand... Cousin."

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan