Gao Ming didn’t know who the lady was talking about. He only noticed that she was in a good mood.
“I’ve completed your interview mission. Can I meet your boss now?” Gao Ming spoke with Doctor Ce for a long time in the dream. He felt like the mysterious boss might know something.
“The boss still hasn’t returned. He temporarily will not return.” The lady studied Gao Ming again. This boss was always not around. With today’s convenience in communication, could the boss really have nothing more to say that he was away?
Gao Ming didn’t pursue this. Clearly, the lady didn’t want to say more. To push would be impolite.
“Before the boss is back, you’ll work under me. When you’re free, fill out these forms. We need to know where’s your limit.” The lady exchanged contact numbers with Gao Ming. Then, she handed the bloody newspapers back to Gao Ming, “No matter where you go in the future, you better bring these with you.”
“It’s not taking much space anyway.” The lady still hadn’t revealed anything about herself. She didn’t invite Gao Ming to enter the Ninth Sense Experience Centre. “Alright. I’ll tell you about the actual working hours and conditions next time. Go home and wait.”
“Is that all? Did I pass the interview?” Gao Ming didn’t think the lady would shoo him back home.
“We’ll have to see after you complete the professional training. However, with a promising employee like you, the boss will not let you go. Just wait patiently. He’ll go to you in person.” When the lady said that, she glowed with anticipation. “If you still don’t want to go back home, I don’t mind giving you a private lesson. After all, we don’t have any customers now.”
Gao Ming turned and entered the elevator. Before the doors closed, he saw the lady tear off the stitches around her neck and take her head off.
As the number on the panel changed, Gao Ming had many thoughts, “The world I saw when I was in a coma had to do with Immortal Pharma. After all, they used their latest technology to wake him up. As long as I continue to participate in their games, I should have the chance to get to the bottom of the truth.”
After leaving the hospital and living with Liu Yi, Gao Ming slowly returned to reality. The scenarios from his nightmare faded away. This should be irreversible. However, he found part of his missing memories in Shanghai Mental Asylum. His fate was intertwined with that nightmare again. Once he closed his eyes, he could see the many versions of himself who died horribly.
“Death? Rebirth? Recycle?” Gao Ming couldn’t understand it.
Blurrily, he moved to the station. He waited at the station and missed several rides. When it was almost dark, he stood up and took the train that left the intelligent city.
“The intelligent city was built a long time ago, but the technological renaissance didn’t arrive as expected. Everyone has been limited by some kind of power.”
The scenes outside the windows changed. It took one hour to move from the city to the abandoned countryside. Many people who worked in the intelligent city were like Gao Ming. They took the train home after work. They looked tired and trapped in their own cages.
Gao Ming grabbed the walkie-talkie silently and took out the bloody newspaper. “These are all murders from decades ago. The victims are related to the bathrooms somehow. Some of them were dismembered and flushed down the toilet. Others were strangled in their bathtubs. Why is Doctor Ce so obsessed with the toilet?” Soon, the train reached his station. He put the papers away so as not to worry Liu Yi. “I’ve gained so many things today, but it feels like I’ve lost something…” Gao Ming touched his backpack and then jumped up. “My cat!”
Before he started the tour, Gao Ming left the cat with the receptionist at Shanghai Mental Asylum. He forgot about Fa Cai when he left. The system called for the station. Gao Ming was carried out by the crowd. He stood among the old city buildings and laughed sadly.
Gao Ming kept thinking about the nightmare that he forgot about reality. There was a voice telling him, “Since you are already enveloped by love and care, why are you still so obsessed with the darkness?”
Gao Ming quickly called the haunted house. The workers were very nice. They remembered Gao Ming. They told Gao Ming that an employee had brought the cat away and would carry it back to Gao Ming. Gao Ming’s heart settled. He rode on the shared bicycle to the florist and the market before rushing home.
Gao Ming picked up the scent of food as he entered the corridor. This old and cramped space gave him a unique sense of security.
Gao Ming opened the door, and his fatigue melted away. However, he froze the next moment. There was an unfamiliar woman in the living room. She looked less than 20. She appeared shy. She was tall. Her skin had signs of allergy from using bad-quality makeup for an extended period of time. Seeing Gao Ming, the girl became more nervous. She bumped into the empty kitten bag beside her.
“I was your guide earlier. I’m here to deliver your cat. You can call me Dong Guo.” The girl curled her hands behind her back and said awkwardly. She tried to bend over to remind Gao Ming. At that moment, the curtain to the kitchen opened. Liu Yi poked her head out while holding the wok. She saw the shy Dong Guo caught in a strange pose before the bloody Gao Ming. Dong Guo’s face flushed. It was too awkward!
“You finally remember to come home?! You forgot even our cat!” Liu Yi was busy for a whole day. When she came back home, she planned to cook delicious dishes for Gao Ming. However, before she was done, an unfamiliar woman came knocking on her door with Fa Cai.
“I went for an interview.” Gao Ming showed Liu Yi the forms he had to fill out. As Liu Yi looked through them, Gao Ming placed the flowers he bought in the vase. “I bought your favourite food as I came back. You should rest. I’ll cook.”
Seeing the long list of forms Gao Ming had given her, Liu Yi felt bad for doubting Gao Ming. Based on the grime and fake blood on his face, he must have worked hard for his interview.
Who would return so unkempt if they just went out to play?