The fat man had a dirty work outfit tied around his waist, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked honest and harmless, but his eyes shone with cunningness. “Why would a trash centre worker know about the internal communication device of Immortal Pharma?” Gao Ming leaned back in his chair. He looked relaxed, but he was already calculating the escape route in his mind.
“I don’t like to talk in riddles. Molten Fire doesn’t welcome Immortal Pharma. Most of the people here have been harmed by them before. Normally, since you showed up here with the black band, we would have sent you into a hidden room to be dealt with, but you also came bearing our boss’ personal flyer. This makes me feel conflicted.” The man was like a moving mountain. He stood before Gao Ming, “Are you a friend or a foe?”
“Do you call the manager here your boss?” Gao Ming could sense the danger from the fat man and the bearded man. He believed he was in the right place. “My name is Gao Ming. A friend gave me the flyer. She said I could find the answer I’m looking for here.”
There was a knock on the door. A muscular man with a white shirt and glasses walked in. He wore a white safety helmet and held a laptop. The laptop looked like a miniature due to its large size.
“The comparison is out. This guy should be a victim too.” The man put down the laptop. The screen showed all the information on Gao Ming, from his schooling experience to his treatment by Immortal Pharma. “However, the medical records on this man are missing. I can’t find them even after hacking into Immortal Pharma’s database. He volunteered for Immortal Pharma’s brain realm games after leaving the hospital. It’s like he wants to die.”
After hearing that, the other two men’s attitude lightened. “It wouldn’t be easy for you to escape from Immortal Pharma’s experiment. Why did you purposely go back? The nightmares are scarier than the last. Do you have a death wish?”
Gao Ming had heard that so many times that he was too lazy to explain, “You’ve verified everything that you needed to. Can you tell me who you are now?”
Holding his bag, Gao Ming glanced at the locked door and the window. He could run towards the trash mountain if he jumped out the window. He should be able to escape that way.
“Don’t be nervous. We have the same experience as you do.” The bald man touched his reflective head. “Old Guan and Zhang Zhan used to be security guards at Immortal Pharma. I was the technical lead of the brain realm research department. We were loyal to the company until we saw the confidential files on that taboo incident ten years ago.” The bald man’s name was Cao Lu. His brain was apparently more developed than his muscles. The bearded man was Guan Li, and the fatty’s name was Zhang Zhan. The two used to handle Immortal Pharma’s internal security. They had been modified physically to have incredible power. They were known as the new humans.
“Who is Brother Chong? Does he know Huang Yin?” When he asked that, the atmosphere chilled.
“Huang Yin…” Guan Li was about to say something when Zhang Zhan stopped him, “We’ll bring you on a tour of the place first. You’ve participated in Immortal Pharma’s tests and managed to escape with your own power. I can see that you’ll soon join us.”
“Yes. Everyone will welcome you.”
“Who is everyone?” Gao Ming stood up. He was wary. He didn’t trust anyone.
“Those were damaged by the brain experiments, the survivors from the tragedy many years ago and the abandoned like Old Zhang, Old Guan and me.” The bald man led the way. He opened a switch on himself. The cameras turned away from them. They moved between the big machines and entered the trash mountain.
“What a good place to hide bodies.” Gao Ming lamented as he took in the many machineries.
“This way.” A metallic door hidden in the trash valley opened. The group entered it. The stench in the air faded away. There were many alarm systems along the way. There were also robots milling about. “Everything is modified from trash. We lack everything here but trash.”
Gao Ming walked down the stairs. It felt like a long time before he saw a rotten wooden sign that said Fu Family Village.
“The trash hides a village called Fu Family Village. This village has been here longer than the Molten Fire. We have no idea who built it. The village ancestral book has no records. It feels like everything has been wiped out.” Old Cao entered the corridor after finishing the identification. They went down again. There came the sound of bubbling water. The view before them suddenly widened.
Who would have thought such a well-preserved village would be hidden under the mountains of trash? All the buildings were covered in strange talismans. Gao Ming felt like he was back inthe nightmare.
“Doesn’t it feel incredible?” Zhang Zhan laughed. “Old Cao and I were shocked when we came here for the first time too. They had perfectly hidden themselves away from Immortal Pharma.”
Different buildings served different purposes. The complicated wiring and modified machines merged into the village. The village houses had devices similar to the ones from the Immortal Pharma labs at the doors. The thick wires connected the whole village like an evil God.
“Why is this place called Fu Family Village? Is that your boss’s name?” Gao Ming avoided the wiring and looked around. Each family hung a white lantern at the door even though the houses already had electrical wirings and lights. For some reason, the light was twisted here. The village felt like it was covered in a layer of shadow.
“Immortal Pharma’s creator has the surname Fu. I hear this is his ancestral village.” Ol Cao put away his laptop and became cautious. “Without permission, we are not allowed to venture deep into the village. Stay close to us. There are many things you do not understand living here. They might… be dangerous.”