[Longshan City Psychiatric Hospital]
"Oh, for crying out loud... Where the hell did they dump me this time...?" Su Jin muttered to himself as he stared up at the massive sign for the psychiatric hospital.
Suddenly, a loud bang shattered the air.
Like a startled bird, Su Jin spun around on high alert. Behind him, a blue-and-white trolleybus trailed long overhead poles as it rumbled along the asphalt street.
A handful of cars followed in its wake.
Not far off stood rows of storefronts with half-open wooden windows painted in an assortment of colors. Peering through the frames revealed glass display counters inside; the decor carried a distinctly vintage feel.
Right at the street corner, an old man was gathering puffed corn.
The loud blast just now had simply been the pop of his pressure-cannon popcorn cooker.
The sun blazed hot overhead, and the air was thick with the aroma of popped corn mingling with diesel exhaust and asphalt.
Su Jin's heart pounded relentlessly, his pupils trembling.
The scene before him felt both strange and familiar.
The slightly reddish sun, the pedestrians on the street... They still appeared Asian, their clothing looking somewhat drab and rustic, but otherwise unremarkable.
The cars and architecture also looked rather dated and simple.
Dressed in a stylish trench coat under the sweltering heat, he looked conspicuously out of place.
Several passersby on the street were already casting sideways glances in his direction.
Noticing this, Su Jin quickly slipped off his trench coat and draped it over his arm, concealing the briefcase.
Looking back at the psychiatric hospital, his heart hammered frantically against his ribs.
He had truly crossed over into another world!
Just moments ago he had been inside his rented apartment, and in the blink of an eye, it was broad daylight and he was standing on a public street.
While it looked familiar at first glance, in terms of details, this was definitely not the world he knew.
The staggering shock of traveling across worlds was genuinely beyond words.
Everything that bizarre company had said was true!
Yet a dying world? An apocalypse...? No matter how he looked at it, this world seemed entirely peaceful—neither on the verge of doom nor in any state of emergency wartime preparation.
Trembling, Su Jin wiped his face and took two deep breaths to quickly steady his nerves.
Never mind crossing into another world; even if someone had whisked him to a foreign country in a single second, his heart could hardly take it.
Yet it seemed there was no turning back now... He either had to complete the mission or establish contact with the company.
Now was not the time to dwell on those two options. The urgent priority was to track down that client first.
Presumably guided by the mask, a red dot blinked prominently within the psychiatric hospital in his field of vision.
A guard booth stood by the entrance, and the guard inside was staring intently at him.
Frowning, Su Jin quickened his pace past the booth and headed toward a distant corner, stopping beneath the inconspicuous shade of a tree.
Crouching down, he began rummaging through his trench coat pockets and the briefcase.
Before long, he pulled a stack of banknotes and an ID card from a pocket.
The bills were printed with "Longshan Huitong Bank," while the ID card bore a unique vertical layout, resembling an employee badge.
Su Jin pursed his lips, feeling a touch of relief.
It seemed the company's notification hadn't lied. They really did provide currency exchange and identification. The Chinese characters plastered all over the streets were probably the company's translation work as well.
Tiandao Unlimited Liability Company... He had no clue about it whatsoever; he would likely have to rely on the client to learn more.
Since they were a client, they must have communicated with the company.
It was just that this client was in a psychiatric hospital... Hopefully, whoever it was turned out to be a doctor or a nurse.
Su Jin offered a silent prayer, stowed the money and the pistol into the briefcase, and slipped the trench coat back on.
Beside him stood the hospital wall, a low perimeter measuring less than two meters high.
Su Jin gripped the top of the wall, poked his head up to confirm no one was around, and pushed off the ground with both legs to vault over.
Dropping into the courtyard, he jogged straight into the building.
Nervously, Su Jin glanced left and right.
There were quite a few nurses and patients walking around inside, but he could understand their spoken language perfectly.
He could also read the signage on the walls clearly. Up ahead was... the restroom!
Dodging around the corner, Su Jin slipped inside without hesitation.
***
Inside the multipurpose hall of Longshan Psychiatric Hospital.
Fu Qingdai sat dejectedly by the window in a patient gown.
Outside, sunlight bathed the grounds and lush green trees cast pleasant shade—a lovely scene.
Yet between the creaking of the ceiling fan overhead, the surrounding crowd of patients either staring blankly or screaming, and the heavy worries weighing on her mind, she was in no mood to appreciate it.
Gradually, Fu Qingdai's eyes reddened, her small hands clutching the hem of her gown.
Time was running out... She had tried so hard for so long, but in the end, not a single person believed her or helped her.
Was there truly no escaping it?
No, there was still one chance left.
The voice in her dream had told her that the man would come looking for her.
As long as she waited for that person to arrive, perhaps there was still hope. If he didn't come... that would be a good thing too. It would likely mean the dream was false, and the apocalypse wouldn't happen!
As long as there was no apocalypse, even being branded mentally ill would be worth it!
Thinking this, Fu Qingdai wiped the corners of her eyes, her spirits brightening a little.
Even though her mood had been swinging back and forth like this for days...
Tired of gazing at the scenery outside, Fu Qingdai stood up, preparing to return to her room.
Yet the very moment she turned her head, a dark silhouette caught her eye in the dim corridor—a figure with a fluttering coat, carrying a leather briefcase!
The memory in her mind—a back view standing beneath a gloomy sky amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, one hand holding a briefcase and the other clutching a gun—aligned almost perfectly with the silhouette before her!
It struck like a bolt from the blue!
Tears instantly cascaded down Fu Qingdai's cheeks.
In that instant, only a single thought occupied her mind.
It was over... The apocalypse was real after all.
***
Having splashed water on his face in the restroom, Su Jin stepped out, feeling his panic subside considerably.
The restroom was much like those on Earth: running tap water, squat toilets... Even that familiar pungent stench of urine felt strangely reassuring.
It was practically the scent of home!
Reaching the midpoint of the corridor, his eyes immediately locked onto Fu Qingdai.
His heart instantly sank to rock bottom... A child in a patient gown, looking like a high school student.
Though she was remarkably pretty, looks didn't matter in the slightest right now!
Before entering the building, he had been praying that even if the client was a mental patient, if only the heavens would grant him a sturdy, able-bodied man, he could accept it!
Yet reality had dealt him...
A mental patient! A student! A pretty girl! Every single one was a liability!
Stepping into the hall, Su Jin scanned his surroundings, dragged over a chair, and sat down in front of Fu Qingdai.
The moment they sat face-to-face, the red dot on Fu Qingdai's forehead abruptly vanished from his sight.
Neither spoke. Su Jin studied Fu Qingdai, who kept her head down, her small hands wringing together.
After a brief silence, Su Jin probed quietly, "The company... already contacted you in advance, right?"
Fu Qingdai nodded, her heart racing at its absolute limit!
The figure from her dream had appeared in reality—and his presence meant the apocalypse was truly coming.
"What's your name?"
"Fu Qingdai."
"Brother... I still don't know how to address you..." Fu Qingdai murmured, keeping her head lowered.
*How to address me?*
Su Jin hesitated.
Her current state didn't seem like someone suffering from a mental illness. Frankly, telling her his real name wouldn't normally be a big deal, but that damn company policy forbade disclosing company information.
He was affiliated with the company; who knew where the boundaries of confidentiality lay?
Logically, there was no need to guard against a client, but there was no guaranteeing she wouldn't blabber... It was better to invent a cover story. These were trivial details anyway.
The top priority right now was earning the client's utmost trust and gathering more intel.
After a moment of silence, Su Jin sat upright and said solemnly, "What we discuss next stays strictly between the two of us. I need you not to reveal my identity to anyone. Do you understand?"
Fu Qingdai nodded firmly, her eyes filled with absolute earnestness.
"I am the Director of the Special Operations Department and an Elite Operative of the company. My name is Li Haocheng. You may call me Director, or Brother Hao. Starting today, in front of outsiders, I want us to address each other as cousins. Can you do that?"
"Understood... Cousin."
Chapter 4