The secret laboratory was filled with black metal boxes on the shelves, each connected by a data cable, linked somewhere underground.
Beside the administrator's small square table, a power cable plugged into the socket on the ground also ran from the lamp.
The two markers had a spiral fine wire attached to their ends, similar to those connected to pens at bank counters, instinctively making one think they were theft deterrents.
However, if these wires were for theft prevention, why wasn't there any on the folding chair nearby? If it was because the folding chair was large and hard to carry away, then... why wasn't there any on the water cup?
There was a possibility that the cup was the administrator's personal item.
But this possibility was quickly overturned—there was an A.L. logo on the corner of the glass, clearly indicating it was distributed by the company.
Of course, this was insufficient to prove Wen Nan's suspicion...
He placed two fingers in the center of the screen, dragged, zoomed, paused, then played at an extremely slow speed, replaying over and over...
Observing those two markers carefully over many times, Wen Nan finally determined that his suspicion was ninety percent correct.
A soft, moist kiss landed on his cheek.
Wen Nan's thoughts were pulled back as he put away the floating panel that only he could see in front of him. He looked down at the person in his arms and kissed her forehead with a smile, "Why did you wake up?"
Guan Ailin lay on Wen Nan's chest, propped herself up slightly to kiss him easier, the movement of her chest distracting Wen Nan.
She must have just woken up, as Guan Ailin's gaze wasn't as clear as before, appearing somewhat muddled. She did not answer Wen Nan's question but slowly turned her head to look out the window.
The horizon was already tinged with a pale color of daybreak, and the city fell into the quietest moment of the day.
Guan Ailin got up, walked barefoot over the sofa, and approached the floor-to-ceiling window. Through the half-draped curtain, she lowered her eyes to the desolate street.
Her long lashes hung down, covering most of the emotions in her eyes.
Wen Nan walked up to her and draped a coat over her shoulders. "It's still early, why not sleep a bit longer?"
Guan Ailin shook her head, "Once I'm awake, it's hard to fall asleep again."
Wen Nan chuckled lightly, "Got something on your mind?"
Guan Ailin turned her head, stared seriously at Wen Nan's face for a moment, and then looked back at the street outside, "No."
9527: [Your Mind Reading Technique has taken effect and the item 'Flower's Tears' has been added for 30 minutes of total effect time.]
'I can't bring myself to speak.'
'Such things, I can't even confide in Ye Jiu.'
'I'll be considered crazy...'
"Why not talk about it?" Wen Nan's voice was soft, "Whatever it is, if it's about you, I want to know."
Guan Ailin's lashes fluttered slightly, her brows involuntarily furrowing.
"We've already done the most intimate things. If I still can't get a sincere word from you, I might feel a bit hurt." Wen Nan decided to use some not-so-honorable means, "Surely it isn't like what the rumors say, that you're only with me to satisfy a physical need?"
Guan Ailin turned back, looking at the person beside her.
'≖‿≖✧ Why is this man so charming?'
'દ(˶‾᷄⁻̫‾᷅˵)૭ Damn it...'
'I can't refuse him.'
'Maybe I should really open up to him. If I don't speak now, perhaps there won't be another chance.'
After a moment of silence, Guan Ailin finally spoke, but her words left Wen Nan a bit puzzled.
"It's 6:19:36 in the morning now, and in 30 seconds, a red Ferrari will drive down the street below."
Just as she finished speaking, the roaring sound of a car engine came from the end of the street, followed by a red flash racing by.
"1 minute and 12 seconds later, a sanitation worker will pick up an empty water bottle from the flowerbed over there."
Like a prophet, shortly after Guan Ailin spoke, a sanitation worker in a yellow vest bent down to pick up the bottle.
"These incidents happen every day, over and over, flawlessly accurate." Guan Ailin gave a bitter smile, "I wonder if this world is like the movie you took me to see, not real, or... is something wrong with me?"
She raised a slender finger, pressing it against her forehead.
Wen Nan quietly met her gaze for a long time, finally lifting her cold finger to his lips and gently kissing it, "It's not your problem."
Upon hearing Wen Nan's answer, Guan Ailin was initially dazed, then she showed a relieved smile.
9527: [Congratulations, the target 'huge cold-on-the-outside warm-on-the-inside female CEO,' current affection level has increased to: 86%.]
"Thank you, Ye Jiu," she said softly, "Thank you for appearing.
"Living here, I always feel lost, like walking in the dark, unable to see the end, unable to find the direction. Your presence is like a star, offering me a ray of hope..."
Wen Nan gently embraced her, just about to speak when a soft voice echoed in his mind—
'Ye Jiu, maybe your name isn't even Ye Jiu?'
'You can't even let me know your real name, just like there's some things I can't tell you.'
'There are supernatural powers here, many people have abilities, including Yang Jingyuan, Li Shuyi, Zhang Beibei, and me too...'
'Like werewolves transforming on a full moon, every so often, someone extends threads to control another.'
'They all have their targets, only I don't.'
'I don't want to, I don't want to control them, I want to set them free, but that voice in my head insists I must.'
'Threads uncontrollably extend from my fingers, wanting to pierce into their bodies, I struggle, I resist, ultimately preferring to plunge the threads into the foundation of this building...'
'Yang Jingyuan said I'm ridiculous, fighting my instinct for a few fleeting passersby, finally freeing them but binding myself forever with this giant, lifeless object.'
'This building isn't lifeless...'
'When I inserted the threads into it, it let me truly see this world for the first time.'
'I shouldn't have seen these daily repetitive people and events, I should have forgotten them, just as Li Shuyi's late husband should have been completely forgotten, yet she stubbornly keeps him in memory.'
'Memories that should have been erased vividly remain in my mind...'
'Something must be wrong somewhere...'
'If you say it isn't me, then it's this world, where the problem lies...'