Chapter 8: The Revelation of Identity (Part Two)

Early the next morning, sunlight filtered through the cracks in the curtains, casting mottled patches by my bedside. My phone vibrated, and the brief tone of a message made my heart tense. I took a deep breath, feigned composure as I replied, then quietly straightened my clothes, each step as light as treading on clouds, afraid to disturb anything.

At the moment I opened the door, I swiftly scanned my surroundings, finding nothing unusual. Yet, as I descended the stairs and walked out of the school gate, Wang Jing and Zhou Jie popped their heads out from the shadowy corner, laughter bubbling between them. Their eyes brimmed with mischief, as if to say, "You took the bait, just as we thought."

My heartbeat suddenly raced, a chill rising in my back, though I still found nothing out of place. So, last night’s “deep sleep” had been nothing more than a carefully constructed ruse.

Once again, I arrived at yesterday’s corner. My pulse quickened involuntarily, the rush of blood echoing in my ears. Dr. Li Feng appeared as promised, clad in a dark trench coat, his features calm and his gaze illuminated with intelligence. After a brief and cryptic conversation, an unusual excitement flashed across my face, as if I had just uncovered a world-shaking secret.

Unable to wait, I turned and hurried to my secret room, anticipation and curiosity bubbling within me. Wang Jing and Zhou Jie followed in my wake unnoticed, moving like phantoms in the night, their eyes glinting with slyness and wonder.

I descended the dim staircase slowly, each step landing on cold, solid stone, echoes rippling through the narrow space. At the end of the stairs, a faint light leaked from beneath a door, adding a touch of mystery to this underground world.

I stopped, turning to scan the area. They reacted instantly, hiding in the blind spot, their faces marked with surprise and urgency, yet their steps unconsciously slowed, seemingly awed by the depths of the unknown.

I inhaled deeply, my fingers brushing the sensor beside the door. With a faint mechanical whirring, a heavy iron door opened slowly, revealing the passage to the secret laboratory. A chill, tinged with the breath of the unknown, swept out to meet me.

As the iron door clanged shut behind me, I donned a white lab coat, rubber gloves, safety goggles, and a medical mask, focusing intently on the mysterious liquids before me.

The array of intricate instruments in the basement left Wang Jing and Zhou Jie astounded. I placed a crucial vial onto a machine, preparing to fetch another when the unexpected happened.

Zhou Jie and Wang Jing darted from the staircase to the machine, snatching the vial and shouting at me, “Lin Xuan, if you don’t tell us your true identity today, I’ll smash this bottle. The contents must be important to you!” Zhou Jie held the bottle tightly as she interrogated me, her questioning more of a threat than a plea.

Their arrival caused my pupils to dilate, my mouth to open in shock—not at their presence, but at their courage in following me this far.

I approached them slowly, my tone laced with barely perceptible reassurance. “Don’t panic. I’ll tell you everything, but first, you must understand the importance of this.” My gaze lingered on the small bottle in their hands—the key reagent for the experiment. If damaged, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A hint of triumph flickered in Wang Jing’s eyes, while Zhou Jie gripped the bottle so hard her fingers turned white. I deliberately slowed my steps, as if racing against time, calculating the perfect moment for a counterattack.

Just as they thought victory was theirs, I suddenly accelerated, moving with the swiftness of a hunting leopard. In one swift motion, I threw Wang Jing over my shoulder, the sound of wind slicing through the air as she hit the ground. Zhou Jie cried out, the bottle snatched from her hand as I twisted and pushed, using her own momentum against her. She stumbled, losing her balance, and fell heavily to the floor.

Quickly and deftly, I moved to the other side of the lab table, seizing a sealed glass bottle, my fingers prying open the cap with practiced ease.

Inside was a specially formulated sedative powder, fine as mist and tinged with a faint blue glow. I had concocted it during my freshman year while assisting the police. Without hesitation, I scattered the powder; it dispersed in the air like dawn mist, silently spreading.

Anger in Wang Jing and Zhou Jie’s eyes gave way to shock, then gradually dulled, as if their consciousness was drained by some unseen force. Their bodies began to sway, like leaves in the autumn wind, finally collapsing helplessly into deep unconsciousness. Silence enveloped the space, broken only by their faint breaths.

Looking down at them sprawled on the ground, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself, “Just the two of you—a world’s second-best assassin and a hacker—trying to find out who I am? Ha, still too inexperienced. It’s as difficult as cracking the Big Key on rice, isn’t it? Haha.”

When Wang Jing and Zhou Jie awoke, they found themselves tied to chairs. More than two hours had passed. In that time, I had scoured search engines, browsed short videos, even consulted AI, and finally conjured up a believable identity: that of an ordinary person.

But clearly, Zhou Jie and Wang Jing didn’t buy it. So, I was forced to tell them the “truth”:

“What you saw was just a misunderstanding. The person you thought was my contact is actually an old childhood friend,” I said, spinning tales as I went along. “All these things are just regular chemistry experiments. I’m merely a bit interested in this field. This secret room isn’t mine—it was lent to me by a classmate’s father, a friend of my childhood acquaintance,” I continued, weaving my story. “As for the place in the suburbs, it’s nothing strange at all. It’s simply a small company run by another classmate’s father—we just hang out there.” Well, I was earnestly making things up.

“Really?” Wang Jing asked, clearly close to believing me. I hurried to affirm, “Of course it’s true. Why would I lie to you?”

“Alright then, help us with the rankings. We want to return to the dorm,” Zhou Jie said.

Without another word, I untied them both, and the atmosphere between us warmed again. We slung our arms around each other’s shoulders and returned to the dormitory.

After dinner, we happily played and chatted together. Nothing unusual happened. Under the guidance of Feng Dan Yan, we enjoyed many fun activities and I received a warmth I had never known before. Feng Dan Yan even took us out to sing karaoke.

It was truly a delightful day. But tomorrow, classes begin again—ah, such is life.