Font Size:
“Record it!”
“Record it as a major demerit!”
In the office, Section Chief Li slammed the desk with loud bangs.
Director Liu, with his slow and calm demeanour, spoke in his usual measured tone: “A demerit will definitely be recorded, but before that, we need to clarify what happened. I believe…”
“Believe what nonsense!” Section Chief Li, standing by the window, erupted. His spittle flying as the sunlight illuminated the air. “Don’t blame me for being furious. Do you realize how serious this misconduct is? Was your brain kicked by a donkey? Fighting in front of the Martyrs’ Monument? That’s an absolute insult to our fallen heroes!”
Director Liu sighed, “It wasn’t exactly in front of the monument. There was some distance—they were down the mountain and would still have to turn a few corners to get there.”
Section Chief Li paced back and forth in frustration. “Still on the same mountain! And you’re defending them?” He held up three fingers. “You only have three apprentices. The eldest led the trouble, the second dragged the third into the mess, and all three of them got involved. How incredible! Shall I have someone write a big report to publicly commend them?”
“Those brats do deserve a beating.” Director Liu turned to leave.
Section Chief Li shouted, “I haven’t finished speaking! Where are you going?”
Director Liu, hands behind his back, replied, “To whittle bamboo sticks.”
Section Chief Li widened his eyes. “What for?”
Rolling up the sleeves of his grey long robe, Director Liu’s expression turned resolute, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening. “It must be done, Chief Li. Don’t try to stop me. I’ll whittle those bamboo sticks and whip them until they cry.”
“No one’s stopping you, but corporal punishment isn’t right. We must follow the rules.” Section Chief Li sipped his lukewarm tea, spitting a stray leaf back into the cup. “They’ll write self-reflections, and their bonuses for this month will be withheld.”
Director Liu nodded. “Fair enough.”
Section Chief Li stretched out his words. “And as for the factory director…”
Director Liu immediately took responsibility. “I’ll explain to him. You don’t need to come along.”
Acknowledging his seniority and contributions, Section Chief Li softened his tone. “Old Liu, you’re a veteran here, respected by everyone and valued by the factory. But this incident is still your responsibility. As a mentor, your guidance was lacking.”
“True,” Director Liu agreed, scratching his greying hair.
“Let’s not talk about my apprentices for now. The priority is Xiao Tang—he’s the university graduate we worked so hard to bring in luck. What did the hospital say?”
“Minor injuries. He just needs to rest for a day or two,” Section Chief Li replied, setting down his cup. “Thankfully, Xiang Ning acted promptly and made a great contribution.”
Even at this point, Section Chief Li was still shaken. Today was Qingming Festival, and the factory had organized a tomb-sweeping event led by deputy directors from each workshop. It was a great collective activity, but somehow, Workshop One and Workshop Five got into a fight. IN the chaos, someone pushed Xiao Thang down a slope, knocking him unconscious. If Xiang Ning hadn’t carried him to the road, who knows what might have happened.
Late interventions could have been disastrous. The mountains were full of bugs and snakes; any number of accident could have occurred.
With these thoughts, Section Chief Li grabbed his coat from the chair and pulled Director Liu along.
“Where to?” Director Liu pulled his arm free. “I still need to report to the factory director.”
“Wait until those brats write down their accounts, in black and white. Clarify everything before you go, so you’re not caught unprepared,” Section Chief Li said, walking briskly, his face jiggling with every step, but his waxed, meticulously combed side-part stayed intact. “For now, come with me to the hospital.”
Director Liu sighed. “Xiang Ning’s head was injured badly—he might still be unconscious.”
“Who said we’re seeing him? We’re going to see Xiao Tang.”
** ** **
Hospital
Tang Xiaoguang had just seen off a group of visitors when Section Chief Li and Director Liu arrived with fruit and canned goods. Soon after, other leaders arrived.
Compared to the lively scene in Tang Xiaoguang’s room, another ward downstairs was much quieter.
Of the two beds, one was empty. On the other lay a young man, his head wrapped in bandages. He wore a white tank top under a loose blue coat. The tank top had a large mud stain on its neckline, its hem partly exposed and partly tucked into dirty blue trousers. His face, sharp and pale, was marked with dried blood around his lips. His black hair and angular chin suggested no particular handsomeness, nor any obvious flaws.
[Ding]
[The task world data has been verified. Host has been successfully transported.]
A string of electronic beeps followed.
[Host: Chen Ziqing. Origin: Earth, 2017. Gender: Male. Age: 20. ID: 11135.]
[Profile: Orphaned at six, raised by relatives until their passing at eleven. Dropped out of school due to financial hardship and worked multiple manual labour jobs. Saved up for a planned trip but was in a car accident on departure day. Currently in a vegetative state.]
[Account successfully logged in.]
[Failed login attempts: 1. Successful login attempts: 1.]
[Login time: 1982-04-04, 10:47:43.]
[Location: Huanghong Province, Dahe City, Ling County, Qiming Manufacturing Factory, Workers’ Hospital, Room 103.]
The ward’s wooden-framed glass window was above the head of each bed. Pale yellow curtains were stacked on the wide wooden sill, next to white enamel cups.
The young man on the bed twitched his eyelids before slowly opening them. The first thing he saw was a yellowed cement ceiling. His pupils shifted downward, to take in a closed white metal door. Beside it stood a matching metal cabinet holding two thermos flasks and a pair of stacked yellow basins.
The mechanical voice continued in his head, reporting account details..
[Starter pack opened. Current assets:]
Before Chen Ziqing could gather his thoughts, a screen appeared before him.
On it, a simple black frame displayed three words: “Mission Release Board.”
Below the frame, a thick horizontal line extended, with small black dots at either end as if tied to something.
Before Chen Ziqing could even fully process it, the line unrolled into a white scroll.
Commonly Asked Questions by Previous Hosts:
Friendly Reminders:
After about three or four seconds, the scroll retracted, but the screen remained.
Chen Ziqing’s consciousness began to fade, only to be forcefully yanked back by the mechanical voice.
[Ding! Host Chen Ziqing, your monitoring system is now verifying your account.]
[Ding! Account verification complete.]
The system spoke: “Host Chen, I am the administrator of this zone, responsible for issuing tasks. Pleased to meet you.”
Although it was still the same mechanical tone, there was an added sense of oppressive, icy solemnity.
Chen Ziqing’s frazzled nerves barely managed to tighten.
The system continued: “Now issuing your task. Please pay attention. It will be retrieved in 30 seconds.”
The screen’s white frame began displaying silent dialogue, line by line:
Person A: “Comrade, did you say the hallway lights are out again?”
Person B: “Yes, it must be that guy again! He’s cut the wires in our hallway again!”
Person A: “This just shows the factory’s ideological education isn’t thorough enough. Some people still lack proper awareness.”
Person B: “We need to find this troublemaker and drag him out of the dormitory.”
Person A: “Exactly! When we catch him, let’s bring him up to the stage and confront him in front of everyone at the factory. Let’s see if he’s still shameless then!”
Beneath the dialogue was a blank line meant for the answer.
After thirty seconds, the screen disappeared.
Before Chen Ziqing could fully recover, unfamiliar memories flooded his mind like a slideshow.
The body Chen Ziqing now inhabited belonged to someone named Xiang Ning. He had been chosen to work at the Qiming Manufacturing Factory after several villages pooled their resources to secure a valuable recruitment slot. It was a stroke of great fortune, elevating his family’s status in the village and earning them newfound respect—even the village head had to think twice before crossing them.
At 26 years old, with seven years of work experience, Xiang Ning was now the team leader of the “Radiance Team” in Workshop One.
Xiang Ning admired educated individuals. He read poetry and would go to the broadcasting station every morning to recite a poem for the workers. During lunch breaks, rain or shine, he would write a new poem behind an abandoned factory building.
On an emotional level, he dreamed of finding someone he loved at the factory. His aspiration was to give that person a self-written collection of his poems, receive a heartfelt response, and spend a lifetime together—a bond never to be broken.
As a worker, Xiang Ning was diligent and helpful, always encouraging his colleagues. His team consistently led in production numbers, making him a role model and a source of inspiration for the workers. At every year-end awards ceremony, he was called to the stage to accept accolades, adorning himself with one red flower badge after another.
He participated in all factory-organized activities, achieving excellent results each time, never slacking off or making up numbers just for appearances.
However, Xiang Ning had his darker side. He would often sneak into Section Chief Li’s office to act as an informant, reporting on matters. Chief Li specifically tasked him with monitoring Director Liu’s second apprentice, Sun Chengzhi, keeping a close eye on his every move to prevent any disruptions that could undermine the organization’s unity.
Xiang Ning had grand ambitions. This year, he set his sights on the deputy director position. He firmly believed that with his skills, reputation, and his connection to Section Chief Li, the role was well within his reach.
The arrival of Tang Xiaoguang, a college graduate, stirred a wave of excitement within the factory. Xiang Ning enthusiastically attended to his daily needs, and when the recent accident occurred, he was the first to find Tang and carry him out of the bushes. This wasn’t purely altruistic—he aimed to build a strong rapport with him.
Initially, Xiang Ning planned to accompany Tang Xiaoguang to the hospital to further strengthen their bond. However, Sun Chengzhi and his gang showed up, disrupting his plan. Frustrated, he abandoned Tang at the roadside and walked away.
Little did he know that on his way back, he encountered something that startled him, causing him to fall backward onto a rock and lose his life on the spot.
His grand ambitions and aspirations were left unrealized.
What Xiang Ning saw that frightened him was left blank in the memories—it was evidently related to the task and concealed from the host.
These memories included five red-highlighted “marked sections”:
Chen Ziqing wasn’t clueless. By now, he clearly understood what had happened to him..
He had arrived in this so-called mission world, becoming a worker named the factory worker Xiang Ning. His mission was to complete tasks and submit correct answers. Errors equalled failure, while correctness led to success and completion of the mission.
The concept wasn’t complicated, easy enough to follow, but…
It was simply too bizarre—truly too bizarre.
Chen Ziqing muttered, “Why me? What qualifications do I have to pass any assessments? I don’t seem to have any.”
He couldn’t make sense of it.
Chen Ziqing raised his hand to touch the bandage on his head. He knew that Huanghong Province was a fictional place, nonexistent in his reality. The 1982 of this world was clearly different from the 1982 of his own. Though he hadn’t lived through that era and lacked a basis for comparison, the old-fashioned hospital room confirmed the discrepancy. Still, adapting to this place seemed easier than being thrown into an ancient era or a wild, fantasy world.
Paths may be fixed, but people are flexible. When soldiers come, the general counters; when water flows, earth dams it. He decided to move forward step by step.
Gathering courage, Chen Ziqing reached out mentally to communicate with the system. “System, what should I call you?”
System: “Work ID 666.”
Chen Ziqing, caught off guard by the lucky number, hesitated. “So, should I call you…”
System: “Lu.”
Chen Ziqing went along smoothly. “Hello, System Lu.”
No response.
Undeterred, he tried again. “System Lu, are you a robot?”
Still ignored.
‘Maybe it’s not a robot—maybe it’s a living person,’ Chen Ziqing speculated.
Chen Ziqing recalled a forum post he’d seen on Tianya years ago. It was about advanced-dimensional civilizations and aliens using systems to monitor and manipulate lower-dimensional beings, collecting their emotions and thoughts to implant in robots, creating a new human race.
The idea was too cutting-edge. The post had been quite popular, staying on the homepage for a while before sinking into obscurity.
If the civilization behind the system really existed, it was far too sophisticated for him to understand. That wasn’t his concern now.
The immediate priority was completing the task.
Chen Ziqing felt thirsty. There was no one in the ward, and he couldn’t get up or call out, so he endured it.
Eventually, he drifted off into a light sleep.
** ** **
“Bro? Bro? Wake up, bro!”
“He’s still breathing, right? Yeah, he is. Scared me to death.”
“Bro!”
Chen Ziqing had been dreaming about completing the mission, waking from his vegetative state, and finally being able to travel the world. However, the incessant chatter pulled him back to reality.
The person leaning over his bed was dressed in blue factory overalls, with a round face and round eyes—Ma Qiangqiang, Xiang Ning’s loyal sidekick, whose courage was no bigger than a sesame seed.
Chen Ziqing’s voice was hoarse. “Get me some water.”
Ma Qiangqiang immediately grabbed an enamel cup from the windowsill, fetched a thermos from the cabinet, and poured some hot water into the cup. Swirling it around, he splashed a little on the floor.
“The water’s too hot! What do I do?” Ma Qiangqiang panicked, holding the enamel cup and spinning in circles. “Opening the window to cool it isn’t an option; you’ve hurt your head and can’t be exposed to wind. Brother, I’ll take it to the hallway to cool it down.”
“Wait for me!”
Before his words had fully landed, Ma Qiangqiang was already gone.
Watching sunlight stream through the glass window, Chen Ziqing licked the dried blood on his lips. He knew he had to quickly find the person cutting the wires and complete his task.
He couldn’t stay here long. The longer he stayed, the more likely he would be trapped by the marked entries—and there might even be additional marked tasks added as the story progressed.
Chen Ziqing resolved to be discharged as soon as he drank some water.
Ma Qiangqiang was dumbfounded. “Bro, you’re joking, right? You just woke up. How can you leave? You can’t even get out of bed.”
“I can.”
Chen Ziqing struggled to sit upright, gripping the light blue plaid sheets. He managed to dangle his legs over the edge of the bed, but as soon as he tried to stand, he became dizzy and collapsed back onto the bed—vomiting in the process.
The thin, blood-tinged bile trickled down his face and into his ear. It was a horrifying sight.
Ma Qiangqiang staggered backward, hitting the adjacent bed and falling onto it in shock. After a few seconds, he scrambled up and bolted from the room.
The commotion in the hallway was chaotic. A nurse picked up a fallen clipboard and scolded, “Why are you running like that?”
“It’s bad! My bro’s vomiting blood! He’s not going to make it! I’m getting the factory director!” Ma Qiangqiang shouted as he ran.
EasyRead[Translator]
Just a translator :)