“After getting off the minivan, I was led to the main gate, surrounded by high walls covered in moss. Later, I learned that this was to prevent escape.”

“On the first day, they arranged for me to stay in a single room. The person who led me was a woman wearing a nurse’s uniform, but her uniform couldn’t hide the fat on her stomach. The moment she handed me the hospital clothes, I heard the sound of the large iron gate locking behind me.

I turned around and saw nothing but birds in cages.

As we passed by other rooms, the people inside looked at me with strange eyes.”

“They made a lot of noise, even banging things to get attention. Some of them had messy hair, and their forced smiles were even more horrifying.”

“It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared. I didn’t sleep all night and woke up to the noise the next morning.”

“I moved to another class with a new group of classmates. Some were quiet, others were overly excited.”

“‘Why did you come in?’ A boy quickly sat down in front of me. This was the first time someone took the initiative to talk to me.”

“I could clearly see myself reflected in his eyes. He had dimples. He was good-looking.”

“I was afraid they would make fun of my voice, so I didn’t answer. Soon, he wrote the question down on a piece of paper.”

“‘Why did you come in?’”

“I still didn’t answer. He didn’t walk away but began talking to himself.”

“‘My name is Xiao Juan. I was born liking men. My parents think there’s something wrong with my genes and sent me here for ‘correction.’”

“‘From the looks of you, I think we’re about the same age.’”

“He didn’t know that even though the windows were closed and opaque, I saw light shining on me. I stared at it, lost in thought, and by the time I snapped out of it, it was time for medication.”

“Gradually, I realized that this place was the true abyss.”

“Every day, they gave us medication and injections. After that, we would sleep.”

“But Xiao Juan, on the other hand, kept trying to chat with me. The first thing I said to him was, ‘You’re bleeding.’”

“‘You can speak?’”

“He had rolled his black shirt sleeves up to his arm, not caring about the wound, but pulled out a lollipop from his pocket.”

“‘Do you want some?’”

‘How did you get hurt?’ I asked him. He shook his head, smiling as he said, ‘I resisted.’”

“Resisted? That gave me a new understanding. Before Xiao Juan left, he quietly said something to me.”

“When night came, I intentionally hid the medication. When the lights went out, I heard many voices coming from the darkness. They were familiar to me.”

“For a week, I didn’t see Xiao Juan. When I saw him again, he hadn’t changed much, except his injuries had increased.”

“I hesitated for a few seconds, stood up, then sat down again. After repeating this a few times, he walked toward me.”

“Against the flow of people, he came to my side and slightly bent down.”

“‘Do you want to see the moon tonight?’”

“I said I did. That night, Xiao Juan left his room. I only knew he was walking in front, holding my hand. We felt like a couple, but not quite, filled with fear and excitement. Xiao Juan’s hand holding mine made me lose my fear.”

“One window was not completely sealed. I didn’t know when Xiao Juan had noticed it. He had me ride on him, and I saw the moon outside.”

“He said, ‘Do you want to escape?’”

“I said I did, I wanted to escape with him, to a place where no one knew us.”

“At lunch, they still watched us take our medicine. I had already learned how to spit it out, but a few minutes later, I was called away.”

“On the way, the lights were dim. When I entered, the back door locked with a ‘click.’ A man with greasy hair and a smile on his face stared at me.”

“I felt disgusted. He lunged at me, but I had already learned how to fight back. Xiao Juan had taught me some self-defense moves, and I used them on him.”

“I escaped, taking advantage of the time he fell. I ran, and Xiao Juan was ahead of me, covered in blood, still smiling.”

“I passed out. When I woke up, my body was in pain. After leaving the isolation room, I learned that Xiao Juan had been stabbed.”

“To prevent them from harming innocent people, Xiao Juan had taken a stab.”

“My light was gone, and in the end, I couldn’t hold on no matter how hard I tried.”

“I gradually gave up. I cried in my dreams. In the dream, I could see Xiao Juan, but when I opened my eyes, all I saw was endless darkness. I wiped away my tears, trying to end it all.”

“I don’t know if Xiao Juan was secretly by my side, but every time I tried, I failed.”

“Xiao Bai paused when he spoke, looking at the scar on his hand.”

“‘This time, don’t protect me, okay? I miss you.’”

“‘This time, we can be together forever.’”

“The screen went blank. Xu Yi patted Yi Yu, who had to bury the person in his arms.”

“Li Hai cried the loudest.”

“Buttons appeared in everyone’s position—one red and one blue, two options.”

“Redemption or no redemption. Almost no one hesitated. The system’s voice came through.”

“[System] The instance is about to begin. Please prepare.”