Chapter 91: The Wheelchair Eccentric

The resentment radiating from Hei Qi seemed to form a formidable aura, making Chen Xiao feel deeply uneasy. Old Tian walked over, patted Hei Qi on the shoulder, and said softly, "Hei Qi, I understand how you feel, but he..."

"Uncle Tian," Hei Qi said coldly, "no need to say more. Let bygones be bygones. This matter has nothing to do with you, and besides..." She paused, her voice tinged with bitterness, "besides, I am no longer Hei Qi. Do you really think I could still keep my codename in this state?"

A flicker of vulnerability finally appeared in her eyes, though she bit her lip hard. "You might as well call me by my name, Suo Suo."

"Perhaps... you don't have to be so pessimistic. I heard that the organization has made a breakthrough in the development of the induction serum..."

"You don't need to comfort me," Suo Suo said, casting a glance at Old Tian. "I’ve remained on the island; I know more about these things than you do."

As the antique steam-powered car began to move, the engine rattled like an elderly patient suffering from asthma. The vehicle’s power was pitifully weak as it drove out of the town toward the center of the island.

The roads along the way were paved with high-quality concrete. The lush, verdant vegetation of the South Pacific surrounded them. Chen Xiao, sitting in the car, dared not speak to Suo Suo and could only pretend to be calm, looking left and right. Suo Suo kept a long face, eyes fixed on the road ahead as she drove.

After about an hour, they arrived at the base of a volcano in the center of the island. It was an extinct volcano, said to have been dormant for centuries. A mountain road had been carved out around it, wide enough for two vehicles to pass abreast.

Driving along the winding mountain road, Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel anxious. This woman, Suo Suo, held a deep grudge against him. If she decided to take revenge by taking them both down... all she had to do was jerk the steering wheel, and they would plummet off the cliff together.

Fortunately, Suo Suo had no such intention. When the car reached a massive, clearly man-made platform halfway up the mountain, she brought it to a stop.

"This is Entrance Four," Suo Suo said, jumping out of the car. "Old Tian, this is as far as I can take you." She glared at Chen Xiao. "Kid, I will remember you well!"

"Actually..." Chen Xiao hesitated, trying to speak with as much sincerity as possible. "About what happened between us, I didn't know the situation back then. It was an accident..."

"Don't waste your breath," Suo Suo said coldly.

She held out her hand to Old Tian. "Please pay the fare."

Old Tian gave a bitter smile, fished a stack of strange-looking banknotes from his pocket, and handed over one with a denomination of five hundred. Suo Suo took it quickly, retrieved a stack of smaller denominations from a box under the driver's seat to give him change, and finally pulled out a card that looked like a magnetic key. She walked to the rock wall, pressed a protruding stone, and the rock face shifted automatically, revealing a metallic sensor screen.

She waved the card in front of it, then leaned in, pressing her eye against the scanner.

Soon, Chen Xiao heard the clanking of machinery within the mountain wall. The massive rock face, hundreds of meters high, suddenly split apart from the center! Beneath the stone lay a wall of metal, which slowly slid open to reveal a passage.

"Go in. My task is complete," Suo Suo huffed. After Chen Xiao and Old Tian stepped out, she jumped back into the car and drove off without a backward glance.

"She... really seems to hate me," Chen Xiao muttered, rubbing his nose with a wry smile.

"Of course," Old Tian patted Chen Xiao's head. "I watched that girl grow up. She entered the field team, rose through the ranks on her own merit, and became the leader of Group Seven... Sigh. Given her age and the potential of her ability, she had a real chance of becoming a 'Flower Card' within twenty years. It’s a pity..."

"Flower Card..." Chen Xiao sighed. "That would be a rank above Jack in a deck of cards, right?"

The space inside was only about three times the size of a standard elevator lobby. As they walked in, the rock wall behind them closed automatically. A circular, 360-degree detection lamp descended from the ceiling, spraying a green light that enveloped them both.

"Don't be nervous. This is an identity scan, part of the procedure to enter headquarters," Old Tian said, arms crossed, looking very relaxed.

As the green light bathed them, it seemed to have an X-ray-like effect. Chen Xiao clearly saw Old Tian turn into a transparent skeleton, with strange, flowing liquid-like substances moving within his silhouette...

"Identity confirmed. Entry granted."

Chen Xiao didn't know where the speaker was, but he heard a synthesized metallic voice. He froze, and suddenly, he felt the floor beneath his feet tremble...

*Whoosh!*

The sensation caused his heart to tighten instantly! Then, he felt a sharp downward pull—it was as if he were riding a high-speed elevator toward the heights...

Could this pressure chamber be an elevator?

Indeed, as the elevator accelerated, Chen Xiao watched the walls shift rapidly like a Rubik's Cube. Eventually, all the mountain rock flipped away, revealing smooth, flat metal walls.

*Ding!*

A crisp chime signaled the end of their ascent. Yet, there was no door in front of them...

The door was beneath their feet!

The floor beneath them slowly shifted apart, revealing a staircase leading downward.

"We have arrived," Old Tian said, walking to the front with a smile. "Welcome to headquarters!"

Walking down the stairs, they soon entered a spacious area...

To Chen Xiao's surprise, he had expected that after riding such a high-tech elevator, he would emerge into a place resembling something out of a science fiction movie. Instead, he was met with...

Long corridors, walls made of massive black stone, square, gloomy paths, and circular windows... Through the windows, he could see the outside...

Outside, the sun was shining brightly. In the distance, he could see a landscape of valleys, rivers, and even European-style medieval castles!

*Wait.*

*Aren't we supposed to be on an island?!*

Beside him, Old Tian’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were long accustomed to this.

But... this was headquarters?

Why was it so empty? There wasn't a soul in sight.

Chen Xiao couldn't help but look around. Long corridors stretched out before and behind him. Through the windows on the side, the view was picturesque. He couldn't help but take a few steps forward, reaching out as if to touch the scene beyond the glass.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

A voice sounded from behind him at the perfect moment.

Chen Xiao spun around sharply. A man had appeared behind him, sitting in a wheelchair. The chair looked bizarre—an all-metal frame with rows of tiny buttons along the armrests.

The man had white hair and a thin, pale, yet handsome face. However, his pallor was so extreme that he looked like a vampire from a movie. He appeared to be in his thirties. Sitting in the chair, he tilted his head, his hawk-like eyes staring intently at Chen Xiao from beneath a mess of bangs.

He was wearing a white lab coat, but Chen Xiao noticed his legs... or rather, the lack thereof. From the knees down, he had two metallic prosthetic limbs!

Old Tian sighed, looking at the man in the wheelchair with a smile. "We meet again. I didn't expect you to come and greet us personally."

"Don't flatter yourself," the strange man in the wheelchair said coldly. "I have no interest in you. If it were just you, I wouldn't even bother saying half a word. It’s this little guy you brought that interests me."

He pressed a button on his armrest. To Old Tian's right, the wall cracked open, revealing another elevator-like space.

"You can leave now," the man said, his tone indifferent and blunt. "Don't waste my time. This kid is staying with me. I'll return him to you in one piece in forty-eight hours."

Old Tian didn't argue. He laughed, gave Chen Xiao a reassuring look, walked into the elevator, and the wall closed behind him, disappearing.

Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Your heartbeat is accelerating," the man in the wheelchair sneered. "The holographic scanner can detect your increased heart rate and rising blood pressure... What are you afraid of?"

"I'm just worried you'll turn me into a lab rat," Chen Xiao replied.

"Rest assured, I won't," the man shook his head, though his eyes remained filled with a strange intensity. "First, you aren't a lab rat. Second, in my eyes, you are worth far more than any lab rat. Even if you added up every rat in the world, they wouldn't be as valuable as you."

*Uh...* Was that last part meant to be a compliment?

The man yawned and said lazily, "I know, human nature being what it is, anyone coming here for the first time will be curious. Even if I forbid it, you'll be bursting with questions. So... look, I'm a very open-minded person. I'll give you three minutes. You can ask your questions, and I will answer them. Three minutes to satisfy your curiosity. After that, no idle chatter is allowed. Understand?"

He chuckled coldly. "The timer starts now."

"..." Chen Xiao hesitated. "Who are you?"

"I'm with the Service Agency," the man said dismissively. "Your first question lacks technical depth, but I don't mind."

"Then... are we still on the island?"

"Of course," the man sneered. "I don't have spatial teleportation magic... so you, me, we are all still on the island. Ah, I see, you're surprised by the view outside the window."

He actually smiled a bit more politely. "Apologies, I almost forgot. You are a guest from the East; I should receive you in an Eastern style."

He raised a finger and pressed a button on the armrest...

Without a sound, and to Chen Xiao's utter shock, the walls, floor, ceiling, and even the windows around them all began to flip rapidly!

It was just like a Rubik's Cube.

Ten seconds later, Chen Xiao realized his surroundings had completely transformed!

Just a moment ago, he had been in a medieval European castle, but now...

Looking around, there were pavilions, terraces, and carved railings! Antique screens, brick and wood structures... it was entirely the architectural style of an ancient Chinese palace!

There were still windows, but looking out, the valleys, rivers, and castles were gone!

Outside was a vast plaza, and in the distance stood a towering ancient Chinese imperial palace, complete with dragon carvings, red walls, and green tiles... Chen Xiao was stunned! He couldn't help but reach out to touch a relief carving of a dragon's head nearby.

"I said, if I were you, I wouldn't do that—reaching out to touch things." The man said this, then turned his wheelchair and glided toward the end of the corridor.

Chen Xiao hurried to follow.

"How did you do that?"

"Technology, kid. Everything is a result of technology," the man said, not looking back. "It’s quite simple. Everything you see is a false illusion... a set of holographic 3D virtual projections. Everything is fake—the palace, the castle, the view outside, the carvings... all fake."

"Holographic 3D virtual projection..." Chen Xiao repeated under his breath.

"It's simple. Living in this place for years, if you were sealed in a confined space, anyone would go crazy. So, these landscapes must be created... to make people feel more cheerful. I've designed dozens of different sets of views for these windows: Chinese, Western, ancient, modern... Oh, and I've made some interesting modifications. If I wanted to, I could put the view of Manhattan right outside my window."

Chen Xiao gulped.

He had always thought his parents were mad scientists.

But looking at this guy in the wheelchair... *he* was the real mad scientist!

"Do you have any more questions? The idle kind."

"One last one... may I ask your name?"

"Another question lacking technical depth." The man yawned again. "Human curiosity is always so low-brow... Fine, I'll satisfy you once and for all. My name is Schofield. Chief member of the research institution at the Service Agency headquarters."

He then sneered, "Now, follow me, my human lab rat."

Chen Xiao followed Schofield nervously. Soon, they turned a corner and arrived before a gate to a classical Chinese palace—needless to say, these were also illusions.

After the gates opened, Chen Xiao was surprised to find, in the center of the room, a seat resembling the dragon throne used by ancient Chinese emperors!

Schofield pointed at the throne. "Sit."

"Huh?" Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask.

"Illusion, kid! Remember what I said: illusion!" Schofield said, sounding impatient. "It looks like a chair right now, but if I want, I can change the way you perceive it into an electric chair for death row inmates! Its true form is an instrument that measures your entire body's data. Understand? Now, sit in this damn chair, and from this second on, you are not allowed to speak! Unless I ask you a question, if you say a single word, I guarantee you will regret it. Here, you do exactly what I say. Understand?"

He seemed very irritable. "Now, sit! And keep your mouth shut."