Chapter 44: The Mirror

Liao Tianhua had been worrying about Xia Mi the entire time.

Logically, Xia Mi should have been right behind him, but after Liao Tianhua entered the Grey Domain and turned around, there was no one there.

He figured Xia Mi was just moving slowly because she was carrying Shield, so he waited for a while. Still, Xia Mi did not appear.

Liao Tianhua thought that perhaps he had turned around the wrong way. So, he turned his body fully, then looked back again. No one. He turned a third time. Still no one.

Liao Tianhua twisted his neck until it was sore, yet he still could not find Xia Mi. He finally realized that they had been separated.

At this point, it never occurred to Liao Tianhua that Xia Mi simply could not get in. He suspected that this Domain possessed space-warping capabilities. He figured that because Xia Mi was carrying Shield, she had been teleported directly to wherever Shield’s consciousness was located the moment she entered the Domain, which was why she had not followed.

Theoretically, Liao Tianhua’s analysis was sound. He just had not expected that Shield’s consciousness was in the Black Domain, and that Xia Mi had not entered the Grey Domain at all.

He knew Xia Mi had no supplies and was carrying an unconscious Shield. There was even a possibility she had been teleported into a nest of enemies.

Liao Tianhua called out for Xia Mi repeatedly over the radio, but there was no response. He was sick with worry, fearing she had been wounded by the enemy. He wanted nothing more than to regroup with her as quickly as possible.

Even though Xia Mi was someone who could casually leap from the seventh floor to the first and take down an entire building’s worth of Zhuo-infected, Liao Tianhua still viewed her as an untrained recruit lacking experience. As a veteran and a captain, he felt it was his duty to protect her.

He began a meticulous search for Xia Mi and Shield within the Pharmaceutical Factory. He scoured almost every corner, opening every empty locker and tapping on every wall to check for hidden compartments.

This severely hampered his search speed, which was why it took three hours for Liao Tianhua to encounter the Grey Fang Zihan.

When he failed to get any information about Xia Mi’s whereabouts from the Grey Fang Zihan, he knocked him unconscious, tied him up like a festive zongzi¹, and stuffed him into the nearest cabinet.

Immediately after, Liao Tianhua encountered the Grey Qiu Hailan. After a fierce battle, he managed a narrow victory but was left heavily injured, forced to use his abilities to heal himself.

As he lay on the ground waiting for his wounds to mend, his anxiety for Xia Mi only grew.

The members of the Second Team were not mindless Zhuo-infected. They each had their specialties, were well-armed, and had undergone professional special forces training. Xia Mi might have raw strength, but her combat techniques were far inferior to theirs. Liao Tianhua worried that if she got hurt, he would not be there to provide medical treatment.

Thus, despite losing more than half of his Zhuo Energy and feeling utterly exhausted from his recently healed wounds, Liao Tianhua forced himself to his feet. He continued his search and persisted in calling Xia Mi over the radio.

It was not until he encountered the Second Team member Li Feiyang and engaged him in a brawl that his radio finally crackled to life.

He heard Xia Mi’s energetic, happy voice. In the background, he could hear the laughter of many people. The atmosphere on the other side of the radio was incredibly festive!

Listening to the sounds coming through the device, Liao Tianhua felt his blood pressure spike. He landed a heavy punch squarely on the Grey Li Feiyang’s nose, sending the man stumbling back, clutching his face and howling in pain.

Liao Tianhua pressed his advantage, delivering a crisp, decisive combo that knocked the Grey Li Feiyang out cold.

Exhaling slightly, he picked up the radio and heard Xia Mi say, “I already know you’re beating up Little Li in the reptile breeding area. Little Li heard it too.”

Then he heard Qiu Hailan saying she had heard it as well.

Liao Tianhua took a deep breath. He told himself to stay calm, not to get angry, and not to lose his temper.

This was Xia Mi, after all!

Wasn’t this situation perfectly normal and familiar?

Back at Building 6, he had been terrified for her safety, even going so far as to violate regulations by undergoing a risky Rong modification. And Xia Mi? Xia Mi had killed the Zhuo of Building 6 all by herself and then ran out to save him.

Even now, Xia Mi was still shouting into the radio, “Xiao Liao, I’m coming to save you!”

Liao Tianhua wanted to beat up the version of himself that had spent the last few hours worrying.

He took another deep breath, struggling to keep his tone level. “And how do you plan on saving me? I’ve already tied up the strongest members of the Second Team. None of them are a match for me.”

In the Disposal Bureau, there was constant friction between the First and Second Teams. The Second Team felt that Liao Tianhua was clearly weaker than Qiu Hailan and resented that the First Team was ranked ahead of them (even if it was just by team number). The First Team enjoyed using their numbers to needle the Second Team. A group of young people like that would often head to the training grounds to settle things, and over time, the rivalry had become quite heated.

Liao Tianhua was mature for his age and possessed a steady personality. He usually preferred to keep the peace, acting as a mediator who would scold both sides equally during a dispute. He never engaged in provocations.

But today, he had been pushed too far by Xia Mi. Hearing the aggressive remarks from the Second Team members over the radio, a string snapped in Liao Tianhua’s brain. He actually started taunting them back.

The most infuriating part was that he was telling the truth.

Qiu Hailan snatched the radio and said to Liao Tianhua, “Captain Liao, the ones you defeated were just empty shells. Our consciousness wasn’t in them. We’ll settle the score properly once we’re out!”

“Fine by me. Perhaps the First and Second Teams should have a friendly match,” Liao Tianhua said with airy indifference.

Inwardly, however, he had already decided that as soon as they got out, he would get Xia Mi transferred to the First Team. When the friendly match came around, he would set Xia Mi loose on the Second Team and see if they still dared to be so arrogant.

A very dark thought flashed through the mind of the usually righteous Liao Tianhua.

In the Black Domain, Mi Xiangyan could not stand these people wasting time on petty squabbles. She snatched the radio and said, “Captain Liao, what I’m about to say is very important, and only you can do it. You must complete this task, or we will all die in this Pharmaceutical Factory. No one escapes.”

“Group Leader Mi, please go ahead.” Hearing Mi Xiangyan’s voice, Liao Tianhua immediately tossed aside his dark thoughts and returned to being the righteous Captain Liao.

Mi Xiangyan quickly explained Xia Mi’s game. She was concise and focused, telling Liao Tianhua exactly where the remaining Second Team members were and how they would try to attack him, assisting him in defeating them with maximum efficiency.

The members of the Second Team: “…”

Watching Group Leader Mi teach Liao Tianhua how to beat their bodies into submission was incredibly frustrating, yet they were forced to maintain a smile for her.

Once she finished explaining the situation regarding Eye, Mi Xiangyan said, “Do not trust Eye. His consciousness is here in the Black Domain, the entity currently inside Eye’s body is that mirror. Knock Eye unconscious first. If you can’t knock him out, dislocate his limbs and drag him out of the Secret Room.”

The Second Team members took several steps back, distancing themselves from Group Leader Mi. She was ruthless!

Mi Xiangyan continued, “After that, you must find a mirror in the Secret Room. I suspect it’s the key item in the game, the passage connecting the two Domains.”

Liao Tianhua asked, “Is this also a clue obtained from the game?”

Mi Xiangyan replied, “No. We can only manipulate the game characters on the Black Domain side. The Grey Domain side is completely passive, we can only watch your actions.

“According to the clues provided by the Eye on your side, the true culprit controlling all of this is a mirror left behind when the Pharmaceutical Factory was evacuated. I believe we must find that mirror to break the barrier between the two Domains.

“Our bodies are all in the Grey Domain, while the Black Domain only contains consciousness and history. This suggests the Black Domain does not exist in reality, it is more like a virtual space. Therefore, I believe we are inside the mirror, while the physical mirror itself is within the Grey Domain.

“But you must be careful. You cannot look directly at this mirror.

“Based on my observations of both Domains, I believe the Black Domain was opened by Eye, but his mind is being controlled by the mirror, making him unable to deactivate the Domain himself. The Grey Domain, on the other hand, is a world dominated by the mirror. One careless move and you will be controlled by it. You must be cautious.”

“Understood. I’ll get it done.” Liao Tianhua put down the radio. Carrying the expectations of the entire Second Team, he followed Mi Xiangyan’s instructions and quickly subdued the remaining Second Team members in the Grey Domain.

During this process, Liao Tianhua knew the Second Team’s countermeasures in advance, resulting in far fewer injuries than in the game.

He then rushed to the Secret Room and used the same method as in the game to subdue Eye’s body.

Liao Tianhua did not give Eye a chance to speak. Following Mi Xiangyan’s orders, he dislocated Eye’s limbs, gagged him, and tied him up securely, giving the enemy no openings.

Once finished, Liao Tianhua cautiously began searching the Secret Room for the mirror.

While dealing with Eye just now, Liao Tianhua had used a flashbang. Because he moved so quickly, the light from the flashbang had not yet dissipated, leaving him unable to see the situation inside the Secret Room.

A mirror is a unique object, you must have light to see it, but the moment you see it, your reflection appears within it. It would be difficult for Liao Tianhua to find the mirror without being reflected.

However, after Mi Xiangyan’s warning, Liao Tianhua had already devised a plan.

Before entering the Secret Room, he had detached the lighting tools from his own Protective Suit, as well as those of the Second Team and Mi Xiangyan. Now, while the flashbang’s light lingered, he placed a total of eight flashlights at various corners outside the Secret Room door. He turned them on while standing outside the path of the light beams.

When the flashlight beams hit the mirror, the light would reflect. Liao Tianhua could then determine the mirror’s exact location and a path to avoid its reflection by observing the intensity and trajectory of the light.

He turned off the lights in the archives and waited quietly.

After a moment, Liao Tianhua noticed the light from one flashlight was different from the others. He quickly calculated the angles and pinpointed the mirror’s location.

Liao Tianhua hugged the wall as he entered the Secret Room, holding a black undershirt in his hand. This was the garment he wore under his Protective Suit, which he had removed in advance to cover the mirror.

He reached the position closest to the mirror and threw the shirt, covering the palm-sized object.

With that done, Liao Tianhua breathed a sigh of relief. He spoke into the radio: “I have the mirror.”

Mi Xiangyan said, “Ensure there is no light in the room. In total darkness, place your hand against the mirror. We will try to sense you from this side. If we can feel your presence, we need you to provide energy to Shield to help her wake Eye.

“Once Eye regains consciousness and deactivates the Black Domain, we can return to reality, shatter the mirror together, and break the Pharmaceutical Factory’s Domain.”

With hope within reach, Liao Tianhua became even more cautious.

He turned off all light sources. Without even lifting the cloth, he reached his hand under the garment to find the mirror.

Soon, he touched the glass surface.

Liao Tianhua asked, “I’ve touched the mirror. Can you feel me?”

“I can’t feel anything,” Xia Mi said honestly.

Mi Xiangyan added, “Leave the archives and take the mirror to the Sunflower Greenhouse… that’s the herbal cultivation room. We are right here. Perhaps the two Domains can only connect if the spatial coordinates match.”

Following Mi Xiangyan’s instructions, Liao Tianhua cautiously kept the mirror wrapped in the shirt as he made his way to the Sunflower Greenhouse. The lights here were still on. Liao Tianhua scanned the area, located the light switch, and prepared to turn them off.

As he walked, his reflection appeared on the glass wall outside the Sunflower Greenhouse.

This massive glass wall acted like a mirror, reflecting everything in the room.

It reflected Liao Tianhua, and the object he held in his hand.

The mirror in Liao Tianhua’s hand suddenly became as hot as glowing iron. His hand was scorched, but he instantly suppressed the urge to drop the item, circulating his power to heal the injury.

Amidst the pain, Liao Tianhua thought of a solution.

The Protective Suit was heat-resistant. He could take off the suit and use it to re-cover the mirror.

Liao Tianhua began stripping off the Protective Suit with one hand while keeping a firm grip on the black undershirt with the other, preventing the mirror from escaping his control or causing further trouble.

Taking off the suit with one hand was awkward. Liao Tianhua planned to pull off one side first, and when he reached the hand holding the mirror, he would flip the sleeve inside out over his hand. This way, he could cover the mirror with the suit at the same moment he finished removing it.

His movements were swift, but enduring the pain, healing the wound, and devising a strategy had already wasted too much time.

The black undershirt was made of ordinary material without any fireproofing, and it began to burn once it reached a certain temperature.

As Liao Tianhua pulled his left arm out of the Protective Suit, a hole burned through the black undershirt held in his right hand.

It only took such a tiny hole for the light to shine through.

Liao Tianhua felt a sudden surge of vertigo, a dizziness so intense it made him nauseous. For a moment, his vision blurred into a dazzling, multicolored tunnel of light, obscuring everything else.

When his sight finally returned, Liao Tianhua found himself lying on the ground. The mirror in his hand was gone.

Not only that, but he was surrounded by a group of people, the very same people he had been working so hard to rescue.

Xia Mi was squatting beside him. Seeing him wake up, she said, “Xiao Liao, you’re here too! Don’t worry, I’ll get all of you out of here.”

Liao Tianhua: “…”

Translator’s Notes