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墨書 Inktalez
Su Lan opened the window, and the cool night breeze swept into the room, dispersing the lingering smoke. The digital clock flickered with glowing numbers, indicating that it was nearing midnight. In just two hours, dawn would break.
Ming Junwei hunched over, his body curled in the chair, his head drooping as he held a cigarette between his fingers, its ash burning long and thin. The ashtray in front of him was filled with stubs.
Su Lan did not urge him to speak; she quietly waited for him to regain his composure. Undoubtedly, her earlier questions had unveiled Ming Junwei's hidden past. For others, the events of three years ago were merely an irretrievable secret, but for Ming Junwei, they seemed to carry a deeper significance.
He had maintained this state for nearly half an hour. In truth, if he truly did not want to talk, there was nothing Su Lan could do; she couldn't force him to open up. His current demeanor already hinted at some issues; at least Su Lan could ascertain that Ming Junwei had indeed been involved in that viral leak incident years ago. Curiosity aside, seeing him in such a despondent state stirred a sense of compassion within her.
"How about we take a break today and talk tomorrow?" Su Lan tentatively suggested.
Ming Junwei jolted slightly as if he had been lost in thought. He shivered, and the long ash from his cigarette fell like snowflakes.
"Do you have any alcohol?" Ming Junwei lifted his face, his one visible eye glimmering with an unfamiliar light.
Su Lan nodded and turned to leave the room. At that moment, she couldn't quite pinpoint her feelings; her earlier words had contained a hint of defiance, and in the heat of conversation, she had inadvertently probed deeper. Now that it seemed Ming Junwei was willing to open up, an inexplicable tension began to rise within her.
A few minutes later, Su Lan returned with a bottle of wine and glasses. She uncorked the bottle and poured the dark red liquid into a crystal goblet. Kenny didn't drink alcohol, so Su Lan occasionally indulged in a glass or two herself. Clearly, spirits or beer were not suitable for solitary contemplation under the moonlight; thus, her wine cabinet contained only various bottles of red wine.
Ming Junwei lifted the glass to his nose and sniffed it. Su Lan expected him to comment on its vintage or origin; however, it appeared that he lacked that particular skill. He tilted his head back and drained the glass.
"Fill it up," Ming Junwei said as he wiped away the spilled wine from the corner of his mouth and gestured for Su Lan to pour more.
Su Lan couldn't help but chuckle as she poured. "I mean, you’re not trying to get drunk just to avoid talking, are you?"
"It would be nice if I could get drunk," Ming Junwei replied flatly, muttering under his breath. He raised his glass and clinked it against hers before downing another gulp.
With no other choice, Su Lan pushed her chair beside him and took a sip herself before continuing to refill his glass.
After about twenty minutes and more than half a bottle of wine consumed, Ming Junwei finally slowed down his frantic drinking. His eyes were slightly reddened, and when he saw Su Lan still pouring more wine, he reached out to cover the glass's opening and shook his head. "That's enough."
Su Lan let out a sigh of relief, leaving the bottle of wine in front of him as she returned to her seat across from him, adjusting her mood in preparation for the upcoming revelation.
"I am the safety supervisor for the designated testing experimental area, directly appointed by the upper management. I hold no other position within the park; my sole responsibility is the daily maintenance of the laboratory and assisting the experimental team with their work." Ming Junwei's tone was very calm, unaffected by the alcohol, unlike Su Lan's slightly teasing description. He chose to speak plainly, like an earnest employee reporting to a superior, cutting through the embellishments and getting straight to the point: "The nature of my work is somewhat different from what you might imagine. I am not an internal staff member of RCA's Field Duty; I am merely an independent personnel associated with a designated testing organization. To put it inappropriately, I am akin to a contracted worker."
"I know there are laboratories there and that research experiments are conducted periodically, but I do not know the specific experimental projects or the true identity of the upper management. There are many people like me; we have no interactions with each other and merely treat it as a confidentiality job."
Su Lan furrowed her brow slightly, pondering for a moment before nodding in agreement with Ming Junwei's statement. After thinking for a while, she asked, "So what did you do before?"
"I've done everything. My background is very clean; I'm just an ordinary person with no connections to The Establishment or RCA." Ming Junwei knew what Su Lan was trying to ask and gave a bitter smile as he said, "However, getting into that company was something I deliberately sought out. I learned through some channels that they were recruiting security personnel, so I went for it."
"Why?" Su Lan was taken aback, not quite understanding Ming Junwei's meaning, and questioned suspiciously, "Deliberately through channels?"
"We'll talk about that later." Ming Junwei shrugged, seemingly unwilling to waste time on that question. He toyed with the delicate goblet and gazed into the past, murmuring, "You know how companies generally recruit security personnel; it's usually to protect trade secrets or something similar. That was a cosmetics company, and I always found it puzzling why such an obscure little enterprise needed a confidentiality department. At that time, I never imagined I would find myself caught in such a massive whirlpool."
"I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean." Su Lan's eyes were filled with more doubt as she pondered whether Ming Junwei had spent an hour concocting a story for her.
"You will understand; don't rush." Ming Junwei winked at her with a half-smile and said, "Don't you also enjoy this kind of storytelling?"
Su Lan paused for a moment before breaking into a wry smile. After all this time, she realized that Ming Junwei was using this method to get back at her for her earlier behavior, deliberately teasing her curiosity. She couldn't help but think how long it had been since they last met; she had almost forgotten his true nature.
The interjected joke lightened the tense atmosphere at the table. Ming Junwei sighed and poured himself another glass of wine slowly. His brow furrowed slightly as he hesitated for a moment before speaking in a deep voice: "I spent two years there; however, my actual working time adds up to less than half a month. The experimental team came three times; the first two times went smoothly. Before their arrival, upper management would relay information to me so that I could prepare all necessary conditions for the laboratory in advance. When the team arrived, we would seal off the Industrial Zone and leave the stage for them. The experiments varied in length, but after each one concluded, the experimental team would handle all wrap-up work themselves. So I actually had it quite easy and didn't have to worry too much."
"The virus leak happened during the third visit, right?" As Ming Junwei spoke, Su Lan gradually got into the flow of things and asked aloud: "Like before, you prepared everything beforehand while all subsequent operations were handled by the experimental team?"
"Yes, pretty much; it was just that something unexpected happened that time." Ming Junwei raised his head and looked directly at Su Lan, his lips trembling slightly: "The experimental team arrived at the park at night when most of it had already closed down for the day. Most of the Industrial Zone had shut its doors; employees and their families were staying overnight in dormitories within the park. Two deputies and I had prepared everything in advance and personally brought the team into the laboratory."
"As usual, once the experimental team began their work, we had to keep our distance. The Industrial Zone was sealed off; we three waited in the communication room for updates—essentially just monitoring two lights: green meant everything was finished while red indicated assistance was needed. In previous instances when we saw green light up, we would wrap things up; but this time, it was red."
Su Lan felt that the main event was about to unfold, her body involuntarily leaning slightly forward, and her breathing quickened.
"I am the safety supervisor, well-versed in the regulations. Although it was strange at the time, it didn't delay me. I instructed the Deputy to wait in the communication room while I rushed to the laboratory. Generally, when the team is working, we are not allowed near the lab. I wasn't clear on what was happening, and once inside, I didn't have a chance to ask. The researchers from the experimental team brought out someone wrapped head to toe in protective gear and presented them to me."
"What does that mean?" Su Lan asked curiously.
"Didn't you see our organizational structure? There should be emergency handling measures included," Ming Junwei raised an eyebrow, glancing at the crumpled paper, tugging at his stiff lips as if trying to smile. However, Su Lan noticed a glimmer of moisture in his Cyclops eye.
"I did see it. For accident emergencies, we destroy the source of the incident and report it to higher authorities immediately," Su Lan held back her questions and recounted what she remembered.
"Correct," Ming Junwei nodded, a grim smile appearing on his face. "Destruction—I'm responsible for that."
A flicker of realization crossed Su Lan's eyes as she began to piece things together.
"The Cosmetics Company—I always thought they were conducting some chemical experiments. I understand the dangers of chemical leaks; destruction is necessary, and we've been trained for such operations. It's not a big deal. I just never expected that what they wanted me to destroy was a person—a living person."
Su Lan couldn't help but clench her hands. She could see Ming Junwei struggling to suppress his emotions, his voice changing.
"The head of the experimental team told me there was an accident during the experiment; that researcher wrapped in protective gear had been infected and had to be destroyed immediately." At this point, Ming Junwei took a large gulp from his glass, crimson liquid trailing down his chin and dripping onto his clothes.
"Can you imagine? Destroying a living person—it's just like murder," Ming Junwei said as if telling a joke, a strange smile on his face. "The safety regulations state that we must eliminate sources of contamination, but no one ever mentioned that a living person could be included in that list. Besides, I've heard about accidents in other experimental zones; at most, they isolate the experimental group—what does killing someone even mean?"
"So you didn't follow through," Su Lan's furrowed brow relaxed as she was about to speak but suddenly sensed something was off. She frowned and said, "Wait a minute; this doesn't make sense. In a laboratory of this level, there must be undisclosed regulations. Not to mention the Infected Virus experimental zone; many research projects carry significant risk factors. If an accident occurs, it's not just one person—they would have to destroy and seal off the entire experimental area. How could you not have heard about this?"
"The head of that experimental group said the same thing back then, but I genuinely didn't know. The higher-ups never communicated any such information," Ming Junwei's expression turned despondent as he sighed. "I only understood later when Dr. An explained many things about targeted testing; that's when I realized that the team sent to the Ancient City Experimental Zone didn't even follow proper targeted testing procedures."
"Oh? How so?" Su Lan's knowledge mostly came from RCA; she was indeed unclear about some early situations regarding The Establishment.
"Dr. An mentioned that each experimental group's procedures and content are different, interconnected. Laboratory A must have the data from Laboratory B before proceeding to the next step; it's a chain reaction. If Laboratory B recklessly conducts an experiment without the data from Laboratory A, it is inherently against the regulations." Ming Junwei explained this convoluted statement with some difficulty, furrowing his brow as he pondered for a moment. "In simple terms, the experimental group at that time did not obtain the data from the previous link. Their application for that experiment was false; they claimed it was a Type B test, but in reality, it was a Type A test."
"Could it be..." Su Lan was taken aback. While others might not understand, she was fully aware of what Ming Junwei had said. The authenticity of his earlier statements could be debated, but this particular point could be confirmed without a doubt. The reason was simple: she had heard about this violation of testing, or rather, she was one of the informed parties.
Ming Junwei slowly exhaled, ignoring Su Lan's shock, and continued, "So you should understand that if the upper management communicated it as a Type A test, there might be undisclosed regulations as you mentioned, but the directive was prepared for a Type B test."
"I understand now." Su Lan seemed somewhat dazed as she leaned back in her chair and murmured, "That period was indeed crucial for the split between RCA and The Establishment. Both sides were not only competing for resources but also destroying and erasing key information, each trying to obtain critical information before the other."
Ming Junwei paused for a moment and tentatively asked, "You know about this matter?"
"I've heard about it," Su Lan said, her gaze dimming as she sighed. "I just didn't realize it was that incident."
To this, Ming Junwei could only respond with a cold laugh. The situation between RCA and The Establishment was deeply intertwined; the networks within were so complex that an ordinary person like him could hardly participate.
It was like what Kenny had once told Bai Yudong years ago: they were not even pawns; at most, they were just dust on the chessboard. However, Kenny also had his miscalculations. This dust had been swirling for three years, and during the game of black and white pieces, it had drifted in and nearly overturned the chessboard.
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