Who left their last words here?

Chapter 5 The Black Room, the Black Box, and the Last Words
Bai Zhou's sleep quality is not ideal.

For Bai Zhou, who gets 19 hours of healthy sleep every day, six hours of sleep has given him dark circles under his eyes.

Who made a day in Wancheng have 36 hours?
At six o'clock in the morning, Bai Zhou, who hadn't adjusted to the time difference, was woken up by knocking on the door. His first reaction was to look up at his side.

The dormitory was empty and quiet in the dimly lit room.

The mysterious girl I saw last night has vanished without a trace, like a dream that left no trace.

But Bai Zhou knew that it was not a dream.

He raised his right hand, opened his palm, and there was a black mark in the shape of a feather drawn on it.

A girl named "Raven," a black raven that suddenly spreads its wings...

"Bang! Boom!"

The knocking continued, and Bai Zhou quickly threw off the covers and opened the door to receive a notification that they would be gathering outside in ten minutes.

"gather?"

Bai Zhou, still half-asleep, suddenly woke up and immediately remembered what "Crow" had said last night.

Reality seems to be shifting in the direction predicted by "The Raven".

Bai Zhou quietly clenched his right hand, concealing the black feather mark on his palm.

Ten minutes later, Bai Zhou finished washing up and left the pale yellow dormitory building.

As he walked through the buildings, he observed that armed soldiers were everywhere, and large, sealed black boxes were being transported by every now and then. The atmosphere in the entire underground base was unusual.

A short while later, six or seven people appeared in front of a low, gray building.

This gray-white old building is three or four stories high, with several faded slogans hanging on the walls.

"We can lose our heads, we can shed our blood, but the Black Chamber defenses cannot be breached!"

"Standardize control, militarize organization, and make contingency plans practical."

"Irregular and opaque management leads to tears from colleagues and family!"

"..."

Bai Zhou huddled at the back of the crowd, quietly observing everyone. He noticed that each person was wearing a P1-level specialist badge, and their expressions ranged from nervous to curious.

In front of the crowd, a middle-aged man in a black suit wearing a P4-level specialist badge casually tossed away a cigarette butt from between his fingers.

He was carrying a silver-white metal briefcase, the side of which was branded with a cross bound by chains.

"I am a P4 level specialist in the Black Box Maintenance Department. My surname is Liu. You can call me Section Chief Liu."

As he stubbed out his cigarette, he looked up and straightened his tie.
"You are all new employees who recently joined the department. Today, I will give you a tour to help you understand your future work."

"After you get back, you need to write down your impressions of this visit. I will check them tomorrow."

As he spoke, he slapped off his military boots and turned around, and the others followed.

"Although Earth has long been peaceful and stable, on the other side of the world, anomalous phenomena and mysterious creatures have never been at peace, and the erosion of the mortal world by the Reflection Ruins has never stopped for a single day."

Section Chief Liu slowly said, "To protect the lives and property of federal citizens from infringement, various secret departments have always been active on the front lines of the fight against them, such as the Bureau of Anomalies Investigation, the Institute for Disaster Prevention, and the Science Supremacy Council..."

"—And the Black Box Special Control Agency is the most common, most basic, and most important department among them!"

Bai Zhou heard gasps of surprise coming from beside him.

So even the natives of Earth don't know these things?
“For certain mysterious items or creatures with special value, people seal them in a ‘black box’ and keep them under control in the ‘black room’ of the Black Box Special Control Agency.”

The man's gentle voice echoed from ahead. He walked up the steps and placed his P4-level ID badge in front of the door for a quick scan.

The green light on the door lit up, and the three heavy steel doors opened one after another.

"The No. 36 branch of the Black Box Special Administration Office under the Tinghai City General Administration Bureau has been established for twenty years and has made great contributions to the stability of Tinghai City."

"...Among them, our Black Box Maintenance Department, as the front-line department that directly contacts the black box, has an annual casualty rate of no less than 10%."

Behind the calm words lies a history that commands respect and a heavy reality.

"We control, we block, we protect..."

He turned around, stood in the pitch-black doorway, and expressionlessly surveyed the crowd.
"—Welcome to the real world you've never set foot in before!"

……

The so-called "black room" is indeed dark enough; the light here seems frozen, dead, and ghostly.

The interior of the building is pitch black, and the long corridor is lined with sealed iron doors, resembling a prison.

Occasionally, people in white uniforms, wearing deathly pale rubber gloves, would pass by, their footsteps echoing in the corridor.

Bai Zhou felt a chilling coldness here, and while feeling a little nervous, he quietly clenched his palms.

Is that crown right here?

“Sometimes, because of the nature of our work, people call us maintenance workers,” Section Chief Liu said softly.

"Actually, the unknown is a kind of fortune, but in the Black Box Special Administration, you can't be unaware of what you're going to face. It's a misfortune, but at the same time..."

With a snap of his fingers, two dim blue lights illuminated the dark corridor.

Then, deeper inside, lights began to illuminate one after another, as if flames were being passed down along the way.

A soft blue light bathed him, and Section Chief Liu smiled as he faced the crowd.
"At the same time, it is also an honor."

"..."

In the dimly lit corner, Bai Zhou cautiously examined the automatically lit blue lights.

The city also has similar automatic streetlights, but they only light up for those in black robes, which adds to their special status and prestige.

—But people later found out that someone was controlling the lights from inside the wall behind them.

Therefore, Bai Zhou had reason to suspect that behind these blue lights, there might actually be dozens of axemen hiding in the walls, watching over everyone who came and went.
"These rooms are the 'black rooms' that seal off the 'black boxes'."

Section Chief Liu led the group past several windows, each bearing a prominent red number in bold.

He pointed to a large black door with the words "Catalogue No. F-5986 The Tireless Dancing Shoes" written on it.

"[F-5986] During the first attempt to block it, an operational error resulted in seven agents involved being permanently disabled."

“And this too.” He looked at the black alloy door with the catalog number “F-14270 Death Cell Phone”, his gaze calm.

"[F-14270], In 2025, I lost my teacher in the riots caused by the failure to blockade it."

Everyone was speechless as they watched Section Chief Liu calmly walk through one dark, sealed alloy door after another.

People only saw that he knew these numbers by heart, but no one knew what these numbers meant to him.

Bai Zhou peered curiously through the window. The sealed black box contained nothing, but a bloody, blurry last message floated above it.

Dance! Dance! Dance! Do you want to dance too?

[By writing hypocrites into my phone's notes, I can kill them... I will become the god of the new world!]

"..."

Such a list dazzled Bai Zhou, but unfortunately, he had no clue how to complete any of the last words yet.

"Maintenance work is never an easy job. Sacrifices and injuries are common here. You'll get used to it eventually."

Section Chief Liu's voice drifted slowly from the front, "Our work may be nameless, but the Federation will not forget our contributions."

...Next, Section Chief Liu led everyone past some windows.

The items are prominently marked in deep red with the following labels: "Catalog No. F-3000 Concrete Bread Maker", "Catalog No. F-3240 Radiation Power Bank", and "Catalog No. F-4122 Spike Poster".

As they passed each window, Section Chief Liu would briefly describe the origin and related story of the corresponding mysterious item to everyone.

Although many of the details are confidential and cannot be discussed in detail, even revealing just the tip of the iceberg has made everyone feel heavy-hearted and very worried about their future.

Only Bai Zhou's mind wasn't on this.

Since arriving at this corridor, he had been silently observing his surroundings.

After searching for a long time, he finally found what he was looking for—

[Catalogue Number: F-13777, Johor Laurel]

[Description: In 1699, Sultan Mahmud of the Malacca Sultanate was assassinated. His unfulfilled ambition, leaving no heir, caused the young Sultan's vengeful spirit to haunt his crown day and night, casting the most malevolent curse upon him.]

[Sealing Measures: The crown must be placed in sealed distilled water, and direct starlight must be strictly prohibited. The crown must be kept in a dimly lit environment isolated from external light at all times.]

[Appendix: The water needs to be changed and the system resealed every seven days.]

Johor's crown?

Bai Zhou almost missed it, but luckily he managed to peek at the black box inside through the window in the door.

The box was sealed very tightly, but Bai Zhou could clearly see the shimmering blood-red words floating in mid-air—

On the day Irina returns to the throne, all the traitors shall perish!

Irina?
Got you!

Clearly, this is most likely the thorn crown that "Raven" mentioned.

So which one is that "Mahabaraba" on the label?

Bai Zhou had reason to suspect that the base's intelligence personnel, like the two men in black robes, had used organizational funds to buy Furongwang cigarettes.

However, the last words did not end there.

There's more below...

Fifty is the age when you can work hard. What's a little hardship? It's just a bit of weathering the storm!

I'm eating, I'm eating, I... I can't take it anymore! It's too bitter, this bitter life, please don't make me spin the spinning wheel anymore!

...The Queen who pedaled the spinning wheel?
I feel that he is not as good as the miller who drew the millstone sword.

It's hard to imagine that such a person's crown could, in the near future, lead to a riot that annihilates the entire underground base. "This is the newest black box."

As we passed through this door, Section Chief Liu gave a brief introduction, saying, "It's necessary for you to know that things aren't peaceful outside lately, and the confrontation between the Blood Worship Cult and the authorities has reached a fever pitch."

"You all saw the martial law this morning. There was a problem at Branch 9, and the black box was urgently moved to another location. Our Branch 36 also took on some of the tasks."

"This is one of them, a Johor laurel wreath from the Kingdom of Malacca, which has a history of several hundred years..."

"..." Bai Zhou listened absentmindedly, dawdling behind the group, his whole body almost pressed against the door.

Sensing the black box approaching, the black feather mark on his palm became scorching hot.

The next moment,

With a "whoosh," countless extremely hidden and difficult-to-detect black transparent lines spread out from the black feather mark.

These thin threads flew through the window, slipped into the black box, and connected directly to the crown inside.

They hung taut in mid-air, suspended in the air, perfectly blending into the darkness of the room.
It's difficult to notice their existence unless you get close and look closely, or touch them directly.

"...?"

Bai Zhou was startled by this sudden turn of events. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, he quickly held his hand, which was connected by countless transparent threads, behind his back.

Immediately afterwards, he stepped back with his hands behind his back, quietly retreating behind the crowd to a darker corner, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

...And so, in the shadows where no one was aware, the black feathers began to secretly seal the crown.

Hey! You over there, catch up with the group!

After Section Chief Liu finished explaining the background of the "Johor Laurel" award, he was about to lead his team away when he turned around and noticed Bai Zhou huddled alone in a corner.

"Here they come!" Bai Zhou nodded repeatedly to Section Chief Liu with his right hand behind his back, but moved slowly to buy time for the sealing of the Black Feather Mark.

Time passed slowly, and for Bai Zhou, who pretended to remain calm, each second felt like an eternity.

Finally, just before the tour group disappeared around the corner, countless thin wires hanging in the air suddenly collapsed.

The black feather mark on his palm slowly faded away.

Bai Zhou let out a long sigh.

The covert ban was quietly implemented at this moment.

—A potential disaster was secretly averted.

Bai Zhou looked up and glanced one last time at the blood-written last words on the black box, lost in thought.

As Crow said, the sealing process was not difficult, even quite simple... However, only White Boat could see Crow, and only White Boat could accomplish this.

If it were someone else, they might be misled by the label and wouldn't even be able to find the Crown of Thorns.

...Then, the group walked around and stopped frequently, and before they had even finished half of the Black Room, the whole morning had passed.

"That concludes our morning tour for now." At the end of the dimly lit corridor, Section Chief Liu, carrying a briefcase, stopped, his shadow elongated by the soft blue light.

He turned to look at the crowd, his expression serious. "I imagine you are all feeling depressed right now, and fearful of all sorts of mysterious objects and creatures."

"But in fact, we do not lack the power to fight them."

As he spoke, he pressed the handle button on the silver-white box in his hand.

"Click——"

With a crisp click of the mechanism unlocking, the suitcase seemed to come alive, instantly "awakened".

Amidst the deafening roar of the machinery, the box began to deform, disintegrate, and reassemble.

Countless tiny, scale-like mechanical plates wrapped around and covered Section Chief Liu's entire right arm from bottom to top, the silky, streamlined silver-white body gleaming with a cold, menacing light.

"As long as you make many contributions and become a P4 level specialist like me as soon as possible, you will be eligible to apply to the organization to become an 'Extraordinary Person'."

Section Chief Liu said, "Even with a preliminary awakening of [Fate Analysis], with the help of equipment, one can still wield incredible power!"

—As he spoke, he flipped his palm upwards, and a ghostly blue flame burst forth from his silver-white mechanical palm with a "boom".

A wave of heat swept through the narrow corridor, scorching the air until it distorted.

The feeling of suffocation weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, leaving them terrified.

Only Bai Zhou scratched his head.

It doesn't feel as good as... crow.

At least she doesn't need the external help of this robotic arm.

But this power is indeed tempting; only heaven knows how long it will take to advance to P4.

Perhaps, the crow could offer him another option.

"...After we're dismissed, you can go to the cafeteria for lunch." Seeing that everyone was uncomfortable, Section Chief Liu put away the flame.

"Return to the meeting point after lunch; we'll continue our tour this afternoon!"

Five minutes later, the starving Bai Zhou finally arrived at his most loyal canteen.

Heaven knows when Bai Zhou last ate; he didn't even have time to eat the Four Delicacies Yi Noodles yesterday afternoon!
Surprisingly, the organization reimbursed his cafeteria meal expenses, a benefit he didn't even receive in the training camp in Wancheng.

After finally finding a seat in the bustling cafeteria, Bai Zhou devoured two plates of tomato and egg rice in one go, and even wanted some dessert.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the cupcakes he loved to eat in the evening.

The menu features dishes like "Shanghai Caviar Pear Pudding" and "Handmade Cherry Blossom Low-Sugar Snow Mochi," with a free "Enamel Basin Strawberry Mousse" given away for positive reviews.

Bells and whistles.

Bai Zhou tried a "Supreme Oreo Low-Fat Baby Cake" and found it to be quite good, though not as sweet as the paper cupcakes.

So before leaving, Bai Zhou asked for two more small cakes to take with him.

……

Half an hour later, the afternoon's new recruit training session began again.

The group soon passed the location of the Thorn Crown again, but this time, Section Chief Liu introduced the other black boxes opposite it.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the other side, Bai Zhou hid in a corner and quietly took out two small cakes from his pocket.

—From the very beginning, he packed those two small cakes not for himself.

Like feeding stray kittens and puppies, Bai Zhou wrapped the "Supreme Oreo Low-Fat Baby Cakes" in plastic bags and carefully placed them at the entrance of the Thorn Crown's Black Chamber.

If life feels too bitter, have a small cake!
Bai Zhou thought to himself with a touch of sympathy.

In this way, life becomes sweet again!
During the most difficult days, Bai Zhou survived on paper cupcakes with cream filling. It's a pity there weren't any here, otherwise he really wanted to share them with Irina.

"The little cakes are here..." Bai Zhou thought to himself.

"..."

Through the window, you could see the last words above the black box flickering, as if it was hesitating about something.

Bai Zhou scratched his head.

"Please accept this, Your Majesty?" he rephrased.

Next second,
The last words rang out with a loud "hum," illuminating Bai Zhou's face with a red glow.

Then the last words were broken into fragments, dots, strokes, hooks, folds, and strokes, flying out of the window with wild, claw-like movements.

They pounced half on the cake and half on the white boat.

Bai Zhou subconsciously leaned back, and the scene before him quickly became blurry.

One painting after another flowed into view, finally settling on a certain moment.

A deserted island under a starry night.

A down-on-her-luck middle-aged woman, dressed in tattered royal robes, shoved her spinning wheel to the ground and raised her arms, shouting—

"Just wait! I will live a second life and fight my way back to loyal Constantinople! Fifty years old is the age when I can fight to the death!"
"Never underestimate a poor middle-aged man!"

……

A year later, starving and with her stomach practically touching her back, Irina closed her eyes in despair, realizing something—

This coffin is her eternal home.

……

Bai Zhou was almost dumbfounded.

The next moment, the screen shattered.

These fragments converged in Bai Zhou's hand, transforming into a golden card that only he could see.

"...What is it?"

Standing in front of the dark room, in the pitch-black corridor, Bai Zhou looked down and surveyed the scene.

The front of the glowing card is engraved with strange and intricate patterns. These patterns are shaped like reptiles roaring to the sky, clustering around the ancient characters that are difficult to decipher in the center. The strokes meander and twist like vivid birds, beasts, insects and fish.

Bai Zhou didn't recognize these ancient characters, yet the moment his eyes fell upon the strokes, he inexplicably understood their meaning—

【“Old Days: The Era of Extermination” Pass】

—In the vast expanse of eternity, even death will vanish, but between dawn and dusk, the departed may return, and the sunken may rise.

In the cracks of time, lost civilizations beckon to you.

"Let us transcend eternity."

It says, "Witnessing this decaying era where the embers are about to die out."

　To ensure a smooth reading experience, I reluctantly wrote this chapter as a 5,000-word long chapter, combining two and a half pages. My encouragement and support are appreciated!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)