Chapter 150

Chapter 150: A Special Borderland

To be honest, after hearing Xu Jiali describe things, Yu Sheng felt a bit guilty and even reviewed how often he had been calling Bai Li Qing lately. [I should split a few calls to Song Cheng to ease Madam Director’s late nights.] [If everyone is losing sleep, the burden should be shared fairly; there is no way I am going to stop Door Opening.]

Reflection done, his curiosity about the Special Affairs Bureau’s unbelievable headquarters grew stronger. This was his first time seeing so clearly and up close what the Borderland really was, especially when Xu Jiali led him down a corridor and pointed to an office at The End Web: after ten at night, that office drifted into an anomalous space.

“We have many special rooms and sections here, and the building’s layout is not fixed,” Xu Jiali patiently told the guests as they walked, “some areas move to other places at set times, and some even move into Otherkind territory. We use these regular movements to pass supplies to other stations or to rotate posts. I don’t know if anyone has told you this before, but although the Borderland is called the hub of the world, in terms of space it is not directly linked to the outside.”

“Not directly linked?” Yu Sheng asked, curious: “What do you mean?”

“It means you can’t leave here by normal transportation,” said Xu Jiali with a smile, “whether by air or underground, you won’t get out. If you leave this city, you’ll find vast Wilderness. Farther out lies an unstable zone. Beyond that, past the Boundary Stele, is the Border. At the Border you’ll meet Space-Folding and end up back at the city’s edge. That’s what it means when we say the Borderland’s spacetime curls inward.”

Yu Sheng widened his eyes as his heartbeat sped up a few beats. This was his first real intel about the Borderland’s edge, the first time he could picture this massive, eerie place in spatial terms. [So the space between the Borderland’s The End Web and the normal universe isn’t continuous?] He could not help thinking of that Valley, the repeating mountain barrier at the Valley’s The End Web, and the “Teleportation” after crossing it. Surprised, he blurted out: “That sounds a bit like an Otherworld, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it sounds like an Otherworld, but the Borderland’s depth is zero and it does not generate Entities, while still obeying the math of the outside world,” said Xu Jiali, stopping with a serious tone and a slight smile, “so except for some local supernatural events, this place should count as a normal zone. Scholars have many views. Most think this place only has a special spatial structure. The more radical ones say the Borderland itself is a depth-zero Otherworld running on the rule ‘everything is normal,’ and it would then generate an Entity called human society according to the usual order of the universe.”

The nearly two-meter-tall man used a deliberately eerie voice for these shocking ideas, paused on purpose, then added: “But that extreme theory can neither be proven nor disproven. So some scholars offer a compromise: the Borderland itself is not an Otherworld, but it is wrapped inside a bubble-shaped Otherworld. That Otherworld is a film with zero thickness that slices a normal piece of space out of the universe, forming what we call the Borderland.”

Irene thought it over and said: “That also sounds like it can’t be proven or disproven.”

“Right, so not many believe it,” said Xu Jiali with a shrug, “guesswork is free, and the Borderland has countless secrets. Everyone uses this place to pad their papers. Do you know how many trainees and interns come to stay in Boundary City every year? At least half are there because finals are coming, and they need field credits or project points.”

Yu Sheng stared, feeling something about the topic was off, but he pulled his focus back quickly: “Wait, if the Borderland and outside space aren’t continuous, how do people from outside get in? And how do you leave from inside?”

“That’s what I meant by ‘channels,’ like the special floors and offices in this building,” said Xu Jiali, “normal transport can’t get out, but the Borderland has many natural passages that connect to different places. The Council basically controls all of them, and they are the only way in and out of the Borderland.”

He suddenly stopped, gave Yu Sheng a strange look, and said, “They aren’t the only way anymore.”

Yu Sheng froze, then understood at once. His Doors, the ones that opened to all kinds of strange places. Because of him, there was now a brand-new way to leave this hub besides the natural channels.

Yu Sheng fell into thought. Xu Jiali’s voice came again: “If you want to study The Door further, or if you want to travel far, come to us anytime. The Special Affairs Bureau has managed this place for many years. Our experience will help you.”

Yu Sheng nodded slowly. Whatever might be behind this offer to help with The Door, he was ready to accept it with thanks. As they spoke, they stopped before a door.

“We’re here,” said Xu Jiali, pointing to the room ahead.

Yu Sheng looked up. This was the last lab at The End Web of the corridor, and even without knowing the site well, he could tell it was special: an extra-thick door, a careful gap from nearby rooms, several layers of monitoring at the doorway, and eye-catching warning signs all showing how important and high-security this place was.

Above the lab door, a lit sign read: “Room 2: High-Risk and Special Sample Analysis and Containment Comprehensive Handling Room.”

Next, Xu Jiali stepped forward to the lab’s Access Control Unit and tapped a few commands. He verified his status as a veteran Deep Diver with a High-Tier Identity Card, then added a temporary “special guide” permission. After a brief exchange on the intercom, the heavy isolation door rumbled and slowly split open.

Two staff in full white protective suits with face shields appeared just inside, standing behind a glowing red isolation line to “welcome” Yu Sheng’s group.

Yu Sheng was a bit stunned and turned to Xu Jiali: “Uh, I’m only delivering a scrap of paper and an iron lump. Isn’t this a little much?”

“This is arranged by the Director, don’t overthink it. Mainly, this is the only lab we can activate right away,” said Xu Jiali cheerfully, “each lab has its own security level and procedures. We always follow the process strictly. If this room gets the task, then even if you brought a button, they would still wear protective suits and complete the handoff in the transfer zone. That’s the workflow at the Special Affairs Bureau. You’ll get used to it.”

Yu Sheng felt that made sense, though it got awkward when he actually took the items out.

First he dug in his pocket and pulled out a ragged scrap of paper. Following the staff’s directions, he put it on a tray: “This was taken from the Black Forest. It’s a drop from the Entity called Hunter.”

The staff solemnly took the paper away.

Then Yu Sheng reached into another pocket and pulled out a white plastic grocery bag. He opened it and unwrapped a lump covered in old newspaper. Inside was the iron lump he had picked up in that strange room on the second floor of his house.

The crackle of the bag and the rustle of newspaper sounded extra loud at the solemn lab door. Sweating, Yu Sheng glanced down at Irene by his feet and muttered: “Should I have put this in a small briefcase before coming out the door? You know, the kind in movies with a code lock that looks really fancy?”

Irene had already covered her face with one hand: “I don’t know, but I feel like you might as well have just stuck it in your pocket.”

“I didn’t want it to tear my clothes. This thing has sharp edges everywhere, and this outfit is new.”

Grumbling, he set the iron lump on another tray and forced himself to explain to the suited staff across from him: “This is the other sample. It was recovered at my home. Wait, correction, at No. 66 Wutong Road, Otherworld.”

Two more staff in even heavier suits came out through a small inner door. Their gear looked like Titan armor. One of them carried a silver-white alloy container carved with symbols. With great care they placed the iron lump inside. From behind the other person’s filter mask came a muffled but polite voice: “May we also take your carrying container?”

Yu Sheng stared before realizing they meant his plastic bag and the newspaper.

Confused, he handed over the bag and paper. He watched the two “Titan armor” people accept them solemnly and head back into the lab. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he glanced at Xu Jiali: “Is this also your standard procedure?”

Xu Jiali answered stiffly: “Yes. Arranged by the Director.”