The fluorescent lights buzzed weakly in the dim prison corridor. Huang Wei strode briskly, phone pressed to his ear, exhaustion etched deep into his features. "Run the numbers based on Ren Ye's rank before his... incident. What's the full survivor's benefit payout?"
"He agreed?" A male voice crackled through the phone.
"Yeah. He agreed."
"...Alright." The man paused briefly. "Standard payout from his former unit: Twenty times the previous year's per capita disposable income, plus forty months' salary matching his rank. Personal commendations would add more. Rough estimate... over a million."
"Prepare the documents. Exact figures. I'm submitting the application first thing tomorrow." Huang Wei's tone brooked no argument. "I want that money approved before he steps inside."
"That was his condition?"
"No. He hasn't named any yet. I just want to give it. Regardless of whether he succeeds or not." Huang Wei replied with surprising sincerity.
"Understood, I'll get the docs ready." The man complied immediately. "But Boss... honestly, how did you convince him to walk through that door?"
A faint smile touched Huang Wei's lips, though his voice remained flat. "Heh. Pure personal magnetism."
(The Van - Ren Ye, Huang Wei, Nian Nian)
The next afternoon, Ren Ye had barely finished his shift in the prison workshop when guards escorted him out. No paperwork. No exit procedures. He was simply ushered into an unmarked black van.
Legally speaking, Ren Ye realized with a chill, I'm still serving time at Qingfu Prison. Officially, I don't exist out here anymore. Huang Wei – and whatever shadowy department he represented – clearly operated far outside the normal rules.
Inside the van, besides Huang Wei riding shotgun, sat the driver: a strikingly tall young woman, maybe twenty. Even seated, her long legs were impossible to ignore. She had delicate features, bright, intelligent eyes, and stood easily over 5'8". Her crisp uniform shirt, top button casually undone, strained slightly against an undeniably impressive bust.
The woman – 'Nian Nian', Huang Wei had called her – rested one hand lightly on the wheel. With the other, she tapped her phone, playing a voice message from a group chat:
"Nian Nian! Heard your crew scooped up some 'diamond in the rough' from lockup? Guy named Ren Ye? That true?"
"Yeah, spill! Recruiting cons now? That's a new low!"
"Word is he's a murderer. You guys really taking in that type? Wild!"
"So, what's his Class? Anyone know?"
Nian Nian cleared her throat delicately, adopting a slightly higher, more saccharine tone. "Oh, pleeease~ Just silly rumors, totally unreliable! Don't @ me, guys, prepping for training, waiting for the Gate!"
She shoved the phone into her snug pants pocket.
Ren Ye's gaze snapped to Huang Wei, confusion tightening his features. His name? Discussed? Before he'd even left prison? And why had the long-legged driver lied?
Huang Wei waved a dismissive hand. "Ignore them. Just a bunch of nobodies." He settled into his seat. "Nian Nian, drive."
The vague answer only deepened Ren Ye's unease. Who were they? What did they know? As the van pulled out, sunlight – real, free sunlight, warm on his pale, prison-bleached skin – streamed through the window. The taste of the outside air was intoxicating, yet his mind raced.
(Lotus Lake Road 88 - The "Special Unit")
Lotus Lake Road 88 was an unassuming two-story building. "Catch you later, got work!" Nian Nian chirped, vanishing into the lobby as soon as they entered.
Ren Ye scanned the empty space. No bustling staff. Not even a security guard. "Place is... quiet."
Huang Wei offered a cryptic smile. "They're likely all occupied observing certain... phenomena."
Ren Ye nodded, following Huang Wei past the lobby, down a staircase to sub-level B2. The décor was aggressively bland – generic government office, maybe even shabbier. They stopped before an office door.
(Huang Wei's Office - The Revelation)
Ren Ye's eyes fixed on the nameplate: "Blood-Eyed Berserker". Huang Wei's alias? Seriously? Peak cringe. Trying way too hard for that 'overworked hero' vibe.
Huang Wei swiped a card and pushed the door open. "In here."
"Right."
They entered, Huang Wei closing the door behind them.
"Sit."
Huang Wei casually picked at his nose, looking weary as he poured two glasses of water.
Ren Ye took in the sparse room before sitting stiffly in the chair opposite the desk, staying silent.
"Gotta be straight with you," Huang Wei began, sliding a glass towards Ren Ye before sinking into his own chair. "Before we talk, you can still walk. Leave this building, grab a cab back to the prison, and you can enjoy your sewing machine for the rest of your sentence." He leaned forward slightly. "But once we start talking? You're locked in. No turning back."
"Hmph."
Ren Ye snorted, radiating the skepticism of someone well-versed in cons.
"Fine." Huang Wei's expression hardened. He extended his hand formally across the desk. "Official introduction. Huang Wei. Star Gate Player. Second Stage Star Emissary. Stage Title: Blood Pupil Monk. Holder of the Warrior Path Legacy."
"What? Player? Star Emissary? What are you even..." Ren Ye started, bewildered.
Before he could finish, Huang Wei, still holding out his hand, changed.
"Whoosh!"
Instantly, his eyes flooded a deep, glowing crimson, like pools of blood lit from within. The lines of his face sharpened, radiating an intense, predatory aura. The sheer, unnatural pressure hit Ren Ye like a physical blow, slamming him back against his chair.
His eyes! Holy shit! Did he just catch someone banging his wife?!
Ren Ye had braced himself for something beyond normal, knowing whatever awaited him would shatter his worldview. But seeing it? He was frozen, a jolt of pure terror shocking through him.
"I told you," Huang Wei's voice was calm, hand still extended. "The moment you said yes, fate took a sharp turn. A chance at a life beyond imagining."
Ren Ye wiped sweat from his brow, forcing himself to shake the offered hand limply. "...Wh-what... what does all that mean?"
Huang Wei seemed satisfied with the reaction. To break someone like Ren Ye, hardened and cynical, required sensory shock. He waited a beat for Ren Ye to catch his breath.
"The Star Gates exist. Enter, and become divine."
Huang Wei's voice took on a resonant, almost hypnotic quality. "That's the saying among Players. Simple, right? Put plainly: scattered throughout our world – no, throughout the universe – are fragments of reality. Like stars hidden from ordinary sight. Inside these Star Gates? Some are vast, endless. Others are tiny, maybe just the size of a grave. But all hold remnants... Legacies... left behind by ancient, forgotten civilizations."
"Those randomly chosen to enter a Star Gate? We call them Players. Inside, they face trials... strange tasks. Survive, succeed, and you're rewarded. Powers beyond belief. Artifacts. Legacies that rival the gods."
Huang Wei paused, watching Ren Ye intently. "Following me?"
Ren Ye stared, jaw slightly slack. He forced himself to focus. "So... like... alternate dimensions? Infinite RPG dungeons?"
"Don't read that pulp fiction," Huang Wei sniffed, momentarily thrown. "But... yeah, similar concepts. And fundamentally different."
"So... your demon eyes? That's from walking through one of these 'doors'?"
"Correction," Huang Wei emphasized, dabbing subtly at the corner of one glowing eye. "I am a handsome warrior."
"...!" Ren Ye noted the gesture but wisely stayed silent.
"Simply put," Huang Wei continued, "the god-like Legacies from the Gates fall into two types. Ordered Legacies: Clear paths to power, like having a personal master guiding your every step. And Chaotic Legacies: Messier. Advancement depends on raw talent, gut instinct. Generally? Chaotic types start weaker." He leaned forward, slowing his words deliberately. "The key takeaway? The rarer the Ordered Legacy, the more valuable, the more powerful it is. But the biggest difference?" He paused for effect. "Ordered Legacy holders... they bind with a specific Gate."
"Bind? Meaning what?" Ren Ye leaned in, intrigued.
"Meaning... once a Gate accepts an Ordered Legacy holder, that Gate becomes theirs. They get a personal Gate Spirit, full control – open, close, whenever they want. And as they grow stronger?" Huang Wei's crimson eyes gleamed. "They can reshape the Gate's inner world. Become its absolute ruler."
Stunned silence filled the room. Ren Ye's mind reeled. After a long moment, urgency crept into his voice. "Hypothetically! Just hypothetically... if a Gate was, say, the size of Earth... and I bound with it... that Earth would be mine? I could... I dunno... invite an army of... professional companions... and live out my days exhausting my kidneys, completely legally?"
"Theoretically, yes," Huang Wei nodded.
Ren Ye's eyes glazed over momentarily. "Definitely a life beyond imagining..."
"Summarize what I just told you. One sentence." Huang Wei fixed him with a probing stare.
Ren Ye frowned, concentrating. "Scattered space fragments exist. Go in, complete tasks, get superpowers. Powers come in two flavors: Ordered and Chaotic. Ordered is better, and the rarer it is, the stronger it gets."
"Good. Now, why you're here."
Huang Wei nodded approvingly, standing and pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. "One month ago, one of our Players finished a Star Gate trial. But instead of just rewards... he received an invitation. An invitation to enter another Star Gate. And it allowed him to bring three other Players."
"A chain quest?" Ren Ye ventured uncertainly.
"Smart!" Huang Wei's gaze sharpened. "Exactly. His previous trials were just the setup. The ultimate prize was access to this Gate. A standalone Gate acting as a prelude to another? That's incredibly rare. It means... this new Gate's status is exceptionally high. The Legacy inside... could be uniquely powerful!" He stressed the last words heavily.
"For any nation, any people, uniquely powerful resources must be secured," Huang Wei stated, his tone carrying clear conviction. "So, I handpicked three of our most elite Players to accompany him into that Star Gate."
"The three picked... they got compensated?" Ren Ye asked bluntly.
"Of course," Huang Wei affirmed solemnly. "But...!"
"But what?" Ren Ye pressed.
"Once inside... they vanished. Completely." Huang Wei stopped pacing, facing Ren Ye. "Twenty-plus days... radio silence."
A cold knot formed in Ren Ye's stomach.
Huang Wei looked down, his glowing eyes dimming with sorrow. "Then, three days ago... one Player returned. He carried... an artifact. A key. The key to unlock the final Gate."
"The chain wasn't over? Then... the other three?" Ren Ye asked, dread rising.
"The one who returned... didn't say." Huang Wei's voice was thick.
"Didn't say? What does that mean?!"
Huang Wei sighed, his face etched with pain. "The Player who returned... his body was ravaged. His eyes... empty. He collapsed right at the Gate's threshold. We got him immediate medical attention... but the doctors confirmed... he'd been dead for three days."
"What?!" Ren Ye shot to his feet. "You're telling me... a corpse that died three days ago... walked out carrying an artifact?"
"Yes," Huang Wei met his horrified gaze. "We believe the others are dead too. Lost inside the Gate. That's why... we came to you."
"To... me?" Ren Ye stammered. "Why? A chain quest that killed four elite Players... and you end up with me? Because I'm really good at sewing prison uniforms?"
Huang Wei visibly pushed aside his grief, looking up at Ren Ye with an expression of profound puzzlement.
Ren Ye squirmed under the scrutiny. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Prepare yourself. What I'm about to show you... it's deeply unsettling." Huang Wei offered the warning gently.
Ren Ye, who had been managing, now felt a distinct chill crawl up his spine.
"Authorization code, 7933—2," Huang Wei called out sharply.
"Authorization confirmed~"
An electronic voice chimed.
"Whirr-Clunk!"
A section of the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a heavy, reinforced safe that silently unlocked itself.
Ren Ye peered inside. On a simple stand lay an ancient-looking brush, its material rare and luminous even in the dim light.
"That brush is the artifact he brought back. Go on. Pick it up." Huang Wei gestured, already backing towards the door. He flicked off the lights, plunging the room into near darkness illuminated only by the faint glow from Huang Wei's eyes and the brush.
Ren Ye hesitated, then stepped forward, carefully lifting the brush. It was cold, heavy, undeniably ancient and powerful.
"There are characters inscribed on the shaft. Can you see them?" Huang Wei asked, now fully framed in the doorway.
Ren Ye squinted. Two lines of faintly glowing golden characters became visible. "Yeah."
"Stand in the middle of the room. Face the open space. Trace those characters in the air with the brush... and say them aloud."
"Just... say them? No dramatic soundtrack? These lines are kinda... cheesy." Ren Ye forced a weak joke, trying to diffuse his own tension. "Feels awkward..."
Huang Wei said nothing, just watched.
"Huuuh..."
Ren Ye took a deep, shaky breath. Steeling himself, he walked to the center of the office. He raised his arm, gripping the brush tightly. His whole arm trembled. In for a penny...
He focused on the empty air before him and slowly began to trace the golden characters.
"With brush I shape eternity's work, Upon the stage, I paint the land!"
As the final word left his lips, the brush stilled.
"FWOOMPH!"
The air itself shuddered. A single point of blinding starlight erupted, exploding outward like ink spilled on pure white paper. In seconds, a swirling, irregular vortex filled the space before him – an oval doorway taller than a man. Its edges shimmered violently with rainbow-hued starlight, painfully bright.
Ren Ye gaped, frozen, his scalp crawling. He clutched the brush like a lifeline. He stared into the impossible abyss... utterly unable to fathom what lay beyond.
"This is a Star Gate. Step through... and your life changes forever." Huang Wei's voice was soft from the dark doorway.
"But why...?" Ren Ye whirled towards him, the question bursting out.
And then, from the depths of the starry vortex, a haunting, ethereal voice echoed:
"Year of the Water Serpent!"
"Month of the Water Dog!"
"Day of the Earth Monkey!"
"Hour of the Water Dog!"
"Heavenly Pardon mandate—Ren Ye!"
"We await your entry!!!"
What?! The words slammed into Ren Ye. They felt... familiar. He thought frantically... then pure ice flooded his veins.
That... that's my fucking birth date! My exact time of birth! Who is calling me?!
The spectral voice echoed in his skull. His brain short-circuited. His body locked up, rigid as stone.
"No one knows why it calls you," Huang Wei's voice cut through the terrifying silence. "But that... is precisely why you're here."