[Transaction Alert]
[April 8, 1664 11:25:09]
[Income: 30,750 Yuan]
[Account Balance: 47,208 Yuan]
All the emotional turbulence he had experienced today paled in comparison to the visceral shock of real money hitting his account.
Shi Rang clutched his new mobile phone, counting and re-counting the five-figure balance over and over. The invisible Portal in his heart had been unlocked by the key forged from this string of numbers.
He seemed to have realized something, yet couldn't quite put it into words at the moment.
"The reimbursement money isn't in there yet, it takes a bit longer—actually, the bonus is more than just this. The municipality definitely wanted to issue you an Honorary Bonus." The Accountant in the Newspaper Office's Finance Office slid the transfer proof across the desk, placing a pen next to it, and slightly lowered their voice. "After all, they can't make your real name public, so the funds will still end up here at the Newspaper Office... I don't think the Chief Editor will give you the money. Shi Rang, he has a massive reputation in the industry. By clashing with him like this, even if you try Job-Hopping, no other Newspaper Office will dare to hire you."
"I don't plan on being a reporter anymore." With the cash in hand, Shi Rang's state of mind had leveled out.
Shedding this heavy burden brought him immense comfort.
The Accountant glanced up at him in surprise.
"Oh, so are you going to... return to your original field? I remember you studied history—are you going into archaeology?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll be heading back now, thank you."
Shi Rang picked up the Cardboard Box filled with his personal belongings and left the Newspaper Office without looking back.
Stepping out of the building, he felt as if he had returned to a world of freedom.
He had felt a similar sentiment many years ago when he fled the Second District.
When had he dived headfirst right back into a cage?
"Hey, don't leave just yet! We haven't all gathered. Hurry back to the stairs and wait for them!" a Mini-Human hanging behind his ear yelled.
Confused, Shi Rang stepped back and waited for quite a while, repeatedly explaining to passing colleagues that he had resigned, only stepping away when the Mini-Human finally said they were good to go.
He had gone to buy a new mobile phone while waiting for the finance paperwork to clear. Now, he jogged all the way back home and shut the rest of the world out.
"You're too slow! My hands are sore from clinging on here. Lift your hand up... higher... a little higher... Alright, put me down on the Sofa!"
Shi Rang held his hand up as he walked across the living room, earnestly examining this 'pinky-sized person' for the first time.
The tiny figure was a blond boy who looked no older than twelve or thirteen, and the polo shirt he wore was actually a popular style from recent years. Shi Rang noticed countless ant-sized specks of color swarming over the boy's clothes, instinctively breaking out in goosebumps. He set the boy down, went to Ying Shang's room to fetch a Magnifying Glass, and focused it on them. He discovered that all the tiny colored specks—whether ant-sized or even smaller—were incredibly, all Miniature People.
Their ages had nothing to do with their height; there were men and women, young and old, all wearing modern clothing. There was even a pregnant woman among them!
Upon reaching the flat surface, all the Tiny Ones slid off the boy and rested on the folds of the Sofa fabric. Their slit-like mouths opened and closed as they finally gathered into a mottled cluster that resembled fine sand.
Shi Rang pulled the Magnifying Glass away.
If one didn't look closely, they would definitely think some dirt had been spilled there.
'Are they the legendary Sprites?'
"Thank you for your help, so you guys are...?"
"I'm Jack, and they are the Tiny Ones!" The blond boy's normal speaking volume was so minute that Shi Rang had to crouch by the Sofa and bring his ear close to catch it. "You helped us, and we helped you, so now we're even! Hmm... Although you don't have a decent house here, we can forage for materials on the spot. Just give us a place free of Mites and mosquitoes, bring us some food and water, and—"
"Hold on, I don't understand. Why are you guys so small? How did you get into my house?"
These words made Jack and the rustling Miniature People all freeze, staring straight at him.
A few seconds later, the Tiny Ones started to argue, but to Shi Rang's ears, the noise was no louder than the indistinguishable buzzing of nearby mosquitoes.
"Quiet, quiet, you guys are too loud! I'm the big guy here, let me speak!"
Acting as the relay station capable of understanding both Shi Rang and all the Tiny Ones simultaneously, Jack was given a splitting headache by the noise and stomped his feet in anger. The tiny dent he created on the Sofa cushion sent many of the Tiny Ones flying. Startled, Shi Rang reached out to catch them, but a few slipped through his fingers. Fortunately, they drifted slowly to the floor like bits of shredded paper, and soon scurried back up the Sofa legs to their original spots.
Once everyone quieted down, Jack patted his chest and introduced himself.
"I'll go first. I'm Jack, and I'm in the fifth grade." Jack pointed at a pair of Tiny Ones sitting on his shoulders. "This is my dad, and this is my mom."
Shi Rang paused. "...You've developed quite well."
"I wasn't finished! We all used to live in the same town, but then we shrank and were captured by bad people. We barely managed to escape... Yeah, from that Management Bureau thing! Do you know the Management Bureau? There are 326 of us here, including me. We all clung to that Red Meat Mass and escaped from the facility!"
'Why does this sound so familiar?'
'If this group isn't Sprites, and they mentioned the Management Bureau and the meat mass, could it be...'
The metaphorical string in Shi Rang's mind felt like it was about to snap again.
He raised his hand to signal Jack to wait, then rubbed his temples. He unlocked his new mobile phone and typed in the URL he had memorized, only to find the website was giving a 404 error again.
No matter how many times he refreshed, he couldn't log in this time, but a distant memory slowly began to surface.
"Escaping from the facility, moving together with the Stitched Walker... Are you... are you guys... CVA-C-888?"
"How do you know that designation?" Jack turned pale with fright, looking very much like he intended to scoop up the Tiny Ones and make a run for it. "You're from the Management Bureau!"
"No, I shouldn't be. Damn it, my head is about to explode. If the Management Bureau really exists, doesn't that mean I—"
'So, Agent Kyle is really an agent?'
'Did he really almost lose his life to the Midnight Visitor?'
'Was Intern Robin's escape from Facility 031 also real?'
'That wasn't just Tabletop RPGs?'
'Hell, did my blind scribbling almost get them killed?'
'Most importantly—if the Management Bureau Main Station is a real secret website, how on earth did I get in???'
Shi Rang tried to stand up and pace around to calm his racing heart, but a wave of dizziness hit him as soon as he rose. Bracing himself, he carefully avoided the Miniature People and slumped back onto the other end of the Sofa.
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[WARNING: The Management Bureau Archive is highly classified. Unauthorized access is strictly prohibited. Violators will be monitored, tracked, and processed.]
-----------------
The blood-red warning from the Terminal Station's homepage flashed before his eyes. Shi Rang jolted, scrambling to the window. He parted the curtains just a crack and cautiously peeked outside, terrified that a fleet of high-end black cars would come speeding into the neighborhood to snatch him away the very next second.
No strange vehicles, no armed forces...
No one was coming to arrest him. For now.
Shi Rang swayed unsteadily as he walked back to the living room, his vacant eyes staring at the patch of colored sand on the Sofa.
He had a deep impression of CVA-C-888. After all, Intern Robin had mentioned that the door to this Subject's Containment Room was wide open. Pressed for time back then, Shi Rang had only skimmed the description section of the Records.
[CVA-C-888 - "Miniature Land"]
The Subject is a certain town in the Third District that shrank due to unknown causes, encompassing its buildings, flora, fauna, and inhabitants. The Management Bureau relocated the entire town into a Containment Room for the Miniature People to live in, but the cause of the shrinking and a method for restoration remain undetermined. Because researchers experienced adverse ocular and respiratory reactions after interacting with them, it was determined that they produce corrosive gas, and personnel must wear protective suits to make contact.
'Corrosive gas... is that why the Chief Editor couldn't stop coughing?'
'And what about the coffee cup?'
Shi Rang glanced at the tightly shut doors and windows of his home.
'If the Miniature People can produce toxic gas, I should have fallen victim to it by now after staying with them for so long.'
'Or perhaps it's an optional "active ability"?'
"Are you okay...? See, I told you guys he'd be fine! He's the one who defeated the Red Meat Mass!" Jack excitedly announced the good news to the Tiny Ones. "Since he can grow his arm back, dealing with the Management Bureau will be a piece of cake for him."
These words were like a heavy sledgehammer smashing into Shi Rang.
"What did you say?"
"What?"
"I grew my arm back?" He rolled up his sleeve and inspected his right arm, but couldn't spot a single issue.
"Yeah! After you knocked down the meat mass, you got back up, took its Suitcase, and drove its car back. We were clinging to you when you came home, and you even went to take a shower. By the time you came out, your arm was completely healed—oh, and we didn't peek! We jumped off as soon as we got through the door..."
Shi Rang bolted into the bathroom. He spun around but found nothing unusual, so he tilted his head back.
There, tucked in the corner of the gap between the shower glass and the ceiling, sat a bloodstained Suitcase.