English Version（想看华语版本/原稿往下翻）
Darkness.
Then the cloth over Chang Ann's eyes was yanked away.
A burst of harsh light washed over his vision—white glare, stinging and unforgiving—before the shapes in front of him finally came into focus.
Several masked men in black stood there, watching him.
Chang Ann realized he was in an empty room. No furniture. No windows. The light was low everywhere except for a single overhead lamp aimed directly at him—like an interrogation spotlight.
And he wasn't standing.
He was strapped to a chair, wrists and ankles bound tight.
His breath hitched as his brain caught up to reality.
The door opened.
A man walked in—dressed similarly to Ling Feng, same general vibe, but without the half-cape. The style was different, but the message was the same: this guy belonged to the same world.
He wore a sly smile as he looked Chang Ann up and down, then raised a hand to a radio.
"Boss," he said into the mic, smug as hell. "We got him."
The radio crackled. A calm voice answered almost immediately.
"That you… Number Two?" The pause was small, controlled. "You got Chang Ann?"
"Yep. Clean grab," the second-in-command said, grinning. "Want me to have him say hi? Let you hear him squirm?"
"…You have him. Good." The voice stayed flat. "Stop messing around and handle the real work."
The line went dead.
Chang Ann stared, trying to keep his face neutral. He forced his voice to stay steady.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"
The second-in-command replied instantly, like he'd rehearsed it. "You don't need to know who we are. We brought you here because we need you to do something for us."
Chang Ann swallowed, then—because his mouth moved faster than his survival instinct—he tried a joke anyway.
"So you're not gonna kill me and sell my kidneys or something?"
The second-in-command snorted. "There are healthier people out there."
"Okay, okay," Chang Ann said quickly. "So… what do you want me to do?"
"Dark Energy," the man said, leaning closer. "That 'new element' everyone's whispering about. We heard you're the one who discovered it."
Chang Ann's eyes narrowed. "And you want it for what?"
"You don't get to ask questions."
"Then I'm not doing it," Chang Ann shot back. "Tell me, or I refuse."
The second-in-command's smile vanished.
In one smooth motion, he pulled a pistol and pressed it against Chang Ann's forehead.
Chang Ann jerked so hard the chair creaked.
The man's voice turned low and mean. "You gonna make it, or not? My bullet's got zero patience."
Chang Ann's breathing broke. Cold sweat slid down his spine. His hands trembled against the restraints.
He forced himself to swallow. Forced his voice out.
"I'll do it," he said, shaky. "I'll do it. But… if I do, you let me go?"
The second-in-command didn't blink. "Make it first. Then we'll talk."
Chang Ann's throat tightened. "Do you even have the materials?"
"Give me a list." The man leaned in, smiling again. "Materials are the one thing we never run out of."
With no other choice, Chang Ann started working.
He sketched out what he needed to contain it—a superconducting magnetic bottle—then began assembling a super-cooled liquid helium setup for detection. Once the superconductors and the probes were in place, the system began scanning, pulling in and trapping traces of Dark Energy in the surrounding field.
It didn't take long.
The Dark Energy gathered—then stabilized—inside the magnetic bottle, glowing a deep, unnatural dark violet, like a bruise made of light.
Just as Chang Ann had said: it didn't even take a full day.
The second-in-command stared, genuinely stunned.
Then, satisfied, he let out a quiet laugh. "With talent like this… it's honestly a waste to let you do anything else."
The scene cut.
Chang Ann was thrown into a room in the weapons development wing.
No one else. Just him.
A table. A toilet. A cheap bed with rough, low-quality fabric.
It wasn't a room so much as a cell—only bigger, and designed to keep work inside while keeping the outside blind. Solid walls. No view. No witnesses.
Two men slammed Chang Ann to the floor.
The second-in-command stood at the doorway. Before the iron door closed, he spoke like he was handing over property.
"This," he said, "is your new home."
He tossed a box onto the table. "Blueprints are in there. Follow them. Don't get creative."
Then, as if he'd remembered something, he added with a cold smile, "Need materials? Go to the base center and request them."
His tone hardened. "Plenty of armed guards. Cameras everywhere. So don't even think about running."
The iron door shut.
Chang Ann pushed himself up slowly. He looked around—empty walls, cheap bed, the table, the silence—
—and then the weight hit him.
He dropped to his knees, breathing sharp and fast, like his chest couldn't pull in enough air.
"Guanyin…," he whispered, voice cracking. "God… please. I don't want to be stuck here. I don't want to die…"
His throat tightened.
"Anyone… please… help me…"
The words broke into sobs. He bowed his head to the floor and started punching the ground—again and again—like he could beat the nightmare apart with his fists.
"Damn it… why?" he choked out. "Why is this happening to me…?"
The rage and despair twisted tighter. Then, maybe because he understood the cause—himself, his own paper, his own brilliance—maybe because he realized panic wasn't saving him—
He stood up on shaking legs and stumbled to the bed.
He fell onto it, face turned to the side, eyes empty.
For a while, he did nothing.
Just lay there.
"…God," he muttered finally, voice hollow. "What am I even living for?"
He was quiet for a long time after that.
Then he exhaled—slowly.
And anger replaced the collapse.
He sat up, wiped his face, and forced the words out like a vow.
"I've never been this pathetic," he told himself. "Fine. If you're not gonna save me—then I'll save myself."
His jaw tightened.
"I've never depended on you anyway. And I still solved every problem in my life."
He checked his pockets.
His phone was gone. His money too.
He scanned the room—then noticed something.
No camera.
His eyes shifted to the box beside the table.
He opened it.
Blueprints—lots of them. High-tech designs, advanced concepts. Not your usual firearms.
He flipped through them one by one.
And his stomach sank.
Most of them were deliberately… safe. Low lethality. Low escape potential. Useful to the organization, useless to him.
Chang Ann clicked his tongue. "Seriously… you even planned for me trying to use your own weapons to escape."
He kept digging until he found something odd:
A blank blueprint sheet.
He stared at it, and his breathing steadied. His expression sharpened.
"Watch me," he whispered—half to the empty room, half to the ceiling. "Test me if you want. Close every door you've got."
His eyes hardened.
"I'll build my way out."
"If there's nothing here that helps me escape…" He tapped the paper. "Then I'll invent something that does."
Elsewhere in the lab, the scientists had already received the Dark Energy and integrated it into the serum.
A radio crackled.
Ling Feng's voice came through—low, controlled.
"Research team. Report progress."
One scientist immediately stopped what he was doing and grabbed the mic. "Boss, the serum won't be ready that fast. After integration, it needs about three days of stabilization."
A pause.
"…Can it be faster?"
"We're looking for methods to accelerate stabilization."
Another pause—then the same cold calm.
"Fine. I can wait. Keep working."
"Yes, Boss."
The scientist set the radio down and stared at the serum as it slowly shifted—black, then subtly changing as it settled into something new.
Back in Chang Ann's room, he sat at the table, one hand holding blueprints, the other propping up his face.
Thinking.
The iron door rattled.
Chang Ann's eyes snapped up.
The door opened, and the second-in-command walked in.
"Afternoon," he said, amused. "You still not started?"
Chang Ann didn't want him to know he had other ideas. He forced himself calm, grabbed a random blueprint with an illustration, and held it up.
"…I'm looking through them first."
The second-in-command watched him for a moment, like he was enjoying how composed Chang Ann looked.
Then he smiled, slow and ugly. "Let me be clear. Don't get any bright ideas about escaping."
He leaned closer. "I check in whenever I feel like it. You build what I give you. You follow the preset blueprints."
Chang Ann's gut tightened. He could feel it—this man was sniffing for intent.
"So," the second-in-command said, stepping nearer. "What are you working on?"
He looked down at the blueprint in Chang Ann's hands.
A piece of cloth was drawn on it—folded and tied like a traditional bundle wrap.
The title read: POCKET-SPACE WRAP (CLOTH).
The second-in-command studied it, then gave a slow nod.
"Pocket-space… a wrap cloth," he said, amused. "Infinite storage. Anything you can wrap and secure—gone. Stored."
A satisfied smile crept onto his face.
"Perfect. You can stockpile gear, parts, ammo—whatever you want. Keep it up."
He straightened up. "Get whatever materials you need from base center."
He turned to leave, then tossed one more line over his shoulder:
"And you're making that wrap by tomorrow night, 8 p.m."
Chang Ann's head snapped up.
The second-in-command stopped at the doorway and looked back, eyes sharp.
"So don't think you can stall and freeload," he said coldly. "Try it, and you'll eat a bullet."
The iron door slammed shut.
Chang Ann sat there in silence.
Then he grabbed his hair with both hands, frustration exploding out of him.
"God, this is a mess," Chang Ann groaned. "One problem after another…"
"If I were a wizard, I'd just whip out some magic cloth and disappear offstage. Easy."
…
He froze.
"…Wait."
He looked down at the blueprint again.
The wrap cloth.
Something clicked.
A slow smile crept across his face. His body trembled slightly—not fear this time, but adrenaline.
"Yeah," he whispered, eyes shining. "I've got an idea."
Not long after, Chang Ann reached the base center.
There was a materials counter. Behind it sat a broad-shouldered man who looked mature, calm, and dangerous in a lazy way—smoking like he had all the time in the world.
He glanced up as Chang Ann approached. "Here for materials?"
"Yes," Chang Ann said, handing over a list. "This is the request."
The man took the paper, but instead of reading it, he studied Chang Ann.
"Never seen you before," he said. "New guy?"
"Yeah."
The man finally looked at the list, scanned it for a moment, then asked, "Where's the blueprint?"
Chang Ann blinked. "Huh? The blueprint—why do you need that?"
"To cross-check the request," the man said, voice flat. "I don't hand out parts blind."
Chang Ann's stomach dropped.
"I… I didn't bring it."
The man stared straight into Chang Ann's eyes.
Chang Ann tried to hold the gaze—but the pressure was real.
Inside his head, panic raced: I added materials that aren't on the official blueprint. If he checks, I'm done.
After a tense beat, Chang Ann looked away and forced a casual tone.
"…Okay. Give me a second. I'll go grab it."
The man exhaled, glanced at the list again, then waved a hand like he couldn't be bothered.
"Forget it," he said. "Nothing here screams 'dangerous weapon' anyway."
He stubbed his cigarette. "And I've got something to handle in a minute. Wait here."
Chang Ann released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"Thank God—" he blurted, then corrected himself fast, awkward. "I mean—thanks. Appreciate it."
The man gave him a cold, suspicious look—then disappeared into a back room.
A moment later, he returned carrying a heavy box full of parts.
"Here," he said, setting it down. "Everything on your list. Check it yourself."
"Okay. Thank you—uh, sir," Chang Ann said quickly, hugging the box.
"Hold up."
Chang Ann froze.
The man stared at him, serious enough to make Chang Ann's pulse spike again.
Then, after a beat, he said, deadpan:
"…I'm twenty-seven. Can you not call me 'sir' like I'm some old man?"
Chang Ann's face twitched. He swallowed and nodded fast.
"I… got it." He tried again. "Big bro."
The man exhaled smoke with satisfaction. "That's better. Now go. Do your job."
Chang Ann nodded and walked off.
Once he was far enough away, he muttered under his breath, "Yeah, okay… you totally look like an uncle though."
Back in his room, Chang Ann immediately began sorting parts.
His stomach growled—loud.
No food.
He ignored it and forced his focus onto the build.
He glanced at the clock.
About twenty-six hours.
If I pull an all-nighter… I can make it.
The iron door suddenly rattled again.
Chang Ann stopped and moved to the door.
Outside stood someone holding a bowl of rice drowned in a pale brown curry that looked aggressively unappetizing. The chicken on top looked undercooked—streaks of red, the kind that killed appetite on sight.
"Dinner," the guard said, pushing it forward.
Chang Ann stared like he'd been pranked. "This is my dinner? Seriously? This smell and this look—my school cafeteria serves better than this."
The guard shrugged. "So eat or don't. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
The guard reached out.
Chang Ann hesitated—then grabbed the bowl anyway.
"…I'll eat."
He shut the door and stared at the curry, disgust twisting his face.
The smell hit him. He pinched his nose and gagged.
He tried one bite.
The taste nearly made him throw up on the spot.
Chang Ann glanced at the clock again.
No time.
He forced himself to eat faster—better to suffer quickly than drag it out.
Every bite was torture. His eyes watered from sheer misery.
When he finished, he set the bowl down, wiped his mouth like he was recovering from poison, and went straight back to work.
(To be continued.)
Chinese Version/华语版本/原稿
一片黑暗,直到遮住长安眼睛的布被掀开,一阵曝光之后,好几个黑衣蒙面人出现在长安面前
长安发现自己在一个空房间,周围没有任何东西,而且周围光线很弱,只有灯光照在了长安身上,而且长安还发现自己坐在椅子上,手脚都被绑在了椅子上
长安意识到状况后,此时门打开了,一位穿着和凌峰差不多一样的男人走了进来,和凌峰穿着的区别除了衣服的风格外,也没有穿着半披风
那位男人用阴险的笑容看着长安,对着对讲机说"老大,人我们抓来了."
对讲机立刻传来声音"你是....二把手?长安你们抓到了?"
"抓到了老大,要不让他叫几声给你听听?"
"....抓到了就好,赶紧办正事."此声之后对讲机就再没有传出声音了
长安听得一脸懵,只能故作镇定地问"你们是谁?你们要做什么?"
二把手立刻回应"你不必知道我们是谁,我们抓你来,只是想让你做些事情."
"那....你们不是要杀了我,然后卖我的肾?"
"比你健康的人多了去了."
"好吧好吧!所以....你们要我做什么?"
"听说就是你发现的新元素暗能量?给我们造一个出来."
"....你们要拿暗能量来做什么?"
"你无权知道."
"告诉我,否则我拒绝你的要求."
二把手立刻失去了耐心,反手就掏出枪按在长安的脑门上,把长安吓得一颤
二把手威胁道"你到底造不造?我的子弹可没什么耐心...."
长安被吓得无法冷静下来,冷汗直流,勉强控制住自己颤抖的身体后说"我造....我造的话,你们会放我走吗?"
"....你造出来再说."
"....你们有材料吗?"
"给我材料清单,我们最不缺的就是材料...."
长安没办法,只能开始动手制造暗能量,准备保存暗能量的容器:超导磁瓶,随后长安开始制造超冷液氦容器来探测暗能量,随后容器里的超导体与引力波探针开始捕捉周围的暗能量
最后的效果,暗能量很快聚集并存储在了超导磁瓶,的确如长安所说,用不了一天的时间
长安的动手能力把二把手给惊呆了,看着在超导磁瓶里的散发着暗紫色光芒的暗能量,二把手满意地笑了笑说"有这么好的天赋,不做点别的事情真的是太可惜了."
画面一转,长安就被丢进了武器开发部门的一个房间,没有别人,只有他一个人,一张桌子,马桶和材质低劣的床,这样的房间简直和牢房没有什么区别,只是多了张比较大的桌子,而且房间有墙壁,意味着外面的人看不到里面的状况
长安被二把手的两位手下摔在地上,二把手关上铁门之前说"这里,就是你的新家了,为我们制造更多的武器吧,放心,这里有蓝图,你只需照做即可,材料自己去基地中心要,这里有很多手持武器的守卫和监视器,所以....别妄想逃出去!"
长安缓缓地站起身子,看着周围,又绝望地跪在地上,呼吸都开始急促了起来
长安绝望地开始祷告"观音啊,老天爷啊....求祢了!我不想被困在这里!我不想死...."
"谁都好....救救我...."
长安绝望地跪着,说话越来越哽咽,随后他把头埋在地上,疯狂用拳头敲打地面
"该死!究竟为什么....这种事情会发生在我身上...."
长安越想,怨念和绝望感也越来越深,随后可能是意识到了一切的起因是因为自己,也可能是意识到了这样下去没有什么用,他只能站起身子,摇摇晃晃地走到床边,然后整个身子倒在了床上
"...."长安在床上躺了一段时间,可以说是在摆烂
"老天爷啊....我到底是为了什么而活?"长安的精神,看似已经失常到企图和神沟通了
长安慢慢冷静下来后,也是越想越气,终于从床上下来自我安慰道"我从没有这么失魂落魄过....算了,老天爷....如果祢不打算救我,那我就自己来,反正我这一生完全没依靠过祢,我也照样解决了我人生的一切问题!"
长安摸了摸自己的口袋,发现自己的手机和钱已经不在了,只能观察周围的情况
确认这个房间没有监视器后,长安很快就注意到了桌子旁边的装着蓝图的箱子
长安首先是被箱子里的蓝图吸引了,拿出来一看,里面有许多武器的蓝图,而且看起来都是采用最新技术的高科技,不是常见的热兵器
长安都仔细看了看,发现所有需要发明的高科技都几乎没有太多的杀伤力或有利于长安逃跑
长安抱怨道"啧....竟然还考虑到了我会利用发明的武器逃走吗?"
长安翻遍所有蓝图后,意志也越来越坚定,看着一张空白的蓝图自言自语道"看好了老天爷,不管祢是不是在考验我的能耐....就算祢给我关上了所有的门,我也会自己打造出一条出路来!我绝对....会活着回去!"
"如果没有可以让我逃得出去的发明,那我就自己造一个!"
此时的实验室,科学家们已经拿到了暗能量,并且对血清进行了融合
此时有一位科学家的对讲机里传来了凌峰的声音"实验组,报告进度."
那位科学家立刻放下了手头的工作,迅速拿起对讲机回应"老大,恐怕血清没那么快完成,与暗能量融合后,大概还需要三天的稳定期."
"....不能再快了吗?"
"我们还在找其他可以加速药剂稳定的方法."
"没事,我能等,继续工作."
"收到老大!"那位科学家说完就放下对讲机,随后开始盯着从黑色慢慢变色的血清
另一边,长安坐在桌子旁边,左手拿着蓝图,右手托腮,正思考着要发明什么
此时铁门有了动静,长安听到铁门发出声响后立刻盯向铁门
铁门打开后,二把手走了进去,看到长安似乎在研究蓝图说"下午好,还没开始动手?"
长安不想让二把手知道自己有发明其他武器的想法,便迅速冷静下来随手拿了其他有图画的蓝图说"....总要先了解一下."
二把手看到长安似乎很冷静,接着说"哼哼....我提醒你一下,我建议你最好不要有逃出去的想法,我每天时不时都会来查房,你必须按照我给你预设的蓝图发明."
"...."长安顿感不妙,因为感知到二把手猜到了自己想干什么
"所以,你在干什么?"二把手靠近长安,看向长安手中的蓝图
蓝图上画的是一个包袱,标题是"异空间包袱"
二把手看了看,便说"「异空间包袱」....吗?拥有无限的空间,可以装进任何与其大小匹配的物品....可以拿来装无限的武器和弹药,好好干,要材料自己去基地中心取."
二把手说完后便打算离开"对了,那个包袱,你必须在明天晚上8点之前发明出来."
长安听后,猛地看向了二把手
"所以别想着拖进度白吃白喝,不然你就等着吃枪子."二把手严肃地瞪着长安的眼睛说完后,就把铁门关上了
"...."长安沉默了,他意识到自己真的没时间了,同时也因为自己没有什么能够逃出去的点子,开始烦躁到挠头
"啊啊啊啊啊....好烦啊!怎么麻烦一个接一个地来....要是我是魔法师,用魔法布让自己传送离开舞台那样就好了...."
"....?"长安抱怨之后,突然停止抱怨,似乎想到了什么,瞪大了眼睛,并看了看自己手中的蓝图
看着蓝图里的包袱,长安慢慢地笑了出来,并且身体在微微颤抖,用一副"有点子了!"的表情看着蓝图
转眼间,长安就到了基地中心,基地中心有一个柜台,柜台里有位身材壮硕,看着成熟,冷酷又有些悠哉的大叔正抽着烟,看到长安来后,叼着烟问"来取材料?"
长安回答"是的,这是清单."
大叔拿到清单,但没有看清单而是看长安说"....从没见过你,新来的?"
"嗯."
大叔看着清单里的材料,看一会后便说"对应的蓝图呢?"
"诶?蓝图?你要干嘛?"
"核对蓝图里所需的材料."
"我....我没带."
大叔突然盯着长安的双眼,长安只能故作镇定,双方僵持了一会
长安低头,不敢和大叔对上视线,心想"完了,清单里面有一些不属于蓝图所需的材料....我该怎么办?演一会吗?还是....回去拿蓝图顺便改一下所需材料的部分?"
不久后,长安转头说"....等我一下,我这就回去拿."
怎料大叔看着清单,突然开始说"算了,不用了,看你这清单里似乎也没什么可以造出危险武器的零件,而且我等会有事情,你在这里等一下."
长安终于松了一口气说"感谢老天....我的意思是,感谢你!麻烦你了!"
大叔先是用冷酷又带点怀疑的眼神瞪了一下长安,随后才转身进了一个房间
很快,大叔就拿着装满零件的箱子走了出来说"这里,所有材料和零件,自己检查有没有缺失."
"好的,谢谢你大叔."长安立刻抱起箱子,感谢完大叔就走了
"等会....!"大叔这一叫,把长安吓到停了下来
"....怎么了?"
"...."大叔突然用严肃的眼神盯着长安,长安被吓到了
大叔过了一会才说"....我才27岁啊,能不能别叫我大叔?"
长安边屏着呼吸边说"我....我知道了,大哥哥."
大叔听后这才把口中的烟吐出去后说"这才对嘛,去去,做你的事."
长安点头之后就离开了,走远后还不忘低声调侃"真是的....看起来就是个大叔嘛."
长安回到自己的房间后,立刻开始整理材料,此时长安的肚子开始咕咕响,但没有食物,长安只能把专注力放在发明上
长安看向时钟心想"还有大约26个小时,如果熬夜的话应该可以造得出来."
此时铁门突然开始震动并发出声响,长安立马停下了手中的工作,走到门前
门外有人手里拿着一碗饭,上面淋着看着就没什么食欲的浅褐色咖喱汁,还有似乎没煮熟,有着鸡血的鸡肉,就这样递给了长安说"这是你的晚餐."
长安看着咖喱饭,一脸不敢相信地问"我的晚餐?你说这是我的晚餐?这气味和外观,看着比我学校食堂里卖的食物还难吃!"
"那你到底吃不吃?不吃我拿走了."
那人伸出手想拿走那碗咖喱饭,可长安经过短时间的考虑后,为了填饱肚子还是拿走了咖喱饭说"我吃...."
长安关上铁门后,看着手中的咖喱饭犹豫了一会,咖喱饭传出的气味让长安不能忍受地捏着自己的鼻子干呕
长安犹豫一会后,为了填饱肚子只能试试吃一口饭,吃下去后长安被这一口饭的味道逼得差点吐了出来
长安看了看时钟,意识到没时间再浪费的长安只能决定快点吃完,好过慢慢受折磨
长安吃的每一口都非常折磨,吃得眼角都逼出了眼泪,很快就吃完并重新投入到"工作"中了
（未完待续）