Infinite Nightmares

With a DING, the elevator doors opened, and a vast, triangular chamber appeared before Zhang Wenda.

To Zhang Wenda’s astonishment, people were standing on every surface. Some were handling official business on the ceiling, while various reception desks were set up on the walls. It was as if gravity had ceased to exist in this place.

People were going about their business on every single plane.

Zhang Wenda stepped out of the elevator. The scene was like looking into a kaleidoscope; it was impossible to take it all in.

"This way." As Zhang Wenda followed 2826 onto the left-hand wall, his center of gravity shifted in an instant. The floor he had just been treading on was now the wall to his right.

Glancing at the elevator door hanging on the wall he had just exited, Zhang Wenda asked 2826, who was leading the way, "Who are we here to see?"

"Director Tan."

Those words made Zhang Wenda perk up. "The director of the entire Bureau 507?"

"The Vice Director." As soon as he heard that, Zhang Wenda’s enthusiasm deflated.

Still, the thought that he was meeting Bureau 507’s second-in-command right after arriving kept him from complaining.

After several more quick turns along the wall-corridor, just when Zhang Wenda felt he was about to get dizzy, a very plain and simple office appeared before him.

As soon as he entered, he saw an office desk affixed to the ceiling. A white-haired old man in a gray sweater vest was hanging upside down from that same ceiling, looking at him with his arms crossed.

Zhang Wenda had rarely seen such a dapper old man. What was even more infuriating was that despite his hair being completely white, his hairline hadn’t receded in the slightest. It was incredibly thick.

"Please, have a seat." With a gentle push from the old man, a wooden chair detached from the ceiling and landed neatly in front of Zhang Wenda.

"My name is Tan Yougen. You can call me Grandpa Tan."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenda frowned. The man’s words rubbed him the wrong way.

"Director Tan, Bureau 507 is a major organization. There’s no need to start with idle chit-chat, is there? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I’d walked into a local community center."

Tan Yougen chuckled. "Fine. Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Aren’t we here to discuss business?" Zhang Wenda cut straight to the chase, in no mood for pleasantries.

"Certainly. However, I don’t think there’s much to discuss. Xiaoli has already gone over the details with you, and I’ve already given my approval."

"Xiaoli?" Zhang Wenda turned to look at 2826, who was standing at attention nearby. He asked in surprise, "Your surname is Li."

ignored Zhang Wenda’s stare, remaining motionless as a statue.

"Forget him," Zhang Wenda said. "What he told me doesn’t matter. I want to discuss this with you, face-to-face."

"Director Tan, you’re the second-in-command of Bureau 507. The fact that you’re personally meeting a small fry like me proves my value. I think my price can go a bit higher." Zhang Wenda slipped into the same negotiating mindset he used when dealing with HR.

But Tan Yougen didn’t take the bait. "I’m not meeting you because you have some special value. I’m here because I was friends with your grandfather. I even held you in my arms when you were a child."

Zhang Wenda was taken aback. He never expected to run into an acquaintance in Bureau 507. Then again, it made sense. His grandfather had worked here as a machinist for his entire life, after all.

"In that case, Grandpa Tan, since we go way back, we should definitely keep in touch." Zhang Wenda’s demeanor instantly warmed. ’It’s always easier to get things done when you know someone on the inside,’ he thought.

’You should have led with that! If I’d known someone who knew my grandpa was in Bureau 507, I would’ve joined ages ago.’

However, Tan Yougen’s next sentence doused Zhang Wenda’s enthusiasm with cold water. "I was good friends with your grandfather. So, knowing his personality, what do you think he would say to that?"

"We’re agreeing to your recruitment because you are useful to Bureau 507, not because you’re somebody’s grandson."

At that, Zhang Wenda sighed in resignation. "Then what was the point of bringing it up? You’d have been better off not saying anything at all."

"One must keep business and personal matters separate. Business is business. But it’s a rare opportunity to meet the younger generation, so naturally, I had to come see you. Now, son, Xiaoli told me that you want us to help not only you, but also another person, be rid of your... Original Selves? Could you perhaps be a bit more flexible with the timeline?"

Zhang Wenda leaned back slightly. "Oh, so let me get this straight. You pull the ’I’m your elder’ card, not to do me any favors, but to ask me for one instead?"

Wenda saw right through him now. ’So that’s his game! The old man brought up his connection to my grandfather just to use it as leverage to talk my price down!’

"Non-negotiable. My terms are what they are. Help me and my teacher get rid of that... Original Self thing you mentioned. Otherwise, as for this undercover mission in the Big Circle, you can find someone else who’s interested!"

Seeing that Zhang Wenda had stopped talking about raising his price, Tan Yougen put on a pained expression. "Sigh, things are difficult for the Bureau right now... but, fine. Since you’re so insistent, I’ll reluctantly agree."

Wenda could tell he was acting, but he didn’t want to sour the relationship, especially not with his future direct supervisor.

"I have one more question, though," Wenda said, voicing his final concern. "How can I be sure you’ll hold up your end of the bargain after the job is done?"

"With me here, you’re still worried about that?" Tan Yougen looked up at Zhang Wenda in surprise.

"Is your... reputation that good?" Recalling the old man’s little maneuvers just now, Wenda found it hard to trust him.

"Then what do you propose? We sign a contract?"

Zhang Wenda shook his head. "I won’t ask for anything extra, but I want a down payment. You said Bureau 507 can help people get rid of their monstrous forms, right? I want to see if that’s true first."

Before Tan Yougen could respond, 2826 spoke up. "That’s impossible. The Big Circle is making an exception to invite you precisely because they see value in your Original Self. If we remove it beforehand, they’ll have no use for you, and the infiltration mission will be off the table."

Wenda turned to him. "Who said anything about removing mine first? The down payment I’m asking for is for you to remove Teacher Rabbit’s Original Self."

The other two in the room were stunned. They never expected Zhang Wenda to make such a proposal.

This wasn’t just Wenda’s way of repaying Teacher Rabbit for all their recent help; more importantly, it was a way to see if the Bureau was bluffing.

Teacher Rabbit had struggled endlessly to find a solution and failed. Could Bureau 507 really accomplish it with just a word? Even though the organization was clearly powerful, he was still skeptical.

Generally, once a down payment is made, sunk costs and the prospect of future cooperation ensure most people won’t default on the deal. He wasn’t some naive kid fresh out of school. ’If they think they can get my services for free, they’ve got another thing coming.’

started to say something else but was cut off by Tan Yougen. "Alright. I’ll approve it. But if we deliver on our end, I expect you to deliver on yours."

"No problem!" Wenda declared, his voice firm as iron. "As long as you can do it, once I’m inside the Big Circle, I’ll put my life on the line to get the job done!"

Tan Yougen gazed at Wenda with a complicated expression, making Wenda feel a little uneasy.

"What are you looking at me like that for? We’re talking business."

Tan Yougen stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly walked to the window. "Seeing you now reminds me of your grandfather. You were the spitting image of him just now."

Wenda could sense the complex emotions in the old man’s voice. It was clear his bond with his grandfather ran deep. But since the director was so inflexibly principled, their close relationship probably wouldn’t do him any favors.

"Since we’re on the subject of him, there’s something I have to ask you." Wenda patted his own chest. "Was my grandfather a monster back then, like me?"