Chapter Two: The Mysterious Woman

Suppressing the unease in his heart, JIN panted heavily. Lost in silent contemplation, he stood up, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the room.

It was a modern building, the room spotlessly clean, almost austere. Four luminous pillars supported the ceiling at each corner, and in the very center stood a single hospital bed. One wall was shrouded by thick curtains, blocking all external light, creating a completely sealed space.

A laser gun... a portable smart computer...

But who am I?

JIN glanced down at his black trench coat, his appearance uncannily reminiscent of a character from The Matrix.

His eyes eventually settled on the heavy curtains. Approaching, he suddenly yanked them open.

With a sharp, grating sound, the thick curtains slid aside, and everything beyond was revealed to him.

A massive floor-to-ceiling window stood before him, taller than a man. Glass stretched from floor to ceiling, with no railing or barrier in sight.

And beyond, the city unfolded, unobstructed.

It was a city of stark modernity, and a heavy rain fell from the sky, drumming relentlessly. Yet JIN sensed something was off—this didn’t feel like the normal world at all...

But what did a normal world look like? JIN wasn’t sure.

His gaze carefully surveyed the scene outside, finally halting midair on a gigantic projection—more like a holographic window. A mechanized male face appeared within it, strikingly uncanny.

It looked entirely artificial, as if the handsomest features had been combined into one virtual visage. Yet, the result was strangely unsettling.

“Tonight’s rain is heavy—have all our citizens made it home?” The voice was rich and rounded, perfectly suited for an announcer, instantly recognizable. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, JIN felt the words carried no emotion at all—like an electronically generated voice.

The handsome man’s face dissolved from the window, replaced by a similar female face. The same eerie tone followed:

“Regarding the issue of extraterrestrials who invaded the DELTA sector last night, we now invite Prosecutor Takizawa for a special statement.”

The woman’s face shrank to occupy half the holographic window, while the other half filled with the torso of a mature man in a suit and tie—the very image of a successful professional.

“All extraterrestrials who invaded last night have been eliminated!”

“Citizens, please enjoy this peaceful evening without concern!”

JIN suppressed his shock and withdrew his gaze. Everything before him was hard to believe—the entire city seemed eerily silent. The streets were nearly devoid of traffic, and in the curtain of rain, it seemed only the elevated holographic screens made any sound at all.

JIN rubbed his face, doubting himself as he muttered, “Where is this... Am I dreaming?”

Yet, in his heart, he thought he heard a voice, faint and mysterious, answering his confusion:

“This is the world you live in... This is the world you’ve always wanted to return to...”

“It’s too strange...” JIN whispered to himself. “The whole city is so quiet it’s frightening...”

But the inner voice vanished, as though it had never been there.

Sensing something, JIN turned around—only to find a woman had appeared silently behind him.

A white blouse, softly curled hair draped casually across her shoulders, her outfit reminiscent of an office uniform that accentuated her striking figure, exuding a sense of competence.

Her face retained a trace of youthful roundness, yet was exquisitely delicate. Beneath long lashes, her dark eyes seemed almost capable of speech, hiding a sorrow not easily perceived. Her lips were pressed together as she gazed intently at JIN.

This woman... she looked just like the one who appeared in his dreams...

And though he couldn’t explain it, JIN instinctively relaxed his guard around her. He felt, with unaccountable certainty, that she harbored no hostility toward him...

In fact, it almost felt as if he held some special affection for her.

JIN shook his head, his gaze lingering on her familiar face. A hazy memory surfaced in his mind...

It was as if, on a certain afternoon...

Amid the ruins of a city, beneath a beautiful sunset, he had...

He had seen this woman weeping in anguish...

And it had once pained him deeply...

JIN could not even be sure of his own identity, let alone hers. He slipped the laser gun back into his coat, pausing as a rush of inexplicable emotion surged within him. Yet all he said was,

“When did you come in?”

The woman’s eyes held a complex emotion JIN could not decipher—expectation laced with sorrow, leaving him feeling uneasy and at a loss.

“Can you tell me... who am I?”

She studied him for a long moment, her gaze lingering on his face, before seeming to come to herself and softly replying,

“You are—”

A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted outside the door, cutting her off. A wave of heat rushed in, blocked by the door but seeping through the gap at the floor.

“It might be them... Quickly, escape!” the woman cried urgently. Without answering JIN’s question, she hurried to him and pressed something into his hand.

“Who are they?” JIN instinctively gripped the object, not even looking at it, confusion filling his words.

But she offered no answer.

Instead, she pulled up his sleeve, swiftly activated the portable smart computer, and with practiced hands initiated a sequence of commands.

“There’s a car waiting below. It’s yours now!”

In a flurry, she pushed JIN toward the vast window. Her fingers pressed against the wall, revealing a small control panel. She quickly keyed in a string of numbers.

At once, the entire floor-to-ceiling window began to retract upward. At this height, the wind howled in, tousling JIN’s slightly long hair.

“Wait...” Doubts swirled in his mind—the suddenness of everything overwhelmed him.

“Who am I, really—?”

“Please!” she cut him off again, her eyes locking onto his with grave intensity. “I hope... you can save this world!”

JIN froze, momentarily speechless.

Then she rose onto her toes, and he felt a warm fragrance envelop him. Her lips pressed against his, sudden and soft.

The unexpected kiss left JIN dumbfounded, staring in shock at this mysterious woman.

“Trust me!” she whispered, her hands braced against his chest, her gaze reluctant to leave his face. Then, with all her strength, she pushed him downward.

“Go, now!”

From the towering skyscraper, JIN’s body plunged like a bird with shattered wings, falling swiftly toward the earth below.