Chapter Three: The City of Mist

All around him was the rush of wind, the sound of plummeting at high speed, and JIN felt as if his heart had been suspended in midair. Everything had happened so quickly that he couldn't even process what expression he should wear, how he ought to respond…

And then… he had jumped off the building!

JIN had no idea what to do. A regular person falling from such a height would be nothing more than a broken heap on the pavement below.

As for JIN… he was no exception.

In his panic and uncertainty, his body had already descended past the lower half of the skyscraper, the acceleration growing ever more intense. He could already see the unforgiving cement ground approaching.

“If I crash headfirst into it…” JIN calculated grimly, unable to formulate a course of action.

“I’ll probably be reduced to a limp pile of flesh…”

But at that moment, a faint tremor suddenly ran through his left hand.

JIN, feeling the wind whipping past his ears, turned his head slightly and saw that the portable smart computer on his wrist was glowing with a subtle white light.

A low hum emanated as he sped toward the ground, now less than twenty meters away. In that instant, he felt a surge of energy from the device at his wrist, causing his descent to halt midair.

Then, as if he were a hero landing in an American blockbuster, JIN’s body seemed to float, the tremendous acceleration vanishing as he landed gracefully on the ground.

His right hand braced against the pavement, his body crouched sideways, both feet splayed to form a triangle—creating a stable stance.

Rain soaked his black trench coat, dampening his long hair. A strand fell across his vision; JIN flicked it aside with his index finger.

He felt no impact whatsoever, not even a hint of numbness in his legs and feet, and the ground bore no sign of collision damage.

He seemed to land as gently as a cloud.

JIN stood, shot a glance at the portable smart computer on his wrist, and comprehension dawned.

Anti-gravity…

Sensing something, he looked up sharply. Just then, a violent explosion erupted from the floor he’d fallen from, flames bursting through the windows and licking hungrily outward.

The surrounding glass shattered in an instant, and the furnishings within were propelled outside by the force, tumbling toward the earth.

A chunk of debris landed before him with a loud crash.

It was the hospital bed he’d been lying on.

Looking at the charred, bent legs of the bed, JIN was momentarily at a loss for words.

The woman who’d suddenly kissed him, who hoped he would save the world… What had become of her? Had she perished in the explosion?

Who was she?

Everything was shrouded in mist before his eyes. He couldn’t find the slightest clue, utterly unable to begin unraveling it.

“There’s a car below…”

JIN recalled the woman’s warning. He turned to look and spotted a business sedan parked quietly nearby.

He was clearly being targeted by unknown enemies—the explosion was proof enough.

He couldn’t ascertain the woman’s allegiance, but she had presented him with the best option. Without hesitation, JIN slipped into the business sedan.

Thunderous rain pounded down; the streets were nearly deserted, with few vehicles and fewer pedestrians. The city felt empty.

The black sedan sped through the downpour, headlights piercing the curtain of rain.

JIN drove almost aimlessly, his mind drifting. He’d only just awakened, his thoughts sluggish, perhaps because he’d swallowed too much water.

“Water…? Why am I thinking about water?”

“What happened around me… What is all this?”

Through the rain and gloom, the sedan sped forward, engine roaring beneath dim streetlights.

By strange coincidence, an automatic floating display passed behind the car. On the screen, a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses grinned eerily, gesticulating as he spoke:

“Do you feel lost? Are you weary? Does it seem you live in a haze? Do you ever feel… as though you’re not in the real world?!”

“Please come quickly to our—”

Rain battered the glass, the wipers moved rhythmically, tirelessly clearing the windshield.

JIN’s attention was drawn to the intelligent navigation system inside the car. The route was already mapped out, pointing toward a specific destination.

“Room 906, Delta District…”

JIN read the navigation’s destination aloud, wondering, “What is that place? Is it my home?”

He pressed harder on the accelerator, and the car raced down the vacant street.

In a dim corridor, footsteps approached and stopped before a door.

JIN saw a fingerprint scanner embedded in the door. He hesitated, then placed his hand upon it.

A clear electronic beep sounded, and JIN pulled open the iron door, stepping inside.

The room resembled an abandoned storeroom. Under the faint lighting, two oil drums stood facing him. JIN moved a few steps, glanced around, and saw a spacious area furnished with a sofa, table, and bed.

He hurried over to the cabinet by the bed.

Drawer after drawer slid open, each one empty.

He opened the box atop the cabinet—still nothing inside.

From the nearby water tank, droplets fell from the faucet, echoing in the emptiness—a strange, unsettling sound.

“The sea…”

Suddenly, memories of the ocean surfaced in his mind, haunting him still. He recalled sinking, endlessly, into the depths…

Turning his head, JIN’s gaze fell on a framed photograph atop the table.

He lifted the frame…

It was blank, utterly empty.

He approached the window and pulled back the heavy curtains.

A sudden burst of explosive light flared before his eyes, forcing him to step back.

Then, a pale and oddly unsettling male face appeared on the window, delivering a news bulletin:

“An explosion has just occurred in the Delta District…”

Immediately, a woman’s face appeared, her mouth moving as she continued the report:

“According to the Broadcasting Bureau, the explosion seems to have been caused by a gas leak. The investigation is still ongoing.”

A puzzled expression crossed JIN’s face… The bulletin described the very event he’d just experienced.

Listening to the woman’s account, “They” were coming…

And the explosion was likely orchestrated by “them,” yet the explanation offered was merely a gas leak…

Moreover, the conclusion had been reached far too quickly.

Had “they” truly used a gas leak to mask their actions?

Or was the government concealing something about “them”?

“Citizens, please ensure safe use of gas…”

“The Management Bureau reminds you!”

JIN paused—this bulletin didn’t mention casualties at all…

Did the government simply not care? Why would such a major incident go unreported regarding injuries or deaths?

It was as if the city was enveloped in mist—everywhere, the unnatural reigned.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

As JIN fell into thought, the portable smart computer on his left wrist sounded its alert.