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墨書 Inktalez
The beautifully crafted "Master" or "Organization" does not trust the living people around them.
This "Alpha-7" is either hidden to the extreme or just an internal code that outsiders cannot grasp.
The clues seem to circle back to that crucial old laptop. I called Sister Wang, trying to keep my voice steady: "Sister Wang, think carefully about that computer—model, serial number, or is there any chance it was linked to an email or cloud account?"
Sister Wang sighed on the other end, her voice weary. "The model... I really don’t remember. It was just a black one, quite heavy. As for the account... Xiao Ya mentioned it was used by her dad for work before, but it was cleared out later. She kept it as a... memory, and she doesn't really use it online." She paused as if suddenly recalling something. "Oh! There might be a label on the back of the computer. I took a photo of it while packing things up; I’ll see if I can find it!"
A flicker of hope ignited within me. Ten minutes later, Sister Wang sent a photo. It was a bit blurry and poorly lit, but I could make out a worn asset management label on the back of the laptop, with a serial number (S/N) followed by a string of alphanumeric characters.
I quickly entered this code into several databases and brand websites. I found the model—a business laptop from over a decade ago, now practically a brick. But beyond that, there was nothing else. No transaction records? None. No associated accounts? None. It was as if this computer had appeared out of thin air and vanished just as mysteriously. The “oldness” and “untraceability” of this thing hinted at something deliberate.
Alright then, this online route is basically blocked off. It seems I have to resort to the most straightforward yet effective method—running errands.
Next stop: the university town where Xiao Ya is located.
Before heading out, I carefully checked that retractable baton and slipped it into my backpack's side pocket—not because I expected to use it, but mainly to bolster my courage. Then, I spent quite some time studying the door lock before finally sticking a strand of my hair onto the top edge of the door frame with saliva. There was no choice; after that glimpse last night, I felt jumpy and paranoid.
On my way to the university town, for once, I didn’t drive—the old car was too conspicuous. I took the bus first and then switched to the subway at a crowded transfer station. Throughout the journey, I didn’t listen to music; my ears were perked up like a rabbit’s, and my eyes scanned every person in the carriage. In the throng of people, I even deliberately slowed my pace or pretended to check my phone at a corner of the platform, using my peripheral vision to see if any familiar faces appeared repeatedly behind me.
What was the result? Calm seas. Either I was being overly cautious or... they were professionals who could easily evade someone like me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly to myself—Li Mo, if only you used your imagination for writing novels instead of this! But that faint chill at the back of my neck wouldn’t go away. My instincts told me this wasn’t just paranoia.
The university town lay on the outskirts—new, spacious, radiating an air of idealism fresh out of the oven and yet untouched by societal hardships. After locating Xiao Ya’s dormitory building, I engaged in a battle of wits with the dormitory supervisor, deceitfully claiming to be an “urgent document delivery cousin” to gain entry.
When I knocked on the dorm room door, it opened to reveal a girl wearing glasses, her eyes still heavy with sleep; she looked visibly startled upon seeing me.
"Hello, is Tian Xiaoya there?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"Xiao Ya? She hasn't come back since she went home for the weekend," the girl with glasses adjusted her spectacles and scrutinized me with suspicion. "Who are you...?"
"I'm her cousin. There's an urgent matter at home, and I couldn't reach her by phone, so I came to check on her." I put on my best acting skills and glanced inside. The four-person room had two empty beds. Xiao Ya's bed... just as expected, was arranged like her bedroom at home, with the quilt folded into a square and the desk tidy as if it had just been disinfected, a stark contrast to my own messy living environment.
"Has she been... acting strange lately?"
The girl furrowed her brows in thought. "Strange? She's always like that, not much of a talker. Either reading or on her computer... Oh," she seemed to remember something, her expression turning a bit odd. "A while back, she was acting a bit weird. She suddenly became really interested in network security and kept asking me about things like ports, protocols, and how to bypass firewalls. The questions were pretty... tricky, almost like she was possessed. I thought maybe she had some kind of stimulus and wanted to switch to the computer science department." She paused and lowered her voice. "And during that time, she seemed even less talkative. Sometimes when I woke up at night, I saw her staring at the computer screen filled with green code flashing like something out of a hacker movie. It was quite scary. When I asked her what she was doing, she quickly shut it down and said she was... watching movie effects."
Green code? Hackers? That was quite a lot of information to process. An introverted girl suddenly delving into network security and looking at code in the middle of the night?
"Anything else? Has she received any strange packages? Or had any strangers come looking for her?"
The girl shook her head. "I don't recall any packages. As for strangers... she hardly talks to anyone." She glanced at me. "About her disappearance, the advisor knows and has reported it. Maybe you should ask the advisor?"
"Alright, thanks." Continuing to ask probably wouldn't yield more information. This girl either genuinely didn't know or was just one of those who remain indifferent when it doesn't concern them. Nowadays in college, even sharing a dorm can feel more distant than living with housemates. Are they fostering independence or creating islands? No wonder someone like Xiao Ya might find "kindred spirits" in the virtual world or... attract something sinister.
Leaving the dorm building, I didn't go looking for the advisor; that would be a waste of time. I thought about Xiao Ya's father, Tian Yucheng, and his "Singularity Project." The name sounded rather mysterious.
I pulled out my phone and searched for the school's department distribution, heading straight for the Computer College.
In the office building of Computer College, I caught an older-looking associate professor and mentioned Tian Yucheng and the "Singularity Project."
Upon hearing "Tian Yucheng," the professor's expression noticeably changed; he adjusted his glasses and instinctively looked around before lowering his voice. "That name... hasn't been mentioned in years. Tian Yucheng, I know him; he was quite a figure back in the day but also... sigh, a tragic figure." He sized me up. "What are you asking about this for? Let me give you some advice: some old matters are too entangled; it's better not to dig too deep."
There were layers to his words!
“Have you heard of a code name called ‘Alpha-7’? It might be related to his research,” I pressed on.
The associate professor furrowed his brow even more, his eyes betraying a clear sense of caution and a hint of... hesitation? “Alpha-7... that code name...” He seemed to struggle to recall, as if reluctant to elaborate. “I think... I might have seen it on the title of some archived old document? Or maybe in meeting minutes? I can’t remember clearly; I might be mistaken.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I really don’t know the specifics. The projects back then were highly confidential, and then they were suddenly halted. A lot of the materials were archived or destroyed. You should stop asking about it.”
This reaction was more revealing than simply saying he didn’t know! “Alpha-7” was definitely not just a figment of imagination; it was related to Tian Yucheng’s project and involved terms like “confidential” and “archived.”
I thanked him and turned to leave, but my mind was in turmoil. The clues were becoming clearer, yet more dangerous. Xiao Ya taking that computer was likely not just a sentimental gesture; she genuinely wanted to find something in it, or perhaps... she had already been guided by something to seek it out.
Stepping out of the office building, it was already afternoon. The sunlight was blinding. Standing on the bustling main path of the campus, I felt like a ghost, out of place amidst the vibrant youth around me. What should I do next? Investigate the “Singularity Project”? With my limited abilities, would I even be able to make an impact?
Just as I was feeling overwhelmed, my phone in my pocket suddenly buzzed sharply and briefly. It wasn’t a call or a text; it felt more like some kind of... internal component twitching.
Confused, I pulled it out. The screen was lit up but showed no notifications. Just when I thought it might be a sign that my phone was dying, a pure black minimalist dialogue box popped up in the center of the screen without warning. A line of glaring white text appeared, lacking any source identification, as if it had been etched directly onto the screen:
“The legacy of Tian Yucheng is not for you to touch. Stay away, or face the consequences.”
What the hell?!
My pupils dilated sharply, and my heart felt like it had been squeezed tightly by someone’s hand, nearly jumping out of my throat!
What was this?! A virus? A trojan? Or...
Before I could take a screenshot or react in any way, that black dialogue box vanished like a ghost, and the screen returned to its normal standby interface as if that heart-stopping moment had never happened.
My fingers trembled as I frantically checked notification logs, background processes, security logs... Everything was clean as if it had been professionally wiped! No traces left behind!
Cold sweat instantly drenched my back.
This is not an illusion! This is a blatant warning! A threat!
They know I’m investigating! They know I’ve found Tian Yucheng! They even know the word “inheritance”! How did they do this? Did they hack my phone directly? What kind of technology… who are these people?!
I suddenly looked up, glancing around like a startled rabbit. In the sunlight, students walked by in groups, chatting and joking, everything seemed so normal and peaceful.
But beneath this sunny facade of “normalcy,” I felt a chilling malice creeping in, coiling around me like a venomous snake, nearly suffocating me.
They are nearby! Or rather, they are everywhere!
Xiao Ya… has she received a similar warning? Or something worse?
“Stay away, or face the consequences.”
I stared at the screen of my phone, that disappearing message burned into my retina like a brand.
Damn it.
Now it’s too late to back out. They’ve already come for me by name.
I want to see what this “inheritance” of Tian Yucheng really is, what kind of monster it could be!
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