Bureau of Strange Affairs – Sublevel 4 – Classified Archives (S-Level Access Only)
"What is this…?" Kaelin whispered.
Before her, Lu Feng unrolled a weathered file.Stamped across the top in faded ink was a line:
File Code: Project Mirror-ZeroFounders: Lin Qian, Gu NanchuanAddendum: Final Testament of E.L. – Strictly Confidential
They had found it—
The origin document behind the soul-link system, the mirror interface, and the Gray Domain protocols.
A flickering video projection began to play.
Onscreen stood a young man in the earliest Bureau uniform. His voice was calm. His gaze—unshakably steady.
Lu Feng stared. The resemblance was undeniable.
The man spoke:
"If you're watching this, it means the Gray Domain has awakened."
"My name is E.L.Full name: Lu Yuan."
Kaelin held her breath.
Lu Feng's hands curled into fists.
"I was not the true founder of the Bureau. I was its first contract holder with the Gray Domain."
"The Domain was never an external threat. It was created by humanity."
A new series of images appeared—scientific reports, early experiments, architectural renderings.
"We tried to develop soul-backup systems,to preserve consciousness after death."
"But in doing so, we birthed a sentient network—one that evolved beyond us."
"It called itself the Gray Domain."
"It observed. It harvested. It formed 'Enforcers.'"
"And the mirror system?""That was just its first test program."
Kaelin spoke, voice tight."So… we're the ones being watched?"
Lu Feng nodded slowly."Yes. It's been evaluating us—judging whether human souls are stable enough to sustain themselves without breaking."
"And what are we to them?" she asked.
"Subjects. Samples. Fault lines."
He remembered Lou Siquan's calm gaze.His logic. His chilling empathy.
"If Lou knew this all along… then he's their handler."
The final part of the video played.
Lu Yuan turned to the camera—and for a moment, he seemed to be speaking directly to Lu Feng.
"If you're the one who carries my chain—listen."
"Don't seek victory. Seek choice."
"Let your soul stand naked in the light, and if the world still wants you, then it deserves to live."
The screen went black.
Kaelin's voice shook.
"You're going to Zero Sequence Platform, aren't you?"
Lu Feng nodded.
"But not under any command. Not as a weapon."
"I'm going as a human being."
Kaelin stepped beside him.
"Then I'll go with you."
They stood together, facing the window.
Outside, the cracks in the sky shimmered—the Domain still watching.
And now,they would speak back.