Three days later, Lin Wan stood in front of a completely black skyscraper, feeling like a moth about to enter the mouth of a giant beast. This was the city's financial center, where every inch of land was valuable, surrounded by the headquarters of the world's top banks and corporations. Yet, the Lunar Corp headquarters stood out like a silent anomaly in this steel forest. It had no common company logo or unnecessary decorations, just pure black glass curtain walls that seemed to swallow all light, soaring into the sky. The top of the building was cleverly designed to be a crescent moon silhouette, casting a sharp and cold shadow in the sunlight. Lin Wan took a deep breath of the city's polluted air, trying to calm her pounding heart.
For this interview, she had prepared meticulously. She used her connections as a reporter to create a flawless resume for herself—a common girl named "Su Qing," who graduated from a second-tier university and worked as a marketing assistant at a small advertising company for a few years. She was mediocre, unremarkable, and easily lost in a crowd. This identity was the best disguise. She checked her outfit: a tasteful beige business suit, her hair neatly tied back, and a delicate but non-aggressive light makeup on her face. The person in the mirror was gentle and capable, with just the right amount of hope for the future in her eyes. It was so well done that even she almost didn't recognize Lin Wan, the crazy reporter who could go three days and nights without sleep for the sake of the truth.
She walked through the main doors, and a wave of coldness washed over her. The air conditioning inside the building was set to an extremely low temperature, as if to freeze a person's blood. The entire lobby was so empty that she could hear an echo. The floor was made of black marble polished to a mirror shine, and a giant, ring-shaped lamp, designed to look like the surface of the moon, hung from the ceiling. Behind the front desk, the only decoration on the wall was the silver-stamped crescent moon logo, which gave off a faint glow under the cold white light. This was less like a company and more like a modern mausoleum. The receptionist had a professional smile but empty eyes, like a beautiful doll. After verifying Lin Wan's identity, she gestured for Lin Wan to go to the waiting area.
The interview was even more perfunctory than Lin Wan had imagined. The interviewer was an HR manager named Liu, who simply read a few standard questions about market promotion. She was distracted throughout, her eyes constantly drifting toward the door as if she were waiting for something. Lin Wan's answers were flawless, and she perfectly played the part of a moderately experienced but unremarkable job seeker. "Alright, Ms. Su, that's all for today, you..." The HR manager seemed ready to end the boring interview. Just then, the office door was silently pushed open. The air in the room was instantly sucked out, and the temperature dropped by a few more degrees. Lin Wan felt a very oppressive gaze land on her, like a spotlight, leaving her with nowhere to hide. She slowly raised her head and met a pair of silver-gray eyes. It was Qi Yuan. In person, he was even more impactful than in the photo. He wasn't wearing a suit, just a simple black shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a small patch of pale skin. His build was larger than Lin Wan had expected, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuding a sense of dormant, beastly power. Just by standing there silently, he became the absolute center of the entire space.
The previously nonchalant HR manager immediately stood up and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Qi," she said. Qi Yuan ignored her, his gaze locked on Lin Wan the entire time. His silver-gray eyes were devoid of emotion but looked like a precise instrument, examining her soul inch by inch. Lin Wan's heart was pounding like a drum in her chest, but she maintained a perfectly normal expression of nervousness and awkwardness on her face, which was the appropriate reaction for a regular job applicant meeting the big boss. Time ticked by, and a deadly silence filled the room. Just when Lin Wan was about to lose her composure, Qi Yuan finally spoke. His voice was deep and magnetic, like the lowest note of a cello, but with a cold texture. "I'll take this one," he said. The HR manager was stunned for a moment, seemingly surprised, but immediately nodded submissively. "Yes, Mr. Qi," she replied.
Qi Yuan strode over to Lin Wan, looking down at her, his shadow completely enveloping her. Lin Wan could even smell a cold scent coming from him, like a pine forest after a snowfall. "Su Qing?" he said, her fake name, his voice slightly rising at the end with a hint of inquiry. "Yes... yes, Mr. Qi," Lin Wan replied, lowering her eyes and not daring to meet his gaze. "Welcome to Lunar Corp," he said, extending his hand to her. His hand was large, with long, distinct fingers—a very beautiful hand. But Lin Wan knew that the owner of this hand was likely involved in her sister's disappearance. She hesitated for a moment but still reached out and lightly shook his hand. The moment their fingertips touched, a bone-chilling coldness spread from her arm throughout her body. His hand did not feel like a living person's hand; it was more like cold jade. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Qi Yuan slightly tightened his grip, stopping her. He leaned in, and whispered in her ear, in a voice only they could hear, "There's a... smell of blood on your hand.".
Lin Wan's pupils instantly constricted, and all the blood in her body seemed to freeze at that moment. What had he discovered? What did this sentence mean? Was it a test? Or a warning?. There was no blood on her hand; was he referring to the inseparable blood relation between her and Lin Xiao?. A million thoughts exploded in her mind, but she forced herself to calm down in just one second. She looked up, her face showing the right amount of confusion and a hint of panic, as if she were startled by her boss's closeness. "Huh? Blood... blood?" she said, smelling her hand and explaining in an embarrassed whisper, "Maybe... maybe I accidentally cut my finger while cutting meat this morning. Sorry, Mr. Qi, I'll go wash my hands right away.". Her performance was flawless. A normal girl's first reaction to an handsome, rich CEO's closeness would be shyness and nervousness, not conspiracy theories. Qi Yuan's silver-gray eyes watched her silently for a few seconds, as if discerning the truthfulness of her words. Finally, he let go of her hand and straightened up, his face still expressionless. "No need," he said plainly, then turned and left the office.
It wasn't until the door closed again that Lin Wan realized her back was drenched in cold sweat. The short confrontation had been more thrilling than any undercover interview she had ever done. The HR manager's attitude did a complete 180, and she enthusiastically processed Lin Wan's onboarding. The HR manager led her to the elevator to go to her office area. The elevator was a scenic one, and as it rose, the city below gradually turned into a giant, crisscrossing map. But Lin Wan's attention was not on the view outside. As the elevator passed the basement levels, she faintly heard a very strange sound. The sound was very soft, as if coming from deep underground, filtered by thick walls and metal layers, intermittent and indistinct. It was a bit like a chorus, and a bit like... some kind of suppressed, collective chanting or howling. The sound was filled with pain and longing, with a primal and mysterious rhythm that made her skin crawl. "Manager Liu, what's down there..." Lin Wan asked, pretending to be casual. "Oh, the lower floors are the company's core R&D area and data center," Manager Liu explained with a slightly stiff smile. "The security level is the highest; you can't go down there without permission.". The elevator door opened, interrupting their conversation.
Lin Wan stepped out of the elevator and found that her workstation was arranged in the secretary's area outside the CEO's office. This made her heart tighten. Was it a coincidence, or intentional surveillance?. Just then, Qi Yuan's assistant walked over and handed her a document. "Su Qing, this is your first project," the assistant said in a businesslike tone. "Mr. Qi wants you to familiarize yourself with it as soon as possible. You will be mainly responsible for following up on the 'Lunar Project.'". Lin Wan took the thin document. The cover was boldly printed with three words: Lunar Project. She opened the first page and saw a large photo of a lunar crater, next to which were densely packed data and symbols she couldn't understand at all. A chill, colder than the air conditioning in the building, ran through her.
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