Chapter 14

Hao Ren lifted his head, staring in disbelief at the strange phenomenon in the sky, his mouth wide open. He couldn't see his own face, but if he could, he would have thought he had just completed a two-year rehabilitation program at Green Mountain Mental Hospital.

A massive building was inverted and floating above his head, almost making his heart stop! It was a huge mansion with a blue roof, a cruciform main structure, and long wings on both sides. The mansion, with its white walls and blue roof, exuded a simple and noble elegance, resembling a combination of a modern European castle and estate. Behind the main building stood a complex, streamlined tower, which, though not entirely in harmony with the mansion's style, added an overall sense of mystery. The mansion itself was built on a pure white base, surrounded by lush lawns and gardens. The gardens featured symmetrically arranged small fountains, and in front of the mansion, there was a massive artificial fountain that could be described as "gigantic." All of this was truly astonishing.

What was even more astonishing was that everything was inverted in the sky! Even the fountain was hanging upside down, as if completely disregarding Sir Isaac Newton's laws.

Hao Ren had only seen buildings of this scale on TV, but he had never seen such a large building hanging in the sky in such a bizarre manner. Instinctively, his legs trembled, and his first thought was what would happen if it fell—no wonder he was so shocked; even Arnold Schwarzenegger would have trembled at the sight of a building larger than a residential area floating above his head.

Hao Ren was certain that there was nothing in the sky before, and he also noticed that despite the inverted building, there was no shadow on the ground. He could still feel the scorching sun directly on his skin, making him sweat—though the sweating wasn't entirely due to the sun. Everything he was witnessing was completely beyond his comprehension as a normal person. It wasn't until his phone started buzzing that he snapped back to reality: "Hey! Hao Ren! Did you see the big house in the sky?"

Hao Ren pressed the phone to his ear and, after a long pause, exclaimed, "Holy crap..."

"The first rule of employee conduct: employees are not allowed to swear before the boss does, but since you're not officially an employee yet, it's fine," the woman said casually. "Now, take your hand off the old doctor's ad and keep your eyes on the square, or I won't be responsible for where you end up."

Hao Ren had already been preparing to turn and leave, but this warning made him break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, his hand had been resting on a utility pole (because his legs were weak) and hadn't let go, or he might have already been in trouble!

Hao Ren knew he couldn't run away today, so he steeled himself and let go of the utility pole, standing in front of the square under the inverted mansion.

In that instant, the world spun, and Hao Ren felt as if he had been thrown hundreds of meters into the air, then into a place with no up, down, left, or right, and no gravity. He then spun wildly in all directions, countless 360-degree rotations. When he felt like his last New Year's Eve dinner was about to come out, the sensation finally subsided. He found himself still standing on solid ground, but the scene before him had completely changed: a large fountain was joyfully splashing water in front of him, and a gentle breeze brought a refreshing and slightly cool moisture that made his pores relax. On both sides were lush lawns and gardens with a variety of flowers, and underfoot was a neatly arranged white stone floor. Hao Ren wasn't sure if it was actually stone, but he knew it wasn't cement. It was smooth and elegant, with a texture somewhere between plastic and metal, a material he had never seen before.

Hao Ren slowly turned his head and saw a huge white mansion with a blue roof behind him.

As expected, he had arrived at the inverted building he had seen earlier, which meant...

Hao Ren looked up in shock, but to his surprise, he didn't see another inverted earth. Above him was only a clear, bright blue sky, with what seemed like aurora-like light bands slowly moving behind the clouds. He didn't see the sun, but warm, non-oppressive sunlight still shone down from an angle. Looking into the distance, he saw that there was nothing obstructing the view around the mansion. A straight, wide road ran through the gardens on both sides, but at the end of the road, there was only a thick fog. It seemed that this place was surrounded by a ring of mist, with the massive mansion and gardens being the only things that existed here.

Like an island in the mist—this thought made Hao Ren shiver, realizing that getting back was now a problem.

At that moment, a "creak" came from behind him, snapping him back to reality. He turned around and saw that the ornate door of the mansion had been pushed open, and a... being that seemed to be composed of clouds and electricity walked out.

Hao Ren had never seen such a strange being. It was neither male nor female, and it had no discernible facial features. The entire "being" was made of translucent, hazy light blue mist. It was taller than a human and had a human-like structure with limbs. Within its misty body, bright electrical currents could be seen flowing, as if these currents were its bones.

Moreover, Hao Ren didn't see it wearing any clothes... perhaps it didn't need to?

Hao Ren had encountered too many strange things in the past two days, and the inverted building had already pushed his nerves to the brink. Therefore, when he saw this bizarre, non-human entity, he was surprised but not completely taken aback. The "blue mist being" nodded at Hao Ren, emitting a series of crackling electrical sounds, then stepped aside, gesturing for the visitor to follow it inside.

Hao Ren steeled himself, quickened his pace, and followed the "blue mist being" into the strange mansion.

The inside of the mansion was as grand and luxurious as it looked from the outside. Entering through the front door, he found himself in a bright, spacious foyer, followed by a long corridor with a red carpet. Hao Ren followed the silent, strange being, carefully observing the surroundings as they walked: there were no light sources in the corridor, but every corner was filled with light. The walls on both sides were adorned with many murals with unclear meanings. Some depicted towering castles and towers, others showed planets and cosmic scenes, and still others showed massive battleships and high-tech armies in combat. Some murals even showed people who looked like magicians casting spells—honestly, these things didn't really fit here.

Finally, he saw a mural at the end of the corridor that was completely incomprehensible, filled with small turtle-like doodles... this was completely beyond understanding.

In the end, he was led to a heavy, ornate dark brown wooden door. The blue mist being pointed at the door and, without waiting for Hao Ren to ask, suddenly dissipated into the air.

Hao Ren shrugged and, with a deep breath, knocked on the wooden door.

A pleasant female voice came from behind the door, the same woman from the phone: "Come in, the door is unlocked."

Hao Ren pushed the door open with force, and everything inside was revealed to him.

It was a large, semi-circular room. In the center was a heavy, dark table, and the floor was covered with a smooth, grayish-white stone-like material. Along the curved walls, there was a half-circle of shelves, but they were not bookshelves. They were filled with various strange objects that Hao Ren couldn't identify, some of which looked like models, others were shimmering crystals, and one even contained an unfinished pancake.

There was indeed half a pancake—no kidding, who knows why!

Behind the large table in the center of the room sat a woman with silver-white hair.

A beautiful woman who made Hao Ren pause for a moment, and who looked surprisingly young, possibly even younger than him—though that was just how she appeared.

She had a cold, distant aura, with light brown eyes and silver-white hair that looked like ice. Her nose was high and her lips thin, giving her an unapproachable air when she was silent (though it might have been Hao Ren's imagination, given that he was already seeing her as some kind of doomsday demon). She wore a strange outfit, something like a black robe but also resembling a modified trench coat. Though the style was unusual, it suited her perfectly, adding to her mysterious aura.

As Hao Ren was lost in thought, the young woman smiled, and her cold demeanor dissipated. She nodded at Hao Ren, gesturing for him to sit in a chair beside her, then pointed to herself: "You can call me Raven 12345, your new boss."

Hao Ren was still lost in his chaotic thoughts and didn't immediately notice her name. He asked instinctively, "What... is this place?"

"Here? The Temporal Administration Bureau," the woman, calling herself Raven 12345, said proudly. "The Temporal Administration Bureau EN35 Node, Wangbatuozi Branch. Impressive, right?"

Hao Ren: "..."

(Second update, it's doable with a bit of effort... so, let's keep asking for votes.)

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