It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Xu Lin opened his eyes once more, feeling that his eyelids were extraordinarily heavy and his entire body utterly weak and devoid of strength. The light before him was intensely blinding. He wanted to raise his hand to shield his eyes, but he found that both his hands were bound by something, his legs were also tied, and straps were fastened across his body to anchor him to the bed beneath him.
With great effort, he raised his head to survey his surroundings. Everything that met his eyes was completely unfamiliar. It looked like a room, yet not quite. He spotted a circular object emitting a bright, dazzling light, as blinding as the sun. What was this? He had never seen such a thing in his life.
He tried to move his body, but quickly realized he could not budge. His hands and legs were tightly restrained, and thick bandages were wrapped around his torso, pinning him firmly to the bed.
He rolled his eyes with effort to observe his surroundings. He discovered that he was in a place filled with strange equipment and instruments, surrounded by a group of people dressed in bizarre white garments. Their facial features and skin tones were completely different from the Qin people he was familiar with. Some had skin as dark as charcoal, while others were as white as snow, yet not a single one possessed the yellow skin he had.
This group of people appeared quite astonished by his awakening, their expressions varying—some shocked, others overjoyed. They crowded around him, chattering in a language he could not understand. Xu Lin widened his eyes, feeling completely lost and bewildered. Who were these people? Where on earth was this place? A succession of questions surged into his mind.
A very fair-skinned person slowly approached him. This individual wore glass-like objects over his eyes that reflected the light. Dressed in a loose white robe that gave him a very solemn air, he held some papers in his hand, which seemed to be of great importance regarding Xu Lin. The man stood quietly in front of Xu Lin and said something to him. Because of the language barrier, Xu Lin could only shake his head to indicate that he understood nothing of what the other was saying. Afterwards, Xu Lin looked at the restraints on his body, wore an angry expression, and tried to convey his dissatisfaction with being tied up. However, the man clearly failed to grasp his intention, so he signaled to someone behind him. The person behind leaned over, retrieved some papers from a table, and handed one to Xu Lin. Xu Lin shook his head. A second paper was handed over, and Xu Lin shook his head again. The third, the fourth... Until he saw the Chinese characters, Xu Lin finally nodded to indicate that he recognized them. A look of joy immediately appeared on the man's face, and he hurried out, returning shortly with someone who looked similar to himself. The man walked to Xu Lin's side and spoke in Chinese: "Hello, I am Liu Feng, a researcher at this research institute." With that, he looked at Xu Lin with an expectant gaze, waiting for a response. However, when Xu Lin opened his mouth, he found he could not produce any sound at all.
Xu Lin's heart was filled with doubt and confusion, deeply perplexed by this unfamiliar environment and these strange people and events. He couldn't help wondering what this so-called research institute actually was, and what a researcher might be. Especially this man named Liu Feng; his attire and manner of speech made Xu Lin feel extremely strange, as if he came from another world. Xu Lin looked at the restraints on his body and tried to signal Liu Feng, hoping they could be undone. Liu Feng seemed to understand his intent and shook his head in refusal. Liu Feng explained that they could not remove the restraints for the time being because they needed Xu Lin to cooperate with some research work. Yet Xu Lin still felt uneasy; he did not know what these people intended to do, let alone whether he would be harmed. Liu Feng comforted Xu Lin, assuring him that they meant no harm and merely required his assistance to complete some research tasks.
Liu Feng turned to look at the white man standing behind him, then spoke to him in English: "Mr. Smith, I believe he should be one of our Daxia Country people. He can understand my speech, but it seems he has lost the ability to speak."
Hearing Liu Feng's words, Smith smiled and said, "Liu, you weren't in this laboratory before, so naturally you wouldn't know his condition. His vocal cords suffered muscle atrophy from going too long without speaking; he will gradually recover and be able to speak normally. Come work in this laboratory from now on. We need you to communicate with the experimental subject. Although the research project differs from your previous one, as you Daxia people say, all roads lead to the same destination. I think you'll adapt to this place very quickly."
Liu Feng respectfully said to Smith, "Mr. Smith, I am personally very willing to come to your department. After all, having a Daxia person here means it's good to even speak with someone from my homeland. In the few years I've been in the laboratory, I was almost forgetting my native language. But what about the General...?"
"You can rest assured about the General. I will explain the situation to him. The General attaches great importance to this research and will certainly agree to my request."
Liu Feng replied, "Then I will go back and await Mr. Smith's notice."
Smith smiled and said, "Very well, Liu. I believe we will meet again very soon."
Xu Lin could only watch as they jabbered away in a language he could not understand at all, and then saw that man named Liu Feng nod at him and leave.
The white man said something to the others, and those people dispersed, leaving only the white man to walk over to Xu Lin's side and smile at him. Yet that smile seemed to conceal a hint of coldness, causing Xu Lin to secretly raise his guard. The white man likewise said something to Xu Lin, smiled, and walked away. Once left entirely alone, Xu Lin began to seriously observe his surroundings.
This was a square-shaped room containing all sorts of objects. Some could make sounds, others emitted light, and numerous cables lay across the floor, connecting one device to another. Those people had all been busy around those devices, leaving only him lying on this cold bed. He realized that something extraordinary seemed to have happened to him.
Having pondered this much, Xu Lin's mind began to grow hazy. Although he did not know where this was or what location he was in, "without the ravages of the sea, I suppose I can sleep in peace here—only I am so hungry!" With that thought, Xu Lin sank once more into a profound sleep.
In his slumber, he seemed to return once again to that expanse of ocean. This time he was not upon the surface of the water, but floating high in the air like a third party, gazing down at that shipwreck.
Suddenly, however, a slight pain pulled him back from the dream world into reality. It was still that room, that hospital bed. And at this moment, a black man was inserting an extremely fine needle into his hand.