'SEE YOU MORNING' 039 The Red Queen

'SEE YOU MORNING' 039 The Red Queen

Rectangular small windows in the stairwell let in the harsh daylight pouring down from above. Within the narrow space walled with yellow and cyan rock slabs stood a black cast-iron stair frame and steps made of carbonized anti-corrosion wooden planks. The corners of the walls were damp and covered with moss due to water dripping constantly from above.

Following the pattering sound of dripping water, Li Haojun climbed the steps one by one. The stairs spiraled upward, and each time they faced the street, a small glass window was set into the wall. The faintly green, murky glass looked as if it had been there for ages.

Standing on the second floor, he had a better view of the street outside. The stark contrast between the dim stairwell and the brilliant sunlight outside strained his eyes. A group of people, seemingly part of a float parade, marched in two neat lines along the narrow street under watchful gazes. The intense sunlight and reflections off the yellow sand on the ground blurred their clothing, making them look like phantoms.

Several bare dead trees lined the roadside across the street, blending naturally into the sandy landscape. As he climbed to the third floor and glanced upward, the spiral stairs stretched on endlessly. The dripping echoed loudly in the silence, reminding Li Haojun why he had come to this damp, chilly place. He peered out the window facing the sun and saw streets far below, remote and cut off from the bustle of the world.

Losing all sense of time and place, Li Haojun raced back down the stairs, determined to go out onto the street and find someone for answers. Yet when he reached the ground floor, there was no door or exit leading to the street just beyond the wall.

Something was wrong. Li Haojun slowly opened his eyes and realized it had all been a dream. The roar of jet engines, the enclosed cabin and oval portholes told him he was aboard an aircraft. Recalling what had happened before the dream, he had left home after bidding Qin Wenjing farewell, heading to the corporate headquarters in Boston to report to his supervisor.

Two recent incidents had left Li Haojun restless. First was the Christmas Eve gathering. He had put a peach blossom necklace around Qin Wenjing’s neck, only to make her burst into tears. The necklace had been a gift from her late father. Grief welled up in her amid the holiday reunion. What made it worse was that he could barely remember their shared past. Filled with shame and regret, he sifted through his fragmented memories and began to doubt if he had truly lived through those days.

Before this business trip, Malaya had also left without a word. Her elder sister said she had gone away to study for several months and shared no further details. Li Haojun wondered if he had neglected her somehow, or if his relationship with Qin Wenjing and her sister had upset the young girl. She had once said she did not want to study anymore. Now she was alone and out of touch, leaving him filled with worry.

He went over reports on production plants, partners and clients accumulated since he took over the work, and soon the aircraft arrived at the corporate office building. The lobby was bustling on this weekday morning, with numerous intelligent robots guiding visitors. He followed the guidance and took the elevator to his company’s floor. The interior featured a white color scheme accented with black and silver decor, paired with broad-leaf ornamental plants, creating a simple and fresh atmosphere. A robot verified his appointment at the access control. After Li Haojun completed identity authentication, he stepped into the office to wait. The robot left on its own, and the door closed gently behind him.

The office also adopted a white tone with silver trim. A long conference table stood on the left side near the entrance, surrounded by chairs, with a floor-to-ceiling window behind it facing southeast. Potted plants were placed by the window, and the morning sun shimmered over Boston Harbor outside. A long sofa occupied the right side, while the operations director’s desk stood straight ahead facing the door. The matching desk and chairs with large curved silver frames had a futuristic space-style design. Multiple display screens were positioned to the right of her seat, and to the left sat a miniature landscape bonsai with flowing water. Mist swirled among the miniature mountains, and thin streams trickled down gently. Li Haojun guessed that ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic fields altered the surface tension of the water, allowing it to flow so gracefully in such a small space. Further to the left was another door, which he assumed led to other areas. His direct supervisor might come through that door to handle work matters.

A row of sofas lined the wall on the right of the entrance, but Li Haojun did not want to slouch there. Instead, he pulled out a chair beside the long table on the left and sat by the window, enjoying the view while waiting.

The sun rose higher, its brilliant white light fading into soft pale gold. Gentle waves rippled across the water, their reflections glinting on the building. Dancing shadows cast by the ripples fell across the walls through the glass. Giant ships sailed slowly in and out of the harbor like starships drifting through light. Speedy speedboats occasionally cut across the curtain of radiance, leaving fleeting ripples in their wake.

Li Haojun tilted his head, lost in the scenery, when a flash of red caught the corner of his eye. A figure darted forward in an instant. He turned around to find a woman straddling his lap face to face. The hem of her tight bright red mini skirt rode up as she spread her legs, revealing black underwear.

Caught off guard, Li Haojun raised his hands to stop her from moving closer and tried to get a clear look at her. Before his hands could touch her, her strapless top pressed against his face. All he could see was her heaving chest, fair skin and the faint fragrance of her perfume.

Just as he stared in astonishment, there was a sharp snap in his mind, and everything turned white. The next moment, the view of the morning office returned, and the provocative woman vanished without a trace. It was Luna Hurner, the operations director he had an appointment with, who walked in and closed the door behind her.

She was no longer wearing the tight red strapless mini skirt. Instead, she wore a deep purple stand-up coat tinged with faint crimson. Its stiff brown lapels had sharp points, contrasting beautifully with her fair neck and collarbone. Her outfit beneath the coat remained hidden, carrying an air of mystery.

"Was that memorable?" Luna asked, gesturing toward the chair in front of her desk. "Please take a seat."

Her opening remark carried a double meaning. Li Haojun knew she was referring not just to the view outside the window, but also to the woman he had just seen, whose face he had not managed to glimpse. Though he sat down facing his supervisor, his mind was still elsewhere.

"You must be tired from rushing over first thing this morning," Luna continued.

"It’s all right. The company procedures are rigid, after all."

"I don’t mind. I haven’t been on a business trip for a long time either. A change of scene is quite refreshing." Li Haojun exchanged polite remarks while taking out documents for his work report, including business files and technical data.

Luna did not seem interested in the papers. She glanced at them briefly and set them aside. Then she chatted casually. "Are you settling into life well? Emily told me you have suffered memory loss."

"Thank you. I’m doing fine now and back to my normal routine. It did affect my work a little, but my professional knowledge is gradually coming back."

"That’s good to hear."

As they talked, Li Haojun began to study Luna’s features. She looked more mature in person than in her photos. She had pale gold classic shoulder-length curls, slender arched brows and deep azure blue eyes. Her nose was well-shaped, and her full, sensual lips wore orange-tinged bright red lipstick that suited her perfectly. Her cheekbones, jawline and overall facial features were flawless, with a calm and composed edge. Her skin was fair, and she wore no eye makeup. Li Haojun could not help comparing her complexion with the woman he had seen moments before.

"How are the girls getting on?"

Li Haojun was caught off guard for a second.

"They’re doing well. Kesiya works and studies diligently, and Malaya is quick-witted and efficient. They didn’t come here with me today, though." He gave a brief reply, deliberately avoiding thoughts of their past together. He found it hard to hide his emotions in front of this poised woman and chose simple answers to avoid awkwardness.

Luna did not press the matter. She had no need to assess the two young women’s performance. Instead, she talked about the company’s business performance over the past year, comparing strengths and weaknesses against competitors, and offered words of encouragement regarding Li Haojun’s contributions. As she spoke, she activated the display screen on her desk and switched it to a three-dimensional dual-view mode, showing all the tasks he had completed over the year.

"You took part in two missions at the Nevada Desert last year, right? How did you find them?" Luna pointed at the screen and asked.

"Yes. I was tailed once, actually."

"I thought as much. When we engage in cutting-edge bioengineering projects, we inevitably get tangled up in power struggles and political games. But you have nothing to fear. You are only a technical staff responsible for equipment maintenance. No party will target you. They merely tried to trace your movements to find out who was behind the operations, where they took place and what was going on. Besides, field agents are always assigned to protect staff on such missions, like Lily Brent. She does not work alone and has a full team backing her up."

"I see. The experience was unsettling, but manageable." Li Haojun reflected on his feelings back then and weighed the risks against his pay. He disliked unnecessary danger. Suddenly he understood the weapons and equipment stored in the basement. He wondered if his younger self had used them for self-defense, or simply faced danger with fearless courage.

Lost in thought, he noticed Luna studying him intently. Her deep azure eyes seemed capable of peering through time and space.

"You appeared insecure when you first regained consciousness, which is understandable. After more than half a year of work and life here, you seem to have adapted much better. Don’t you think so?"

Her question touched directly on his inner worries. He wondered how she knew all this. Ever since waking up, small details in daily life had made him suspect he was under surveillance, though he had no proof. Instead of answering, he looked at Luna with a questioning gaze.

"You do have a chip implanted in your body," she said frankly. "It is only for identity recognition and basic biological data collection, and it does not transmit data constantly. Access to private information requires special authorization. Your memory loss was caused by an electromagnetic attack launched by our rivals against field agents. You happened to be on site during their conflict and got caught in the crossfire. Emily knows nothing about this, so there is no need to ask her."

After hearing her explanation, Li Haojun asked tentatively, "I’ve heard about brain enhancement chips. Is there one inside my head?"

"No, there isn’t. You declined the implant back then, and we respected your choice. I have one, though. It is an inevitable trend of the times. In a way, my chip serves the same purpose for you too. The vision you saw earlier was a mental projection from me. I rely on the chip to access the company’s core assets."

Luna tilted her head and smiled at him.

"Brainwaves?" Li Haojun confirmed.

"Exactly. I can project images into your mind, and I can also read your thoughts to a certain extent."

"I see." Li Haojun smiled awkwardly and shook his head, then looked up at her again. "Does that mean I have no privacy left?"

"Do you need privacy?"

"Haha. I suppose men care less about it, right?" Li Haojun laughed at himself.

Luna chuckled softly but gave no reply.

Her voice was deep and alluring. She brushed a hand through her golden curls and shifted her sitting posture. Curious about the woman standing before him, Li Haojun asked another question.

"Why did the company choose me, instead of someone with a brain enhancement chip?"

Luna fell silent for a moment, a faint smile playing on her sensual lips. Then she answered, "Because you are loyal, reliable, predictable and fully competent for the job."

"So I’m just adequate enough for the role," Li Haojun joked dryly.

"Is being adequate such a bad thing?" Luna asked. "You could choose to leave with Emily and live a completely free life, with no idea what tomorrow holds. Or you could stay here, knowing she will always be by your side when you wake up."

She did not wait for his reply, but turned to gaze out the window, revealing the curve of her fair neck and delicate platinum diamond earrings.

Li Haojun stared at her for a long while and asked quietly, "Will candidates with intelligent enhancement replace my position? Is that the general trend of the world?"

Luna kept her eyes on the view outside and thought for a moment before responding. "No. We believe you are a steady and trustworthy choice."

"Thank you for your recognition." Li Haojun let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"We will assign you a little more work in the new year. Are you willing and able to take it on?"

"I have no problem with that. What exactly will be different?"

"The work is similar to your two previous desert base missions, but this facility is far larger. It belongs to one of our contracted clients. We only provide technical support and maintenance services and stay out of all other matters. Rest assured, the project is fully legal, and we are bound by a confidentiality agreement."

"Understood."

"You have always done excellent work in the past. We are glad to have you back. I have sent you the mission details. You can set off now, meet up with Lily at the designated location, then head to the client’s site to activate your access permissions and get a general overview. Shall you leave right away? Finish early, and you can head home sooner."

Li Haojun read through the detailed mission brief. He had not expected the work report to be so brief. He stood up to take his leave.

When he reached the office door, he paused instinctively, turned around and faced Luna.

She stood behind her desk. Her coat was draped over the back of her chair, and she was wearing the tight red strapless mini skirt he had seen earlier. She stood sideways, tilting her head back and spraying perfume onto her neck with her right hand. She made no move when she saw him turn back, merely watching him from the corner of her eye.

Li Haojun nodded in farewell and walked out of the office.