ID No. 019 - Chapter 1

March 17th was a gloomy day with dark clouds silently encroaching on the horizon. A storm was approaching.

After Chen Yang was discharged from the hospital, a security guard named Zhang Qi walked him to the door and handed him his belongings – a bag and a large stack of books bundled together with blue nylon rope.

Zhang Qi pointed in a certain direction and said, “Go straight along this road. There will be a bus stop after two intersections. You should hurry. It’s about to rain.”

Chen Yang took a look at the sign of the building he exited.

—— Ninth Rehabilitation Centre.

Speaking of which, the Ninth Rehabilitation Centre was the most well-equipped institution of its kind in Qing City.

No other centres existed before it, so why was it called the “ninth”?

Zhang Qi glanced at the thin young man in front of him out of the corner of his eye. He had a neat appearance with his crew cut and slim brows, matched with an outfit consisting of a faded grey coat and a pair of jeans.

Zhang Qi had seen a picture of him when he was younger. It was taken with his younger sister – the victim of that one incident from back then – and it captured him with a smug smile.

Now, there was no trace of the youthfulness he once had. It seemed as if his insides had been thoroughly hollowed out and replaced with something else.

His current appearance was akin to a plain glass of water — dull, tasteless and seen through with a glance.

It’ll take some time for him to go back to his old self again.

Zhang Qi could only sigh inwardly when he thought of the young man’s future.

He had lost both his parents, and his younger sister – with whom he was mutually dependent – had unfortunately passed away.

After he was hospitalised due to a serious injury, he later entered a vegetative state and was out of touch with society for three and a half years.

Zhang Qi sighed. By the time he returned to his senses, the young man had already shifted his gaze towards the sky. His black hair fluttered in the wind as he looked up, exposing an old scar on the back of his left ear, which appeared to have been caused by a sharp tool.

It was very fine and extended down into his worn out collar.

“Young man, you have to live well.” Zhang Qi gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder, “You are still young with a long life ahead of you.”

Chen Yang rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead and smiled, then replied with a simple “En.”

Zhang Qi watched as the young man departed. As he got further, Zhang Qi noticed a depressing aura that gradually permeated the air around him — not a speck of youthful vigour to be seen. Chest feeling stuffy, he shouted to him.

“You absolutely must live well!”

Chen Yang felt goosebumps on his back from the cheer. He looked back and found Zhang Qi still standing on the same spot, looking anxious as if he were sending his child to school.

“…”

Chen Yang waved hard at the old man and said goodbye.

Today was just like every other day in the northern suburbs, filled with tons of people busily going about their daily routine. The return of a person hailed as a “medical miracle” had no effect on their lives.

Chen Yang felt around the top of the doorframe and finally found the key. When he opened the door, he was greeted with a cold and empty house. He put down his bag and walked around.

Traces were left by the passage of time, evident by the presence of the musty smell, dust and cobwebs.

Chen Yang stood still with an empty gaze for a long time and was only pulled back to reality when his stomach growled. He swallowed his saliva a few times to ease his hunger, then silently finished up cleaning the house and tidied up the books he brought back.

He had received them from the friends he made during his recuperation at the hospital. If it weren’t for these books, he would have given up long ago.

A human living without any thoughts is no different than a zombie.

Chen Yang placed the stack of books on the table before pulling off the nylon rope, accidentally bumping against some of the books on the top of the stack. One of those books fell to the floor with a bang and landed by his foot.

Quantum Theory: The Relationship Between Consciousness And The World.

Li Yue, his attending doctor, had given him this book before he was discharged from the hospital, but he hadn’t had the time to read it yet.

When Chen Yang bent down to pick it up, something fell out of the book. It looked like a bookmark, about four centimetres wide and 6 centimetres long.

Upon closer inspection, he realised that it was not a bookmark but what seemed to be a card instead.

There was a faint light mark on the back of the card. He couldn’t tell if the colours were faded like this from the start or if it had been worn over time.

On the front was a string of digits on the upper left side that clearly depicted the numbers 019. It didn’t seem like there was anything special about it.

Chen Yang turned his attention away from the surface of the card and casually tucked it back into the book. He decided to contact Zhang Qi later to request he ask Li Yue about the card. After that, he left the house.

Rain had descended on the northern suburbs.

Chen Yang walked along the street with an umbrella, feeling none of the familiarity from his memories. The unfamiliarity bred a sense of dullness. He gave up the idea of having a stroll and just had a bowl of ramen at a random noodle shop before walking into another store to buy a phone.

The rain stopped after he bought whatever he needed. It was a rather smooth journey, save for a minor incident in the middle. When he turned the corner, a sales assistant had promoted some bread to him, saying it was a new flavour.

There were some small pieces of bread on the plate, but only the piece facing Chen Yang had a small toothpick pierced into it.

Chen Yang would not usually try a sample given his temperament, but for some inexplicable reason, he picked it up and ate it, only to regret it immediately afterwards.He couldn’t tell what it tasted like, but it was disgusting and seemed to stick to his throat. When Chen Yang laid in bed that night, he could still faintly taste it, a sensation that struck him deeply.

It felt as if he had eaten shit.

At night, Chen Yang was woken up by pain. There was a burning sensation in his stomach. He tried to endure it as much as he could, but in the end, he couldn’t bear it any longer and got up with cold sweat running down his back. He got dressed and headed to the hospital with his backpack in hand.

The alley was wet and dim.

The bluestone slabs were slippery after being showered in the rain. Chen Yang felt his pocket as he walked, but his phone was not there. He had forgotten to bring it along with him. He didn’t want to fall, so he had to slow down. He pressed down on his stomach and leaned against the wall as he continued walking.

As soon as he exited the alley, Chen Yang saw a tall young man get out of a taxi parked on the side of the road. He stood on his slender right leg with the help of his crutches, while his left leg was bent.

When he got closer, Chen Yang caught the smell of medicine coming off the young man’s black tracksuit.

It seems that he had just returned from the hospital.

Chen Yang needed a taxi; his stomachache was getting worse. He quickened his pace and waved to the driver to wait.

When he passed by the young man, Chen Yang accidentally bumped into his shoulder.

Chen Yang could feel a vigorous energy through his clothes. Half of his body went numb and his feet paused. Then, a sudden burst of dizziness engulfed him. His consciousness briefly blurred before his mind regained clarity. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the dim, dark alley.

What entered his eyes instead was the deep sea that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Is this a pier?!

Chen Yang closed his eyes stiffly and opened them again, only to find the sea still ebbing and flowing in his sight. He stared blankly at the sight as cold sweat started pouring down his back, shivering when the sea breeze blew over him.

“Why’s there someone with a bad leg?”

A surprised voice suddenly came from behind. Chen Yang’s mind was blank, but he reflexively turned around.

Under the light of the setting sun was a stranger in his thirties who wore a black windbreaker that was zipped all the way up. He had his hands in his pocket and a black bag on his back, appearing capable and experienced.

There were four others beside the man and they were all looking his way.

This group of five contained three men and two women. Other than the man in the windbreaker, there was also a tall woman who was similarly calm.

The faces of the remaining three revealed lingering traces of a mental breakdown, as if they had experienced an indescribable catastrophe.

What’s going on?

Chen Yang was too flustered to analyse their expressions further. His ears buzzed as many questions swirled in his mind, when a thought suddenly popped up.

The man in the windbreaker had mentioned someone with a bad leg earlier. It couldn’t be him since his legs were fine.

Chen Yang abruptly turned to his side and froze.

The young man was holding onto the crutches and had his head lowered, his expression stoic.

Chen Yang’s body stiffened as he clenched his fingers, hoarsely asking, “It’s… It’s you… How did you also… Did we… come here together…?”

Panic was rising in his throat and he could not organise his words, which caused him to stutter.

The young man seemed to pay no attention to what Chen Yang said and was instead silently scanning the area. His chestnut hair brushed against his brows, revealing his facial contours that were illuminated by the lingering sunlight. Its clear and distinct lines were reminiscent of an old painting.

The surroundings were silent.

The tall and slender Lin Yue, who had seen countless men, felt dazzled while the little princess, Zhou Xiaoxiao, was immediately charmed. Even a few men bent for a second or two.

However, it was only limited to being visually stunned.

They were currently in a situation where danger lurked in every corner and no one had any idea what would happen. Everyone was panicked and defenceless, and might die at any time.

An invalid who could not walk or run normally was a burden here, no matter how handsome he was. He might get himself or others killed.

The setting sun cast a vast expanse of orange on the land. The scenery was breathtaking, but fear fermented in the fishy, humid air.

Chen Yang asked around and found out that the other five strangers had come from different places. They had also been abruptly transported over, just like him and the young man.

Under the leadership of the man in the windbreaker, Zhang Yan, the rest introduced themselves. They were Lin Yue, Zhou Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing.

It was Zhang Yuan and Lin Yue’s second time experiencing this phenomenon, so they were considered the veterans of the group.

However, they did not know if this was some point in the past, present or future of the real world, or if it was some other unknown world. They had to complete the task assigned to them before they could return, and it would be a different task each time. It was like a curse. They were clueless on whether they could ever rid themselves of it.

They could only do their best and leave it up to fate.

Zhang Yan was the oldest in the group. Furthermore, he was mature, reliable and a veteran, so it was no surprise that he became the backbone of the group.

“Since we showed up at a pier, it means that we have to board a ship.”

Zhang Yan motioned for them to look at the vessel that was docked nearby, “Let’s talk about the rest after we get on.”

The moment he finished speaking, a short and thin middle-aged man emerged from the boat and roared at them impatiently, “What the hell are you dawdling around for? Get up here! The ship is about to leave. Hurry up!”

The sight of the man startled them, because in their eyes, this middle-aged man was no different from the Grim Reaper coming to claim their souls from Hell.

Zhang Yan exhaled, “Let’s go up.”

He swept a glance at the hesitant newcomers and said, “If you don’t go, you will immediately fail the mission.”

Lin Yue, who was already walking in the direction of the ship, turned around and chuckled at Zhou Xiaoxiao, “And if you fail, you’ll die.”

The sudden revelation sent them into a panic and they scrambled to board the boat.

Chen Yang walked at the end of the group and watched as the youth limped forwards using his crutches. They had probably come in together since they had been standing shoulder to shoulder right at the last second, so Chen Yang unconsciously categorised him as a companion.

He felt closer to him compared to the others.

When he saw the young man stop in front of the rope ladder, Chen Yang went past him and got on it first before he turned and stretched his hand out, “Grab onto me.”

The young man did not give a reply or move, and simply stared at Chen Yang with his pitch-black eyes.

The people on the boat looked over. They were not scrutinising Chen Yang’s act of kindness, but were instead focused on the nameless young man. They couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about him. 

He was too calm.

Everyone had come to the conclusion that this young man was not a newbie, but a veteran that had experienced this more than twice.

Regardless of his wealth of experience, it was now useless since his leg injury made him no different from a disabled man. They just hoped he would not drag them down.

On the other hand, Chen Yang felt as if it was the young man’s first time here because when he discovered the young man, he could clearly see that his body was tense.

Besides his lack of expression, his mental resilience was strong to the point that he did not seem… like a normal person.

Chen Yang’s imagination was about to run wild when his arm suddenly sank. Just when he was about to fall, he hurriedly grasped the rope with his other hand.

The young man had already put away his crutches and stepped onto the rope ladder with his healthy leg while grabbing onto Chen Yang with one hand.

Zhang Yan asked Chen Yang if he needed help.

He was about to say yes, when he felt pain suddenly shoot up his arm. The mind-numbing pain came from the hand that held him, and he instinctively rejected, “No need.”

Chen Yang’s mouth curled into a smile as he glanced at the seemingly indifferent young man, then strenuously pulled the young man onto the boat.

The middle-aged man led Chen Yang and the others into the cabin. After that, he simply told them to stay put and slammed the door shut before leaving. What followed after were the noisy sounds of chatter and laughter.

There were quite a few crewmembers on board and they all spoke with the same accent. It was clear that they had come from the same region.

“You’ve all watched movies before, right?”

Zhao Yuan trembled as he hugged himself, “Seeing the situation we’re currently in, the plot will probably go like this: a group of people head out to the sea to have fun and monsters will soon emerge from the seabed.”

Everyone, “…”

Zhao Yuan continued, “Or maybe it had appeared earlier on and bit a crew member, who has mutated and may be on this ship at this very moment. After it finishes all the meat it can find on the ship, it will then eat us.”

Everyone, “…”

Zhao Yuan shivered, “If it’s safe on the boat, then there will be some kind of deadly insect on the island. And when you get bitten, large chunks of your flesh will fall off. Maybe…”

Huang Qing, who had a peculiar hairstyle, couldn’t stand listening any further and interrupted, “Fucking stop with all the “maybes” already! Can you just shut the fuck up?!”

Zhao Yuan shivered and stopped talking when Huang Qing yelled at him.

The cabin immediately quietened down. The sound of the waves as it lapped against the ship’s hull, causing it to sway, started to fray everyone’s nerves.

Chen Yang was still confused. He had only been discharged from the hospital for about ten hours before this happened.

“I’d like to ask…”

At this moment, a weak voice sounded in the cabin. It was Zhou Xiaoxiao. She loosened her hands that had been clenching her sleeves and asked, “Does this have anything to do with how I came here?”

Everyone’s gaze moved over to Zhou Xiaoxiao and saw a white card in her hand.

The expressions on Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing’s face immediately changed, and they silently pulled out the same card from their pockets.

Three white cards that had a smooth surface on both sides.

After a few seconds, numbers started appearing on the cards. One number materialised after another… and did not stop until the seventh digit.

Three sets of seven-digit numbers. All of them started with 0, but the numbers following it were different and did not occur in a series.

Chen Yang stared at the three cards and recalled the thing that fell out of the book Li Yue gave him. There was no difference between the card he found and the three cards, except for the numbers on it.

“AH!!!”

Zhou Xiaoxiao suddenly screamed and threw away the white card.

The discarded white card lay quietly on the ground. The surface of the card facing up clearly depicted Zhou Xiaoxiao’s face — a smiling pair of eyes, smooth and fair skin, even the small bit of hair by her lips.

The image looked like it was alive, as if it was about to speak at the next moment.

Gasps resounded throughout the room. Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing turned their cards over and saw their respective faces.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned to one of horror and the trio erupted in a panic.

“There was nothing on the card before! No numbers, and no… no face. I remember very clearly that there was nothing…”

“So this thing really… really had something to do with how we got to this god awful place? That’s crazy! You don’t see anything like this in hardcore horror movies.”

“Fuck, how the hell did this thing get into my pocket?! Damn it, I can’t think of how at all!”

Zhang Yan looked at the pale and hopeless expression on their faces, which mirrored his when he first saw the white card, and gave the official explanation, “This is an identity number.”

“Everybody has one. You can only come in here if you have it. If you lose it, you can’t enter. And if you can’t enter…” He paused and did not continue.

No one pressed him to finish what he was about to say. They did not dare to, nor did they want to.

The term “identity number (ID)” made their blood run cold. It felt as if they had become residents of this strange world.

Unlike the other newcomers, Chen Yang and the young man did not reveal their identity numbers.

They did not pay any attention to it because nobody would be able to get in without their ID. That was the rule.

No one knew of the intense inner turmoil Chen Yang was experiencing. He did not bring his ID, nor did he have one.

The one in the book belonged to Li Yue, not him.

Furthermore… it turned out that the light mark on the back was not a simple pattern, but an image of Li Yue’s face.

Chen Yang’s hands started to tremble. He was afraid that the others would notice, so he quickly stuffed his hands in his pocket. He tried to keep his tone as calm as possible, and asked Zhang Yan, “Can you pass on the ID to someone else?”

Zhang Yan shook his head, “No.”

“What happens if you pass it on?”

Zhang Yan glanced at him, “Well, the person who passed it on and the person who took over should know. Why are you asking?”

“No reason. Just because.” Chen Yang’s hand stopped shivering and instead went cold, “Then how many digits are in your ID number?”

Zhou Xiaoxiao, Zhao Yuan and Huang Qing also looked at Zhang Yan in curiosity.

“It’s the same as everyone’s. Seven digits. The same goes for Lin Yue.”

Zhang Yan said, “I’m still figuring things out, but I do know one thing. The earlier someone enters, the lower the number on their ID card.”

Chen Yang was startled. It was Zhang Yan and Lin Yue’s second time entering, yet their ID numbers were still seven digits long, just like the newcomers.

When did Li Yue, whose ID number spanned three digits, enter?

When he looked back on it now, the gentle smile on Li Yue’s face seemed weirdly strained when he handed over the book.

Li Yue did not accidentally stuff this “ID card” into the book. He did it on purpose.

Chen Yang realised he had been tricked, and a chill travelled up his spine. He must have been able to come in because he had touched the card. Since Li Yue gave it to him, didn’t that make the ID card his?

Right now, it was nothing but baseless conjecture and could wait till he meets Li Yue.

As for that book, he had to inspect it after he got back.

Chen Yang leaned his sweaty back against the ship’s wall and tilted his head slightly to sneakily peek at the young man. He had not spoken a word from the moment he appeared at the pier and boarded the ship, up until their discussion on the ID numbers.

However, the young man had sucked in a breath when Zhou Xiaoxiao pulled out the white card. Although it was fleeting, Chen Yang, who was accustomed to observing the reactions of other people, still managed to catch it.

It was clear that he did not have it and knew nothing about it.

The card wasn’t on him or in his home. He also had not heard or seen anything related to it. He was completely clueless about the situation.

Chen Yang suspected that he had implicated the young man, but he did not have any proof.

If that was the case, then wouldn’t the young man be… an illegal resident?

Chen Yang felt guilt well up deep within his heart, but he sighed when he remembered that was not much better off himself.

Strictly speaking, he was also an illegal resident.

The moment he thought of it, something appeared between his fingers that were in his pocket, and Chen Yang froze in shock when he realised what it was. Some time passed before he finally fished it out.

ID No. 019.

The other side of the card no longer displayed Li Yue’s blurry picture, and instead depicted his face.