The task in Chapter 2 is to attract someone's attention.
Shen Mi's heart nearly leaped into her throat. The system's cold, impersonal notification echoed in her mind: "--Identity verification in progress... Matching successful, target is Dan Heng."
—Mei Shi, real name Dan Heng, is the manager of Labor Camp E District.
She froze, almost unable to believe her ears. Dan Heng? The taciturn man before her, whose face was half-covered by his hair, was actually the character she knew from the game, the one who had fought alongside her through thick and thin, the one who had shielded her in times of crisis—Dan Heng?
But then I remembered that the game's character story did mention that Teacher Danheng could disguise himself, so everything made sense.
She tried to calm her wildly beating heart, thump-thump-thump—like a large drum struggling to play music.
Shen Mi stood still and took a deep breath. In the end, joy overcame everything. It was truly a case of finding something without even looking for it.
Although shocked, she knew she couldn't reveal any flaws now. She tried to calm herself and forced herself to remain composed. Dan Heng was currently just an ordinary administrator in the labor camp, outwardly no different from her, but with her omniscient perspective, she knew—why he was hiding his name and appearance.
She can even see the mission through the system now: [Make Danheng remove his mask in front of you]
"What's wrong?" Dan Heng's deep voice came again, his eyes slightly falling on Shen Mi's face.
Shen Mi blinked, suppressing his excitement, and calmly replied, "It's nothing, I'm just suddenly feeling sleepy. I guess I'm too tired from moving ore all day."
She rubbed her neck, feigning exhaustion, and lowered her eyelashes, completely concealing the emotions in her eyes.
Dan Heng frowned slightly, seemingly uninterested in her pointless remark. His gaze lingered on her for less than a second before he looked away and continued to bury himself in the record sheet in his hands.
Shen Mi secretly observed his profile, her heart still pounding wildly. The Dan Heng before her seemed even colder and more aloof than in the game.
Of course, perhaps that's just his personality, Shen Mi thought. But when they actually stood face to face, that feeling of being detached from the crowd was even stronger than on screen, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
She remembered the system task prompt: "Make Danheng remove his mask in front of you."
This sentence can have two meanings: one is the literal meaning, which is to make Danheng remove the disguise that covers his true self; the other is a deeper meaning, which is to make him let down his guard and open his heart in front of her.
Shen Mi licked her slightly dry lips, deciding she couldn't rush things. Knowing Dan Heng's personality, if she showed too much concern too soon, it would only arouse his wariness. She needed a gradual process, a process that would allow Dan Heng to slowly adapt to her presence.
Just then, she suddenly heard Dan Heng say in a low voice, "Today's mission is over. You can go back and rest."
Shen Mi was startled and looked up to meet Dan Heng's cold yet subtly turbulent eyes.
She forced a smile: "Manager Mei, so... will I see you again tomorrow?"
Dan Heng seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and instead of answering directly, he turned his head slightly, his voice still calm: "There may be other arrangements tomorrow."
Shen Mi stared at him for a while, as if confirming something, before finally nodding gently: "Okay, see you tomorrow."
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left, walking at a moderate pace, but each step felt like stepping on a taut thread. She inexplicably felt the lingering warmth of a gaze on her back, and the faint sense of oppression only dissipated after she left the mine.
She stopped, exhaled softly, and looked up at the task prompt still hanging on the system interface. It was brighter than the other information, constantly urging her that she could only upgrade the system and obtain this other information by completing the task.
Shen Mi stared at the task prompts on the system interface for a long time, until the night swallowed up the world around her, and a chill crept up her spine.
— [Let Danheng take off his mask]
Those few words were like a key, hanging in her heart, just one step away from unlocking a long-sealed door.
Back in the labor camp dormitory, Shen Mi found the atmosphere unusually oppressive that evening. In the dim light, the other laborers talked in hushed tones, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the door, as if they were wary of something.
"What's going on?" she asked in a low voice as she approached one of the girls in her dorm.
The girl looked up at her, glanced around, and then said, "I heard today that another female worker in District D has gone missing at the mine... This is the fourth one already."
Shen Mi was startled.
Missing? The fourth one?
Shen Mi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, a chill running through her. The "disappearances" in the labor camp were most likely not true disappearances. The labor camp was a melting pot of people, entirely controlled by the Interstellar Peace Company's external expansion department. Moreover, it was far from the reach of central authority; judging from the arrogant and domineering administrators, they were practically kings on this desolate planet. Those female laborers might not have disappeared; perhaps they had broken some rule, or learned something they shouldn't have, or perhaps something unexpected happened…
However, it's safe to say that they must be connected to those administrators; otherwise, they would have gone to look for the missing workers.
She tried to suppress the tremor in her voice: "Did anyone see her? How did she 'disappear'?"
The girl shook her head, her eyes also filled with fear: "Nobody saw her. All we know is that she was in the dorm last night, but she didn't show up for roll call at the mine today. The administrator said she ran away... but who would believe that?"
Escape? This place is surrounded by electronic fences and patrols. Anyone who leaves without permission will either be caught and punished or die on the spot. There is simply no possibility of escape.
Shen Mi slightly turned his head and glanced at the pitch-black night outside the door. The security camera at the door was flashing a red dot, like a cold eye, silently watching everything.
Her heart was racing faster and faster as she unconsciously thought of Danheng.
He's also the administrator here. Does he know about these disappearances? Is his extra care for me a deliberate attempt to protect the people in his area?
She knew very well that in the labor camp, the word "disappeared" often carried a much crueler meaning. But everyone in the labor camp was barely able to protect themselves, and even if they saw something, they would remain silent. But this was her first time experiencing this, and in order to save her own life, Shen Mi could only be more cautious in her words and actions, turning herself into a transparent person, because only by being transparent could she avoid attracting attention.
Danheng is the same.
Thinking of this, the vague worry in her heart resurfaced. The calm and composed Dan Heng who had shielded her from attacks countless times in the game now stood before her as an ordinary person wearing a disguise and teetering on the edge of danger.
No, he is by no means ordinary; he possesses other energies.
Shen Mi pursed her lips, reopened the system, and the mission prompts remained hanging high, as if silently urging her to take action.
"Let Danheng take off his mask..."
She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment.
A direct assault is useless; only by gradually gaining Danheng's trust can she make him shed his pretense. And the quickest way is to become his ally.
Perhaps there are other methods... but they are more risky...
the next day.
Shen Mi deliberately slowed down her work at the mine, glancing occasionally in Dan Heng's direction while everyone else worked silently. She noticed that Dan Heng was still calmly handling his work, keeping his distance from the other managers, but occasionally speaking quietly with a few workers who seemed to be the group he was in charge of.
Seize the opportunity.
During a break, Shen Mi staggered toward Dan Heng carrying an iron bucket full of ore. He deliberately tripped on his last step, almost causing the entire bucket of ore to spill to the ground.
“…I’m sorry!” she whispered, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead.
Dan Heng frowned slightly, raised his hand to support her wrist, and helped her stabilize the iron bucket.
"What are you doing?" His voice was still low, but there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Shen Mi lowered his head, like a child who had made a mistake: "It's too heavy... I... I'm not very strong."
She carefully observed Danheng's reaction.
Danheng stared at her for a moment, but ultimately said nothing. He simply reached out and took her iron bucket, lifted it with one hand, and easily placed it aside.
“Just say so next time if you can’t move it,” he said, his tone casual but with a more genuine concern than yesterday.
Chen Mi's heart stirred.
This is the first step towards a breakthrough.
"Thank you..." she said softly, looking up at him with a smile, a barely perceptible light hidden in her eyes.
The system did not respond.
Seeing that Danheng did not show any displeasure at her contact, Shen Mi knew that she had at least taken the first step successfully.
Shen Mi didn't rush to say anything more, but instead stood beside Dan Heng, watching him sort, weigh, and record the ore. Her gaze lingered on Dan Heng's profile for a moment, as if she was hesitating whether to continue the conversation.
The surrounding laborers seemed to have noticed what was happening, but no one dared to look at it for long, let alone discuss it.
Just as Shen Mi was considering his next steps, a piercing sound suddenly came from behind him—
"Hey, new guy over there! Don't slack off!"
It was another administrator, with a harsh appearance and a voice that cut through the silence like a blade. He stared coldly at Chen Mi, his tone clearly impatient, "Did you think you could just stand next to the supervisor and do nothing?"
Before he finished speaking, several cautious gazes were already being cast in their direction.
Shen Mi's heart tightened. She knew that these administrators each had their own duties, but there was also a hidden competition between them—especially Dan Heng, who seemed to neither compete nor fight, but in some people's eyes he was seen as a "pretentious" and annoying presence.
"I didn't..." Shen Mi quickly explained, lowering his head and pretending to be flustered as he reached for the iron bucket.
However, Danheng's voice rang out at this moment:
"She was waiting for me to record the data."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
The administrator paused, seemingly not expecting Dan Heng to speak up for her. His gaze lingered between the two for a few seconds before he finally snorted coldly, said "Don't let me see you slacking off again," and left.
Shen Mi held her breath slightly, her heart pounding so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
Only after the person had gone far away did she quietly look up at Danheng.
"Thank you..." she said in a low voice, her voice filled with genuine gratitude, mixed with selfishness and a test.
Danheng did not answer, but simply lowered his head again and wrote a few lines on the notepad.
Shen Mi stared at the tip of his pen, then suddenly asked, "Why...why did you help me?"
The question was so direct that she could almost feel the air freeze for a moment.
Dan Heng paused for a moment, then raised his eyes, his dark pupils revealing no emotion.
“I don’t like pointless punishments,” he said, his voice flat, as if stating a principle.
But Shen Mi understood the implied meaning.
He wasn't helping her; he was simply disgusted by the unreasonable oppression. In other words, his actions were still within the rules and didn't cross the line.
Shen Mi lowered his eyes, having already quietly made a decision in his heart.
If Danheng always hides himself behind the rules, then she will find an opportunity to make him break those rules himself.
Even if it's just to create a little "accident".
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