Chapter 27: Having Seen the Light, How Can One Endure the Dark?

Once, there was a blind man who had lived in darkness since birth.

He had never seen the light, and so he did not feel its absence. The texture of his fingertips, the sound of the wind by his ears, and the taste on his tongue were enough to build a peaceful and self-sufficient world for him.

He lived calmly, one might even say happily.

Until one day, a mysterious person visited him.

“I can give you one day of light,” the person said, ” — though only one day.”

The blind man agreed almost without hesitation. He was curious; he wanted to know what color the sky was and what his own face looked like.

The appointed day arrived.

When the first ray of light pierced his eternal darkness, the entire world crashed into his chest. The sun was not merely warm; it was an explosion of brilliant white and gold, so hot that tears streamed down his face.

The green of the leaves surged like a tide, nearly drowning him. Far off, a woman’s skirt brushed past, that flickering sway of red as sharp as a fresh wound.

He saw his own reflection in the water. The refection showed the face which others had described to him countless times, but which had always remained nothing more than just words. He reached out to touch the ripples on the water’s surface, his fingertips trembling.

That day, he greedily took in everything: how the clouds tumbled, how the birds traced arcs in the sky, the tips of a child’s hair fluttering while running, and the molten-gold gradient of the horizon at dusk. The light was too full—so full it was painful.

He carved every frame of these images deep into his bones, knowing this was his only feast, and his last.

At night, he kept his eyes open until the darkness returned — not fading slowly, but ending abruptly, as if someone had suddenly pulled the film out of his world.

Silence, nothingness, and a blackness as heavy as a physical weight.

He lay quietly for a while, then raised his hand, waving it slowly before his eyes.

There was nothing.

The once-familiar darkness had transformed into a suffocating shroud. Those colors, shapes, and glows that had been so dazzlingly beautiful just yesterday had now become a poison lurking in his memory, repeatedly gnawing at every nerve.

He sat up and groped his way to the window. He knew there was a moon outside, starlight, and the blurred glow of distant streetlamps — but he only knew of it. He could no longer see it.

The darkness that had once soothed him was now nothing but an infinite deprivation.

And in the deepest hour before dawn, he ended his life.

—

On the second floor of the theater, the velvet curtains of a private box were half-drawn.

A woman withdrew her gaze from the distance and turned toward the servant standing silently with a bowed head. She suddenly began telling this story. The servant did not speak, simply holding a silver tray like a quiet shadow.

“That is how humans are; once they have tasted the very best,” the woman’s voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself, “every day that follows becomes a mere compromise.”

She paused and smiled.

“Unless… she is willing to make another deal.”

The servant remained silent. A small, blurred patch of light from the ceiling lamp reflected off the edge of the silver tray.

—

Inside the interrogation room:

“Name?”

“Jiang Ming.”

“Age?”

“18.”

“Gender?”

Jiang Ming was slightly taken tonight upon hearing this. He looked up at the woman, Miss Canary, who was currently taking notes.

She didn’t even look up. Her pen paused on the paper as if she had already anticipated his reaction. In a flat tone, she added, “Don’t get the wrong idea; it’s just routine. In this day and age, especially in Beyonder circles, changing one’s appearance or even physical characteristics isn’t unusual. Many people choose to do so for power, for desire, or… just to know the enemy.”

She shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You know how it is. Sometimes, only the same gender truly understands the same gender.”

Jiang Ming fell silent. This was indeed… a question he hadn’t anticipated, though it was perfectly logical when he thought about it.

Combining this with what he had seen in his previous life — from Walmart shopping bags to attack helicopters and all sorts of bizarre gender identity labels — Jiang Ming felt the question before him deserved a serious answer. He thought for a moment and replied solemnly:

“Biological Sex: Male.”

“Gender identity: also identifies as Male.”

Shortly after the conversation between Jiang Ming and Canary, Elvira woke up. She silently changed her clothes. Her face was still pale, but she had regained some of her usual coldness.

However, the way she looked at Jiang Ming clearly held a strange new feeling.

Canary didn’t say anything more. She pulled an old-fashioned Brass Key from the inner pocket of her coat. She walked casually toward an inconspicuous wooden door at the end of the corridor. The door had originally led to a storage room. She inserted the key into the lock and turned it gently.

The door opened.

Behind the door was not the expected pile of clutter, but a deep, flowing darkness, like a vortex condensed from the night sky. Immediately after, a speck of light ignited in the center of the vortex, rapidly expanding and taking shape.

The silhouette of a towering, architecturally diverse giant building emerged within it. Steel and stone intersected, and high towers soared into the invisible void, their windows emitting pinpricks of cold light.

“Let’s go. The Order Bureau Headquarters is just ahead.” Canary stepped aside. Noticing Jiang Ming’s frozen expression, the corners of her mouth curled slightly. “Don’t just stand there staring. The door won’t stay open for long.”

Elvira was clearly used to this. She stepped into the gateway of shifting light and shadow without hesitation. Jiang Ming took a deep breath and followed closely behind.

“Let’s skip the pleasantries.” Canary sat with her legs crossed, her fingertip tapping lightly on the table. “Elvira has already brought me up to speed on the situation. I’ll ask you directly.”

She looked at Jiang Ming. The previous casualness in her gaze was gone, replaced by a sharp intensity.

“Are you interested in joining the Order Bureau?”

During the gap while they were waiting earlier, she had already spoken with the Director, Rex. The two of them were in complete agreement: a newcomer who could take down two Cultists in three days, survive an encounter with a higher-ranked enemy, and still be jumping around was a Cultist Killer that the Field Department could only dream of. Of course, the official term for those was “a Beyonder of exceptional talent.”

“I’m just a student.” Jiang Ming was honestly a bit stunned by this direct pitch. Being a supernatural policeman in this world? The death rate was probably higher than being hunted by Cultists.

“Oh, we don’t care about your education level.” Canary leaned in closer with a grin, her arm resting on the back of his chair. “It’s mainly because your performance has been outstanding and your talent is extraordinary — handling two high-risk targets in three days. This level of efficiency is exactly the kind of precious talent the Order Bureau urgently needs.”

She lowered her voice slightly, her tone carrying a persuasive, coaxing quality:

“Of course, the benefits are great too. As long as you say yes, the Order Bureau can provide you with a full set of guidance and material support to advance to the Holy Spear rank for free. Resources, training, intelligence backups… it’s always much safer than fighting alone.”

“Furthermore, we will recruit you as an outsourced employee with the benefits of a full-time staff member.”

She paused, adding one last line:

“After all, you wouldn’t want to run into surprises like Samuel every other day, would you?”

Truthfully, Jiang Ming was tempted.

In this Beyonder world, although Glimmer rank individuals were not common, they weren’t exactly rare either.

However, with each rank advancement, the number of successful individuals dropped off a cliff.

The reason was simple: the advancement rituals were not only dangerous, but the required materials were so expensive they were despair-inducing. Often, they couldn’t even be bought with money. Most lone travelers without a legacy or resources ended up stuck forever at these barriers.

The Order Bureau’s promise wasn’t just about resources; it was a ticket to a higher level. Moreover, with the protection and intelligence support of an official background, the safety of navigating this peril-filled world would be fundamentally different.

More importantly…

As a transmigrator whose knowledge of this world mostly came from a game, Jiang Ming was all too aware of the fatal flaws in his own understanding.

The settings in the game had been shrouded in mystery. The writers seemed to want to shove all key information into the most obscure corners, forcing players to act like archaeologists. He had gritted his teeth at the screen countless times, screaming internally, ‘Riddlers out of Gotham!’

And what Canary was offering was more than just a job.

It was an anchor, a source of power, and — a key to prying open the truths of this world.

Jiang Ming was silent for a moment.

The light from the window reflected in his eyes, the hint of blue light within them shifting slightly.

“I need to consider it,” he finally said.

“Fine.” Canary straightened up, her smile unfading. “I’ll give you 48 hours. During this time, you and Elvira can stay in the headquarters’ auxiliary dormitory. It’s safe, and there are three free meals a day. Elvira will come find you in a bit; you can take a walk around the Order Bureau with her.”

She turned toward the door. As her hand gripped the handle, she looked back once more.

“By the way,” she said, her tone as casual as if they were talking about the weather, “the windows in the dormitory are exceptionally soundproof.”