#I GO TO BEHIND THE NAME AND THIS IS THE BRAINROT I AM BESTOWED WITH

[muwitch]

[jokertrap-ran]

(最后的厂牌  LAST CREW) His Story: [MAN ONWIRE] 周怀夜 Zhou Huaiye Translation Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

*Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Welcome to another round of Ran’s whims Evan brainrot, extended. *CEO man’s future tag will be #CEO ONWIRE *THEY RAP WELL!!!

"Before meeting you, he was the one who bore the name of [Hero]”

He never wanted to become a Hero, never expected to be associated with greatness. The wings of the Devil shields the night skies of the city, bestowing destruction upon the emotionless world beneath before light peaks.

The 24th of December, the Year 2100. Christmas Eve.

Dark clouds have hovered above the skies of 000 City for a good two months now.

A year ago, on this very Christmas Eve. The last Thousand City Conference of the 21st Century was going to be held in 000 City. Everyone present was overwhelmed with joy as they looked forward to the arrival of "The New Chapter of Mankind".

However, the emotions of this City have been concealed by the cold buildings all around on this night of the year. Every sliver of light is a luxury in this silent, pale, steel tomb of a City. And at the very top of it all, on the top floor of PAINK’s Headquarters, located at the very heart of the City——

Zhou Huaiye was waiting on an important document in the vast, but very empty office.

There was only a small light lit on the long table, made of solid wood, before him. He laces his fingers together, crossing them before him as he places his arms on the table, pressing the tip of his nose against his knuckles.

His usually sharp and indifferent eyes were now rimmed with red. Was it anger? Or sadness? His dark blue eyes were dark and clouded, as if obscured by dark clouds that would soon break out in heavy torrential rains and howling winds.

Zhou Huaiye swivelled his chair around, looking out of the window overlooking the City. All the pedestrians that made an occasional appearance out on the streets had emotionless faces.

He turned the ring sitting on his index finger, a little on edge. The sound of metal chafing skin was infinitely amplified in the deathly silence of the office.

⊹ ━━━━━ ∘◦  Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  ◦∘ ━━━━━ ⊹

The phone that sat to the side gives an untimely ring in this subtle moment of silence, sounding especially shrill to the ears.

Zhou Huaiye took one glance at the screen before closing his eyes once more. He straightened back up, turning the ring on his index finger back around to face upwards, and leaned back in his chair.

Gone were the pain, doom, and gloom, in his eyes when he opened them again. There was even a hint of a smile playing at his lips when he answered the call.

He crossed his fingers together, naturally resting them against the top of his crossed legs, preparing for the start of this important conversation.

"You're in quite the jolly mood." The man on the other end of the line, someone who had been deemed "perfect", took the initiative to speak.

"Several of the new drug production lines that I've had my eye on for a long time now will finally change hands tomorrow. They will be falling into the hands of the right people." Zhou Huaiye casually picked up the wineglass beside him, holding it up. 

He appeared seemingly at ease as he laid back in his chair, but his eyes never once left X's face.

"I've also just heard of that piece of news. Hence, I'm here to congratulate you. Now, there will no longer be anyone capable of threatening PAINK's position in the Pharmaceutical Industry." X waved a printed document in the air on the other side of the line.

A hint of something flickered past his eyes, his facade was broken. However, he made no move to cover it up, only leaning back in his chair, taking a sip of his wine.

He then crossed both of his arms before his chest, expressing his dissatisfaction. “And here, I thought that my confidentiality measures were doing quite well in being infallible.”

X seemingly disregarded the hostility that was apparent in Zhou Huaiye’s voice, or perhaps he was deliberately making a display of his never-seen-before lenience and generosity. 

“Our Emotion Suppressing Chip is based on your Gr-0. It only became a success thanks to your research and development it. I’m even willing to share with you our Emotion Suppressing Chip’s production methods if it means that we can avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.” “In light of that, do remember that we’re always comrades and not enemies.”

Zhou Huaiye aptly adjusted his sitting posture, calming his hackles that had risen with hostility by collapsing his hands back together. “Surely, you aren’t just here to congratulate me, am I right?”

“The congratulatory message is merely the icing on top of the cake.” X crossed his hands together, casting a scrutinizing look at him through the screen.

“If you are willing to join Zenith’s latest project regarding the upgrading of the Emotion Suppressing Chip...”

Beep beep—

The beep of the notification denoting a new incoming report interrupted X’s business proposal. Zhou Huaiye turned around at the sound, noting that the thing of utmost importance that he’d been waiting on had finally arrived.

“It’s Christmas Eve. Are your subordinates still working on the Eve of Christmas?” X’s lips curled in amusement, the reason behind indiscernible.

Zhou Huaiye made no move to hide or conceal anything. He openly clicked on the file, opening it up under X’s watch. This was just a compiled analysis report on the profits of a couple of the drug production lines.

“Well, I’m most certainly expecting to see more people coming by to congratulate PAINK tomorrow. And as for that new project of yours—”

Zhou Huaiye’s smile was reflected in X’s eyes; it was not only was it oozing self-confidence, but it was also a little conceited. “I have no use for the Emotion Suppressing Chip, so as to speak. It is of no commercial value to me, and neither do I wish to do any more of these sort of arduous and thankless tasks in the name of ‘public interest’.”

“Now that’s truly a pity.” X feigned his regret at the notion. “And here, you could have been a Hero again.”

“I’ve already earned the status of ‘Hero’ once.” Zhou Huaiye pointed to the financial report. “People will always remember my company, PAINK, and the ground-breaking contribution that my Gr-0 has brought to the Medical World.”

"I wish you success in your endeavours. And, a merry Christmas to you."

"Thank you." Zhou Huaiye smiled pleasantly at having received the reply that denoted the end of the conversation, pressing the button in his phone to end the call.

⊹ ━━━━━ ∘◦  Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  ◦∘ ━━━━━ ⊹

The pleasant smile that had been on his face disappears the very same moment X's visage does. 

He reopens the document he'd just received earlier. Inputting a password revealed another two documents within the file. He opens the first one, quickly skimming through it. It was a sheet, packed full of information. The gears in his head whirled to life as he repeated the motion like clockwork, again and again for a couple more times, before he hit the end of the sheet.

There were many columns to the table that presented themselves on the sheet, detailing the most basic information of all individuals whose profiles had been recorded. They were of different ages, different genders; yet, they all had the same look of fear on their face, and the same hometown, TFZ-007.

It was the one and only area that the raw material needed to produce Gr-0 could be mined.

And the human experimentation that this sheet came from had also started at around the same time that the very same mining area was officially classified as a City.

Of course, it also coincided with the time when Zhou Huaiye, the pharmaceutical research and development genius, was promoted and placed on a pedestal by 000 City itself when he successfully optimized the production of Gr-0.

He tried his hardest to still the tremor of his fingers.

The sender, going by the name of “Nuts”, had attached an encrypted message for him at the bottom of the sheet. “The list is still being updated.”

The list was yet to be completed; and his sins, never-ending.

He lowered his head, harshly pressing his forehead against his prominent knuckles. There was something seemingly starting to protrude out from his back, rising and falling with his every breath.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window before him laid the usual cold and bustling city. However, he bowed his head towards it in a manner that was almost humble, almost regretful.

Zhou Huaiye's jaw tightened, his lips pressed into a line so thin that it went white.

He cannot lose control yet.

He closed the first document and opened the second.

⊹ ━━━━━ ∘◦  Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ  ◦∘ ━━━━━ ⊹

Only coordinates were written within. “127°16′E, 31°18′N”

Zhou Huaiye only realized that it was snowing out when he left PAINK's HQ.

The sereneness of the City in the snow faintly reminded him of how this holiday night used to go…

Whenever it was snowing, the lively crowds would flock under the array of colourful lights. The whole City, lively and alive, bathed in warm lights and dancing shadows.

However, in a year, all of that is nought but a mere distant memory of the past.

Zhou Huaiye let out a long and deep sigh as he turned and walked into the shadows of the City.

A black silhouette stands atop the highest tower in the City. Looking from the tower down below, 000 City was akin to a cold rock. The night turns the entire City into a black hole after the lights of a thousand over houses are dimmed, swallowing the gazes of anyone who dared set eyes on it.

The wind brings along a message; of the rumbling that was approaching, closer and closer. It reverberated in his ears, reminding him of how close his target is. And in another ten seconds or so, a huge transport vehicle made up of many hard metal cargo compartments attached to it comes into view. According to the fixed route in which it traverses, it should continue travelling at high speeds along the opposite transportation passageway after coming out of the airborne expressway.

However, under his silent gaze, the transport vehicle makes a sharp turn, careening towards the concrete pillars of the expressway. A second before the transporting truck made impact, the ground below the pillar suddenly sank to reveal a hidden tunnel.

Granted, the entrance to the tunnel sealed itself back up as soon as the truck went in, turning into hard ground with nary a flaw.

A pair of huge wings sprout from the figure above the tower. Black feathers flutter in the night sky. The cool lights from the City were like revolving lanterns, illuminating the devilish face of the man, caged within his black wings.

His face could not be made out clearly in the inky darkness, but he had a pair of particularly intimidating eyes. It was as if they held the darkness and sins of the entire world within their depths.

In just mere seconds, the gigantic black silhouette followed the vehicle into the tunnel.

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Inside the tunnel, cold strips of light continued their never-ending extend forwards. The "demon" kept as close to the ground as possible to maximise speed.

Just as he was about to reach the end of the truck, the black wings suddenly retracted a little, taking the form of wings shaped to glide. The man slips under the bottom of the truck, his wings slightly fluttering as he slips himself between the ground and the undercarriage of the car.

When he reaches the head of the truck, he abruptly unfurls his wings to their full span, leaping straight to the front of the truck's windscreen from beneath the undercarriage.

Under the icy lights, he mercilessly attaches the hooks atop his wings onto the front of the truck, like a demon straight from the depths of hell.

The truck had no driver. But, those eyes, so sharp and piercing that it was almost inhumane, were firmly fixated upon the window, like someone who was staring straight at their deepest, darkest sin.

The car's windscreen reflected Zhou Huaiye's countenance.

His huge wings took to the skies, flying upwards. The hook attached to the front of the vehicle lifts the entire truck into the air, its wheels leaving the ground. The pitch-black wings flapped, lifting and pulling the transport truck along with it. Its tires were still spinning.

Then, he lets go.

The truck flies across the tunnel, crashing violently into the walls of the hidden tunnel. A raging fire was ignited as the truck exploded into flames.

Zhou Huaiye stretched out his wings, hovering above the fire as he watched the metal boxes of the truck get swallowed up by the ravenous flames.

Stacks upon stacks, boxes upon boxes; those Emotion Suppressing Chips born from his sins burned, under his watchful gaze.

Cracks had appeared on the outer wall of the whole tunnel following the explosion.

In the span of a mere 10 seconds, the pressure of the water outside made the entire tunnel collapsed upon itself. The strips of cold light submerged, sinking into the deep sea.

The fire was extinguished, and the demon straight from the depths of hell had also returned to its domain, disappearing along with the blue abyss.

Everything disappeared without a trace.

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Zhou Huaiye now sits beneath the viaduct, where the river meets the sea, completely drenched.

Everything was so peaceful, it was almost as if the tunnel never collapsed. It was as if the explosion never happened, with how highly efficient the City continued to run.

He raises his head, looking at the towering bridge and the tall buildings all around him that rose to the skies. A sea of skyscrapers, threatening to swallow him whole at any given moment.

It was then that his phone sounded a notification. A message from nuts: "The transport route has been altered. Now searching for the new route."

The message automatically deleted itself a few seconds later.

Zhou Huaiye propped both of his hands behind his back, raising his head as he looked back above once more…

The snow stopped, and the light of dawn filtered down from the skies.

...Merry Christmas…

 ⊹ ━━━━━ ∘◦  Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ CEO ONWIRE Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ◦∘ ━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹