TDU Chapter 1: Vacant Room

Chapter 1 Vacant Room

An outdated incandescent light bulb hung from the center of the room, suspended by a black power cord, flickering dusky rays of light.

The tranquil atmosphere resembled ink dripping into clear water, spreading its bleary effect throughout the room.

In the center of the room sat a large round table, its surface extremely mottled. Resting at its heart was a small desk clock adorned with an intricately engraved pattern, ticking at a rhythmic pace.

Ten people sat around the table, each clad in their unique yet worn out attire, with their faces stained by dust.

Some rested their upper bodies on the table, while others settled back on their chairs, but one thing remained consistent—they were all deeply asleep.

Beside them stood a man in a black suit, his face concealed by a full goat-head mask.

His gaze, intense behind the worn mask, fixated on the slumbering figures before him.

As the minute and hour hands converged at 12, the desk clock atop the table sounded an alarm.

Simultaneously, a distant muffled bell echoed from outside the room.

At that precise moment, the ten individuals seated around the round table began to stir, gradually returning to consciousness.

As they gradually regained awareness, their initial response was one of confusion as they observed their surroundings. Then, casting puzzled glances at each other, doubt and suspicion crept into their expressions.

It seemed no one could recall how they came to be in this place.

"Good morning, you nine," the goat-headed figure finally spoke, shattering the silence. "I'm pleased to see you all here. You've all been asleep in my presence for twelve hours."

His peculiar attire and sudden address caught everyone off guard in the dim light.

The man’s mask seemed to be crafted from a genuine goat's head, its once vibrant fur now yellowed and darkened in patches, with tangled and matted sections.

Where the goat's original eyes had been, now sat two holes, through which the man's cunning gaze peered out.

Every movement he made carried not only the distinct musk of goats but also a subtle hint of decay.

A man with sleeve tattoos on both arms appeared momentarily perplexed before grasping the absurdity of the situation. Hesitantly, he addressed the man in the goat-head mask, "Who...are you?"

"I'm sure all of you have this question," the goat-headed figure began with a cheerful wave of his hands, as though he had anticipated the question. "Allow me to introduce myself to you nine."

Seated at the furthest end from the goat-headed figure was Qi Xia(齐夏), a young man who swiftly surveyed the room. Within moments, a solemn expression settled upon his features.

Strange, this room is too strange.

There were no doors present, only walls on four sides.

In other words, the room was completely sealed, including the roof and floor, yet there happened to be a table in the middle of this room.

If so… then how did we get in here?

Could it be that they were placed in this room first, and then the walls were erected around them?

Qi Xia examined the room once more. Every surface, whether it was the floor, walls, or ceiling, was decorated with intertwining lines, forming grids of large squares.

Another aspect that troubled Qi Xia was the mention of {you nine} by the goat-headed figure.

Regardless of how one counted, there were unmistakably ten individuals seated around the round table. Including the goat-headed figure himself, there were a total of eleven people present in the room.

What does {you nine} mean?

He reached into his pocket, only to discover that his cell phone was missing, unsurprisingly confiscated.

"There's no need for introductions," an aloof woman said to the goat-headed figure, "I suggest you cease your actions immediately. I suspect we've been detained for over twenty-four hours, which amounts to the crime of {false imprisonment}. Everything you say from now on will be recorded and used as evidence against you."

While she spoke, she brushed the dust off her arms with a look of disgust, suggesting a greater aversion to filth than to captivity.

The woman's words had a sobering effect on everyone present. It was a brazen act for anyone to have single-handedly abducted ten individuals. Regardless of the perpetrator's identity, they had clearly crossed a legal boundary.

"Wait..." a middle-aged man in a white coat interjected, redirecting everyone's attention. He calmly regarded the aloof woman before posing his question, "We've just awakened. How did you come to know that we've been imprisoned for {twenty-four hours}?"

His tone was smooth and steady, yet hit the nail on the head.

In a composed manner, the aloof woman pointed toward the desk clock on the table and replied, "The clock here shows twelve o'clock, but I tend to go to bed late. When I last checked the time at home, it was already twelve o'clock, indicating that we've been imprisoned for at least twelve hours."

Upon concluding her statement, she gestured towards the surrounding walls and continued, "You all must have noticed the absence of a door in this room, which is indicative of considerable effort on someone's part to confine us here. He claims we've been asleep for twelve hours, and now the clock reads twelve o'clock again, suggesting the hour hand has completed at least two rotations. Hence, my deduction of {over twenty-four hours}. Is there any objection?"

Upon hearing her explanation, the man in the white coat shot the woman a cold glance, skepticism still lingering in his eyes.

After all, this woman seemed unusually calm given the circumstances.

Would a normal person calmly state what she just said when being held captive?

In the midst of the tension, a robust man clad in a black T-shirt spoke up, "Goat Head, why did you refer to us as {you nine} when there are ten people here?"

The goat-headed figure remained silent, offering no immediate response.

"Hahm-ga-caan[1]! I don't give a damn how many people are here..." cursed the man with sleeve tattoos. He attempted to rise from his seat but found his legs too weak to support him, immobilized despite his efforts. So he instead pointed a finger at the man in the goat-head mask and threatened, "Lan-joeng[2], I suggest you wise up. You have no idea the consequences of crossing me; I will literally kill you."

Upon hearing these words, the expressions of the men present grew increasingly serious. They realized the necessity of someone taking charge in this situation. If they could collectively overpower the man in the goat-head mask, the tide might turn in their favor.

Yet, to their dismay, they discovered that their legs were unresponsive, as if injected with something that rendered them immobile. None of them could move their lower bodies.

Thus, the sleeve-tattooed man could only resort to verbal threats, yelling and cursing loudly at the goat-headed figure.

Meanwhile, Qi Xia remained silent, his hand lightly touching his chin as he pondered the situation. His gaze fixed on the desk clock, deep in thought.

Things were not as simple as everyone was assuming.

He reasoned that the goat-headed figure had greeted {nine participants}, implying that among the ten people at the table, one person was not a participant.

So who was this individual?

There were six men and four women sitting in this room. Was one of them the {kidnapper}?

The goat-headed figure stopped talking and slowly walked towards Qi Xia’s direction, positioning himself behind a young man.

All eyes followed his gaze, only to realize that the young man before them stood apart from the rest. Despite the grime on his face, a blissful smile graced his lips, setting him apart from the solemnity the others bore.

With deliberate slowness, the goat-headed figure lifted his hand and placed it on the back of the young man's head.

As the young man's smile took on an increasingly unsettling quality, his excited glances at everyone suggested a foreknowledge of events.

With a sudden, muffled thud, the goat-headed figure forcefully slammed the young man's head onto the table.

Pink and white matter erupted from the impact, scattering across the table like spilled paint, splashing blood across everyone's faces.

The young man's head was actually crushed by the impact.

In the distance, the sound of a bell rang once more from outside the room.

Due to his position near the deceased, Qi Xia felt an unknown object adhering to his face, warm and sticky.

He had believed his mental fortitude to be resilient, yet he found his body trembling uncontrollably.

The young woman seated beside the deceased remained stunned for a brief moment before her features contorted in horror, unleashing a piercing scream that shattered everyone's mental defenses.

The goat-headed figure could shatter a human skull against the table with his bare hands, could he still be considered {human}?

How could such a slender frame possess such astonishing strength?

Unperturbed, the goat-headed figure offered an explanation, "There are ten people here because one is necessary to settle you all down."