“Find a boy called Sinan on the 6th floor and tell him that I’ve been hit with a tracking agent and can’t go out to play with him later. This time next week, you can come here again and tell me what he said.”

An Zhe was silent. The girl glanced at him. “Can’t you do that?”

“I…” An Zhe glanced at her. She blinked, looking like a normal child. In the end, An Zhe told her, “I might not be able to do it.”

“You can find him on the sixth floor.”

An Zhe didn’t speak.

She seemed to be in a hurry as she opened the door of the terrace. “I’ll get you some clothes.”

Before he could stop her, she disappeared through the door. If the Sinan she mentioned was the Sinan that An Zhe knew then this boy was no longer in the Garden of Eden but at the Lighthouse. An Zhe just didn’t know what would happen to her if he told her the news. He knew that human emotions would cause her pain.

By the time the girl came back, pulling him through the dark empty corridor and finally stopping at a small open door in a pile of debris, he still hadn’t thought of the wording.

“If you can get in then you can do down to the first floor.” She pointed to the door.

The door was half open. Strictly speaking, due to years of despair, it was no longer tightly closed but was released. However, the chain-shaped rusty metal latch was still hanging on the door and embedded in the wall, so that only a small width was opened. It was enough for a child moving sideways to enter.

An Zhe said, “I’ll try it.”

He went to the door and leaned in slightly. It was impossible for an adult to pass through here but after all, he was a mushroom. His body had become a state of mycelium under the cover of clothing and after losing the restriction of human bones, he easily entered through the door.

“Your body is so soft,” the girl marvelled.

“I have one request. Can you not tell anyone I’ve been here?” An Zhe asked.

“If you come here next week—” Her voice came to an abrupt end.

“Lily?” A woman’s voice was heard.

“You’re here again.” The voice slightly rebuked the girl.

An Zhe turned to the side to hide and heard Lily say, “I’m sorry, Madam.”

“This time, I’m the one who found you.” The woman called ‘Madam’ spoke softly. “If it was them, you would be locked up again.”

Lily said, “I won’t.”

Then there was the sound of footsteps. They seemed to be going out. An Zhe looked through the gap and saw Lily behind held by a lady in a long dress. Their figures gradually walked away in the dim corridor.