Wedge: The surprise of 2026
Lin Nan yawned in the underground library of Shanghai Municipal Archives. As a doctor of criminal psychology, she should not have appeared in this dusty place - but the 1938 Shanghai Concession police archives digitization project was a "historical psychology cross-research" topic recommended by her mentor.
"Dr. Lin, these are the interrogation records of the Special Investigation Section of the Police Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau." The archivist pushed a trolley with a dozen faded kraft paper boxes piled on it. "Most of them are in Japanese and English, and some are encrypted in German..."
She put on her white gloves and opened the top copy. The paper was brittle, its edges curled like dead autumn leaves. The record date is November 3, 1938. The interrogation subject is codenamed "Echo" and is charged with "engaging in intelligence activities for hostile countries." Included in the record is a yellowed photo: a woman wearing a cheongsam standing by the Waibaidu Bridge with her back to the camera. The drizzle blurred the halo of the street lights.
As soon as Lin Nan's fingertips touched the edge of the photo, a sharp tinnitus suddenly hit her. The fluorescent tubes in the archives room began to strobe, making a sizzling sound of electricity. She felt some warm liquid flow from her nose - blood, dripping on the 1938 interrogation record.
The ink on the paper suddenly began to flow and rotate, as if it was alive. Those English, Japanese, and German characters separated from the paper and weaved into a luminous net in the air. Lin Nan wanted to call for help, but her voice was stuck in her throat. The last thing I saw was the woman in the photo slowly turning around - it was actually her own face.
Darkness swallowed everything.
