The three grooves were located two meters high, one above and two below, like the three vertices of an equilateral triangle.

Brian Carter gazed at them quietly for a few seconds, and suddenly, the dazzling "stars" were reflected in his eyes.

He then leaned forward, placing both hands on the grayish-white stone door.

Balls of white light lit up one after another in the grooves on the surface of the stone door, as if "stars" were falling from the sky and crashing inside.

Within these three "stars," illusory words quickly appeared, but they seemed to roll and change with Brian Carter's thoughts, never settling.

The seemingly extremely heavy double grayish-white stone door creaked, but was stingy in letting the crack open.

Brian Carter paused, took a breath, and then exerted himself again, pushing forward.

The "stars" in the three grooves first dimmed as he stopped, then burst into bright, pure light again as he pushed once more.

The illusory words inside them rolled more slowly, but still did not stop.

The stone door trembled slightly, but did not retreat even half a step.

Brian Carter pushed the stone door again and again. In the end, the veins on his forehead bulged, his facial expression twisted and ferocious, as if he was using all his strength, but still achieved no better result.

"Whew." He exhaled, paused, and stood in front of the door, watching as the three "stars" in the grooves quickly dimmed and disappeared.

He quietly watched all of this, not moving for a long time.

After a while, Brian Carter showed a slight smile, brought together his right index and middle fingers, and pressed them to the center of his brow.

The next second, his whole being seemed to become much more "profound."

Then, Brian Carter put his left hand in his pocket, extended his right palm forward, and pressed it lightly and leisurely on the grayish-white stone door.

This time, he clearly did not use any force, but the "stars" reflected in his eyes became even clearer and more dazzling.

On the grayish-white stone door, in the three grooves, "starlight" suddenly shone, condensing into white clusters. The previous illusory words also rolled and appeared, but their changes gradually slowed.

Finally, they settled.

From top to bottom, left to right, the words in the three clusters of white light were:

"Reasoning Clown," "Pretentious Person," "Lack of Hand Movements."

The grayish-white stone door trembled slightly, and with a buzzing sound, it heavily retreated a little.

Behind the widening crack, faint light flickered, and a silver-white metal staircase leading upward stood quietly in the darkness.

Brian Carter tried to reach his hand through the crack, but failed.

He then tried to squeeze his foot in, but was unsuccessful.

He used both hands and feet, trying various postures, from standing on one leg to a straight handstand, but still achieved no good result.

After testing, he confirmed that only the tips of his fingers and the tip of his nose could squeeze through the crack.

No matter how much he concentrated, the grayish-white stone door did not retreat any further.

After repeated attempts, Brian Carter's figure gradually became blurry.

He finally stopped moving, watching as his body grew fainter and fainter.

In Room 196, Section B, Floor 495, Brian Carter, who was lying on the bed, opened his eyes.

He saw the four-pane window illuminated by the streetlight, saw the wooden table bathed in dim light, saw the "living room" where brightness gradually faded into darkness, and saw the end of the long bench and the edge of the old bed sunk in the gloom.

It was so quiet all around.

Suddenly, the speakers hanging from the street ceiling all sounded at once, emitting a sweet voice with a hint of childishness:

"Hello everyone, I am the top-of-the-hour news announcer George Allen, and it is now 8:00 p.m. sharp...

"At 5:20 p.m., a small fire broke out in a factory on Floor 102, resulting in one death and three injuries. The open flames have been extinguished, material losses are being tallied, and the company's board director, Vice President Ji Ze, once again emphasized: 'Fire is merciless, the alarm must always sound'...

"Starting tomorrow, the No. 2 reactor unit in the 'Energy Zone' will officially shut down for maintenance. All employees' energy rations will be reduced by a quarter, with the recovery time to be determined...

"The chief scientist of the 'Geothermal Research Institute,' Matthew Scott, stated that they are exploring the establishment of a better geothermal utilization model, which can bring some nighttime temperature changes to the 'Residential Zone' while maintaining optimal conditions in parts of the 'Inner Ecological Zone'...

"At 6:40 p.m., an argument broke out in the 'Employee Cafeteria' on Floor 577. An employee accused the cafeteria staff of unfairness, saying his portion of meat was about one-tenth less than others. The 'Order Supervision Team' on that floor has intervened to investigate...

"Between 7:20 and 7:30 p.m., two male employees fought in the 'Activity Center' on Floor 414. The 'Order Supervision Team' on that floor has intervened to investigate, and the specific reason is pending notification. According to other employees at the scene, the incident was related to the results of the unified marriage arrangement...

"...

"...At the end of the news, as always, is an a cappella song. Hope you all enjoy it, thank you.

"…"

Brian Carter lay on the bed where the streetlight could not reach, listening to the broadcast with a calm expression, making no movement.

Unconsciously, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, the streetlights outside had already gone out, and everything around was pitch black.