A massive wall, ten feet high and stretching for what seemed like endless kilometers, rose against the horizon. Near one end of it, an enormous entrance gate stood beneath a stone arch carved with the words "Wisdom Educational Society."
The gate began to open, slow and steady.
A school bus with a white 1 sticker on its front window rumbled through. Minutes later, a bus marked 2 entered. Then another. And another. One after the next, they streamed inside, hundreds of them, until eventually the bus labeled 637 passed through.
One of the ten guards stationed inside called out, "Count!"
A guard inside a small observation room shouted back, "All checked!"
Once every guard nodded, he pressed a sequence of buttons, and the massive gates closed in the same slow, deliberate rhythm.
An hour later, a black car stopped before the gate. A guard approached and knocked on the window.
The glass slid down a little, and a woman's voice said, "I need to go in."
The guard pointed toward a side road nearly half a kilometer away. "All non-institute vehicles must use that road. Park outside and walk in."
"Thanks," she said, and the car turned away.
She drove to the smaller gate, similar in design but only seven feet tall and wide enough for perhaps three people side by side. The guard on duty gestured for her to park in the shaded area.
She obeyed, pulling into a massive covered shed that could easily fit a thousand or more cars. When the engine went quiet, she stepped out, a stunning, confident young woman with a posture that radiated grace and a hint of fire.
She walked toward the small gate, and the guard motioned to a younger guard beside him. "Take her inside."
The young man nodded and asked her to follow. They walked a few meters past the gate before he suddenly stopped.
Looking around, he said, "The guides must have gone for lunch. Please wait here. They'll take over when they return."
She had kept her face tilted downward the entire time, shielding her eyes from the blazing sun. But at his words she lifted her head and froze.
Before her stretched a civilization so astonishing it looked painted.
On the ground, the structures seemed impressive, but from above, the design would have been breathtaking. A vast circle of city planning: a wide outer ring road, from which dozens of smaller roads branched inward, converging at the center where a colossal arena stood, large enough to rival any royal castle. Between these spoke-like roads were perfectly aligned concentric ring roads, shrinking in size the closer they circled the arena. Inside each neat ring-shaped block stood buildings of every size and purpose.
She stared at it until the guard called softly, "Ma'am?"
She snapped back. "Hmm?"
Pointing toward a nearby parking area filled with compact vehicles, he said, "Those are bicycles and small innovative vehicles created by the students. If this isn't your first time, you may take one."
Then he added, "But you seem like a first-timer. So I suggest—"
"You're new here, aren't you?" she interjected.
He blinked, startled, then nodded.
She grinned. "This isn't my first time. The sun was just too bright for me to look up earlier." Her tone carried an effortless confidence. "I can guide myself from here. You may go."
The guard relaxed. "Then I'll take my leave," he said and walked away.
She headed toward the vehicle shed: a huge, neatly organized space containing every type of cycle imaginable, from regular bicycles to gear bikes, motor-assisted cycles, unicycles, tricycles, wheelchairs, wagons, and odd little inventions shaped by student creativity.
After surveying the selection, she chose a simple bicycle and pedaled down the lane.
Board after board passed her on both sides: Wisdom Primary School, Wisdom High School, Wisdom College of Engineering, Wisdom Medical College, Wisdom Acting School, and many more. Parks, stores, hospitals, swimming pools, stadiums, gyms, traffic signals, zebra crossings, clean footpaths, everything a civilization needed was tucked inside the towering walls.
Nearly two hours she spent roaming, searching.
Finally, tired, she stopped in the middle of a quiet lane and stretched her arms and legs.
In the distance, a man walked toward her, muttering something when he noticed her resting. She couldn't hear him, so she simply watched as he approached.
Before he could speak, she asked, "Do you know where the administration block is?"
"It's near the entrance gate," he replied.
She blinked in surprise but quickly regained her composure. "Not that one. It should be somewhere here inside. Maybe it has another name."
He studied her for a moment, then asked, "Are you here for admission?"
She nodded.
His expression brightened. "Then you can meet the director. His building is close by."
Her eyes sparkled. "Can you take me there?"
He nodded and climbed onto the back seat of her bicycle without asking permission.
She turned sharply. "Why did you get on the bike?"
"There's no other vehicle nearby. Easier to direct you like this. Otherwise, you might get lost again."
"What?" she snapped.
He backpedaled quickly. "I mean… it's a big place. Easy to get lost."
She exhaled deeply and nodded. "Fine."
Just before she began pedaling, she stopped, twisted around, and asked,"Why am I the one riding? Shouldn't it be you? You're a man, so isn't it practically obligatory for you to ride?"
She started to get off the bicycle, but he replied calmly,"I can't handle wheels."
She smirked. "Do you expect me to believe that?"
With a confident grin, he asked, "If I could ride, why would I walk?"
She went quiet for a moment, then muttered, "Amazing. Even in this era, there are still people who can't ride a bicycle."
Still smiling, he said, "Or else I wouldn't never make a woman suffer."
She snorted and placed her feet back on the pedals. "Fine. Just direct me."
The moment she started pedaling, he rested his hands lightly around her waist. She froze.
"What are you doing?" she snapped.
"I told you already," he replied with a straight face. "I'm not good with wheels."
She rolled her eyes and continued riding, his hands steady at her waist.
After a while, she asked, "I've been noticing… there are no signboards anywhere. Why?"
"Before, signboards were everywhere," he said. "But the new director removed them and banned new ones."
"In that case," she said in a quieter voice, "what about people who get lost?"
"The director says that finding your own route is already half the route to success. Just like in life, you should learn the path on your own. Even if you get lost, you should still learn it yourself."
"Hm…" she murmured, uneasy.
Suddenly she looked sharply back at him."But what about elementary kids? What if they get lost?"
"Same for them," he answered instantly. "They must find the route on their own. And if they get lost for good, then… they are helpless."
She slammed the brakes."What if something happens to them!?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied casually,"In the worst case, they might die."
Her face drained of color.
Seeing her expression, he added quickly,"That's why the director requires every new student to learn the blueprint of the whole place during their first week. And there's a special signboard—unique markers placed everywhere—that can lead anyone straight to the exit. But you can't see them unless you're trained to."
She exhaled, calming. "Your director… is quite interesting."
"I'm not so sure about that."
She continued riding. "What exactly do you do here?"
"I direct things."
"So you're head of the maintenance staff."
"Maintenance staff?" he echoed, baffled.
"The people who clean this place," she clarified.
"Oh, cleaners. No," he said. "There's no staff like that."
"Then who keeps this place this clean?"
He smiled. "The students."
She blinked rapidly, trying to process that."And the bathrooms?"
"Classrooms, roads, gardens, pools, the guarding wall, everything—including bathrooms—is cleaned by students."
Just as she opened her mouth to ask something else, he shouted,"Stop!"
She skidded to a halt and yelled, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
He ignored her, hopped off the bike, and started walking toward a massive mansion nearby.
She inhaled angrily, but stopped herself. When she finally found her calm, she asked softly,"Is that the director's building?"
He turned, smiled, and said,"You look pretty now. Not like the yelling version earlier. And yes, this is the director's building."
She blinked, cheeks flushing despite herself."How can you call a stranger pretty!?" she barked, trying to reclaim her edge.
He immediately turned his back to her and marched toward the mansion door, ignoring the outburst. She stomped after him.
Just as she reached him, he opened the door and walked inside. She followed.
He stopped in the middle of the foyer, before a grand staircase, and she paused to take in her surroundings.
The mansion looked like a palace. Bright lights glistened across a crimson royal carpet that blanketed the entire floor. Luxurious sofas lined one side, a brick fireplace warmed the other. Beautiful vases stood on carved pillars. And overhead, a massive chandelier shone like a hanging constellation.
She stood frozen, stunned by the beauty.
He pointed casually toward the stairs."The director's room is up there," he said, already climbing.
She did not move. Her eyes were scanning the luxury around.
At the top, he turned and shouted, "Climb up!"
She jolted and rushed up the stairs.
He entered a room; she followed. Inside was a spacious office—desks and chairs on one side, couches on the other, and a door built into the back wall.
She glanced around the office, found no one inside, then opened the door at the back and stepped through.
The adjoining room felt like a private suite. A gigantic king-sized bed occupied one corner, untouched and rumpled, the only sign of real use in the room. In the center sat a cluster of expensive sofas facing a wide TV. An entire wall was lined with cupboards, and a sleek bathroom sat tucked into the far corner. Vases, lamps, a wall clock, polished furniture… everything looked like it had been moved in recently. Except for the bed, nearly everything else still had its protective wrapping.
Finding no one there either, she returned to the main office.
By then, the man who guided her was sitting behind the desk in the director's chair.
She frowned. "Where is the director?"
He gave a thin smile.
"And why," she added sharply, "are you sitting in his chair?"
He stood, walked around the desk, and pushed one of the two visitor chairs toward her. "Please sit. I am the director."