他早上醒來，睜開雙眼，又是新的一天，但這一天，和昨天一模一樣；昨天，又和前天差不多。每天辛勤工作，掙來的錢只夠苟活，看不見將來。他像一顆在機器深處的小齒輪，既不知道開關在哪裡，也無力改變轉動的方向，只能依著機械的設計去轉動。

無奈，也得起床，出門上班。踏進升降機，閉上眼，終於換來數十秒逃離現實的喘息，活在黑暗的虛無中，反而踏實。

升降機很舊，不時發出吱呀的雜聲，搖搖晃晃地下降……下降……他想起經濟不景，已是第十幾個年頭了。薪資像南極的冰川，凍結不動；富豪卻像擁有聚寶盆，財富愈來愈多。說什麼自由經濟，骨子裡不過是奴隸市場的延續，而且連手銬腳鐐都省了。

政府的高壓手段逐年收緊。聽說去年剛成立的「網路言行監察局」盯得極嚴，就算網民只是發幾句牢騷，都會被召去問話。更可怕的是，最近失蹤的人越來越多，據論壇上的說法，那些失聯的，全都是曾發表不滿言論的人。他每次看到這類消息，心頭總像被狠狠揪了一下，這個社會，到底怎麼了？

然而更荒謬的事，還在後頭。

公司裡開始傳出風聲，要所有員工在腦部植入思想探測器。那東西能把人的思想直接轉化為文字，儲存在伺服器中。消息一出，四處議論紛紛。而一向支持公司政策的同事卻站出來表態，說植入手術絕對安全，公司亦一定會遵守法律，不會窺看員工的思想。只會在發生嚴重違法事故時，才由指定高層查閱相關記錄。

新任董事長石先生，正是思想探測器的主要發明人。他還記得，當年石先生做暑期工時，剛巧被分派到他那個部門。有一晚，他和幾個同事帶這個年輕人上賭場見識。那時他從對方的眼神裡，看得出像是走進了另一個世界，跟著大夥兒玩得不亦樂乎。不過暑假結束後，就再也沒聯絡了。想來也是，人生的起跑線，果然決定了命運的終點。像石董事長這般，自出生起便坐擁豐厚資源，在無憂無慮的環境中長大，一輩子活在榮耀的光環中。（注1）

石董事長在接受公關安排的媒體採訪時，侃侃而談：新時代已經降臨，大家應當擁抱新科技。當今普及的人工智能鏡頭，令賊人在鏡頭覆蓋之處不敢造次，犯罪率隨之急劇下跌。而思想探測器能擴展防線，讓世界變得更加美好，終極目標是犯罪率達致零。

他半開玩笑地補了一句：「這個發明大概得罪了不少警察，害他們快沒飯碗了。」

他聽著廣播裡那段採訪，只覺噁心。好一個「更加美好」，把思想監控說得像恩賜。他狠狠捏緊了拳頭，指節泛白，卻不敢出聲。

若政策真的實行，他寧可辭工。可是，如今這世道，找一份新工作比登天還難。就算找到了，薪金只怕要砍掉一大截。

就在這時，他忽然覺得不對勁。

升降機還在下降！

他明明記得自己按了「地下」的按鈕，電梯也確實動了。他猛地睜開眼，抬頭望向樓層指示燈，完全不亮。再低頭看控制面板，「地下」的按鈕也沒有發光。他連忙猛按開門掣。沒有反應。升降機仍舊固執地下降，機廂微微震動，那震動連綿不斷，竟成了世間最恐怖的聲音。

他想起以衛斯理為主角的著名小說《大廈》（註2），有一架不斷向上的升降機，突破了空間。衛斯理最後要從高處跳下，才能返回正常世界。但他不斷向下，又該如何做呢？

他額頭冒出冷汗，雙手顫抖，按下求救掣，喇叭傳出一陣刺耳的回音聲，令他即刻放手。

突然，升降機停了，門緩緩打開，外面一片漆黑，有如黑洞。他感到陣陣涼風吹進來，似是非常空曠，絕非平時的侷促大堂。

他聽見一些聲音從外面傳來，好像很遠，又好像很近，都說著同一句話：「盍興乎來？」

聲音似帶有催眠性，令他引不住踏出去。他用力搖頭，令自己清醒一些，然後，想起一個都巿傳說：乘坐升降機時，可能會穿越空間，到達絕對黑暗的地心。一出去，就會被怪人擄獲，永遠成為奴隸。但只要耐心地留在升降機中，待門關上，就能返回正常世界。

如果你是他，你會選擇：

 -（A）踏出升降機

 -（B）按關門掣，希望返回地面

 -（C）留在升降機五分鐘，若門仍不關上，就踏出去

He woke up in the morning and opened his eyes. Another new day. But this day was exactly the same as yesterday. And yesterday was no different from the day before. He worked hard every day, earning just enough to survive, with no future in sight. He was like a tiny cog deep inside a machine — he didn't know where the switch was, and he had no power to change the direction it turned. All he could do was keep spinning according to the machine's design.

Reluctantly, he got out of bed and left for work. He stepped into the elevator and closed his eyes, enjoying a brief escape from reality. Living in the dark nothingness somehow felt more solid.

The elevator was old. It creaked and groaned as it rattled downward… downward… He remembered that the economic downturn had already lasted more than a decade. Wages were frozen like Antarctic glaciers, while the rich seemed to own Chinese Treasure Bowl — their wealth just kept growing. They called it a free economy, but underneath, it was just slavery without the handcuffs and shackles.

The government's iron grip tightened year by year. He heard that the "Online Speech Monitoring Bureau" — formed just the year before — was extremely strict. Even a few grumbles online could get you summoned for questioning. Even scarier: more and more people were disappearing lately. According to forum posts, everyone who went missing had previously voiced discontent. Every time he saw such news, his heart felt like it was being squeezed. What is happening to this society?

But the most absurd thing was yet to come.

Rumors started spreading at his company: all employees would have to implant a thought detector in their brains. The device could turn a person's thoughts directly into text and store them on a server. As soon as the news broke, everyone was talking. But the colleagues who always supported company policy stepped forward, declaring that the implant surgery was completely safe, and that the company would absolutely follow the law and never snoop on employees' thoughts. Only in the case of a serious crime would a designated senior manager be allowed to access the relevant records.

The new director, Mr. Shi, was one of the main inventors of the thought detector. He remembered that when Mr. Shi was doing a summer internship, he had been assigned to his department. One night, he and a few colleagues took the young man to a casino to show him around. From the look in his eyes back then, he could tell — the young man had entered a whole new world. He had a great time playing along with everyone else. But after the summer ended, they never kept in touch. He supposed it made sense. Your starting line in life really does decide your finish line. Someone like Director Shi, born with abundant resources, raised in a carefree environment — he would live his whole life bathed in glory. (Note 1)

In a media interview arranged by his PR team, Chairman Shi spoke eloquently: "A new era has arrived. Everyone should embrace new technology. The AI cameras that are now everywhere have made criminals think twice wherever they're installed — crime rates have plummeted. The thought detector will expand our defenses and make the world an even better place. The ultimate goal is zero crime."

He added with a half-joke: "This invention has probably upset a lot of police officers — it might put them out of work."

Listening to the broadcast of that interview, he felt sick. "An even better place" — making thought surveillance sound like a gift. He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white, but he didn't dare speak a word.

If the policy really went through, he would rather quit. But in this day and age, finding a new job was harder than climbing to the sky. Even if he found one, his salary would likely be slashed by a huge margin.

Just then, he felt something was wrong.

The elevator was still going down!

He clearly remembered pressing the "Ground Floor" button, and the elevator had indeed moved. He snapped his eyes open and looked up at the floor indicator — it was completely dark. He looked down at the control panel — the "Ground Floor" button wasn't lit either. He frantically pressed the door open button. No response. The elevator stubbornly kept descending. The car vibrated slightly, and that continuous vibration became the most terrifying sound in the world.

He thought of the famous novel “Mansion” (Note 2) starring Wisely, about an elevator that kept going up — breaking through space. In the end, Wisely had to jump from a great height to return to the normal world. But if he was going down endlessly, what should he do?

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His hands trembled as he pressed the emergency button. A harsh screech of feedback came from the speaker, making him pull his hand away immediately.

Suddenly, the elevator stopped. The doors slowly opened — outside was pitch black, like a black hole. He felt a cool breeze blowing in. It seemed very spacious out there — nothing like the cramped lobby he was used to.

He heard voices coming from outside — they sounded far away yet also close — all chanting the same phrase: "Why not come join us?"

The voices seemed hypnotic. He felt an irresistible urge to step out. He shook his head hard to clear his mind. Then he remembered an urban legend: when riding an elevator, you could sometimes pass through space and arrive at the absolute darkness of the Earth's core. If you stepped out, monsters would capture you and make you a slave forever. But if you patiently stayed inside until the doors closed, you would return to the normal world.

If you were him, what would you choose?

 - Choice (A): Step out of the elevator

 - Choice (B): Press the door close button and hope to return to ground level

 - Choice (C): Stay in the elevator for five minutes; if the doors still don't close, step out

選擇（A）：踏出升降機

他記起都巿傳說，即時按實開門掣，恐怕門會關上，心想：「返回上面，繼續過著毫無盼望的生活，更可能有一天要被逼植入思想探測器，倒不如掌握這個機會，向前闖。雖然傳說中有地心怪人，但有誰見過？若真的見過，他又如何告訴大家呢？」

世上傳言千千萬，莫衷一是，難以判斷真偽。他決定賭一次，深深地吸了一口氣，右腳緩緩向前踏出，沒入絕對的漆黑中。他望不見自己右腳膝蓋以下的部位，但感到踏在堅硬而略有凹凸的土地，給予他向前的信心。他提高左腳，踏出一步，整個人離開升降機。

在漆黑中行了約數百步，週邊漸漸亮起來，地上長有不少菇，前面有幾間用一排一排竹子搭成的小屋。抬頭看，望不見天空，極高處似是一個洞穴頂，除了鍾乳石外，還有不少發出柔和光線的礦石。

從其中兩間小屋，走出五個人，帶著微笑，向他走來。他認得其中一個，竟是上週在新聞提到的失蹤人士。他再望向其他人，雖然全是陌生的臉孔，但堅定的眼神，真摰的笑容，令他知道他們在這裡生活得很滿意。他走向前，很自然地和他們緊抱在一起，一眶熱淚，不禁湧出來。

他不確定將來會如何，但能夠在一個無拘無束、有盼望的地方開拓命運，人生才有意義！

[完]

Choice (A): Step out of the elevator

He remembered the urban legend. He immediately held the door open button, afraid it might close. Go back upstairs? Continue that hopeless life? Someday I might be forced to implant a thought detector. No — I'll take this chance and move forward. Sure, the legend says there are monsters at the Earth's core, but has anyone actually seen them? And if someone had, how could they tell anyone?

There were countless rumors in the world, all conflicting — hard to tell truth from falsehood. He decided to gamble. He took a deep breath, slowly stepped his right foot forward, and plunged it into absolute darkness. He couldn't see his leg below the knee, but he felt solid, slightly uneven ground beneath him — which gave him confidence. He lifted his left foot, took another step, and left the elevator completely.

He walked a few hundred steps in the darkness. Gradually, the area around him grew brighter. Mushrooms grew on the ground. Ahead were several huts built from rows of bamboo. He looked up — there was no sky. High above seemed to be a cave ceiling, with stalactites and many minerals emitting a soft glow.

From two of the huts, five people walked out. They smiled and came toward him. He recognized one of them — a person who had been reported missing in the news just last week. He looked at the others. They were all strangers, but their determined eyes and genuine smiles told him they were living well here. He walked forward and naturally hugged them tightly. A rush of hot tears poured from his eyes.

He wasn't sure what the future would bring. But to be able to forge his destiny in a free, hopeful place — that made life worth living!

[End]

選擇（B）：按關門掣，希望返回地面

門關上，升降機緩緩上升。剛才地底那陰森的誘惑、那怪物低啞的嗓音，還在耳邊迴盪。他差點沉淪在地心世界，而此刻，每一寸上升，都像從深淵中爬出來。他忽然想：命運真的一成不變嗎？那些無力感，究竟是世界給的，還是自己默默接受？

門打開，到達地下樓層，他望向大堂的鐘，時間沒有消逝，仍可如平常般乘坐巴士，買早餐，準時回到公司上班。

他覺得胸口多了一團暖意，望向四周那些依然低著頭、拖著腳步的人，心想，再不能這樣活了。

他不知從何開始，但他堅信命運是可以改變的。他決定先找一個目標，一件最值得最想做的事，結識志同道合的朋友，一起奮鬥。很吊詭，他的目標就是先找一個目標，但他自信只要開始走，路總會出現。盡全力去實踐目標，人生才有意義！

[完]

Choice (B): Press the door close button and hope to return to ground level

The doors closed. The elevator slowly rose. The eerie temptation from underground, the deep rasp of those voices — still echoed in his ears. He had nearly fallen for the underworld. Now, with every inch of ascent, he felt like he was crawling out of an abyss. Suddenly, he thought: Is fate really unchangeable? Did that feeling of powerlessness come from the world — or did I silently accept it myself?

The doors opened. He was at ground level. He looked at the lobby clock. No time had passed. He could still take the usual bus, buy breakfast, and get to work on time.

He felt a warmth in his chest. He looked around at the others still bowing their heads, dragging their feet. I can't live like this anymore, he thought.

He didn't know where to begin. But he firmly believed that fate could be changed. He decided to first find a goal — one thing worth doing most — and find like-minded friends to fight alongside. It was a strange paradox: his goal was to find a goal. But he trusted that once he started walking, a path would appear. To give his best effort to achieve a goal — that made life worth living!

[End]

選擇（C）：留在升降機五分鐘，若門仍不關上，就踏出去

他最自豪的人生觀，就是可以不做決定，就不做。因為人算不如天算，倒不如將決定權交給命運、交給偶然。就算發生了什麼惡果，他也不後悔。因為，他決定了不做決定。

此刻，升降機門大開。他站在門內，心想：等五分鐘，若門仍不關，我就走出去。

他靠在牆上，雙手插袋，甚至扮作輕鬆，吹起口哨。不到三分鐘，門緩緩關上。緊接著，升降機輕輕一震，開始上升。

起初很慢，像老人行樓梯，可是，下一秒，升降機上升得很快，像有一隻巨掌從腳下把他狠狠推上去。他整個人貼在牆上，耳膜嗡地一聲，心跳像炸開了。他想喊，喉嚨卻被恐懼掐得死死的。他想蹲下，身體卻不聽使喚。

「砰！」

一聲巨響，然後是無邊的寂靜。

網上新聞：「兩小時前，一幢住宅升降機故障，突然快速上升，從地下直衝上頂層，一名住戶死亡。」

[完]

Choice (C): Stay in the elevator for five minutes; if the doors still don't close, step out

His proudest philosophy of life was: if you can avoid making a decision, don't. Because human plans never beat fate. Better to leave the decision to destiny, to chance. Even if something bad happened, he wouldn't regret it. After all — he had decided not to decide.

Now, the elevator doors stood wide open. He stood inside, thinking: Wait five minutes. If the doors still haven't closed, I'll step out.

He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. He even pretended to be relaxed and whistled. In less than three minutes, the doors slowly began to close. Then the elevator gave a slight shudder and started rising.

At first, it was slow, like an old man climbing stairs. But the next second, the elevator shot upward as if a giant hand had shoved it from below. He was pressed flat against the wall. His eardrums buzzed. His heart felt like it would explode. He wanted to scream, but fear squeezed his throat shut. He wanted to crouch down, but his body wouldn't obey.

CRASH!

A deafening crash. Then — endless silence.

Online news: "Two hours ago, an elevator in a residential building malfunctioned. It suddenly shot upward from the ground floor to the top floor, killing one occupant."

[End]

註1：石董事長也有他的煩惱，詳情請參閱《鑽石玫瑰》。

註2：《大廈》是衛斯理系列的故事，由香港著名作家倪匡先生著作。衛斯理系列共145個故事，主角衛斯理的想像力非常豐富，好奇心十分重，遇到怪事，一定會去調查出真相。

Note 1: Diamond Shi had his own troubles — for details, see "Diamond Rose".

Note 2: "Mansion" is a story from the Wisely series by renowned Hong Kong writer Ni Kuang. The Wisely series includes 145 stories. The protagonist, Wisely, has a wildly imaginative mind and an insatiable curiosity. Whenever he encounters something strange, he must investigate and uncover the truth.