Chapter 148.

Chapter 148.

Far away in the zoo, Z429 and 1305 received a call from Xie LinYuan immediately, and despite it being late at night, their voices were still alert and clear.

Inquiring about JiaChen's recent condition, 429 hesitated a bit, "Mr. Long's illness seems to be getting worse, he hasn't left his house for several days."

"Are you sure it's an illness, and he's still inside the mansion?"

"Confirmed," said 1305, "We climb over the wall to check every day, and the person lying in the bed is definitely him."

Xie LinYuan's gaze turned to the meatball, which was gradually shrinking due to dehydration. Soon, the gorilla, with a pencil in its mouth, flipped through the sketchbook and neatly wrote: Has Yan GuangYu returned to the zoo?

This mix of pinyin and English puzzled the gorilla, having no idea what it had written. Xie LinYuan was also unaccustomed to it, deciphering it word by word. Only Xue HongYi, who was accustomed to blending Eastern and Western grammar in his English essays, instantly understood, "Is WuYin asking if Yan GuangYu has returned to the zoo?"

429 didn't expect Yan GuangYu to be involved, "No, he went to the western district base a week ago to get medicine for JiaChen and hasn't returned."

"…This is bad," Xie LinYuan said, looking at WuYin being placed back into the sugar water by the gorilla.

"The person who left the zoo wasn't Yan Guangyu but Jia Chen; the real Yan Guangyu is dead, his body taken over by Jia Chen's parasite, while the figure now lying in bed at the mansion is merely a bionic shell."

"429 and 1305, though unclear on the specifics, sensed a mistake on their part, regretting their lack of astuteness for not leaving with Yan Guangyu."

"Jie Linyuan ended the call, pondering, 'Where could Jia Chen have gone now? What does he intend to do? Surely he's not fleeing because he fears exposure?'"

"Xue Hongyi yawned, wearily propping his chin and listening to Jie Linyuan speak incomprehensibly, then watching the little flesh ball in the glass jar bob like a jellyfish."

"Before Wu Yin and the others arrived, they had been resting during the day and acting at night. After their arrival, Xue Hongyi was active with Wu Yin during the day and commanded the others at night, operating non-stop for 24 hours, which would wear down even the toughest person."

"'That communicator you sent with Wu Yin to the ship,' he gestured the size of a hair strand with his fingers, 'didn’t it find a huge video file, triple-compressed and encoded? Has it been decrypted yet? What's recorded in it?'"

"Jie Linyuan rolled up his sleeve to show the progress bar on his wrist's inner side, 'It's estimated to be ready by tomorrow morning. You're tired, sleep first. It's just in time for Wu Yin to rest up and watch it together tomorrow.'"

"Curious about the video's content, Xue Hongyi spent a restless night on the office cot, and at dawn, he was awakened by a knock on his door, only to find Wu Yin and Jie Linyuan standing outside."

"Seeing Wu Yin's familiar yet indifferent face, Xue Hongyi paused, then felt reassured, as memories of being trapped in a dark room flooded back..."

"He stepped aside, allowing them to enter, his gaze fixed on Wu Yin's face, 'Your body came from…'"

"He stopped mid-sentence as His Highness squeezed into the room, indicating the obvious answer that His Highness had traveled miles overnight just to deliver a body for his master."

"Reunited with its mother, the princess, it sat joyously wagging its tail in the corner, never closing its mouth."

"'Initially, I thought of calling the other mutants too, but just to be safe, I wanted you to see it first,' Wu Yin said abruptly."

"The underlying implication was somewhat chilling, startling Xue Hongyi, who was pouring hot water for them, nearly spilling it on himself, 'What do you mean? The video recorded in the ship's cabin is ready?'"

"Jie Linyuan remained silent, his left eye shifting from a human pupil to a projection lens, casting a beam of light that quickly focused on the mottled white wall. Soon, a shaky image appeared, along with muffled footsteps and the sound of human breathing."

"Xue Hongyi: '...' He began to understand why Wu Yin liked Jie Linyuan so much; he liked him too."

"—The projection clearly showed a dim corridor, carpeted floor, and the view of teal surgical scrubs swaying with each step."

"Wu Yin explained from the side, 'This is the fourth floor of the ship's cabin, where I was captured by the sailor.'"

"Hearing 'captured,' Xue Hongyi tensed up momentarily but, considering Wu Yin had already managed to escape thoroughly, he didn't immediately inquire further but continued to watch the video."

Soon, the view halted in front of a large screen. The black screen flickered and revealed the face of a middle-aged man with rough skin, eyes framed with deep wrinkles, and a fierce gaze fixed on the newcomers.

"The ferryman himself," Wu Yin stated succinctly. Xue Hongyi and His Highness immediately perked up, focusing intently on the screen.

The first-person perspective was clearly intimidated by this face, stuttering through the purpose of the visit: the artificial [core] stored in the cold storage was depleted, and he was sent by the chief assistant to retrieve a new artificial [core] from Room 5.

The ferryman grunted, the screen turned black again and retracted upwards, leaving a narrow passage open.

Something terrifying was likely hidden in Room 5. The first-person perspective took a deep breath before reaching for the access card, swiped it, and entered the password.

The door slowly opened, revealing a room filled with various precise instruments, separated by glass doors, and numerous cultivation dishes of all sizes, soaking indistinguishable, bizarre organs.

However, the most conspicuous was a large cylindrical vessel in the center of the room, like an aquarium for viewing, filled with a glowing blue transparent nutrient solution. In addition, there was an adult man, completely unaware, sleeping in the nutrient solution with tubes inserted all over his body.

The recorder's first-person perspective seemed very afraid of the man in the nutrient solution, keeping his head down and hurrying to operate the instruments on the side, not daring to glance at the aquarium.

This caused Xue Hongyi and His Highness outside the projection to become extremely anxious, almost wishing they could rush into the screen to adjust the camera angle towards the man's face in the nutrient solution.

Wu Yin, on the other hand, was quite at ease, almost wanting to laugh when he caught a glimpse of the reactions of the two. Only Jie Linyuan knew that half an hour before, when the video transcription had just been completed, Wu Yin nearly crushed his hand at the sight of the nutrient tank. It was the first time he had seen Wu Yin so nervous that he sweated, eager yet fearful to learn the identity of the man tortured with tubes, dreading the sight of a familiar face.

It wasn't until all three artificial [cores] were securely placed in the cold storage that the video's first-person view relaxed, lifting his head. The camera inadvertently captured the true face of the man sleeping in the nutrient solution.

It was a face unknown to them.

Not the person Wu Yin had imagined... Fortunately, for otherwise, Wu Yin did not know what he might have done.

It was only when the outcome became clear that Wu Yin dared to relax, retrospectively insisting with false bravado, "I knew it wasn't my true self. Yir cherishes that body too much. Even if he had made a deal with the ferryman, he would never agree to hand over my true self for his use."

Hearing this, Jie Linyuan was momentarily at a loss for words. Considering that Wu Yin had not directly answered his previous question about regaining his memory, he hesitated and eventually chose not to ask.

Oddly enough, although Wu Yin didn't recognize the person submerged in the nutrient solution, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity emanating from him, even feeling drawn to him while aboard the ship.

Judging by Xue Hongyi's reaction, it seemed he shared the same sentiment as Wu Yin, perhaps even more intensely, as he suddenly jumped up from his chair in a more exaggerated manner than Wu Yin had reacted earlier.

"Who is he?" Xue Hongyi asked impatiently, slamming his fist on the table, "Who?!"

Just the sight of an image causing such a strong reaction, Wu Yin could hardly imagine if Xue Hongyi were in the situation he had been in yesterday, whether he would completely lose his sanity.

"He looks so familiar to me," Xue Hongyi continued agitatedly, "Who is it—who is it—who?!"

"The artificial [core] is derived from his blood," Jie Linyuan explained, pausing the video at a particular frame for emphasis, "Humans implanted with the artificial [core] can control aberrations, which are born from the pollution, and mutants arise from these aberrations. From this, we can boldly speculate that this man's genes are the origin of the calamitous pollution."

Wu Yin added, "The ferryman initially conducted parasitic experiments on him and, after failing, returned to the continent through the northern port carrying the source of the calamity, as he was an immune carrier himself and showed no symptoms, but it's certain that some of his companions were parasitized by then, spreading the calamity to the inland."

Xue Hongyi continued to bang on the table furiously, looking utterly insane, prompting Jie Linyuan to shut off the projector and shake his head, "It's a good thing we conducted an experiment on him first; otherwise, with six mutants thrashing about here, they'd smash the concrete floor to bits..."

"To develop a vaccine against the calamitous pollution, this man is key," Wu Yin said. "We need to find a way to get to this man, or at the very least, obtain his genes."

"Leave this matter to me," Xue Hongyi exclaimed excitedly.

"The last thing we should do is leave this to you mutants," Jie Linyuan firmly objected, "Look at yourself now; your eyes are even redder than mine."

"I really think he looks familiar," Xue Hongyi muttered, scratching his head, "Have I seen him somewhere before?"

"A familiarity in the blood?" Wu Yin frowned, "It's impossible for you to have met him."

Jie Linyuan fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Actually, he looks somewhat familiar to me too. Could he be from the southern camp?"

"If that's the case, then the theory that he's the origin of the calamitous pollution would be debunked."

……

As their speculation strayed further off course, Wu Yin couldn't help but interject, "Neither of you could have met him. He was a researcher who lived symbiotically on Experimental Island with Gengwu for many years. Are you saying you two went to Experimental Island four years ago?"

At this, Jie Linyuan and Xue Hongyi were instantly silenced. Xue Hongyi was somewhat clueless, but Wu Yin and Jie Linyuan understood the gravity of the information conveyed.

Wu Yin indeed had recovered many past memories, but for some reason, he seemed reluctant to discuss this matter.

Sensing the mood was off, Xue Hongyi licked his lips and stepped back, "I'll... I'll go listen to the summary of last night's work from my subordinates." With that, he cursed his own perceptiveness as he hurried out the door.

"You really won't tell me?" Jie Linyuan was the first to break the silence, "Just nod, and I won't ask further."

"..." Wu Yin cast a quick glance at him then looked away, like a wronged calabash.

For the first time, Jie Linyuan swore he saw hesitation and shrinkage on Wu Yin's face.

After a long silence, and Jie Linyuan preparing for the worst, Wu Yin finally spoke hesitantly, "I made a mistake. Strictly speaking, that body isn't mine."

“……”

Jie Linyuan's tense nerves instantly relaxed, "That's it?"

Wu Yin looked at him again, as if his gaze was asking: Isn't this serious enough?

"So it's not. So what?" Jie Linyuan pulled Wu Yin into his embrace, "You are you, regardless of appearance."

Wu Yin also hugged Jie Linyuan back, and the two quietly comforted each other for a while before Jie Linyuan suddenly asked, "...Wait, what do you mean 'strictly speaking, it's not yours'? So, loosely speaking, it is yours?"

"The original body belongs to my twin brother," Wu Yin explained.

Jie Linyuan wasn't surprised to learn Wu Yin had a twin brother. Hearing it from Wu Yin gave him a sense of the virtual persona he had imagined now having a real form: "I see... well, as long as the rightful owner of the body isn't someone like Jia Chen, it's not too bad."

"Yes, we are chimeras. During embryonic development, I was absorbed by him, becoming an organ within him, which is the [core]..."

"Hold on!" Jie Linyuan abruptly interrupted, realizing he might have been too quick to react, asking with a forced calm, "A chimera, you were absorbed to become an organ?"

"Right," Wu Yin nodded, "We can say we share the same body, so loosely speaking, the body is also mine, but strictly speaking, the body is his, and I'm just an organ within it."

"..." Jie Linyuan felt a strange soreness in his eyes, his scalp tensing even more, lips pressed tightly, his throat extremely dry, "So... the real you, is a [core]?"

Wu Yin hesitated unusually, taking a while before nodding again: "Yes."

Jie Linyuan closed his eyes.

He had gone from dating a person to dating a parasite, and now he was told his partner was actually just an organ, resembling a dark red urinating cow pellet.

"It's you who insisted on asking out of excessive curiosity," Wu Yin said coldly, "If you despise me, I'll kill you."

Jie Linyuan opened his eyes to glare at him reproachfully, "Aren't you going to give me a moment to be shocked by such a horrifying revelation?"

"So, are you done being shocked?"

"...I'm done being shocked," Jie Linyuan wrapped his arms around Wu Yin again, "What a curious lover, no, a beloved orb, I like it."

“……”

……

Perhaps because his earlier actions were too assertive, Xue Hongyi was not entirely satisfied with his own performance. Just as the two people in the room had finished sharing a moment and were preparing to enjoy some intimacy, he rushed in, bringing with him a message of equal horror and shock: "Professor Jie is missing! According to people at the factory, he left yesterday evening with a man wearing a leather jacket and hasn’t returned since."