Chapter 4
In fact, after hearing about it from his brother that day, Shen Yuzhe had looked it up online. Although he couldn’t access the “Dark Web,” he had still found some explanations.
If the regular internet used by people was just the tip of the iceberg, then the Dark Web was the submerged part of the iceberg.
The world we see is just what the rulers on the surface are willing to show us, while the entire iceberg above and below the water’s surface is the true nature of the world.
But, what did it mean when this man said his brother was making moves on the Dark Web? Why did his brother want to attract this person’s attention?
…
Damn it!
Shen Yuzhe clenched his fists, annoyed at his ignorance about his brother’s actions in secret.
Following the previous exchange, he tentatively asked, “Since you are a deity, what can you do for me? Fulfill my wishes?”
“…Wishes?” The gray-haired man seemed to find something amusing in those words and burst into laughter. He emitted a low chuckle from his throat, causing the bones of his shoulders and upper body to twitch in tandem.
After a good dozen seconds, he gradually calmed down, adopting a joking tone as he said, “Sure, tell me about your last wish.”
…Last wish?
Shen Yuzhe’s face turned grim.
—He had just made a wrong judgment.
If Shen Jiyun indeed tried to attract this person’s attention and wanted to find him on the Dark Web, why would they use this kind of method to “invite” him over? Tracking him, pointing guns at him, injecting muscle relaxants – how was this different from kidnapping?
It should be the opposite—Shen Jiyun definitely wouldn’t want to draw this man’s attention!
However, he had still been found out, and they had brought him here in this manner, wanting his life…
Shen Yuzhe’s brain raced, and his palms were sweaty. “You know I don’t want to meet you.”
The gray-haired man flashed a chilling smile. “That’s precisely why I chose you.”
Suppressing his trembling voice, Shen Yuzhe asked, “Why me?”
“Based on what you know, I should have killed you. But after looking at your data, I changed my mind.” The gray-haired man pulled out a few pages of documents from a file rack on the desk and read aloud, “Shen Jiyun, IQ of 197, Brain Activity Index of 96, Physical Fitness Index of 99… Remarkable data, quite suitable for modification.” He tapped the edge of the papers and let out an admiring remark.
…Modification? Modify what?
Shen Yuzhe’s pupils contracted, and his gaze met with the terrified figure inside the glass box.
The man placed the documents back, extending his slender fingers to gently tap the edge of the box. “Instead of dying in vain, wouldn’t you prefer to have a new life?”
With each tap that resonated through the box, the figure inside curled up even tighter, covering its ears in fear.
Shen Yuzhe couldn’t bear to look any longer. He pleaded with the gray-haired man, “If I don’t reveal what I know and promise not to go to the Dark Web again, can you…”
The gray-haired man interrupted him expressionlessly, “How do you think your parents died? Only the dead can keep secrets. When you met me, there was no way back to your original world.”
Shen Yuzhe’s heart sank completely.
So, everything was related to his parents’ deaths. He knew it. His brother could never come to terms with that incident.
The assassin organization armed with guns…
The mysterious group with a private plane…
The man who claimed to be a deity, sitting in a wheelchair…
The miniature figure imprisoned in a glass box…
All these fantastical events that had taken place within a few hours were too surreal and unbelievable for Shen Yuzhe.
However, what drove Shen Yuzhe to despair was that this wasn’t a dream but a reality even more terrifying than a nightmare.
“Are you really going to fulfill my last wish?” Shen Yuzhe asked.
The gray-haired man blinked slightly, looking at him with amusement. “Tell me? Depending on my mood.”
Shen Yuzhe: “Save my little brother. He’s just a bookworm who knows nothing.”
The gray-haired man smirked. “Indeed, I’ve investigated. He’s far more obedient than you.”
The gray-haired man continued, “Besides, he falls short of you in every aspect. I’m not interested in him.”
Shen Yuzhe: “…”
The gray-haired man tilted his head and asked, “But, if he discovers you’re dead, won’t he want to avenge you? Just like how you found out there was something wrong with your parents’ death and kept it from me.”
Shen Yuzhe: “While he falls short of me in every way, there’s one aspect in which he surpasses me.”
Gray-haired man: “What is it?”
Shen Yuzhe said self-deprecatingly, “He wouldn’t be foolishly stubborn and overestimate his abilities.”
The gray-haired man chuckled. “Heh, I see you have some self-awareness.”
Shen Yuzhe: “Can you promise me?”
The gray-haired man nodded. “As long as he remains obedient, I can spare him, let him live his life as an innocent bookworm.”
With the assurance he sought, Shen Yuzhe felt as though his wish had been fulfilled. If his previous ignorance could save his brother’s life, he was grateful for knowing nothing.
He just hoped his brother could somehow sense what was happening and not sacrifice himself in vain.
He looked again at the glass box containing the miniature figure, embracing his fate: “You mentioned ‘new life,’ does that mean turning me into that form?”
The gray-haired man caressed the outer wall of the glass box. “Yes. How does that sound? Are you looking forward to it?”
Shen Yuzhe: “…”
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuzhe said, “Even if I don’t know how you shrunk people, if I’m still alive, won’t I still ‘know’ your secret?”
The gray-haired man glanced at the miniature figure inside the box and chuckled. “Do you think this only shrinks normal people? Ha, this isn’t a magical world, you know.”
He picked up a small remote control nearby and pressed a button. Suddenly, a large holographic screen popped up above the writing desk.
The image flickered, revealing a close-up of a photograph—a human body immersed in a pale blue liquid. To Shen Yuzhe’s astonishment, the facial features resembled his own.
The gray-haired man adjusted the photo’s size, shrinking it further to show the full image.
With various surrounding instruments for comparison, Shen Yuzhe was amazed to see that it was a miniature version of himself, perfectly proportioned!
With enthusiasm, the gray-haired man introduced to Shen Yuzhe, “This was cultivated starting from the genetically modified cell nucleus taken from you in the lab half a year ago. Impressive growth rate, isn’t it? Hehe.”
Shen Yuzhe was utterly dumbfounded.
“Why do you have my cells…” or rather, Shen Jiyun’s cells.
But even before Shen Yuzhe voiced the question, he realized how foolish it was. Obtaining a cell wasn’t difficult at all. Just a minor scuffle, and someone could easily get a sample of his brother’s blood.
As expected, the gray-haired man didn’t answer his question but continued, “We’ve conducted countless experiments. Unfortunately, life forms cloned through somatic cells lack self-awareness.”
Shen Yuzhe: “No self-awareness?”
“In short, they possess life but not a soul. This problem hasn’t been solved in the realm of science. Perhaps only a true ‘deity’ would know,” the gray-haired man pointed upwards, and the holographic screen flashed, showing an image of a strange device.
He continued, “So, we need this device to establish a neural connection between the original and the miniature clone, enabling consciousness transfer. The self-awareness of the first-generation miniature clones was transmitted through this method.”
Shen Yuzhe: “…”
This wasn’t the first time Shen Yuzhe had heard the scientific explanation of the “soul transfer technique.” He had read several research papers on the topic before. However, he had always thought of these theories as theoretical musings on paper, never imagining they would be a reality.
The gray-haired man looked at him, smiling, “Here’s the question: when consciousness is transferred, do you still think you’re the same you?”
A shiver ran down Shen Yuzhe’s spine.
He understood now. Human memories were stored in the hippocampus of the brain. If the hippocampus was removed, memories would vanish. But the hippocampus of the cloned miniature body was blank.
It was like two identical computers; if you transferred the power source from one to another, it wouldn’t take the data stored in the first computer’s hard drive.
So, when his consciousness was transferred to the miniature body, he wouldn’t retain his original memories.
He would be an entirely new individual, only surviving in a different form.
This was what the gray-haired man called “new life.”
“Do you understand?” The man assumed Shen Yuzhe was as ignorant as Shen Jiyun and explained a series of theories to him. Finally, he said, “When you become a miniature person, you’re like a newborn baby, unaware of who created you, who modified you.”
The gray-haired man showed Shen Yuzhe numerous pictures—people engaged in various activities, some running under bamboo, others gathered around eating something, and a few fighting large monsters.
As he looked at the images, Shen Yuzhe finally realized where the eerie feeling came from.
In the pictures, the bamboo turned out to be grass; the group of people eating something was just eating a regular ear of corn, and the monster they were fighting was actually an ordinary rat.
The gray-haired man said, “If we place you in a closed world populated only by miniature people, preventing you from seeing normal humans, you might even believe that you were born this way. Hahaha…”
Shen Yuzhe felt chilled to the bone, his mind racing with terrifying thoughts.
He also understood why the gray-haired man could talk so freely in front of him, show him these pictures. The gray-haired man treated him as someone on the brink of death, completely unconcerned that he would “reborn” and learn about these secrets.
No wonder… when the man first claimed to be a “deity,” for the oblivious miniature people, he truly appeared to be an all-knowing, all-powerful “deity.”
The gray-haired man had enjoyed Shen Yuzhe’s increasingly horrified expression enough. He turned off the holographic screen and said, “Nevertheless, you should be grateful for your naturally good genes. You won’t need to enter that savage miniature world for the time being.”
Shen Yuzhe had long been furious at the brutal reality before him. “What do you mean?”
The gray-haired man grinned and pointed at the glass box on the table. “Three months ago, someone had already reserved you.”
Shen Yuzhe was stunned. Would he end up like the tiny figure in the glass box, imprisoned and treated as a plaything for others? Damn it, he might as well go to the miniature world!