Chapter 5
The gray-haired man didn’t care about Shen Yuzhe’s anger or reveal his future fate. He simply said, “Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said.” He reached out and pressed a row of buttons on the armrest of his wheelchair. The door that had silently closed earlier opened again.
“Mr. Zou, what are your orders?” a person approached, speaking respectfully.
“Take him to see Dr. Qi for a physical examination. Once the tests are complete, immediately prepare for Project WSD1821.”
“Understood.” The person pushed Shen Yuzhe out of the study.
This time, Shen Yuzhe wasn’t blindfolded. Perhaps the gray-haired man had confirmed that he wouldn’t resist or attempt to escape, that he posed no danger. Thus, he was allowed to witness everything around him.
Outside the study was a long corridor adorned with classical paintings on both walls, depicting lifelike portraits of people.
Shen Yuzhe knew those were miniature people.
Walking through the corridor, the light grew brighter, and they reached a vast floor-to-ceiling glass window. Sunlight bathed the marble floor, giving it a golden sheen.
Shen Yuzhe was pushed to the elevator at the window’s edge, and only then did he realize they were on a high floor.
Outside the window spread a vast garden, its boundaries almost indiscernible.
Had they brought him to some desolate wilderness? The city certainly didn’t have such a vast garden.
However, Shen Yuzhe noticed something strange about the garden. Normally, in a human-designed garden, you could see the main pathways from an overhead view. But below, all he could see were thick clusters of flowers, bushes, ponds, and low mounds of earth, densely packed.
“What is that?” Shen Yuzhe couldn’t help but ask the person behind him who was pushing him.
“Oh,” the person hesitated for a moment. While pushing Shen Yuzhe into the elevator, he replied casually, “That’s the Miniature World Experiment Base.”
“…Do miniature people live down there?” Shen Yuzhe was astonished.
“Yes.”
“…”
The elevator was made of glass. As it descended, Shen Yuzhe looked down at the panoramic view of the garden. The distance was too great to discern details below, but it seemed as though he saw something, his face a mask of fear.
The designer of this layout probably wanted to experience the feeling of looking down on beings as a deity…
What a lunatic!
The elevator stopped on the third floor. After several turns, they crossed several aerial walkways. Eventually, Shen Yuzhe was handed over to “Dr. Qi.”
Dr. Qi was unexpectedly young, probably in his early thirties. He wore a white coat, glasses without frames, and had a somewhat gentle demeanor.
“Are you Shen Jiyun?” Dr. Qi smiled as he looked at Shen Yuzhe in the wheelchair, pushing him into the lab.
He was accompanied by two assistants wearing hats and masks, making it impossible to discern their features or expressions.
Then came the so-called “examination”: blood samples were drawn, photos were taken, brain CT scans were done…
Shen Yuzhe couldn’t move and was subject to their manipulations. He felt incredibly nervous, afraid they might retest his “data” or examine his fingerprints, discovering he was a counterfeit Shen Jiyun.
Especially after all the tests were done, Dr. Qi sat in front of him, repeatedly comparing the data, looking at him thoughtfully several times. During those moments, Shen Yuzhe felt his heart race beyond a hundred and eight beats per minute.
Fortunately, Dr. Qi eventually closed the data and made a decision. “Everything is normal. Prepare the subject and equipment for consciousness transfer in thirty minutes.”
Shen Yuzhe let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He lowered his gaze, looking at his own hands, and belatedly felt a surge of sadness.
He had just received a recommendation to a national university, had recently turned eighteen, and had made some good friends…
But now, he was going to die.
He would forget everything and become an unknown creature, unsure whether he still counted as a human.
Dr. Qi, who was bustling around beside him, glanced at him as if sensing his sorrow. Suddenly, he said, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Shen Yuzhe was taken aback. “Tell you what?”
“Anything you’d like. You still have thirty minutes,” Dr. Qi said gently, looking at his watch.
Recalling his conversation with the gray-haired man, Shen Yuzhe self-mockingly said, “A final statement?”
Dr. Qi straightened up, hands in his pockets, and smiled. “If that’s how you see it, then sure, since in half an hour, you might even forget how to speak.”
Shen Yuzhe fell silent for a moment, then asked, “What will you do with my original body? Will you preserve it?”
Seeing the advanced equipment here, if those people preserved his body, he might still have a chance to regain his memories, even if that chance was only 0.001%.
But Dr. Qi’s next words extinguished the remaining 0.001% of Shen Yuzhe’s hope: “In the Miniature World, there are tens of thousands of first-generation miniature people. Where would we find enough space to store the remains of each individual? Unless the brain is valuable enough to be preserved, under normal circumstances, after the successful transfer of consciousness, we’ll observe for twenty-four hours. If there are no accidents with the new life form, we’ll only keep an original cell sample and data. The original body will be cremated.”
As Dr. Qi stated these facts, his expression and tone remained surprisingly gentle.
Shen Yuzhe felt his hair stand on end. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “If my body is of no use to you, can you give it to my younger brother?”
Dr. Qi furrowed his brows. “I can’t make that decision; you’ll have to ask Mr. Zou.”
Shen Yuzhe gripped the armrest of his wheelchair tightly. “I want to see him!”
Dr. Qi placed his hand on Shen Yuzhe’s shoulder and casually picked up a holographic tablet from the table, connecting to Mr. Zou’s network call.
The holographic screen displayed the lazy face of the gray-haired man.
“Mr. Zou, Shen Jiyun has concerns about the handling of his original body,” Dr. Qi said and handed the tablet to Shen Yuzhe.
The gray-haired man sounded a bit impatient. “Tsk, quite demanding.”
Shen Yuzhe didn’t want to waste time. He immediately conveyed his request, “I recently had a conflict with Wang Chaolin from the Overseas International School. He’s been trying to get back at me, and if you’ve investigated me, you probably know that.”
The gray-haired man responded, “I’ve heard some rumors.”
Shen Yuzhe continued, “Wang Chaolin once threatened to take my life.”
The gray-haired man sneered, thinking Shen Yuzhe was implying that Wang Chaolin wanted to snatch him away. “So what? Kids like him boast and make empty threats. Are you actually taking him seriously?”
Shen Yuzhe sensed from the gray-haired man’s response that the man didn’t take Wang Chaolin seriously at all, which indirectly hinted that the Wang family might not be as terrifying as he thought.
He relaxed slightly and quickly explained, “That’s not what I mean. My younger brother knows about my conflict with Wang Chaolin. If he thinks that Wang Chaolin killed me, even if he wants to avenge me, he’ll only go after Wang Chaolin, not suspect you or cause trouble for you.”
The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow, displaying some interest. “Are you suggesting we pin your death on Wang Chaolin?”
Shen Yuzhe replied, “Yes, if my brother believes that Wang Chaolin is responsible for my death, he won’t target you, and he won’t come looking for trouble.”
The gray-haired man chuckled. “So, if Wang Chaolin thinks you’re dead, he won’t have a target for revenge. And he might even end up in legal trouble. He won’t have the time to blame your brother due to his conflicts with you. Two birds with one stone… Ha, you’re really concerned about your brother.”
Shen Yuzhe stared at the screen, eagerly awaiting the gray-haired man’s response.
The gray-haired man reclined in his chair, smirking. “However, you’re so clever. After the modification, you’ll definitely be a perfect creation. I’m almost reluctant to sell you.”
Shen Yuzhe remained silent.
After thinking for a moment, the gray-haired man finally adopted a magnanimous tone. “I’ve always hated seeing blood, but considering you’ve been cooperative from beginning to end, I’ll agree to your request. I’ll arrange for your body to be taken care of, and it’ll be left in a place frequently visited by Wang Chaolin. However, be warned that the manner of death might not be pleasant. Don’t blame me then.”
Shen Yuzhe replied, “I won’t…”
With this final troublesome matter resolved for his brother, leaving behind a full corpse as a memento, Shen Yuzhe wasn’t expecting anything more.
Handing the holographic tablet back to Dr. Qi, Shen Yuzhe sat quietly in his wheelchair, awaiting the transfer of consciousness.
After about fifteen minutes, he was pushed into another laboratory. The laboratory was divided into two spaces by glass—a consciousness transfer chamber on the left and a body placed inside a constant temperature chamber on the right.
Shen Yuzhe was lifted into the transfer chamber and laid down. When he turned his head, he could see through the glass to the other side—his own miniature person.
This was the first time he had observed such a peculiar life form up close. The face, the size of a thumbnail, featured delicate and exquisite features. The limbs were curled up, resembling the appearance of a fetus about to be born from its mother… The little figure’s chest rose and fell, unmistakably alive.
Shen Yuzhe had an affinity for biology; he frequently looked up various biological information while studying. The stranger and more peculiar, the more interested he was. He had even dreamed of becoming a scientist like Barton.
However, the irony was that at this moment, he wasn’t the one conducting research and experiments; he had become the experimental subject on the table.
From a different perspective, all he had left was fear!
Dr. Qi personally conducted the final tests on the equipment and prepared to place the helmet with metallic probes on his head.
Just then, Shen Yuzhe mustered some strength from somewhere and suddenly grabbed Dr. Qi’s wrist with a forceful grip, as if holding onto a last straw. He stuttered, his breath ragged, almost unable to speak.
Dr. Qi remained unfazed. “What’s wrong?”
As Shen Yuzhe couldn’t hold back his request, he pleaded, “If you ever meet someone who looks exactly like me, could you please tell him that I’m not dead…”
Dr. Qi hesitated for a couple of seconds, then spoke softly, “I’m sorry, I can’t disclose anything about what happens here to anyone.”
Shen Yuzhe’s expression stiffened, and he trembled as he released his grip on Dr. Qi’s hand, allowing it to fall to his side.
However, Dr. Qi didn’t proceed immediately. He hesitated for a moment and then explained, “The process of consciousness transfer takes five to ten seconds. Theoretically, during this time, the thoughts in your brain can be perceived by the other body.”
Shen Yuzhe’s eyes widened suddenly. He understood—the memories would be shared before the connection between the two bodies was severed!
Meaning, he wouldn’t forget everything…
Seeing his realization, Dr. Qi smiled. “If fate permits, you can tell him in person if you meet again.”
With that, without any delay, he placed the helmet over Shen Yuzhe’s head, and Shen Yuzhe’s surroundings went completely dark.
“Preparations complete, initiate transfer…” Shen Yuzhe heard Dr. Qi’s muffled voice from within the transfer chamber.
Shen Yuzhe quickly forced himself to recall the things he deemed most important—his name, his brother’s name, why he was here, and what he was becoming. He reminded himself to remember that he was human, not a miniature person.
His scalp felt like it was pricked by a subtle electric current. In an instant, his active recollections were forcefully severed, and his mind unexpectedly flooded with memories he hadn’t anticipated.
Cuddled next to his brother in a crib just after birth, the cute gray rabbit they had raised at the age of five, his brother rushing to protect him from bullying neighbors at the age of eight, nearly drowning at twelve while learning to swim, wailing uncontrollably when his parents died at fifteen, and the two of them leaning on each other since then…
Eighteen years of life memories played like a revolving lantern, rapidly displaying in his mind beyond his control.
Until the end, an image suddenly sprang forth in his mind.
The person’s face was somewhat blurry, but the outline indicated that he was quite handsome.
Not his brother, not his father, but a completely unfamiliar stranger to Shen Yuzhe.
The person walked toward him, placed a six-pointed star in his hand, and said, “Don’t forget me.”
The voice was gentle and affectionate, carrying a sense of familiarity.
Shen Yuzhe asked in bewilderment, “Who are you…?”
The next second, his mind went blank.
