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墨書 Inktalez
The blinding white light, the cold metallic touch, and the sharp pain at my neck.
Then, an endless darkness.
I had no idea how long I had been unconscious.
When I regained consciousness, it was jolted awake by a severe headache.
I found myself bound to a cold metal bed, my wrists, ankles, and even my forehead locked in place by hard metallic cuffs.
The light was harsh and bright, making it impossible for me to open my eyes.
The strong smell of disinfectant was even more potent than what I had encountered in the abandoned laboratory—more pure, more... familiar.
I suddenly opened my eyes wide.
This place...
The walls were cold white tiles, and the ceiling was fitted with large shadowless lights. Various precision instruments with blinking indicators emitted a low hum.
On one wall hung several large charts filled with complex molecular structures and... a grotesque, serpentine pattern that looped back on itself!
"The Ouroboros Project..."
The charts were labeled in cold, unfeeling Song typeface.
This place... was almost identical to the scenes from my fragmented, painful flashbacks!
I... I had been here before?!
"Sample 'Ouroboros' shows clear signs of awakening; prepare for preliminary memory exploration."
A voice devoid of emotion echoed in the room, sounding as if it came from a synthesizer.
I twisted my body, trying to break free, but the restraints held firm.
Fear gnawed at my nerves like countless icy insects.
Several figures clad in white sterile suits and wearing transparent face shields approached me, their movements precise and efficient, as if handling a lifeless object.
A metal helmet covered in fine electrodes was roughly clamped onto my head.
Cold gel trickled down my temples, sending shivers through me.
"Exploration begins."
"Buzz—!"
An indescribable surge of sharp energy flooded into my brain in an instant!
"Ahhh—!"
I let out a piercing scream, feeling as if my skull were being pried open. Countless fragments of memories, emotions, and images were violently stirred, pulled apart, and examined by a brutal force!
Those cherished warm memories of Zhou Yu, those fragments that proved I "once was human," transformed into torture inflicted upon me!
"Memory module... abnormal encryption detected... core data unreadable..."
"Increase power!"
"Sample exhibiting strong resistance! Physiological indicators... rapidly deteriorating!"
The cold voices intertwined in my ears, but I could no longer discern what they were saying.
My consciousness floated amidst the agony, as if it were about to be completely torn apart.
Just when I felt that this force was about to completely destroy me—
"The Ouroboros... dangerous..."
A weak, tearful voice of a girl pierced through the layers of pain like a faint light, resonating deep within my mind.
It was that mysterious little girl!
I seemed to see her blurry figure standing among the cold instruments, tears streaming down her face as she desperately reached out to me, as if trying to help me resist this invading force.
Her appearance was like a shot of adrenaline, allowing my chaotic consciousness to grasp a fleeting clarity that was on the verge of collapse.
No... I can't... I can't let them succeed!
I didn't know where the strength came from, but I suddenly tensed every muscle in my body and used all my willpower to resist the force invading my brain.
"Warning! Warning! Abnormal fluctuations detected in the sample's energy field! Scanning equipment... overload!"
A piercing alarm blared.
The electrodes on the helmet erupted with a series of dazzling sparks, and then with a loud crack, all the instruments instantly went dark.
The tearing pain also vanished along with it.
I gasped for air, feeling utterly drained, cold sweat soaking the metal bed beneath me.
Was it... the little girl who saved me?
Or was it... myself?
"Master Scavenger, preliminary scanning has failed. The memory core of sample 'Ouroboros' has an unknown protective mechanism; forcibly reading it poses too high a risk," a researcher reported tremblingly to a silent figure in the corner of the room.
The figure wearing a grotesque metal mask slowly turned around.
Even from a distance, I could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from him.
"Waste," he spat out coldly, "It seems that 'the Master’s' arrangements are more thorough than we imagined."
"The Master..." Again, it was "the Master"!
The Scavenger approached my bedside, looking down at me from above. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, seemed to scrutinize me like an interesting specimen.
"Sample 'Ouroboros,'" he began slowly, "your 'malfunction' appears to be more severe than anticipated. But that's alright; we have plenty of time and means to... 'format' you."
Format?!
The word struck my heart like an ice pick.
They want... to erase everything about me?! To turn me into a complete blank slate? Or... implant whatever they desire?
"What... what do you want?!" I shouted hoarsely, even though I knew it was futile.
The Scavenger seemed to chuckle lightly; that laughter echoed eerily from behind the metal mask: "We just want you to 'return to normal,' sample. After all, the 'Ouroboros Project' does not allow for any uncontrollable variables."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of... anticipation?
"Or perhaps we could try to... 'activate' your true potential.
Let’s see what a fully awakened 'Ouroboros' can truly achieve."
Activate? Format?
I realized that I—or rather, this identity of 'Ouroboros'—was not merely a 'sample' they wanted to reclaim but also something that could be exploited, transformed, or even 'upgraded.'
And I was like an insect trapped in a spider's web; no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't escape this enormous net woven by 'Soul Crossing', by 'the Master', and by that damned 'Ouroboros Project.'
"Take him to Isolation Zone Three," the Scavenger ordered his subordinates. "Increase the monitoring level. I don't want any more accidents before the next 'synchronization' experiment begins."
Synchronization?
Another word that sent chills down my spine.
I was released from my restraints and roughly dragged away. My body was weak from the earlier pain, barely able to stand.
As I was pulled out of this nightmare-filled laboratory, I passed several transparent isolation chambers. Inside... were some "failed samples" similar to those I had seen in the abandoned lab.
Some were grotesquely distorted, while others resembled true walking corpses, their eyes vacant and their bodies filled with various tubes, sustaining the bare minimum of life signs.
Is this... my kind?
Is this what happens if I "malfunction" beyond repair or if the "activation" fails?
A bone-chilling dread surged from my feet straight to the top of my head.
I was locked in a small room with cold metal walls. There were no windows, only a harsh light emitting a ghastly white glow.
The door slammed shut behind me with a resounding clang.
I curled up in the cold corner, trembling all over.
My mind was a chaotic mess.
I am the Ouroboros.
A "sample."
A thing that could be "formatted" or "activated."
The death of Zhou Yu, my constructed past, and that mysterious little girl... all truths pointed toward the abyss known as "Ouroboros."
What should I do?
Can I still... escape?
Or am I destined to become a sacrifice for this plan?
I cannot... I cannot just accept my fate!
I must know the truth!
Even if... that truth will utterly destroy me.
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