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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 15: Reformatted Rebirth and the Scarred Tomorrow
Uploading consciousness to become an eternal prisoner in the Digital Prison? Or, along with the girl I vowed to protect, being completely erased from both the physical and informational realms, leaving not even a trace of our existence?
"Inceptor"—the scientific madman basking in the glory of being a former colleague of Tian Yucheng—still wore that smile of compassion for all beings, which in reality regarded human life as mere fodder. He stood like a lofty deity, waiting for me, this crawling insect, to make the “choice” he had long predetermined.
I gazed at Xiao Ya’s lifeless face on the holographic screen, then glanced at the cold, dazzling consciousness model that represented the so-called “digital ascension.” It felt as if my soul was first frozen into an ice block and then ignited by a surge of despair and madness erupting from hell, turning to ashes!
Damn your choices! Damn your evolution! Damn your pathetic lighthouse!
Death? Even if I die, I want to leave a few bloody fingerprints on your pristine white coat!
But… how? I was unarmed and controlled by that damned “Neural Interface,” which manipulated my emotions and physiological responses like a puppet. Any extreme physical resistance could instantly trigger the highest level of “Disciplinary Procedure.” Going head-to-head would be suicide.
I needed… an opportunity. A flaw. A button that could lead us both to destruction.
My gaze swept rapidly across this futuristic white cage. Flickering instruments, flowing code, floating screens… and that damn surveillance camera in the corner, always running! What was this madman doing—preaching to me or reporting his “achievements” to some hidden “higher-ups” or something else?!
And Xiao Ya! On the screen, she looked like a doll drained of its soul, but her last glance in the café—the silent shape of “escape,” that incomplete circle! And the half-erased cross on the wall of the abandoned factory! That was definitely not random! She was resisting! She was fighting in a way I hadn’t fully understood at the time!
“Frequency…” “Core Code…” “Only Xiao Ya might know how to unlock it…” “The key to the password lies in matching Frequency…” The words of Sister Wang and Tian Yucheng pieced together like fragments in my mind!
A wildly insane, nearly self-destructive thought split through my despair-laden consciousness like lightning!
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to suppress the violent tremors caused by anger and fear. I contorted my face into a twisted expression that looked like both crying and laughing as I turned to that man:
“I… I need some time… to digest all this…” I deliberately made my voice tremble from “overwhelming shock,” like a coward stunned by grand prospects yet unable to resist the temptation of “eternity.” “Uploading consciousness… really… does it completely free one from pain? What about Chan… how is she feeling now?”
I redirected the topic back to Xiao Ya, while my peripheral vision remained fixed on the inconspicuous surveillance camera.
The man seemed quite pleased with my "wavering," a smirk of superiority curling at the corners of his mouth as if he controlled everything. "Of course. The physical body is the root of all troubles, and emotions are obstacles to evolution. The cicada is undergoing the final stage of 'purification.' Soon, she will be able to shed those lowly, meaningless 'Cognitive Redundancies.' Her consciousness Frequency will perfectly synchronize with the 'Core Code' left by her father, connecting to the 'Beacon' in a pure and efficient form, achieving eternity."
"Perfectly synchronize with her father's... Core Code?" I seized this keyword, injecting just the right amount of fervent curiosity into my voice. "So the Core Code... is the essence of Mr. Tian's consciousness? The cicada... she is that unique key?"
"A key? Heh, more accurately, she is the only one capable of 'awakening' and 'navigating' this code without any loss—she is the Tuner." The man was clearly eager to showcase his "masterpiece." He stepped in front of the surveillance screen showing Xiao Ya, his tone filled with a creator's arrogance. "The Core Code is a foundational protocol constructed by Tian based on his own consciousness Frequency, leading to the gateway of consciousness digitization. And the cicada, her mental Frequency—or rather, her brain's specific gamma wave resonance pattern—has a natural and nearly perfect coupling with this code! Once she completes the final calibration, we can..."
At that moment, an unexpected change occurred!
On the holographic screen, Xiao Ya's surveillance image suddenly erupted into blinding static! She, who had been curled up and motionless, abruptly lifted her head! In her hollow eyes burned a terrifying light of determination! Her fingers trembled at an imperceptible Frequency, as if inputting some invisible command! Meanwhile, the silver bracelet on her wrist unleashed a destructive and frantically flickering blue-white arc!
[Alert! Alert! Target 'Cicada' consciousness Frequency severely overloaded! Unknown high-energy reverse command flow detected! Core Code Firewall breached! Attempting emergency shutdown!]
A piercing alarm echoed in my mind, far more intense than any previous warning! It wasn't directed at me! It was aimed at Xiao Ya! Or rather, at the entire system!
The man who had maintained his elegant demeanor suddenly turned pale and twisted in horror! He let out an incredulous scream and dashed toward the control panel, his hands frantically pounding on the virtual keyboard in an attempt to regain control!
"Impossible! Her suppression program is at the highest level! How could this happen?! Which link?! Which link went wrong?!" he roared in a fit of rage, veins bulging on his forehead.
Now's my chance! This is the moment I've been waiting for!
I summoned every ounce of strength I had accumulated since birth and launched myself like a cannonball toward the nearby large machine that was sparking with electricity—the one that looked most crucial!
I knew this might be like throwing an egg against a stone, but it was all I could do! Create greater chaos! Deal him a fatal blow!
【Emergency Alert! Node Delta-4 has gone completely out of control! Initiate the ultimate formatting procedure! Execute immediately!】
The warning in my mind transformed into a deathly wail! A searing pain shot through my left wrist, as if it were about to melt my entire arm away! In an instant, I was engulfed by an endless darkness!
But just before my consciousness sank into oblivion, I saw—
The surveillance feed of Xiao Ya exploded into a void!
All the screens in the control room went dark, leaving only the frantic flickering of emergency red lights! The piercing alarm echoed through the air!
The man let out a desperate scream that barely resembled human sound!
Then… everything fell silent.
…
When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the sharp scent of disinfectant and a pure white ceiling. Sunlight streamed through the window, bringing a warmth that felt like a distant memory.
I lay on a clean hospital bed, covered with freshly laundered white sheets. My left wrist was wrapped in thick bandages, but the sensation of being invaded by foreign objects and pierced by electric currents had completely vanished.
A woman in a white coat, wearing a mask and with sharp eyes, was checking my vital signs on the monitor.
"You're awake?" She glanced at me, her voice calm and steady. "How do you feel?"
"Where… am I?" My throat felt as dry as the Sahara Desert.
"A safe place," the female doctor said tersely. "You were caught up in an extremely dangerous case. It is over now. Aside from severe malnutrition and stress-induced neurosis, your body is mostly fine. As for the wound on your wrist..." She paused, "There were micro foreign objects inside... the structure is very complex. We did our utmost to remove them; most of their functions have been destroyed, but we cannot guarantee that there are no nano-level residues left. You will need to come back for regular check-ups."
Indeed... it couldn't be completely cleared? A heaviness settled in my heart, but I was soon overwhelmed by a sense of relief at having survived. At least I had regained control over most of my body.
"Xiao Ya... Tian Xiaoya? How is she?" I asked with all the strength I could muster, my heart tightening.
The doctor was silent for a moment, a complex look in her eyes. "She... survived. But her situation is very special. She forcibly activated a kind of countermeasure program similar to data overwrite that her father had left behind, which led to severe damage to the Core Code. Her own psyche has also suffered a tremendous shock and will require long-term, professional psychological rehabilitation. She... is incredibly brave."
Core Code backlash... Frequency overload... data overwrite countermeasure program... I understood! Tian Yucheng, that seemingly cowardly father, had anticipated this day long ago! He had planted a seed of mutual destruction within that dangerous "inheritance"! And Xiao Ya, that seemingly fragile girl, at the most critical moment, used her "Frequency" and unparalleled courage to trigger it! The half-erased cross was not a cry for help; it was her resolute decision to stop these madmen at any cost!
A tremendous impact, mixed with indescribable sadness, admiration, and relief, struck me instantly, and tears flowed unbidden down my cheeks.
"What about the Lighthouse Society? That man..."
"The main culprit has been apprehended. This is a tightly organized transnational criminal gang operating under the guise of high technology to conduct illegal mind control and endanger national information security." A deep voice came from the doorway as two serious-looking men in plain clothes entered. "We have been monitoring the abnormal signal sources and related activities of this group codenamed 'Lighthouse' for some time now; we finally managed to dismantle their core stronghold." He glanced at me. "We received an encrypted emergency alert from an unknown source; although the information was incomplete, it provided us with a crucial time window for our raid."
An alert? My heart stirred—was it from Monkey's side... or just a coincidence? I didn't ask and didn't want to know.
What followed felt like a long dream that kept repeating itself: questioning, documentation, confidentiality agreements... I disclosed everything I knew. They didn't make things difficult for me; they simply emphasized the sensitivity of the incident and the importance of confidentiality before letting me go.
I returned to my dilapidated studio. Everything inside was covered in dust as if a century had passed. I spent an entire day throwing everything out. Then, like a truly ordinary person, I bought a new computer and phone and re-applied for a bank card and ID.
Life seemed to have truly pressed the "format and restart" button.
But I knew that some things could never be truly deleted.
The faint scar on my left wrist resembles an ugly tattoo, constantly reminding me of that deeply ingrained nightmare. I suffer from severe insomnia and mild agoraphobia, feeling uncomfortable in both overly quiet and excessively noisy environments. I have a visceral aversion to all the advertisements promising to "change fate" and "unlock potential."
Sister Wang visited me once, bringing fruits and some nutritional supplements. She looked ten years older, but there was finally a glimmer of life in her eyes. She told me that Xiao Ya was at a private rehabilitation center, her condition fluctuating, but the doctors said her will to survive was strong. She didn’t ask for details; she just held my hand and repeatedly said “thank you.” I looked at her graying temples, wanting to say something comforting, but found myself unable to utter a complete sentence. All I could do was offer her a cigarette, watching her silently weep amidst the swirling smoke.
I no longer work as a detective. I found a job as a copywriter at a small advertising company, typing away at the screen every day, engaging in a battle of wits with clients, squeezing into the crowded subway during rush hours, living an extremely dull yet utterly… safe life as a corporate drone in this steel jungle.
Occasionally, in the dead of night, I would inexplicably open the link to that temporary file storage site run by the Russian. The photo documenting my "last words," capturing the cluttered rooftop, still hung there alone like an unclaimed tombstone. Its validity… still has a long way to go. The monkey probably hasn’t received that timed email with the code yet.
Perhaps he never will.
And that’s fine.
This city continues to buzz with traffic and flickering neon lights. In the online world, new "lighthouses" keep illuminating, attracting lost moths. I know that ambitious lunatics like Inceptor and shadows like the Lighthouse Society may never disappear; they merely change forms, lurking deeper in the darkness.
But at least I have experienced it firsthand and witnessed it. Even in the deepest darkness and despair, even when stripped of everything, the light of humanity—the indomitable spirit, the resistance, even the willingness to perish together—has never truly extinguished.
Just like Xiao Ya's resolute gaze at the end, just like this scar on my wrist that will never fade.
The dawn will always break.
Even if tomorrow remains scarred.
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