The night before the promotion

Chapter 22 The Man in the Mirror

Zhou Si took deep breaths repeatedly, trying to calm himself. His wrist was shaking a little, but he still held the phone tightly.

The Land of Elysium, the Transformation Technique, and the Qualified Persons Who Have Lost Contact...

Ever since the Xianyun accident, Zhou Si has always had a premonition that the accident that changed his life was not the end, but the beginning of another nightmare.

Finally, four years later, Zhou Si's prediction came true. The nightmare was lurking in the shadows, staring at him covetously.

"Pei Dong, do you have time?"

Zhou Si forced himself to calm down and sent a message to Pei Dong calmly.

Pei Dong responded promptly, "What's wrong?"

"I have nothing to do this afternoon. I want to go see you. Is that okay?" Zhou Si added, "To visit you in real life."

This time Pei Dong was silent for a long time.

Zhou Si could imagine Pei Dong’s conflicted look. His beautiful face was gone. Instead, there was just a zombie gradually rotting on the hospital bed.

No one wants to be seen in this miserable state by others, let alone a woman with such a strong self-esteem as Pei Dong.

Putting down his phone, Zhou Si waited anxiously. According to his inference, if the target of the Paradise is the qualified people who survived the Immortal Meteorite accident, then Pei Dong must be on their hunting list. Given Pei Dong's current condition, she would definitely not be able to protect herself.

Similarly, Zhou Si is also on the list.

Just when Zhou Si was about to lose his patience and was about to call Li Weiyu to ask him to help find Pei Dong's address, Pei Dong replied.

"Okay, I just hope you won't be too disappointed when you see me."

Below the message is the address location sent by Pei Dong.

"No, I'll see you later."

After replying the message, Zhou Si stood there in a daze for a while. According to Zhou Si's speculation about Pei Dong, he didn't think Pei Dong would be willing to see him, at least not so easily.

After locating Pei Dong's position, Zhou Si called an unmanned online taxi.

As he walked quickly to the door of the clinic, Zhou Si noticed the person-high mirror hanging next to the door, which could just reflect Zhou Si's entire body.

Zhou Si deliberately placed the mirror here to examine his spirit and soul.

Zhou Si slowed down his pace, and Zhou Si in the mirror also slowed down his pace - smiling at himself.

The person in the mirror asked, "Why, Doctor Zhou, are you going to see patients again?"

Zhou Si stared at the person in the mirror calmly. This time, the figure in the mirror did not become fragmented and chaotic like Luo Yong's that night, but was clear and bright, exactly the same as Zhou Si.

No, the person in the mirror is Zhou Si.

Seeing Zhou Si remained silent, the person in the mirror spoke again, "How ironic, Dr. Zhou. You say you don't care about the past or the so-called feathering technology, but look at yourself now. Look at what you look like."

Zhou Si stared at the person in the mirror. His previous panic and shock were gone. Instead, he was filled with excitement all over his body, like a shark that smelled blood, its dense teeth cutting through the water.

Suddenly, the person in the mirror took a step forward and pressed his hands on the mirror, as if trying to break out of the mirror world.

He doubted, "Doctor Zhou, is your practice of medicine really just for the sake of doing good deeds and accumulating virtues?"

"Admit it, you also have selfish desires, desires buried deep in your heart that only you and I know about."

Seeing that Zhou Si still didn't respond, the voice of the person in the mirror became low and evil, "Why don't you face your own desires? What are you resisting?

You know perfectly well... that you don't belong here."

A playful laugh came from the mirror, like countless birds chirping and flapping their wings beside Zhou Si's ears.

Zhou Si moved his arms with difficulty, as if he was fighting with another consciousness for control of his body. He took out the medicine bottle from his pocket and swallowed a few pills undone, as if a sharp stone was rolling through his throat.

Gradually, the disturbing laughter faded away, and with the effect of the drugs and the recovery of the spirit, the person in the mirror disappeared.

Only Zhou Si was left in the mirror.

After getting on the unmanned online taxi, Zhou Si called Li Weiyun.

"Any progress in your investigation?"

"The target has embedded his signal layer by layer, and the technical department is still tracking the traces he left in the mind recognition network."

Zhou Si understood what Li Weiyu said. What he meant was that there was no progress in the investigation.

"I found some new clues, Captain Li."

Zhou Si explained all his speculations to Li Weiyu.

After the call ended, Zhou Si looked out the car window as usual. Under the strong light of the day, the swarm of drones was not conspicuous. Although Zhou Si could not see them, he could hear the buzzing noise coming from the sky, as if the birds in the illusion followed him into reality, howling non-stop.

According to the information provided by Pei Dong, Zhou Si found her residence easily. When he arrived at the security door, Zhou Si was hesitant.

Pei Dong didn't want to reveal his morbid side to Zhou Si, and was Zhou Si ready to face this old friend who had been teased by fate?
Zhou Si recalled every little detail between the two of them and thought of his experiences at Shenwei Technology.

He remembered that in a team-building avatar competition, he and Pei Dong teamed up to blow up the avatars of other colleagues in the experimental field and won the gold medal of the competition. Another time, Zhou Si accidentally broke his leg during an experiment, and Pei Dong smiled and pushed his wheelchair for a month...

There were too many memories churning in Zhou Si's mind, until Zhou Si plucked up the courage and knocked on the security door. The clear and loud sound shattered all his thoughts.

After a moment, the electronic lock on the security door made a buzzing sound, and the door automatically opened, silently inviting Zhou Si to enter.

Zhou Si opened the door and said, "Pei Dong, I'm here to see you."

The windows in the room were wide open, and the breeze stirred the turbid air, washing them away one by one, but Zhou Si could still smell a hint of filth in this fresh air.

The living room was very tidy, as if the tenant had just moved out. There were no extra items, only a charging stand that looked like a shell standing in the corner.

Zhou Si walked towards the bedroom. When he was near the door, he remembered that he came to visit his friend but did not bring any gifts, not even some fruits.

Obviously, there was no chance for Zhou Si to make a new choice. He grabbed the door handle of the bedroom and mustered up the courage to push open the door.

The curtains in the room were wide open, and golden sunlight poured into the room. Dust rolled in the air like burning embers, exuding a warmth that touched the soul.

Zhou Si narrowed his eyes, and after adapting to the warm light, he could see the layout of the bedroom clearly. The familiar nursing avatar stood in one corner of the room, and on the other side were many nursing supplies. There were some water stains on the ground. Before Zhou Si came, Pei Dong nervously cleaned his room. "Good afternoon, Zhou Si."

A weak voice entered Zhou Si's ears. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a haggard and sickly face lying on the bed, forcing a smile at him.

"Pei... Pei Dong."

Zhou Si was in a trance for a moment. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, when he really faced Pei Dong, he couldn't help but feel an irreconcilable sadness in his heart.

"Are you ok?"

Zhou Si felt that he had said something nonsense, but in this situation, he could not say anything except those stereotyped polite words in his mind.

He came to Pei Dong's bed, where there was a low chair prepared for Zhou Si. He sat down next to Pei Dong and carefully looked at her face bathed in the light.

Pei Dong's head was slightly bald, covered only by a layer of soft plush. Her cheeks were unusually thin, as if carved by both time and illness. The skin that was as smooth as jade in her memory was now covered with traces of illness. The scars were like ancient totems, shocking. They were deeply engraved into the skin and even highlighted the outline of the bones underneath.

Zhou Si's brows were furrowed, and there was an unconcealable sadness in his eyes.

He couldn't help but stretch out his hand and wanted to touch Pei Dong's cheek, but his fingers became hesitant at the moment they were about to touch.

In the end, Zhou Si just touched her skin most gently with his fingertips. It felt as if he was touching an ancient mummy. His heart was full of awe and pity, fearing that if he used a little more force, this person as fragile as glass would turn into powder and blow away by the wind.

"I'm not good," Pei Dong replied with a smile, "very, very bad, Zhou Si."

Zhou Si didn't know what to say, he just kept talking.

"Feel sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's not you who caused this."

Pei Dong's voice was very low and weak. Zhou Si had to listen carefully to some syllables to barely make out what she was saying.

Zhou Si remembered what he had said to Li Weiyu long ago, and at this moment, he repeated it calmly.

"We both had pretty much perfect lives until an accident messed it all up."

Zhou Si's right hand silently supported his left arm. There was no warmth at all under the bionic skin that was no different from that of humans.

The two of them stared at each other in silence, with invisible sadness in the air. Slowly, Pei Dong used all her strength to stretch out her left hand with difficulty. It was the only limb she could move besides her head.

In Zhou Si's memory, Pei Dong was so energetic and loved outdoor sports. In her spare time, she would always go to the company's sports center to rock climb.

Zhou Si once witnessed her supporting the weight of her entire body with just two fingers.

At that time, Pei Dong's arms were full of strength and vitality, and every muscle line showed health and vitality. However, the arm in front of Zhou Si at this moment was a different scene.

It was pale and slender, its muscles had severely atrophied, and its blue veins were clearly visible on the skin like ancient vines.

Pei Dong gently placed her hand on Zhou Si's hand. Zhou Si held her hand carefully, feeling the warmth from it.

She asked, "Zhou Si, have you read Kafka's Metamorphosis?"

Without waiting for Zhou Si to answer, Pei Dong turned her head and looked at the golden light outside the window. Her voice was soft, as if she was telling a bedtime story to a child.

"In the story, there is a man called Gregor. One day he wakes up and finds himself turned into a beetle. From then on, his life is completely changed."

Pei Dong murmured, "Sometimes, I feel like Gregor in the story, but the difference is that one day when I woke up, I changed from a cold nursing incarnation to a zombie paralyzed in bed."

In the corner of the room, the incarnation of nursing stood quietly like a sculpture.

"Zhou Si, I can understand those sick people. Rather than confusing reality with fantasy, I actually think that it is the torture of reality that makes the patients unbearable, so they throw themselves into the cold, false fantasy."

Pei Dong looked back at Zhou Si, "Just like you said, when a person is desperate, he is willing to try any possibility."

Zhou Si felt inexplicably depressed. Although he was surrounded by golden sunshine, he felt as if he was trapped in an ice cellar without sunlight.

"Do you remember the spiritual training Chen Wen Ge gave us?"

Pei Dong's thoughts were very jumpy. He was just talking about Kafka, and now he was talking about Chen Wen Ge's spiritual training.

"of course I remember."

Zhou Si benefited a lot from Chen Wen-Ge's mental training. Relying on the knowledge and skills he learned, even after suffering from the effects of dissociative disorder, Zhou Si was still able to maintain his self-identity. He could even easily distinguish between reality and fantasy when the sequelae occurred.

Pei Dong was able to remain rational in such a desperate situation, which was somewhat related to the influence of his mental training. If he were an ordinary person, their spirit would definitely not be as strong as Pei Dong's.

"In extreme circumstances, the human spirit will produce hallucinations, split consciousness, and even self-destructive collapse in order to protect itself. These defense mechanisms are only triggered passively. As qualified people, we need to actively trigger these defense mechanisms when necessary to protect ourselves."

Pei Dong briefly explained the general content of spiritual training, and then she told Zhou Si about her fantasy.

"Zhou Si, every time I load the avatar body, I remind myself that I am actually a nursing avatar, and the sickly zombie on the bed is another person who has nothing to do with me."

She murmured, "This must be the beginning of the Lishi disease."

The room fell silent again until Pei Dong spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Zhou Si, I started talking to myself right away... I just haven't talked to anyone in a long time," Pei Dong's eyes were dim, "I haven't communicated with others in reality using my vocal cords and eyes."

"I can understand that you regard me as a tree hole and a psychologist, and you can relieve your inner depression by talking to me."

"Thank you for listening," Pei Dong asked curiously, "You didn't come to visit me on a whim, did you? After all, in the past four years, you have never contacted anyone, let alone me."

She noticed Zhou Si's thoughts and asked, "What happened?"

"Do you remember what you said to me when you left the clinic? You suspected that someone was secretly searching for us surviving qualified people."

Zhou Si's voice paused for a moment, and a vague sense of oppression enveloped him, as if there was a third person in the room who was spying on him.

The nursing incarnation in the corner was silent. Without any consciousness, it was just an empty shell.

"Pei Dong, your guess is correct."

Zhou Si organized his words and said as concisely as possible, "A group of incarnation killers called the Elysium wanted to reproduce the feathering technology, so they came to us, the surviving qualified ones."

"You are in danger now."

(End of this chapter)