The night before the promotion

Chapter 33 Invitation

2042, April 6.

The intermittent rainstorm finally came to a halt after four days. The dark clouds that had accumulated over the city of Anyan dispersed, and the blood-red sunset evenly covered the earth. The pools of water that could be seen everywhere reflected the red sky, like a huge mirror that had been shattered, with the fragments scattered across the city.

Zhou Si sat in the middle of the living room, with the rows of photos hanging above his head like long memories. As if he was performing some mysterious religious ritual, he closed his eyes and meditated, listening to those barely audible sounds and examining the depths of his soul.

The voice in memory rang out, coming across the gap of time.

Chen Wen Ge asked Zhou Si, "When human consciousness is uploaded in digital form and forms a new life form in the cyber world, what will we become?"

Zhou Si answered simply, "I can't think of it."

"Are you just trying to fool me?" Chen Wen Ge was a little unhappy. "You haven't thought about it at all."

"I don't think there's any need to think about this kind of thing," Zhou Si explained his thoughts. "Humans can't imagine things they haven't seen before. This is an indisputable fact. Even the mechas and monsters in game art creations are just the products of various arrangements and combinations of things that humans already know."

"Similarly, I don't think we can imagine the thinking mode, ethical and moral concepts of the upgraded consciousness at present."

Zhou Si murmured, "If the upgraded consciousness is the next node of human evolution, then everything within this node only exists in a dark box, which cannot be observed from the outside. We can only understand its mystery by walking into it ourselves."

Chen Wen Ge thought carefully about Zhou Si's answer and said, "We can't imagine, but we can make certain guesses."

"for example?"

“For example, the most obvious problem is that after becoming an ascended consciousness, humans can abandon their weak flesh and blood bodies.

So we can speculate from this point, assuming that after humans lose their flesh and blood, and only maintain their existence with pure consciousness, what kind of thoughts will we experience? "

Chen Wen Ge’s mind is always so sharp, he keeps asking Zhou Si questions.

"If we lose our bodies, we will lose dopamine, endorphins, testosterone, estrogen, oxytocin..."

The crisp prompt sound interrupted Chen Wen Ge's narration and Zhou Si's memories.

In the empty and lonely living room, Zhou Si opened his eyes and came out of meditation. He first stood up slowly, stretched his stiff body after sitting for a long time, then picked up his mobile phone and started checking the messages.

"After comparing the data, we have confirmed the other party's identity."

It was a message from Li Weiyun, and along with the text came a number of ID photos and identity information.

After the four-member team returned from the hidden alley yesterday, Li Weiyu and others compared the database overnight and finally found the other party's traces from this huge flow of information.

Zhou Si read out the other person's name, "Lou Tong?"

"We have already located Lou Tong and are preparing to arrest him."

Li Weiyun sent another video. In the crowded carriage, he, Song Qiliang and Xiang Ji were wearing the field uniforms of the Supervision Bureau and were fully armed.

This was a formal operation of the Supervisory Bureau, and other teams were also dispatched. Although Zhou Si was Li Weiyun's consultant, due to his special identity, he was not suitable to appear in some formal operations of the Supervisory Bureau.

Li Weiyun sent the last message, "Doctor Zhou, wait for my good news."

Zhou Si did not reply to Li Weiyu.

The clues that have been pursued have finally made progress, which is a happy thing, but Zhou Si will not be excited about it.

Zhou Si is a person who pursues absolute facts too much. He believes that before everything is concluded, there will always be changes. In order to keep himself rational and stable, Zhou Si often lowers his expectations so that he can have a calm mind to deal with any possibility.

No expectations, no disappointments.

Zhou Si raised his head and found such a photo among the many hanging photos.

The photo was taken of Ruan Linrui's back. She was standing in the rain with the car door open. In the next moment the shutter clicked, she drove away from Zhou Si.

There are many factors that make up a person's character, both innate and acquired.

Zhou Si's current appearance is mostly due to acquired factors, such as the Xianyue accident, the torture of Lishi disease, and the long time spent with Ruan Linrui. This ex-girlfriend with a strong control desire also brought many influences to Zhou Si.

For example, Zhou Si's suggestion to lower his expectations for everything was taught by Ruan Linrui.

Zhou Si looked out the window. After the rain, the sky cleared up and had a crystal blue color. The sunlight hit the clouds, coating them with a layer of dazzling gold. It was so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Instead, it looked like the masterpiece of some rendering engine.

I remember that it was also a sunny day after the rain. He and Ruan Linrui were sitting on the sofa holding the controllers. This was their daily after-dinner game, a fighting game, and whoever lost would have to wash the dishes.

Zhou Si was left with little health after being hit by Ruan Linrui's combo. If he was hit by another light blow, he would fall to the ground. But at the same time, Zhou Si had accumulated enough energy. As long as his ultimate move successfully hit Ruan Linrui, she would be killed by himself with only a quarter of her health left.

Just as Zhou Si was preparing for a tense round of game, Ruan Linrui suddenly cancelled her blocking stance. Zhou Si decisively used his ultimate move and took Ruan Linrui away.

Zhou Si raised the handle in joy, "Haha! You wash the dishes!"

Ruan Linrui looked at Zhou Si with a smile on her face. After cheering, Zhou Si came back to his senses and asked, "You let me?"

"You've lost for a week in a row," Ruan Linrui said. "If you lose again, you'll hate this game."

"How could that be? The stakes aren't important," Zhou Si said as he hugged Ruan Linrui. "What's important is playing games with you. I really hope that days like this can continue forever."

Ruan Linrui laughed and hugged Zhou Si tightly. She said, "Me too."

"But ah..."

Suddenly, Ruan Linrui said, "I'm not a child who can be fooled by a few words. I don't believe in things like 'I love you' and oaths."

"What do you believe in, then?"

"The truth. The absolute truth."

Ruan Linrui whispered softly in Zhou Si's ear, "Before the two of us are burned to ashes and buried together, anything can happen. Only the absolute truth can make me feel at ease."

At that time, Zhou Si thought that Ruan Linrui's worries were just fantasies, but now it seems that Ruan Linrui was right. Before reaching the end of everything, anything can happen.

Vows will be broken, love will deteriorate, everything in the world is constantly changing, nothing is eternal and fixed.

Zhou Si stopped recalling.

Zhou Si picked up his cell phone and put on his familiar white coat. Before Li Weiyu brought new developments in the incident, he was in a state of doing nothing. He planned to go to the clinic to see if he could meet a few unlucky patients.

The exciting music sounded and echoed in the empty room. Zhou Si picked up the phone and the caller ID showed unknown.

When the call was connected, a neutral voice processed by technology sounded.

"Hello, Doctor Zhou."

Zhou Si knew that things would not go so smoothly, so he stayed on the phone and quickly left the room.

He asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Oh? According to normal human reaction, shouldn't you ask who I am?" "Do I need to ask this? Apart from the Land of Bliss, no one should be bored enough to call me," Zhou Si's tone was slightly angry, "Stop talking nonsense, let's be straightforward, okay?"

"Haha, I've spoken to people before who were like those useless supporting characters in horror movies who can't do anything except repeatedly ask 'who are you' and scream.

I like your reaction very much, Dr. Zhou. I really like dealing with people like you. It saves me a lot of trouble and effort."

Zhou Si ran quickly towards the clinic, trying to keep his breathing steady to avoid being noticed by the other party.

"Then let's get straight to the point. Do you still want to see Pei Dong again?"

Zhou Si didn't hesitate at all, "What do you need me to do?"

"I will send you an address next. I want you to arrive within the specified time. If you miss the appointment, you will never see her again."

"It's the same old hostage plot. Can you come up with something new?"

Zhou Si pushed open the door of the clinic and walked directly to his workbench, which was filled with Zhou Si's weapons, like surgical instruments, with all kinds of uses.

"Old-fashioned also means classic and timeless. Oh, and you can't ask for help from others, like Team Leader Li."

After a pause, the other party continued, "It's useless for you to ask for help anyway. Team Leader Li should be very busy now, right?"

Zhou Si was a beat slower in collecting his weapons, and Zhifu Le Tu knew that he had found Lou Tong... Madam Cui and the mountain king were in cahoots with them?

No, the target of the Elysium is himself. If that is the case, there is no need for them to go through so much trouble. Another possibility is that his and Li Weiyun’s actions have always been under the watchful eyes of the Elysium.

Ruan Linrui's words echoed in her mind, "We suspect there is a traitor among the top management of Shenwei Technology."

The enemy is invisible and in a high position.

Suddenly, as if the earth's gravitational constant had increased several times, Zhou Si's body became extremely heavy, and depression and resentment burned and boiled in the furnace of his heart.

Zhou Si said calmly, "This is a Hongmen Banquet."

"You have no right to refuse if you still want to see her again."

Zhou Si asked back, "Do you think I will surrender?"

"Of course not, so we are fully prepared this time."

Zhou Si picked up a short axe and weighed it in his hand. "Can I take this as an invitation to a duel?"

"Then please treat Pei Dong as a prize."

The other party hung up the phone.

Zhou Si took a deep breath, his emotions fluctuating violently. The Li Shi disease was stirring in the shadows. There were many chaotic noises in his ears, and the world in his eyes became distorted.

After swallowing the pills, Zhou Si felt much better. However, considering the unknowns that might happen next, he still opened the refrigerator, picked up a few bottles of injection, peeled off his sleeves, and injected them into his arms.

These are all drugs for treating mental problems. Under their effects, Zhou Si's personal emotions were quickly eliminated, and only absolute rationality remained in his mind to dominate his body.

There was a text message notification sound on the phone, Zhou Si picked up the phone and read the content.

"The Line 2 light rail carrying Pei Dong will arrive at the light rail station near you in ten minutes, so please don't miss the appointment.

Note, Dr. Zhou, don't waste too much time at the security checkpoint."

After the intervention of drugs, Zhou Si's heart was like a stagnant pool of water, without the slightest ups and downs. The stability brought by mental training also made his consciousness as hard as a piece of steel forged by a heavy hammer.

Zhou Si looked at the map navigation and estimated that it would take ten minutes to get to the light rail station from his current location. The other party kept a very tight schedule and did not intend to give Zhou Si any chance to prepare.

As for the security check noted, Zhou Si didn't think that the weapons in his medical box could pass the security check smoothly. If he wasted a minute or a second, he might miss the light rail, not to mention carrying such a heavy box of things on the road.

Zhou Si made his own judgment almost instantly. He pushed the door open and left while shouting, "Bt-24!"

After a series of flapping sounds, the flapping bird flew out of the room. It was very fast and followed Zhou Si's steps closely.

Zhou Si ran wildly along the street, stepping through puddles. He began to be thankful that the rainstorm cooled down the hot summer day, otherwise by the time Zhou Si arrived at the light rail station, he would have consumed a lot of energy due to the heat.

He continued to think.

Given the nature of the Felicity, they will definitely come as killers, and as a public place, the light rail is not a good place for a duel.

Not only is he going to use Pei Dong to threaten me, but he's also going to hold everyone in the entire carriage hostage?

Zhou Si ran a red light and ignored the drivers' honking and cursing. He thought it was unlikely that the other party had held the entire carriage hostage.

The target of Elysium is himself. If it is only against himself, the situation is still under control. But once many ordinary people are involved, then this duel will undoubtedly escalate into a terrorist incident.

At that time, Zhou Si won’t have to do anything himself. The armed incarnation that falls from the sky will be enough to destroy everything.

After realizing this, Zhou Si felt a lot more relieved. No matter how nihilistic and rational he was, he was still a person who abided by ethics and morals in the secular sense, not an antisocial person who ignored the lives and safety of ordinary people.

While running and swinging his arms, Zhou Si looked at his left hand and thought, "I hope Ms. Ruan's new weapon is useful enough."

Entering the light rail station, Zhou Si quickly ran past the escalator. Before the security check, he picked up his phone and flashed his electronic disability certificate. When the metal detection beeped, Zhou Si's left palm cracked. The security inspector took a quick look and let Zhou Si pass.

When we arrived at the platform, there were already many people waiting. The phone rang again.

"That's fast, Dr. Zhou."

Zhou Si said nothing and looked at the cameras around him.

"Okay, time to get in the car."

The other party hung up the phone, and then the light rail drove into the platform.

The car door opened, and a huge crowd of people walked out, and another huge crowd of people walked in. After all, Anyan City is a big city. Even though Zhou Si felt that the place where he lived was considered a suburb, there were still so many people.

Zhou Si was not in a hurry to get in the car immediately. He edited a scheduled email on the spot and sent it to Li Weiyu, the time was thirty minutes later.

After entering the carriage, Zhou Si looked around. He did not see Pei Dong, or maybe Pei Dong was not in this carriage.

He walked forward a few carriages, and behind the dense crowd, Zhou Si saw Pei Dong sitting in a wheelchair.

Her face was still sickly pale, and her profile showed an indelible sadness.

Zhou Si walked towards Pei Dong.

……

From high in the sky, Bt-24 looked down at the earth. As the iron snake crawling on the earth moved forward, it followed silently like a hunting giant eagle.

(End of this chapter)