The Last 299 Days of Humanity

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Yu Qing whispered to his blurry reflection in the glass, as if an eye of a spy was lurking behind it. The glass was cold, reflecting his slightly pale face, and deep in his eyes was an undisguised weariness and vigilance.

“Indeed, from the moment humans began to modify their own genes, the seeds of a life-or-death struggle between groups with different choices were sown…” His voice was exceptionally clear in the empty room, only to be quickly swallowed by the silence.

That whisper was like a rusty key, suddenly unlocking a long-locked box in his mind. Long-buried worries and cold resolve surged forth. Conflict was inevitable; therefore, finding allies was no longer a choice, but a necessity for survival.

He could no longer remain trapped like a caged beast, confined to this corner of Wengshan, passively awaiting the next attack from who-knows-where or a silent "disappearance." The walls seemed to be silently pressing in on him.

Shengtian Company's financial and human resources are indeed a powerful force, which may help them stabilize their position temporarily. But in the end, it is just a sophisticated alliance of interests. Those people may pay for their temporary needs, but they will never become truly reliable allies of other native humans.

The ancient saying, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts," has taken on a more cruel interpretation in today's bizarre and bewildering era.

Who can be someone who shares your joys and sorrows and stands shoulder to shoulder with you in the face of unknown storms? This is indeed a crucial question, yet it is like groping for the answer in the fog.

He paced restlessly in the room with its old carpet, the soles of his shoes rubbing against the fabric.

A few names flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern, each representing a force, whether overt or covert, and also representing unpredictable risks and potential traps.

The new humans, those beings who have undergone multiple genetic optimizations and enhancements, have gone too far. Whether in terms of physical structure, thinking ability, or survival philosophy, they are essentially no longer the same species as themselves or the so-called "original humans".

Their only common ground is the use of the same linguistic symbols, barely managing to express their drastically different meanings. Isn't this, in itself, a deeper form of alienation?
He found it hard to imagine that the turtle people could sit harmoniously at the same table as him and enjoy the same food; nor could he naturally and freely hold the hands of those "winged people" who were born to adapt to the thin atmosphere at high altitudes and had membrane wings on their backs, and stroll leisurely on the ground like lovers in an old era.

The physical gap will eventually build a high wall around the mind.

Ironically, within that radical and ideologically extreme "Brotherhood of Salvation," there are some who share similar attitudes: resisting the endless, almost insane alteration of their genetic sequences by contemporary society, attempting to preserve a trace of their original "human" nature...

He vaguely heard that in the shadowy corners of those vast city-states, there existed a loose alliance of engineers from a lost era and scholars who firmly believed in the value of "pure humanity."

They are scattered like ghosts, silently resisting the emerging forces they believe "corrupt the essence of humanity." Their ideologies seem similar, but how can they find each other in the vast sea of ​​people? And how can they gain each other's trust?
He sat down at the terminal, took a deep breath, and, using the pseudonym "Lonely Cloud," drafted a carefully worded and metaphorical letter deep within the vast and noisy cyberspace, attempting to find like-minded people all over the world, like searching for a needle in a haystack.

However, he didn't get a single "comrade".

Before the feedback could spread, almost the instant the information was released, his personal terminal screen flickered abruptly, as if an invisible hand had grabbed his throat. A string of characters then appeared, leaving him speechless, carrying an obvious hint of mockery and ridicule:

"So eager to find 'friends' for help so soon? Be careful not to get burned, Yu Dawengshan Wang. However, you're on the right track; fighting alone is indeed a dead end."

Yu Qing's heart skipped a beat. This person seemed to know everything he did! And the reply was so quick, as if he had been lurking beside him all along, watching him. A chill ran down his spine, and his fingers trembled as he typed on the keyboard: "Who exactly are you? Show yourself and let's talk."

"Who I am is not important. We are not strangers. I have been taking walks in Wengshan a lot lately. It seems that the humanoid girl next to you has been keeping it from you."

"The streets of Wengshan are not wide, and the sky in Wengshan is not the bluest place..." Yu Qing said something nonsensical in a sarcastic tone.

"I just want to tell you... give up your unrealistic dream of reviving native humans. Accept the transformation and become one of us. This is not only for yourself, but also for everyone you cherish in Wengshan."

I can give you, and them, a secure future. A future far broader and stronger than the one you are struggling to survive in now.

“Impossible!” Yu Qing shook his head. “I will not abandon my kind, much less become like you… monsters!” He used this hostile word with an almost desperate provocation, as if trying to provoke the other party and obtain more information.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the screen, a brief silence that was almost suffocating. Then the characters reappeared, the tone seemingly colder than before:
"Monster? Ha... That's a novel concept. Haven't you seen which form is more suitable for this era, the 'purity' you insist on or the 'evolution' I represent? Little Stone, this is just the beginning. Watch closely."

The message abruptly stopped, and the terminal screen returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion. Yu Qing, however, felt a chill creep up his spine from his tailbone, instantly spreading throughout his body. That person had mentioned Little Stone! Chen Jiang! This was a blatant threat!
He immediately grabbed the communicator, his fingers turning slightly white from the force, and connected to the encrypted internal line of the special care ward at Wengshan Hospital. "Immediately! Increase Xiao Shitou's security level! No one is allowed to approach him without my direct order! Repeat, no one!"

However, when the camera switched to the live monitoring screen, Xiao Shitou Chen Jiang was sitting quietly in the sunniest corner of the reading area, intently holding a thick book. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow on his cheeks, as if all the disturbances, prying eyes, and threats from the outside world were irrelevant to him.

His learning ability is truly amazing. In a short period of time, he has been able to read and understand quite complex knowledge fluently, and even put forward unique insights on some concepts.

This contrasts sharply and cruelly with Old Chen's near-vegetative state and the fluctuating mental states of Xiaoya and Daya sisters.

This glimmer of hope, however, now felt incredibly blinding to Yu Qing, even filling him with fear. "Could it be... that someone tampered with Little Stone, which is why he's become so different? Is this 'excellence' itself an anomaly?"

He immediately ordered the hospital to use its highest-level testing equipment to conduct a more detailed and in-depth physical and neurological examination of Chen Jiang.

The results came back quickly: apart from the stable presence of the mysterious "displacement bacteria" in the body, no other physiological indicators, including the genome sequence, showed any known abnormalities or signs of human tampering. This result, however, only deepened the mystery.

A few days later, the mysterious guy reappeared like a ghost and asked him directly if he had found out why Chen Jiang was so smart.

Yu Qing suppressed his anger and replied, "So it really was you who did this? What exactly are you trying to do?" The man answered, "Nothing. Do you think it's better to be as smart as Chen Jiang, or as silly as bread? Or as stubborn as an old stone like Old Chen?" His light tone made it seem as if he were talking about some insignificant items.

Yu Qing said decisively, "Fine. We'll do what we want, why should you control us?"

“We are not manipulating you. I can tell you that someone else is.”

"However, we can share information with you about the 'vast universe' and consciousness uploading technology, but you must join us and provide all the complete research data from Wengshan Hospital regarding the 'displacement bacteria' and the infected." The conditions were laid out, hitting the nail on the head.

"Why should I believe you?"

“You better believe it, because before long, if they think the trial is not ideal, they may begin to ‘treat’ individuals they believe are ‘completely and irreversibly contaminated’ at ‘the necessary moment’ in order to stop the ‘contamination’ from spreading.”

“Deal with…” Yu Qing stared intently at the word, the cold characters seeming to carry the scent of blood, seeping into his eyes. This was completely contrary to his original intention of protecting every native human being with his life.

He was caught in a deeper vortex of contradictions. Accepting meant potentially revealing Xiaoya, Daya, or even the most crucial biological information of the unpredictable Lao Chen, which was tantamount to handing over his vulnerability to the other party;

Refusing might mean losing a crucial asset in the fight against the colossal "vast universe," but it could also be like driving away one wolf at the front door only to welcome another tiger at the back...

Just as he was racking his brains and weighing the pros and cons, the biology-savvy woman sent him some startling news. Little Stone Chen Jiang, who had always performed "normally" and even exceptionally well, showed extremely abnormal patterns in a routine deep brainwave scan.

When he is fully immersed in learning or thinking, his brainwave activity is not simply a human cognitive pattern, but is mixed with subtle but not negligible synergistic field signals that are synchronized with the "displacement bacteria" network!

Even more shockingly, further induced tests showed that he seemed to be able to… actively control this synchronization to a limited extent, rather than being completely passively received.

“He wasn’t uninfected…” The voice of the biological humanoid girl came through the communicator, carrying an unprecedented solemnity, even with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor:

"He may be... the only individual we have discovered so far that can establish 'two-way communication' with the 'displacement bacteria' network instead of passively receiving it."

"What do you mean?" Yu Qing's heart sank.

"He's adapting to it, or rather... someone's helping him adapt to it, or even... learning to use it. The bacteria in his body isn't like a parasite or a nuisance, but more like a... symbiotic tool."

Meanwhile, Yu Qing's secret intelligence agents, dispatched to Qingtian City, desperately transmitted a very brief and blurry video clip. The image was violently shaky and angled discreetly, showing a place resembling a high-end biological laboratory, filled with the faint glow of cold metal instruments.

One of the figures, wearing a fully enclosed protective suit and operating complex instruments, had a striking resemblance, through the transparent part of the mask, to the long-lost Old Chen!
Although the video was quickly cut off and the signal source was swiftly severed, it was undoubtedly a bombshell dropped into deep water.

Isn't Old Chen a victim? How is that possible? He's always been in the Fifth Paradise, how could he end up in the Qingtian City laboratory?
Or... is he actually a member of the "vast universe"? Or perhaps, a "vessel" that has been completely controlled? Countless questions instantly overwhelmed Yu Qing.

All the clues seemed to begin to twist and intertwine, ultimately pointing to Qingtian City and the mysterious and powerful "Vast Universe" organization.

And that woman who once claimed to be his aunt was in Qingtian City. Weren't their attention all focused on the vast starry sky and on explorations beyond dimensions? How could they have time to get involved in these trivial matters on Earth, or to pay attention to this tiny place called Wengshan...

Pressure surged from all sides, like an invisible giant hand, threatening to tear his personality and beliefs apart completely. Could that mysterious contact be his aunt?

Did she really want to help him out and become his only ally in this desperate situation? Once the thought arose, it carried a deadly allure.

Late at night, Yu Qing lay on the cold bed, eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep for a long time, his mind churning with all sorts of possibilities and terrible consequences.

In the end, he could only get up, sit on the edge of the bed, and stare blankly at the hazy night outside the window.

At that moment, the ring on his finger, made by Shengtian, that miniature holographic projector, began to work again, silently projecting a new anonymous message he had just received before his eyes. There was no mockery, no teasing, only a short, chilling sentence:

"A storm is coming, and Wengshan will be the first to bear the brunt. My offer still stands, and this is your last chance. Join us, or watch everything you cherish, including that special child 'Little Stone,' be torn apart by the storm. The choice is yours."

This time, the message was accompanied by a precise coordinate, located in Qingtian City, the place where he had been "enjoying tea" and talking with the woman who called herself his aunt.

This is a clear invitation, or rather, a final showdown.

Yu Qing closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air, which smelled of metal and disinfectant. He knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

Whether it was to uncover the truth behind Old Chen's disappearance and Little Stone's unusual behavior, or for the survival of Wengshan, he had to face it personally, to venture into that dangerous place. He connected to Yao Dan's channel, his voice hoarse with exhaustion and determination, yet unusually firm:
"Yao Dan, get ready, I need to go to Qing Tian City. Also... while I'm gone, activate 'Project Ark,' and put Wengshan under the highest level of martial law. And... protect Xiao Shitou, he might hold the clues to our fight against all of this."

He paused, then suddenly asked, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet sharp and interrogative:
"You...did you conceal the fact that your so-called aunt from Tianqing City had visited Wengshan?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator before Yao Dan's slightly aggrieved voice came through: "Husband... I didn't mean to hide anything from you, I just didn't want you to be overwhelmed. You know, that woman... she has thousands upon thousands of incarnations, it's hard to tell the real from the fake, you simply can't handle them all..." (End of this chapter)