The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Yu Qing would never have imagined that while his core consciousness was still sinking and undergoing final integration in the abyss of "Canghai," a place composed of pure information and possibilities, like a nebula slowly condensing under the influence of gravity at the beginning of the universe, his "will" in the real world had already begun.

That strong and pure surge of desire to maintain stability, soothe people's hearts, and buy time—had already been captured and executed in an extremely efficient and incomprehensible way by some force beyond his current understanding.

This is not achieved through a cold chain of administrative orders, nor by relying on highly anthropomorphic AI simulations and deductions, but rather through a more direct and almost "miraculous" form that is closer to the fundamental laws of the universe—the manifestation of existence itself.

This is like his will itself, which is the highest level of command, directly rewriting certain parameters of the real area he is concerned with.

So, on the streets of Wengshan at dawn, in the gleaming corridors of the Changjin Shengtian headquarters building, and under the soft light of a secluded private meeting room in Dongbang... almost at the same time, seven or eight "Yuqing" appeared silently.

Their appearance was not accompanied by any sound or light effects, nor by the glare of a portal; it was as if they had always been "there," simply switching from a hidden state to a visible state.

They are neither the clumsy bionic robots commonly seen in science fiction works, with metallic sheen at their joints or slightly stiff movements, nor are they the light and shadow illusions created by holographic projection technology that can be easily passed through with a finger.

They were so real, created according to the most perfect physical parameters stored in the Tianqing City archives, that no matter what kind of conventional biological test (blood components, DNA sequence, fingerprints, iris) or the most demanding visual observation, they were indistinguishable from him.

Even the texture of his skin, the subtle glint in his eyes, and the slight rise and fall of his chest with his breathing were incredibly lifelike.

However, this is by no means a simple cloning. A clone is a biological individual with an independent life cycle, capable of growth, aging, and possessing potential self-awareness.

These "shells" are more like temporary "anchors" that his will casts in the "ocean" of the real universe; they are projections of his existence itself, extensions of another dimension.

They do not possess independent souls; their existence is solely for the purpose of serving the core consciousness that is still being integrated within the "vast ocean."

Their magic lies in the fact that their very existence completely overturns the physical laws known to humankind: they are both tangible, possessing a definite material form and tactile sensation; and intangible, their essence is not a fixed and unchanging accumulation of atoms and molecules.

They are both visible, capable of reflecting photons and being captured by the human eye; and invisible, capable of blending into the environment like ghosts, leaving no trace.

Its form is fundamentally similar to a kind of "smart fluid" with ultimate self-adaptability or some kind of "programmable water".

It has no fixed form. The container that holds it is not any physical entity, but rather Yu Qingna's "thought waves" that are still being integrated but are already able to radiate basic instructions across dimensions.

When his will requires it to exist stably in a specific location as "Yu Qing," it instantly locks into its form, stably maintaining the human form he is most familiar with.

This includes the fibrous texture of the dark gray coat she often wears, the swaying of a few unruly strands of hair on her forehead, and even the curve of her manicured nails—all are incredibly lifelike and perfectly accurate.

In theory, if his intention requires it to become a door that isolates danger, a floor tile that carries information, or a cable that connects to the network.

It can also transform its form and physical properties in an instant, but Yu Qing's subconscious does not currently have this need, so they maintain the most basic humanoid template.

Its visibility depends entirely on the optical properties of the object it represents. If it simulates the human body, it will precisely simulate the absorption, reflection, and scattering of light by skin, hair, and clothing, thus becoming visible.
If it simulates a completely transparent piece of glass or an invisible mass of air, its material structure will be adjusted to allow photons to pass through almost unimpeded, thus visually "disappearing".

This is an ultimate technology based on the precise manipulation of the arrangement and energy presentation patterns of fundamental particles at the quantum level.

Ordinary carbon-based human senses and classical physics-based detection instruments cannot detect its existence when it is not actively manifested, as if it were merely part of the background noise of the universe.

However, since Yu Qing's consciousness upload has not been fully completed, the bandwidth and stability of the quantum entanglement connection between his core consciousness and these scattered "shells" are still in the initial debugging and adaptation stage.

Powerful command streams requiring complex logical judgments and emotional feedback cannot yet be transmitted stably. Therefore, these ubiquitous "Yuqing" shells are currently only loaded with the most basic activity capability protocols.

It can walk with a gait that conforms to Yuqing's habits, stand steadily, and make several preset, universal expressions (such as a slight nod, a faint smile, and a focused expression of listening) and postures based on simple environmental triggers.

However, their "appearance" in various places is more like a large-scale warm-up and adaptation test with a wide coverage. It is a "heartbeat" signal to ensure that the invisible channel connecting reality and "the vast ocean" is unobstructed. It is the system confirming that every "anchor point" is responding normally.

They come and go in a hurry, like mayflies skimming the water or the mist about to dissipate in the morning light. They do not engage in any substantial management, decision-making or complex interactions. The core logic of their behavior pattern is simply "appearance".

Then it "exists" for a period of time, fulfilling Yu Qing's strongest subconscious desire to "exist stably and avoid panic," in order to appease the sharp and suspicious eyes of the outside world and maintain that fragile but crucial surface calm.

As for what exactly is the "material" that makes up this magical body, the answer to this question cannot be clearly explained to carbon-based humans whose thinking is still confined to the framework of the classical physical world.

Ordinary people must accept a cruel and real reality: their cognitive abilities are no better than those of a toddler in Tianqing City who have successfully leaped over and become "parallel humans".

You can't expect an infant to understand the instantaneous correlation of quantum entanglement that ignores distance, nor can you expect his tender legs to outrun a strong, muscular horse in its prime.

This kind of "material," which can be directly shaped by thought and freely transform between the physical and the void, may involve the local manipulation of the Higgs field (the field that gives matter mass) and specific interaction patterns with dark matter/dark energy. Or it may involve the encoding and stabilization technology of projections of higher-dimensional matter. Any one of these is far beyond the theoretical boundaries that the existing scientific systems of Wengshan or Dongbang can reach, bordering on magic.

Although these "shells" deliberately keep their activities low-key and rarely engage in deep communication with anyone, their very existence, like a few stars suddenly appearing in the night sky, is not without attracting the attention and causing ripples for careful observers.

The biggest surprise happened to Dongbang. The body that went to "visit" Yuwa according to instructions to maintain the setting of "Yu Qing caring for his sister" was almost completely exposed at the very first contact.

When Xiao Yuwa saw "his" figure in the distance, she ran over like a happy little bird, excitedly tugging at "his" sleeve with her little hands, tilting her little face up, and as always, eagerly showing off her rapidly improving and exceptionally fluent Mandarin skills.

She chattered away, speaking rapidly about her new discoveries at school, the nursery rhymes she had learned, and her fondness for a certain cartoon character, her words filled with a natural dependence on and desire to share with her "big brother."

However, the built-in interaction protocol of this "Yuqing" shell is extremely limited, and its response mode is rigid and patterned. It simply nods slightly in a programmed manner and extracts a few simple affirmative syllables without any emotional coloring from a limited voice library, such as "um", "good", and "not bad". It is unable to conduct genuine emotional resonance, language extension and impromptu interaction.

Xiao Yuwa's sensitivity far surpasses that of adults; her perception of emotions is like the most precise scale. She quickly sensed the absence of that familiar warmth and doting feeling.

Her large, bright, obsidian-like eyes quickly welled up with tears of grievance and confusion. Finally, she forcefully shook off "his" hand, her face flushed red, and she cried out in a voice trembling with hurt:

"You're not my big brother! Your eyes don't smile! You're not him! Give me back my big brother!" This innocent yet pointed accusation left the accompanying nanny and security personnel exchanging bewildered glances, their minds filled with doubts and various speculations beginning to surface.

An even greater challenge comes from Yao Dan, whose perception abilities are extraordinary.

Although the "Yu Qing" body that appeared before her and briefly "explained" that it needed to go into seclusion for a period of time was perfectly constructed at the dominant genetic level, Yao Dan's judgment did not rely solely on conventional biological testing methods.

Her almost intuitive perception, enhanced by the fusion of ancient blood and modern technology, allowed her to vaguely sense a subtle yet undeniable disharmony in the energy field surrounding "Yu Qing" when they were in close contact.

It is not the constant bioelectrical fluctuations and chemical neurotransmitter metabolism that are like background noise in carbon-based life forms, but a more fundamental and stable baseline energy radiation that seems to have been precisely tuned. It lacks the subtle rhythms and fluctuations that are unique to living organisms and that appear with changes in emotions and physiological states.

This is a completely different, almost "dead" energy system, as still as a bottomless ancient well, rather than a pulsating flame in nature.

Fortunately, Yao Dan had already established almost absolute trust in Yu Qing and a certain degree of emotional bond with him.

Deep down, she preferred to attribute this unsettling feeling to the possibility that Yu Qing was practicing some kind of profound and unknown secret technique from Tianqing City, or to the side effects of some radical physical modification or energy enhancement he had to undergo in order to deal with the potential threat from "Lutai".

Out of respect for Yu Qing's decision and trust in him personally, she subconsciously used a simple biofield recognition technique—quickly and fuzzily matching her energy field with Yu Qing's biological samples in her memory (while the body achieved an extremely high degree of simulation coverage in the static biofield simulation).

Therefore, she suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and did not initiate more invasive verification methods such as scanning the core energy structure or attempting to make a consciousness connection request.

Therefore, this shell of "Yu Qing" managed to get away with it by relying on the pre-established trust between Yao Dan and others, albeit with great difficulty.

Even Yu Xuan and Yu Lan, who had complicated blood ties with Yu Qing and had frequent contact with him in daily life, sensed something indescribable but real during their brief encounters in public.

They clearly sensed that "Yu Qing," who only occasionally appeared, was mostly silent, and simply glanced around slowly, seemed to have become overly "calm" and "distancing" towards their respective children.

The subtle, yet often unspoken concern and warmth hidden deep within their eyes was gone; the focused expression that naturally bent down to patiently listen to the child's innocent, illogical utterances was gone.

Now he is more like a...perfect, yet soulless, bystander, or a high-level probe on an "observation" mission.

This subtle yet clear sense of rupture in the emotional bond formed by their shared life together caused both mothers to feel uneasy and have some doubts. However, considering the delicate situation inside and outside the group and Yu Qing's recent announcement of seclusion, they could only suppress their concerns and continue to observe.

These ubiquitous, mirror-like replicas of "Yuqing" are like a few strange pebbles thrown into a seemingly calm lake by an invisible hand. Although they are as light as a feather and hardly cause any physical ripples, their existence, which transcends common sense, has stirred up ripples of unease and speculation in the hearts of those who come into contact with them.

Their existence, like a carefully woven, fragile spider web, temporarily maintained the delicate balance of power among the various forces, preventing the situation from collapsing instantly.

But at the same time, they are like strange seeds buried in fertile soil, quietly nurturing more uncertainties and future storms.

Everyone, whether they are concerned, competitors, or observers, is waiting, openly or secretly, for the real, complete Yu Qing to complete his mysterious "transformation," return from seclusion, and provide a reasonable explanation that can quell all doubts.

At this moment, they have no idea what will return when "Yu Qing" truly returns. Will it be the heir they know, with flesh and blood, and the capacity for joy and sorrow? Or will it be someone else...?

A completely new existence that has transcended human definition and carries the secrets of the "vast ocean"?

The real storm, sweeping across the dimensions of reality and consciousness, is subtly shifting its course beneath this seemingly temporarily calm surface due to this unprecedented "projection of existence," and is rapidly gathering power capable of overturning cognition in an unprecedented way. (End of Chapter)