Dream Ghost

Dr. Jiang's office is next to the medical room, and it's a bit larger than the ward. There's a row of instruments against the wall, and a desk by the window. The desk is piled high with documents and reports; the only tidy spot is a small area for coffee cups.

Su Wanning knocked on the door and went in. Dr. Jiang was looking at an electroencephalogram (EEG). She looked up and took off her glasses.

"What's wrong?"

"Lin Ye found fragments of his father's consciousness," Su Wanning said. "In the Dream Weaver's processing plant. Sixteen bottles, sixteen people's consciousnesses. He wants to re-implant these consciousnesses into human bodies."

Dr. Jiang's expression didn't change much, but she slowed down her movements as she put down the report.

"Implanting consciousness is no small matter," she said. "It requires a compatible body, a sophisticated surgery, and the consciousness itself must be willing to integrate. The success rate is not 100%."

"Lin Ye knows. He still wants to do it."

Dr. Jiang was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and took out a thick folder from the cabinet.

"This is the association's research data on consciousness implantation over the past thirty years." She placed the folder on the table. "The highest success rate was 67%. The lowest was 0%. On average, it's about 40%."

"Forty percent," Su Wanning repeated.

"Yes. And the consequences of failure aren't as simple as 'not successful.' The fragments of consciousness might dissipate, shatter, or conflict with the recipient's consciousness, causing both of them to..." Dr. Jiang paused, "...neither."

Su Wanning looked at the folder but didn't reach for it.

"Lin Ye's father has 73% of his consciousness intact," she said. "That's what you said before, Dr. Jiang."

"Seventy-three percent is quite high. Generally, the integrity of extracted consciousness will drop below fifty percent after being stored for more than ten years. Lin Yuan's consciousness has been in the bottle for twenty years and can still maintain seventy-three percent, which shows that his consciousness strength is far beyond that of ordinary people."

"Wouldn't the success rate of implantation be higher then?"

"It's possible," Dr. Jiang said, "but there's no data to support it. The association has never implanted a fragment of consciousness with such high integrity before."

Su Wanning nodded and turned to leave.

"Su Wanning," Dr. Jiang called out to her.

Su Wanning turned around.

"I'm also investigating your father's matter." Dr. Jiang's voice was softer than usual. "His consciousness hasn't been detected by the association. He might still be in the hands of the Dream Weavers, or he might... be gone."

Su Wanning's fingers tightened slightly.

"I understand," she said, and went out the door.

Lin Ye was walking towards them in the corridor. He saw Su Wanning and paused for a moment.

Is Dr. Jiang here?

"Yes," Su Wanning said. "Are you going to talk to her about the consciousness implantation?"

"Um."

"I'll stay with you."

The two entered Dr. Jiang's office. Lin Ye placed the bottle containing Lin Yuan's consciousness fragments on the table. Dr. Jiang picked it up, looked at it, and then put it back.

"Did Su Wanning tell you about the success rate?"

"I said so."

"You still want to do it?"

"I want to do it."

Dr. Jiang looked at him as if she were assessing a patient's condition.

"Your father's body is no longer here. You need to find a vessel that matches his consciousness." She took a form from the drawer. "This is the consciousness matching process. Your father needs to undergo a complete consciousness scan first, and then we can search the database for a matching vessel."

"How do I scan?"

"Place the bottle on this machine." Dr. Jiang pointed to a machine on the wall that looked like a small MRI scanner. "The machine will read the consciousness fluctuations inside the bottle and generate a consciousness signature code. Then we'll input the signature code into a database and search for matching brain-dead patients in medical systems around the world—only the bodies of brain-dead patients can serve as a carrier, because their brains no longer have their own consciousness."

"What if there's no match?"

"Then we'll have to wait," Dr. Jiang said. "The database will be continuously updated. Every time a new brain-dead patient comes in, the system will automatically compare them. But this process could be very long—months, years, or even forever."

Lin Ye remained silent for a few seconds.

"Let's scan first."

Dr. Jiang placed the bottle into the instrument, closed the door, and pressed a row of buttons. The instrument emitted a low humming sound for about two minutes. A series of complex waveforms appeared on the screen.

Dr. Jiang stared at the screen, her brow furrowing slightly before relaxing.

"Consciousness signature generation complete," she said. "Starting database comparison."

A progress bar appears on the screen, slowly moving to the right. 10%. 30%. 60%. 90%.

hundred percent.

Match result: None

Lin Ye stared at the three words without saying a word.

"Don't be discouraged," Dr. Jiang said. "The database is updated every three days. Maybe it will be available next time."

Lin Ye took the bottle out of the instrument and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you," he said, turning and walking out of the office.

Su Wanning followed behind him.

"How are you?"

"It's alright," Lin Ye said. "I was prepared to wait a long time. I've waited twenty years, so a few more days won't make a difference."

He walked into the corridor and headed towards the training room. After a few steps, he stopped.

"Su Wanning."

"Um?"

"I will also help you investigate your father's matter."

Su Wanning was stunned for a moment.

How did you know...?

"Your expression," Lin Ye said, "your eyes were red when you came out of Dr. Jiang's office. You had been crying."

Su Wanning turned her face away.

"I didn't cry."

"Hmm, you didn't cry." Lin Ye turned and continued walking.

Su Wanning stood there, watching his retreating figure. The light at the end of the corridor stretched his shadow long, casting it on the gray floor like a black river.

She followed.

In the training room, Gu Yan was doing rehabilitation exercises.

His movements were slow, each motion as if he were fighting against some kind of resistance. His forehead was covered in sweat, and the scar on his left cheek appeared even deeper under the light. He saw Lin Ye enter, stopped, and leaned against the wall, panting.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see you."

"I'm recovering well," Gu Yan said. "Dr. Jiang said I'll be able to leave the medical room in another week. But entering the dream world will take at least another month."

Lin Ye sat down on the bench in the training room.

"Gu Yan, I have a question for you."

"explain."

"After you gave away the fragments, what did Dreamweaver do to you?"

Gu Yan's expression didn't change much, but his breathing rhythm shifted slightly.

"They locked me in a basement," he said. "Every day they injected me with a liquid—I don't know what it was, but after each injection, I would lose consciousness for several hours. When I woke up, I remembered nothing. Later I found out they were extracting my consciousness. Not all at once, but little by little, just a tiny bit at a time, so that I wouldn't die or go insane."

"How long have you been smoking?"

"Three months," Gu Yan said. "After three months, my level of consciousness dropped from 100% to 52%. They thought that was enough, so they released me."

"How complete is your consciousness right now?"

"Sixty percent," Gu Yan said. "After leaving the Dream Weaver Society, my consciousness slowly recovered somewhat. But it will never be one hundred percent again."

Lin Ye remained silent for a long time.

Do you hate them?

Gu Yan smiled. It wasn't a bitter smile, but a very faint smile, as if he had already let go of something.

"I used to hate. But I don't anymore. Hating someone takes energy, and I need to use that energy for other things."

"What is it?"

"I'll help you." Gu Yan looked at him. "You and your father are both the kind of people who never give up. I used to be like that too. Later I gave up, and then I regretted it. Now I don't want to regret it anymore."

Lin Ye stood up.

"Gu Yan".

"Um."

"When you can enter a dream, come with me to a place."

"where?"

"Dream Continent. Forbidden Layer."

Gu Yan looked at him.

"The seal is no longer there."

"But there are traces of my father there," Lin Ye said. "I want to see the place where he spent his last days."

Gu Yan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"it is good."

Lin Ye walked out of the training room, the bottle in his pocket pressed against his chest. The light was quiet, as if it were sleeping.

He walked to the end of the corridor, stood in front of the window, and looked at the rain outside.

The rain was heavy, pounding against the glass and blurring the outside world. The light from the streetlights shone through the rain, turning into a dim, yellowish halo.

His phone vibrated.

A message. From an unknown number.

"We are aware of the matter at the third processing plant. Those bottles you took do not belong to you. Return them and we will not pursue the matter further. If you do not return them, you will bear the consequences."

Lin Ye looked at the message but did not reply.

He turned off his phone and put it in his pocket.

The rain is getting heavier.

At the other end of the corridor, Fang Qing walked by carrying a cup of coffee. Her gaze lingered on Lin Ye for a second before shifting away and entering the office area.

Lin Ye's senses extended and captured that fleeting glance.

Cold. Frozen. Not human.

He turned around and looked in the direction where Fang Qing had disappeared.

"You'll bear the consequences." He repeated the words to himself, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It's not a laugh.

It's all ready.