Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

3:20 a.m.

Volkov's study.

Ling Wuwen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the Mediterranean Sea lay dark and gloomy, with moonlight peeking through the clouds.

She was clutching the black USB drive in her hand, the key in her pocket.

The door opened.

Volkov's wheelchair slid in.

He had no butler, no bodyguards. Only himself.

The door closed behind him.

"Sit down." He pointed to the chair opposite the desk.

She didn't move.

He smiled.

"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it on the dance floor just now."

She walked to the chair.

sit down.

He slid behind the desk. He took a silver box from the drawer and opened it.

Inside were cigars. He took one out, cut off the cap, and lit it with a long match.

Smoke rose.

He looked at the smoke and spoke.

Do you know why I created this network?

She didn't say anything.

He waited for three seconds.

"It's not about the money."

He took a puff of his cigar and slowly exhaled.

"Money means nothing to me. I have more money in my account than I could spend in ten lifetimes."

She placed the USB drive on the table.

"Why is that?"

He looked at the little black thing.

"To prove one thing."

He paused.

"All pure things—sports, art, love—are ultimately corrupted by power and greed."

She looked at him.

His grey-blue eyes looked even colder in the cigar smoke.

"I collect scandals to remind myself that humanity is not worth saving."

2

He stood up.

He didn't get up from his wheelchair. He remained standing.

His withered left leg braced against the ground, while his right leg took steps. He walked slowly, dragging his left leg with each step. But he walked.

He walked to the wall.

Press a switch.

The bookshelves that cover the entire wall slide open to both sides.

There is a room behind it.

It's not big. About 20 square meters. All four walls are screens. Photos, documents, and data are scrolling across the screens.

He went inside.

She followed behind.

Standing in the center of the room.

She recognized the photos on the screen. World champion. Oscar-winning actress. Nobel laureate. Head of state.

Each photo has a line of text underneath it.

"In 2012, he accepted bribes from XX Company and manipulated the results of a competition."

"In 2015, he sexually assaulted a minor actress and paid hush money."

"In 2018, there was academic fraud and falsification of data in academic papers."

"In 2020, overseas accounts concealed assets and evaded taxes."

She looked at those names.

Those glamorous names in the media.

Those names that are looked up to by ordinary people.

Volkov stood behind her.

The sound was very close.

"Everyone pays their own price. I'm just helping them see that price."

3

He walked to the innermost display screen.

Open a folder.

Title: Chimera Experiments: An Investigation Report on Illegal Medical Programs in Multiple Countries

Her heart tightened.

The file is open.

Page 1: USA. Texas. 2010-2018. Subjects: Severely injured athletes, veterans. Experiment content: Brain tissue transplantation, gene editing. Number of deaths: 47.

Page 2: Russia. Moscow. 2012-2019. Subjects: Political prisoners, homeless individuals. Experiment content: Chimera construction, immunosuppression testing. Deaths: 83.

Page 3: China. Beijing. 2015-2020. Subjects: Severely injured athletes, terminally ill patients. Experiment content: Brain tissue transplantation, memory fusion observation. Number of deaths: 21.

Page 4: Japan. Tokyo. 2013-2019. Subjects: Terminally ill patients, individuals with intellectual disabilities. Experiment content: Gene editing, stem cell transplantation. Number of deaths: 36.

She looked at the numbers.

21.

Ling Wufeng was one of the 21.

She herself was one of the 21 survivors.

Volkov's voice came from behind.

Your brother isn't the first. Nor will he be the last.

She turned around.

Look at him.

"What are you trying to say?"

He took a step closer.

"I'm saying, you think your brother is a victim. He is. But he's also an experiment. Since 2015, he's been the subject of observation. His genetic sequence, his muscle responses, his memory patterns—everything has been documented."

She clenched her fists.

The fingernails dug into the palm.

"You know?"

He nodded.

"I've always known."

4

"In 2016, Ye Shen came to see me."

Volkov walked back to the center of the room and sat down in front of a chair. His left leg couldn't be straightened, so he moved it with his hands to get it in place.

"He said he had a project that needed funding. I asked what kind of project. He said, chimera. Transplanting one person's memories into another person's brain."

He looked at her.

"I said it was impossible. He said it had already been successful. In animals. The next step is humans."

She stood still.

listen.

"I asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted money. He wanted protection. He wanted test subjects."

He paused.

"I gave."

She squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

Why?

He looked at her.

three seconds.

"Because I want to know if, after the memory transplant, that person is still the same person."

He stood up.

Approach her.

"Are you Ling Wuwen or Ling Wufeng?"

She didn't say anything.

Women's eyesight.

How much of your memory is of him? How much of your muscle memory is of him? How much of your emotions are of him?

She took a step back.

He stopped.

"I don't know," he said, "but I want to know."

5

She turned around.

I want to leave this room.

There was a person standing at the door.

Ye Shen.

He emerged from the shadows and stood in the study doorway.

She's thinner than in the photos. Her cheekbones are prominent, and her eye sockets are sunken. But her eyes are still the same. They lack warmth.

"Ling Wuwen," he said.

She stood still.

Volkov's voice came from behind.

"You think Gu Xidong is pursuing him in Malaysia. He is in Malaysia, but he's pursuing a stand-in."

Her heart sank.

"Ye Shen returned to Monaco three days ago."

Ye Shen entered the room.

Stand in front of her.

One meter distance.

"I arranged your brother's surgery," he said. "November 9, 2017. A hospital in Beijing. The surgeon's surname was Wang, the anesthesiologist's surname was Li, and there were three nurses."

She looked at him.

"What are you trying to say?"

He smiled.

It's very light.

"I want to say that I was outside the operating room when your brother died. I saw his last brainwave data."

He took his phone out of his pocket.

Click to open a video.

Hand it to her.

On the screen, the operating room lights were on. A doctor was operating something. On the adjacent electrocardiogram monitor, the green line began to fluctuate, then flattened out.

"Time of cardiac arrest: November 9, 2017, 3:47 PM."

She watched the video.

long time.

My hands are shaking.

She returned the phone to him.

Why are you telling me all this?

Ye Shen put away his phone.

Look at her.

"Because you're about to die. I want you to know the truth before you die."

6

She turned to look at Volkov.

He stood still, his left leg dragging behind him.

"You're here to tell me the truth too?"

He nodded.

"Me too."

She looked into his eyes.

It was grayish-blue and had no temperature.

"So all that you just said—that pure things have been polluted, that humanity isn't worth saving—was all a lie?"

He was silent.

three seconds.

"It's not fake."

He took a step closer.

"Those are all true. But there's more than one truth."

He pointed to the display screen on the wall.

"These scandals are real. These experiments are real. Your brother's death is real."

He paused.

"I really want to know who you'll become after the memory transplant."

She looked at him.

long time.

"So you know now?"

He shook his head.

"have no idea."

He turned and walked towards the door.

He stopped as he passed by Ye Shen.

"It's up to you now."

He went outside.

The wheelchair is waiting outside.

He sat down.

They disappeared at the end of the corridor.

7

The door closed.

Only she and Ye Shen remained in the room.

The displays on all four walls were still scrolling.

Those world champions, those Oscar-winning actresses, those Nobel laureates. Their faces flashed by one by one.

Ye Shen stood still.

Look at her.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

She looked at him.

Is Gu Xidong still alive?

He nodded.

"The double has been caught. He's still in the jungle. The signal's gone."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Is he alright?"

Ye Shen looked at her.

three seconds.

"have no idea."

She clenched her fists.

"What do you want?"

He took a step closer.

"I don't want anything to happen."

He stopped one meter away.

"Volkov wants to keep you. To conduct experiments. To observe your memory fusion process. Three months later, you die, and we'll dissect you and study your brain tissue."

She didn't say anything.

Women's eyesight.

"I'm not interested."

He turned around.

Walk to the wall and press a switch.

The door lock clicked.

opened.

He stood at the door.

"Let's go."

She didn't move.

He turned to look at her.

"You only have thirty seconds. He'll change his mind soon enough."

She walked towards the door.

He passed by.

Stop.

Why?

He didn't turn around.

"Because of your brother."

She looked at his profile.

"In 2017, before the surgery, he said something to me."

He paused.

He said, "If my sister ever finds her here, let her go."

She stood still.

long time.

8

She walked out of the room.

The corridor was deserted.

She ran towards the exit.

Run through the first room. The second room. The main hall.

The piano was still there. Two chairs had overturned. Champagne glasses were shattered on the floor, and the wine had seeped into the carpet.

She ran across the main hall.

Run towards the gate.

The gate was open.

Outside was a gravel driveway, moonlight, and cypress trees.

She ran out.

Run down the steps.

Run into the lane.

A black Mercedes was parked in front. The door was open. Raven was sitting in the driver's seat.

She jumped into the car.

The car door wasn't even closed before the car started moving.

The tires slipped on the gravel, then gripped the ground and hurtled toward the gate.

The gate was open.

The car sped off.

The winding mountain road stretched out under the moonlight. On one side was a mountain wall, and on the other a cliff. Below the cliff lay the Mediterranean Sea, its dark surface shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

She turned around.

The lights in the villa grew dimmer and dimmer.

Finally, it disappeared behind the bend.

9

The car was quiet.

There was only the sound of the engine and the tires rubbing against the ground.

Raven gripped the steering wheel, its eyes fixed on the road ahead.

She leaned back in her seat.

My hands are still shaking.

She looked down at her hands.

His fingers were curled up, and the marks from his nails digging into his palms were still visible. Blood seeped out, forming dark red lines on his skin.

She clenched her fists.

Blood seeped from between his fingers.

a drop.

It fell onto the black evening gown.

It's invisible.

"He let me go," she said.

The raven didn't speak.

She looked out the window.

The narrow path of moonlight spreading across the sea is still there.

The car sped along the winding mountain road.

faster and faster.

10

Four o'clock in the morning.

Safe house.

Ling Wuwen pushed open the door.

Go inside.

Standing in the center of the room.

The four walls were empty. Raven's computer was still on, with twelve progress bars on the screen. Bet365: 100%. 188BET: 100%. Pinnacle: 100%.

All twelve platforms were paralyzed.

She looked at the progress bars.

long time.

My phone vibrated.

A message.

Unknown number.

Click to open.

It's a photo.

In the jungle. Dawn breaks. Gu Xidong sits on a fallen palm tree, his face covered in blood, clutching something in his hand. He looks up at the camera.

Alive.

Caption:

"He's alright. We got the key."

She pressed her phone against her chest.

Close your eyes.

long time.

When I opened my eyes, it was already daylight outside the window.