Twenty

Laboratory No. 8 was a self-contained, isolated office. No one worked inside, and outsiders were not allowed to enter at will. Only during scheduled cleaning times would someone be permitted inside to tidy up. The office itself was extremely simple, almost to the point of being primitive—there wasn’t even a single chair. No one worked there, so there was no need for a desk lamp. Only a solitary desk stood in the room, bearing a lone computer. Yet this computer was of immense importance. It was both a machine and the vessel for a person's consciousness. But very few people knew this secret—only Holen was aware.

At that moment, the computer screen suddenly lit up. At first, a string of text appeared, followed by several more, then a flood of characters—letters and symbols mingled, filling the entire display. No one could make sense of it; it all appeared as gibberish. The screen flickered incessantly, line after line cascading down, as if the machine was being remotely operated. In reality, it was not. The computer’s automated program had been triggered, something akin to artificial intelligence taking over—except that it was far more than that. It was controlled by Aiwen’s own consciousness; this was Aiwen’s true existence, not the withered, pitiful body lying on the sickbed.

In fact, the text on the screen was Aiwen's own narrative, recorded as he initiated the automatic program for Holen. The code had not yet been translated, so ordinary people could not read or decipher its meaning. If it were translated, it would reveal the following message:

I am Aiwen. Today is October 25th, 2020, 9:30 a.m. My computer will receive an email from Jason, which will open automatically. The attachment contains the consciousness catalyst code I developed. When it is activated, I will awaken inside the dream, entering the catalytic phase of consciousness, and I will no longer be trapped by Holen’s consciousness replacement program. I will also catalyze the true awakening of Xiaoya Xian’s consciousness—she should not be sacrificed for a consciousness replacement. We had no right to take away her chance at life. As for her current entrapment in a blissful dream, my catalyst program will stimulate her subconscious, stirring her guilt and conscience to alert her not to remain lost in illusion. Only one of us can return to life, and it should be her. As to why, my opinion differs from Holen’s. I believe that if survival requires destroying another, I would rather not live at all than perpetuate such a crime. I cannot bear to live on with that on my conscience. Thus, I must stop Holen’s plan. I need to bring Xiaoya Xian back to her true self, to face reality.

There are thirty-five minutes until awakening. That is enough for the consciousness catalyst to reach its critical state. Now, both she and I—still asleep—have begun to receive the catalyst.

All the clues are hidden within the pendant—

Suddenly, a hand shook her arm urgently. Xiaoya Xian, who had fainted, was jolted awake.

She heard a voice by her ear: “Xiaoya, wake up! It’s me!”

She opened her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Where was she? Recalling what had just happened, she wondered if it had all been a nightmare. She was terrified, her mind slowly coming around, but her heart still racing in fright.

Through her haze, Xiaoya Xian saw the face of a stranger. Who was this? The voice, though, sounded familiar. Was it Little Ai? The bandage on the woman’s head had been removed, revealing a clear, distinct face. In her panic, Xiaoya didn't think further and, feeling utterly helpless, clung tightly to the person before her.

“Don’t be afraid. None of this is real,” the woman said.

Xiaoya Xian looked up at her in confusion, still unable to process what was happening. Why was nothing real?

“Are you Little Ai?” she asked.

Little Ai nodded and explained, her words deliberate and clear: “I’ve transferred you from the dream into the code space.”

What dream? What code space? Only now did Xiaoya Xian notice her surroundings and realize this was not her own home. “Where are we?”

“We’re in a dream. Our meeting was a dream from the very beginning.”

Xiaoya fell silent, unable to accept this. She wanted to speak, but was afraid to know the truth.

Little Ai said, “You must leave this place. It isn’t real.”

“What isn’t real? How could my life be fake? You’re lying to me!”

“No, listen to me. You need to live—not stay here. If you do, we’ll all die.”

Xiaoya Xian: “What do you mean?”

“Holen wants to swap my consciousness with yours. When I wake up, I’ll become you, and you’ll become me. I don’t want you to become me. I don’t want to exchange consciousness with you. Do you understand? The reason I met you is because Holen chose you from the start—to give your body to me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all! Do you even remember who you are?” Xiaoya Xian asked in astonishment.

“My name is Aiwen. I remember everything now.” She opened her hand, revealing the pendant. “The letters on this pendant are the initials of my name. I left it in the dream as a clue for myself. I found it because I preemptively activated the consciousness catalyst code.”

“The more you talk, the more confused I get. I have no idea what you’re babbling about.”

“It’s Holen—the person you met at the clinic. You said you couldn’t see his face clearly because he tampered with our dream. That’s why you couldn’t see him. He wants to connect our consciousness databases, so we met in this dream. His goal is to swap our bodies’ consciousnesses. The process takes place in the dream.” Aiwen’s chain of explanations was almost entirely rejected by Xiaoya Xian.

“Nonsense! I don’t believe you!” she shook her head, unable to accept it. “You’re lying to me…”

Aiwen was growing anxious. “I’m not lying. This is another program I created—you’re no longer in the dream, but have been transferred to the code world.”

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying… I just want to return to my normal life!”

“Normal life? This isn’t it! You have to face the truth!” Aiwen gazed at her intensely.

“I think you’re the one who isn’t real! I’ve been nothing but good to you. Why are you here to destroy my life?” Xiaoya Xian pushed her away. “No matter what, I want to go back!”

“Back to where? The dream? Look carefully…” Aiwen pointed to a brilliant light that had suddenly appeared. “Your true self is there!” She turned Xiaoya Xian toward the glowing direction. In front of her eyes, a three-dimensional scene unfolded, as if projected by a beam of light. It was Xiaoya Xian’s true memory from reality.

A rapid sequence of images appeared before Xiaoya Xian’s eyes…

The setting shifted to September 18, 2020.

A restaurant near the Financial Center, morning—

A woman in a restaurant server’s uniform was carrying the establishment’s signature breakfast out from the kitchen into the main dining hall. She walked down the corridor and placed the breakfast before an elderly regular customer. Her gaze shifted from the breakfast to the customer—a man who looked exactly like Chairman Li. Clearly, he was not the renowned chairman, but simply a frequent patron—a retired professor, also surnamed Li. The view then returned to the waitress. Previously, only her back could be seen, but now, as she lifted her head, it became clear—the waitress was Xiaoya Xian herself.