Chapter Twenty-Six

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Time shifts to the evening of April 19th, 2019.

A well-known fund management company—

At this hour, nearly all the employees had left for home. A young fund manager, too, was preparing to leave. As he passed by Jason’s office, he pushed open the door to greet him.

“Boss, aren’t you going home yet? It’s past eight o’clock.”

“It’s still early. I’ll work a bit longer before leaving. You go ahead,” Jason replied.

“Alright, I’ll head back then.” With that, the young fund manager left.

Now, only Jason remained in the office. On his computer screen, an icon in the lower right corner kept flashing. Moving his mouse, he clicked it open, revealing the information interface of an international high-IQ gaming website. A notification popped up—there was a new challenger for his record.

Intrigued, Jason clicked to view the challenger’s profile. There was no real photo, only a few brief personal details.

On screen, the profile read: Name: Irvin; Gender: Female; Affiliation: A virtual female player created under the “Scepter Corporation.”

“A virtual character? Artificial intelligence? Interesting...” Jason was surprised—virtual entities could compete? How was this different from playing against a computer?

Still, Jason joined the ranking match. He didn’t believe he could lose to an AI opponent…

The vision returns to the timeless space of consciousness—

Irvin: “Do you still remember Jason?”

Xian Xiaoya: “Which Jason? Don’t tell me... the financial analyst who often dines at our restaurant?”

“That’s him,” Irvin confirmed.

“You actually know him? But weren’t you paralyzed? How could you…?” Xian Xiaoya was astonished.

“We met online.”

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“Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?”

“Absolutely. My consciousness once infiltrated his computer. The IP address belonged to his personal computer, along with his identity authentication.”

“What a coincidence!” Xian Xiaoya marveled at Irvin’s abilities—her consciousness alone could accomplish such feats.

“It wasn’t pure coincidence. I filtered through the crowd before locking onto Jason. I had to investigate his identity in advance. Once everything was clear, we started chatting based on our shared interests, eventually becoming rivals and friends online. After we opened up to each other, he lowered his guard and agreed to my request—I needed him as an external force to forward a confidential email for me.” Irvin briefly explained her relationship with Jason.

“So he’s the external force you mentioned. What exactly happened?” Only now did Xian Xiaoya understand what Irvin meant.

“In real life, both he and I had registered accounts on an international high-IQ gaming platform.”

“That’s quite a coincidence.”

“Having a shared interest was the real coincidence. We were both ranked among the top fifty globally. I was a few places ahead of him. We had competed privately, too. Over two years ago, I met him on the platform. He always thought I was just an AI-generated player.”

“Each time we dueled, my total score would surpass his by over ten points. I once made a bet with him—if I beat him ten times, he’d do a favor within his ability for me. He agreed. A month ago, I finished the final modification of my plugin and sent it to Jason by email. What I needed him to do was forward my email at 9 a.m. on October 25th to another mailbox. That mailbox’s IP belonged to a dedicated computer in the Hollen research system—one I could control. Once his assistant started the ‘consciousness replacement program,’ and about thirty to forty minutes had elapsed with the consciousness database connected, Jason would forward my email. The plugin inside would then act like radar, instantly tracking down the entry to the code system and automatically embedding itself in a gap Hollen couldn’t detect.”

Xian Xiaoya: “How did you pinpoint the exact timing?”

Irvin: “The timing couldn’t be precise. The email was hidden and set to open automatically only after the ‘replacement program’ began and reached its interruption point, so Hollen wouldn’t easily notice. The auto-launch was a compressed code I’d designed in advance. As soon as they connected the consciousness database, the countdown for my code space activation would begin.”

Xian Xiaoya: “They couldn’t detect this illegal code insertion at all?”

Irvin: “They’d discover it eventually—it was only a matter of time. Blocking their operations was temporary. Just like now, we’re in a pre-prepared code space. They just can’t find us for the moment, but given time, they’ll trace us here.”

Xian Xiaoya: “Did you know exactly when he’d perform the operation?”

Irvin: “I had a basic idea. I knew Hollen would connect the consciousness database at 9 a.m. on October 25th, opening the code system’s port. At first, I didn’t realize I’d lose my memory after coming here. Luckily, the plugin helped me recover it. Just minutes before in reality, Hollen had impatiently used implanted code to wake me, but something felt off. I escaped because he wouldn’t let me be fully conscious—he must’ve withheld some crucial information. That’s why I chose my own plugin. I used the necklace as a memory cue, and not just that—the pendant also contains guidance to the portal we need to reach.”

“Portal?” Before Xian Xiaoya could react…

Suddenly, the space began to mutate, the surroundings enveloped by shifting images. The two seemed to enter a multifaceted cube, each face like a mirror reflecting a different memory, each showing a distinct timeline.

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Xian Xiaoya: “What’s happening?”

The previously stable ground began to tremble…

Irvin: “It seems Hollen has tracked our path—they’re starting to alter the spatial data here. My protective system can only hold for a few minutes.”

The ground began to crack…

Xian Xiaoya: “What do we do now?”

Irvin: “Follow me.”

Irvin grabbed Xian Xiaoya, and following the pendant’s guidance, led them into a deeper tunnel. The cracks in the ground swiftly spread beneath their feet. Suddenly, the tunnel walls dissolved into an endless vacuum.

With each step they took, the floor beneath them transformed into tiny three-dimensional cubes. A moment’s hesitation and they’d fall into the vacuum below.

The tiny cubes kept shifting, but the two had no time to observe the changes—they could only run desperately forward.

At last, a faintly visible door appeared ahead. As they approached, the door became solid and real. In an instant, Irvin pulled Xian Xiaoya through it. Inside was a long, deep corridor.

It resembled the corridor in Xian Xiaoya’s house—the one with the broken lock.

Xian Xiaoya: “Isn’t this the same corridor?”

Before she could finish speaking, another door materialized out of thin air—a plain, ordinary room door. It swung open on its own, a powerful suction pulling Xian Xiaoya toward it. She grabbed the frame, but the force was overwhelming and swift. Unable to resist, she was sucked inside. The door slammed shut!

Irvin tried to catch her but was a step too slow, forced to watch helplessly as Xian Xiaoya disappeared behind the door.

What was the principle behind this? The sudden appearance of the door hadn’t been part of her calculations; her code space hadn’t accounted for this entrance. Judging by what lay beyond, the corresponding port must be the consciousness database’s dream portal. Xian Xiaoya had returned to the dream realm! That could only spell trouble for her. Irvin wanted to rescue her, but the door was sealed tight—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open it.