The boy slowly opened his eyes,
as if a layer of mist covered his eyes, layers of ripple-like colorful light refracted before him, finally converging into a white light, gradually clarifying, forming a lotus-shaped shadowless lamp above his head.
Then a pleasant female voice came from beside his ears.
"Genetic prototype, deviation value returned to zero."
"Memory overlap string progress, five percent."
"Welcome back, Cadet Chen Xuantian."
Back?
The boy still seemed dazed for a moment, suddenly feeling something sweeping past him, looking up and around.
It was a familiar scene, sharkskin bodysuit lying in a sealed cabin, orange-red, somewhat like chili oil solution receding from in front of him like a tide.
Some silver, metallic shimmering tendrils flashed past his eye corner, but judging from the sensory feedback, those things seemed to be extracted from his elbows, knees, ribs, and spine, disconnecting with a flash of silver light, retracting into the cabin.
"Proceeding with physical rehabilitation, please inhale the LSL solution into your lungs."
Then a certain deep blue solution began filling the cabin, looking oily, resembling the previous orange-red solution.
Following the guidance of the female voice, the boy didn't panic, calmly breathing after the blue solution submerged over his head. Breathing, breathing. The chaotic memories, fatigued body and mind, and swirling blood all quieted down momentarily.
It was as if his body had fallen into a dreamland, but his mind was clearer than ever.
Right, his name is Chen Xuantian, a military academy intern for two and a half years, specializing in quantum communications, enjoying singing, dancing, playing basketball...
This way, lying flat in the blue solution for approximately ten minutes, the female voice sounded again.
"Rehabilitation complete. Thank you for your cooperation, this experimental process is over. You are free to move.
The time for the next experiment will be pushed based on weather conditions, please pay attention to your school email, looking forward to working with you again."
The blue solution receded, and the cabin lid opened.
Chen Xuantian sat up from the sealed cabin, barefooted on the alloy floor, slowly stood up, and tried jumping.
It didn't hurt, but his body felt heavy, and there were no superpowers like True Qi, sword energy, or Inner Strength.
So... were all those just... dreams?
Before he could think things through, the laboratory door opened, and a group of cleaning drones beep-bee-beeped as they rushed in to disinfect and mop the floor.
Chen Xuantian had to step aside, dodging left and right, jumping over the drones, walking out of the laboratory, his body intuitively moving to the dressing room, changing into his school uniform, and familiarly walking down the clean dust-free workshop corridor. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a vacant hall.
Checking the clock on the wall, it's six in the morning, people in lab coats and military uniforms coming and going, queuing to get meals at the window.
Oh, it's the cafeteria.
Momentarily, his chaotic memories were thrown to the back of his mind, as Chen Xuantian queued up, filling a tray with food, tearing into a chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth.
While happily eating, a man in formal attire sat in front of him.
"Yo."
Chen Xuantian almost choked, gulping down a mouthful of soup to swallow the meat.
"Cough cough, morning, Principal."
The Principal looked at him with a smile,
"How was it? Did you have fun?"
Chen Xuantian shook his head.
The Principal laughed, taking out a phone and playing a video,
"How come? I saw you going wild over there, weren't you having a blast?"
Chen Xuantian stared at the screen, momentarily stunned.
"This... what is this?"
It looked like... a scene of 'Tie Dan' leading a pack of human-dogs hunting runaway slaves on the grassland.
But an animated version...
"It's CG movie synthesized after processing with AI, transcribed from your brainwave signals during last week's first test. Sent it to you."
The Principal said while typing on his phone,
"The data recorded tonight can be edited in a few days, then sent to your email, watch over it in your free time, it can reduce deviation values."
"Principal..."
Chen Xuantian hesitated for a moment, looking at his phone, tentatively asked,
"What exactly are we... doing here?"
The Principal stopped typing, looked up with a smile,
"What do you think we're doing?"
Chen Xuantian recalled the memories emerging clearly in his mind,
"...Testing the quantum network, experimenting with the virtual communication cabin?"
If he remembered correctly, Chen Xuantian wasn't actively seeking to join a military academy communications major; he was transferred to this secluded military academy in the deep mountains.
Apart from daily classes and training, he also cooperated with the military once a week for confidential quantum communication research.
In short, it's like scenes commonly seen in science fiction films, lying in a coffin and dreaming of surfing the internet.
Of course, being an intern for only two and a half years, with a pile of basic courses still blurry, not failing is good enough, how could he understand the communication principles, quantum mechanics?
So now Chen Xuantian could only barely connect the chaotic fragmented memories in his mind, the like-Heavenly-Book textbook content, guessing by his imagination.
"So to say... my dreams and the information received in the virtual cabin are these... animation videos transmitted through the quantum communication network?"
The Principal just smiled silently.
Recalling the experiences in the dream, Chen Xuantian was momentarily dazed,
"A holographic movie... so realistic... just like the novels about crossing over..."
The Principal shrugged,
"Videos, dreams, crossing over, who knows if you're dreaming of a butterfly or if the butterfly is dreaming of you.
But your physical state is good; adapted so quickly, and with just the second link, the progress pushed by four points.
Very impressive!"
"Oh, oh..."
Perhaps due to the experiment's after-effect, Chen Xuantian's memories were still a bit chaotic, 'Tie Dan's memories intertwined with 'Chen Xuantian's memories, though his body seemed fine, but his mind was a mess, like lying on bed with high fever, many things suddenly made sense, fully understanding all at once. But upon careful thought, it's all a fog, completely incomprehensible.
The Principal patted his shoulder, hands-in-pocket, standing up,
"Anyway, keep it up, although our progress is a bit slow, I'm sure you will be put to use soon... Any other questions?"
"Questions..."
Chen Xuantian pondered, slightly bewildered, raising his head,
"Who is Lady Yuan?"
The Principal scratched his head,
"If you didn't dream it, how would I know? But if you care that much, start from her in the next experiment, see who she is."
Chen Xuantian was stunned,
"What do you mean start from her?"
"From the genetic prototype's memory, find segments related to 'Lady Yuan' and splice them out. In the next string-link, begin directly from this memory segment."
Chen Xuantian was momentarily at a loss,
"Does quantum communication really enable this?"
The Principal shrugged,
"Why wouldn't it? It's just like cutting film, cutting videos.
At worst, it won't link up, what big issue could arise?"
"Alert! Alert! Test subject out of control!"
A week later, the pleasant female voice echoed through the lab,
"Deviation value rapidly rising! 97! 98! Breaking through 100%!"
Chen Xuantian melted in the tank.
Yes, melting,
his eyeballs bursting and rotting, crystalline fluid mixed with blood jets sprouting from his skull, all senses collapsing and disconnecting.
All his blood, all his flesh, all his bones, his entire gene disconnecting from the reality link,
like a burning candle, melting into the darkness pouring down from above his head.
The entity known as Chen Xuantian was merging into that orange-red ocean.
Absorbing into that unseen, untouchable darkness, and that eternal piercing scream burning his soul.
"Deviation value off the scale!! We're losing him!!"
"Damn! Inject him!"
"Already injected four doses! He can't withstand it!"
"He can't withstand it, he must! Inject! Sink him!"
"Authorize confirm."
"Injection Complete."
"Somnium-link initiate."
In the next second,
the boy in the felt tent abruptly opened his eyes.
Was it... a dream...?
The icy wind howled outside the tent, resembling hordes of ferocious beasts wailing ghostly howls, the biting wind wrapped thick snowflakes, blowing through the felt gaps, freezing him into a shiver, curling up like a small animal, burying himself into a furry blanket.
So, so cold...
"The wind ends and storms fierce, when I appear smiling, the heart mourns..."
Suddenly, the boy seemed to hear a song, so he poked his head out, enduring the intense cold, crawling out of the tent.
"Frivolous laughter indulges in arrogance, in the heart is mourning..."
With creaking steps, the boy trudged through the snowy ground, crossing the vast ice field, following the song, seeing a figure dancing far away in the snowstorm.
"The wind ends with mist, graciously coming, do not come, do not go, endless thoughts..."
It was a woman with unclear features, hair disheveled, singing wildly, dancing freely. As if the roaring north wind, the crackling frost sounds, all accompanied her singing and dancing.
For some reason, watching that woman's immensely joyful back, the boy's heart erupted with an uncontrollable massive sorrow.
"Yuan... Yuan..."
With his eyes blinded by ice and snow, unable to stand in the wild wind, he still crawled desperately, towards the direction of the woman's voice.
"Yuan..."
"Crunch"
Then, the ice layer buried under snow cracked open, the boy's body instantly plunged into the bone-chilling ice lake.
The icy flows and cold liquid stabbed his entire body like knives, the thick fur jacket absorbed water, becoming as heavy as a stone, dragging him into the darkness of the ice cavity.
Cold
So cold
Dead
Am I dead
Yuan
Lady Yuan
Then, an indistinctly-faced woman leaped into the ice lake, reaching and holding onto the boy, embracing him firmly in her arms.
Thus, in the warmth of the woman's embrace,
Tie Dan slowly opened his eyes...
This time, the scene turned into a cave.
Still a dream? A dream within a dream within a dream?
Tie Dan tried to raise his head but realized he still couldn't move. His tendons and bones were still in the process of repair, the whole body itchy and painful as if insects and ants drilling in his heart.
But at least he could feel the presence of 'body' again.
The Blood Jade Technique seemed to have once again pulled him back from the brink of death.
Then Tie Dan suddenly sensed a faint fragrance, so he turned his head and saw a pair of pink lips.
"..."
Tie Dan closed his eyes tightly, then reopened them.
Fortunately, it wasn't any demon, just a woman.
Oh, no wonder it felt warm and soft; turns out a woman was nakedly holding him, using that refining technique circulating from the Ziwei Imperial Palace, evaporating her Qi with sweat, steamy around them, regulating his breath, healing, and nourishing Qi.
...Damn! This is definitely still a dream! When will it end this round after round! And the dreams keep getting more and more outrageous! Quickly wake me up!!
As if hearing Tie Dan's heartfelt call, the woman slowly opened her eyes, caressing Tie Dan's forehead,
"Breaths... stabilized? Not calling out for cold anymore, nor calling for mother."
What's going on? Isn't this supposed to be a dream? No, it's hard to say...
Tie Dan frowned, sensing that this matter wasn't simple.
"Close your eyes, I'm getting up."
Tie Dan immediately closed his eyes.
In the rustling sound, the woman beside him got up, cleaning off the blood traces on her body with a wet towel, putting on a single garment, tying up her hair.
Guessing she was dressed, Tie Dan tried opening his eyes again; unfortunately, it didn't transition this time.
Alright then, from the woman's voice, Tie Dan also remembered.
This woman, wasn't she the 'manor owner' of those four black-clad Jianghu people.
Anyway, he was indeed saved... once again.
Tie Dan glanced at the woman's back, the lines of her figure faintly visible under the single garment.
Why...
"You, are a disciple of Guangxia Mountain?"
It was the woman's back turned to him that spoke first.
She donned a hat, turned her face partly towards him, hiding her visage in the sway of the candlelight and the hazy veil, flipping her ten fingers, a cold gleam shone, revealing the Short Sword given by Liu Xiaoliu.
"This sword, was left for my daughter for self-defense. Her name is Jian Jia, do you know her?"
Tie Dan, "..."

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