The night before the promotion

Chapter 64 Lin Jiang
When Zhou Si returned to the laboratory, Li Weiyu and others had already completed the investigation. Judging from their disappointed expressions, they, like Shenwei Technology, had gained nothing here.

"I just checked Chen Wen Ge's body and read the autopsy report."

Li Weiyun came closer and whispered in Zhou Si's ear, "Just as Ms. Ruan said before, the real cause of Chen Wen Ge's death was mechanical damage to his neck. There is no doubt about that."

"The incarnation's body has also been inspected. There is no record of data being written into the thought storage core. There is no way to prove whether Chen Wen Ge attempted the upgrade test before his death." Song Qiliang reported the information he had found.

Zhou Si looked at the double chairs in the center of the laboratory without saying a word. They were burned black and looked like twisted and dead tree stumps.

"Mr. Zuo Zhi, can this thing still be used?" Zhou Si suddenly asked, "I want to read the data in it."

"Oh? You mean this upgrade system?" Zuo Zhi said with a little confusion, "We have checked it, there is no problem..."

"Just checking the data records is not enough," Zhou Si said crisply, "Have you checked its 'clipboard'?"

"Clipboard, why did you bring this up?"

Zuo Zhi didn't understand what Zhou Si was saying, but Li Weiyu was keenly aware of something and his eyes changed.

"It's just like when we use a computer and 'copy and paste' a piece of information, when we copy, the information is temporarily stored in the 'clipboard', but we can't see it, and few people know and retrieve it."

Zhou Si walked to the blackened chairs and said, "Just think of me as being overly suspicious. Your inspection was not thorough enough."

Ruan Linrui hesitated for a moment, and after making eye contact with Zuo Zhi, she quickly stepped forward, found the correct data cable from a tangle of messy vines, and connected it to the laptop.

Zuo Zhi realized it belatedly and asked, "Do you think that Chen Wen Ge's consciousness was temporarily stored in the 'clipboard' after 'copy-paste'?"

"I'm not sure," Zhou Si said solemnly, "In my rough understanding, our understanding of the metamorphosis technology is too superficial."

"Superficial? Since Chen Wen Ge's death, you have been the only expert in this field, Zhou Si," Zuo Zhi disagreed. "Not only are you the first person to be upgraded, you have also personally verified the 'copy-paste' upgrade method."

Zuo Zhi sighed, "What a pity, the project has been strictly prohibited by the Supervision Bureau, otherwise I really want to invite you back."

Zhou Si ignored Zuo Zhi's words. Even though Zuo Zhi told Chen Wen Ge's past and refuted all the rumors about him, Zhou Si was not a child. He would not easily trust others. Zhou Si was still wary of Zuo Zhi.

Ruan Linrui finished the inspection, she looked up and reported, "No, there is no data at all. Just like the previous conclusion, whether it is the upgrade system or the monitoring and security of the entire floor, they have all been completely wiped out by another person with higher authority."

"Among the senior executives of Shenwei Technology, who has such authority?" Zhou Si asked immediately.

"A lot," Zuo Zhi gave an uncertain answer. "Theoretically, anyone in the upper echelons has a motive for committing a crime, and they often represent not just individuals, but another group."

"Is this so..."

Just as Zhou Si lowered his head in thought, Zuo Zhi suddenly approached him and whispered in his ear.

"Since the truth behind the consciousness upgrade is 'copy-paste', then The One at the beginning..."

Zhou Si looked extremely calm, as if Zuo Zhi's sudden attack had no effect.

"Didn't the Dengxian Laboratory be demolished? The relevant facilities are still there intact, just like they were back then," Zhou Si said calmly, "If you have any doubts about this, you can always open the Dengxian Laboratory again and check it out. Anyway, the data won't disappear with the passage of time."

Zhou Si called out, "Let's go, Team Leader Li, there's nothing to investigate here."

"Are you leaving now? Zhou Si!"

Zuo Zhi shouted at Zhou Si's back, but Zhou Si did not respond and just kept walking forward. Li Weiyun and the others looked at each other and followed him.

Looking at their departing figures, Zuo Zhi shouted enthusiastically, "Contact me if you need anything!"

Li Weiyun felt that something was wrong with Zhou Si, and he asked with concern, "Doctor Zhou, what's wrong?"

"Let's talk about it in the car." Zhou Si glanced at the camera in the elevator, "Xiao Hua is watching us."

No one said a word until Li Weiyu drove away from the industrial park. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief, as if they had just escaped from a dangerous place.

At this time, the sky had darkened and a light drizzle began to fall.

Li Weiyun asked, "Doctor Zhou, you obviously found something, tell me about it."

Zhou Si's face was gloomy and he shook his head. "It's just some guesses, some... very dangerous guesses."

"for example?"

"For example, do you remember what I told you about the uniqueness of human beings? And do you remember the look on Pei Dong's copy's face when he reached out his hand to her?"

Zhou Si’s words immediately brought Li Weiyu back to that night of his golden dream.

"I remember, of course I remember," Li Weiyun said faintly, "That night is engraved in my heart."

Li Weiyu has been in the industry for so long and has experienced many bizarre cases, but none of them can compare to the night in the golden dream, nor the shocking moment when Pei Dong stood up.

"After your consciousness is copied, there are two of you in the world, just occupying different bodies. Whether for the sake of precious uniqueness or for self-protection, the first decision of the copy is to kill its own original body."

Zhou Si turned his head and looked at Li Weiyun's profile. "I suspect that Chen Wen Ge's consciousness was successfully upgraded, and at the same time, his copy killed him, thus leaving the fatal injury."

A chill flowed and spread in the carriage. Xiang Ji and Song Qiliang in the back seat remained silent. They were like bystanders, listening quietly to the two people's discussion.

Li Weiyun also felt a severe chill. The car drove into the city center. The crowded traffic forced them to stop between tall buildings. Looking out of the car window, there were huge screens everywhere, showing different advertisements.

"This... this is really a terrible conjecture," Li Weiyun tried to keep his mind clear and analyzed, "But there is no data written into the incarnation shell, and the upgrade system is also blank."

Zhou Si pondered, "Yes, this is also the loophole in my speculation."

"Under the protection of the cocoon system, Chen Wen Ge cannot connect to the network, even if he uses his own permissions. This is unreasonable. After the Xianyu accident, he even had to go through security approval to enter the Shenwei Building. His permission level is simply not enough."

"But Chen Wen Ge is not alone."

Xiang Ji's voice sounded from the back row. He said, "Among the senior executives of Shenwei Technology, there is a big shot who cooperated with Chen Wen Ge. Not only did he prepare this laboratory, he even had a connection with the Paradise of Bliss. With the help of that big shot, it is not difficult to erase these data records."

"Then a new problem arises, Xiang Ji."

Zhou Si looked at him through the rearview mirror. "Since this big shot has connections everywhere, why didn't he help Chen Wen Ge upgrade secretly? Instead, he created an accident that shook the Shenwei Building, killed Chen Wen Ge himself, and let Zuo Zhi know about it."

Li Weiyun also rejected it, "Not only that, even if the Supervisory Bureau got the information, it would be a hundred harms and no benefit to the big shots."

Confused conjectures, fragmented stories.

Zhou Si believed that during everyone's brainstorming, there must be some fragmented information that was correct, but it was just a piece of the puzzle. It was out of reach to restore the truth of everything.

After a long silence, Xiang Ji spoke again, "Pei Dong's experience has proven that Zhifu Le Tu has perfected the metamorphosis technology to a feasible level, but the matching mental model needs to be screened." "Assuming that Chen Wen Ge successfully completed the consciousness upgrade on the night of June 6, then why did Zhifu Le Tu go to so much trouble to capture Pei Dong and conduct the upgrade test on June 9?"

Xiang Jizhi pointed out, "Under this assumption, unless they don't know about Chen Wen Ge's upgrade, or Chen Wen Ge failed, they have to continue to capture qualified people and conduct experiments."

He reflected in confusion, "Why must it be Chen Wen Ge? He is the key to all this, why would he be so reckless in upgrading?"

"Based on your assumption, we can also make this conjecture," Zhou Si proposed a new idea, "Chen Wen Ge's death was just a smokescreen."

"Chen Wen Ge is a paranoid genius, an uncontrollable force. Since he has perfected the metamorphosis technology, we should get rid of him and use his death as a smokescreen to divert our attention... no, to divert the attention of Shenwei Technology."

"Do you think Chen Wen Ge is really a donkey on the millstone? Can he be killed at will?" Li Weiyun thought this assumption was a bit absurd. "A genius like him is far more valuable alive than dead."

"That's just what you think, Team Leader Li. You are an ordinary person, so you naturally have a filter for geniuses, worshipping and respecting them," Zhou Si smiled disdainfully, "but for those powerful people, Chen Wen Ge is just a more useful tool."

"If those big shots really had the same idea as you, Chen Wen Ge wouldn't have been kicked out of Shenwei Building like a stray dog ​​after the Xianyu accident."

Li Weiyun emphasized again, "In this way, we are back to the original contradiction. Regardless of whether Chen Wen Ge succeeded or failed, or whether it was a smokescreen, why did the Paradise of Bliss use Pei Dong to try to upgrade after Chen Wen Ge?"

The car fell into dead silence again. Song Qiliang carefully looked at the expressions of several people. They all had grim faces and were weaving complicated stories in their minds.

Song Qiliang asked, "Instead of making all kinds of guesses, why not first choose a direction for investigation? Do you have any suspected targets?"

"Suspecting the target, isn't this obvious?" Zhou Si looked out the window again. The buildings were crowded together, and their shadows blocked the traffic.

"The real clue is not in Shenwei Technology, but in the Land of Bliss. As long as we find out the Land of Bliss, all mysteries will be solved."

Zhou Si recalled what Huo Daochuan had said to him and continued, "Yunzhong City is an urban legend that has spread in the hidden alleys. It is said that there is a path to immortality there. Many patients suffering from the Lishi disease have made a pilgrimage to Yunzhong City in order to seek the immortal fruit."

"Don't you think the story of Cloud City is very similar to that of Elysium? A mysterious organization wrapped in religion. If my guess is correct, Cloud City is the name of Elysium in the hidden alley."

Zhou Si looked up at the sky. The night sky was still gloomy, with layers of clouds piled up like heavy iron blocks, as if accumulating heavy rain. This was really a strange season, even though it had just rained for a week.

"So, we're going to Hidden Alley again?" Song Qiliang complained, "I really don't like that place."

"You don't have to get off the car," Xiang Ji asked, "As an investigation team, can you bring an armed avatar this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but considering the complicated situation in the hidden alley, even if they carry armed avatars, they won't be the type with heavy firepower like the Iron Soldier avatar."

The two were talking in the back seat, Li Weiyu was concentrating on driving while Zhou Si was daydreaming.

In the bustling city center, skyscrapers stand like a dense forest, and the display screens on the buildings are like a huge data matrix, constantly scrolling and playing various advertisements.

"Produced by Shenwei Technology, the latest humanoid avatar..."

"Hong Leong Calculator Member Discount Day..."

"Shouheng Life Insurance..."

Zhou Si turned his head. He was fed up with these advertisements. They were so noisy that they hurt his ears.

Under the drizzle, the neon lights were like broken rainbows, projected onto the wet ground, reflecting blurry spots of light. The holographic billboards floated in the air, presenting a surreal sense of chaos.

Zhou Si sniffed and found that in addition to the freshness of rain, the air was also filled with the aroma of synthetic food. Since the consumption trap of artificial meat was burst, this has become the new darling of the food industry.

Music comes from every corner, electronic beats and synthesized sound waves interweave into a noisy ocean, but before people can indulge in it, the shrill sound of horns will wake them up.

Amid the noise, Zhou Si heard the news broadcast.

"Typhoon Linjiang is gradually approaching my country's coastal cities and is expected to bring significant wind and rain in the next few days. The meteorological department has issued an early warning to remind citizens and relevant departments to take precautionary measures in advance."

Zhou Si stretched out his hand to catch a few drops of cold rain. As a port city, Anyan City has several typhoon days every year, and it seems that this year is no exception.

Suddenly, Zhou Si seemed to see something, his pupils constricted, and he stared out the window. At the same time, his cell phone rang.

He answered the phone without even looking at it, and Ruan Linrui's voice rang out.

Her voice was particularly urgent, "Zhou Si..."

"No need to say more, Ms. Ruan... I've seen it."

In an instant, all the building displays in the city center seemed to be controlled by a mysterious force. The images switched in unison, no longer showing those dazzling advertisements, but switching to the news channel.

On the screen, a news anchor's face looked extremely serious, with an unspoken urgency in his eyes. In the background were scrolling subtitles of urgent news, with red fonts as glaring as drops of blood. The voice came through the loudspeakers, clearly and coldly reaching every corner.

"An urgent news interruption..."

It wasn't just the displays between buildings. Every pedestrian's cell phone on the streets and alleys seemed to be responding to some strange call, with the same news pop-ups or ringtones appearing at the same time.

The same situation happened in the car. Notification sounds rang out on everyone's phones, the screens lit up, and dense news pop-ups occupied the entire screen.

At this moment, the entire city seemed to have pressed the pause button, time froze at this moment, pedestrians' footsteps slowed down unconsciously, the sound of conversation weakened, and everyone's attention was attracted by this sudden urgent news.

There was an indescribable sense of tension in the air, like the low pressure before a typhoon, as if an invisible hand was strangling everyone's throat, making it difficult to breathe.

Zhou Si listened.

In this frozen and silent world, there are countless building displays and countless voices, big and small, high and low. The myriad voices are like tens of thousands of people speaking in unison, gathered together.

The voice narrated.

"Mr. Chen Wen-Ge, founder of Shenwei Technology, died unexpectedly on the evening of June 6. The accident is still under investigation and the possibility of homicide cannot be ruled out..."

After the silence, there was overwhelming noise. Some people were discussing the explosive news enthusiastically, some were nervously checking the stock market to spy on the prices, and some were suspicious and fantasizing, weaving stories full of conspiracy and confusion in their minds.

"Damn it, what's going on!"

Li Weiyu cursed, but before he could vent his emotions, his boss called his mobile phone. Li Weiyu answered the call and the same curse came from the other end of the phone.

Xiang Ji and Song Qiliang looked at each other. They seemed to be talking about something, but Zhou Si could no longer hear clearly.

Zhou Si's thoughts were swallowed up by the rising tide, and only one voice echoed in his mind.

"Typhoon Linjiang is gradually approaching our coastal cities..."

(End of this chapter)