A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 798 Clone
Tonight, the Ergonomic Assistive Systems Institute, located in the 20th School District and focused on "human modification research," received an unexpected guest.

A woman in a pale yellow nightgown was maneuvering her wheelchair confidently through the institute's corridors.

After the security guard in the monitoring room spotted the figure, who clearly did not belong to the research institute, through the surveillance camera, he immediately notified his colleagues on patrol nearby to check.

"Hey! Madam, how did you get in here?" The patrolling security guard immediately found the woman in the wheelchair and asked loudly.

“How rude of me, I am a visitor,” the woman said calmly without changing her expression. “Take me to the detention room immediately.”

"A visitor? Do you have an invitation?" The security guard asked hastily, not daring to be careless.

"An invitation? Is one of those really necessary?" the woman in the wheelchair asked with a smile. "There's no need to take such things so seriously, is there?"

The security guard frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded as if by some strange impulse: "It seems...that's true. Well then, have a pleasant visit."

"They still haven't told me where the solitary confinement cell is," the woman in the wheelchair said again.

"It's on the sixteenth floor, but I don't have the authority to patrol the upper floors, so I'm sorry I can't lead the way," the security guard said.

“I see,” the woman in the wheelchair nodded, not pressing the matter further, and then pointed to the security camera in the corner, “Then please tell your colleague to stop doing this pointless thing.”

“Okay, I understand,” the security guard said without hesitation. “We will stop monitoring you, ma’am.”

"Yes, thank you for your understanding." The woman in the wheelchair nodded with a smile.

A few minutes later, the woman maneuvered her wheelchair up to the sixteenth floor, where she was followed by a male and a female researcher in white lab coats.

Although they didn't say much, the two researchers acted as if it were perfectly natural, accompanying the wheelchair as if they were truly accompanying distinguished guests visiting the institute.

“This is it,” the woman in the wheelchair said, turning her head as they stopped in front of a blast door at the end of the corridor. “Open the door.”

“But…” The researcher on the left seemed to hesitate.

But the female researcher on the other side did not hesitate to take out her ID card and start operating it.

Seeing this, the male researcher simply gave up thinking and went forward to operate the equipment as well.

The solitary confinement room is strictly managed; two staff members must swipe their cards simultaneously to open the explosion-proof door.

The woman in the wheelchair nodded slightly. Given the level of this research institute, this level of protective measures was already considered quite stringent.

However, this is ultimately just a room for imprisoning "ordinary humans".

If it weren't for the active cooperation of the entity inside, this so-called "solitary confinement room" would probably be completely useless.
"Thank you for your hard work," the woman in the wheelchair said politely. "Please wait for me at the door for a moment, I'll be done soon."

The two researchers nodded, and then actually stood guard at the door, one on each side, just like doormen.

The wheelchair was driven into the room.

The resident in the solitary confinement room turned around and looked over; she was not surprised by the sudden arrival of the strange woman.

"We've finally met, Ryoko Misaki." The woman in the wheelchair seemed oblivious to the strange and unusual nature of the "girl" before her, smiling as if nothing was amiss. "I'm the pathology professor who contacted you on the forum."

"Don't call me by that name." The girl in the room said, "I'm not Ryoko Misaki."

“That’s true, but everyone needs a name in this world.” Kihara Pathology’s expression remained unchanged.

"Human..." The girl suddenly opened her arms, her white coat sliding to the ground. "In your eyes, am I still human?"

The "girl" in front of them—or rather, a humanoid robot with the "body outline of a girl"—quietly looked at the woman in the wheelchair at the door.

In the dimly lit room, after removing her clothes, the girl's body emitted a faint metallic sheen.

A pair of eyes gleamed with a dark red light—but they were the camera zooming in.

Just as this "girl" herself said—can she still be considered a "human" in her current state?
"Why bother with appearances and forms of existence?" Kihara Pathology's smile remained unchanged. "Do you know who I am?"

"The Kihara clan."

“That’s right, that’s right, I’m Kihara Pathology. You’re a researcher too, so it’s not surprising that you know our names.” Kihara Pathology nodded repeatedly. “So you can understand that in our eyes, the definition of ‘human’ isn’t so narrow.”

"Hmph." The girl sneered, "In the eyes of your race, all humans are just experimental subjects—from that perspective, there is indeed no difference."

Kihara Pathology ignored her sarcasm and instead smiled even more brightly: "Look, you have emotions, and you subconsciously criticize me from the perspective of a normal human being—you are undoubtedly human, Ryoko Misaki."

“I am not Ryoko Misaki.” The girl shook her head again. “I am just a ‘clone’ created by Ryoko Misaki.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kihara Pathology said nonchalantly. “I didn’t come here specifically to debate with you.”

“You said you could grant my wish,” said Ryoko Misaki’s clone. “That’s why I agreed to meet you, because you are Kihara.”

"Don't worry, now that I've come all this way, I certainly won't let you down." Kihara Pathologist patted the wheelchair. "It wasn't easy for me to make this trip. Tell me your wish."

“I’ve already mentioned it on the forum,” said Ryoko Misaki’s clone.

“I trust face-to-face communication more than online forums,” Kihara Pathology said. “And as I’ve said before, I’m not a philanthropist.”

“I understand,” the clone nodded, speaking calmly. “This is a deal. Tell me, what do you want me to do? I’ll help within my capabilities.”

"Don't worry, I'm always fair and just, I won't make things difficult for you, Ryoko Misaki," Kihara Pathology said.

"I'm not Ryoko Misaki, don't make me repeat myself a fourth time."

“Alright, alright,” Kihara Pathologist spread his hands, “but you need to have a name, right? I can’t just call you your clone, can I?”

“I don’t mind,” the clone said. “My existence won’t last long, so names are meaningless.”

“It seems you’re serious.” Kihara Pathologist also became serious. “You’re seriously looking to die.”

“Yes.” The clone nodded. “I need a way to completely kill myself. Specifically, I need to destroy ‘my’ soul.”

(End of this chapter)