Memory inheritor

Chapter 246 Unveiling the Secret (Part 1)

"Beep~ Beep~"

The beacon emitted two long beeps, signifying that scout Xiao Zhou's mission was complete and the interaction with Zhou Huai's consciousness had ceased.

Shen Qing stopped her speech, and with a thought, the environment around her transformed into her workspace.

She sat on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the familiar scenery outside, and raised her hands, revealing a guitar in her arms.

Her fingers plucked the strings, and she began to play the Chaconne.

This is her most comfortable way of adjusting herself, which can calm her mind and keep her spirits moderately tense, making her ideal for big occasions.

"Beep~"

About a minute later, the beacon emitted another long beep.

Everything around Shen Qing disappeared, replaced by a hazy virtual scene with an atmosphere extremely similar to Zhou Huai's dream during the previous test.

She took a deep breath and silently counted down. Ten seconds later, she established a brainwave connection with Zhou Huai, and their consciousnesses officially began to interact.

Before Shen Qing appeared rows of seats, all filled with people. On the platform in front of her stood a figure, arms outstretched, speaking passionately and enthusiastically.

This place seems to be an auditorium or a large lecture hall, but there are no walls on the left and right sides, and there is no blackboard or curtain behind the person on the stage. The boundaries of the space are illusory, like bubbles.

Strangely enough, even though the person on stage was facing the crowd, Shen Qing couldn't see the person's face clearly, nor could she hear what the person was saying.

She looked him over carefully, and suddenly her eyes met his. Then she saw that Zhou Huai's face appeared on his face.

Zhou Huai's narration came to an abrupt halt. He lowered his arms and looked directly at Shen Qing. Everyone in the seats also turned to look at Shen Qing, their movements perfectly synchronized.

These people did not move their bodies, only their heads turned to the back. In reality, their necks would have been broken long ago, so they looked extremely strange, like a group of controlled puppets.

Their faces were distorted and unreal, as if they had been pixelated, or like low-resolution 3D character models with blurred features.

"Who are you?" Zhou Huai's voice drifted from all directions, making it impossible to discern the direction.

Shen Qing suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. She quickly realized that this was caused by a change in vision. She had gained part of Zhou Huai's perspective, which was superimposed on her own. The evidence was that she "saw" herself.

Although her face was also blurry in the superimposed perspective, and she looked similar to the people in the seats, she knew that it was Zhou Huai who "saw" her.

Wei Hongsi had previously told her that during the process of consciousness interaction, her and Zhou Huai's brainwave signals would be synchronously infected, and their perceptions would be partially or even completely interconnected.

Shen Qing was mentally prepared for this, but she still needed some time to get used to experiencing this phenomenon that was completely beyond normal perception, especially seeing her own face distorted and bizarre.

She composed herself and was about to reply when she saw Zhou Huai raise an arm and point at her, saying in a stern voice:

So you're an oddball!

As soon as Zhou Huai finished speaking, the rows of seats and the people listening to the lecture disappeared, and the auditorium became a vast, boundless space, while the place where he stood became a tall pedestal.

Behind Zhou Huai, a strange sun rose, emitting a pale blue light, and seemed to reach the top of Shen Qing's head in just an instant.

A mouth appeared in the center of the sun, its corners splitting open to the sides, its lips parting like a giant eye opening, revealing its pupils, gazing down at Shen Qing from above.

Shen Qing immediately felt an extreme sense of oppression and intense fear. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, but the strange sun still appeared in her field of vision. The methods of avoiding seeing things in the real world were completely ineffective.

She knew this was because everything she felt during the conscious interaction came from the received brainwave signals, and many rules in reality did not apply here.

"The true light begins here, leading humanity into the future."

"Give me your memories, and you will live on with me forever."

Two voices rang in Shen Qing's ears simultaneously. The first voice was solemn and dignified, carrying a sacred feeling; the second voice was cold and stern, as if it were an unquestionable command.

At the same time, an extremely tall giant appeared behind Zhou Huai, with a Western face, looking down at Shen Qing. The previous sentence seemed to have been spoken by him.

The next sentence came from Zhou Huai.

The oppression and fear that Shen Qing felt were amplified infinitely, as if a mountain was pressing down on her. She couldn't help but want to kneel down and submit. Her body felt like it was being pulled by two invisible giant hands, and it was possible that it would be torn apart at any moment.

She had never experienced anything like it before. In an instant, all her thoughts were swallowed up by an overwhelming despair, leaving only the thought of obeying orders.

At that moment, the beacon emitted a soft sound and vibrated like a tuning fork. Shen Qing felt as if a warm current had been injected into her body, and the oppression and fear in her heart immediately lessened, and her consciousness became clear again.

"That was close!"

She thought to herself, feeling incredibly fortunate.

Although Wei Hongsi had given her a detailed explanation of the situation beforehand and she was mentally prepared, only after experiencing it did she realize how terrifying the impact of the "Trinity" anchor point was; no language, words, or images could adequately express it.

Da.

"Give me your memories, and you will live on with me forever!"

Zhou Huai's voice rang out again, his tone becoming even more stern, and along with his words, a very strange melody began to play.

Shen Qing knew that when the scout Xiao Zhou had interacted with Zhou Huai's consciousness before, he had heard indescribable music, so she was not surprised by this change. Instead, it piqued her interest.

In this bizarre dream world, music is the element she is most familiar with. Even scattered, distorted, and melodyless music is an oasis in the desert for her.

"Go for it, Shen Qing!"

She encouraged herself in her heart.

"Are you Shen Qing?" Zhou Huai's voice sounded somewhat puzzled.

Shen Qing looked up at Zhou Huai: "Teacher, I am Shen Qing."

She used the same form of address she had used when the two of them communicated before; this was planned.

Zhou Huai's memories in the real world are still stuck at the time of communication after Chen Xuemin successfully boarded the plane. He is unaware that he has been taken into custody by the police and that Shen Qing already knows his true identity and what he has done.

The two stared at each other for a moment. In the superimposed perspective, Shen Qing saw her face gradually become clear and return to its original appearance. The oppression and fear she felt also decreased sharply.

The vast space suddenly transformed into a music room, and the distance between the two people instantly closed.

Zhou Huai said gently, "Shen Qing, you are very talented and should continue your studies."

Shen Qing remembered that Zhou Huai had said something similar, so she said according to the previous conversation: "I plan to become a singer-songwriter and achieve some success first, and then go back to school to pursue a master's degree."

Zhou Huai said, "I originally thought your arrangement was great, but I discovered that you have a certain quality that makes the identity of a singer-songwriter unsuitable for you. You should move towards a higher level."

Shen Qing didn't remember Zhou Huai saying these words, and said with a mix of doubt and probing, "But I think I'm very suitable for this path."

Zhou Huai shook his head and said, "No, no, that's only temporary. You might make an unpopular song or write an unconventional one, and then your fans will quickly abandon you. Everything you're doing now is a waste of time."

Shen Qingwei composed herself, stopping her mind from wandering, and asked, "What should I do when that time comes?"

Zhou Huai said, "Of course you should pursue further studies, but not at this school. I recommend the Westringer Conservatory of Music; that's where you should go."

Shen Qing said, "Okay, shall we go now?"

Zhou Huai turned his head, and the music room where the two were was immediately transformed into a spacious indoor space with tall, transparent floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, offering a panoramic view of the city street scene outside.

This is clearly inside a high-rise building, and it looks like an observation deck, but the street view outside is blurry and distorted, making it impossible to discern its original appearance.

"Look, this is it," Zhou Huai said with a hearty laugh. "Can you feel it? The air here is filled with the spirit of music."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Yes, so how should I begin my advanced studies?"

Zhou Huaiping spread his right hand and said, "I'll introduce Professor Sterling to you. You can become his student; it would be an honor for you."

A figure appeared in the direction he indicated. He was about forty to fifty years old, with a high nose, deep-set eyes, brown hair, and blue eyes. He was the giant who had appeared behind Zhou Huai earlier, but this time he appeared to be of normal height.

Shen Qing said, "Hello, Professor Sterling."

"You are a special person," Professor Sterling said blankly, like a robot without expression.

What makes me special?

"That's exactly what I need to study. Although I don't fully understand your qualities yet, I know that you..."

It will contribute to bringing light to the world.

Professor Sterling's sentence was a bit long, and he spoke slowly. As he spoke, his face gradually became more expressive, as if a robot had come to life.

As Professor Sterling changed, the observation deck became more populated with people and facilities, making it look more like a real place than before. The street view outside the window also became more detailed, although it was still full of unrealistic distortions, but it was clear that it was a foreign city.

Shen Qing did not turn her head to look around; the changes she saw were due to Professor Sterling's perspective superimposed on her own.

Then she suddenly realized that Zhou Huai, who had been standing there just moments before, was gone.

The strange music echoed in the observation deck. Compared to before, more parts were recognizable, and some relatively complete musical phrases appeared. Although it still sounded fragmented and distorted, it gave a magnificent feeling, like the background music of an epic film.

Shen Qing was unsure what this change meant. Wei Hongsi hadn't mentioned it to her, and Xiao Zhou hadn't observed these things during his previous infiltration operation.

But she had a feeling that she was not far from completing the mission.

Shen Qing composed herself and asked, "Professor Sterling, what should I do?"

Professor Sterling said, "By becoming my follower and offering your qualities, your finite life will be extended infinitely, and that is the greatest reward for you."

Shen Qing said somewhat blankly, "I don't quite understand."

"You'll understand soon enough." Professor Sterling smiled, beckoned to Shen Qing, and walked to a floor-to-ceiling window.

Shen Qing followed and saw that the light outside the window suddenly dimmed. It was no longer a city street scene under the sunlight, but a wall illuminated by many lights.

The wall was over ten meters high, like a huge shelf, with many enormous glass-like vessels neatly arranged on each shelf. In each vessel was a person, immersed in a translucent liquid.

Those people had their eyes closed, were naked, and were suspended in the liquid.

Their limbs had severely atrophied, with the most severely affected areas reduced to a thin layer of wrinkled skin covering the somewhat curled bones inside.

Their torsos and heads looked relatively normal, but their muscles were obviously atrophied, and many tubes of different colors and thicknesses were inserted into the top of their heads and backs, converging at the top of the vessel.

Seeing this, Shen Qing felt a chill run down her spine and her scalp tingle. If it weren't for the beacon, she might have already fainted.

Professor Sterling sensed Shen Qing's emotional change and said with a smile, "They are all the basic materials for the memory bank. But you are different. Your task is to clear away the impurities in their memories and create the purest memory."

He stretched out his arm, and the wall filled with utensils disappeared, turning into a room filled with various equipment. In the center was a capsule-like device shaped like an eggshell, on which lay a person, whose face was none other than Shen Qing herself.

This seemed much better than being put into a jar. But Shen Qing noticed that the version of herself lying on the device also had many tubes inserted into her body, just like a person in a vegetative state.

Professor Sterling said, "Or, you can choose to become one of us."

Suppressing her discomfort, Shen Qing asked, "How can I become one of you?"

Professor Sterling said, "It's very simple, just pass our test."

Shen Qing then asked, "What kind of test is it?"

Professor Sterling gave a mysterious smile. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shen Qing didn't hear it clearly. Just as she was about to ask, Professor Sterling suddenly disappeared.

In the distorted light, a cluster of bubbles appeared before her eyes, blurring Shen Qing's vision. She opened her mouth to speak, but a viscous liquid immediately filled her mouth, making her feel suffocated.

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"

The beacon emitted three long beeps, and everything in front of Shen Qing vanished instantly, turning into a hazy virtual scene. The strange feeling disappeared as well, but she couldn't help but gasp for breath.

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