In a crossover anime, do you believe that a machine spirit can defeat a fake human?

"...Look, normal fake people will slowly melt in the sunlight, right? This means that their DNA will naturally disintegrate after being exposed to ultraviolet radiation...You can think of it as a severe form of radiation sickness, but the manifestations are much stronger than that."

"but."

"Yes, the sample you collected crystallized after being exposed to sunlight, right?"

"..."

“Commander, it did crystallize after being exposed to sunlight. Before that, it looked like bones.”

"Yes, this is a sample of half of the lower jaw; it was originally bone."

"......what does that mean?"

"This means that the owner of the sample you collected, that Boiling One, may not be a pseudo-human in the regular pseudo-human lineage," Dr. Maruki answered for Dr. Futaba.

What kind of pseudo-person is this that isn't part of the regular pseudo-person genealogy?

Chen Yi said he didn't understand.

"That means this could be a disruptive variant."

"Wasn't the previous evil spirit a new variant?"

“The previous evil spirit was essentially a symbiotic mutualistic system, and there wasn’t much difference in its genetic expression,” Dr. Futaba replied.

"what do you mean?"

“This is a major discovery. You might become famous, Mr. Chen.” Dr. Maruki leaned against the other side of the laboratory table where miscellaneous items were placed.

"Also, after discussing the research with Dr. Maru last night after receiving the samples, I have a conclusion regarding the issue of undetectable gene changes in patients with the boiling phenomenon."

"That means the Boiling One doesn't actually modify the gene, but only modifies the CpG island methylation level, which is why the base sequence difference detection did not find any abnormalities."

Dr. Futaba continued to explain.

"However, the level of CpG island methylation can only be detected theoretically, because existing chips only cover about 2% of the CpG sites in the human genome, which are sites in the promoter region, while the changes brought about by Booster may be in the non-coding region."

"Let me explain it in a simpler way," Dr. Maruki said after thinking for a moment, arms crossed.

"The same book, printed with exactly the same words. But someone underlines certain paragraphs with a highlighter—the underlined areas change the reading order, and the meaning is completely different. Methylation is that highlighter. Boiling doesn't rewrite your genes; it just changes where it's underlined."

“Changes in non-coding region methylation mean that they do not affect the protein itself, but rather which genes are activated, when, and in which cells,” Dr. Futaba added.

"For example, it might cause skin cells to start expressing proteins that should only be expressed in nerve cells?" Chen Yi realized something.

"This may be the source of the burn marks on patients with the boiling phenomenon."

"But this doesn't mean that the boiling phenomenon doesn't change your gene sequence at all. If we use an epidemic explanation, this period is the 'incubation period'."

"In other words, the boiling phenomenon will change all the genes at once in the final stage, right?"

That's roughly the idea.

"Is there anything else? Or is there anything else you need me to do?" Chen Yi asked, noticing the two of them deep in thought and engrossed in their work.

"Not for now. We'll let you know if there's any progress."

"If you get hungry, you can ask your assistant; they should have some boxed lunches."

"I didn't expect it to end so early. I'll make it back for dinner. It's okay. You guys keep going, I'll head back now."

Chen Yi walked out of the laboratory, took off his sterile protective suit, picked up his guitar case from the corner, and left the laboratory.

Revisiting Izu: Chapter 219 - Photos?

Chapter 219

"You're back?" Lorelei, ever the friendly type, washed a new cup, poured herself a cup of tea, and gently pushed it toward Chen Yi.

"...So you've been staying here all this time?" Chen Yi estimated.

Goodness, the combat radius is at least five kilometers.

"Yes, I talked to them about...you."

"Yi Jun, you've never mentioned that you have an older sister."

Sakurajima Mai pouted slightly, a hint of displeasure on her face.

"..."

It's obvious this is fake news.

"The hair color and eye color are different, it's not real."

But Chen Yi still offered an explanation.

"Huh? So it wasn't true after all?" Kawasaki Saki, who had been spacing out and idling on the side, snapped out of her daze and exclaimed in surprise.

His gaze swept over the crowd, and seeing that no one seemed particularly surprised, he felt a little awkward.

"It can't be true... How did you get photos of Yi Jun when he was a child? Yi Jun never showed them to us."

"?" Now it was Chen Yi's turn to be puzzled. He turned his gaze to Luo Leilai, his eyes filled with questioning.

"It's just a Photoshop job. Actually, we used AI technology to recreate the commander's age and appearance."

"So this identity really is fake." Mai Sakurajima felt somewhat disappointed, though she didn't know what she was disappointed about.

"Hmm, this identity is fake~" Lorelei covered her mouth and chuckled.

"I'm so sorry for deceiving the little girls' feelings~"

"N-nothing..." Kawasaki Saki was a little overwhelmed by Lorelei's enthusiastic... social style.

"Actually, I didn't really believe it in the first place." Futaba took out the photo hidden in her pocket, intending to return it to Lorelei.

“Ayi has never said that he has this hobby.”

“Maybe it’s just because of the pressures of life? People are always forced to give up things they love at certain stages.” Lorelei smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Chen Yi's gaze fell on the photo, he paused, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"So how is my mom doing?" Futaba suddenly changed the subject at this moment.

"I reminded Sister Xing to get some rest," Chen Yi replied, snapping out of his reverie, knowingly continuing the conversation.

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking how your project is going?"

Shuangye pulled Chen Yi down to sit and handed him the cup of tea that Luo Leilai had brewed.

"..." Chen Yi carefully considered his words.

"Well, how should I put it... things are progressing fairly smoothly so far."

"So what happened to you during your trip to Izu? Tell us!" Sakurajima Mai was more concerned about Chen Yi's safety; this guy shouldn't have done anything stupid, right?

In case there are any long-term effects...

"..." Chen Yi thought for a moment, then chose to take the computer from the study, connect it to the smart helmet with a data cable, and finally project it onto the screen in the living room using a projector.

"Take your time and look at it."

As he spoke, he ignored the empty seat in the middle of the sofa and chose to sit next to Lorelei on the very edge.

"Tell me honestly, is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

Chen Yi asked Lorelei in a low voice, and poked her with his finger.

Didn't poke it... Ah, I did.

Chen Yi paused for a moment, then casually withdrew his finger.

"Commander, can you trust me?" Lorelei looked pitiful.

She pulled Chen Yi's hand over and placed it on her lap.

"I believe you, but..."

Chen Yi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“But it seems that you have repeatedly betrayed my trust,” Lorelei answered for him.

Seeing Chen Yi's silence, Lorelei sighed and took out the photo.

"This is a photo of you holding the championship trophy for the first time when you were a child."

"Of course I know, I want to know how you got your hands on it."

Chen Yi took the photo, his expression revealing a hint of nostalgia.

The distant place seems like the other shore, while the nearby place feels like yesterday.

Chen Yi remembers that this photo was taken when he was at least ten years old.

"Commander, do you want the truth or a lie?"

"The lie is, I'm actually a time traveler~"

"...You never learn your lesson, do you?"

"Okay, the truth is I can read all your memories..."

"Stop! There's no need to read about dark history." Chen Yi quickly waved his hand.

"If the Commander doesn't like it, I won't mention that the Commander's XP is..."

Chen Yi acted decisively, reaching out to cover Lorelei's mouth, stopping her from saying anything more.

Chen Yi felt a lick on his palm and instinctively withdrew his hand. When he looked up, he saw Luo Leilai's smug expression.

"..."

Vixens are tough to deal with.

Chen Yi had already anticipated that he would not be able to live a peaceful life in the days to come.

......

"Yi Jun, I never imagined your experience was... so dangerous."

Mai Sakurajima was so scared she was almost crying. Several times she saw Chen Yi in danger and her heart was in her throat.

It's no wonder that mockumentaries are one of the most immersive horror genres; the immersive experience of being half-real and half-fictional is truly unparalleled.

Although in this world, this is a true documentary.

"Actually, it's alright." Chen Yi lay down on the sofa and rested his head on a cushion.

The Autobots were a bit cunning, but their size and toughness weren't as good as the Thunder Crocodile they encountered during the typhoon.

The scene progressed to the part about the strange tales of rules, and Rio Futaba seemed to be deep in thought.

Why do they rigidly adhere to these rules?

"Two guesses: First, the rules are also a kind of fake person, namely the broadcast fake person. Second, there is something wrong with this entire hotel building."

Chen Yi offered two conjectures, and everyone fell silent after hearing them.

They were more inclined to believe the first person than the second, and the broadcasting imposters used the rules to indirectly control other imposters.

"How did Ayi come up with the second conjecture?" Rio Futaba pressed.

“That’s it,” Kroos answered for her, pointing to the curtain.

It's a scene where Chen Yi and his friends are about to take the elevator downstairs.

"!"

Chen Yi felt himself being hugged from both sides at the same time.

"What are you afraid of?" Chen Yi looked at Luo Leilai, who was pretending to be pitiful on his left.

“Just taking advantage of the situation, Commander.” Lorelei released him without a second thought.

"..."

"This elevator..."

“Like a beating heart, right?” Chen Yi’s gaze lingered for a moment on the carriage that rose and fell like breathing.

That's why I suspect there's something wrong with the whole building.

Chen Yi shrugged. "But it's just wishful thinking."

The red veins on the second floor don't belong to this building either; they belong to the Boiling Ones.