Putting the gun inside the paper-towel dispenser had been an experiment by the people on the other side.
After confirming that the gun had successfully been taken, they knocked on the dispenser again. Clearly, they still had something to say.
Fang Huan Xing waited a few seconds. Sure enough, with a clunk, something else came through.
“What is it?”
Captain Xie and Xiao Huang both followed over curiously, surprised that the Anomalous Case Department’s method of communication was actually this unusual.
“A watch?”
“A smartwatch?”
Neither of them understood.
Fang Huan Xing patiently explained, “It’s an AI assistant used by the Anomalous Case Department for investigations.”
Captain Xie said, “High-tech.”
Xiao Huang asked, “What can it do?”
Zhou Jia Ying had told Fang Huan Xing that Diva had been developed specifically for the Anomalous Case Department by a major technology company. Every full employee was authorized to use one, while each AI assistant’s personality would vary depending on its user.
In Fang Huan Xing’s impression, Shang Lu’s Diva was very gentle. He told the two of them, “Basically anything. She’s very smart.”
Sure enough, as soon as the watch woke up, Diva spoke in a gentle female voice. “Hello. I am the AI assistant assigned to Team Leader Shang Lu of Investigation Action Group Seven, Hua’s Anomalous Case Department. I am currently operating in offline mode and cannot connect to the network, perform searches, or communicate externally. I have several important messages to deliver to Captain Xie of Chengxi Precinct or Anomalous Case Department intern Fang Huan Xing.”
Captain Xie and Fang Huan Xing looked at each other.
Before Captain Xie could say anything, Fang Huan Xing spoke first. “I’m here.”
Diva said, “All right, Xiao Xing. I’ll play the first message for you now.”
Fang Huan Xing: “…”
Shang Lu’s voice immediately came from the watch. “I’ll keep this brief. The place you’re trapped in right now isn’t an independent interference space. It comes from the ongoing positional-overlap state inside Tao Ran. There’s a fixed data set associated with it that’s affecting the reality baseline, which is what pulled all of you inside. When the positional-overlap reaction in Tao Ran intensifies significantly, the deviated reality baseline will begin to revert. Seize that opportunity and you can return to reality.”
The first recording ended.
Shang Lu’s conclusion was more or less the same as what the people trapped inside had already worked out. His warning was also concise and direct, making the danger perfectly clear.
“Xiao Fang, is this what you meant when you said it was still ‘in progress’?” Captain Xie asked. “And this reality-baseline reversion Team Leader Shang mentioned—is that what we were calling the exit?”
Xiao Huang’s face went pale. “If Tao Ran can’t hold on, or if that monster successfully completes positional overlap, does that mean we won’t be able to get out?”
The teenager looked extremely calm and didn’t panic at either of their questions.
He nodded and pressed continue.
They couldn’t see Shang Lu right now, but being able to hear him—and hearing about the efforts being made outside—made everyone feel a little more at ease.
The second recording began.
Shang Lu said, “There are two things you need to pay attention to right now. First, the reality-baseline reversion during positional overlap is too brief and unstable. We don’t know when positional overlap will happen again. Second, the interference space depends on Tao Ran’s vital signs and subjective consciousness. His condition is extremely dangerous. If either his consciousness or his body gives out, this space could collapse at any moment. You can’t afford to delay.”
“We’ve already brought in a phase regulator. If positional overlap begins again inside Tao Ran, we’ll immediately stabilize and maintain the true reality baseline for a period of time. But I have to be honest—we can’t see what’s happening on your side, and we don’t know whether you’ll be able to seize the opportunity. So in the end, exactly what you do will still depend on you. Just remember: watch for the right moment. Don’t run around, don’t do anything reckless, and don’t decide something is too much trouble.”
Captain Xie nodded vigorously as he listened. Fang Huan Xing, however, looked slightly uncertain.
Some of that sounded like it was specifically meant for him.
Listen again.
But Shang Lu had already finished speaking, and for quite a while there was nothing more.
Just as Fang Huan Xing was about to turn off the watch, the recording suddenly resumed. A low male voice came through. “All right, that little brat should be able to understand this much. If he doesn’t, explain it clearly to him when you get over there. Be patient with him. Coax him a little. Stroke his fur the right way.”
Shang Lu had said that to Diva.
Apparently, he hadn’t expected that part to be recorded too.
As for the person Team Leader Shang had specifically instructed Diva to “stroke the right way”… Captain Xie and Xiao Huang both looked toward a certain someone.
The little brat.
Judging by appearance and clothing alone, there really wasn’t a second candidate besides a certain Xiao Fang.
Diva gently asked, “Xiao Xing, would you like me to explain the rules and plan to you in more detail? I can start with the reality baseline—”
Fang Huan Xing: “?”
He refused.
“No need.”
Diva really was patient. “What about the spatial phase regulator? It can reference and stabilize the current reality baseline. You can think of it as a large calibration anchor with a stabilization function—”
“…”
Fang Huan Xing’s face remained taut as he stuffed the watch into his pocket. “So this AI isn’t actually that smart.”
Then he instructed his two temporary teammates.
“Get ready. We’re going out.”
The conclusion Shang Lu had brought them was very clear and closely matched the experiment they had just conducted.
When the faceless Tao Ran approached Bed 26, everything around it became clearer. So that was not only the “exit” Fang Huan Xing had described, but probably also the starting point of the reality-baseline reversion Shang Lu had mentioned.
Their previous experiment had failed because once positional overlap began, all the other monsters moved at the same time, putting the real patients at risk. And they couldn’t actually allow Tao Ran to be taken over by his counterpart from another reality.
But now they had a gun, and outside there was a device capable of stabilizing reality. As long as the people inside and outside acted together, getting out shouldn’t be difficult.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
At the other end of the corridor, the faceless Tao Ran had begun ramming the door again.
This time, it actually managed to knock the door open a crack. It seemed that even with their interference, the real Tao Ran could no longer hold out much longer.
Fang Huan Xing spun the gun twice in his hand, visibly reluctant to part with it.
Then he still handed it to Captain Xie and picked up the fire axe leaning against the wall instead.
“You protect yourselves and the patients. I’ll deal with the faceless Tao Ran.”
Captain Xie accepted the gun. That was something he was obviously fully capable of handling. The veteran officer preferred caution and knew they couldn’t drag things out any longer, but he was still worried about everyone’s safety. “Wait, Xiao Fang. What if Team Leader Shang doesn’t act at the same time as us?”
Dragging the fire axe behind him, Fang Huan Xing didn’t even look back.
“He will.”
＊
A sharp alarm from the equipment suddenly sounded.
Tao Ran’s upper body arched violently off the bed, yanking the monitoring leads across his chest taut. He crashed back down a moment later, his eyes wide open as another pair of eyeballs seemed to flicker faintly inside his sockets.
The nurse instinctively stumbled back several steps, only for Dr. Qin to bark, “Turn his head to the side! Increase the oxygen!”
The nurse summoned her courage again and, hands trembling, steadied Tao Ran’s head.
There was no treatment for an acute fusion-disease episode. Because it involved unpredictable convulsions, for now they could only manage the situation as they would a seizure.
Tao Ran’s heart rate shot rapidly from around ninety to 137, while the two vascular-system curves moved almost completely in opposite directions.
Dr. Qin checked the monitor, then secured the fingertip probe again. “Tao Ran! Can you hear me? Do you remember your own name?”
Once again, subjective consciousness helped Tao Ran.
His heart rate dropped slightly. His lips moved several times before he managed to say indistinctly, “Tao Ran… I’m Tao Ran.”
Tao Ran’s father had been allowed to remain in the intensive care unit. He threw himself toward the bedside. “Ranran! Look at Dad! I didn’t believe you before. I was wrong! Those memories don’t matter. None of them are yours! You’re Mom and Dad’s Ranran. You’re our one and only Ranran! Hold on. Don’t let it take over your body!”
Tears slid from the corners of Tao Ran’s eyes. “I’m Tao Ran… I like playing basketball and reading novels. I’m not you… I’m Tao Ran… cough, cough, cough…”
Tao Ran suddenly began coughing.
Dr. Qin noticed immediately and hurriedly had the nurse help him spit out whatever he had choked on.
It turned out to be a complete tooth that had fallen out intact.
But when they looked inside his mouth, every tooth was still present and intact above his blood-soaked gums.
Outside the room, the atmosphere was even heavier than it was inside. Shang Lu stared fixedly at what was happening through the glass. Behind him stood the spatial phase regulator already aimed at Tao Ran, with Zheng Xiao Yu waiting beside it.
The red human figure on the phase regulator’s display changed. A second outline was moving closer along the parameters that had been loaded in advance.
Positional overlap had begun.
Shang Lu ordered, “Xiao Yu. Now.”
The phase regulator emitted an ultrasonic hum beyond the range of human hearing along with a radiated signal. At the same time, an invisible fluctuation spread outward from the intensive care unit.
Wherever the fluctuation passed, the walls and floor began bulging and sinking, forming waves like liquid. Layer after layer rolled through the building, accompanied by sounds like the structure itself was shaking in an earthquake.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several gunshots rang out.
They sounded muffled, as though some thick obstruction inside the space were separating them from reality.
The lights flickered. Not far away, Captain Xie suddenly appeared in the corridor with the gun raised. The invisible wave rolled past in front of him, and he could barely stay upright, forced to brace himself against the wall as he moved. He seemed to spot something and fired again. The bullet passed through a faceless monster and shattered the glass behind it.
Beyond that thick, intangible transparent layer of space, a young nurse appeared from a patient room at the end of the corridor. A faceless monster was chasing her too, and she was desperately pushing a hospital bed forward with terror written across her face.
The other patients had all already been secured. Only this final bed still held an unconscious patient who needed to be moved. Captain Xie fired twice in succession and brought the monster down, but almost immediately, the monster he had shot earlier mechanically crawled back up behind him!
They were caught between enemies on both sides, while the bed’s wheels had become wedged against the distorted wall and doorway. Captain Xie pulled the young nurse behind him to shield her, but his gun was already empty.
The floor caved inward. The fluctuation rolled forward—then suddenly vanished just before reaching the trapped hospital bed.
Everything went silent.
The reality-baseline reversion was about to stop.
If they didn’t let go of the bed now, it would be too late.
“Team Leader!” Zheng Xiao Yu shouted. “Look!”
Shang Lu followed his gaze and saw only a bloodied fire axe lying on the floor in front of the nurses’ station, along with a wristband that was in the process of disappearing.
Then Fang Huan Xing appeared behind the hospital bed.
No one saw how he did it. They only saw him seize the side rail with both hands and shove the hospital bed out in one powerful motion. The three of them moved with perfect coordination, pushing the bed as they sprinted!
Almost the instant the bed crossed over, the lights stopped flickering and the phase regulator automatically shut down.
The fluctuation vanished completely.
Everything fell still.
“We did it!” Zheng Xiao Yu jumped up in excitement and raised a hand toward Shang Lu.
The tension that had quietly locked Shang Lu’s shoulders finally released. He raised his hand and returned the high five.
On the other side, the now-safe young nurse was still shaken. Crying, she gave Fang Huan Xing a brief hug. “Thank you, Xiao Fang!”
There was blood splattered across Fang Huan Xing’s cheek, but the stains disappeared together with the bloodied fire axe on the floor, leaving only cold sweat on his forehead.
He was much taller than the young nurse, a lean figure who went completely rigid when she hugged him, as though someone had hit a pressure point and frozen him in place. He didn’t even notice that the strap of his backpack had slipped down.
The hug lasted only two seconds, but for those two seconds, Fang Huan Xing became a stone statue.
Before he could react, Captain Xie came over next and hugged him too, patting his back. “Young man, you did well. If you hadn’t been there, we really wouldn’t have made it out.”
“…”
And so Fang Huan Xing remained stiff, walking with the same arm and leg moving together as though he had forgotten how to walk.
Inside the intensive care unit, the monitors suddenly began shrieking again.
…
“His blood pressure is still dropping!”
“Dr. Qin! There’s free fluid in the abdominal cavity and it’s still increasing—no, wait! There’s another complete set of organs inside his abdomen!”
…
“…Call surgery for a consult. Keep his circulation stable first!”
Shang Lu and Zheng Xiao Yu moved to the glass at the same time. No one at the scene continued celebrating.
A nurse led Tao Ran’s father out. The moment he saw Shang Lu, he started to drop to his knees. “Team Leader Shang! Please! The Anomalous Case Department must have some way to save him, right? You have to!”
Shang Lu hurriedly caught him and pulled him upright. He had no answer, but the look in his eyes already said everything.
Tao Ran’s condition was too unusual, and he had long since entered stage three of fusion disease. Even the Containment Center had no way to help him anymore.
Tao Ran’s father cried, “If it’s a disease, then the Anomalous Case Department must have some miracle drug! No matter how much it costs, we’re willing to pay for treatment!”
All Shang Lu could do was apologize. Zheng Xiao Yu came over to help persuade him and led Tao Ran’s father aside. There were still many forms the nurses needed him to sign.
Shang Lu remained where he was for a while, unable to settle the heaviness in his chest, but there was still far too much he needed to do.
When he turned around, Fang Huan Xing was standing beside him, looking even more tightly wound than he did.
Shang Lu had no idea what all of them had experienced inside that other space, but right now, neither of them seemed in the mood to talk about it.
Especially Fang Huan Xing.
He had probably heard every word of the conversation just now.
At the moment, his fingers were gripping the straps of his backpack tightly, and he said nothing.
That backpack had once carried something that might eventually be successfully developed into a way to save Tao Ran’s life. If it had appeared a little earlier… if development could have gone a little faster…
“What is it, kid?” Shang Lu teased him. “Group Seven doesn’t usually do this kind of thing, but if you want one, I can give you a hug too.”
Fang Huan Xing glanced at him. “No.”
Then he silently turned his gaze toward Tao Ran inside the intensive care unit.
After fighting the faceless Tao Ran several times, this was the first time he had finally seen the real Tao Ran.
Shang Lu raised a hand and rubbed the back of his head, his voice low. “You’ve already done very well.”
Whether it was protecting the Stabilizer or protecting everyone inside that other space.
Fang Huan Xing was silent for a while.
Be patient. Coax him a little. Stroke his fur the right way?
This must be the last of the three.
He took the watch out of his pocket and handed it to Shang Lu. “Here.”
The corner of Shang Lu’s mouth curved very slightly. He accepted the watch and fastened it back onto his wrist.
Fang Huan Xing should have turned around and left.
But his feet seemed glued to the floor. He couldn’t move.
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