IRCDM Chapter 69

Chapter 69: The Answer – Where is the Black Box?

In the silent, empty corridor, the white floor reflected the faint blue glow of the exit signs. The sealed-off robots were neatly arranged on both sides of the corridor, their cold, hollow mechanical eyes staring blankly ahead, like soulless husks of demons in hell.

Footsteps echoed in the silence. The door to the Chuanwu Main Laboratory was opened. Some of the key experimental equipment inside was still running. The experimental subjects curled up in the culture tanks showed faint undulations in their chests. A faint smell of disinfectant permeated the air.

“Are they still alive?” Li Yao’s gaze swept over the experimental tanks.

“Chuanwu’s human experiments are illegal, but they already have life and self-awareness. Some human rights organizations are speaking out for them, while others are strongly advocating for the end of their lives. Whether from an ethical or moral point of view, their existence itself is a huge controversy. Currently, neither the military nor the administrative court has the right to destroy them. Their final fate depends on a national vote in a month,” Liang Huan said.

Li Yao fell silent.

Liang Huan turned to look at him: “But many experimental subjects have undergone heteromorph gene modification. It’s difficult to determine whether they are human or heteromorph, and it’s also impossible to determine the potential danger they pose to human society. What do you think should be done with them?”

Li Yao said indifferently, “Don’t try to trap me. I firmly oppose and resist Chuanwu’s illegal human experiments, but I express no opinion on whether the experimental subjects have the right to live.”

Liang Huan looked at him: “Then why did you shoot me in the first place?”

Li Yao met his cold gaze, surprised: “You wanted to kill me, shouldn’t I shoot, and wait to be caught?”

Liang Huan’s voice deepened slightly: “I’m not talking about what happened in the Outer District before.”

“Hmm?” Li Yao raised his eyebrows, “What do you mean? Have we met before? Could it be that Officer Lin was also a member of these experimental tanks before?”

Liang Huan stared at him, carefully observing his expression, but found no flaws.

“March 2, 130,” he insisted on reminding Li Yao, “The eighth underground floor of the Black Market in the Eastern Third District, Chuanwu’s private laboratory—at that time, Chuanwu didn’t dare to conduct experiments so blatantly.”

Li Yao smiled: “Officer Lin, you better be careful with your words now. If you expose yourself as an experimental subject, you won’t be able to survive in the military.”

Liang Huan didn’t care, his dark eyes staring straight at him: “You don’t remember?”

Li Yao lowered his head to look through the information on the table: “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You personally extremely hate heteromorphs, including the mutants and modified heteromorphs after the laboratory’s modifications. You believe that they do not belong to the human species at all,” Liang Huan said unhurriedly, “Seven years ago, after you accepted Chuanwu’s heteromorph gene modification, you tried to destroy all the experimental subjects in his laboratory.”

Li Yao casually flipped through the information, not answering.

“Perhaps it’s because your teammates in the vanguard team accepted gene modification and sacrificed themselves in space, leaving you with a serious shadow,” Liang Huan said, “But there is a fundamental difference between humans accepting heteromorph gene modification and the mutants and modified heteromorphs in the laboratory. At least humans don’t need to re-establish their identity—like you, you still believe you belong to humans.”

Li Yao sneered: “What, are you going to discuss ethics and philosophy with me?”

“No.” Liang Huan looked into his eyes, “I just want to tell you that I still remember the look in your eyes when you shot me seven years ago.”

Full of murderous intent, yet with painful pity and unbearable hope—those were indescribable eyes, dry and wet, resolute and struggling, like a superior who decided life and death, and like a compassionate savior.

“Li Yao, when you shot, did you want to save me, or kill me?” He tried to find the answer in those eyes again, to solve the question that had puzzled him for many years.

But whether it was the former or the latter, in his countless times of being trapped in the mire-like nightmare, the bullet that greeted him from another world to regain new life would pass through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, hit the center of his brow, end his death, and make him open his eyes again.

Li Yao leaned closer to him, squinting his eyes unhappily, with a bit of unbelievable confusion: “What are you inexplicably excited about, Officer Lin?”

Like an antisocial personality psychopath.

Liang Huan said calmly: “I would prefer it if this question had no answer, Commander Li.”

Li Yao: “…”

Damn.

“Let’s get down to business.” Liang Huan walked around him and took out the chip scanner, “What is the information you want? Are there any specific identifying features?”

“The copy of my genetic data that Zhou Suiyu took away before,” Li Yao said, “I suspect Chuanwu used it on the mutants.”

Liang Huan turned his head to look at him.

“Is there a problem?” Li Yao took out a chip and inserted it into the slot of the Chuanwu Laboratory’s main hub. The password was quickly unlocked, and several rows of black chips popped out of the main hub.

The same as the black chip in the Wutong Apartment.

Li Yao turned on the scanning system. The loading progress bar in the suspended light screen was moving slowly and steadily. He tapped the card slot boredly, and opened another hidden card slot next to it as if inadvertently, and put in a chip to turn on the copy.

The next second, someone grabbed his wrist.

Li Yao looked up and saw that Liang Huan was already standing silently in front of him: “If the gene sample that Zhou Suiyu took away is so important, why did it take you so many years to remember to destroy it?”

“Well, I didn’t catch Chuanwu before,” Li Yao said righteously.

“Commander Li, since both sides intend to cooperate, at least be sincere and honest enough,” Liang Huan gradually increased the strength in his hand, “I have no interest in simply being used by others.”

Li Yao smiled: “I already told you to copy the black box of the Dawn Project, do I have to hold you and coax you to be satisfied?”

“The premise of being able to copy is that the black box is still there.” Liang Huan stubbornly grabbed his wrist and moved away from the position of the card slot.

Li Yao took the lead in unloading his strength, and Liang Huan immediately let go. Li Yao raised his hands to show his innocence: “Okay, you take it.”

Liang Huan’s eyes fell on his face. He picked up the chip and put it into the external machine. A piece of information suddenly popped up on the suspended light screen. Liang Huan’s still somewhat immature face appeared in the suspended light screen.

His detailed information was displayed next to it.

Experimental Subject No. 1 in Group 2, initial culture date: July 7, New Era 116; race: human; gene modification sample source: Dawn Star; initial mental source detection date: March 2, 130; gene enhancement sample source: Dawn Star; physical fitness level: ??? Unknown; Mental Power Level: ??? Unknown; … Experimental subject lost time: March 2, 132 … Comprehensive judgment: human gene mutant, can contact high-intensity radiation, space simulation experiment successful; Comprehensive level: 3S.

Li Yao stared at the words “human gene mutant” on it, slowly released the bracelet in his palm, breathed a sigh of relief imperceptibly, and said jokingly: “Good luck, at least you’re a human being.”

Liang Huan: “… What do you mean?”

“You are a human being cultivated in Chuanwu’s laboratory, and the source of the gene modification you accepted—” Li Yao pointed to himself, “is also a super-powerful human being. Your mental power level is at least 3S, so you can use the mental source to understand Mupo’s heteromorph summons.”

He smiled and looked at Liang Huan, his whole person seemed to suddenly relax, he stretched out his arm and put it on Liang Huan’s shoulder, and said happily: “No wonder the people in the military call you the New Star of Dawn, I said those old things can’t be confused…”

He muttered vaguely, Liang Huan didn’t hear clearly: “What?”

Li Yao smiled and looked into his eyes: “You have to thank me for the blessing I gave you downstairs just now.”

Liang Huan shifted his gaze and said coldly: “Is it important to you that I am a human being?”

“It’s not important to me, it’s important to the human base,” Li Yao squeezed his shoulder affectionately.

Although Chuanwu deserved to die, he did a good thing by mistake.

His attitude suddenly eased, but Liang Huan noticed a very subtle abnormality: “Li Yao, what exactly do you want to do?”

Li Yao smiled, unlike his previous playful disguise, he smiled very easily, even cheerfully: “Many people have asked me this question.”

Countless interrogations by the military, mental torture, all kinds of good and bad words, friends and enemies persuaded him earnestly, those spies who approached him used both soft and hard tactics, coercion and inducement, all asked him this question.

Gently, collapsing, violently, pleadingly… Unfortunately, no one got an answer.

And now, standing in the cold and unlit laboratory, across the translucent light screen filled with Liang Huan’s information, looking into Liang Huan’s eyes, he finally answered this question seriously for the first time:

“I want to finish the road that I couldn’t walk out of ten years ago.”

As his voice fell, the radiation protection cover over the Eastern District Human Base suddenly experienced violent fluctuations. Low-frequency mental interference waves slowly spread out from the central control center at the top of the military building, and the blue protection cover began to fade layer by layer.

In the Eastern District Base, people who were still asleep were suddenly awakened. Whether it was the sleepless East 1 Rich District, the prosperous and wealthy East 2 District, or the ready-to-go East 3 and the chaotic and disorderly East 4… people raised their heads and looked at the trembling protection cover above with suspicion.

In the temporary storage room of the military building, a small mecha sat on the hundred-meter-high window, looking up at the blurred and dim sky.

In the underground mine of the Outer District, the gigantic mecha slowly opened its eyes, its mechanical arm broke through the soil and slammed heavily on the ground. Deep cracks spread rapidly like a spider web. The frequency of the signal tower about to restart caused all the large mechas on the military training ground to hum.

The culture fluid in the experimental tank gently shook.

Liang Huan met Li Yao’s gaze, stepped forward and approached, passed through the suspended light screen filled with dense data, and stood in front of Li Yao.

“Where is the black box of the Dawn Project?” He stared closely into Li Yao’s eyes, subconsciously grabbed the other’s wrist.

The earth quaked, the mechas roared, and the thick blue protection cover slowly dissipated over the Eastern District Base. After many years, the first ray of dawn finally fell again on this long-barren land without any obstruction.

It also fell on the face of the Dawn Star.

He smiled and looked into the eyes of his lover:

“I am the only surviving black box of the Dawn Project.”