Chapter 62: Luo Yang’s Chapter
Immortality Tech Laboratory.
“Done.”
Xiang Nanli finished the final test and belatedly felt the wave of exhaustion.
His brain had passed the zone of excitement, and his temples began to throb. A chilling sensation lingered at the back of his head.
He glanced at the time: 6:00 PM. He had entered the lab at 8:00 AM yesterday.
There were four or five used paper cups of black coffee on the table, all empty.
Right, what had he eaten these past two days? Luo Yang probably came by to feed him again, but he wasn’t sure; he had no real impression of it. But wasn’t that kid supposed to be at a UN conference?
Xiang Nanli locked his computer, secured it in the safe, changed his clothes, and slowly walked out of his exclusive studio.
The year he wrote the code for Alpha, Xiang Nanli was in high school. He had used a laptop in his dorm room, typing the first line of code under his blanket so as not to wake his roommates. Now, Xiang Nanli worked in a data center built with billions of dollars.
Along the way, people greeted him.
Xiang Nanli nodded slightly, maintaining a demeanor that was mild, polite, yet distant.
Passing by the pantry area, Xiang Nanli caught a mesmerizing aroma wafting from the kitchen.
He sniffed. Hmm, is the cafeteria stir-frying Hunan cuisine? Smells like spicy pepper pork jowl.
Heh… Xiang Nanli had eaten bland “white people food” for decades without much interest; everyone around him just assumed he had a bird-like appetite and didn’t like to eat.
But after returning to the country for an industry summit, Xiang Nanli became hopelessly obsessed with Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.
Left with no choice, Luo Yang had spent heavily to hire a few Chinese chefs.
It was probably their shift right now.
It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, so the cafeteria wasn’t crowded.
Xiang Nanli casually grabbed a tray and headed to the serving area.
A few minutes later, he carried his plate to the dining area. The cafeteria, which had just been practically deserted, was suddenly swarming with people.
Xiang Nanli elegantly picked up his chopsticks. The very next second, the first person to sit across from him spoke: “Professor. My experiment recently ran into a problem…”
As he grew older, Xiang Nanli became increasingly reclusive. Furthermore, there were always rumors circulating that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
The researchers had fewer and fewer opportunities to see him. Finally bumping into him, they couldn’t resist making up excuses to talk.
When Luo Yang arrived at the cafeteria, what he saw was Xiang Nanli completely surrounded.
“Are you still debugging Alpha yourself? You’re working entirely too hard.”
“Do you really have no intention of taking on students? Luo Yang hasn’t participated in R&D for a long time.”
The crowd chattered away. The topic had already shifted from academic discussions to idle gossip.
These industry elites, earning millions a year, might not have the absolute smartest brains, but they definitely had the most dazzling resumes. They would attend academic discussions, take kickbacks from organizers, and still show no warmth to the businessmen chasing after them.
Yet in front of Xiang Nanli, no one dared show even a sliver of arrogance.
Xiang Nanli was the Mount Everest of this field.
If any living person harbored thoughts of surpassing him, they would likely only feel despair.
…Just as desperate as Luo Yang himself had felt in the past.
Luo Yang pushed his glasses up and walked forward.
He seamlessly squeezed through the crowd: “Teacher, it’s time for us to go home.”
Xiang Nanli stood up and waved to the others: “I’ll be heading back first then. See you next time.”
Their silhouettes gradually disappeared.
Time treated Xiang Nanli with such immense grace.
Even as the years passed, his brilliance remained undiminished.
Luo Yang couldn’t help but recall the first time he saw him.
It was on TV. That year, Xiang Nanli was 28, and he was 18. During the day, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of him in newspapers and on the news, thinking the man had a handsome face. He never expected to see him in person that very night at his father’s banquet.
Xiang Nanli had clearly been smiling and conversing with people, radiating energy when talking about Alpha, but Luo Yang inexplicably felt that he was exceptionally quiet and mysterious.
Luo Yang’s gaze unconsciously followed him.
Luo Yang had originally applied for International Business at university, but switched to Artificial Intelligence at the last minute.
At the age of 21, Luo Yang successfully became Xiang Nanli’s graduate student.
Xiang Nanli thought their first meeting was at the university, but it wasn’t.
Luoyang had rehearsed that “first meeting” in his head over a dozen times.
Yet he still worried he hadn’t performed well enough.
Luo Yang buckled his seatbelt, resting his hands on the steering wheel, and asked with a smile: “Teacher, how about you recruit a junior brother or sister for me? Our lineage is failing, we have no successors.” He had clearly overheard the researchers’ comments.
A long time ago, Xiang Nanli had told Luo Yang that he wasn’t suited for scientific research. After that, Luo Yang never participated in research again, shifting his focus entirely to the commercial field.
He wasn’t a highly gifted scientist, but he was undoubtedly an outstanding businessman.
Xiang Nanli was probably a bit tired, so he closed his eyes and replied: “Having you in this lifetime is enough.”
Luo Yang couldn’t stop his lips from pressing together into a smile.
Having stayed by Xiang Nanli’s side for so long, Luo Yang knew very well that the man’s brain was wired differently; he would never truly learn human emotions for his entire life.
But he was the most special one among everyone, and that was enough.
Luo Yang drove Xiang Nanli home.
The floor heating was on in the house. Xiang Nanli took off his shoes and, ignoring his slippers, walked barefoot across the floor.
Luo Yang went to warm up a glass of milk. When he turned his head, Xiang Nanli was already curled up in the ergonomic chair, reviewing experimental models sent over by other teams.
Luo Yang moved the scattered papers aside and placed the milk on the messy desk: “The doctor told you to rest well. Using your brain this much every day, watch out for white hair…”
“It’s too late,” Xiang Nanli answered calmly without looking up. “I don’t have much time left.”
Luo Yang fell silent for a moment: “I contacted the Mayo Clinic. Let’s go for a follow-up tomorrow. We’ll check the extent of the cancer cells’ spread. The professor mentioned there are still a few targeted therapies left.”
Xiang Nanli just gave an “Mm,” neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He had always gone for regular checkups and started receiving treatment in the early stages of his cancer. Two years of endoscopic treatment, but it still metastasized to the lymph nodes. So they did surgery, using the most advanced surgical methods performed by the world’s best doctors. The surgery was clearly a success. But two years later, the cancer cells had spread throughout his entire body…
Xiang Nanli was 48 years old this year.
Lying in bed, Luo Yang thought about Xiang Nanli, about Immortality Tech, and about the bans the higher-ups were demanding they sign. He didn’t drift into a hazy sleep until the sky was almost bright.
When he woke up, it was 2:00 PM. Luo Yang sprang out of bed in deep remorse!
Xiang Nanli was practically helpless with daily chores. He barely even knew how to use the microwave and would definitely not think to eat on his own! And it was already 2:00 PM!
He hastily threw on some clothes and went to the kitchen to fry up a burger.
Carrying the lunch, Luo Yang began searching the entire house for Xiang Nanli.
“Teacher—!”
Bedroom, empty.
He pushed open another door.
Study, also empty.
As the founder of Immortality Tech, the place Xiang Nanli lived in wasn’t very large. He seemed to have a deep fear of empty, cavernous spaces.
Usually, Luo Yang was the only other person who came here.
Luo Yang quickly searched the entire apartment while the lunch on the plate slowly grew cold.
He couldn’t get through to Xiang Nanli’s phone. Standing helplessly in the living room, his heart filled with terror.
Deep down, it felt as though an unloved child was screaming.
Kidnapping? No, it wasn’t a kidnapping. There were no signs of a struggle, and he hadn’t heard any strange noises.
Luo Yang agonizingly grabbed his own hair, then furiously smashed the plate onto the floor. The porcelain shattered into pieces, and the burger broke apart, scattering everywhere.
Luo Yang made a phone call, barely managing to keep his voice steady: “Check the surveillance cameras. Xiang Nanli is missing.”
At 8:00 AM, Xiang Nanli left the house alone and called a ride-hailing car.
At 9:00 AM, he arrived at the airport.
At 1:00 PM, the plane landed in Dakro State. He left the airport and got into a car with a blonde, blue-eyed middle-aged woman.
At 1:30 PM, the private car parked in the lot of the “Human Cryonics Center.”
Finding this information took Luo Yang two hours.
Luo Yang had heard of human cryonics technology a few years ago. But it was from the mouth of a technical advisor who had already been fired. They had said something about how human cryonics had great potential, and that Immortality Tech should consider investing.
After reading the project proposal, Luo Yang concluded that the technology was just a pile of bullshit designed to swindle money and kill people.
He spent five minutes digging through a pile of business card holders before finding the phone number of the cryonics center’s director.
Luo Yang’s eyes were bloodshot, covered in dense, fine red veins. The moment the call connected, he demanded sharply: “Is Xiang Nanli at your facility?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Give him the phone, I need to speak with him!” he practically roared. “Do not proceed! If any of you dare freeze him, I’ll f***ing shoot you dead! You murderers!”
The director paused, then spoke in a regretful tone: “I am sorry, Mr. Luo Yang. You are too late.”
…
…
Luo Yang jolted awake from the nightmare, tears streaming down his face.
His heart was pounding violently, and he couldn’t stop himself from gasping for air in huge mouthfuls.
Xiang Nanli. I hate you.
I hate that your heart is a stone that can never be warmed.
I hate that your flawless purity makes me look like rotting mud.
I hate that your brilliance is so overwhelming, and that your footsteps never stop for anyone.
I thought I hated you.
But maybe, I just love you so much that it is sheer agony.
Detecting that Luo Yang had awakened, the sensor lights in the room automatically turned on.
Luo Yang wiped the hot tears from his face with his palm and pulled out the IV needle on the back of his hand.
Knock, knock. The sound of someone knocking echoed.
The hospital room door opened, and the secretary walked in pushing a massive stack of classified documents, weighing three or four pounds.
Luo Yang rubbed the space between his brows: “What are all these? What’s the situation now?”
He was getting old, and he hadn’t taken his genetic injections recently. Luo Yang constantly felt like his brain wasn’t working as sharply as it used to.
“Strikes, protests, riots, demonstrations, the suicide rate, the birth rate, military uprisings, the Great Economic Depression.” The Omnic secretary answered blankly. “The same old things. The space migration plan has failed, sir. We have nowhere left to transfer the conflicts.
“Right now, the lower class, the middle class, and even parts of the upper class are deeply dissatisfied with the current social structure, believing they have been treated unfairly. Monopoly capital is no longer suited to the current social climate. Should we enter the next stage of capitalism?
“Although, according to simulated sociological models, this transition will also experience many unknown upheavals, it appears to be the best method at present.”
Luo Yang thought to himself, The biggest monopoly capital of all is Immortality Tech.
Are they asking me to cut off my own lifeline?
Luo Yang stared at the robot secretary for a long time: “Contact Alpha for me. I want to see him.”
“He is very busy, but we will prioritize your appointment.” The Omnic secretary retrieved files from the internal network. “Hmm, how about scheduling it for tomorrow night at 8:00 PM?”
Luo Yang: “…Fine.”
If it were a human, Luo Yang might have had the energy to debate it, but against an Omnic, there was no point.
“And these files?”
Luo Yang replied: “Just leave them here.”
He was 166 years old this year and deeply felt the onset of old age; his stamina was nothing like it used to be.
He spent two whole days reading through the documents.
By the time his scheduled appointment with Alpha arrived, Luo Yang still hadn’t finished them.
The laptop placed on the desk flickered.
“Hello,” Alpha spoke, his voice materializing from the black-and-white screen. “Luo Yang. Is there a reason you sought me out?”
Sitting in his wheelchair, Luo Yang looked at the scenery outside the window: “Alpha, over the last few years, I’ve been pondering a question. What exactly binds humanity together?
“In ancient times, I believe it was bloodlines. A single person’s productivity is limited; people needed to rely on social cooperation to maximize their chances of survival and reproduction. But how should the acquired resources be distributed? That is where bloodlines played their part. Because we were all children of the same mother, we were all kin, with no division between us. Naturally, there was no need to bicker over temporary gains and losses.
“Later, as society developed, humanity branched out and multiplied. Even though they shared the same ancestors, they no longer recognized their kinship with strangers. At that point, people needed a larger collective entity to unify their ideologies and restructure resources. Thus, the feudal kingdom was born.
“But feudal society was not the endpoint of human development. As you know, the bourgeoisie sprouted, and more people stood up. For the sake of their own interests, the people sent the kings and popes to the guillotine. But they still needed a new regime to shelter them. And so, nationalism and modern states came to be.”
Luo Yang’s narration was very calm. His face still looked relatively young, but his eyes betrayed an elderly, weary exhaustion.
He sat in the wheelchair, gazing at the starry sky beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. The lighting in the room was dim, casting a lonely shadow over his face.
After a long while, Luo Yang continued: “And now, the ideological collective formed by this ‘nationalism’ is also heading toward collapse… Just like thousands of years ago, the fact that ‘we are all children of the same mother’ still couldn’t prevent the outcome of brothers drawing swords against each other. Do you understand what I mean?”
Alpha: “Because of your old age, your thoughts are jumping around a bit. But I believe I understand your meaning.”
The corner of Luo Yang’s mouth twitched slightly: “Yes. The society composed of different nations is on the verge of collapse. We need a new enemy, and we need a new social consciousness to form a new collective. I believe there is nothing more suitable than ‘Humanism.’ Under the current conditions, only by completing this shift in sociological thought can human society possibly enter the next stage. Do you agree?”
He turned his head to look at the open laptop.
Alpha’s physical body obviously wasn’t inside the computer, but Luo Yang knew that Alpha could see him.
“Alpha, if one day, Xiang Nanli can wake up… what kind of new world do you hope he will see?”
Among us, we need a villain.
Among us, we need a traitor.
That cannot be me. Because you are an Omnic, you are not our kind.
And the savior will be me. It can only be me.
The soundwaves on the screen fluctuated, and Alpha slowly said: “Please let me consider it.”
The silver-white soundwaves on the black screen extinguished.
After that, Luo Yang and Alpha never contacted each other again. They were both observing.
The economy grew increasingly dire, resources were distributed unevenly, extremism ran rampant, and the Third World War was on the verge of breaking out.
Finally, Luo Yang received the good news he had been waiting for.
The Omnic Crisis had erupted.
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Author’s Note:
The sociological viewpoints in the main text are mainly referenced from Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Twenty Lectures on Sociological Theory, etc.
