Qiu Shi realized that his condition wasn’t great. After waking up, he had held on for a while with the help of medication, but after finishing his conversation with Li Feng, he felt an overwhelming exhaustion, similar to how he had felt after being stabbed in Xima Town. The moment he closed his eyes, he found himself unable to wake up again.
“Just rest, relax, no need to push yourself,” Li Feng said.
“When I wake up again… who knows how I’ll feel,” Qiu Shi replied.
“You won’t turn into a bioroid,” Li Feng reassured him. “It’s just enhancing your physical capabilities so that injuries can heal faster, you can move quicker, and have greater strength.”
“Mm,” Qiu Shi responded softly.
“I may have a position to uphold,” Li Feng said, “but I’ll still fight for what I can. I will do everything within my power—not just my authority—to ensure your safety.”
Qiu Shi glanced at him.
Li Feng’s ability to go beyond his authority was something Qiu Shi could only choose to trust for now.
“If, in the end, I still fail to bring Xing Bi back,” Qiu Shi said, “what will happen?”
“I don’t know,” Li Feng replied. “But if there’s anything that could harm you, I’ll let you go.”
“Really?” Qiu Shi asked.
“I kill people,” Li Feng said, “but I don’t like driving them to their deaths.”
Qiu Shi said nothing more.
“Rest,” Li Feng said. “Since there are no other options left, let’s at least make the current choice the best it can be.”
“Mm,” Qiu Shi murmured. After some thought, he added, “Don’t tell Zhao Lü and the others.”
“Got it,” Li Feng said.
Qiu Shi closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
……
When Li Feng walked out of the ward, Curator Wu and his research team were already waiting outside.
“How is it?” Curator Wu asked.
“What do you mean, ‘how is it?’” Li Feng shot him a look.
“Did he agree?” Curator Wu asked.
“Did he have a choice?” Li Feng said.
Curator Wu said nothing, then after a pause, added, “Then we should start preparations.”
“At least let the doctor check if his body can handle the procedure right now!” Li Feng suddenly snapped, struggling to keep his emotions in check.
Curator Wu looked at him in surprise. “Director Li? Are you alright?”
“Lao Wu,” Li Feng said, staring at him. “How do you define a human being?”
“You’re acting a bit out of character,” Curator Wu frowned. “Maybe you should take a quick break. There’s a meeting coming up.”
“What kind of damn meeting this time?” Li Feng asked.
“Mr. Long and the General, plus you and me,” Curator Wu replied.
“Qiu Shi agreed barely a minute ago,” Li Feng said. “How do they already know?”
“He was bound to agree. When the General asked, I told him,” Curator Wu explained. “Director Li, Qiu Shi will be our first subject for modification—”
“Why do you seem so damn excited about it?” Li Feng interrupted.
“For me, being personally involved in Yun City’s first modification project is exciting to some extent,” Curator Wu replied. “Our modification will undoubtedly be perfect, unlike the haphazard experiments conducted outside—”
Li Feng turned and walked out of the lab.
……
With only ten minutes of downtime before the meeting, Li Feng knew it wasn’t enough to rest but just enough to collect himself. Sitting in the meeting room, he lit a cigarette.
Smoking wasn’t allowed in the meeting room, but he didn’t care. When he finished, he stubbed the cigarette out aggressively on the table.
When Mr. Long entered, the first thing he noticed was the cigarette butt on the table. He frowned and immediately adjusted the ventilation system to maximum.
“Mr. Long,” Li Feng greeted, “good afternoon.”
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood,” Mr. Long remarked.
“Oh, I’m just fine,” Li Feng replied.
Curator Wu rushed in after him, arranging for the General’s call to connect to the meeting.
“Let’s begin,” the General said.
“It’s just the four of us today,” Mr. Long began. “Colonel Xu was supposed to join, but since the command center needs her presence and she wasn’t directly involved in this case, she won’t attend for now. Curator Wu?”
“The modification of Qiu Shi will primarily involve implanting a control core,” Curator Wu explained, pointing to a projection. “By stimulating the body, we can greatly enhance human capabilities—”
Li Feng didn’t pay much attention. He wasn’t particularly interested in the principles, only the outcome.
Mr. Long and the General were also uninterested in the details and were more focused on results, so Curator Wu quickly wrapped up his explanation.
“With this, we can create a human bioroid.”
When Li Feng heard this, he suddenly looked up sharply. “What?”
“Actually, I personally lean more toward a more thorough transformation. After all, the strength of the human body simply cannot compare to the synthetic materials of bioroids…” Curator Wu was immersed in his thoughts, oblivious to his own emotions.
“Wu Kangwen!” Li Feng slammed the table.
Curator Wu was startled, stopping in surprise as he looked at him. “Director Li?”
“Qiu Shi is a person, a living human being,” Li Feng said. “He agreed to the modification to find Xing Bi! To prevent Xing Bi from becoming the greatest threat to Yun City, not for your entertainment!”
“Director Li,” Mr. Long spoke up, “calm down.”
“How can I calm down?” Li Feng said. “I’m the one who talked with Qiu Shi, the one who faced his pain directly, and the one who bore his disappointment!”
“Curator Wu,” Mr. Long looked at him, “we currently don’t have the time for a complete transformation. Let’s proceed with the enhancement modification.”
“Understood,” Curator Wu glanced at Li Feng. “Qiu Shi is unconscious again, but his physical condition is stable enough. The surgery can be scheduled for tonight. The experimental team is preparing.”
“What kind of results can we expect?” the General asked.
“Rapid recovery,” Curator Wu replied. “Strength, speed, and agility will see significant improvement, and his health will be much better.”
“What about his thoughts? His emotions? His personality?” Li Feng asked.
“None of those will be affected,” Curator Wu said.
“There’s something I want everyone to be clear about,” Li Feng said. “This enhancement is solely to keep Qiu Shi alive and to bring Xing Bi back—nothing more. Qiu Shi must still be Qiu Shi.”
“Do you have concerns, Director Li?” the General asked.
“Any unnecessary procedures on Qiu Shi will push Xing Bi further toward opposing Yun City,” Li Feng said. “As long as Qiu Shi remains himself, with only enhanced physical functions, it can be barely justified as an effort to save his life. Any additional procedures will provoke Xing Bi. General, Mr. Long, you both understand this better than anyone.”
The General said nothing.
“No matter what state Xing Bi was in before his disappearance—whether he lost control or broke through his memory constraints—his intention to ensure Qiu Shi’s safety in this situation says it all. We cannot do anything unnecessary to Qiu Shi.”
Mr. Long glanced at the screen, then turned back to Li Feng. “We’ve taken this into account. Curator Wu will only carry out the most basic enhancements to save Qiu Shi’s life.”
“Thank you for understanding, leaders.” Li Feng leaned back in his chair and looked at Curator Wu. “Sorry, Lao Wu, I got a bit worked up.”
“It’s fine. You’ve been too tired lately.” Curator Wu waved it off.
“Director Li, you need to control your emotions better in the future,” the General said. “Today, you were somewhat out of line.”
“Maybe I’m not standing high enough,” Li Feng said. “If I stood high enough, I wouldn’t see individual, living people anymore, and naturally, I wouldn’t lose my composure.”
“Li Feng.” Mr. Long looked at him.
“Sorry,” Li Feng pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sleep-deprived.”
“Curator Wu,” Mr. Long said, “you may proceed.”
“Understood.” Curator Wu got up, patting Li Feng on the shoulder before leaving the conference room.
“Director Li, you should rest a bit,” the General said.
“Thank you, General,” Li Feng said, looking at the General on the screen. “I’ll take a nap in my office once the snow eases up. It’s too heavy right now.”
Mr. Long froze for a moment.
“Yes, the snow is heavy,” the General said, glancing toward the window.
“General,” Li Feng suddenly laughed. “It isn’t snowing today.”
Two seconds later, the General’s transmission cut off, leaving the screen pitch black.
“Li Feng,” Mr. Long abruptly stood up, leaning on the table and staring at him. “What are you trying to do?”
“The General doesn’t exist,” Li Feng said. “Right?”
“You’re asking for trouble,” Mr. Long said.
“Then kill me and silence me,” Li Feng said.
Mr. Long stared at him without speaking.
“But you can’t. At least, not at this stage,” Li Feng said, standing up. “Having only one option is frustrating, isn’t it, Mr. Long?”
As he left the conference room, he paused and turned back to Mr. Long. “I don’t want to do anything. I just wanted to vent.”
—
Xing Bi squatted at the top of the slope, snow covering him entirely.
Behind him, a symbiont was slowly approaching, its movements so quiet they were nearly inaudible.
They were close to Xima Town, so the man couldn’t use a gun. He had to close in gradually.
Until he was within striking range of the dagger.
As the Symbiont leapt to attack, Xing Bi turned to meet it with his dagger, dodged sideways, and extended his right hand to grab its neck, slamming it into the snow.
When the symbiont tried to redirect the dagger to stab him, Xing Bi caught its arm with his left hand, staring into its eyes. In the depths of its gaze, he could feel the dominant consciousness hiding behind the Symbiont. He jerked his left hand sharply, tearing the Symbiont’s arm from its body.
Still locking eyes with it, Xing Bi clenched his fingers, crushing its neck.
When he returned to the underground warehouse, the old man was peeking out from a hidden door in the corner of the wall.
Xing Bi pushed him back into the door.
“Why did it take you so long today?” the old man asked.
Xing Bi said nothing.
“Three days now,” the old man said, “and still no trace of his hiding place?”
Xing Bi remained silent.
“Why not let them into the town?” the old man suggested. “Only by exposing him can we find him.”
Xing Bi ignored him and sat in the corner of the small cabin.
“Qiu Shi is in Yun City right now; he’s certainly under the strictest protection,” the old man continued. “He won’t be in any immediate danger. Even if Zheng Ting gets into Yun City, he won’t be able to get close to him.”
Xing Bi seemed to shut down, sitting quietly in the darkness without speaking or moving. The murderous aura around him dissipated, along with the oppressive sense of his presence. It felt as though he had vanished entirely into the darkness.
—
Another sleepless night passed.
Li Feng sat in the operating room, wearing a lab coat, watching as Curator Wu and several staff members performed surgery on Qiu Shi.
The small metal cube to be implanted at the back of Qiu Shi’s neck was placed in a black box beside the operating table, waiting for the final connection.
The operating room’s feed was being streamed to Mr. Long’s and the General’s offices. In theory, Li Feng could also watch from his own office, but he chose to stay here instead.
“Data transmission is normal,” one of the staff reported.
“Prepare to connect to the central nervous system,” Curator Wu said, stepping toward the black box. He glanced at Li Feng before opening the box and taking out the small cube. “Verify the serial number.”
A staff member scanned the cube with a sensor, and its information appeared on a nearby screen.
Li Feng glanced at it. The model was over a hundred years old, with the serial number 3087, indicating there had been over 3,000 of these made. Some had been used in bioroids, others in Yun City, and many were unaccounted for.
“Why is the activation time set to zero?” Li Feng asked.
“It indicates it’s new, without any prior data from other individuals or bioroids,” Curator Wu explained. “Once it connects to Qiu Shi, the date will update to today.”
“Understood.” Li Feng nodded.
The process accelerated from there: implanting the device, connecting it, testing it, monitoring blood flow, muscle responses, and organ compatibility…
Every step appeared meticulous, precise, and emotionless.
“All done,” Curator Wu reported to the video feed. “The operation was successful. Everything is normal so far. Physical changes will begin within two hours. I’ll monitor him in the lab. If there are no issues, Qiu Shi should regain consciousness within two hours and recover physically within four days.”
“How will he feel?” Li Feng asked.
“That’s uncertain,” Curator Wu said. “In theory, he shouldn’t feel much, though he may need some adjustment. His motor functions have improved significantly, so there might be some imbalance at first.”
“Got it,” Li Feng said. “Thank you, Curator Wu.”
“He won’t wake immediately,” Curator Wu said, looking at him. “I’m going to rest. Would you like to sleep for a bit? We’ll be notified the moment he wakes up.”
“No need.” Li Feng hooked a nearby chair with his foot, dragged it over, and propped his legs up. “I’ll stay here. When he wakes up, I’ll let you know.”
“When did you start caring so much about whether people live or die?” Curator Wu asked.
“I’ve invested too much,” Li Feng said. “I can’t afford any accidents. I want to live well, though I didn’t expect the cost to be this high.”
His body felt light. The constant pain that had plagued him was fading.
Qiu Shi knew he was still unconscious, yet his mind was slowly awakening. Even in this state, he could clearly sense his body.
Blood was flowing, muscles were gently contracting, and he could hear many sounds: the beeping of machines, the creak of wheels from a cart outside the room, the sound of IV fluid dripping, Li Feng’s breathing…
The unfamiliar sensations made him anxious for a moment, but he quickly calmed down.
It was over.
This monumental change had concluded without him even realizing it.
His “new life” was about to begin.
When he opened his eyes, Qiu Shi didn’t move. He quietly stared at the IV bottle, nearly empty.
Then he heard someone press the intercom button outside.
“Curator Wu, Qiu Shi is awake.”
Li Feng, who had been sleeping in a chair beside the bed, seemed like he hadn’t slept at all. As soon as the words came through the door, he sprang to his feet and walked to the bedside.
“Qiu Shi?”
“Mm.” Qiu Shi continued looking at the IV bottle.
“How do you feel?” Li Feng asked.
“Not bad,” Qiu Shi said. “It doesn’t hurt. Nothing feels particularly different.”
Li Feng looked at him. “Curator Wu said you’ll still need to adapt. Your enhanced motor functions might cause some issues with control…”
Qiu Shi raised his left hand, free of the pulling pain he used to feel.
“It’s fine,” he said, showing no loss of control.
“In about two days, you should be able to move around,” Li Feng said.
“Let’s go with my feelings,” Qiu Shi said. “I think we can set out as soon as I feel ready. I don’t think I’ll need two days.”
“Better listen to the experts,” Li Feng replied. “This isn’t a small matter.”
Qiu Shi said nothing.
—
“He’s a miracle,” Curator Wu said, his eyes brimming with barely contained excitement.
“Recovering quickly?” Li Feng lay on the couch in Curator Wu’s office, clutching his head in pain. “Give me a pill; my head is killing me.”
“I originally estimated he’d need four days for basic recovery, but now, in just three days, he’s nearly fine. I’m not sure if it’s due to some unique physiology…” Curator Wu opened a cabinet and handed him the medication.
Li Feng immediately cut him off: “Nothing unique about it. He’s just in good shape.”
“Deputy Director Li, no need to be so sensitive,” Curator Wu said with a smile. “And his physical control is exceptionally precise—no wonder, given he grew up in the Outer City as a corpse collector. He’s adapting almost seamlessly.”
“Any adverse reactions in the data?” Li Feng asked after taking the pill and sitting up.
“So far, none,” Curator Wu replied. “If there were any, they would’ve shown up as soon as he woke up. Everything has been normal so far, and there likely won’t be issues going forward.”
“Got it.” Li Feng stood and put on his jacket.
“We’ve succeeded, Deputy Director Li,” Curator Wu said.
“Mm.” Li Feng walked out of the office.
Theoretically, Qiu Shi should have waited four days before heading to Xima Town, but his recovery and adaptation were faster than expected, forcing some plans to move forward.
“Everyone out for a moment,” Li Feng said as he entered the experimental chamber, addressing the staff. “I need to speak with Qiu Shi privately.”
The two technicians testing Qiu Shi stood up and left.
Li Feng shut the door, disabled the surveillance in the chamber, and sat across from Qiu Shi.
“Are we ready to set out?” Qiu Shi asked.
“There’s something you need to know before we leave,” Li Feng said, tossing his small drone into the air. “We don’t know Xing Bi’s current state, but you know more about him now than we do. Understanding who he was before might help you find him.”
“Who he was before?” Qiu Shi looked at the drone hovering above.
“What I’m about to show you are sealed, high-level Yun City files on Xing Bi. I only got my hands on them a few days ago,” Li Feng said. “These contain memories of his that were suppressed. If he’s broken through his restraints now, he might have remembered them.”
“About what?” Qiu Shi asked.
“About his teacher,” Li Feng said.
“What about his teacher?” Qiu Shi continued to watch the drone, a sense of dread creeping in.
“He died,” Li Feng said. “Killed by bioroids right in front of him because he chose humanity.”
The drone projected a video onto the wall.
“This is an extracted fragment of Xing Bi’s memory. The technology is limited, so the visuals are rough,” Li Feng explained. “I can provide you with the official written records later.”
The footage flickered, showing a night scene illuminated by many lights. The surroundings were entirely different from the world Qiu Shi was familiar with—skyscrapers, streetlights, and roads so smooth they looked like they had been scraped clean with a ruler.
Everything was blurry, but Xing Bi’s ragged breathing was distinctly audible.
“Where are you?” His hoarse voice trembled slightly.
“On the rooftop,” a voice replied.
Qiu Shi’s eyes snapped up.
The footage shook violently, then became chaotic, rendering the scene indecipherable.
When it stabilized, Xing Bi could be seen standing at the base of a building. This building was shorter than the others—around thirty stories, roughly the height of a small hill.
The lights on the rooftop were blinding.
In the blurry projection, a few figures were visible. One in the center was tied to a frame that extended out over the edge of the rooftop, suspended in midair.
“Let him go,” Xing Bi said.
“Why?” the voice replied.
“He shouldn’t be your target,” Xing Bi said. “He’s always been fighting for us…”
“But he’s human,” the voice said. “He’s the one who bound you, limited you, and made you blind to the truth. You’re the strongest among us. You shouldn’t live like this.”
“He’s not like the others. He’s different from them…” Xing Bi’s voice trembled violently.
This was the first time Qiu Shi had heard Xing Bi speak in such a tone, filled with fear, panic, despair, and pleading.
“He has some last words for you,” the voice said.
After a few seconds, an elderly voice began to speak: “Xing Bi, humanity is like this—an outdated assembly line of production, quality varying greatly. It will surprise you, and it will disappoint you… But there will always be someone who gives you hope. I’m fortunate to have been that person for you. Don’t be sad…”
Qiu Shi heard faint sobbing.
A suppressed cry of extreme anguish.
“Please,” Xing Bi begged, “Zheng Ting, let him go…”
“At this point, how could I possibly,” the voice said, “let him go?”
That familiar line was like dozens of knives stabbing into Qiu Shi.
The image abruptly sharpened, showing the old man suspended outside the rooftop, his body pierced by those dozens of knives.
Qiu Shi heard a roar.
Heart-wrenching.
Filled with pain, rage, and murderous intent—the same roar Sang Fan and Xiao Zuo had once let out in Xima Town.
It was Xing Bi’s anguished scream.
This is a vendetta against Xing Bi, isn’t it… 😭