Listening to his mother Xie Han's nagging, Zhang Chenyin felt a bit helpless. In this era, everything had accelerated, yet the expected life patterns of humans hadn't changed much. For instance, the pressure to marry seemed to have become Xie Han's mission since he came of age.
"Think about it, you never had a secret girlfriend in school, and now you've been working for so long with no signs of dating..." Xie Han eyed Zhang Chenyin suspiciously. "Could there be something wrong with you? Is it a physical issue? Or do you not like girls?"
This left Zhang Chenyin completely speechless.
Honestly, with an imagination like hers, it's a pity Xie Han isn't in the creative department. He appreciated people with ideas, just not when those ideas were focused on him.
"I studied hard in school—was that wrong? And working diligently to achieve success—how is that a problem?" Zhang Chenyin looked at Xie Han, boasting shamelessly, "Objectively speaking, I'm already the exemplary 'other people's child.' Shouldn't you be proud to have a son like me? Think about how much worry I've saved you over the years."
"How are you talking to your mother?" Xie Han scolded playfully, "You're being cheeky and narcissistic! Who praises themselves like that?"
"I'm just stating facts." Zhang Chenyin deflected, "These things can't be rushed. If it's not meant to be, no amount of worry will help. But if it is meant to be, it might happen so quickly you'll be caught off guard."
"Is that how you use idioms?" Xie Han scolded lightly.
"As long as you understand what I mean." Zhang Chenyin laughed and retreated to his room.
"This child... I feel like you're hiding something from me..." Xie Han murmured outside his room.
Zhang Chenyin heard this just before closing the door but did not respond. He had no intention of sharing his thoughts with his mother, knowing she would probably advise against making futile efforts, yet she would also harbor a sliver of hope.
It's human nature to hope for a miracle, even when faced with a one in a million chance, especially when it concerns something deeply cared for.
Zhang Chenyin didn't know how his mother endured the initial years after his father went missing. He was too young to remember or understand, but he could guess it was a very difficult period.
There's a saying in China: "If alive, we must see the person; if dead, we must see the body." What does it mean to be missing?
Zhang Chenyin could imagine his mother's ongoing cycle of hope and disappointment during those first few days of searching.
He didn't want his mother to relive such feelings, so keeping silent was the best approach until there was concrete news.
The next day at work, Zhang Chenyin noticed everyone was on edge, even the usually easygoing Alex was nervously pulling him aside. "Did you hear? There are duplicate IDs in the digital world! Be careful! If you notice anything strange about me, report it immediately! Don't let me get replaced without anyone knowing."
Before Zhang Chenyin could respond, Alex added, "Maybe we should create a secret code, something only you and I know. We could verify it every time we talk, or every hour or so."
It was clear that Alex had a talent for fear.
Smiling wryly, Zhang Chenyin reassured him, "You're overthinking it! Based on our previous assessments, duplicate IDs are unlikely to target someone like you."
"Someone like me? What do you mean by that?" Alex widened his eyes, "I'm just being cautious. Isn't wanting to live well something every human should strive for?"
Looking at Alex, Zhang Chenyin said, "If I recall correctly, you weigh almost 200 pounds in the real world, right? Don't let your handsome avatar deceive you. You're not just living well, you're living very well—your body can testify to that!"
Alex raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
As Zhang Chenyin was about to leave, Alex suddenly realized, "Wait, what do you mean 'your previous assessments'? You knew about this?"
Sighing, Zhang Chenyin found Alex's delayed reaction amusing, "Yes, the first case was discovered in City R, and 0810 reported it to the Alliance. But this doesn't mean City R is the source. We soon found similar cases in City A as well."
"City A too?" Alex was shocked, "What should I do? I went to City A last week. Could I be targeted?"
"What were you doing in City A?" Zhang Chenyin was curious.
"Accompanying my dad. He was reminiscing, and I was just there looking around," Alex replied candidly.
Considering Alex's family background, Zhang Chenyin began to understand.
Perhaps, this is the significance of City A.
The disaster had affected many people. While statistics often count individuals, Zhang Chenyin believed in counting by families.
How many people live without any attachments?
The ice sealed the land and the past and future of many people.
Sighing, Zhang Chenyin patted Alex's shoulder, "Don't worry, your loved ones will protect you. Besides, from what I know, duplicate IDs only target slim people."
As Zhang Chenyin walked away, Alex called out, "I trust your first statement, but I doubt the second. I think that's discrimination, though I do appreciate it."
Zhang Chenyin smiled. He had always liked Alex's personality.
Even before the Ice Age, human relations had grown closer. Danger didn't arise overnight; people needed to unite to find solutions. Sharing technology was beneficial.
But ultimately, humanity failed.
After the Ice Age and the establishment of the underground city, this closeness increased, and boundaries blurred.
There hadn't been inter-racial wars for a long time. Humanity now faced only one war—the battle for survival.
Sometimes, Zhang Chenyin wondered, if given another chance, would unnecessary and evil wars still occur?
How many people would realize that the harm caused by such wars ultimately affects all of humanity?
No one can escape unscathed.
Of course, this was just Zhang Chenyin's reflection. History's course wouldn't change because of one individual's thoughts.
Some lessons are only remembered after humanity has felt their pain deeply.
Lost in thought, Zhang Chenyin was suddenly interrupted by 0810.
"All city construction activities have been halted. If you're not busy, you can help with the investigation."
"All the arbiters have been dispatched, but there's too much ground to cover, and we're short-staffed."
Seeing 0810's righteous demeanor, Zhang Chenyin almost agreed immediately.
But he quickly realized, "Since this has been reported to the Alliance, as an architect, I shouldn't be responsible for subsequent investigations, right?"
In the past, he helped with investigations because he feared the issue was isolated to City R and could have devastating impacts. But now, knowing it wasn't unique to City R and had been reported, the consequences couldn't be avoided. He naturally started considering job responsibilities.
After all, they were just workers, always mindful of their duties.
"You're drawing a salary but have no work to do, which is a waste of resources," 0810 said, staring directly at him.
As a dedicated worker, Zhang Chenyin couldn't stand that.
"My workload is managed reasonably. Besides, I often work overtime without extra pay," Zhang Chenyin justified.
"But what if I've already requested your temporary transfer to higher authorities?" 0810 displayed the message on her device.
The screen showed his supervisor's smiling face.
"I heard you've been involved in this investigation and have contacts related to it. So, I approved 0810's request to temporarily transfer you. We hope you can contribute to ensuring the safety of our entire metaverse."
As his supervisor's image faded from the screen, Zhang Chenyin felt his molars clench.
"Thank you very much," he gritted out.
"It's my duty," 0810 nodded, taking his thanks at face value.
Zhang Chenyin followed 0810 to City R.
This time, the weather system wasn't active. They walked through dark streets, leaving behind the colorful neon lights. Walking on the uneven path, Zhang Chenyin couldn't help but complain, "Why choose this teleportation point?"
City R had all sorts of peculiar roads, and they had chosen the strangest one.
This area was remote and had low property values. Naturally, there were no expensive buildings here.
In City R, oddly shaped buildings could be worth a fortune due to their creativity. In contrast, conventional square buildings were not highly valued.
This was evident in the area they were in now.
Looking around, the place was dimly lit, exuding an air of poverty. However, the further they walked, the more they saw people lounging by the roadside or crammed into tiny rooms.
This was their place for mental rest, their soul's refuge.
Zhang Chenyin had once wondered why people did these things here when they could do the same in the physical world. He remembered 0810 asking in return, "Are you sure they wouldn't be stared at or disturbed in the physical world?"
Indeed, in the pursuit of high productivity, such behavior would be seen as wasting time. Moreover, daily life had too many interruptions, making it hard to relax completely.
Here, everyone was the same. They wouldn't judge each other and wouldn't be disturbed. Most had generic avatars, all looking alike, so ordinary... But this ordinariness was their protective shell, shielding their fragile souls.
Seeing them, Zhang Chenyin realized why 0810 brought him here.
"You think duplicate IDs target these people," he stated.
"Yes. The person you saw in City A also had a similar ordinary background with nothing noteworthy," 0810 added, "They seem to be easily overlooked."
Sighing, Zhang Chenyin looked around at the various avatars, feeling a sense of melancholy.
It described them perfectly. If the masterminds behind this were targeting such people, this area could indeed be a hot spot for duplicates and a place where they might find clues.
"Has news of the duplicate IDs spread? Wasn't there a confidentiality protocol?" Zhang Chenyin asked, recalling Alex's words.
He worried that if these people became aware of the situation, they might become more vigilant. After their previous communications, they knew many would welcome duplicates out of loneliness or other reasons, potentially hindering their investigation.
"We did enforce confidentiality, but the scope is too large, and the nature of the issue is too severe. In this age of communication, complete secrecy is nearly impossible."
"We've implemented character screening as of this morning. The issue should be confined to a small spread. Beyond that, related terms will be silenced."
0810 looked at Zhang Chenyin, "This protocol started today, but I guess you might have told your mother about this last night."
Feeling caught, Zhang Chenyin was a bit embarrassed.
Indeed, he had been the first to break confidentiality. But hearing 0810 say it still felt odd, "Did you plant a listening device on me?"