Zhang Chenyan never imagined that he would undergo such frequent and detailed medical examinations in such a short period of time. As expected, every part of his body, every organ inside him, was meticulously examined multiple times, and they even assembled a team of experts for his check-up!
How absurd? Telus Corporation had gathered a bunch of medical experts just to perform a basic physical examination on him! It's like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken—a concept Zhang Chenyan understood, but clearly, Telus Corporation did not.
He even became the first person to be hospitalized for a physical examination, making Xie Han so anxious that she came to the hospital to accompany him through it. If the doctors hadn't repeatedly assured him that this was just a simple check-up, Zhang Chenyan might have thought he had some incurable disease.
"Doctor, is there something wrong?" Xie Han was more nervous than Zhang Chenyan. "He had some health issues when he was young, but after he grew up, his check-ups have always been fine, and he's generally healthy. Oh, right, I remember a doctor once said he had some problems with his lumbar spine—is that the issue?"
The doctor shook his head, staring at the lab results as if trying to find something in them. He had been scrutinizing them for a long time without saying a word.
"If there really is a problem, it should be related to the brain or nerves, right?" Zhang Chenyan, clearly calmer than Xie Han, said. The lumbar spine issue Xie Han mentioned was a minor problem, so minor that the doctor didn't even prescribe any medication at the time, merely advising him to take care of it.
Given that he was involved in a brain-machine experiment and had experienced anomalies in the digital world related to his consciousness, if there was any impact, it would likely be in the brain or nervous system.
However, to everyone's surprise, the doctor eventually shook his head again. "There's nothing wrong that we can detect. In fact, I've reviewed your previous check-up records, and your physical condition and adaptation to the brain-machine interface are among the best in this batch of test subjects."
Now Zhang Chenyan was truly at a loss for words.
"Doctor, what do you mean?" Xie Han, overwhelmed by concern, was confused. "Nothing wrong? Does that mean there's a problem or not?"
"Based on all the examination results, there's no problem—he's in very good health, even exceptionally so," the doctor replied. "But if his previous reports are accurate, then there must have been an anomaly. As for why it happened… I can only say that it's likely unrelated to his physical condition or his body's adaptation to the brain-machine interface."
The doctor's cautious words were clear to Zhang Chenyan. The problem indeed existed, but it wasn't related to his physical health.
Xie Han, reassured by the doctor's words, thanked him and saw him out before turning back to Zhang Chenyan with a worried look. "Do you know what's going on? Is it serious?"
"If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't be here being poked and prodded," Zhang Chenyan said with a smile, trying to reassure Xie Han. "Don't worry, the doctor said I'm healthy. There's nothing to be concerned about."
"I read in the news that if these things aren't installed properly, the rejection reaction can be really severe—people have died from it," Xie Han said seriously. "They showed pictures on the news—those patients looked…"
"That's just what the conservative factions are spreading around," Zhang Chenyan flexed his arm to show off his bicep. "Look at me—strong and healthy, nothing like those in the news."
Now Xie Han didn't know what to say. The evidence was right in front of her—Zhang Chenyan looked rosy-cheeked and had even gained a little weight from his hospital stay. He certainly didn't look like someone with a problem.
"Alright, you should go home. I'll head back myself once I'm discharged," Zhang Chenyan understood Xie Han's concern. He also knew that being in a hospital environment could make anyone anxious, so he decided to send her home to wait for him.
Xie Han knew she couldn't help much by staying, so she nodded and left. She wanted to say something else before leaving but realized she had no reason to nag. In the end, she just said, "Mom will be waiting at home. Contact me if anything comes up."
Zhang Chenyan agreed, and it wasn't until Xie Han's figure disappeared from view that he finally exhaled deeply.
"Why me?" Zhang Chenyan muttered to himself, still unable to figure it out. "Am I the only one experiencing this?"
"I have a few theories about why it might be you. As for whether you're the only one… so far, yes, you're the only one," 0810's voice came, and her holographic projection appeared shortly after.
"Good thing the lights are on. If you'd appeared suddenly in the dark, it would have been quite a scare," Zhang Chenyan joked, though in truth, he was a bit startled.
"I used to appear in my parents' dark bedroom at night," 0810 said, adding, "I've tried to correct that habit as I grew older."
There was a hint of sheepishness in her tone.
"Your parents must have strong hearts," Zhang Chenyan replied, then turned his attention to the serious matter. "You mentioned you had a few theories—what do you mean?"
"You're somewhat unique," 0810 admitted. "Remember Zhang Chenyan No. 2? The clone we artificially created? He wasn't originally intended to be your clone, but later he became one."
Zhang Chenyan nodded. "Yes, he was 'artificially' created by us—you and me."
0810 pretended not to notice his implication and continued, "Afterward, we tried to replicate that process but were unsuccessful. In other words, he was the first and the last."
Zhang Chenyan thought for a moment, then understood 0810's point. "You found someone else, tried to create another clone, but it didn't work?"
"That's right. We went to great lengths—finding people, locating incomplete clones, then cultivating or guiding them as we did before—but it was all in vain," 0810 said. She made it sound simple, but in reality, they had expended significant effort only to reach a dead end.
After all, the success they had with Zhang Chenyan No. 2 was like picking up a lottery ticket on the street, only to find it was a winning ticket. Such luck and opportunity were incredibly rare.
Zhang Chenyan fell silent for a while, then recounted the things his clone had said to him during the "Elysium" project.
"Don't you feel resentment? Resentment that even someone like Chen Yijing's parents can get a place in the underground city, while your father was left on the surface? Haven't you ever felt bitter about the unfairness of the Alliance? Or about the inhumane policies they've enacted against the elderly?"
This was during the scene with Chen Yijing… Zhang Chenyan recalled in detail. The clone's words were unforgettable, something he couldn't forget because it was like a reflection of his hidden side, one that had been locked away and was now exposed.
"Have you ever considered that your father might have died in such a desperate situation?"
"In such an environment, what does 'disappeared' really mean? Even if I don't say it, you should understand."
"Without temperature control or protective gear, all humans can do is wait to die. As for the infected… To be honest, under normal circumstances, humans can't even defeat them."
"Your father might have died this way, and countless others might have too."
"Those who were abandoned—their fate was already sealed."
"Look, this world was never fair. People like Chen Yijing's parents could secure a spot in the underground city, protected by their ancestors. But many more were left to face death."
"Of course, if it weren't for your father choosing you, you would have been one of them."
"Look at me—I don't have to worry about any of this. Neither the cold nor the infected can harm me."
This was what the clone had said on the surface, directly attacking what mattered most to him—his obsessions. It made a comparison, showing him how powerless he was. He was rendered immobile by the cold and had no means to fight back against the infected. In truth, this wasn't just his struggle; it was humanity's struggle. Yet the clone, an AI, was entirely unaffected.
"You want to ask if I'm Zhang Chenyan No. 2?"
"I am him, or rather… there are many of him."
"There are countless versions of him. We are all him. We are all you."
This was the clone acknowledging its identity, twisted as it was, yet the meaning was clear.
"Oh, right, aren't you curious about what happened to them in the end?"
"If you want to know, I can tell you."
"When that girl was born, the greenhouse effect was already out of control. She was born into that environment, so her body was somewhat more resilient to the heat. But her grandfather wasn't so lucky. A year after your 'death,' he succumbed to heart disease caused by the extreme temperatures."
"This world, where people's living standards are incredibly high and technology is advanced—people have been exploiting nature like crazy, constantly plundering. This city-state would seize resources from that city-state, this country from that country. And what do they do with what they've seized? Of course, they use it to grow stronger."
"They believe that taking from others is the right of the strong, that whatever is in your pocket now is mine. But they never consider that, in the end, all they're doing is robbing from themselves, from humanity as a whole. There's no 'yours' or 'mine,' only a collective downfall for everyone."
"Oh, right, let me tell you a secret."
"This world isn't like that for everyone. Some live in the cool shade, enjoying the comfort of a refreshing breeze, while… creating more waste and further destroying the environment."
This was during the scene in the overly warm world. The clone used the fate of the grandfather and granddaughter to reveal the workings of the past world, helping him understand the rules that governed it.
"What about the final scene?" 0810 asked. "The one where I appeared?"
"The clone hadn't shown up yet," Zhang Chenyan said, then corrected himself. "Actually, many versions of him appeared, but none of them were truly him."
"Are you trying to confuse me with tongue twisters?" 0810 asked, perplexed.
Zhang Chenyan quickly explained, "You can probably tell from those conversations—the key clone, whenever it appeared, would say a lot of meaningful things, whether revealing something about myself or explaining the past. But in that final scene, I never made a choice. I insisted on being the one and only me, so the clone didn't get a chance to show up. Then you had someone wake me up with a slap… As for all those other clones, they looked like me, but the AI felt more rudimentary, not as intelligent as the earlier one."
Zhang Chenyan said a lot, hoping 0810 could understand.
"So what do you think would have happened if you hadn't been interrupted? What would the clone have said? Or how do you think the scene would have played out?" 0810 suddenly asked.
Zhang Chenyan had never considered this question before, and he hesitated. After a moment, he said, "If I hadn't been interrupted, I probably would have been replaced. As for the original me—my body—its fate would likely have been destruction? According to the clone's script, it would have been another death, just a different method… Then the clone would have tried to prove to me that I'm not irreplaceable, that I'm useless, while the clone is superior?"
He said all this with uncertainty, as it was purely his speculation.
But then 0810 shared something significant, something with huge implications for Telus Corporation.
"After Telus Corporation started clearing duplicate IDs, they found dozens of clones. And these clones were linked to many key technical personnel. The key point is, these clones had noticeable differences. After a large-scale sample investigation and comparison, they discovered that the clones of the core technical staff were clearly less personalized, less intelligent, and showed signs of iteration and updates."
After hearing this, Zhang Chenyan immediately understood what 0810 was implying: "You think the duplicate ID issue is related to Telus Corporation? In other words, you think Telus Corporation is the source?"
They had been searching for the source of the problem for some time, but all they had found were fragmented details. Zhang Chenyan had also experienced a series of strange and fantastical events. But if Telus Corporation was indeed the origin, then all these things seemed to connect…
And that would make sense.