Suddenly, several beams of flashlight irregularly swept through the distance, accompanied by voices.
"Quick, hide!" Jing urged Haiyang.
They immediately ducked behind two separate pillars.
Soon, the night patrol approached. The leader said, "Check carefully for anything unusual. Someone reported seeing shadows here from afar."
The others began searching meticulously. One of them muttered, "Hey, you don't think it's ghosts, do you? Who the hell would be in these ruins so late?"
"Keep it down, the captain might hear you," another replied. "Just go through the motions. If there's really any trouble, the armed police outside will handle it."
The group wandered through the ruins, completely missing Haiyang and Jing behind the pillars. After a while, they left, and the two slowly emerged from hiding.
"Isn't this place supposed to be covered in surveillance? Why the need for a physical check?" Haiyang asked.
"Everything's been blown to bits," Jing explained, seemingly exasperated. "Rebuilding the surveillance system involves too many departments, too much paperwork. I bet there are some shady deals going on, like some bigwig's relative needing to profit from this project."
"You still haven't told me how you know so much," Haiyang pressed. "And what happened to my body? What were those humanoid things I saw?"
"First, tell me why you're here so late," Jing countered.
"Isn't it obvious? This whole thing is too bizarre and unbelievable. I came looking for clues. Didn't expect to run into you."
"Those things weren't human at all. Seems you really don't know anything, and I believe you're not working with them. Remember I told you my parents were assigned to investigate the Celestial Way Society? Well, they still can't penetrate the inner circle, only operating on the fringes. This organization's capabilities are beyond your imagination. I got a job here as a neuroscience expert and joined the Ethereal Refinement Project. The situation with your body is complicated. Let's leave here first and talk in my dorm. Someone might come patrolling again."
Due to the explosion, most of the surveillance and security systems were malfunctioning. They easily slipped away through a small path Jing pointed out. The low roar of the river echoed in the silent night as Jing led Haiyang along the walls, their footsteps swallowed by the dense vegetation.
The research park wasn't far from the city, situated on an island in the middle of a wide, rapid river. Tall trees on both banks and distant mountains formed a natural barrier, isolating it from the outside world. The island, though not small, was carefully planned. Uniquely designed research buildings were nestled among lush vegetation, their modern architecture contrasting sharply with the natural surroundings. The river not only provided a natural barrier but also supplied power and cooling resources to the labs through hidden underground pipes.
Two long steel bridges at either end of the island connected it to the shore, like slender threads tying the isolated island and its secrets to the outside world.
Haiyang and Jing arrived at the dormitory building overlooking the river. Two people sat at the entrance, appearing to be security guards.
"We can't use the main entrance," Jing said, tugging at Haiyang's clothes. "You're not supposed to be seen. You should be in the hospital." She led him to a side door.
They entered and took the stairs to avoid the elevator, reaching Jing's room on the fourth floor, 8425. Once inside, Jing gestured for Haiyang to sit anywhere while she went to get drinks.
Haiyang walked deeper into the room and was immediately stunned by what he saw. It was a typical two-bedroom apartment, not large, but the walls were covered with dense arrays of documents and photos, resembling a massive planning board from afar. Each photo and document was connected by red and yellow threads, forming an intricate web of information, suggesting various possibilities.
He slowly approached the wall, his eyes scanning the images and text. There were photos of key members of the Celestial Way Society - the Taoist Master's portrait was at the center of the Ethereal Refinement Project, his stern expression glaring at anyone who approached. Next to it were pages of handwritten notes, scribbled densely with speculations about his experiments and nanotechnology. The threads extended to others - names of high-level political figures, codenames of certain research projects, and bills suggesting the flow of funds to the Celestial Way Society.
In one corner, he saw a photo of Jing's parents - an old group photo of them smiling in front of a lab. However, next to this warm picture was a death report, hinting at a deeper secret. Red threads extended from this photo to other key figures in the Celestial Way Society, as if invisible hands were pulling at their fates.
Haiyang began to understand why Jing was so determined to investigate this organization. She probably studied neuroscience to become an expert and join the Ethereal Refinement Project, risking everything to uncover the Celestial Way Society's conspiracy. He picked up a notebook from the desk, filled with detailed reasoning, mostly about the side effects of the Society's experiments and clues about her parents' demise. The writing was clinical and professional, almost devoid of emotion.
Just then, Jing returned with drinks. Haiyang quickly asked, "Your parents... they're...?"
She glanced at the wall of clues. "Now you know why I'm here. My parents died in a strange traffic accident. I found a lot of materials while sorting through their belongings. Now, I'm investigating their death and trying to uncover the Celestial Way Society's ultimate goal."
"I'm so sorry," Haiyang said, reminiscing. "I remember your parents were such nice people. They always gave me chocolate when I saw them as a kid."
A flash of sadness crossed Jing's eyes as she continued, "The Ethereal Refinement Project has run into many problems. The Celestial Way Society is now trying to minimize the impact."
"What exactly is this Ethereal Refinement Project?" Haiyang asked.
"It's a crucial project the Celestial Way Society has been pushing for years," Jing explained. "Initially, they were just looking for a way to maximize human physical repair, aiming for something like immortality. Now, using the concepts of 'Nurturing the Body with Wandering Dust' and 'Controlling Dust to Communicate with Spirits', combined with modern nanotechnology, they're essentially developing a highly efficient self-healing method. The 'dust' likely refers to some kind of nanorobots injected into the body for repairs. You must have been injected with the 'Immortal Water', right? How else could you recover so quickly from such severe injuries?"
Haiyang drew a sharp breath at the mention of 'Immortal Water', speechless.
"These nanorobots aren't just for medical use," Jing continued. "The Celestial Way Society wants to use them to enhance the human body, not just heal wounds, but to push bones and physique beyond normal limits, like the super soldiers the Nazis tried to create. The Taoist Master is the core of this project, personally monitoring the experiments' progress, dedicated to realizing some of Taoism's mythical records through scientific technology, and constantly pushing for the application of these technologies. To achieve this, they've been conducting human experiments, sacrificing many innocents. Many test subjects end up like those humanoid creatures you saw - zombies who've lost consciousness, completely controlled by nanorobots. They've experimented on many people over the years, with an extremely high failure rate. And you... you might be their only successful case. You've been injected with 'Immortal Water', and the nanorobots in your body might be integrating with you now, without rejection."
Jing added, "Oh, and be careful of your Uncle Hu. Director Hu is also a member of the Celestial Way Society and a key figure in the Ethereal Refinement Project." Just as she finished speaking, the room's phone rang.
"There's still a phone? I thought outside contact wasn't allowed," Haiyang asked.
"It's an internal line," Jing explained as she answered. "Hello? Oh, Old Tang! What's up?"
Jing listened silently for a while, presumably to the person on the other end. "Okay, I got it. You be careful too," she said before hanging up.
"You need to go back to the hospital right now," she urged Haiyang. "Old Tang says the security team is looking for you everywhere. They must have noticed you're missing. He doesn't know you're with me. Don't alert the Taoist Master with this. Go back and start your job normally. We'll see each other often at the research institute. You'll find many answers soon enough on your own."