Barkley and Irene moved forward rapidly in the darkness, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty underground passage. Nora's determination to stay behind to stop the pursuers made Barkley feel even more heavy. He understood that Nora was using her life to buy time for them, and his mission was not only to escape, but also to solve the mystery left by his parents and complete their unfinished business.
They entered an abandoned tunnel deeper in the subway station, and the air around them became colder and damper, like a forgotten corner of the city. The walls around were covered with traces left by the years, and broken pipes hung from the top of the head, making a "tick-tick" sound of water leakage from time to time. There was a musty smell in the air, which made people feel suffocated.
"Is it... safe here?" Barkley asked panting, looking back at the direction they came from, fearing that Nora could not hold on for too long.
Irene didn't stop, but said calmly: "There is no other choice now. We can only get away from the pursuers as soon as possible. If the decoder works more stably outside the range of the tracking signal, maybe we can find the last step to crack those genetic locks."
Barkley nodded silently, but his heart was still full of questions. He couldn't help but touch his forehead and the back of his neck. What kind of genetic information did his parents implant in his body? Why did those people chase him relentlessly?
"Irene, how much time do you think we have?" He asked in a low voice, trying to suppress the anxiety in his heart.
Irene frowned and answered in a low voice: "It's hard to say. These pursuers are professionally trained. Although Nora can buy us some time, we can't rely on this. You must focus on decoding. This is our only way out."
"But I don't know the full picture of the decoding." Barkley stopped, and fatigue and confusion appeared in his voice. "I don't know what my parents are hiding. Why don't they tell me directly, but hide everything in the genes in this way?"
Irene stopped and faced him, revealing a complex emotion in her eyes. She knew that Buckley was facing not only the pressure of fleeing, but also the memories and doubts about his parents.
"Maybe," she whispered, "they want to protect you, to protect you from being drawn into these dangerous vortexes. But now, the situation is out of control, and you have no choice."
Buckley was silent for a moment, and his childhood flashed in his mind - the busy figures of his parents in the laboratory, his mother's serious but gentle face, and the last time she spoke to him, the exhortation implied endless worries: "No matter what happens, believe in your own strength."
But where does the power come from? He never felt that he was special, and even for many years he just relied on tax evasion to make a living and lived cautiously. And now, he was suddenly told that he had the secret of salvation or destruction in his body, and this sudden sense of mission made him at a loss.
"Let's go." Irene suddenly turned around and continued to move forward. Her steps were still firm, not allowing Buckley to ask any more questions.
Buckley had no choice but to follow her. After they walked for a while, they finally came to a secret basement. This place seemed to have been some kind of warehouse. The space was spacious, with old-time billboards hanging on the walls, and the floor was covered with dust and abandoned objects. It was this dilapidated and old that made this place a refuge that almost no one cared about.
Irene quickly found a relatively clean corner and placed the decoder. Her fingers quickly operated on the device, and the code on the screen flowed again, and the jumping light reflected on her focused face.
"We have to hurry." She said while adjusting the device, "The Shadow Council's tracking technology is extremely accurate. Even if the signal is blocked here, it doesn't mean we have enough time."
Barkley stood aside, watching Irene's operation, and his inner anxiety gradually heated up. He always felt that some details were overlooked, or that he missed some key memories.
He closed his eyes and tried to recall the scenes before his parents disappeared. His father was often silent, and his mother was always busy and rigorous. Their research seemed to involve some breakthrough technology, but the specific content was always concealed from Barkley. Perhaps these memories are hidden in a forgotten corner.
Just as Barkley was thinking, Irene suddenly stopped what she was doing, and a shocking code appeared on the screen.
"I found it." Her voice suppressed excitement, but also with a hint of disbelief. "The genetic information in your body is a decoding key, but it is not just a secret about biotechnology, it involves a technology we have never seen before... This technology can change life itself, and even... control consciousness."
Barkley's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what he heard. Control consciousness? How is this possible? Could the genetic information in his body be related to some technology that can change human consciousness? It sounds almost like a plot in a science fiction novel, and at this moment, this incredible theory is actually happening in his life.
"What are you talking about?" Barkley murmured, trying to keep himself calm.
Irene tapped the decoder screen with her fingers and explained, "This technology seems to be the core achievement of your parents' development. They are not only studying biological genes, but also exploring how to affect neural networks through genetic coding-more specifically, how to manipulate memory and cognition. They have implanted a program in your genes that can unlock some higher-level means of consciousness control."
"This sounds ridiculous." Barkley shook his head, but his heart was in turmoil. "You mean, they can manipulate a person's mind through genes?"
"In theory, yes." Irene looked solemn, "I'm not sure if this technology is fully mature, but from the information displayed by the decoder, their research has at least taken a crucial step. Perhaps this is the real reason why the Shadow Council is hunting you. They want to obtain this technology and use it to control the world."
Barkley felt cold in his limbs. What are his parents doing? Are they doing it to benefit mankind, or have they accidentally created a potential disaster?
"What should I do?" He felt unprecedented helplessness, as if he was just a chess piece on the chessboard, being manipulated forward by an invisible hand.
Irene was silent for a moment, and finally said: "We must complete the decoding and find all the information your parents left you. Only by grasping the whole picture can we make the right decision - whether to destroy this technology or use it."
Barkley nodded, but the doubts and fears in his heart did not ease. His fate seemed to be pushed into the abyss by some huge force, and this force not only involved his past, but also quietly changed the future.
Just as they were concentrating on the decoder, suddenly, a faint sound came from a distance. Barkley's nerves were instantly tense, and his intuition told him that danger was approaching.
"Someone is coming." Irene whispered, quickly turned off the decoder, and packed up the equipment.
Barkley quickly stood up and looked around for a possible way out. They have been caught up.
"We have to leave here." Irene said calmly, picking up the decoder and the equipment box.
They didn't have time to stay for long, and quickly ran towards the other side of the basement.