Qin Xuezhong sat in the study of the Sky Manor main house, her head wrapped in an advanced brainwave signal transmission device. The Sky Manor had descended slightly, hiding within the clouds to avoid detection by satellites. The once quiet and deep starry sky above had vanished, replaced by layers of thick clouds. Occasionally, hail and lightning struck against the outer energy shield, melting away into nothingness.
In such an environment, any incoming or outgoing data signals would almost completely dissipate in the dense clouds. Only a flexible data line, one kilometer long, trailed below the Sky Manor like a tail, receiving signals from the outside. This data line was wrapped in three layers of special alloy mesh and equipped with a small defensive energy generator to protect it from lightning and hail strikes.
From the study window, one could even see the lightning in the clouds entwined around the data line, resembling the tail of a giant beast in the clouds, unconsciously displaying its power. In her ear, the voice of Yu Zhezhong came through. "We've landed, the signal is clear, connecting now." "Received," Qin Xuezhong replied, adjusting her position to lie more comfortably.
"Countdown ten seconds. 10, 9, 8…" Listening to Yu Zhezhong's countdown, Qin Xuezhong took one last look at the data line outside—her consciousness was about to flow out from there and enter Yu Zhezhong's body. She slowly closed her eyes. "…3, 2, 1."
Immediately, the quietness of the study vanished. First came the hazy sound of rain and faint voices. A strong scent of cheap milk tea, a hint of dampness, and the artificial fat of fried food filled her nose. She opened her eyes.
—It was a slightly dirty little bar, not very crowded, and the patrons looked somewhat listless. Across the street outside the window, a large neon sign was visible, although several lights had gone out, giving it a somewhat dilapidated appearance. It read: [Valley City Slum District No. 79 Mental Hospital]. That was the location noted on the small piece of paper hidden beneath the automatic surgical bed.
According to previous speculation, this place was indeed quite suitable for hiding the secrets behind this matter. This time, she was not controlling Yu Zhezhong's body; she was merely inside it. In the first few seconds, Qin Xuezhong felt quite uncomfortable. Although she could see and hear, her neck would not turn at her will, and her limbs felt completely bound, only moving as Yu Zhezhong did.
Gradually, she began to acclimate to the sensation, just being a passenger within Yu's body. —This was a strategy the two had agreed upon. The enemy had attacked Wangwan Apartment but dared not use heavy weapons, which indicated that they too were eager to obtain information from inside. This meant they were unaware of this place.
Therefore, rather than making a big fuss, it was better to sneak in and take a look to avoid alarming the snake. Yu Zhezhong was responsible for infiltration and combat, while Qin Xuezhong sent her consciousness into his body to seek information and unlock equipment. Meanwhile, the Sky Manor, hidden in the clouds above, would be ready to bombard the area if any danger arose!
"Are you ready?" Yu Zhezhong asked as he squeezed his wrist with his left hand, seemingly wanting to loosen up his joints. The warm touch on his palm was clearly felt by Qin Xuezhong. "Ready, let's go."
Yu Zhezhong stood up and exited the little bar. While Qin Xuezhong searched for information, she recited it aloud in Yu's mind for their discussion. "The Slum District No. 79 Mental Hospital, commonly known as 79 Hospital, was established in 2918 and used to be a large facility divided into three areas. Ten years ago, Areas 1 and 2 suffered a major fire and have since been abandoned. Currently, only the newer Area 3 is operational, mainly providing anesthetics for the workers in the slum district and treating minor injuries."
"Area 3 has a hospitalization department, and I've checked the records of all the patients inside, but nothing seems unusual." Yu Zhezhong listened and analyzed, "Based on what you said, someone took a brain from under your bed. What places in 79 Hospital could store organs?"
Qin Xuezhong quickly checked the hospital's internal records, "Area 3 has two places, one in the outpatient department and one in the inpatient department, each with an organ preservation room."
Yu Zhezhong nodded, "Let's check there first, but I feel… it's very likely still in Area 1 or Area 2."
"Yeah, let's start with Area 3. If someone is storing that brain in Area 1 or 2, they might also be stealing electricity from the hospital, so we could connect to Area 3's power supply and investigate."
---
Area 3 of 79 Hospital resembled a slightly tidier slum. Outside the main gate, numerous suspicious figures were trying to sell half-priced painkillers and nerve sedatives to unsuspecting passersby. In a corner, some individuals lay half-reclined, likely homeless, seeking shelter from the rain.
Moreover, no one dared to cause trouble near the hospital; it was relatively safe. The faces of the people coming and going wore a combination of sorrow and indifference. In such an environment, Yu Zhezhong, tall and fair-skinned, stood out. But once inside, he began to act.
He first smeared some charcoal powder on his face, ruffled his hair, and donned a tattered jacket, adopting the appearance of a worker from the slum district. With this disguise, his walking posture and gaze became more aggressive.
Someone accidentally bumped into him, causing him to lean slightly, then with a gentle shove, he knocked that person back a step and glared at them with fierce eyes, resembling a seasoned worker. Next, he casually stole a white coat, deftly pocketing a pen as he passed the nurse's station.
After a visit to the restroom, he came out with his hair neatly styled, the charcoal powder washed away, looking slightly haggard and impatient. Now disguised as a doctor, his expression turned to one of disdain and annoyance, looking at the workers as if they were rats in the gutter.
No one dared to approach him in this guise, fearing trouble. Thus, he successfully reached the organ preservation room in the outpatient department. Just as his finger touched the control panel, Qin Xuezhong's consciousness flowed out like water, instantly opening the door as if Yu Zhezhong had genuinely swiped his card.
Within five minutes, Yu Zhezhong had accessed the hospital's internal system. As expected, aside from the usual biochemical products, there was nothing suspicious in the organ preservation room. "There's something going on."
Qin Xuezhong looked at the camera outside the organ preservation room and said, "A nurse is coming." —Because the area outside the preservation room was a long straight corridor, if that nurse was working there and didn't leave now, she would end up being trapped inside.
As the nurse's gaze hadn't yet shifted, Yu Zhezhong immediately stepped out, pretending to lower his voice as if he were talking to someone. The nurse's expression was initially curious, wondering why an unfamiliar doctor was walking by. However, she quickly heard Yu Zhezhong's fierce voice.
"...I'm telling you, this batch of drugs was my doing! If you can't keep it under wraps, hmph, don't blame me for being rude!" While speaking, Yu Zhezhong shot a menacing glance at the nurse as they passed each other, looking every bit the part of a corrupt doctor.
Such individuals often had intricate connections with the underground world and were known for their ruthless methods. Unsurprisingly, the nurse, hearing the beginning, quickly lowered her head, fearing she might provoke Yu Zhezhong.
Qin Xuezhong felt relieved as Yu safely exited. In just a few minutes, Yu had transformed into three different identities, flawlessly mimicking clothing, demeanor, and speech details. Qin Xuezhong couldn't help but marvel at how skilled he had become.
She relaxed significantly, feeling at ease as she watched Yu's performance. He first went to the hospitalization department in Area 3, confirming there was nothing there, then headed straight to the power distribution area located underground in Area 3.
As before, he blended in and connected to the power grid. The moment he linked up, Qin Xuezhong noticed that there was no data or power leakage, indicating that even if Areas 1 and 2 were hiding something, they were likely on an independent power source.
This posed a problem. Were they really expected to search through the ruins of the two areas that had been devastated by fire and abandoned for decades?
Qin Xuezhong looked at the hospital network before her, feeling a headache coming on. Yu Zhezhong said, "We shouldn't stay here too long; this area has patrols, and being discovered would be troublesome."
Qin Xuezhong nodded emphatically, "Okay, then we…" Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a slight tremor in the entire hospital network to which she was connected.
It was an incredibly faint tremor; if it weren't for her heightened consciousness, she guessed even someone like Yu Zhezhong, with an advanced brain domain, might not have sensed it. For a moment, Qin Xuezhong thought she might be hallucinating.
"Wait, I think I've found something."
Yu Zhezhong paused, his hand ready to disconnect the data line. Qin Xuezhong waited a minute, nearly convinced she had misjudged when the entire network trembled again.
This time, she even recorded the waveform. From the image, it was clear that the source of the tremor was right in the power distribution room! The waveform here was the strongest, gradually decreasing as it spread outward.
"What is this?" Yu Zhezhong asked, puzzled.
Qin Xuezhong didn't know how to answer. This didn't seem like data, nor was it a true physical vibration, and it certainly wasn't electrical currents escaping from the distribution room.
After waiting another minute, another tremor occurred. Qin Xuezhong suddenly thought this tremor was very similar to the vibrations she had seen in the monitoring video of the brain under her bed...
"This is... a neural pulse," she said uncertainly.
"A neural pulse?"
"Yeah... it's like... the entire network here is alive."