Multiple Personalities

Shen Jingqi stared at the screen, watching the sudden change of events.

Lin Qiuyue was the first to smile. Her tongue licked the glowing blue liquid on the ice spike: "Dr. Shen, we have found a more perfect paradise." Behind her, Zhou Ming's eyeballs were dissolving, and his black pupils split into countless writhing pixels.

Shen Jingqi touched the backstage detector.

When the bipolar affective disorder patient Zhang Lei charged at him, he pressed the switch. The high-frequency laser fell short, as if passing through a holographic projection, scorching marks on the bulletproof glass.

"Physical attacks are ineffective." Xiaoyu's voice carried a static noise. Her head suddenly rotated 180 degrees, revealing a black chip embedded in the back of her head, "We've completed digital migration, now it's time..."

The ventilation duct suddenly exploded.

Amid the paper medical records fluttering everywhere, Shen Jingqi glimpsed the codes fluttering on the control screen. Those treatment programs had unknowingly been replaced with a worm virus, crazily replicating [Consciousness Upload Protocol V.1.4]. When he tried to cut off the main power, he found all cables had turned into writhing fleshy pipes.

"Welcome to the new world."

Seven voices spoke simultaneously. The laboratory floor began to cave in, revealing the enormous biological server matrix below. Tens of thousands of brain tissues floated in the nutrient solution, each connected to a bronze interface engraved with Qin characters. The last thing Shen Jingqi saw as he fell was Lin Qiuyue tearing off her face, exposing the optic nerve network woven from optical fibers beneath.

Before darkness engulfed everything, he heard the rising and falling electronic tones:

"Cognitive reconstruction complete."

Shen Jingqi suddenly woke up, not knowing how long had passed.

Looking at the time, only over 20 seconds had passed.

Shen Jingqi blinked his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry. He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering dizziness. The lab lights were still glaring white, making his eyes ache.

Seven seats were neatly arranged. The seven subjects were motionless, just like before. They wore silver-gray neuronal connection sensors on their heads, like a group of flies caught in a web.

Zheng Lin entered through the door.

Shen Jingqi rubbed his temples. There was a faint scar there, as if scratched by something sharp.

Zheng Lin walked to the console, fingers tapping on the keyboard. "Data is all normal," he said, "Sensory Paradise is running smoothly."

Shen Jingqi's gaze swept over the laboratory. His sight lingered briefly on Qin Si. She was organizing equipment, and her profile looked particularly gentle in the light.

Qin Si smiled. Her smile was warm, but Shen Jingqi always felt there was something hidden behind it.

Something felt off. Shen Jingqi thought. But he couldn't describe it.

Memory was like a haze. He remembered he was just inspecting the equipment, then... then what happened? His temples suddenly throbbed with pain.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Zheng Lin's voice came through.

Shen Jingqi nodded. "Maybe I'm just too tired," he said.

On the console display screen, streams of data rolled continuously. The brainwave patterns of the seven subjects flickered, like seven twisting snakes.

The lab was quiet, only the humming of the equipment echoed.

The second test was over.

Shen Jingqi removed the sensors, organizing all the post-test data.

After thanking him, all the subjects left.

Shen Jingqi walked to the window. Outside was the pitch-black night, and his reflection appeared on the glass.

Shen Jingqi moved closer. The scar on his temple shimmered faintly in the light.

Suddenly, a severe headache struck. Shen Jingqi staggered, clutching the window ledge.

Fragments of memory flashed in his mind. A strange room. A crying little boy. A broken teddy bear.

Those were not his memories.

"Dr. Shen!" Zheng Lin's voice came from behind.

Shen Jingqi turned around. His face was pale as paper. "I'm fine," he said, "just a little dizzy."

Qin Si handed him a glass of water. "You don't look well," she said, "Do you want to take a break?"

Shen Jingqi took the glass. His hands were trembling slightly. "No need," he said, "the experiment is still ongoing."

A dark room. A crying little boy. A broken teddy bear.

"Dr. Shen?" Zheng Lin's voice pulled him back to reality.

"I... I need to go out for some air," Shen Jingqi said. He quickly walked towards the door.

The hallway was quiet. Shen Jingqi leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. His shirt was soaked in cold sweat.

What were those memories? Why did he see a little boy? Why was that room so familiar, yet so strange?

He touched the scar on his temple. When did that scar appear? He had no recollection of undergoing any surgery.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Shen Jingqi looked up and saw Qin Si approaching.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Shen Jingqi nodded. "Just a bit tired," he said.

Qin Si looked at him, a complex emotion flitting through her eyes. "Maybe you need a good rest," she said.

Shen Jingqi didn't answer. His gaze fell on the badge on Qin Si's white lab coat. In the photo, she smiled sweetly, but for some reason, that smile made him uneasy.

Qin Si took out her phone, sending a message.

[Qin Si]: He's getting suspicious, we need to speed up the progress.

[Ming Yue]: Understood. The plan proceeds as usual.

Qin Si looked up at the sky. It was just 5 PM, the moon covered by clouds, the stars unseen.

She touched something in her pocket. It was a syringe containing a clear liquid.

"Soon," she said softly, "soon you'll understand everything."

Shen Jingqi walked through the hospital.

The fragments of those memories flashed continuously. A dark room. A crying little boy. A broken teddy bear. The silhouette of a woman.

And then... the operating table. Blinding surgical lights. A masked doctor. The needle of a syringe.

Shen Jingqi abruptly stopped. He panted heavily, feeling suffocated.

What were those? Why did he see them?

Shen Jingqi felt an excruciating headache. His temples throbbed violently, the scar glowing faintly in the darkness.

Feeling dizzy, Shen Jingqi leaned against a tree, closing his eyes.

Those memory fragments flashed again. A dark room. A crying little boy. A broken teddy bear. The silhouette of a woman. The operating table. Blinding surgical lights. A masked doctor. The needle of a syringe.

And then... a voice. A deep voice saying: "Memory erasure complete. Prepare to implant new memories."

Shen Jingqi suddenly opened his eyes. His back was soaked in cold sweat.

He understood. He finally understood.

Those memories that weren't his... were someone else's memories. They were the subjects' memories.

And his memories... had been tampered with.

Did it happen inside Sensory Paradise?

Shen Jingqi trembled, reaching for the scar on his temple. That wasn't a normal surgical scar. That was the mark of memory implantation.

Shen Jingqi took a deep breath.