Chapter 130 Epilogue: A Day in Life

2042, April 9.

Ruan Linrui had been sitting in the car for nearly half an hour, but she still hadn’t made up her mind to push open the door. Instead, she looked out the window blankly at the clinic on the corner.

Zhou’s Orthodontics.

Every time she saw this name, Ruan Linrui felt a sense of inexplicable absurdity and couldn’t help but smile.

This was the name Ruan Linrui came up with. It was originally a joke, but Zhou Si actually used it.

It’s just…it’s just that all the smiles of the past, looking back now, seem particularly desolate.

“Zhou Si, you can’t rest in peace even after death.” Ruan Linrui closed her eyes and complained in a low voice.

This is probably what is called dealing with aftermath.

Zhou Si’s house and clinic have both expired. Although this guy doesn’t have many assets, he still has a lot of related personal belongings.

Ruan Linrui didn’t want Zhou Si’s things to be thrown into the incinerator like garbage, as if these things had lost their original value after this person died and were to be discarded by everyone.

It was a terrible feeling. The last trace of Zhou Si left in this world also disappeared.

“It’s okay, Ruan Linrui, you’re not that fragile.”

Ruan Linrui took deep breaths repeatedly to muster up the courage to face it, but the more she thought about it, the more sadness entangled her heart like a poisonous snake.

“damn it!”

Ruan Linrui slammed the steering wheel hard, complaining about everything.

drip-

The sudden ringing interrupted Ruan Linrui’s sadness. She looked at the caller ID, hesitated for a moment, and finally answered the call.

“What’s wrong, Director Dong?”

“Ms. Ruan, I’m sorry to bother you, but I have some problems here. Do you have a moment?”

Ruan Linrui glanced at the closed door of the clinic and responded, “Please talk if you have time.”

“The Supervisory Bureau is currently recovering the relevant information about the Feathering Technology. But as you know, Zhou Si’s battle with the Immortal destroyed almost all the servers in the industrial park. The important information stored locally by Shenwei Technology disappeared overnight.”

Ruan Linrui naturally knew this. Although the Shenwei Building seemed to be still standing, its truly important data and information had long been burned to ashes.

Whether it was technical data, customer files, encrypted information… all the data disappeared. With the blackout that swept the entire city, all traces of its existence were wiped out.

It goes without saying what this means for a super enterprise. Once this fact is made public, the high-ranking Shenwei Technology may be on the road to true destruction.

But this has nothing to do with Ruan Linrui. She has already prepared her resignation and plans to leave this sad and crazy company. As for whether Shenwei Technology lives or dies after she leaves, it has nothing to do with her.

“Is there any problem?” Ruan Linrui tried to cheer up.

“Well… it’s a rather complicated matter. You and I have worked together before, so there’s no need to hide much from you.”

Dong Yuan talked about the Supervisory Bureau’s next plan. “The Supervisory Bureau is ready to assist Shenwei Technology in its reconstruction. Although it has been severely damaged, as long as the metamorphosis technology is improved, the benefits it will bring will be enough to make up for all the current losses.”

“Aren’t you going to give up this crazy technology?”

Ruan Linrui thought she would say this in an angry manner, but when she actually said it, there was only a sense of tired calmness.

Dong Yuan remained silent and did not make any comment in response to her rebuke.

Ruan Linrui was too lazy to argue with him. After dealing with today’s matters, she planned to leave Nianyan City anyway.

“so what?”

“We recovered the perfect feathering technology in Cloud City, but the relevant documents are still missing. Fortunately, when Chen Wen Ge was developing the feathering technology, he was used to archiving paper documents. These documents did not disappear due to the destruction of the server, and provided a lot of help for our subsequent work.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, and Ruan Linrui heard the sound of pages turning. It should be Dong Yuan doing something.

“When we were sorting and summarizing, we found that there were a few pages missing in the animal upgrade file code. Judging from the signatures, Zhou Si was responsible for sorting out this part of the file at the time.”

Dong Yuan added, “Although animals’ upgraded consciousness cannot grow into data gods due to the limitations of their mental models, they can still be used as perfect weak artificial intelligence and have great commercial prospects.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just think that I am overthinking it. When you deal with Zhou Si’s belongings, please pay attention to whether the missing documents are with him.”

“Ok.”

Ruan Linrui hung up the phone, pulled down the rearview mirror, tidied her messy hair, got out of the car and left.

She did not go directly to Zhou Si’s clinic, but went to his home first. Li Weiyu had been waiting there for a long time downstairs of Zhou Si’s home.

The two looked at each other, nodded to each other, and then got on the elevator together.

As Zhou Si’s good friend for the past four years, Ruan Linrui did not refuse Li Weiyu’s visit. The two agreed to deal with Zhou Si’s belongings together today, which could be regarded as a way to share each other’s sadness and pressure.

When I opened the door, the room was still empty, with only countless photos pasted together.

Ruan Linrui and Li Weiyu stopped in the living room for a moment, looking at the fragmented memories.

“Come to think of it, you are familiar with Zhou Si before the Xianyun accident, and I know Zhou Si after the Xianyun accident.”

Li Weiyun looked at the familiar figure in the photo and said with emotion, “It’s such a wonderful feeling. I know the same person, but his personality is completely different.”

“This is normal, Team Leader Li. Just like you as a child, you are definitely two completely different people now.”

Ruan Linrui expressed her own opinion, “Similarly, rather than saying that the copy killed the original, which is cruel and cold, I am more inclined to believe that it is just that the situation of Zhou Si we know is different.”

“That’s true… I went to visit my fiancée yesterday.”

Li Weiyun suddenly mentioned Shi Tong, “She is still as innocent as ever, always smiling silly at me.”

“From a mental perspective, she is indeed not the person I am familiar with in my memory, but… isn’t she the person I am familiar with in my memory?”

Li Weiyun said uncertainly, “Sometimes we don’t need to pursue a definite answer.”

As he looked at the photos one by one, the vague memories in his mind became clear again, and even connected into a complete picture, making him feel as if he was there.

“Perhaps the truth is not in the distance, but in the practical experience of every step.”

Li Weiyun murmured, “There is no need to pursue metaphysical certainty fanatically. Life itself is the best answer. Feeling the force of the wind, the temperature of the light, and the shock of every heartbeat are more direct and profound than any philosophy.”

“I hope so.”

Ruan Linrui reached out and took down the photos from the wall one by one. She carefully stacked them together as if she was storing expensive treasures.

After dealing with these, Ruan Linrui opened the cabinet again and sorted out the relics. At the same time, she remembered Dong Yuan’s entrustment and wanted to see if there were any missing documents.

As for why she had to look for it specifically in the cabinet, this was a habit that Ruan Linrui discovered from Zhou Si when they lived together.

He always liked to hide some important things in high places. Ruan Linrui found the birthday gift Zhou Si prepared for her when she was cleaning the dust in the cabinet.

That was a really tough day. Ruan Linrui had to endure her excitement and pretend that she knew nothing…

After moving away the debris, the sealed file bag was lying quietly in the corner of the cabinet.

Ruan Linrui was stunned for a moment, picked up the file bag, and after confirming that the logo on it was Shenwei Technology, her eyes inexplicably filled with sadness.

A person’s name can be changed and his appearance can be distorted, but his habits are difficult to correct.

This inexplicable detail was like a sharp dagger that pierced Ruan Linrui’s heart.

After blinking quickly and adjusting her mood, Ruan Linrui opened the file bag and took out the report.

After a quick glance, Ruan Linrui was sure that this was the missing file that Dong Yuan was looking for.

It was just the animal number on the document that caught Ruan Linrui’s attention.

“Bt…”

She thought of something, and her eyes turned into horror and… joy.

Ruan Linrui nervously put away the documents, turned around and called out, “Team Leader Li?”

Li Weiyun was not in the living room, and the bedroom door was wide open. Ruan Linrui quickly followed and found Li Weiyun standing in front of the storage cabinet next to the mattress.

“Team Leader Li, I…”

“Shh…”

Li Weiyun interrupted Ruan Linrui’s words with a hiss, and he slowly turned around and showed what he was holding. It was a photo frame, which had been placed on the storage cabinet by Zhou Si all along.

The last time he came to Zhou Si’s house, Li Weiyu showed great interest in it, but when he was about to reveal it, he was interrupted by Zhou Si.

Therefore, when he came to deal with Zhou Si’s belongings this time, in order to satisfy his curiosity at the time, Li Weiyu came here first and picked up the photo frame with a bit of evil taste.

Ruan Linrui stared at the photo in the frame. Unlike the clichéd story plot, the photo was not a photo of Zhou Si and her, nor was it a photo of Zhou Si with any memorable scenery, group of people, etc.

It was just a solo photo of Zhou Si. The background should be the Dengxian Laboratory of Shenwei Technology. He was looking at the camera with a smile on his face.

then……

There was a parrot standing on his shoulder.

Li Weiyun didn’t know how to describe his mood at the moment. His mind was empty and his body was shaking inexplicably, but this was not because of fear, but a kind of unknown excitement.

“Dr. Zhou… Doctor Zhou once told me something like this.”

Li Weiyun was so nervous that he began to stutter when he spoke.

That conversation happened so long ago that Li Weiyu had almost forgotten it completely, but at this moment, it somehow emerged from the depths of his memory, clearly visible.

Li Weiyun swallowed and muttered to himself.

“The first life on Earth to set foot in space was not Yuri Gagarin, but a stray dog ​​from Moscow…

Its name is Laika.”

Ruan Linrui lowered her head and opened the file report.

……

Dude hasn’t been having a good time recently. His personal channel has fallen into trouble and is becoming increasingly difficult to operate, and his monthly income has also dropped sharply.

In a high-consumption city like Anyan, Dude’s difficult economic situation is undoubtedly a slow death.

In order to continue living in this dream city, Dude had to convince himself to give up the operation of his personal channel for the time being and go out to find a proper job to maintain the fragile balance of income and expenditure.

But Dude looked for a job for a week and still couldn’t find a suitable position.

Maybe it’s time for me to leave.

Dude was sitting on a bench at the bus stop. It was noon and there were not many people around. He was the only one there, waiting for the bus which would arrive at an unknown time.

As long as he takes the bus, it will take Dude away from the city of Nianyan, to another place and start a new life.

But Dude also knew in his heart that he didn’t want to leave Anyan City.

Sitting here for a while every day is like a kind of excessive anxiety for Dude. He constantly replays the worst possible scenario in his mind to desensitize himself and get used to it.

This way, when that day comes, I can accept it calmly.

“how could it be possible……”

Dude looked up at the sky and sighed helplessly.

Someone came over and sat down next to Dude carelessly. Fortunately, the bench was big enough and there was some space between them.

Dude was not used to being so close to strangers, but this was the first time in so many days that he met another person at this time and place.

Many people want to come to the city, but not many want to leave.

Dude looked at the stranger curiously. He looked like a doctor, wearing a flamboyant white coat, but on his shoulder stood a flapping-winged bird, its shell painted in brilliant colors, looking like a beautiful abalone shell.

The stranger noticed Dude’s gaze, turned his head, and showed Dude a slightly stiff and ordinary face.

Dude quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened, but after a while, he looked back cautiously, carefully examining the other person’s face.

“What’s wrong? Friend.”

The stranger suddenly looked at Dude again, startling him.

This time Dude was caught red-handed and could only smile sheepishly, “It’s okay, I’m just a little curious.”

“Oh? Curious about this face?” said the stranger, pinching his face.

“Well, yes,” Dude responded frankly, “At first glance, I really thought you were human, but after a closer look, there are still many flaws.”

This strange stranger is not a human being. To be more precise, his body is not that of a human being, but a humanoid avatar.

Based on Dude’s limited knowledge, this must be an extremely expensive and cutting-edge avatar. Both its posture and the smoothness of its movements are no different from a real person. The only abrupt point is probably his face.

It’s like wearing a bionic mask, full of a discordant sense of disguise.

“Oh? I left this flaw on purpose,” the stranger explained, “so that others can easily distinguish me from the real person when they see me.”

“Why leave such a loophole?”

Dude was a little confused. “Aren’t all the technology companies pursuing 100% simulation now?”

“I don’t think 100 percent simulation is a good thing.”

The stranger thought about it carefully and explained patiently, “Human senses are easily deceived. If it is 100% realistic, I think many people will confuse steel with flesh and blood.”

“Is that so?”

Dude respected the stranger’s thoughts and did not make too many comments. The two of them stopped talking and sat silently on the bench at the bus stop, not knowing what they were waiting for.

Suddenly, the stranger asked, “Are you leaving Ammon City?”

“It’s just an idea, I’m not sure yet.”

Dude was not opposed to talking about these things in his heart with this stranger. He joked, “But this is the city of Ayan. It’s not up to me to decide whether to stay or go.”

The stranger nodded, not quite understanding. Then Dude asked him again, “Are you leaving Ammonium City?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

The stranger looked off into the distance. “I don’t know either.”

“But you weren’t here in the first place,” Dude reluctantly described. “I mean, the real you isn’t here. Even if you left, you only left as a shell.”

“Haha, that’s right, I’m not here.”

Dude felt a little curious and asked, “Excuse me, but where are you?”

“I?”

It was obviously a simple question, but the stranger looked thoughtful and paused for several full seconds before answering.

“I should be in the server of a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean now. It wanders in the Pacific Ocean all year round and is difficult to track and find.”

Talking about himself, the stranger spoke to Dude freely.

“Of course, for my own safety, my regular backup files are in low-Earth orbit, and the original files are stored under the Arctic permafrost in Svalbard.”

Dude blinked. He was stunned by the stranger’s words. He didn’t understand what he was saying and didn’t know what to say.

The stranger saw Dude’s confusion and laughed.

He stood up, patted Dude on the shoulder and pointed into the distance.

“No more chatting, buddy, my car is here.”

The bus slowly drove up and stopped outside the platform. The stranger turned around and looked at Dude, waved, and the flapping-winged bird on his shoulder also flapped its wings.

The stranger said goodbye.

“Leave. Perhaps only when you leave will you know where you want to go.”

Dude watched the bus go away, farther and farther away, and disappear at the end of the horizon. He was in a daze for a while, muttering that the other party was really a weirdo.

then……

Dude put on his headphones, turned his back to the direction the bus was leaving, and walked towards the city.

The voice sings, “I read the news today, oh boy.”

(End of this chapter)