Qiu Yifan led Tang Chen back to the room where they had woken up and gave him a rough explanation of the information they had gathered during the time before he woke up.
First, this was indeed the world of the game. They were currently in the Alliance East District’s shelter. According to the staff, they had suddenly appeared in the wilderness near the base’s safe zone and had arrived in separate batches. This phenomenon had been happening for quite some time since the war ended.
“So, they already know that we’re from another world?” Tang Chen furrowed his brows.
Qiu Yifan: “Yes, according to the Alliance’s statistics, most of the people from our world who got lost have likely appeared here. The majority of them are ordinary civilians, and the Alliance has already gathered a considerable amount of intelligence on our world.”
Tang Chen slowly relaxed his brows and let out a sigh. Well, that was fine. The authorities had already made records of such possibilities. Besides, their group had been actively helping the humans in this world during the war, so there was potential for cooperation.
He immediately asked, “What about Tang Xiao? Tang Xiao should be here too, right?”
“Well…” Qiu Yifan hesitated, but before he could answer, the room’s intercom sounded, followed by a knock on the door. “Everyone, it’s time for your medical examination.”
“This situation seems a little complicated. Let’s talk on the way. I think seeing it for yourself will be more straightforward.” Qiu Yifan had a strange expression.
Tang Chen was confused but followed Qiu Yifan and the other teammates out of the room. “Medical examination?”
“Yes, although you all underwent a basic check when you first arrived, this time it’s for a more detailed examination. It’s to prevent any potential pathogens from spreading. Ah, we don’t mean any offense—it’s just that some bacteria might be something our world’s people have no resistance against, which could lead to an outbreak. I’m sure you all understand, right?” the staff member explained.
Tang Chen understood. After all, they were on someone else’s turf and weren’t in a position to object. He silently followed the staff member.
The shelter was quite large and seemed to be more than just a simple refuge—it also functioned as a research facility. Tang Chen saw many researchers in white lab coats moving about, though they were on the floors opposite them.
Suddenly, Tang Chen stopped in his tracks, staring in shock at the statue being constructed below the building. “W-What is that?”
Why did that statue look so familiar?
“Oh, that’s a statue of Dr. Tang Xiao,” the staff member glanced at it and casually said, “Didn’t see it before—must be a new one.”
“…” Tang Chen finally understood why his teammates had such complicated expressions when he previously asked about Tang Xiao. They might not have known that his brother was both a scientist and a superpower, but they had all seen Tang Xiao’s face. It was natural for them to be shocked.
Even for Tang Chen, who knew what Tang Xiao had accomplished in this world, seeing his brother immortalized in a statue was still a massive shock. He muttered, “…Isn’t this a bit excessive?”
“Not at all! This is actually one of the smaller statues,” the staff member earnestly corrected him. “The one in the Alliance’s central plaza is much bigger! But Dr. Tang Xiao deserves it. The Third Eye organization is even planning to establish a biology award named after him.”
“A biology award?” Qiu Yifan looked at Tang Chen with a strange expression. “Did Tang Xiao achieve something really significant in this world?”
“Of course! There’s not a single surviving human who hasn’t heard of Dr. Tang Xiao. Thanks to him, humanity managed to endure this war! He even saved those infected by the zombie mushroom… At least for us, he deserves all the recognition. If not for his research, I wouldn’t even be standing here talking to you right now.”
The staff member rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm covered in dense holes.
Tang Chen and his teammates clearly saw it. The gaps in his skin were so deep that his bones were faintly visible. “The fungus ate the flesh inside away. It can’t be healed, so it’ll just stay like this for now,” the staff member said matter-of-factly.
“…I’m sorry,” Tang Chen murmured.
“It’s fine. I was one of the early infected. Honestly, I never thought I’d survive. If not for Dr. Tang Xiao’s work, I’d have died long ago.” The staff member sighed, then rolled down his sleeve before glancing at Tang Chen and the others. “Earlier, I noticed that you all looked a bit weird when you mentioned Dr. Tang Xiao. Do you… know the Tang Xiao from your world too? Is he also famous over there?”
This was the true reason the staff member had started this conversation.
Tang Xiao’s death had been too sudden. Many of the people he saved never got the chance to thank him—they could only attend his funeral. The people working here were aware of the concept of parallel worlds, so naturally, they were curious about whether the Tang Xiao from another world was living well.
Was he happy there?
Even if they weren’t the same person, the staff still wished for another version of Dr. Tang Xiao to live a peaceful and happy life.
Qiu Yifan and the others couldn’t help but turn to look at Tang Chen.
Tang Chen was silent for a moment before he finally forced out an answer. “He… should be happy, just not very well-known.”
He had family, he had friends. Compared to most people in this world, Tang Xiao’s life should be a happy one.
But in contrast to here, in reality, Tang Xiao faced a lot more skepticism and doubt.
“How is that possible?” The staff member was surprised. “Is your world’s technology far more advanced? Or do you have way more scientists? Are there many geniuses?”
“…None of those,” Tang Chen scratched his head, struggling to explain. His heart felt heavy—now he understood why Qiu Yifan had hesitated before. With how famous Tang Xiao was, if he had appeared here, there was no way people would have reacted like this.
Which meant… Tang Xiao had never shown up here. Why?
Tang Chen changed the subject. “Are all the people who appeared here accounted for? Could someone have appeared elsewhere?”
“I haven’t heard of anyone from another world appearing in other parts of the Alliance,” the staff member replied. “But it’s possible that some people ended up in the wild. After all, this phenomenon of people suddenly appearing only started happening recently.”
Tang Chen’s expression darkened. Could it be that Tang Xiao really was out there in the wilderness…? The area was far too vast—it was practically impossible to rescue him unless they could secure the help of the local forces.
Judging from the situation, it seemed possible that the people here didn’t know Tang Xiao was still alive. Should they tell them?
Tang Chen remained silent for the rest of the way, while Qiu Yifan and the others cast worried glances at him.
“Boss—”
“I'm fine,” Tang Chen forced himself to perk up. “The mission must go on. We have to find a way to bring the remaining people back.”
Besides, he believed in Tang Xiao. With his abilities, surviving in the wild wasn't entirely impossible. For all they knew, he might have already used his ability to rewind time multiple times, and they just weren’t aware of it.
No—he was certain that was the case.
Tang Chen took a deep breath, suppressing his worries as the group followed the staff into the medical examination hall. Inside, a long line of people was already waiting while researchers in protective suits examined the bodies of these outsiders.
Tang Chen noticed that under the protective suits, these researchers all wore a unique badge on their chests—the emblem of Third Eye.
“There are quite a few people ahead of you, so you may need to wait in line. Just follow the instructions of the staff,” the personnel explained. “My task ends here.”
“Thank you for your hard work,” Tang Chen said instinctively.
“Boss, do we really have to line up?” Qiu Yifan hesitated. “We’re not exactly ordinary people…” He lowered his voice at the last part.
In the real world, the blood samples of superpowers were kept classified. Though the staff had said the examination was purely for detecting pathogens and preventing the spread of disease, it was undeniable that the researchers would take the opportunity to collect bodily data.
The number of scientists present was also overwhelming, and Third Eye’s temporary research lab was just next door.
Tang Chen hesitated. Just then, a commotion broke out in the line ahead.
“I’m not doing it! Who knows what kind of experiments you’ll use my blood for?!”
“Sir, please calm down.”
“Get lost!”
The staff member who tried to intervene was sent flying—literally—soaring right over Tang Chen’s head before crashing heavily to the ground.
Tang Chen and Qiu Yifan’s eyes widened. A superpower?!
The one causing trouble was a burly man about 1.8 meters tall, shouting furiously, “I saw it with my own eyes! You put a limiter on my buddy, and now you want to put one on me too!”
“That’s just to prevent potential riots—”
“Bullshit! Who knows what you’ll do to people like us once we’re restrained? I’m not going to be a fish on your chopping block! Get lost if you don’t want to die!”
Seeing the man lift up two staff members, the surrounding people screamed and backed away. Even the researchers instinctively crouched down and created distance.
Tang Chen and his team were caught off guard by the sudden development. They exchanged glances, silently asking, “Should we use this chance to slip away?”
Tang Chen frowned, not giving an immediate order. Just then, the burly man suddenly froze in place, his body enveloped in a blue-violet glow.
Qiu Yifan turned to Tang Chen in confusion. “Boss, was that you?”
“No,” Tang Chen responded immediately. “It wasn’t me.”
“Huh? But this looks exactly like your power—”
Before Qiu Yifan could finish his sentence, he watched in shock as the burly man was slammed into the ground, his limbs forcibly restrained. At the same time, a lazy voice called out from nearby, “I was just gone for a bathroom break, and now there’s another idiot causing trouble?”
They had heard that this world hadn’t suffered from mushroom infections, beast tides, or war. Then… could Dr. Tang Xiao still be alive here?
This voice…
Qiu Yifan and the others whipped their heads toward Tang Chen, who was equally stunned. He instinctively turned toward the direction of the voice.
And there, standing before him, was a face so familiar that he saw it in the mirror every morning.
His own face.
The other ‘Tang Chen’ strolled over leisurely, effortlessly using his power to subdue the troublemaking superpower. Then, sensing the burning stares behind him, he turned around. He, too, froze at the sight of that familiar face.
The local Tang Chen’s pupils shrank slightly, but the corners of his lips lifted. “Well, now… this is a surprise.”
—What the hell was going on?!
Meanwhile, Tang Xiao stared blankly at the game panel that had just appeared before him. He was here physically, without using a gaming headset, so why did the system still pop up?
And this new mission…
[King of Mushroom: Successful Evolution]
Wasn’t Jun Tesi supposed to have failed its evolution and gone berserk?
Tang Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. At that moment, the game panel suddenly vanished, and at the same time, the previously disappeared Jun Tesi’s clones reappeared in the lab.
“Xiao Xiao, I’m back~” Jun Tesi beamed as it bounded over and wrapped its arms around Tang Xiao, resting its chin on his shoulder and rubbing affectionately. “So tired~”
“What were you doing?” Tang Xiao asked.
“Nothing much, just chasing away some mutant beasts that got too close,” Jun Tesi replied.
“Oh?” Tang Xiao didn’t press further, but doubts were already creeping into his mind as he turned back to continue his experiment.
But Jun Tesi suddenly tightened his arms, lifting the person in his embrace and placing him on the lab table. He swept away the clutter on the surface with his mycelium, then cupped the back of Tang Xiao’s head with his right hand, pressing down. Their breaths instantly intertwined.
Tang Xiao cooperated by lowering his head, gently responding to the kiss.
Jun Tesi was already quite skilled at kissing—completely different from the wolf-fox-like creature he had been during his initial feeding as Subject 428. His nibbles were light and teasing, easily making Tang Xiao blush.
As Jun Tesi kissed him, all the other ‘Jun Tesis’ stopped what they were doing, standing still and staring at them in unison.
Tang Xiao felt uncomfortable with this bizarre situation and pushed Jun Tesi’s shoulder. “That’s enough.”
Jun Tesi reluctantly pulled away, licking his lips with a hoarse voice. “Doesn’t Xiaoxiao miss me?”
Tang Xiao chuckled helplessly. “You were only gone for five minutes.”
“Five minutes is long enough,” Jun Tesi said. “Even a second apart from you is unbearable.”
“Alright,” Tang Xiao sighed, at a loss for how to deal with Jun Tesi’s clinginess. “Time to get back to the experiment.”
But Jun Tesi remained still. “Xiaoxiao, have you forgotten something?”
“The thing I said before I left—do you remember it?”
Tang Xiao pursed his lips, hesitating. “Then… why don’t you start first?”
Jun Tesi gazed at Tang Xiao and smiled slightly. “Alright. Ask me anything you want.”
This was their chance to truly understand each other again.
Both man and mushroom were keenly aware of this.
Even so, Tang Xiao wasn’t sure what to ask—or rather, he wasn’t sure how to avoid touching on Jun Tesi’s past pain.
For a moment, the laboratory fell silent. Even the other ‘Jun Tesis’ stood still, like eerily lifelike puppets.
Finally, Jun Tesi broke the silence. “Aren’t you going to praise me for how good I just was?”
“…You were amazing,” Tang Xiao blurted.
“No, not me,” Jun Tesi chuckled, resting his forehead against Tang Xiao’s chest. “Xiaoxiao is the amazing one. I just clumsily mimicked your actions.”
“—From your memories.”
Tang Xiao froze. Memories?
“After all, I devoured part of you,” Jun Tesi finally lifted his head, his expression both bitter and amused. “There wasn’t even a corpse left. If I want to find you, I can only look inside my own memories.”
“…I never expected there would actually be another version of you. And what’s more, I got to meet him so soon.”
Inside the special containment chamber, Tang Chen sat in his assigned room while another ‘Tang Chen’ sat across from him on the other side of a glass wall. They faced each other like reflections in a mirror.
Tang Chen’s team was still undergoing their medical examinations, but he had been separated and placed here alone. The reason? This was the first known case of two versions of the same person meeting. Scientists weren’t sure what kind of unforeseen consequences such contact might bring.
In fact, the majority of Third Eye’s researchers had gathered in the observation room, brimming with curiosity—after all, what scientist wouldn’t be fascinated by a moment straight out of a sci-fi movie?
Xiao Bai and Lodge were there too. Ever since Third Eye’s base had been occupied—and with the sudden appearance of people from what seemed to be another world—the organization had temporarily established a research facility near the containment site to study these new arrivals.
“If they touch, what will happen?” Aberk mused with interest. “Will they disappear like in some movies?”
“No idea. We’re keeping them separated just in case,” a researcher responded. “So far, we’ve confirmed that the genetic difference between these ‘otherworlders’ and us is minimal. Although their world never experienced a mushroom invasion, they still possess the 24 gene.”
“They never suffered that disaster? Must be nice…” Aberk sighed. “So in that world, is Tang Xiao still living a healthy life?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell into silence. Aberk realized his slip and muttered, “My bad.”
Xiao Bai acted as if he hadn’t heard, leaning toward the microphone. “Proceed.”
Inside the chamber, ‘Tang Chen’ shrugged and finally spoke, breaking the silence. “Since you’re my counterpart, I’m guessing you’re here on some kind of mission. Your group is clearly a well-trained military unit—are you working for your government?”
Tang Chen took a deep breath, recalling Li Xiaoyi’s instructions. Before coming here, they had anticipated various scenarios and prepared four different contingency plans, labeled A through D. Establishing contact with local forces had, of course, been one of those possibilities.
“Yes. Our mission is to rescue civilians who have strayed into this world,” Tang Chen explained, “and to reestablish an intelligence link between our world and yours.”
“After all, I’m sure you’ve all realized by now—our two worlds are bound to intersect. We come with only peaceful intentions.”
‘Tang Chen’ made no comment. He knew decisions like these were made by those in power—he was just a small piece in a much bigger game. “But beyond my official duty, I have a personal reason for coming here.” Tang Chen’s tone shifted slightly. “My younger brother, Tang Xiao, also entered the overlapping zone between our worlds. He went missing on our side. I’m here to find him.”
“He should be your world’s Dr. Tang Xiao. If he’s not just a counterpart, then he’s the same person.”
‘Tang Chen’: …
The Third Eye researchers watching from behind the glass: ……?
----------
No comments:
Post a Comment