Chapter 58: Very close? You are usually this close to me.
Shen Ti stared at the screen and suddenly uttered two words, “Dead?”
“Who?” Wu You asked.
“The people on the previous floors.” Shen Ti shrugged as he watched the last log automatically self-destruct. “Otherwise, I can only explain it as a power outage.”
After the log disappeared, the screen returned to its original state, but a draft email popped up, one that was unfinished in the drafts folder.
The subject was the research and development of child psychology experiments.
He paid attention for a moment, but the email quickly disappeared too.
So fast.
He felt someone next to him, leaned over, and his nose almost touched An Wujiu’s cheek.
“You’re too close.” Shen Ti whispered.
An Wujiu also whispered back, “Is it too close? You’re usually this close to me.”
Being told like this, Shen Ti was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Seeing his smile, An Wujiu felt a bit uneasy again.
If he’s thinking about how good Shen Ti looks when he smiles, is it really the right time?
Josh was still immersed in the previous question when he suddenly thought of something. “By the way, you mentioned that the security system malfunctioned when we first entered.”
“Does the unfinished log have anything to do with this? If the entire building’s system has problems, it should have an impact. And in the first log, it seems to mention a bug in the management permissions of floor E.”
“The system malfunction should be an important clue,” Yang Erci said. After speaking, she felt her neck wasn’t very comfortable, so she reached up and touched it, sensing something wasn’t quite right.
An Wujiu looked at her and, unsurprisingly, said, “You’ve got it too.”
There was a terrifying scar on her neck; the cut wound was filled with coagulated scabs, with skin and flesh turned outward.
This is the wound after the throat was cut.
He glanced at the countdown timer on the right side of the field of view, roughly calculated, and they had less than four hours left.
The end time of the game, like the initial time, was close to midnight.
“I have a question,” Wu You said. “If they really died, who killed them?”
Josh tentatively said, “A02?”
“But when we were on the fourth floor, many pieces of evidence showed that A02 was the one who had already died. Diamond 2 was replaced with a ghost card; the ghost we encountered in the dark corridor and in the message displayed on the Gate to Heaven, A02 said, ‘They’re going to kill me.'”
Nan Shan also agreed, “There’s also that nursery rhyme. I remember the original version should be about the big rabbit dying, but the one played on the fourth floor changed to the little rabbit dying.”
The fatal injuries that appeared on everyone contradicted the corresponding evidence.
“Let’s get out first.” Zhong Yirou gradually regained her composure. “We’re already on the fifth floor. Let’s see if there are other mechanisms and sub-games first. Ultimately, the result depends on whether we can escape the building, right?”
The others also thought it made sense, so everyone decided to leave the room. Before leaving, An Wujiu glanced at the screen and found a line of text.
[All for humanity.]
It’s that sentence again.
He still left. While searching for the next door in the corridor, An Wujiu shared all the information he saw about the relationship between A02 and A01 with everyone.
“A02 has a genetic defect…” Wu You frowned. “Congenital heart disease?”
An Wujiu nodded, noticing that Wu You couldn’t seem to get out of A02’s story for a long time, and a layer of gloom covered his expression.
As they walked to the next corner, suddenly they heard the sound of a door opening. They turned around and saw a door appearing out of thin air on the inner wall of the corridor.
This door led to the center circled by the corridor.
This floor was relatively easier than the others, with fewer sub-games as obstacles, which made An Wujiu feel suspicious.
“Wait a moment; be careful; there may be something wrong inside.” He warned the few people walking in front.
So the others also waited, not entering immediately. However, inside, apart from dim lighting, there was nothing, even emptier than the central space on the fourth floor.
After waiting for a while, nothing appeared.
“How about… going in and taking a look first?”
Wu You, standing at the front, glanced at An Wujiu. With time running out, An Wujiu could only nod and follow the others inside.
Shen Ti stood beside him, and the two walked at the back. The door slammed shut, as expected, and Shen Ti once again, like a startled cat, quickly pressed up against him.
“Are you really scared or just pretending?” An Wujiu turned his head to look at him.
“Of course, I’m really scared. I cried when I was locked in a room alone, and you wouldn’t have heard it anyway.”
While Shen Ti spoke, his earrings swayed, easily distracting An Wujiu.
He had noticed the problem with the mechanism long ago.
“But even if you heard it, you wouldn’t care if I lived or died.”
Seeing his serious expression, An Wujiu turned his head and looked ahead.
Who said that?
Back then, he did care.
The ground here was recessed, and the seven people descended the steps to the spacious center.
“Why is there nothing here?” Josh turned around and said, “Such a big space; could there be zombies appearing to bite us later?”
Nan Shan smiled, “I wouldn’t be surprised if anything happened here.”
An Wujiu looked at Wu You. Although he had never been a talkative person, An Wujiu keenly sensed the change in Wu You’s expression.
It seemed like something was on his mind, especially after he mentioned A02’s background.
Could Wu You’s background also be somehow related to A02’s story?
Suddenly, An Wujiu felt something was off. The floor he was stepping on seemed to be sinking.
He heard Wu You’s voice, “Run up the stairs!”
But it was too late. The floor wasn’t just sinking; it was transforming from a solid state into some kind of flowing liquid. A swamp-like substance trapped everyone’s legs, and no matter how much force they exerted, they couldn’t break free.
“Something’s wrong.” Yang Erci reminded everyone, “This is a non-Newtonian fluid. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Everyone, don’t move.”
Watching helplessly, everyone continued to sink, and the liquid floor had reached their thighs.
An Wujiu frowned, a sense of ominous foreboding lingering in his heart.
After a moment, a large holographic screen appeared above the hall, displaying text. Simultaneously, corresponding synthesized speech accompanied the text.
[You are just a step away from success.]
[Now, your task is to figure out what exactly happened in this containment center through questioning. It’s about each of you, as well as the entire containment center, including its conclusion.]
Indeed, apart from the decryption sub-games on each floor, they had to uncover hidden plotlines.
[There is no limit on the number of questions; there is unlimited time. Each time you ask, you will receive feedback of “yes” or “no.” When you think you can deduce the true result, stop asking and describe it completely. If it matches the truth by 80%, the screen will display a celebration animation, and you can escape from the current fluid swamp.]
“No limit?”
An Wujiu’s gaze became serious; there couldn’t be no limis or punishment mechanisms. The so-called unlimited time was, in fact, intended to consume the players’ remaining time.
[Except for one thing.]
A new text appeared on the screen.
[If the feedback from your questions is “no,” each of you will sink by ten centimeters. Once completely submerged in the fluid, you will be eliminated.]
Changing the limitation from time to danger not only consumed the players’ time but also increased the elimination rate.
[The player closest to the truth will be granted amnesty, leave the fluid, and open the final gate to heaven. The remaining players who have not been eliminated will be decided by the player granted amnesty.]
It was indeed an individual battle.
If it were a group of people with hidden motives, the final outcome would likely be very dramatic.
[The game begins; players, feel free to ask questions.]
The game started quietly like this, and the text on the screen disappeared, turning into a symbol—a somewhat peculiar sun.
This symbol seemed familiar to An Wujiu.
“Who wants to ask first?” Josh looked at the others.
Yang Erci spoke, “Let me go first.”
After some thought, she asked a question, “A02 is already dead, right?”
A white circle appeared on the screen.
“Yes,” answered the synthesized voice.
Everyone’s faces showed expressions of confirmation.
Nan Shan asked, “Did he die in this containment center, and the cause of death was a heart attack?”
Once again, a circle appeared on the screen, “Yes.”
Two correct answers encouraged the group a bit. The next second, Wu You asked, “Was one reason for cloning A02 due to his congenital heart malformation that so many clones of him were created as substitutes and organ donors?”
This time, a different icon suddenly appeared on the screen, a red cross in the middle of the white circle.
The synthesized voice responded, “Yes and no.”
Some guesses were correct, while others were not.
Uncertain about how to interpret this result, just as they were hesitating, they felt their legs sinking, but not by ten centimeters—only about half.
“Sorry,” Wu You felt very apologetic for the punishment he caused and didn’t want to implicate everyone.
“It’s okay,” An Wujiu reassured him. “At least we know that if it’s not entirely correct, we’ll sink by 5 centimeters.”
“So, is it the first half that’s incorrect, or the second half?” Josh thought for a moment, feeling that the first half was probably okay and the second half seemed reasonable.
“It probably isn’t as simple as being organ suppliers,” An Wujiu explained. “A02’s heart problem stems from genetic inheritance. Even if cloned, the clone would have the exact same DNA as him and would still have a malformed heart.”
Shen Ti, in a state of passive protest, yawned and stretched, raising his hand when he heard this information, and asked a question, “Is it A01’s father who proposed to clone A02?”
“Yes.”
“Were A01 and A02 in a romantic relationship?” Shen Ti asked a somewhat offbeat question.
The screen again displayed the previous circle-cross symbol, “Yes, and not entirely.”
With this feedback, everyone sank another five centimeters, and the fluid tightly adhered to their legs, making it impossible to move.
“Definitely not entirely; from a nominal standpoint, they should still be considered brothers,” Josh said.
Zhong Yirou thought of something and weakly spoke, “I want to ask… did A02’s ghost appear in the building?”
“Yes, and not entirely.” The large screen again showed the circle-cross symbol.
They sank another five centimeters.
“Not entirely…” An Wujiu thought for a moment. “The appearing ghost is not A02’s but that of his clone, right?”
“Yes.” The screen displayed an affirmative circle symbol.
Nan Shan organized the clues, “So, before A02’s death, many clones were cloned and stored in the cryo-pods, but not only A02 himself died, but also his clones.”
Yang Erci recalled the previous logs, “It was mentioned in the logs that the lifespan of clones is very short.” Thinking about this, she asked a question, “Did A02’s clones die of natural causes, not murder?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
Another incomplete answer.
“Died of natural causes, but not entirely…” An Wujiu frowned. “You mean, some clones died naturally, and some were killed?”
“Yes.”
They got a confirmed answer.
Wu You asked again, “Was A02’s clone killed after learning the truth?”
“Yes.”
Josh asked, “Did A02’s clone intend to seek revenge on everyone else?”
“Yes.”
Adopted, cloned, and died due to a congenital disease—this was A02’s fate. A02’s clone continued his life; some died naturally, and some disappeared due to foul play. The result seemed to be a complete tragedy.
Listening to everyone’s questions, An Wujiu felt that something was still not quite right.
Wu You looked at the others and remembered something, “Are these injuries from the revenge of A02’s clone?”
“Yes.”
“The logs of the B, C, D, and E floors were not completed. Was it because the person writing the logs encountered danger or was killed?”
“Yes.”
“Is it the ghost of A02’s clone who came for revenge?”
“Yes.”
“Not entirely.”
The group suddenly sank by ten centimeters.
With this, they had sunk a total of 30 centimeters, and the fluid, which was initially below their thighs, was now approaching their hips.
If it wasn’t the ghost of A02’s clone, then who could it be?
Zhong Yirou asked again, “Is it because A02’s clone discovered that he was just a clone, and the memories he received were implanted, so he became extremely angry and sought revenge, right?”
The result deviated from their expectations once again.
“Yes, but not entirely.”
They thought the clone’s anger stemmed from discovering the truth about the cloning, but the reality seemed more complex.
During the moment of silence, Shen Ti, with his scattered thoughts, asked another question, “A02 doesn’t have access to other floors of the containment center unless the people on that floor grant him access to specific locations, such as the circus, right?”
“Yes.” He received a positive answer.
Shen Ti continued, “So, A02 and his clone were unaware of the black surrogacy factory and various human experiments behind the containment center, right?”
The screen lit up with a circle saying, “Yes.”
With this clarification, Josh immediately asked, “So, did A02’s clone accidentally discover the unethical activities they were conducting, realize he was just a clone, get killed during resistance, and then his ghost sought revenge, right?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
There was still something missing.
The picture of the situation had slowly taken shape through their questioning and the responses received, but it seemed that there were some contradictions and gaps that were challenging to fill.
Nan Shan pondered and asked, “Earlier, it was mentioned that the clones of A02 had abnormal deaths. Did the other people, aside from A01, also kill the clones of A02?”
“Yes, and not entirely.”
The crowd continued to sink deeper and deeper.
“Yes, and not entirely.” Yang Erci frowned and voiced an unreliable conjecture, “Could it be… A01 is also involved?”
A white circle suddenly appeared on the screen.
“Yes.”
Everyone froze on the spot for a moment, feeling a chill down their spines.
Josh looked bewildered: “I thought… A01 cloned A02 because he loved A02 so much and couldn’t accept his illness and death. So, he created a clone to keep him alive. If A01 truly loved him, wouldn’t he refrain from killing A02’s?”
The truth was becoming increasingly bizarre.
Shen Ti curled his lips and said, “Maybe this A01 is also a lunatic.”
An Wujiu spoke softly, “Don’t you find it strange from the beginning why A02 was adopted? A01’s father is not just anyone; he’s the director of an orphanage. He had the resources and reasons to adopt a healthier child, but he specifically chose a child with a congenital disease.”
“Maybe it was fate?” Josh suggested but immediately contradicted himself, “Actually, in these game instances, there is usually a prelude.”
An Wujiu closed his eyes, replaying everything that happened in that orphanage in his mind.
Many scenes flashed before his eyes like a slideshow, finally stopping at the fourth-floor laboratory.
An Wujiu lifted his head and posed a new question, “Was the reason why A02 was adopted because of his congenital disease and A01’s father wanted to use his genetic defect for experimental research?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
This result plunged the seven people present into confusion once again, but at the same time, it opened up a new line of thinking—hidden motives behind A02’s adoption.
“Not entirely…” An Wujiu frowned, thinking carefully. Indeed, there should be many children with congenital defects in the orphanage. If they only wanted a child like A02, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be him.
He carefully recalled A02’s image, realizing that the A02 in Josh’s second-floor recording was probably the closest to the real A02. At that time, he was kind and just, investigating the truth for those intersex babies.
Kindness… could that also be one of their criteria for choosing A02?
Or did they hope A02 would become such a person?
Everyone’s thoughts began to diverge, “Could it be that A02 is the illegitimate child of A01’s father? Do they have a blood relationship?”
“No.”
“Could it be because A02 actually has some special physique, like a higher success rate in cloning or a higher success rate in gene editing?”
“No.”
Several consecutive questions were met with red crosses, indicating an unfavorable situation. The fluid gradually engulfed their bodies from below, and for those of shorter stature, it had almost reached their chests.
“In any case, they used A02 as an experimental subject, right? And from the beginning, they chose him and treated him well, but in reality, they just wanted to use him to validate the experimental results.” Whether it was because the fluid was about to bury him or because of the approaching truth, Josh felt a profound sense of suffocation. The idea that someone would adopt him, treating him like a laboratory rat, was terrifying.
“They keep talking about it being for humanity, but it’s utterly insane and hypocritical.”
For humanity?
An Wujiu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Suddenly, he heard Shen Ti muttering beside him, “All for humanity.”
An Wujiu turned his head to look at him, and Shen Ti also turned toward him; their eyes met.
It seemed like their brainwaves synchronized at a certain moment.
An Wujiu spoke, “I’ve always felt that the phrase ‘all for humanity’ sounds strange. It has a typical slogan quality, injecting a powerful sense of belief.”
“Like some cults also use such righteous slogans to control their followers, with the actual purpose deviating significantly from the slogan.”
He thought of the unread email he saw on Shen Ti’s authorized host just now.
Perhaps it was as absurd as he imagined.
An Wujiu lifted his head, “I want to ask, besides being an object for genetic editing and cloning experiments, was A02 also the subject of another psychological experiment?”
His speculation was confirmed.
“Yes.”
“Another one?” Josh looked at An Wujiu. “What is it?”
Shen Ti recalled the content in the work logs, where most entries mentioned experiments related to A02. However, there was one that was vague, using a term that appeared in Josh’s character’s work log.
Shen Ti raised his eyes and questioned the system, “Is this experiment called ‘Growth Show’?”
After a moment, the speculation was confirmed.
“Yes.”
Chapter 58: Very close? You are usually this close to me.
Shen Ti stared at the screen and suddenly uttered two words, “Dead?”
“Who?” Wu You asked.
“The people on the previous floors.” Shen Ti shrugged as he watched the last log automatically self-destruct. “Otherwise, I can only explain it as a power outage.”
After the log disappeared, the screen returned to its original state, but a draft email popped up, one that was unfinished in the drafts folder.
The subject was the research and development of child psychology experiments.
He paid attention for a moment, but the email quickly disappeared too.
So fast.
He felt someone next to him, leaned over, and his nose almost touched An Wujiu’s cheek.
“You’re too close.” Shen Ti whispered.
An Wujiu also whispered back, “Is it too close? You’re usually this close to me.”
Being told like this, Shen Ti was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Seeing his smile, An Wujiu felt a bit uneasy again.
If he’s thinking about how good Shen Ti looks when he smiles, is it really the right time?
Josh was still immersed in the previous question when he suddenly thought of something. “By the way, you mentioned that the security system malfunctioned when we first entered.”
“Does the unfinished log have anything to do with this? If the entire building’s system has problems, it should have an impact. And in the first log, it seems to mention a bug in the management permissions of floor E.”
“The system malfunction should be an important clue,” Yang Erci said. After speaking, she felt her neck wasn’t very comfortable, so she reached up and touched it, sensing something wasn’t quite right.
An Wujiu looked at her and, unsurprisingly, said, “You’ve got it too.”
There was a terrifying scar on her neck; the cut wound was filled with coagulated scabs, with skin and flesh turned outward.
This is the wound after the throat was cut.
He glanced at the countdown timer on the right side of the field of view, roughly calculated, and they had less than four hours left.
The end time of the game, like the initial time, was close to midnight.
“I have a question,” Wu You said. “If they really died, who killed them?”
Josh tentatively said, “A02?”
“But when we were on the fourth floor, many pieces of evidence showed that A02 was the one who had already died. Diamond 2 was replaced with a ghost card; the ghost we encountered in the dark corridor and in the message displayed on the Gate to Heaven, A02 said, ‘They’re going to kill me.'”
Nan Shan also agreed, “There’s also that nursery rhyme. I remember the original version should be about the big rabbit dying, but the one played on the fourth floor changed to the little rabbit dying.”
The fatal injuries that appeared on everyone contradicted the corresponding evidence.
“Let’s get out first.” Zhong Yirou gradually regained her composure. “We’re already on the fifth floor. Let’s see if there are other mechanisms and sub-games first. Ultimately, the result depends on whether we can escape the building, right?”
The others also thought it made sense, so everyone decided to leave the room. Before leaving, An Wujiu glanced at the screen and found a line of text.
[All for humanity.]
It’s that sentence again.
He still left. While searching for the next door in the corridor, An Wujiu shared all the information he saw about the relationship between A02 and A01 with everyone.
“A02 has a genetic defect…” Wu You frowned. “Congenital heart disease?”
An Wujiu nodded, noticing that Wu You couldn’t seem to get out of A02’s story for a long time, and a layer of gloom covered his expression.
As they walked to the next corner, suddenly they heard the sound of a door opening. They turned around and saw a door appearing out of thin air on the inner wall of the corridor.
This door led to the center circled by the corridor.
This floor was relatively easier than the others, with fewer sub-games as obstacles, which made An Wujiu feel suspicious.
“Wait a moment; be careful; there may be something wrong inside.” He warned the few people walking in front.
So the others also waited, not entering immediately. However, inside, apart from dim lighting, there was nothing, even emptier than the central space on the fourth floor.
After waiting for a while, nothing appeared.
“How about… going in and taking a look first?”
Wu You, standing at the front, glanced at An Wujiu. With time running out, An Wujiu could only nod and follow the others inside.
Shen Ti stood beside him, and the two walked at the back. The door slammed shut, as expected, and Shen Ti once again, like a startled cat, quickly pressed up against him.
“Are you really scared or just pretending?” An Wujiu turned his head to look at him.
“Of course, I’m really scared. I cried when I was locked in a room alone, and you wouldn’t have heard it anyway.”
While Shen Ti spoke, his earrings swayed, easily distracting An Wujiu.
He had noticed the problem with the mechanism long ago.
“But even if you heard it, you wouldn’t care if I lived or died.”
Seeing his serious expression, An Wujiu turned his head and looked ahead.
Who said that?
Back then, he did care.
The ground here was recessed, and the seven people descended the steps to the spacious center.
“Why is there nothing here?” Josh turned around and said, “Such a big space; could there be zombies appearing to bite us later?”
Nan Shan smiled, “I wouldn’t be surprised if anything happened here.”
An Wujiu looked at Wu You. Although he had never been a talkative person, An Wujiu keenly sensed the change in Wu You’s expression.
It seemed like something was on his mind, especially after he mentioned A02’s background.
Could Wu You’s background also be somehow related to A02’s story?
Suddenly, An Wujiu felt something was off. The floor he was stepping on seemed to be sinking.
He heard Wu You’s voice, “Run up the stairs!”
But it was too late. The floor wasn’t just sinking; it was transforming from a solid state into some kind of flowing liquid. A swamp-like substance trapped everyone’s legs, and no matter how much force they exerted, they couldn’t break free.
“Something’s wrong.” Yang Erci reminded everyone, “This is a non-Newtonian fluid. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Everyone, don’t move.”
Watching helplessly, everyone continued to sink, and the liquid floor had reached their thighs.
An Wujiu frowned, a sense of ominous foreboding lingering in his heart.
After a moment, a large holographic screen appeared above the hall, displaying text. Simultaneously, corresponding synthesized speech accompanied the text.
[You are just a step away from success.]
[Now, your task is to figure out what exactly happened in this containment center through questioning. It’s about each of you, as well as the entire containment center, including its conclusion.]
Indeed, apart from the decryption sub-games on each floor, they had to uncover hidden plotlines.
[There is no limit on the number of questions; there is unlimited time. Each time you ask, you will receive feedback of “yes” or “no.” When you think you can deduce the true result, stop asking and describe it completely. If it matches the truth by 80%, the screen will display a celebration animation, and you can escape from the current fluid swamp.]
“No limit?”
An Wujiu’s gaze became serious; there couldn’t be no limis or punishment mechanisms. The so-called unlimited time was, in fact, intended to consume the players’ remaining time.
[Except for one thing.]
A new text appeared on the screen.
[If the feedback from your questions is “no,” each of you will sink by ten centimeters. Once completely submerged in the fluid, you will be eliminated.]
Changing the limitation from time to danger not only consumed the players’ time but also increased the elimination rate.
[The player closest to the truth will be granted amnesty, leave the fluid, and open the final gate to heaven. The remaining players who have not been eliminated will be decided by the player granted amnesty.]
It was indeed an individual battle.
If it were a group of people with hidden motives, the final outcome would likely be very dramatic.
[The game begins; players, feel free to ask questions.]
The game started quietly like this, and the text on the screen disappeared, turning into a symbol—a somewhat peculiar sun.
This symbol seemed familiar to An Wujiu.
“Who wants to ask first?” Josh looked at the others.
Yang Erci spoke, “Let me go first.”
After some thought, she asked a question, “A02 is already dead, right?”
A white circle appeared on the screen.
“Yes,” answered the synthesized voice.
Everyone’s faces showed expressions of confirmation.
Nan Shan asked, “Did he die in this containment center, and the cause of death was a heart attack?”
Once again, a circle appeared on the screen, “Yes.”
Two correct answers encouraged the group a bit. The next second, Wu You asked, “Was one reason for cloning A02 due to his congenital heart malformation that so many clones of him were created as substitutes and organ donors?”
This time, a different icon suddenly appeared on the screen, a red cross in the middle of the white circle.
The synthesized voice responded, “Yes and no.”
Some guesses were correct, while others were not.
Uncertain about how to interpret this result, just as they were hesitating, they felt their legs sinking, but not by ten centimeters—only about half.
“Sorry,” Wu You felt very apologetic for the punishment he caused and didn’t want to implicate everyone.
“It’s okay,” An Wujiu reassured him. “At least we know that if it’s not entirely correct, we’ll sink by 5 centimeters.”
“So, is it the first half that’s incorrect, or the second half?” Josh thought for a moment, feeling that the first half was probably okay and the second half seemed reasonable.
“It probably isn’t as simple as being organ suppliers,” An Wujiu explained. “A02’s heart problem stems from genetic inheritance. Even if cloned, the clone would have the exact same DNA as him and would still have a malformed heart.”
Shen Ti, in a state of passive protest, yawned and stretched, raising his hand when he heard this information, and asked a question, “Is it A01’s father who proposed to clone A02?”
“Yes.”
“Were A01 and A02 in a romantic relationship?” Shen Ti asked a somewhat offbeat question.
The screen again displayed the previous circle-cross symbol, “Yes, and not entirely.”
With this feedback, everyone sank another five centimeters, and the fluid tightly adhered to their legs, making it impossible to move.
“Definitely not entirely; from a nominal standpoint, they should still be considered brothers,” Josh said.
Zhong Yirou thought of something and weakly spoke, “I want to ask… did A02’s ghost appear in the building?”
“Yes, and not entirely.” The large screen again showed the circle-cross symbol.
They sank another five centimeters.
“Not entirely…” An Wujiu thought for a moment. “The appearing ghost is not A02’s but that of his clone, right?”
“Yes.” The screen displayed an affirmative circle symbol.
Nan Shan organized the clues, “So, before A02’s death, many clones were cloned and stored in the cryo-pods, but not only A02 himself died, but also his clones.”
Yang Erci recalled the previous logs, “It was mentioned in the logs that the lifespan of clones is very short.” Thinking about this, she asked a question, “Did A02’s clones die of natural causes, not murder?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
Another incomplete answer.
“Died of natural causes, but not entirely…” An Wujiu frowned. “You mean, some clones died naturally, and some were killed?”
“Yes.”
They got a confirmed answer.
Wu You asked again, “Was A02’s clone killed after learning the truth?”
“Yes.”
Josh asked, “Did A02’s clone intend to seek revenge on everyone else?”
“Yes.”
Adopted, cloned, and died due to a congenital disease—this was A02’s fate. A02’s clone continued his life; some died naturally, and some disappeared due to foul play. The result seemed to be a complete tragedy.
Listening to everyone’s questions, An Wujiu felt that something was still not quite right.
Wu You looked at the others and remembered something, “Are these injuries from the revenge of A02’s clone?”
“Yes.”
“The logs of the B, C, D, and E floors were not completed. Was it because the person writing the logs encountered danger or was killed?”
“Yes.”
“Is it the ghost of A02’s clone who came for revenge?”
“Yes.”
“Not entirely.”
The group suddenly sank by ten centimeters.
With this, they had sunk a total of 30 centimeters, and the fluid, which was initially below their thighs, was now approaching their hips.
If it wasn’t the ghost of A02’s clone, then who could it be?
Zhong Yirou asked again, “Is it because A02’s clone discovered that he was just a clone, and the memories he received were implanted, so he became extremely angry and sought revenge, right?”
The result deviated from their expectations once again.
“Yes, but not entirely.”
They thought the clone’s anger stemmed from discovering the truth about the cloning, but the reality seemed more complex.
During the moment of silence, Shen Ti, with his scattered thoughts, asked another question, “A02 doesn’t have access to other floors of the containment center unless the people on that floor grant him access to specific locations, such as the circus, right?”
“Yes.” He received a positive answer.
Shen Ti continued, “So, A02 and his clone were unaware of the black surrogacy factory and various human experiments behind the containment center, right?”
The screen lit up with a circle saying, “Yes.”
With this clarification, Josh immediately asked, “So, did A02’s clone accidentally discover the unethical activities they were conducting, realize he was just a clone, get killed during resistance, and then his ghost sought revenge, right?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
There was still something missing.
The picture of the situation had slowly taken shape through their questioning and the responses received, but it seemed that there were some contradictions and gaps that were challenging to fill.
Nan Shan pondered and asked, “Earlier, it was mentioned that the clones of A02 had abnormal deaths. Did the other people, aside from A01, also kill the clones of A02?”
“Yes, and not entirely.”
The crowd continued to sink deeper and deeper.
“Yes, and not entirely.” Yang Erci frowned and voiced an unreliable conjecture, “Could it be… A01 is also involved?”
A white circle suddenly appeared on the screen.
“Yes.”
Everyone froze on the spot for a moment, feeling a chill down their spines.
Josh looked bewildered: “I thought… A01 cloned A02 because he loved A02 so much and couldn’t accept his illness and death. So, he created a clone to keep him alive. If A01 truly loved him, wouldn’t he refrain from killing A02’s?”
The truth was becoming increasingly bizarre.
Shen Ti curled his lips and said, “Maybe this A01 is also a lunatic.”
An Wujiu spoke softly, “Don’t you find it strange from the beginning why A02 was adopted? A01’s father is not just anyone; he’s the director of an orphanage. He had the resources and reasons to adopt a healthier child, but he specifically chose a child with a congenital disease.”
“Maybe it was fate?” Josh suggested but immediately contradicted himself, “Actually, in these game instances, there is usually a prelude.”
An Wujiu closed his eyes, replaying everything that happened in that orphanage in his mind.
Many scenes flashed before his eyes like a slideshow, finally stopping at the fourth-floor laboratory.
An Wujiu lifted his head and posed a new question, “Was the reason why A02 was adopted because of his congenital disease and A01’s father wanted to use his genetic defect for experimental research?”
“Yes, but not entirely.”
This result plunged the seven people present into confusion once again, but at the same time, it opened up a new line of thinking—hidden motives behind A02’s adoption.
“Not entirely…” An Wujiu frowned, thinking carefully. Indeed, there should be many children with congenital defects in the orphanage. If they only wanted a child like A02, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be him.
He carefully recalled A02’s image, realizing that the A02 in Josh’s second-floor recording was probably the closest to the real A02. At that time, he was kind and just, investigating the truth for those intersex babies.
Kindness… could that also be one of their criteria for choosing A02?
Or did they hope A02 would become such a person?
Everyone’s thoughts began to diverge, “Could it be that A02 is the illegitimate child of A01’s father? Do they have a blood relationship?”
“No.”
“Could it be because A02 actually has some special physique, like a higher success rate in cloning or a higher success rate in gene editing?”
“No.”
Several consecutive questions were met with red crosses, indicating an unfavorable situation. The fluid gradually engulfed their bodies from below, and for those of shorter stature, it had almost reached their chests.
“In any case, they used A02 as an experimental subject, right? And from the beginning, they chose him and treated him well, but in reality, they just wanted to use him to validate the experimental results.” Whether it was because the fluid was about to bury him or because of the approaching truth, Josh felt a profound sense of suffocation. The idea that someone would adopt him, treating him like a laboratory rat, was terrifying.
“They keep talking about it being for humanity, but it’s utterly insane and hypocritical.”
For humanity?
An Wujiu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Suddenly, he heard Shen Ti muttering beside him, “All for humanity.”
An Wujiu turned his head to look at him, and Shen Ti also turned toward him; their eyes met.
It seemed like their brainwaves synchronized at a certain moment.
An Wujiu spoke, “I’ve always felt that the phrase ‘all for humanity’ sounds strange. It has a typical slogan quality, injecting a powerful sense of belief.”
“Like some cults also use such righteous slogans to control their followers, with the actual purpose deviating significantly from the slogan.”
He thought of the unread email he saw on Shen Ti’s authorized host just now.
Perhaps it was as absurd as he imagined.
An Wujiu lifted his head, “I want to ask, besides being an object for genetic editing and cloning experiments, was A02 also the subject of another psychological experiment?”
His speculation was confirmed.
“Yes.”
“Another one?” Josh looked at An Wujiu. “What is it?”
Shen Ti recalled the content in the work logs, where most entries mentioned experiments related to A02. However, there was one that was vague, using a term that appeared in Josh’s character’s work log.
Shen Ti raised his eyes and questioned the system, “Is this experiment called ‘Growth Show’?”
After a moment, the speculation was confirmed.
“Yes.”
