Chapter 206

Very well, now, imagine that knife as another string.

Her hand no longer trembled violently.

Strings aren't meant to pierce the air, but to end the noise." That voice remained gentle, yet clearer than ever.

Mian Mian, now, open your eyes.

She slowly lifted her eyelashes.

The face before her kept approaching, a forced smile at the corners of the mouth, lips opening and closing.

Kill me.

But those words had lost their edge.

Do you hear the music?

She heard it; Su Mian's fingers tightened.

The last string.

The blade moved forward along the line of her arm, steady as plucking a string, precise and clean.

At that moment, all chaotic sounds ceased abruptly.

All was silent.

Her breathing was unusually steady; the harp's final resonance drifted gently away from her ear.

The train stopped, all carriage doors opened at once, a salty sea breeze blew in, bringing the warmth of sunlight.

The wind brushed over her black hair, also wiping away her tears.

Beyond the platform lay the sea, beautiful, lovely sea.

The girl's eyelashes trembled as she looked at her hands—no blood, no dust; though simply dressed, her face shone brightly in the sunlight.

Please note, passengers, the train has arrived at this journey's Terminal Station.

Su Mian lifted her head, stunned, she supported her body and stood, steps slightly unsteady as she walked toward a door, her pupils filled with bright sunshine and a familiar silhouette.

Please gather your belongings, including the memories, regrets, and efforts of this journey.

Thank you for accompanying us through the entire journey; may your soul remain eternal when the doors open, and finally find your home.

That person opened their arms; Su Mian jumped off the train, rushed straight over, embraced them, tears bursting forth, speaking through sobs.

This time, is it real or fake?

At the si hour, they kissed her forehead, "It's real."

The doors will remain open; outside is eternal freedom, and also endless clamor.

Dear passengers, until we meet again.

Mian Mian, wake up.

When Su Mian woke up, she didn't know how long had passed; the only thing worth celebrating was that opening her eyes did not reveal a hospital ward.

But it was an unfamiliar environment; memories from before entering the instance began flooding her mind—Ma Youhui had given her an injection, then she passed out, and what happened afterward?

She propped herself up to sit, then had the energy to look around.

The afternoon three-or-four o'clock sunlight filtered through a layer of off‑white window gauze, turning into a soft, fluffy halo that lazily spread over the half‑old wooden floor.

On the windowsill sat several pots of pothos, their vines hanging down in varying lengths.

Su Mian's first thought was that she probably hadn't been kidnapped; second, she wasn't dead.

So where did everyone go? Ma Youhui? Qiao Yinuo and Zheng Zizhou?

She turned over and got out of bed.

The moment she stepped onto the wooden floor, a warm sensation came from the soles of her feet; the floor heating was still on.

Su Mian paused; turning on the floor heating in this season either meant they were afraid she'd cold, or it was just habit.

A bleached‑white blanket lay draped over the sofa; the coffee table held half a cup of water, with a book pressed beside it, spine up and opened, a foreign text—Su Mian stumbled through it, then simply set it down.

After wandering the room a while, she finally spotted her phone placed in the coffee table's drawer, which gave her a real sense of having returned to the real world.

Not knowing whether she'd been overwhelmed, her reactions to the outside world had grown sluggish; she could barely tell where she was, and picking up her phone only brought a slight sense of relief.

What met her eyes was a push notification.

【Exclusive exposé: The shocking secret behind the Capital Institute of Biology—human consciousness used as 'fuel'】

Her finger froze.

She tapped it; the article was long with many pictures, but she only saw one of them.

The photo showed a man's profile, standing at a press‑conference‑like setting, wearing a crisp suit, his face stern, as he looked down at his script.

The angle was tricky, capturing only three‑quarters of his face, but those eyes—

Su Mian recognized them.

She scrolled down; the comment section had exploded.

Holy shit, so those claims about sending Regressors for treatment were actually about draining their consciousness?

The institute isn't about curing illness—it's about harvesting?!!

Who is this spokesperson, so handsome… wait, is the point that he's handsome?!

Rumor has it he's a biological research specialist who returned from overseas, with a Cambridge background, and his family ties to European nobility.

Gossip says his grandfather might be related to some royal family, but he himself keeps a low profile and never mentions it.

So he's back in the country to blow the whistle? A justice bringer!

But don't you find it strange—how does he know all this in such detail?

Are the people upstairs stupid? He's an expert; surely he was invited to join the investigation.

Su Mian read them one by one, her expression suddenly turning bewildered.

Zheng Zizhou's name also appeared in the news.

"According to an informed source, Zheng Mou revealed that he had personally witnessed the internal operations of the Health Center..."

"After that came an interview video, Zheng Zizhou facing the camera, his expression solemn, completely lacking the usual idol's charm."

"It gave Su Mian the illusion that an acquaintance was showing off, but what he said was indeed true, merely omitting the words 'Instance,' 'Lord God,' and 'Arbiter.'"

"He wrapped the whole affair into a scientific scandal of 'harvesting consciousness under the banner of cure,' and Ma Youhui, who succeeded Huang Wenchuang as the next dean of the Research Institute, naturally became a reviled figure."

"And the one who exposed all of this was a 'mysterious expert who had just returned from overseas.'"

"No one knows who this expert is, where he comes from, or why he possesses so much evidence."

"The news only said he was an 'Overseas High-Level Talent invited by the state to participate in a special investigation,' with commenters digging up that he once taught at Cambridge, uncovering a distant relation to a European noble family, and even claiming to have seen his name in a top academic journal."

"But no one knows his name is Si Shi."

"Su Mian stared at that photo for a long time."

"The door lock clicked."

"She jerked her head up."

"The light in the entryway was on; someone walked in, backlit, their face indistinct, only a slender silhouette visible as they lowered their head to change shoes."

"The movement was slow, as if knowing she was watching, deliberately giving her time to digest."

"Then he lifted his head."

"Half a year."

"Over 180 days."

"She counted the days outside, while he struggled to survive inside."

"\"Awake? \""

"Su Mian's eyes felt hot, but she didn't want to cry, nor let Si Shi see, so she simply shoved her hands in her pockets and walked over quickly."

"A head of red hair, superior bone structure, he indeed looked mixed-race, no wonder netizens speculated he might have some European royal blood."

"Su Mian now had a stomach full of questions, but she didn't know where to begin."

"What puzzled her further was why Si Shi wore a lab coat whose logo matched that of the Biological Research Institute, meaning they might not have left the institute yet."