Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 126, Section 125: Autopsy
"You've been attacked, but the good news is they didn't try to kill you."

Ryoko Chiba explained.

"In reality, he may have just seen this as a probing attack, because all he used to attack you was a tranquilizer dart, but he didn't expect you to be so 'vulnerable'."

Suger tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember how he was shot.

"and then?"

Then he left.

Ryoko Chiba looked at the Baoning Building, where sandalwood smoke filled the air, creating a stage effect like dry ice evaporating.

"The Walker/Type C is just a civilian robot, but even if it were a military robot, I wouldn't be confident I could keep it."

Socrates frowned.

"I don't know what his motive was for attacking me, I've never met him."

“In the few days since your accident, I’ve discovered some flaws. Our investigation points to a very clear area—the flow of core data related to ascension. It seems our investigation is on the right track. There really is a spider hiding behind these clues, and obviously, we disturbed it when we shook its web.”

Suger was alarmed by the other party's vigilance. As a demon, Chiba Ryoko's investigation should not be noticed by ordinary people.

"Is he also a demon or monster?"

"It's still uncertain whether he's an ascendant. Perhaps he's already succeeded, or perhaps he's still preparing. In any case, the level of danger he poses is beyond your control. This is just a warning, but you still..."

Ryoko Chiba looked at the cryogenic chamber containing the kidney.

"Although you have supernatural powers, you are still a mortal."

Warning. Socrates thought, another warning.

A figure from a rainy night flashed through his mind: Jiang Ning, the same Jiang Ning who had fired a warning shot at him on the night of the Spiritual Society's gathering.

“He’s connected to that dead man on Qingchuan Street,” Su Ge said in a low voice. “He definitely is.”

……

Chongming District, Security Bureau.

When Yang Guan entered the office, Su Ge was looking at the city outside the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.

Seeing that figure from behind, Yang Guan breathed a sigh of relief.

"I almost thought you had disappeared too."

"If I disappeared, wouldn't the security bureau's first reaction be to suspect me?"

Socrates watched as a hovercar swept past the window, its shell reflecting the building's facade.

"That depends on the situation, but... personally, I don't think you have a motive to commit a crime."

Yang Guan smiled.

"Your formal employment process is complete. Now, let's record your mental anchor."

He took out a silver card and placed it on the table; there was a white rectangle on the card.

"This is?"

“Your work ID is your access card and your key.” Yang Guan picked up the card and waved it. “You can use it to access all public facilities in the city without leaving a trace, rent equipment from the bureau’s inventory, access documents, and more importantly, it proves your identity.”

Suger took the work permit; this half-millimeter-thick alloy card integrated brainwave recognition and electromagnetic wave transmission functions.

He began to recall his anchor of consciousness: Shen Ke at the top of the desolate city, that poem, and many of his emotional reactions surged forth.

He held onto that feeling for ten seconds.

The card records stable brainwaves, and an abstract black feather pattern appears in the center of the white rectangle on the card.

"That's enough." Yang Guan looked at the black feather and said with emotion, "The anchoring agent you used is quite effective. It's a pity that the memory anchored by the drug can't be forgotten, and it's inconvenient to change it. Otherwise, this thing really wouldn't have any drawbacks."

“Not being able to forget isn’t really a side effect,” Su Ge said. “When you want to forget, you’ll find that forgetting is a protective mechanism.” Yang Guan picked up his digital cigarette. “By the way, your personal information has been protected. Try checking your personal information.”

Suger put away his work ID and used Vision to check his personal information.

He prioritized searching for keywords such as Hongshan Medical Association, hibernators, and hibernation awakening live stream. He then discovered that information about him was still available online. However, when he opened the relevant materials, he found that the related video and audio materials had been replaced with a different face.

“Your genetic, fingerprint, and voiceprint information stored at the medical institution has also been replaced.” Yang Guan looked at Su Ge. “Now, if you go out with this face, no one except those who have come into contact with you will know who you are. But I bet you’ll get a face change soon too.”

"Why did you say 'also'?" Su Ge thought Yang Guan had figured out that he had done biological modifications.

"Everyone does that, doesn't they? You're quite sensitive," Yang Guan said dismissively.

Socrates touched his chin and nose. He could accept the transplant of artificial organs, but he was utterly resistant to changing his original appearance. He felt he lacked the resolve of someone burdened with heavy responsibilities—the ability to easily relinquish everything. He felt he should possess this awareness; perhaps the extended hibernation had deepened some of his obsessions.

"How's the investigation going?" He changed the subject, "The dead man on Qingchuan Street."

“You’ve completed your probationary period assignment, even exceeded it. The bureau only asked you to investigate suspicious targets, and I didn’t expect you to find his hiding place,” Yang Guan said. “You did a great job, but you don’t need to worry about the follow-up matters; it’s too dangerous for you. Now that you’re officially a member of the bureau, there are other things for you to handle.”

The investigation team received a message from Yang Guan containing dozens of leads and names. Due to the Lugu Group's presence, the underground situation in Yingchuan was chaotic, and most of these leads were related to the smuggling of medical supplies.

"so much……"

"You handle it as you see fit, just keep track of the priorities. The bureau will only require you to fully participate in the investigation when the task is urgent."

Yang Guan patted Su Ge on the shoulder.

"At other times, you are still your medical supplies advocate. You can have your own life."

"Thanks."

Su Ge nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He knew that although Yang Guan's tone was tactful, he wouldn't get any more information from him.

But another thought popped into his head: when Yang Guan was stripped of his identity by the masked woman, it was Chiba Ryoko who stepped in and restored it to him. Perhaps, if necessary, she could get Yang Guan to talk.

……

Suger disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.

Yang Guan took a drag of his digital cigarette and exhaled with satisfaction, feeling a sense of relief. His relief stemmed from witnessing the growth of a hibernating individual; although Su Ge hadn't yet received a brain-computer interface, he had already found his way to survive in modern society.

He turned and walked through the corridor. The third room on the left at the corner was a temporary project meeting room.

Bai Miao walked out of the conference room, and Yang Guan's brain-computer interface received her thoughts.

"The autopsy is complete. His brain was completely liquefied, with no formed tissue left. However, the investigation into his damaged brain-computer interface revealed a new clue: his brain-computer interface was invaded by a virus. The database records the name of this virus—Chaos. This is the first time the department has encountered a physical form of this virus. Because we were caught off guard, we had to scrap several sandboxes, but thankfully, there weren't any major problems."

【chaos】

Yang Guan searched for the name in the database.

The data describes a unique virus.

Almost all viruses possess intelligence, allowing them to bypass equally intelligent defenses. Chaos, however, lives up to its name, possessing a simple, brutal, and savage nature; it ruthlessly forces all data to zero out of its binary representation.

"Were they destroyed?" Yang Guan asked warily.

"It's been saved for record-keeping. By the way, besides Chaos, that corpse is also acting a bit strangely."

"what happened?"

"The autopsy revealed that he had multiple endocrine glands with functional decline that was inconsistent with his genetic age, and he also had a defective immune memory."

There are many reasons for the decline in glandular function, and prolonged dormancy is only one of them, but immune memory deficiency... means that immune cells lack experience in fighting common pathogens.

Yang Guan's fingers, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air.

"This is a characteristic of hibernators."

(End of this chapter)