The Last 299 Days of Humanity

Yu Qing was skeptical of Professor Lu's words, and he simply didn't understand what Professor Lu meant by "enemy." In people's minds, an enemy is someone with whom they have an irreconcilable conflict of emotions and interests, but this enemy seemed to have no connection with them whatsoever.
But Professor Lu continued his long and rambling speech, like a floodgate of water:

“Those ‘visual glitches,’ the distortions in the city lights you see, are not technical malfunctions, nor are they side effects of the ‘mirage’ project.”

Professor Lu's voice turned serious. "That's a sign that the very structure of reality is being disturbed. The membrane is thinning, Yu Qing. Something from the outside is trying to get in."

"As for Project Lutai," Professor Lu continued, "you think it's a weapon to destroy the world? No, it's a last resort."

If the defenses collapse, if the invasion cannot be stopped, then 'Lutai' will do one thing: not destroy the Earth, but completely shut down this reality and sever all connections with the external dimensions.

The price is that we'll be trapped in a smaller, more unstable bubble of reality, but at least we'll still exist.

"Project Mirage isn't a psychological deterrent weapon. It's a camouflage system, a disguise to mislead outside observers about the state of the world. It makes them think that this place is still in a primitive state, with no value worth 'harvesting'."

Professor Lu stopped after saying all this, allowing Yu Qing to process the information.

"Your father chose to fake his death and become a 'parallel human,' not for immortality, nor to secretly control everything."

This is because he needs to enter that dimension—the 'vast ocean,' or what we call the 'interface layer'—to better observe the enemy and direct the defense.

“But he encountered a problem.” Professor Lu’s expression became complicated. “The longer he stays in the interface layer, the weaker his connection with reality becomes. He needs an anchor, a proxy, and a successor. That’s why there are so many complicated arrangements, and why you were chosen.”

Yu Qing felt his consciousness stabilizing again. The integration process seemed to have adapted to the impact of this information input, and began to incorporate the new cognition into the reconstructed self-structure.

“What you’re doing now,” Professor Lu pointed to the ring-shaped device, “is not just becoming a parallel human. You’re accessing the core node of the defense network. Once it’s complete, you’ll see the truth—the whole truth.”

Then you need to make a choice: join the war, or choose to live in ignorance but relative safety.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yu Qing was finally able to form a clear thought and ask the question directly through his consciousness.

“Because time is running out.” Professor Lu’s expression turned serious. “The enemy’s infiltration is accelerating. In recent months, the frequency of anomalies has increased by 300%. The consciousness interference and reality distortion you experienced were not accidental. They are testing the defenses and looking for weaknesses.”

“Furthermore,” Professor Lu paused, “your father’s situation at the interface layer is not good. He may have been exposed and may be under siege. We need a new commander, we need new nodes.”

Yu Qing fell silent. Too much information, too much responsibility. He had only wanted to unravel the mystery and protect Wengshan, but now he was being told to participate in a war on a cosmic scale?

“You don’t need to decide now,” Professor Lu said. “Complete the integration, adapt to the new state of being, and then see for yourself and make your own judgment. I only ask one thing: keep an open mind. The truth is often crazier than the craziest assumptions.”

Professor Lu walked towards the exit, preparing to leave.

“Oh, right,” he said, turning back, “I suggest you retrieve those ‘shells’ that are still active outside as soon as possible. Their presence has begun to attract the attention of certain entities. Recall them after seventy-two hours, regardless of whether integration is complete.”

"How do you know about those bodies?" Yu Qing asked.

Professor Lu smiled slightly: "I've been observing you, Yu Qing. Ever since you ate that Immortal Flower when you were a child. Your father wasn't the only observer."

After he finished speaking, Professor Lu's figure began to fade, disappearing silently just as he had appeared.

Only the buzzing of the ring device and Yu Qing's turbulent thoughts remained in the safe house.

The integration process continues. But now, this process has a new dimension. The information revealed by Professor Lu has been planted like seeds in Yu Qing's reconstructed consciousness structure, growing new cognitive branches and new possible paths.

Yu Qing saw more:

He saw the true face of the interface layer—that parallel dimension of human existence: not a tranquil ocean of information, but a fierce battlefield. Countless consciousnesses clashed there, some defending, some infiltrating, and some observing.

He saw the old man's consciousness—Yu Yunshan's—trapped in a complex web of encirclement, surrounded by various indescribable beings engaged in a silent and brutal war of attrition.

He discovered another secret beneath the First Paradise: a massive, ancient device buried hundreds of meters underground.

It wasn't built by humans, but is a relic left by a more ancient civilization. That device is the true meaning of the First Paradise—it's a reality anchor, an infrastructure that stabilizes the reality structure of this area.

He saw the essence of the banished immortal flower: it was a natural "reality lubricant" that could temporarily reduce the "friction coefficient" between consciousness and reality, allowing people to see a deeper structure.

However, prolonged or excessive use can lead to a gradual "decoupling" of consciousness from reality, ultimately resulting in being lost in the dimensional gap.

He saw possible branches for his future: in some branches, he chose to join the war, become a new defensive node, and lead the resistance;

In some branches, he chose to isolate himself and protect only the small area of ​​Wengshan;
In some branches, he was assimilated or eliminated by the enemy; in others, he found a third path.
Information flooded in like a torrent. Under immense pressure, Yu Qing's consciousness structure constantly adjusted, evolved, and reconstructed. He felt he was breaking through a critical point, transforming from "human Yu Qing" into something else entirely.

The light from the ring reached its peak, then suddenly was all drawn into the ring. The rotation stopped. Everything became quiet.

Integration is complete.

Yu Qing "opened" his eyes—he now had a more stable sensory interface, though not physical eyes, but functioning similarly. He saw everything in the safe house, but he saw more than just the surface.

He saw the atomic structure inside the walls, the microorganisms and energy particles floating in the air, the flow of time like a luminous river, and the folds of space like a complex tapestry.

He saw himself: no longer an unstable field of existence, but a cohesive, multi-layered structure of consciousness. It could project different forms in different dimensions, but its core remained unified and stable.

He became a parallel human. It was over. But this wasn't the end, but the beginning. The truth Professor Lu revealed, the crisis his father faced, the impending war—all of these required his attention.

First, he needs to recall those shells. Professor Lu is right; they have already attracted attention.

In his newfound perception, he could see faint, ominous “gazes” gathering around each body—something from the interface layer that had taken an interest in these suddenly appearing, anomalous anchor points.

Yu Qing focused his consciousness and sent a recall command. The seven bodies distributed in various locations simultaneously ceased activity, their matter-energy structures began to disintegrate, transforming into invisible streams of information that returned to the core where Yu Qing was located along the quantum channel.

This process was swift, but it produced observable effects: in Wengshan, Changjin, and Dongbang, seven "Yuqing" establishments simultaneously burst and vanished like soap bubbles, leaving no trace. This was bound to cause a huge uproar, but that was no longer a concern.

Next, he needs to decide on the next step.

Should we go to the interface layer to help the old man? Or return to Wengshan to deal with the inevitable chaos? Or should we go to Tianqing City first to learn more about the situation?
Yu Qing was deep in thought. His thought process was now astonishingly fast, capable of simulating hundreds of possibilities and outcomes in seconds. But no matter how he simulated them, there was one core problem: he wasn't ready yet, neither psychologically nor practically.

He needs time. He needs to adapt to his new state of being, learn to use his newly acquired abilities, and gain a deeper understanding of everything that is happening.

And this safe house, this secret space beneath the First Paradise, is the ideal place. It contains the old man's records, a relatively safe environment, and the ring-shaped device that can stabilize his state of consciousness.

Yu Qing decided to stay here for the time being. To complete his studies, adapt, and prepare.

He walked to the terminal and began systematically absorbing the data. He didn't read it page by page, but rather scanned the information directly with his consciousness, instantly understanding its contents: quantum physics, consciousness science, dimensional theory, defensive tactics, enemy analysis.
After a few hours—or days, time didn't mean much to him now—Yu Qing had mastered the equivalent of decades of human learning. But he knew it wasn't enough. Theory and practice were two different things.

He needs to test his abilities.

Yu Qing projected his consciousness onto the interface layer, but maintained a close connection with the safe house to ensure he could withdraw at any time.

The scene at the interface layer was breathtaking. It was a dimension composed of pure information and possibilities, without up, down, left, or right, without solids, liquids, or gases, only a constantly flowing, colliding, and transforming stream of consciousness and a structure of reality.

Here you can see projections of countless worlds, branches of countless timelines, and the unfolding of countless possibilities.

He also saw the battlefield. In a distant dimensional region, there was indeed fierce fighting. But he couldn't see the details clearly; the distance was too great, and the information density there was too high and too chaotic.

He tried to move in that direction, but immediately felt a strong rejection and warning signal. It wasn't from an enemy, but from the interface layer itself—his permissions were insufficient, or his stability was lacking, preventing him from entering the high-conflict zone.

Yu Qing withdrew and instead explored other areas of the interface layer. He saw a projection of Tianqing City: it was not a physical location, but a massive aggregate of consciousness, where the consciousnesses of thousands of parallel humans intertwined, forming a complex consensus network.

He saw Wengshan: a relatively isolated but stable bubble of reality, surrounded by a weak defensive field. He saw Changjin, Dongbang, and many other city-states and locations.
He also saw other things: unnatural "cavities," twisted "scars," and writhing, unsettling "foreign objects." Were these the signs of invasion Professor Lu had mentioned?
During his exploration, Yu Qing suddenly felt a "gaze" fall upon him. Not from some direction within the interface layer, but from below? From the dimension of reality?
He quickly pulled his consciousness back to the safe house and severed the connection with the interface layer.

Everything seemed normal inside the safe house. But Yu Qing's newfound senses told him that someone had just tried to track him. Not through physical means, but through some kind of link at the level of consciousness.

Are they enemies? Or something else?
Yu Qing activated the safe house's full shielding, minimizing its presence. Now, from any perspective, it should appear as if it doesn't exist.

Then he sat down—if consciousness can “sit”—and began to formulate a plan.

He needs allies. Going it alone won't work. This person needs to be perceptive of the supernatural and able to accept the shock of the truth. She also needs to be loyal enough and understand such a complex situation.
Who could this person be? He felt a sense of bewilderment; no one among the original humans could accept such a drastic paradigm shift.

The aunt from Tianqing City? She's a parallel human, so she should understand best. But Professor Lu's warning still echoed in my ears: the uniformity of Tianqing City was unsettling.

Perhaps it's Professor Lu himself? He knows a lot, but he clearly has his own agenda.

Yu Qing pondered and weighed his options. This was not an easy decision.

Just then, the safe house's system suddenly sounded an alarm:
“A disturbance to the real-world structure has been detected. Source: First Paradise surface, main residential area.”

"Disturbance type: Dimensional penetration attempt."

"Threat level: Medium, but rising."

Has the enemy already found this place? Or is something within First Paradise awakening within itself?
Yu Qing knew that his adjustment period for learning had ended prematurely. Whether he was ready or not, he had to take action.

He checked his status one last time: consciousness stability 97%, knowledge integration 89%, ability mastery 72%, and reality anchoring strength sufficient.

Then, he left the safe house and went up the passageway, preparing to face the unknown situation on the surface of the First Paradise.

First Paradise, his childhood home, a place full of secrets, has now become his first battlefield.

What he didn't know was that what awaited him on the surface was not just enemies or anomalies.

There was one more person. And that person was Professor Lu!
It is not a consciousness, not a projection, but a real, flesh-and-blood body—or rather, a body that appears to be flesh-and-blood.

Professor Lu stood in the main residence of First Paradise, waiting for him. His first words were: "I am Professor Lu. I guess you just met an imposter, didn't you?"

Yu Qing was extremely surprised, and he blurted out, "What in this world is still real?"

Professor Lu paused for a moment, then said, "Everything fake is real." (End of Chapter)