Across Deep Space: Four Men and a Play

She crossed the back garden and arrived at the courtyard without any obstruction. It was just a spacious and quiet small garden with hazy shadows of trees and neatly trimmed shrubs, too neatly. An iron fence surrounded the garden, enclosing the entire yard, like a carefully crafted cage.

"What does he want me to see?"

Xia Jiumeng walked around a tree shadow and saw a familiar figure, it was Xiaosen.

He also noticed Xia Jiumeng and didn't seem surprised by her appearance. He smiled at her and said, "Sister, you're here."

"Xiao Sen, we meet again."

Xia Jiumeng smiled kindly and asked, "Is this your new home? How is life here?"

Viper is indeed on the same side as the person who adopted Xiaosen.

But why did he let her come here?

Shouldn't he protect the family's "secrets"?

Or does he have other purposes?

Xiao Sen calmly replied to Xia Jiumeng's question, "The professor said I will complete the rest of the course here. I am a talented child, but I have a lot to learn."

As he spoke, he looked at the bird flapping its wings desperately in his hand. Only then did Xia Jiumeng notice what he was holding in his hand.

Xiao Sen noticed Xia Jiumeng's gaze and said, "I found this in the garden."

He pinched the bird's claws with his fingers and quietly admired its panic and struggle.

"If you break its wings, it can stay forever, but it will die soon."

"But the professor told me that if you destroy the nerve muscles in its wings, it won't be able to fly, but it will think it can still fly."

"Slowly, it will get used to living on the ground and forget that it is a flying bird."

Xiao Sen's childish voice spoke with unusual coldness. Xia Jimeng frowned slightly. This was not something a child would say.

What did they do to Xiao Sen? In such a short time, a child changed so drastically.

"Xiao Sen, what kind of person is the professor you are talking about?"

Xiao Sen looked at Xia Jiumeng warily and said, "You can't tell me. You are not my family."

Xia Jiumeng: "..."

"Xiao Sen, do you still remember Miaomiao? Did you experience anything after you were taken away that day?"

"Can you tell me?"

Miaomiao is his family after all, right?

A strange look flashed in Xiao Sen's eyes, and then he said indifferently, "My sister is dead."

"The professor said sadness is wrong and I shouldn't be sad."

"I will have many brothers and sisters in the future, and I will also have great power."

As he spoke, there was a hint of struggle and confusion in his eyes.

"But sister, I always feel that it's right to be sad when you lose your loved ones..."

“Should I be sad?”

Komori's hand loosened unconsciously, and the bird immediately flapped its wings and flew away.

He lowered his head and looked at the tears that had dripped onto the back of his hand at some point, and once again showed an expression of helplessness. Only then did Xia Jiumeng feel that Xiaosen had returned to being a normal child.

She just held his shoulders and wanted to say a few words of comfort when she heard a small mechanical sound.

[System error, restarting for the second time. The master personality is attacking the control program... Correction in progress...]

Xia Jiumeng looked at the small metal ring on Xiaosen's wrist, which was flashing with a faint blue light. It was obvious that the electronic sound just now was emitted by this bracelet.

Xiao Sen suddenly looked strange and murmured, "No... No... It's not like that..."

"Komori? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"I...I shouldn't have forgotten...I shouldn't be like this..."

Intermittent and fragmented words came out of his mouth, as if he was fighting with the mechanical voice just now.

[Chip... reread, memory input, correction successful...] ​​The next moment he regained his composure and his gaze refocused on Xia Jiumeng's face.

"Sister, it's great that you came to see me."

Xia Jiumeng immediately understood what was strange about Xiaosen. He had been implanted with an unknown program, and that program had obviously gained the upper hand and completely controlled him, and could even easily modify his memory.

No wonder he changed so much in just one day.

It seems that I can’t take Xiaosen away for the time being.

At least you can't do anything until you figure out what's inside his body.

That's right, in fact, Xia Jiumeng came here today with the intention of scouting the area and looking for an opportunity to kidnap Xiaosen. After all, she promised Miaomiao that she would bring her brother back to her, and she didn't want Xiaosen to fall into the hands of the fleet.

After all, the biggest force behind the fleet is Ever, and she couldn't think of anyone else who would be so cruel as to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for such a logical arrangement.

Is this what Viper wants her to see?

A Komori whose memory is controlled by a chip and even rewritten?

Let her understand the horror of ever?

Or is it the horror of that so-called professor?

If that's the case, then his efforts were in vain.

Xiao Sen suddenly reminded him, "You should go, the professor will be back soon."

Xia Jiumeng also heard the approaching footsteps. She nodded to Xiaosen, turned over and hid in the bushes behind the wall, restraining her breath.

She wanted to see what kind of person this professor was. Moreover, Viper mentioned Xia Yizhuo, which proved that he was most likely related to this professor and even to them.

She wanted to know what role Xia Yizhuo played in this.

The footsteps slowly stopped near Xiaosen, and a steady and slightly old voice sounded.

"Xiao Sen, what happened?"

Komori was silent for a moment. "...Nothing. The bird flew away."

"It seems that you have not yet learned to control those fragments of consciousness that do not belong to you." There was a hint of displeasure in the professor's tone.

"Those memories, feelings, and emotions don't belong to you. Don't let them consume you."

After the professor finished speaking, the air fell into a brief silence.

"Is that child named Miaomiao part of your plan?"

The next moment, an extremely familiar voice sounded.

Xia Jiumeng's eyes flashed, it was Xia Yizhuo!

He actually appeared here.

Xia Yizhou: "She doesn't have any alienation. Why?"

"You worry too much. There's no need for us to take action against ordinary people like this." The professor's tone was filled with disdain and warning.

“Being emotional and blaming yourself for the accident will only hinder your progress.”

"..."

Alienation, they specialize in transforming alienated people?

Is Xia Yizhou also involved?

The professor continued to ask, "How is the progress on your side?"

“The cleanup will be completed quickly and the recycling process will be accelerated.”

"The plan is about to be restarted. You must make sure she doesn't get in the way, otherwise I won't be able to help you hide it for long." The professor's words were filled with warning.

"She won't."

When Xia Yizhuo passed the garden gate, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the side of the corridor. All the windows reflected the red light of the setting sun, and his sight was focused on a small spot of light at the end.

"What's wrong?" the professor asked as he suddenly stopped.

"nothing."

"If one day she finds out everything, I will hide her."

"Hide it somewhere no one can find it."

Xia Yizhuo's words seemed to be addressed to the professor, but also seemed to be spoken to himself.

After they left, Xia Jiumeng jumped back into the garden. Looking at Xiaosen who was standing there, she walked forward and squatted down to look at him at eye level.

"Xiao Sen, study hard. I'll come to see you when I have the chance."

"I'll take you out to play."

"Okay, sister." Xiaosen's eyes were a little dull.

Xia Jiumeng didn't mind and even touched his head with a smile before turning around and leaving quickly.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, a lavender thread several times thinner than a hair quietly sneaked into Xiaosen's body and moved around, eventually wrapping around the extremely tiny chip in his body.