After faking her death in interstellar space, the powerful woman disguised herself as a man and went

laboratory.

With the remote assistance of Meimeng, a technologically advanced metal door slowly opened in front of Leng Ran.

Upon seeing the scene inside the laboratory, Leng Ran exclaimed in surprise, "Sweet Dream... are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?"

Unlike the bright and clean laboratories I usually visit, this place felt like it had been abandoned for a long time. The room was spacious, but there wasn't a single light inside, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the various instruments by the door, indicating that they had been abandoned for a long time.

How could another spider lily be in a place like this? If it's true, is she still alive?

Dream: "I'll turn on the light for you. Now, go inside and take a look."

The ceiling lights flickered a few times before finally coming on, emitting a dim light that was barely enough to make out the path leading inside.

The same material was used here to block spiritual detection. Leng Ran lightened her steps and cautiously stepped inside, carefully observing the surrounding environment and searching for the other shore flower.

A faint rustling sound came from behind a shelf holding instruments, followed by a hoarse voice.

"Number 35...is that you?"

Because there are many spider lilies—99 according to the messenger—it's reasonable that each person addresses the others by a number.

Is the number 35 she mentioned the one who just died outside?

Leng Ran didn't say anything, but quietly approached the source of the sound.

"How much time has passed in the outside world..." Her voice was weak. "Have you come to see me one last time?"

The shelves moved to the sides, revealing a small bedroom hidden behind them.

A lifeless-looking woman sat in the center chair. Her clothes were so faded that their original color was no longer recognizable. She wore a number 40 tag around her neck, and a tube was inserted into the back of her neck, connecting to a jar filled with nutrient solution next to her.

The two exchanged a glance, and Number 40 frowned: "Who are you...you look familiar. Has anyone else seen you before?"

other people?

Leng Ran recalled the two enormous red and white spider lilies hidden in the abandoned factory. She and Zhao Yuheng had speculated that the flower was not only the origin of all her clones, but also possessed the function of "selecting memories".

At regular intervals, the clone needs to return to the main flower to reorganize its memories and be reborn. However, Leng Ran has no idea how long this period is, or what will happen if it exceeds that time.

Clearly, the clone in front of her had never seen her in person, but shared the memories of others, which was why it felt familiar.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore." Number 40 looked up at the ceiling, slowly extending his right hand as if trying to grasp something. "These are such filthy memories, not belonging to 'me', yet imposed upon me."

Leng Ran frowned. The person in front of her, number 40, seemed a bit off. She seemed...very resistant to her identity?

"Red spider lily, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Number 40 became agitated: "No, that's not 'me'! My name isn't Lycoris radiata, I don't want to live in her shadow!"

These words seemed to have exhausted her last strength; her voice grew weaker and weaker: "I...I'm not her, I'm not..."

With the help of the still-functioning electronic devices in the room, the projection of her dream suddenly appeared behind her.

“How interesting. Under the influence of greed and anger, there are still individuals who behave abnormally.” Mei Meng walked up to Number 40 and looked her up and down. “We don’t need to lift a finger; you’re already close to death.”

Number 40 seemed not to hear, staring blankly at his hands as if he had lost his soul.

"What did I do wrong to deserve living here as a spider lily, never seeing the light of day?"

Meimeng glanced at the jar beside her: "Your flowering period should have long passed. Nutrient solution can't stop your body from decaying. Why not return to where you were born and be reborn?"

“Rebirth? That’s destruction! ‘I’ will be crushed by it, turned into nutrients to nourish the flower stem, and then it will create a new clone and instill everyone’s memories into her!” Number 40 finally reacted. “Will the ‘me’ that is reborn be the same ‘me’ as now?”

No, the newly born number 40, although possessing memories, will be a completely new individual.

That person is no longer her.

Number 40 lowered his hand, gazing at the auspicious mask of his beautiful dream, and memories hidden deep in his mind began to slowly surface.

"Are you a beautiful dream? The way out they're looking for?" She smiled sadly. "Placing all that faint hope on you, the other shore flower is truly at her wit's end."

Dream shrugged: "That's really unfortunate, after all, I'm never trustworthy."

Leng Ran's thoughts began to stir.

Number 40 has no recollection of her, but is she deeply impressed by Mei Meng? And what does she mean by "backup plan"?

After the last auction, the divine messenger summoned her and Meimeng for a meeting. During the discussion about the theft of the auctioned items, Meimeng asserted that "the vault door was opened from the inside," and that only Biyanhua and her cyborg subordinates were inside. This was clearly an attempt to label Biyanhua as a "traitor."

The previously relatively calm Higanbana (number 35) reverted to a manic state when facing Blade and refused to cooperate. She is most likely not the one who helped Blade steal the auction item.

The vault door was indeed opened, and the only people with access to it, besides the other flowers and Zhuoleng, were... its creator, the beautiful dream itself.

He glanced at Mei Meng out of the corner of his eye with a cold gaze, and a deep sense of apprehension rose in his heart.

Although it's unknown what deal the other shore flower and the beautiful dream made, it's clear that the beautiful dream betrayed the other shore flower.

And how much of the credit was due to the divine messenger issuing an arrest warrant for the Red Spider Lily so quickly?

Leng Ran: "Gentlemen, it's getting late. Have you finished talking?"

Mei Meng stepped aside, saying, "Although I don't think it's necessary to take action... never mind, do as you please."

Leng Ran took two steps closer, but then Number 40 seemed to remember something: "She should be seven years old this year, right?"

“Hua Xue?” Leng Ran’s eyes flickered slightly. “Unfortunately, Hua Xue is also on the kill list.”

Number 40: "I'm not talking about Hua Xue, no, it's not wrong to call her 'Hua Xue'."

Leng Ran suddenly remembered "Hua Xue," who only appeared in conversations in the video from Yangon.

What does that mean? Could it be that the snow flower, like the red spider lily, has countless clones?

what on earth is it?

"Judge, are you still going to make a move?" Dream interrupted Leng Ran's thoughts. "We should go to the next stop, the main base located in the abandoned factory."

"Go ahead. If you go early, you might be able to save an innocent life." Number 40's eyelids began to droop. "So sleepy, I want to... take a nap."

...innocent lives?

Before Leng Ran could ask any further questions, Number 40's eyes slowly closed, and she showed no signs of life. In just a few seconds, her body withered like a plant, her skin quickly losing its luster, becoming dry and fragile, like fallen leaves in autumn.

In the end, she sat there quietly, turning into a withered statue.

"The flowering season is over, and all that awaits you is withering." Meimeng shook her head. "Would you rather die like this than accept rebirth? The body is merely a vessel for memories. Does it really matter whether the one reborn is you, her, or them?"

She turned away coldly: "There's nothing more to see, beautiful dream, we really should go."

All the answers will await her in the abandoned factory.

-----------

Meanwhile, outside the abandoned factory.

Two figures, one tall and one short, were walking hand in hand through the dark forest. A glowing Poké Ball hovered around them, illuminating their path and guiding them forward.

It was Hua Xue, who had grown a little taller, and Dean Hua, who looked even more haggard. Hua Xue was still holding the "Rabbit Prince" who was missing an ear in her arms, while Dean Hua, wearing a white cloak, looked into the depths of the forest with a complicated expression.

"Mom, how much further do we have to go? It's so dark here..."

"We're almost there, Xiaoxue. All of this... will be over soon."

Before long, the two entered the interior of the abandoned factory, where No. 53, the Spider Lily, had been waiting for a long time.

"Hua Yulu, you're really slow." Number 53 leaned against the open door. "Hurry up and take her inside, we don't have much time left."