remember.
Huaxing, on an ordinary path, sits a quiet rural courtyard.
The yard is full of blooming flowers, with different types of flowers divided into different areas. Various primitive flower-planting tools are placed next to them, some of which are still covered with soil.
A man in a black windbreaker slowly walked into this pastoral courtyard.
The owner of the yard heard the doorbell and hurried out.
After opening the door, he was startled at first, then a smile immediately appeared on his face. He turned around and shouted excitedly.
"Xiaomei, look who's here!"
Xiaomei. Yu Xiaomei.
Yu Xiaomei is Nie Cen's nominal wife and is also a senior researcher in the empire.
Because they had participated in the empire's secret experiments, they were sent here by the emperor to live in seclusion. Their main task was to supervise Subject No. 01.
The child grew up and could recognize people. In order not to arouse his suspicion, they naturally played the role of the child's parents. As time went by, the two of them really felt a bit like an old married couple and had some conversations with each other.
Hearing Nie Cen's excited call, Yu Xiaomei, who was cooking, rubbed her hands on her apron. She originally thought it was a neighbor she hadn't seen for a long time, but she saw someone unexpected.
"Brother He?"
Yu Xiaomei and Queen Gu Nan were classmates, so He Yunan was also her senior. She frowned slightly, a little surprised.
"Why are you here?"
He Yunan pointed at the computer on his wrist.
"Through the optical network."
"Nie Cen's writing style has not changed over the years. Even if he changes his name when publishing articles, I can still tell."
"Just search the mailing address and you'll find it."
Nie Cen was not surprised at all that He Yunan came over, and he helped explain.
"Xiao Mei, you don't need to ask about this. Our researcher He is so smart that everyone in the research team knows him. If he hadn't chosen the path of scientific research, he might have gone to work on the Interstellar Court."
"Xiaomei, please help me make a pot of tea for my brother. Let's go in and sit on the sofa and talk."
Nie Cen put his hand on Yu Xiaomei's shoulder and let her go into the kitchen first.
Then he turned around and led He Yunan into his house. Yu Xiaomei had a look of disapproval on her face, but seeing that Nie Cen really wanted to chat with He Yunan, she didn't say anything.
The two men walked into the living room and took a seat on one of the two sofas that were facing each other at right angles.
He Yunan sat upright with his back straight, looking a bit like a scholar.
Nie Cen held the soft armrest of the sofa, crossed one leg, leaned over, and asked about He Yunan's current situation, as if he was somewhat curious about the outside world.
"I heard that you, Brother He, have been transferred back to the capital planet? And you have been appointed as the dean?"
He Yunan nodded slightly.
"Yes, it was the Emperor who came to find me personally."
Nie Cen hammered the sofa with one hand and opened and closed his mouth silently cursing a few dirty words related to the emperor.
You won't turn back until you hit the wall, right
I had to wait until Gu Nan died before I started thinking about my mistakes.
They dismissed those who were doing the experiments, and invited He Yunan, who had never done any experiments, back... ... What's the point of pretending to have suddenly come to their senses
It is impossible for Gu Nan to come back to life.
"Your Majesty values you, so you should do your best. He finally cleared his mind, but I don't know how long he will stay sober."
Nie Cen poured a cup of cold tea from the table and poured it down his throat.
"It's a height that many people want to reach but can't. I should congratulate you."
Put down the cup, this cold tea really doesn't taste good.
"Brother, if you want to go to the research institute, just stay away from the people in the Senate. They are fighting fiercely overtly and covertly, and it's not something that scholars like us can afford to fight. Even if you are really smart, don't provoke them. As long as you do your research well, they can't do anything to you."
\"I know.\"
"The most troublesome one is the Duke. I always feel like he is up to something bad."
He Yunan was about to speak when Yu Xiaomei, who had just left to make tea, came over with a plate, some cups and a pot of tea.
There were a few sugar cubes on the small plate.
"I don't know if you like sweet drinks, so I didn't put any sugar in it. You try it..." he said gently.
There was probably ginger juice melted in the sugar cubes, and it tasted a bit bitter. I threw a few pieces in, stirred it, and it melted.
He Yunan took a sip of tea.
"What kind of tea is this? It smells pretty good."
"Oh, this planet lacks everything except flowers. Xiaomei picked some flowers a few days ago, dried them and put them in a jar. I took them out and made some for you today."
The two of them grew a yard of flowers. They were usually under house arrest and did not have to go out to work. The Imperial Research Institute paid for their living expenses.
I have to say, this little life is really comfortable.
You have a good life and you have good feelings. This is a wonderful life that I could not have imagined when I was in the laboratory every day in the past few years.
Grow flowers, raise children, and have a relationship with Xiaomei while raising the children.
If He Yunan hadn't suddenly appeared, he would have almost forgotten that he was still a researcher. A hint of loss flashed across Nie Cen's eyes, but he hid it.
"It seems like you're doing well." He Yunan glanced at Nie Cen's belly.
Yu Xiaomei also noticed where He Yunan was staring at. She combed the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, sat down next to Nie Cen, and lightly pinched the soft flesh on Nie Cen's belly.
"More than good. When he was in the research institute, he wore a white coat and people would praise him for being a handsome guy. He has only been here for a few years and he has even developed a belly."
Eat and drink well every day and don’t worry about anything.
The six-pack abs gradually became one whole muscle, and then bulged out again.
He smiled more and more kindly, and there was no trace of his former decisiveness. Every day he would pester her with questions about everything from breakfast to dinner.
Nie Cen sucked in his stomach embarrassedly.
"My range of motion is too limited, and I'm old, so my metabolism can't keep up."
"This yard is so big, there's no way it's not big enough for you to move around. You're just making excuses."
"The average life expectancy in the interstellar world is 200 years. You are not even 40 yet, so how can you be considered old?"
Yu Xiaomei glared at her, and Nie Cen responded, "Okay, okay, you are right."
The atmosphere between the two people made it impossible to get a word in.
He Yunan put down the tea in his hand and said, "It seems that I really disturbed you two by coming here this time."
"Brother, what are you talking about? We are so bored here. We would love for someone to come and see us. But we don't have anything to treat you. The specialties here are all related to flowers. Are you used to them?" After hearing what He Yunan said, Yu Xiaomei stopped teasing Nie Cen and smiled awkwardly.
He Yunan waved his hand and said no, no need.
"I'm here to see Nie Cen today."
\"I want to ask him about a research he did a few years ago and whether he is still continuing it.\"
Yu Xiaomei frowned and glared at Nie Cen as if warning him. Nie Cen smiled bitterly and nodded. Then she smiled and greeted He Yunan. "Then you guys chat. I'll go cook first."
After Yu Xiaomei left.
Nie Cen picked up the teacup and felt the rim.
"Brother He, you know what's going on."
"It looks like life here is comfortable, but in reality, I am living in chains. I am not as free as before. I have long since given up my identity as a researcher and am no longer the same Nie Cen as before."
"Whatever research I did in the past is now gone to dust, so don't mention it. Let's just reminisce about the past and meet old friends."
He Yunan put down the teacup in his hand and clasped his hands together.
"If you really give up the experiment."
"I won't see your new posts on the Internet anymore."
Nie Cen immediately retorted. "Oh, that's different."
"I wrote it just for fun. I didn't expect it to be published."
He just wrote that article randomly.
Depending on the different cultivation methods, the brightness of the flowers grown will be different. He never thought that the work log he wrote on a whim while planting flowers would be screened and published on the optical network.
"That's because you still have a solid foundation in writing articles. After all, you were once a senior researcher at the Imperial Research Institute."
Nie Cen didn't know why He Yunan insisted on bringing up his glorious "past".
Looking back on those memories now, they are not pleasant.
Wherever there is experimentation, there will be failure.
I don’t know how many unformed infants passed through his care, because they were weird and failures, so he hastily ended their lives according to the regulations.
At that time, I was in an environment where everyone was doing the same thing, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Thinking back on it now, I get a chill.
They had conducted such inhumane experiments before, do they really deserve the comfortable life they have now
Sometimes when I think about this, I can't sleep all day or night.
Only when I protect Nie Chuan, hear Nie Chuan crying, feed Nie Chuan, and play with Nie Chuan, can the guilt be alleviated.
"Anyway, I really don't want to do any research now. I just want to raise that child and let him live an ordinary life. It would be best if he never knew his own life experience."
"He is now the only living subject in the entire experiment."
"No."
"He is not."
"Experimental Question Zero, he's still alive."
As soon as He Yunan finished speaking, he heard the sound of plates falling to the ground in the kitchen dining room. Yu Xiaomei held onto the door frame and looked over here in horror.
"Are you serious?"
He Yunan nodded.
"It's true. Subject Zero has never died."
"It's a fake death, right?"
Yu Xiaomei put her finger on her lips and walked over.
"I knew it."
"No matter how much pain that child is in, Anan will never let him die. That would not be in line with his character. He would never be able to do that."
She would change her position and think that this was a completely wrong experiment because of Gu Nan.
Because of her impression in college, she felt that what Gu Nan did must be right.
Since what he did was right, what she did must be wrong.
So when Gu Nan lurked in their laboratory and indirectly killed Zero, she realized that they had sacrificed so many innocent lives, and what they might get in return might not be peace, but more sin.
They have no reason to sacrifice other people's lives for the peace they want.
Even if their original intention was to destroy the Zerg.
"Where did that kid go? Is he okay? His mental strength has long exceeded what humans can bear. How did he survive?"
Yu Xiaomei changed her previous style of being a little cautious and unwilling to talk about too many serious matters, and kept asking questions.
Nie Cen fell silent instead, curled up on the sofa, covering his head.
"How is it possible? How could it happen? What should I do..."
As experimental subject No. 01, Nie Chuan is much happier than No. 00.
As soon as Zero One was born, Queen Gu Nan committed suicide, and the Imperial Research Institute immediately closed their laboratory. Apart from being artificially cultivated at birth, Nie Chuan did not undergo any other experiments.
Number Zero is different.
They conducted many experiments on Zero, and they even came up with the idea of letting him control the Zerg and let him live with the Zerg cubs.
Before Gu Nan came, the child had never spoken a word and was always very quiet.
They were also afraid that he would talk to them, because talking would create communication, and communication would generate emotions and feelings... and make him more human.
They can only use him as a tool to temporarily relieve their conscience.
"Gu Nan contacted me after I left the Capital Star."
"He told me that he sent Zero to an orphanage, but his condition was very unstable and he hoped that I could take care of him."
"So that's how it is..."
Yu Xiaomei murmured, clasping her hands together.
"What about the problem of his mental power spreading? Didn't the Queen find a solution in the end?"
“Found it.”
"That's why I came to find Nie Cen because I found it."
"An article he posted before contained a method to save Zero."
Yu Xiaomei turned to look at Nie Cen, who was also depressed and didn't know what He Yunan was talking about.
If he had a way to save Zero, Queen Gu Nan would not have lurked in their laboratory just to save Zero.
"Brother He, you overestimate me. How can I possibly research something that even Gu Nan, a person who specializes in spiritual power, hasn't figured out?"
Nie Cen waved his hand, and seeing that He Yunan was still staring at him, he pursed his lips and asked in a trembling voice. "Really?"
"real."
"Which one?"
He has done too much research.
He Yunan took out a golden crystal from his arms and placed it in his palm.
"That's him. You know him, right?"
Nie Cen stretched out his fingers with trembling hands and took the crystal from He Yunan.
"You know this thing, right?"
"I know... This thing seems to be able to store spiritual power, but not for too long. I haven't figured out how to make it store spiritual power for a long time, so I participated in the artificial human experiment. Later, I wrote the beginning of this experimental article. Dean He, have you figured it out?"
Nie Cen couldn't help but change to a more respectful title.
"Yes. I found that I can use this crystal to store Zero's mental power. His mental power can control the Zerg and communicate with the Zerg Queen."
Nie Cen almost lost his grip on the crystal stone, shaking it between his left and right hands.
Yu Xiaomei covered her lips tightly.
"So, our experiment was...successful?"
She walked over and shook Nie Cen's shoulder.
"Did you hear that? Our experiment was successful."
He Yunan drank tea with a silent expression.
"The experiment was successful, but the results may be slightly different from what Your Majesty planned."
\"He doesn't want to help."
Nie Cen tightly grasped the golden crystal in his hand and sighed heavily. "It is indeed so."
He was a little afraid of Zero at that time.
That fear still lingers in his body. He is afraid to see those golden eyes... They are too cold, as if they are judging his crimes.
He is so handsome, wearing a white lab coat. When you look at him from this angle, he looks like a doll that has become a spirit.
"He came for revenge."
"He's here for revenge after all."
"I decided to stand by him and help him."
"You are the first person to discover this crystal... I wonder if you would like to join us?"
Nie Cen was laughing when suddenly tears started streaming down his face.
Yu Xiaomei didn't know why Nie Cen suddenly became so excited.
She tried to comfort him, but it didn't work.
For some reason, Nie Cen's expression became a little crazy.
"Communicate, how? Can you use his mental power to summon a Zerg? If you can, I will believe you."
Yu Xiaomei wanted to stop Nie Cen.
But she couldn't stop him. She knew that he had gone a little crazy in the past few years of being locked up, even if it wasn't obvious on the surface.
She was just worried when little Nie Chuan, who was only five or six years old, was woken up by the thunder outside. Nie Chuan was spoiled when he was young and was rather squeamish. Yu Xiaomei didn't dare to scold him no matter how hard she tried to persuade him, so she had to go upstairs with him to sleep.
Watching the child leave, He Yunan thought about it carefully and finally agreed to Nie Cen's request.
"I can. But don't get close to the Zerg I called. Be aware of the danger."
Nie Cen stood up.
"Dean He, thank you, please."
He Yunan took out another crystal from his pocket and meditated for a while.
Suddenly, there was a rumble of thunder in the sky, and a sharp sound was hidden in the thunder. Nie Cen opened his eyes wide and staggered out. He saw a Zerg that happened to be floating in the air, and he murmured.
"Really, it's true."
"The Zerg can really be used by humans."
No, not necessarily human.
"I saved him?"
"All these years... I have done so much, just to cultivate a monster that can attract the Zerg and destroy the empire?"
So many children died, his friend Gu Nan also died, and few of the researchers who participated in the experiment had a good ending.
Including him.
Also detained in this small garden.
Everything is retribution... ... nothing can be good. Even if he lets Nie Chuan grow up safely and ordinary, he cannot atone for his sins.
He Yunan and Yu Xiaomei watched Nie Cen approach the Zerg that suddenly appeared on Flower Star.
A Zerg was standing still. From his appearance, it was impossible to tell whether he was a Zerg in the Tide period or a Zerg in the Hatching period, but the recent time happened to be the Zerg Tide period.
Logically speaking, this should be a Zerg in the Zerg Tide period, as Zerg in the Zerg Tide period always appear in groups.
So the appearance of this one is definitely not a coincidence.
Nie Cen had completely lost the will to live. He stared blankly at the Zerg with its bloody mouth wide open, chuckled, and walked towards the Zerg with a relieved look.
When Yu Xiaomei saw him walking towards the Zerg, she came out and shouted "Nie Cen!" and rushed over immediately.
... ... ... ... ... ...
"Nie Cen committed suicide. Yu Xiaomei tried to bring him back, which angered the Zerg I recruited, so both of them died together."
"You mean, my father committed suicide?"
"My mother died because of my father's involvement?"
"The Zerg don't want to kill them at all?"
After listening to He Yunan's story, Nie Chuan shook his head. "That's impossible."
"If that's the case, why did you let me go?"
"You are not the murderer, why did you let me go?"
Nie Chuan felt that he had found a loophole in He Yunan's words.
"You were the one who summoned that Zerg and ordered him to kill them."
"No. That's because you came down from the building. I was afraid that you saw everything. So I wanted to kill you."
"You are 5 or 6 years old after all."
"After all, it's not time to reveal our secrets yet."
"But then, all you remember is that the Zerg killed your parents."
I heard a child talking about revenge on the Zerg.
No one else dared to provoke him anymore. After all, he had just lost his parents and saw the most terrifying monster in the world.
So the police did not ask any further questions and found a psychologist to control his emotions and provide him with psychological counseling.
Nie Chuan pursed his lips.
He Yunan continued to bewitch him. "You are a man-made man."
"He's a man-made human like Gu Huan. You should stand on his side... right?"
"Come with us."
"There are your two friends over there."
"Genetically speaking, you are relatives."
He Yunan stretched out both hands this time.
"As long as you want to go, I can take you away."
He Qixing and Nie Chuan looked at each other's outstretched hands, neither moving.
"Xingxing, does he think he's telling the truth?"
Nie Chuan asked, looking forward.
He Qixing lowered his eyes slightly, then finally raised them and clenched his fingers.
"I also hope... that it's all true."
"But he lied about some things."
... ... ..