Life Copy Game

"It's foggy? Why is there fog here?"

Nok glanced at the fog in the night and reached out to pull the window of the stall that was only slightly open, but he only felt weak all over, as if there was an invisible force sucking away his energy.

It's that mist!

He used all his strength to close the window, but the feeling of losing energy did not slow down.

"Vision······"

At this moment, he realized that he was enveloped in an extraordinary vision that took effect on a large scale.

He had no time to think about how this vision was generated, and staggered towards the door.

The stall is at the innermost part of the building on this floor. In order to prevent leaks, the airtightness is extremely good. The window he just closed is the only ventilation window in the entire stall, and it does not lead directly to the outside of the building.

He was the only one on duty in the office tonight, but there were many staff working overtime in the office hall outside.

When he stumbled into the hall and prepared to remind everyone, he found that the entire office hall was filled with mist.

The FBI agents who were working outside were lying down or sleeping in the fog.

"Director!"

His heart felt cold, and he climbed hard to the elevator and pressed the button to take the elevator upstairs.

As the elevator lights showed the changing floors, he felt a great sense of fatigue sweeping over his body.

His energy had dissipated, leaving only the drowsiness of staying up late for days at work.

He wanted to just lie down and fall into eternal sleep.

His body, which was holding the elevator door, began to slide downward gradually.

At this time, an idea suddenly appeared in his mind.

'What would Ender do? ’

An unknown force surged into his arm, and he struggled to hold on to the smooth elevator door to support his body.

At the same moment, the elevator opened and he fell into the elevator.

This time he did not fall, but leaned against the wall and pressed the floor where the director's office was located.

The elevator goes up one floor at a time.

He leaned against the corner of the elevator, using friction to relieve the pressure on his legs.

In the process of waking up, he felt that his life seemed to be passing by little by little with the changing numbers in the elevator.

He was getting more and more tired, and his feet were as if they were tied with thousands of kilograms of iron, unable to move even a minute.

The floor of the archives room was not far from the floor of the director's office. Nok insisted on keeping his eyes open to prevent himself from falling asleep.

Every second flowing at this moment is as long as a year.

Finally, the elevator door slowly opened. He used all his strength to push himself against the inner wall of the elevator, and rolled and climbed out of the elevator.

This elevator was not far from the director's office. All the colleagues around him fell to the ground, and the thick fog covered this space.

The door to the director's office is open at the moment, which is not good news.

Normally, the director never wants anyone to interrupt his work.

Nok walked slowly and staggeringly through the door.

What caught his eyes was a dense fog that made him unable to see even his fingers.

The person who created this anomaly knew the director's location very well, so he attacked the director first.

…

When he entered this office, he felt that the speed of his life suddenly increased several times.

The bad feeling in my heart became stronger and stronger.

He moved towards the director's desk with difficulty, and then he vaguely saw a figure lying on the ground in the fog, and in front of this figure, there was something shining with red light.

Nok, who ranked first in the internship, quickly realized what it was.

‘Emergency evacuation button’

This button is usually installed in the mayor's office and the office of the city defense commander. When faced with a major crisis that cannot be resisted, pressing this button will notify the entire city to enter an emergency evacuation and attempt to send a distress message to the outside world.

As a city directly under the federal central government, Rimen City has a high status with the FBI, so the FBI also has this button.

Nock understood what the director wanted to do in the end.

He walked over there with difficulty, but stumbled and fell to the ground.

He felt that his body no longer belonged to him, and all perceptions of the outside world had become dull.

The power of the vision here is too strong, and it is not something that ordinary people like him can withstand, and it seems that the deeper you go, the stronger it gets closer to the director.

He should leave from here, return to a place outside where the power of the vision is weaker, try to prolong his life, and maybe survive until rescue arrives.

He glanced back at the open office door, arched his body with difficulty, pressed his elbows on the ground, and crawled toward the red light little by little.

Pat's final parting words echoed in his ears.

'When that moment comes, you make your choice. ’

His vision is becoming more and more blurry, and his perception of the outside world is getting weaker and weaker.

At the last moment when his power was about to run out, he finally felt that he touched something. It seemed to be the director's shoulder, and the button should be nearby.

He could no longer see anything, so he could only move his body with difficulty and rely on his memory to explore.

His arm moved slower and slower until, finally, he touched an open button cover.

The director had already opened the lid, but ultimately had no chance to press it.

Nok fumbled and pressed the button.

Nok knew that he was no better than the director, and that the director had been eroded far more than he knew how.

The shrill evacuation sirens rang throughout the city.

But Nok could no longer hear it.

He lay motionless on the ground.

······

I don’t know how long it took, but a cleaning robot entered the office.

——

Qunxing Pharmaceutical Building

After hearing what He Ao said, Genos's expression changed slightly. The senator looked at He Ao seriously for the first time, and then he laughed and said, "Continue."

"I know you are curious about why I know the name Fountain of Youth," He Ao keenly captured the change in his expression, "After all, you have never mentioned this term to anyone, and you have never used it in any report. , even your men only know that this is the 'source of life'."

…

His voice was hoarse, "But you are not the only one in the world who knows about the existence of the Fountain of Youth."

"It seems that I made a wrong decision in leaving the Andavi family to Red. He didn't handle things well."

Genos looked at He Ao with interest, "This is a key clue, but I don't think you can deduce what happened to my father from this."

"Of course," He Ao smiled with difficulty. He did not comment on Genos's statement.

"What you have done, as well as the information from the institute, and the 'monsters' you have cultivated, make me naturally connected with the Fountain of Youth, because only this legendary thing that can make people live forever can possibly It has such a powerful life force.

“And this is also consistent with the legend that after drinking the Fountain of Youth, ‘it is not necessarily the person who is immortal’.

"What's more important is that nine hundred years ago, when the fountain of youth last appeared in records, it was located in Limen City."

He Ao stared at Genos's cheek, "After my research, the place where the Fountain of Youth was located nine hundred years ago should be where the Qunxing Zhimei Hospital is now. And the Qunxing Zhimei Hospital was just 40 years ago. An abandoned park.”

He paused, "Forty years ago, a 'mysterious businessman' bought this park and tried to transform it into a hospital. It just so happened that the 'temple' dedicated to the Fountain of Youth was a round hospital.

"Of course, the current Qunxing Zhimei Hospital looks like the temple of the Fountain of Youth, but it was built twenty years ago.

"From this, I can get a piece of information. The Fountain of Youth has indeed appeared in this world, otherwise there would not be this magnificent temple in the hospital, and its appearance was most likely forty years ago.

"At that time, the man who was 'lucky' to meet the Fountain of Youth bought the land of Qunxing Zhimei Hospital and wanted to build a temple here, but for some reason he had an 'accident'."

Heao glanced at Genos, "So this land has been abandoned for nearly twenty years."

Then he continued, "But no matter what, this mysterious businessman is probably the one who discovered the Fountain of Youth. However, I did not give priority to investigating this mysterious businessman. I went deep into the Stars Beauty Hospital and entered this former fountain of youth." The location of the spring.”

"For the longest time, I thought the Fountain of Youth was hidden somewhere beneath this hospital,"

He Ao shook his head, "But there is nothing in this hospital except relatively strong life force. My investigation reached a deadlock, so I had no choice but to grab clues about this 'mysterious businessman' again.

"And in the process of investigating this mysterious businessman, I discovered that your senator's family may have taken over the abandoned park project that year."

"So you asked that FBI agent to bring you to visit me and try to find the files from that year?"

Genos asked with a smile.

"You did not leave any valid files. You should have processed all the detailed information about the events of that year. Of course, there must be other documents mixed with information from that year, so in order to prevent us from retrieving the information, you We are also not allowed to use computers.”

…

He Ao also looked at Genos with a smile, and he tilted his head.

“But my memory happens to be ‘a little better’ than normal.

"I wrote down all the relevant key contents, and then I discovered an interesting thing. Among all the emails related to the project that were mentioned to the outside world, there were only emails about the old senator arranging the project, but there was no email about the old senator and that person. An email communicating with a 'mysterious businessman'.

"Of course, it is possible that the emails related to the mysterious businessman are also 'missing', but there is another possibility," He Ao paused and looked at Genos.

"The old senator is the 'mysterious businessman'.

"Why did the 'mysterious businessman' leave no clues? Because he does not exist, he is just an identity made up by the old senator.

“Most of the construction projects in Limen City will be handed over to the Senator family, so it is reasonable for this construction project to be handed over to the Senator family.

“In this way, the old senator took the lead in this project, but ‘disconnected’ from it.

"And there is another evidence for this idea. After the old senator was 'assassinated' forty years ago, the park project came to a halt. If there really is a 'mysterious businessman', then he can completely change to another contractor. , continue working on this project.

"At this time, I have roughly guessed that the old senator may be the first person to discover the Fountain of Youth, but a new problem arises. The old senator is dead, so the new one controls the Fountain of Youth for so many things. Who are the people on the project?”

"So you asked me to take you to see the eucalyptus discovery site that year?"

Genos turned around completely and slowly approached Heao, the vines behind him swaying in the evening breeze.

"Yes, only by investigating the 'assassination incident' that year can I know who the 'second owner' of the Fountain of Youth is,"

He Ao looked calm, "You handled the entire scene very well. Forty years have passed and the clues from that year have been almost completely erased, so I tried to find the FBI files from that year."

Genos was not surprised by this, after all, Ho O obviously had some relationship with the FBI.

"Then I discovered something interesting,"

He Ao said softly, "The FBI's superficial definition of this incident was an 'assassination', but the old senator obviously performed some kind of 'ritual' in the underground garden.

"In fact, the FBI also believes that the old senator himself is involved in some kind of evil god sacrifice, and it is only for the sake of the face of the federal parliament that it is not announced."

At this point, He Ao changed the topic.

"But what the old senator performed was not actually a 'sacrifice', but a kind of 'high-level sacrifice' used by wizards in the Cataclysm Era. By sacrificing their cherished things, the number of sacrificers and high-level extraordinary items increased. contact.

"The more cherished the thing is and the more deeply it is related to oneself, the better the effect will be. Through the previous reasoning, I have reason to believe that the object of this sacrifice is the Fountain of Youth, and the sacrifice... ·····”

He Ao's tone paused, and he stared at Genos, "You have a very good relationship with your father, and the longing look in your eyes at that time cannot be faked."

…

"Yes," Genos showed a smile with some memories. This was the first time he showed an expression with real emotions, "He loves me very much."

He Ao had no doubt about the relationship between father and son.

He continued, “After the ‘assassination’ incident, the FBI tracked and monitored all relevant figures in the Senator’s villa, but found no further ceremonies.

"During the surveillance process, the Mars Project related to the Fountain of Youth was also successfully promoted. I believe that the FBI was cautious in such incidents, so no one should have been missed at that time."

"So you guess, the ceremony was actually successful that year."

Genos took over He Ao's words. He stared at He Ao, quietly waiting for the next words.

"Yes, but the first thing I thought of was whether there was a third party who could benefit from it, but I quickly realized a problem. This kind of sacrificial ceremony usually cannot change the sacrifice midway. If the ceremony is held during the ceremony, If it succeeds, then this sacrifice should be something important to both the old senator and the third party.

"It is difficult for two people to cherish one person at the same time and have a spiritual connection with both of them. The old senator's wife died young. I searched all the FBI surveillance directories and couldn't find it. Someone who might have some resonance with the old senator.

"So I tried to change my thinking. What if there was no third party at the time? In fact, only you and your father were present in the whole incident, and you were the third party who 'profited'.

"But you were only eight years old at that time. A child's perspective is different from an adult's perspective. It is almost impossible for you to have something that you cherish equally as the old senator, and such something must have a soul connection with both of you at the same time. , my train of thought reached a dead end here.”

Howo looked at Genos, "And at this moment, I saw my daughter."

His tone was a little low, and he expressed his final conclusion, "You and the old senator are each other's 'treasure'."

"The ancient books my father obtained are not all," Genos said with a calm face, showing no signs of sadness or joy. "In this sacrificial ceremony, when sacrificing loved ones, theoretically, the loved ones must be killed first, because the sacrifices will be mixed with extraordinary objects first. Create a connection, and then gain extraordinary power, which may backfire on the sacrificer at a critical moment and sacrifice the victim in reverse."

"It's possible," He Ao touched his coat pocket and added another possibility, "He can't bear it."

Genos fell silent.

A series of vines stretched in the air, and he stepped closer to He Ao, "Thank you very much for being the only 'insider' in this story, but your time-delaying tactics should end."

Layers of terrifying pressure once again acted on He Ao, causing his originally straight waist to drop slightly again, but this time he was not pressed to the ground, but continued to straighten his waist.

"From the beginning of the villa, you have been trying to lead me to believe that you are an FBI agent with a 'sense of justice'. You are leading me to believe that you are a 'good person'."

Genos smiled and said, "Under this guidance, I naturally came to the conclusion that you were displeased with your behavior in the institute, so you tried to fight against Qunxing Pharmaceutical. After coming to this conclusion, I naturally will not pay attention to you, but only They will think that you are a reckless man who can be killed at any time if your brain gets mad, thus giving you the opportunity to delay time."

…

On his smiling face, his tone gradually turned cold, and countless vines flew out from in front of him, "But from what you just said, your understanding of the Fountain of Youth is far beyond what someone who only cares about the Mars plan should have. Learn degree."

His face was cold, "Your goal is not Qunxing Pharmaceutical or the Mars Project, but the Fountain of Youth. Since you know the Fountain of Youth so well, it is impossible not to know its power, so you should have made arrangements to fight against the Fountain of Youth." Quan’s back-up plan, delaying time is to allow this back-up plan to take shape.”

"And you are still stalling for time with me, which proves that your backup plan is not ready yet."

Green vines flew towards He Ao. He Ao pulled out his sword to block, and his figure suddenly disappeared.

"It's useless. Everything here is under the watchful eye of the Fountain of Youth."

Genos raised his hand.

A new vine suddenly stretched out from the flower bed and penetrated a shadow next to it.

Bright red blood overflowed from He Ao's already injured left shoulder. Silver sword light flashed past. He swung his sword to cut off the vine that penetrated his left shoulder and emerged from the shadows.

Suddenly, countless vines rose up from the flower bed, attacking He Ao one after another.

He Ao wanted to hide in the shadows, but found that the surrounding shadows had been locked by vines.

Genos was unwilling to delay him any longer and wanted to kill him completely with one move.

At the same time, the blaring evacuation sirens echoed throughout the city.

Genos was briefly attracted by the alarm.

"For emphasis,"

He Ao also looked at the direction of the FBI with some surprise, and he laughed, "I am indeed a good person who abides by the law."

"Secondly, how do you know,"

A bright light suddenly exploded in the middle of the building,

"My backhand isn't ready yet?"