Chapter 239 Farewell
In the far suburbs, between the wild mountains and ridges, there are a few ordinary small buildings. The outer walls are relatively clean, but there are some traces of being washed by rain, and the ground is too flat. In the middle of the small building, there are a few figures moving around vaguely. Looking closely, these people are all wearing military uniforms, and the weapons they are equipped with also reveal a kind of cold and ferocious.
Outside the small building, there is a high wall, blocking all prying eyes from the outside world. There are some warning signs hanging around the wall, with warning words such as "High Voltage, Danger". Outside the wall, there is a military camp. Soldiers who train day and night surround the wall, but never get close. Any irrelevant people who approach the wall will be shot immediately after a warning is ineffective.
If someone had X-ray vision, they would see that underneath those ordinary small buildings, there were underground buildings that covered an area more than ten times the ground level and extended downwards to a height of more than a dozen stories. People were constantly coming and going in the underground buildings, and a rough glance showed that there were about hundreds of people moving around underground.
This is the most famous, high-end, most productive and influential research institute in Sugar Country, but it has a very ordinary name. On the side of the main entrance of the institute, there is a low-key, undecorated sign that reads "907 Institute" - no textual description, no explanation of the main research direction, no high-end feeling, such an ordinary number name that can be forgotten in a blink of an eye, but it has caused turmoil in the world scientific community time and time again. These three numbers, because of their different owners, have been given a prestigious reputation, making anyone who talks about them feel awe involuntarily.
For safety and confidentiality, the main structure of the 907 Institute was built underground, just like in the movie. It was so solid that even if a nuclear bomb was dropped on it, it would not cause any damage to the people and objects inside. The surface defense was built like an iron barrel. Wei Jie, the designer of the main defense system, proudly declared that not even a fly could fly in - in fact, they did intercept a bug disguised as a fly.
However, if Wei Jie saw the scene before him, he would probably commit suicide out of shame - amid their tight defense, the window of a small building (Dr. Rong insisted on using it as his bedroom, even though many people believed that the safety of such a surface building was questionable) suddenly opened silently, and a figure jumped in.
"Dr. Rong" was standing at the window to greet him, his hands hanging at his sides, his eyes twinkling. When he saw the visitor, he respectfully called out, "Welcome back, Master."
…
The waves washed the shore with gray-yellow foam and garbage, leaving behind all kinds of mess. A small part of them were ugly shells, but most of them were various packaging bags, plastic bottles, cans, rubber balls and other garbage made by humans.
A mass of red and green things was stuck between the jagged rocks. A tall girl stepped on the uneven stones, staggering but with a clear goal towards the mass. When she got closer, she saw that it was a dead woman, her body swollen from the sea water, and there was no blood flowing out of the wounds cut by the sharp stones. The white flesh was turned out hideously, and black hair was rippling in the sea water. Some tiny fish and shrimps were wandering around her body.
The head of the corpse was exposed above the sea, and the facial features were not seriously deformed. It could be seen that it was a pretty girl. Although she could not be called beautiful, she was still pleasing to the eye.
"Is that her?" Emilida asked softly, stroking the black earphone on her left ear as she spoke.
"That's right." Noah's voice came: "I picked this girl for you with great difficulty. She has excellent grades, no relatives or friends, and she jumped into the sea yesterday to commit suicide. Until now, no one has noticed her disappearance. She is perfect for you to replace her identity."
Rong Yuan went to the institute, and naturally Emilida had to follow. To Rong Yuan, the girl's wisdom could bring him great help, but Noah's fake identity could be used to buy a train ticket or deal with police inspections, but it could not hide from the government's thorough investigation of the institute's personnel. She needed a real and impeccable identity. Under Rong Yuan's order , Noah spent three days to select the deceased. She was young, outstanding, and lonely. She was preparing to participate in a new round of assessments at the institute, but she suddenly committed suicide without even telling anyone around her.
Perhaps it was because no one around her cared about her life or death.
"Why did she die?" Amirida squatted down, not afraid of the horrible appearance of the corpse, and asked in confusion. Life is precious. In the past, even if her life was difficult, she never thought of committing suicide.
"Humans are very fragile." Noah said in a condescending manner, "It may be that they are under too much pressure from exams, they may have suddenly lost hope in life, their crush may have suddenly gotten married, or they may just want to die for once... Who knows?" Humans come and go, live and die, and it never cares about such problems. It is enough to know that this girl did not inform anyone of her suicide plan. Seeing Amirida staring at the dead body in a daze, Noah urged, "You'd better hurry up. Although I have blocked the surveillance, someone will come to this sea area in half an hour. You must deal with it and leave before then."
"I know." Emilida responded. She had seen many more tragic corpses than this, and she had never had any excessive emotions. However, at this moment, she felt a little melancholy, perhaps because her current life was better than she had ever dreamed of, and she had concerns in her heart, which made her fragile.
The girl grabbed the clothes on the back of the corpse and dragged it onto the stone. She stood up and took out two mineral water bottles from the backpack behind her, one of which contained a bottle of light yellow viscous liquid and the other contained some white crystal particles. She sprinkled both evenly on the corpse, then lit a match and threw it down.
With a whoosh, the light blue flames engulfed the body, burning quietly without even much smoke. These were the liquid fuel and combustion aids prepared by Amirida herself, which could burn the body cleanly in a very short time, leaving no bones behind, and there was no way anyone could test the original owner's DNA from it.
After more than ten minutes, the last flame went out, leaving only a layer of fine silver ash on the stone. The sea breeze blew, and the waves rolled over the reef. When the sea water receded, there was no trace left.
Amirida suddenly wanted to say something. She clasped her hands together like the ones on TV and said devoutly, "From dust to dust, from ashes to ashes, I hope you can find peace and tranquility in that world."
Noah seemed to chuckle faintly, but he didn't say anything. Before anyone came to this coast, Amirida turned and left. As she walked, her appearance had changed into that of the girl before she died.
…
In the spacious courtyard, hundreds of people were sitting or standing, men and women, some old, some young, some in suits and leather shoes with shiny black hair, some wearing high heels and designer clothes, some carrying school bags and holding vocabulary books, some wearing old camouflage uniforms covered in mud. Hundreds of people represented hundreds of different lives, but they had one thing in common - they all exuded a spirit that was completely different from ordinary people. No matter what field they were in, they were actually the best in the circle.
However, at this moment, these seemingly unrelated people standing in this courtyard full of the style of the old times of the Sugar Country were all respectful. No one sat down without permission or showed an irritable or dissatisfied look. They talked briefly to each other, and after finding that others knew as much as they did, they gradually became quiet, just staring at the closed wooden door with deep worry in their eyes.
"squeak--"
With a slight sound, the wooden door opened. Everyone looked over with hope, only to see an old man with a scar on the left side of his face walking out. When he saw them, he sighed and shook his head.
"Uncle Geng, don't just shake your head, tell us how the eldest lady is doing?" Shao Baoer, who was standing at the front, said hurriedly, her originally soft voice trembling slightly because of worry.
"Miss..." Uncle Geng looked at everyone, his lips moving, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time, and tears were already streaming down his face.
"How could this happen!" Someone immediately shouted, "Where's the ambulance? Call an ambulance, and we'll send Miss to the hospital right away."
"Didn't you say last time that Dr. Thomson's medical skills are very good? And Mr. Chen is a leader in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. Give me three days, even if I have to go bankrupt, I will invite these two people!"
"What does Mr. Yan say? Doesn't he have any solution?"
Everyone was immediately anxious and started shouting. Some people even lowered their heads and rushed in, shouting, "Let me go in and take a look!" However, Uncle Geng blocked the door with his arms and shouted, "Shut up!"
The courtyard suddenly became quiet.
"The eldest lady wants to talk to Mr. Yan." Uncle Geng said with difficulty, each word seemed to be dug out from the depths of his throat, "Let them talk properly."
His face was tense, he was panting, but the sadness in his eyes was so thick that it almost turned into substance. Under his stare, people gradually regained their composure, reluctantly gave up all desperate struggles, and had to face the fact that they were about to lose their most important family members. Suddenly, a loud sob was heard from the crowd, and then it was held back desperately. The thin sobs came from all directions, and even the strongest men felt heartbroken.
The wooden door was not very soundproof, but Xiao Xiao tilted her head but still couldn't hear the faint sound coming in. However, she knew who was standing outside the door, so she smiled and asked the man who was always calm beside her: "What are they talking about?"
"I'm crying for you." Yan Ce said frankly. He seemed to never know what concealment meant.
So Xiaoxiao laughed.
At this time, she was lying on the bed, her hair was sparse and dry, her face was as pale as paper, her body was so weak that it was difficult for her to sit up, and her breathing became weaker and weaker. She should have been sad, but she smiled very happily, with the corners of her mouth curled up playfully, revealing her white jade teeth, and her eyes were comfortable and gentle. She stared at Yan Ce, staring at him intently, her eyes swept across his face inch by inch, as if she was looking at some rare treasure. Her fingers moved slightly, and Yan Ce immediately knelt down on one knee, holding her hand, looking at her levelly, as loyal and calm as always.
Xiao Xiao said softly: "Uncle Geng and the others have paid for our Xiao family for so many years. After I die, let them do whatever they want. You keep half of the Xiao family's property, and the remaining half will be divided among them."
"Yes." Yan Ce replied in a low voice.
"The Xiao family has been collecting books for 800 years. It's a pity that the tradition is cut off like this. You hand over the key to the library to Rong Yuan. Whether to donate it to the National Library, keep it for his own use, or sell it or give it away, it's up to him to decide."
"yes."
"In the library, there is the last book I wrote, 'Notes on Recording Merits'. In it... there is a huge secret hidden in it... you should give it to him as well. There is also a letter from me, asking him to help me settle you down in the future... He is different from me, he has lofty ambitions. If you follow him, I'm sure your future life will not be as boring as it is now..."
Yan Ce stared at her, his eyes dark and deep, with a hint of red, like the faint light of a camera behind his pupils. His body was motionless, and a few strands of hair hung down from his forehead, showing a bit of casualness, diluting the mechanical stiffness.
Xiao Xiao's eyes were drawn to him like a magnet. He was made by her own hands. She was familiar with every bone, every inch of his skin, and every strand of his hair. She had squinted her eyes to carve the patterns on his pupil chip. She had replaced parts in his body for him countless times in the middle of the night. She had dragged him home after he ran out of energy and crashed on the way. But this was the first time she looked into his eyes so directly and frankly. She stared at him deeply with greed and desire, and thousands of thoughts settled in them. In the end, only deep tenderness remained. From the past to the present, in order to conceal their identities, they had been husband and wife, father and daughter, brother and sister, and master and servant, and had established a deeper bond than anyone else. In the long time, only this person always stood by her side. Whenever she looked back, she would see that calm figure.
She grabbed his hand tightly, but according to Yan Ce's pressure sensor, her strength was as light as the brush of a feather.
"Call my name, Yan Ce." Xiao Xiao said softly.
"Xiao Xiao." Yan Ce said obediently.
Xiao Xiao put a little more strength in her hand and emphasized it again: "My name."
Yan Ce was silent for a moment and said, "Qingcheng." His voice was low and pleasant, like the summer breeze blowing past your ears.
Then Xiao Xiao...or Xiao Qingcheng's eyes glowed brightly, and a brilliant smile appeared on her face. The happy smile that seemed to emanate from the bottom of her heart was like the morning light of dawn, illuminating the lifeless room.
The slightly blue lips moved slightly, and the words in his mouth were like snowflakes falling in the wind, illusory: "Yan Ce, I really want to..."
How I wish I could take you with me so that we would never be separated; how I wish I could go back to the past and cherish every minute we spent together; how I wish I could tell you earlier... I love you.
The already weak hand drooped softly, and a teardrop was about to fall from the corner of the girl's eye, like a dewdrop flashing on a lotus leaf, but there was still a smile on the corner of her mouth. Yan Ce knelt on the ground, holding her hand, as if holding up his own faith. After a long, long time, he whispered: "Yes."
…
An hour later, the people waiting outside the house learned of Xiao Xiao's death and burst into tears, implicitly blaming Yan Ce for being so indifferent and calm.
That night, everyone went home under Yan Ce's order, and a fire suddenly broke out in the middle of the night. The fire completely engulfed the Xiao family's old house, and the sea of fire spread like a wave, violently tearing through the dark curtain of the night. The fire truck's water column sprayed for three hours before the fire was completely extinguished. Xiao Xiao's body and Yan Ce disappeared in the fire, and people only found a large piece of iron of unknown purpose in the middle of the ruins of the fire.
Seven days later, an email was delivered to Rong Yuan who was in the research institute.
