Chapter 103: Too easy to fool. "Give me a straight answer, when do you plan to get back together with me?"

She waved away the virtual screen, intending to find You Long, but when she turned around, she found Ms. You sitting in the chair, staring at her intently.

Xingxing had already been moved back to her own lounge, so stingy that she wouldn't let anyone admire her. At this moment, she was staring intently at Lin Nan, her posture and expression extremely similar to when they were deeply in love, which made Lin Nan's heart flutter.

"What are you doing here?" Lin Nan suppressed her turbulent emotions and tried to appear calm.

"I just made a decision." Yu Long actually smiled at her. "I felt I needed to tell you."

"What decision?"

Lin Nan's fingers twitched nervously as she slowly tied her hair up.

Yu Long watched as that strand of silver hair was tied into a ponytail, still resembling the Milky Way in the dark night.

She said calmly, "There was a problem with the testing of the device."

Lin Nan was taken aback, initially not understanding the deeper meaning behind her words: "Really? Is it serious?"

"It's alright." Yu Long rolled the ring around on his arm, his tone casual: "The simulation tests haven't been able to give the expected response, so I need to try... well, the results of putting it in a person's brain."

Lin Nan slowly frowned: "You mean you want to put the consciousness-stripping device into your brain? You want to experiment on it yourself??"

“Don’t worry,” You Long quickly said, “I’ve had my brainwashed. It won’t really strip away my consciousness. It’s just that there’s a problem right now. I need to test the wrong nodes.”

"Have you forgotten that some of the nerves in your brain have been burned out?" Lin Nan suddenly grabbed her collar: "Do you want to never be able to smile again? Or become a machine without emotions?"

Yu Long let her hold him: "We have no other choice."

Lin Nan roared, "Yes, but you're unwilling to do it!"

“I’ve tried everything, from computers to mice, but nothing works to achieve the target.” You Long shook his head. “I’m really out of ideas, sir. I need to make sure it works flawlessly.”

I disagree.

Lin Nan released her, his face cold: "Star River, revoke You Long's access to the laboratory. This is the captain's highest order, and tampering with it is strictly prohibited."

Galaxy: "Execution complete."

Yu Long smiled wryly: "My star is still in the lounge inside..."

Lin Nan ignored him: "Star River, from now on monitor You Long's every move, and report any unusual activity immediately."

Yulong shrugged: "Hey, you're not going to imprison people, are you...?"

Lin Nan went straight to work on the Dragon King.

When she came back to get something that evening, she saw flames rising from the kitchen. Thinking the pot had exploded, she went over to take a look and saw You Long holding the pot and stir-frying vegetables with great skill, the oil bottle hanging high above him.

Lin Nan turned to leave, but You Long called out to her without turning his head, "Stay for a meal, you've been busy all day."

Lin Nan sneered: "Changing tactics?"

You Long exclaimed, "Look at you, can't I just express my gratitude? You went to break me out of prison and gave me stars, even though you didn't hold a grudge. I have nothing to repay you with, so I'll cook you a meal to show my appreciation... But you make it sound so materialistic."

"If you don't have any ulterior motives, I'll take your surname." Lin Nan said coldly.

"Excuse me, excuse me, it's hot." You Long put the lid on the pot, picked up the soup pot, and scurried towards the dining room: "Want a drink? I see your wine cabinet is full of good wine, but unfortunately, sir, you don't know how to appreciate it..."

Lin Nan sat down at one end of the table, quite a distance from the head of the table.

You Long patiently moved a table full of dishes in front of her, rubbed his hands together, and sat down opposite her: "Come on, try my beef bone soup first. I've been simmering it all afternoon."

Lin Nan took a sip, inwardly praising it, but outwardly saying without any mercy: "With something like this, don't expect to bribe anyone."

Yu Long shook his head confidently: "Impossible, do you think I haven't tried it? It's obviously incredibly delicious."

Lin Nan scoffed: "Narcissistic."

The meal went smoothly, with You Long making small talk and Lin Nan responding in kind. When they were almost finished eating, You Long brought up the old topic again.

When do you plan to let me into the lab?

"You'll never get in here in your entire life," Lin Nan said.

Yulong sighed helplessly: "The moment is perfect for Falcon to make his move while he's lurking in the light wheel. Once the war starts, there won't be another chance."

Lin Nan focused intently on her meal.

You Longjing said quietly, "You used to never let personal feelings affect the greater good of the country."

Lin Nan: "Now that you know how, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Yu Long opened his mouth but then closed it again: "I wanted to ask you how long you plan to drag this out."

"Delay it until it can't be delayed any longer."

"What's the point of this?" You Long was a little annoyed: "The longer you delay, the less chance you have of winning, and in the end you still have to let me in, right? So what's the point of stopping me now?"

Lin Nan looked up at her: "Who said I would let you in in the end?"

You Long said impatiently, "Stop lying. You wouldn't really disregard the bigger picture."

Lin Nan slowly leaned back: "But this time I want to betray the whole world."

You Long stared at her in surprise, then fell silent. After a long while, she smiled bitterly and said, "Thank you for insisting, but we really don't have time. Please let me in. I promise you can watch the test from the side, okay?"

Yu Long lay on the lab table, the cold, icy blue light scanning her body.

"Heart rate 77 beats/minute, blood pressure 93 mmHg, brain oxygen saturation 70%, intracranial pressure 9 mmHg..."

AI voice report complete: "All values ​​are within the normal range, testing can proceed normally."

You Long smiled and said, "It's nothing, don't look like someone's dead."

Lin Nan pressed the start button expressionlessly: "Good luck."

A flash of light appeared, and a wire connected the small device to Yulong's neural interface.

Lin Nan glanced at You Long one last time before putting the transparent cover down.

The medical AI said, "Test begins."

Yu Long's eyes visibly stiffened for a moment, and his hands clenched into fists.

Lin Nan's heart tightened. She didn't want to watch, but she forced herself to stare at the scene. At the same time, she couldn't help but think about what You Long had gone through when she took over the anti-consciousness separation training. It must have been a hundred or a thousand times more painful than what she was experiencing now, and the mental interrogation she suffered in the Light Wheel Prison was even more unimaginable. Back then, she couldn't be by her side, and she was completely unaware of the pain You Long had endured. This time, she didn't want to leave her side for even a moment.

After an unknown amount of time, the instrument suddenly sounded an alarm, and the swimmer inside the glass enclosure began to convulse.

"Yutaki? Yutaki??" Lin Nan was stunned and rushed to the equipment: "What's going on?"

The data flowed chaotically, every chart looked abnormal, only the medical AI's voice remained calm: "The test subject is in a state of extreme mental confusion, all physical indicators are declining sharply, there is a risk of loss of control... Warning, there is a risk of loss of control..."

Yu Long was restrained on the lab table, her fists clenched and she desperately thrashed about. The veins on her exposed skin bulged, her eyes were bloodshot and bulging, and she let out a muffled roar.

"Stop the experiment!" Lin Nan shouted in a terrified voice.

"No...don't stop..." Yu Long shook his head: "Don't waste your time..."

Before Lin Nan could speak, You Long was already caught in a new round of painful struggle. Many voices surged in her mind at once, the medical doctor's voice cold and rigid: "All our efforts are actually meaningless on a cosmic scale."

Are you sure what you know is the whole truth?

"Take off this uniform, and who are you?"

"I am Yu Long. I graduated from Delk Military Academy and serve in the Federal Space Force..."

The instructor who was brainwashing her roared, "No one can suggest to you, no one can control you! Resist all voices, stick to your course! Your mission is to defend the Federation!!"

The light wheel's interrogation continued to buzz in her mind: "Tell me your secrets. Who are you? Where did you come from? What mission do you have? Who is your superior?"

You Long felt a tearing pain in her nerves, her vision went black for a moment, and her consciousness briefly slipped away. Then Lin Nan saw her suddenly struggle frantically, her hands and feet bleeding. Her heart sank, and she immediately opened the glass enclosure, ignoring the sharp warning from the medical AI, and untied the restraints.

You Long leaped up and grabbed the nearest screen, smashing it at Lin Nan.

Lin Nan dodged to the side, used both hands to remove the things from her hands, and then hugged her tightly.

You Long struggled even more fiercely, and Lin Nan could barely hold her down. In the midst of her struggle, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw You Long biting her hard, but unfortunately, the clothes she was wearing were not something a human could bite through. Soon, You Long's mouth was filled with the taste of her own blood.

Afraid that she would bite her teeth to pieces, Lin Nan forcibly pried open her jaw and quickly rolled up his sleeve to shove his left arm through her.

Yu Long bit down hard, a deep sob still escaping her throat. She was in excruciating pain, her consciousness almost completely overwhelmed, and she was only acting on instinct.

"Okay, okay, it's all over." Lin Nan closed the experiment window and gently stroked the back of her head with his right hand. "It's finished. Let's go home for dinner..."

You Long gradually calmed down. This process was very long, so long that Lin Nan's left hand went numb, and the blood loss made her a little dizzy.

Are you feeling any better?

In a daze, You Long heard a very gentle voice, which sounded somewhat familiar: "How about we think about what to eat tomorrow? You love the cream buns on the Star River, and how about a cup of coffee too..."

Yu Long still couldn't remember who this person was, but a tear suddenly fell from her unfocused eyes.

Three days later, You Long successfully completed the final adjustments to the signal transmitter. The computer simulation test was perfect and met the predetermined standards.

This is good news.

The bad news is that, after a full scan, the medical AI concluded that she had completely lost the ability to perceive emotions and even showed signs of amnesia.

Yu Long admitted that she had lost some fragments of memory, most of which were related to intense emotional experiences, but she did not think it was a big deal. She became more rational and indifferent than Lin Nan. Her smile could no longer be seen on the Star River. When Long Zhu saw her again, he thought she had quarreled with Lin Nan.

Later I realized that she was getting cold.

Lin Nan remained silent about her changes, but quietly sat to the side when contacting Falcon.

Yu Long attached instructions, requiring her to install the signal transmitter on the head of Commander S of the Light Wheel Space Force. It could work on its own, subtly influencing Commander S's behavior and thoughts, starting with small things like whether to step with the left or right foot first, gradually making him accustomed to all the tiny sounds, from psychological suggestion to complete brainwashing, so that he would no longer doubt whether these sounds were his own thoughts.

Falcon has her own strengths that make her capable of this dangerous mission.

Although the Alpha Legion lost their freedom, their daily entertainment was not restricted, and they still had to watch the news broadcast every day.

That day, everyone gathered together as usual to wait for the scheduled news. Finally, at seven o'clock, the face of the federal news anchor appeared on the virtual screen, but instead of smiling and greeting everyone as usual, he did not do so.

A glimpse of the terrifying truth has been revealed.

"It is understood that the Light Wheel Alliance, represented by hawks, has been secretly conducting anti-human consciousness stripping experiments for a long time, and has now cultivated a considerable number of 'zombie soldiers' who are suspected of being deployed in the war."

"...At 10:00 AM this morning, the Speaker of the Federal Parliament broadcast a message to the entire universe, publicly condemning the Light Wheel's shameful crimes against humanity."

"Consciousness stripping technology is inherently inhumane. The experimental process is inhumane, and the results will have incalculable negative impacts on all of humanity. The Federation hereby issues a solemn statement demanding that the Light Wheel Alliance immediately cease consciousness experiments. The Federation will jointly handle the already completed experimental subjects..."

Lin Nan sat in front of the monitor, slowly sipping her coffee.

As You Long passed by, he happened to see the shocked and angry crowd shouting on the screen. This time, everyone rushed to the pirates stationed on the warship, clamoring to see Lin Nan.

"Aren't you going to show your face yet?" Yu Long asked casually.

"It's not time yet."

Lin Nan picked up her cup and took another sip. Her indifferent profile in front of the starry sea contrasted sharply with the chaotic crowd, cold and silent.

"You're suited to be a commander," Yu Long thought to himself. "I wish you a speedy promotion."

"Thank you," Lin Nan said noncommittally.

You Long then realized that Lin Nan hadn't looked at her even once.

But she didn't care about any of that; she had a lot more to do. You Long shook her head, strode back to the lab, and focused intently on developing new technologies.

＊

"If you were to be condemned, what would you choose to do?"

Jiang Yan looked up: "Are you talking about the script or real life?"

"Both are true." Qin Lan thought for a moment, "Let's start with the script."

“My choice is the same as the two main characters.” Jiang Yan pondered for a moment: “No amount of criticism is as important as what I am doing. As long as the final result is good, then it is not bad.”

She looked at Qin Lan: "And you? Tell me about any situations in your life where you've been the target of everyone's criticism?"

"I'm thinking... about going public." Qin Lan blushed slightly and awkwardly tossed her hair. "I used to think my career was the most important thing, and I couldn't reveal my relationship... at least not during my rising career. But now I don't care about that so much anymore."

Jiang Yan was silent for a while: "It's my fault. I've always known you're career-oriented, but it's hard to put myself in your shoes and understand how you feel..."

"It's not your fault. You were very insecure before, and it's normal for you to want to feel my care in this way."

Through continuous learning from Anna, Qin Lan is now very knowledgeable: "Now I think being public is good too; you are just as important as your career."

"So you're saying my career wasn't as important as mine before?" Jiang Yan said sourly.

Qin Lan exclaimed, "After all, it wasn't long ago that I fell in love with you..."

"oh."

Qin Lan felt guilty: "I know I haven't liked you for as long as you've liked me, nor have I liked you as much as you've liked me. I will try my best to treat you better."

“It’s already very good as it is.” Jiang Yan looked at her quietly: “I don’t ask you to love me to the bone. To be honest, the way you are now has greatly exceeded my expectations. If you just say a few sweet words to me, I will follow you for the rest of my life.”

"She's too easy to coax," Qin Lan muttered, unable to resist ruffling her hair.

"You just said you'd go public...aren't you afraid your fans will criticize you?"

Qin Lan said nonchalantly, "Why are you criticizing me? Is it because I'm in a relationship or because I'm seeing other women? I have more haters than fans, I'm used to it."

Jiang Yan paused for a moment: "Let's wait a little longer. I don't like hearing others criticize you."

"We've been waiting and waiting, and now we're all old." Qin Lan's impatient nature returned: "Give me a straight answer, when do you plan to get back together with me?"

Jiang Yan: "...I promised Director Xue that we would not reunite before filming wrapped, and I wasn't prepared either, so I need to continue to observe your performance."

"Oh." Qin Lan quickly perked up again, tossing her hair with a flirtatious gesture and giving her a seductive wink: "Do you like it?"

Jiang Yan stared at her for a while, then lowered her head and covered her face.

＊

The speaker sat in his office, rubbing his forehead wearily.

She got up and stretched, glancing at the row of official photos of deceased federal generals hanging on the wall.

In the last photo frame, Lin Xing is smiling at her.

The speaker was utterly perplexed: "What exactly did you leave Lin Nan? And what are your daughter and You Long plotting?"

Lin Xing, of course, wouldn't speak to her, but the speaker smiled: "I can sense that they've begun to suspect me... They don't think I'm the mole, do they?"

Hilarious! No mole can sit in the top position.

The virtual screen showed that Prime Minister Nimbus wished to communicate with her.

The speaker waved casually: "Hello."

The Prime Minister coldly questioned, "Are you planning to fight to the death?"

"Who told you to break your promise?" The speaker scoffed. "You should have expected this day."

The Prime Minister smiled and said, "Speaker, you really have unrealistic dreams. You think you can keep the precious technology that we, Guanglun, have worked so hard to develop? You only deserve one generation of zombie technology for your meager contributions!"

The speaker sneered, "Making the breach of contract sound so righteous and high-sounding, no wonder you're the hawkish leader who can debate so many people in speeches. Keep the second-generation technology for yourself; I'm afraid before you even have a chance to enjoy it, the whole universe will tear you apart..."

The Prime Minister chuckled coldly: "Before that, I will first shatter your dreams with the iron fist of war!"

The isolated Alpha Legion, after making a fuss for ages, still couldn't find Lin Nan, but instead received a declaration of war broadcast from the Light Wheel.

The hawkish prime minister held a press conference and spoke for two hours, basically saying that the Light Wheel is indeed developing consciousness technology, but that's only to overcome difficulties in the medical field, and that using it for anti-human wars... that's impossible.

The Prime Minister abruptly changed the subject, releasing a series of videos: "The Rock Federation prides itself on justice, but it has done a lot of research on consciousness technology over the years. It's like a thief crying 'stop thief!' It's utterly shameless!"

Finally, the Prime Minister announced that, effective immediately, the Light Wheel Alliance would enter a state of war preparedness and would impose sanctions on the Rock Federation.

After a press conference, despite the uproar, all the top politicians in the Guanglun Group unanimously supported the Prime Minister, and even the doves, who usually oppose the hawks, remained unusually calm.

Rumors quickly spread that the top executives of the Light Wheel had been controlled and brainwashed by "consciousness technology," and related entries were immediately banned. The police were dispatched to arrest those who spread the "rumors."

While everyone in the Light Wheel was living in fear, the Federation was not having an easy time either.

The president's office was deserted, but the speaker's mailbox was flooded with messages asking for her opinion on the allegations made by Nimbus.

"What kind of opinion is this? This is blatant slander!" the Speaker declared righteously. "The Federation is a universally recognized humanitarian organization!"

"Then, Speaker, what is your opinion on this video released by Light Wheel?!" A reporter stood up abruptly, bringing her virtual screen to the forefront. The video showed Light Wheel using test subjects provided by the Rock Federation for their consciousness experiments!

The speaker's face darkened, and he glanced at the guards, speaking with some anger: "I don't think the Federation needs to prove its innocence because of a video of unknown origin. The Federation will never collude with the Light Wheel. I hope the public will view the various rumors circulating online rationally!"

When the reporters dispersed, one of their colleagues was missing.

During the long period of preparation for war that followed, the Light Wheel and the Federation spat at each other every day, and countless pieces of "ironclad evidence" went viral online, each one completely discrediting the other's so-called "righteous" statements. Politicians remained silent, the people were filled with fear and anxiety, and the usually orderly streets of the Federation were suddenly filled with tens of thousands of people marching, demanding that the Speaker meet with the people.

The federal government's declaration of justice is being questioned by the public.

The public was horrified to discover that administrative heads were all aligned with the leader, as if the world had gone mad except for ordinary people.

The Alpha Legion fell into collective silence. The war had officially begun, and they waited daily in front of the large screen for battle reports. Both sides were probing each other, and the war zone was a scorched wasteland.

Both interstellar organizations, which claimed they would "never use consciousness technology in war," have deployed large numbers of zombie soldiers. Ordinary soldiers have no time to consider whether they still represent justice; they are single-mindedly focused on taking down the other side first.

They stood shoulder to shoulder and back to back with the unconscious, dazed zombie soldiers, spilling rivers of hot blood across space, their corpses instantly swept into a torrent of steel. Warships capsized, starlight splattered, and the demonic eye opened a rift into hell, only to have everything wiped away from the boundless screen in an instant, leaving space pristine once more.

The Federation has fallen behind, and the Light Wheel is gradually eroding their power.