Chapter 55: Memories (2) Let's travel to the places we want to go. ...
Two days later, the kitten, relying on its memory of the route, slipped through the obstacles and once again entered the main laboratory through the ventilation shaft.
The ventilation duct window was closed this time, so she turned around and kicked it hard with her two hind legs.
With a thud, the kitten landed skillfully.
The laboratory was dark, with only the faint glow of flowing data. The person sat in a wheelchair with their back to the entrance, as if time had stood still for the past two days.
The person in front of the supercomputer turned their head and saw a pair of familiar honey-colored eyes.
Reflected light from the cold screen, they looked like two warm little lanterns, staring at him without blinking.
Chi Yan frowned almost imperceptibly, his voice devoid of emotion: "Why are you here again?"
The kitten didn't answer; it just ran over and rubbed its head against the other person's trouser leg, as if thanking them for the food from last time.
You can't stay here.
Chi Yan maneuvered his wheelchair back slightly, creating distance between himself and the kitten on the ground.
The kitten tilted its head, indicating that it didn't understand, but it understood the human's retreating motion. It stretched out its front paws, hooked onto the other person's trouser leg, jumped onto the other person's lap, and meowed.
This enormous building held him alone. The cold, silent machines and the dazzling, emotionless data were as he sat in his wheelchair, walking back, looking even more desolate than a kitten facing the cold wind in the wild.
The cat knight decides to lend a helping hand so that humans are no longer alone.
Chi Yan looked at the kitten that refused to get off his lap and picked it up by the scruff of its neck again. This time, however, the kitten was surprisingly strong and persistent, making it impossible to get off.
After a moment of stalemate, Chi Yan looked into the other person's bright eyes, without sympathy or calculation, simple and straightforward.
The vibrant lives stand in stark contrast to the desolate database surrounding them.
He remained silent for a long time, so long that the kitten's paws ached, before a calm voice finally came from above: "Whatever you want."
The kitten was still alert, lying on his lap without getting off, until it realized that the human seemed to have given in. Only then did it happily let go of his paws and begin to explore its new territory.
At first, she only ate food from human lunchboxes. One day, the other person opened a beautifully packaged metal can, and a rich, mellow meaty aroma instantly attracted the kitten, who was still causing trouble in front of the computer.
"What's this?"
The honey-eyed kitten circled the human's hand, eagerly licking a small bite from the plate the human had placed down, its eyes widening in the next second.
There are such delicious things in the world.
Canned beef became Chi Yan's magic weapon for getting the kitten to obediently get off the keyboard; the food temptation worked every time.
The kitten's life became regular and fulfilling. From day to night, the people in the wheelchairs were focused on the screens she couldn't understand, and she would quietly lie on their laps, sometimes playing with the buttons on their clothes, and sometimes just watching their focused profiles.
As I watched, my eyelids started to droop, and finally, to the sound of the keyboard clicking away, I nestled in my partner's arms and fell into a deep sleep.
Chi Yan would occasionally stop what he was doing and look down at the warm little creature on his lap, which rose and fell slightly with his breathing.
The laboratory remained cold and empty, but the small weight on my body dispelled the boredom.
The kitten was still at a lively and active age, and she would get bored staying in a concrete cage with humans all the time. She would sneak out through the ventilation duct and roll around on the only small patch of grass outside the laboratory.
Chi Yan stood in front of the French windows, taking in the kitten's every move.
The other person quickly climbed up a low tree, trying to raid the long-empty bird's nest. Each time, he would get himself covered in dirt and grime, his feathers filled with grass clippings and mud. Then, he would excitedly run back to the lab with his spoils, such as insects, and proudly show off his achievements to Chi Yan.
The kitten placed the still-living pill bug in a conspicuous place where humans could see it, as if afraid the other party wouldn't notice.
"Come out with me next time, I'll take you to see the gopher burrow."
The kitten meowed, puffed out its chest, and looked very proud.
Chi Yan couldn't understand what the other cat was saying, so he just took a wet wipe and cleaned the dirt off the kitten's paws. The kitten pulled its paws back in dissatisfaction.
"It's so boring staying here all day. It's getting warmer outside, let's go sunbathe together."
No matter how much the kitten invited her, whether explicitly or implicitly, to open the door and come downstairs to go out for some fresh air, the human remained unmoved, simply watching her frolic on the grass in silence.
After expelling her electricity, the kitten still missed the humans in front of the glass window. Playing by herself was never as fun as having someone by her side.
The kitten would always pick up pine cones, twigs, and pebbles from the grass and bring them back to Fengrong, a human who was "unsophisticated," so that he could also experience the breath of nature.
Humans then displayed all the little things she brought back in front of the light screen, making beautiful specimens from insects and leaves.
The table was covered with toys that the kittens had carefully chosen for each other; they were the kittens' beloved treasures.
Fewer and fewer people are coming and going from this building, but the number of security guards patrolling is increasing.
Chi Yan spent more and more time in front of the screen. Zhao Jiacheng came to see him several times, but was always turned away at the door. Xiao Mao would watch the other's expression as he walked out of the building from the French windows.
"His face was so sour; he looked very angry."
Chi Yan didn't even glance at the people downstairs, and reached out to the kitten by the window: "Come here."
The honey-eyed kitten leaped onto the other's lap, and the human maneuvered the wheelchair from the table to another, more concealed door. After pressing some unknown password, the heavy keypad door opened with a click, revealing even more sophisticated core equipment inside.
The lighting here is soft, and a semi-transparent, slowly rotating sphere of light floats in the center.
The data is input from a high-precision computer, which serves as the interface and starting point for the quick transmigration system.
"Close your eyes."
The kitten heard the human speak and looked at the person with a blank expression. The person gently covered the kitten's eyes with their palm and placed their other hand on the sensor area of the control panel.
A gentle yet strange pull enveloped my consciousness, as if I were sinking into warm seawater.
My body felt light and weightless, and the electronic sounds of laboratory instruments were gone from my ears, replaced only by distant echoes from a faraway world.
In this state of mind, she understood human language for the first time: "What kind of scenery do you most want to see? Where do you want to go?"
"ocean."
The kitten heard itself say, "I want to see the sea."
When she opened her eyes again, what greeted her was no longer the cold white walls of the laboratory, but the boundless blue sea and sky.
The kitten stood on a pristine white sand beach, the moist sea breeze blowing against its face, ruffling its white fur.
She seemed to have crossed the distance of time and space and arrived at the vast ocean. The kitten blinked in disbelief, then blinked again, and the waves surged towards her, shattering into drops of diamonds in the sunlight.
"Meow!"
Where is this?
The kitten's honey-colored pupils dilated in shock. It looked around but didn't see the familiar wheelchair. Instead, it saw a black cat with a sleek, streamlined body under the tree.
Seeing her looking over, the other person approached and quietly squatted down beside her: "Is this the view you wanted to see?"
"It's you?!"
The kitten instantly understood everything and excitedly circled the black cat: "How did you turn into a cat! Are we really at the beach? I've only ever seen the sea on your computer desktop. Is this the sea? I love it here."
"This is the seaside, but not the seaside of the real world."
Chi Yan sensed the kitten's undisguised joy, and his golden eyes also looked at the blue in the kitten's eyes. Without a stable core energy source, it would be limited to freely travel between different planes, but it was still possible to simply enter a certain plane for sightseeing.
Only within the plane of existence can he escape the constraints of his wheelchair, use data simulation to temporarily transform his form, and gain a moment of freedom.
"Humans can turn into cats, so you can play with me from now on, instead of always sitting in that chair?"
Looking into the kitten's incredibly bright round eyes, Chi Yan said, "Only here."
"Then I'm going to stay here forever!"
His usually calm eyes softened as he watched the kitten nimbly run and play on the beach, wading into the shallow water to feel the cool seawater wash over its paws, then, disgusted by its wet fur, it bounced back into the dry sand.
Two sets of footprints, one large and one small, one deep and one shallow, were left on the beach, resembling plum blossoms.
They rolled around on the beach for a long time, looking for hermit crabs and seashells washed ashore by the waves, having a great time.
Most of the time, the black cat just watched her quietly, watching the kitten, like a juicy, sun-kissed ball of fluff, playing freely on the beach that had come all this way for her.
Dissatisfied with his calm attitude, the kitten attacked from behind and pounced on the big cat, knocking it to the ground on the beach.
When they were tired from playing, the kittens lay side by side with each other on the still-warm sand, watching the sunset paint the sky and the sea in a magnificent orange-red hue.
"This place is so beautiful." The kitten's eyes reflected the colors of the sunset. "Thank you for bringing me here."
She quietly shifted her position, getting closer to the other person: "You humans all have names, but I don't understand them. Please tell me in a language I can understand."
"Chi Yan".
The kitten blinked twice and silently repeated it twice in its mind.
Two simple syllables, carrying the other's unique breath and warmth, were firmly captured by the kitten, and she immediately decided on her name.
"Then I'll call myself Chichi."
Having acquired its own name, Chichi happily rolled around on the beach.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the last rays of its rays enveloped the two cats in a halo of light, just as they would many times afterward.
"The sea is different this time!"
Looking at the unusual black sand beach, Chi Chi exclaimed in surprise, "There are even black beaches!"
“These are waters from different countries.” Chi Yan watched as the kitten’s snow-white paws sank into the black sand, capturing the moment of its joy with his eyes.
After jumping around enough, the kitten nimbly ran back to the black cat's side: "You're so amazing!"
"What."
"It can create such a magical world, which is the same as the outside world, yet different," Chichi said. "We can go to places that we can't go in reality."
"Does this make any sense?" Chi Yan looked into the kitten's bright eyes. "Back in reality, it's still just that cold laboratory."
"Of course it's meaningful."
Chi Chi said earnestly, "If our bodies can't reach a certain place, we'll use our spirit to get there. We'll definitely be able to leave that place."
"You don't want to stay there."
The kitten didn't make a sound.
Who would want to stay in that laboratory where even sunlight is stingy with its presence? She sacrificed a lot of her free time to be with him.
"I love to travel."
Chichi said, "Come leave that place with me. We can go somewhere else, and we can even go to the real world to see the sea together."
Chi Yan remained silent for a moment, just when the kitten thought he would stay silent forever.
"good."
The initial development of this system was simply to put a long-held idea into reality.
After being unable to walk upright due to a car accident, Chi Yan grew tired of life in a wheelchair and persevered with the thought of leaving something behind before he died.
His father's illegitimate son, Zhao Jiacheng, obtained the company's operating rights, discovered the value behind the project, and began to invest funds and manpower without regard to cost.
Finally, they unilaterally placed all the company's hopes on this single research project.
The other side built a steel-like building, locked him and other researchers in the laboratory until Chi Yan discovered the system's vulnerability, dismissed the other researchers and staff, and announced the research failure to the other side.
He didn't care whether the company could survive on this research, nor did he care about Zhao Jiacheng's furious expression.
They didn't even care about their crippled bodies.
When living brings no joy to a person, living becomes a form of torture.
Miraculously, he felt an unprecedented vitality in a kitten.
If a system that he considers a failure can help the other party fulfill a small wish, then it is no longer considered a failure.
The world now has at least one more source of love and joy.
Hiding behind the tree for a long time, the kitten pounced and chased the black cat by the tail, making it more difficult for the kitten to hunt.
Finally, after a long while, they caught the "cunning" creature by the tail, held it in their arms, and kicked it a few times with their hind legs.
Suddenly remembering that the other's tail might hurt, I guiltily let go, quietly patted it with my paw, and carefully helped it get back in place.
The other animal retracted its tail and turned towards her. Chichi thought the other animal was angry, so she quickly covered her head pitifully with her paws.
The expected "punishment" did not come. She cautiously opened one eye and saw the other person staring at her calmly. When she lowered her paw, the other person lowered their head and gently touched the kitten's head.
A strange, enveloping feeling enveloped me from above.
My consciousness seemed to have returned to that deep and gentle sea, and I felt blissfully lightheaded.
If eternity truly existed, the kitten sincerely hoped this moment would be frozen in time.
Without anyone else to disturb her, she and her partner were inseparable, relying on each other for survival in every world.
The golden age didn't last forever.
Zhao Jiacheng barged in with bodyguards and developers, demanding that Chi Yan conduct the final test of the quick transmigration system.
"Without testing, you don't need to disclose any information about this project to the outside world."
Chi Yan picked up the cat on the table, its fur standing on end, and placed it on his lap, his voice indifferent.
"The company is holding a press conference in a few days. Bro, at least give me an explanation. Even if it's a failure, I need to see the results so I can finally give up."
Zhao Jiacheng pleaded.
However, the other party was as hard as iron, showing no sign of yielding. He stroked the kitten in his arms and turned his back.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiacheng gave a wink to the bodyguard behind him.
Two bodyguards restrained Chi Yan, limiting his movement even in his wheelchair: "Zhao Jiacheng, what are you doing?"
“I said we need to conduct a final project test,” Zhao Jiacheng sneered. “Why should you shut down the system just because you say so, or disband the lab just because you say so? And just because I say it works, does that mean it works?”
“Go,” he said to the developers behind him, “you know the key that Chi Yan set. Now start the system and conduct the final test.”
All the screens lit up, data bars scrolled, and the developers gritted their teeth and forced the system to start.
Another door opened, and the developer said to Zhao Jiacheng, "Boss, we don't have any consciousness entities that we can deploy."
Zhao Jiacheng glanced at the security guards who were bowing and scraping as they passed by, and said to the remaining bodyguards, "Bring him in."
Chi Yan pressed down on the restless kitten on his lap, his eyes fixed: "Zhao Jiacheng, what do you want to do!"
"Mr. Zhao, I'm just on patrol, Mr. Zhao. I don't want to be a guinea pig, Mr. Zhao—"
The bodyguard pressed the other person's hand to connect to the sensor area, and the shouting stopped abruptly.
The developer was overjoyed: "Boss, the test was a success!"
"Success? Are you sure?" Zhao Jiacheng quickly looked at the light screen. The test results showed that the consciousness could freely travel through the various planes they had deployed and successfully return to the real world.
The security guard snapped back to reality and collapsed to the ground in fright.
Zhao Jiacheng was in high spirits and looked at Chi Yan: "Is this what you call failure?"
"You're lying to me. You want to keep all the credit for yourself. Have you already contacted other people? What are their terms for you?"
The developer added, "Mr. Zhao, I checked the system's test records. There were indeed risks before, but now it seems to be much more stable."
"Why? What did he do?" Zhao Jiacheng asked.
“Mr. Chi… seems to have entered another dimension, and he even brought a cat with him.”
“A cat?” Zhao Jiacheng frowned, looking at Chi Yan and the kitten in his arms that kept hissing at him threateningly. “You must have found the core energy source that can stabilize the system, or you’ve always had it, but you’ve been deliberately hiding it from us.”
"Boss, after Mr. Chi entered the system, the integration between the energy core and the plane has significantly improved." The developers, their hands and eyes working non-stop, were amazed by this coincidence.
Could it be that... after searching for a solution for so long, it all came down to a cat?
“Go, take him and the cat inside and test them again,” Zhao Jiacheng said.
Just as the bodyguard was about to restrain Chi Yan, the kitten that had broken free from his arms scratched his hand hard. When another bodyguard tried to grab her, Chi Yan jumped up and scratched his eyes.
The tall bodyguard let out a scream, and Chi Yan's heart sank as he watched the little cat land on the ground and arch its back towards him.
"Chichi, come back!"
The kitten bravely bit the outstretched arm of the other party, but was violently thrown away and crashed heavily in front of the French window.
"idiot!"
Zhao Jiacheng: "Bring the cat over here, don't let her die!"
Chi Yan broke free from his restraints, fell off his wheelchair, climbed to the window, picked up the kitten, and said with a cold look in his eyes: "Zhao Jiacheng, you have quite the imagination. Let me tell you, this system requires a person, and it can only be used by sacrificing the consciousness of a person."
Upon hearing this, the developers dared not continue: "Boss, this..."
"Don't be fooled by him!" Zhao Jiacheng scolded.
"Besides, even if we need people, so what? There are countless people outside who are willing to dedicate themselves to science! Just tell those disabled people that they can move freely in another world and live under other identities, and see if they won't rush to sign up. So what if they can't come back? They are doing it voluntarily anyway."
"boss."
His bodyguard behind him spoke up timidly.
"Actually, I have a father who is in a vegetative state. Can I help him get a spot?"
This world has gone mad.
With such distorted thinking, human life is worthless, let alone an innocent kitten.
Chi Yan held a dying kitten in his arms, and in front of him stood a group of madmen in human skin. Zhao Jiacheng was insane, clearly willing to do anything to achieve his goal.
Before all the bodyguards could approach him, Chi Yan quickly calmed down and said to Zhao Jiacheng, "I admit that I hid the real core energy from you."
"I can help you, but I want to exchange terms with you."
"I knew it." Zhao Jiacheng was even more convinced that his guess was correct. "What conditions?"
"Sixty percent."
Zhao Jiacheng thought about it for a moment. Sixty percent was a bit too much, but Chi Yan was the main developer, so he still needed to cooperate with him to ensure the success of the project.
"Okay, I promise you."
Under the watchful eyes of the other party and a group of bodyguards, Chi Yan carried the kitten into the equipment room, connected the remaining consciousness of the other party to the sensing area, and pressed a button unknown to everyone.
[Core privileges transferred... Consciousness deployed... Capsule activated]
Chi Yan placed the kitten into the transparent capsule.
[System target binding in progress, confirming]
"Stop!" Zhao Jiacheng finally realized what Chi Yan was doing.
But it was too late. Chi Yan had taken over his consciousness and replaced the kitten that had been sent into the dimension, becoming the core of the system.
The system is locked.
No matter what the remaining people do, the system will be unable to access other targets. Without Chi Yan's core key, the system will remain locked indefinitely.
[Memory Lockdown Activated]
[Mission Objective: After completing all tasks, return to the real world.]
The kitten no longer needs to make sacrifices for him, or even remember them. Even with the selfish human thought of "it's for your own good," he hopes the other person will forget everything and fulfill their original wish.
In the void, Chi Yan watched the consciousness that was slow to enter the plane and selected its companions for this journey.
1221—The system program he set up himself has a personality that a kitten would like.
Add a touch of childishness that resonates with the kitten, ensuring the kitten doesn't feel cold during conversations.
The failed attempt succeeded, and he became the cornerstone for the other party, opening up a whole new world just for the kitten.
After completing the mission, travel to wherever you want to go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com