There's always a way.
The azalea cultivation base was more secluded than they had imagined. The navigation indicated they had arrived at their destination, but all they saw was a dense patch of azaleas, their bright red blossoms glaringly red in the setting sun, like bloodstains.
"Where is the entrance?" Du Siling looked around. The wound on his arm no longer hurt as the genetic connection deepened, but instead, he felt a strange numbness—as if that part of his body was becoming someone else's.
Han Beimo walked towards a particularly tall azalea in the center of the flowerbed, his fingers lightly tracing the trunk. Du Siling understood his intention without needing an explanation—this tree was a disguised entrance. Sure enough, Han Beimo pressed a few times on a certain spot on the trunk, and the ground immediately trembled slightly.
The flowerbed parted to reveal a downward spiral staircase. A scent mingled with preservatives and a certain floral fragrance wafted in the air, making Du Siling's temples throb. The smell stirred up some deeply buried fragments of memory—the glaring shadowless lamps, the cold metal countertop, and the woman's soft sobs.
"You've been here before," Han Beimo stated, his eyes flashing with the same echo of memory.
Du Siling nodded: "We were all brought here."
At the end of the stairs was a heavy metal door, covered with a complex array of biometric devices. Han Beimo placed his palm on the scanning area without hesitation, while simultaneously gesturing for Du Siling to do the same.
"It requires verification from both twins," Han Beimo explained, even though Du Siling already knew this information through the connection.
The door slid open silently, revealing a circular laboratory. In the center was a huge ring-shaped device, surrounded by various monitoring equipment. The walls were covered with displays and data charts, but the most eye-catching feature was the holographic projector facing the entrance—labeled "Linghua's Last Message."
The laboratory lights automatically turned on as they entered. Du Siling noticed two small incubation chambers in the corner, just the right size for an infant. The chambers were labeled "Alpha" and "Beta"—their first cages.
"Look at this." Han Beimo pointed to the control panel of the central circular device, which featured a dual-palmprint scanner. "We need to activate it together."
Du Siling didn't hesitate. The moment their hands touched the panel simultaneously, the entire laboratory suddenly came to life. The machines hummed, the holographic projector automatically activated, and Ling Hua's half-body image appeared in the center of the room.
She looked more haggard than in the photos, with deep dark circles under her eyes, but her gaze remained resolute.
"If you're seeing this, it means the worst has happened. Alpha and Beta, my children..." Her voice choked, "Please forgive us for bringing you into this world. The RH-0 gene was meant to create a perfect symbiotic relationship, but it was twisted into a weapon."
The holographic imagery shifts, displaying an animation of two perfectly complementary DNA strands: "You didn't make an experimental mistake; it was designed this way. The real solution isn't separation, but balance."
Du Siling and Han Beimo exchanged a puzzled look. Ling Hua's image continued to explain:
"The ring device can temporarily stabilize your genetic connections and prevent further fusion. But the long-term solution requires you to complete a resonance balancing ritual—this requires complete trust and acceptance, allowing the two systems to coexist harmoniously rather than devour each other."
The images flickered suddenly, and Ling Hua's expression turned anxious: "They're here. Remember, twins don't necessarily kill each other; they can also be—"
Before he could finish speaking, the holographic projection abruptly stopped. The laboratory lights turned a glaring red, and an alarm sounded. It wasn't coming from the laboratory itself, but from a danger warning transmitted through their connection.
"Yang Zhiming," Du Siling and Han Beimo said at the same time.
Han Beimo quickly checked the control panel: "We need to activate the ring device, now!"
The panel indicated that both twins needed to upload their consciousness simultaneously. Du Siling understood what this meant—their thoughts would be temporarily digitized to find a balance in virtual space. The risk was that if it failed, their consciousness might not be able to fully return to their bodies.
There was no time to hesitate. They each lay down in the compartments on either side of the device. As the transparent dome descended, Du Siling saw Han Beimo mouth to him: "Trust me."
The blinding blue light overwhelmed all senses.
——
Du Siling opened his eyes to find himself standing in a maze of fragmented memories. The walls were a series of flowing images, some clear and distinct, others blurry and indistinct. He saw the sunlight at the orphanage, the police academy training ground, the rainy day at his father's funeral... and memories that weren't his—a dark basement, a drunken man raising a belt, a gentle woman being pushed to the ground...
"Han Beimo?" Du Siling called out, his voice echoing strangely in the maze.
There was no response. He began to walk along the path, each step altering the memories around him. Some images convinced him he was on the right track—the image of two little boys chasing each other in the garden kept replaying in his mind.
As he rounded a corner, Du Siling suddenly saw himself—no, himself as seen from an external perspective—receiving medals at his police academy graduation ceremony. The memory was so vivid, yet he was certain he had never seen himself from this angle before.
"That's the problem," Han Beimo's voice came from behind.
Du Siling turned around and saw Han Beimo standing a few steps away, but his image was somewhat unstable, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. What was even stranger was that for a moment, Han Beimo's appearance became very similar to Du Siling's own.
"Our memories are merging," Han Beimo said, his voice tinged with barely concealed panic. "I can no longer distinguish which parts of your childhood are part of mine."
Du Siling suddenly understood the function of the ring-shaped device—it was a maze of consciousness, allowing them to find a balance point before merging. But the danger was obvious: if they stayed too long, they might never be able to distinguish each other again.
"Ling Hua mentioned resonance balance..." Du Siling pondered, "We need to find that perfectly complementary point."
Han Beimo nodded and reached out to touch a memory on the wall—an image of two babies holding hands in an incubation chamber. As his fingers touched the image, the entire maze trembled, the passageways rearranged, and a new path was revealed.
"This way." Han Beimo led the way.
As they ventured deeper into the maze, their states became increasingly unstable. Du Siling discovered that her hands would occasionally transform into Han Beimo's, and Han Beimo's voice would sometimes overlap with her own. Even more terrifying, they began to share thoughts—not through the connection of information, but by directly contemplating the same ideas.
At the center of the maze is a glowing ring, suspended in the air and slowly rotating. As the two approach, the ring splits into two halves, each drifting towards one of them.
"A balancing ritual," Du Siling said, though she wasn't sure how she knew.
Han Beimo reached out and grasped the half-ring that was floating towards him: "Perfect synchronization is required. Any hesitation will lead to..."
He didn't finish speaking, but Du Siling learned the consequences through the connection—the fusion of consciousnesses would be irreversible.
The two stood face to face, simultaneously reaching out to grasp the semi-circle. In an instant, a powerful flow of energy passed through their virtual bodies. Du Siling felt herself being dismantled and reassembled, every memory, every emotion laid bare on an invisible control panel. The most private thoughts, the deepest fears, the darkest desires—all were exposed without exception.
Pain. Shame. Anger. And then... understanding. Acceptance.
A connection that transcends language is established between them. Du Siling is no longer Du Siling, and Han Beimo is no longer Han Beimo, but they are not a mixture either. More like... two streams flowing into the same river, maintaining their independence while becoming a whole.
This state was both beautiful and terrifying. Du Siling felt all of Han Beimo's pain—every moment of being abused by his father, the despair of seeing his mother die before his eyes, and the loneliness of struggling to survive in the underworld. Han Beimo also bore Du Siling's burdens—the confusion of his father's death, the moral burden under the police badge, and the tearing apart of his identity during his undercover mission.
The deepest secrets were also revealed: Han Beimo had never killed an innocent person; Du Siling developed inappropriate feelings for her target during her undercover work.
Just as this state reached its peak, the maze suddenly trembled violently. An external consciousness forcefully intruded—sharp, angry, and twisted. Yang Zhiming.
"Found you, brothers." His voice echoed through the maze, tinged with a morbid pleasure. "Gamma has finally found his Alpha and Beta."
Memories not belonging to either of them surfaced on the maze walls—a younger version of Yang Zhiming and another boy were locked in a laboratory, enduring various cruel tests. That boy had eyes similar to Han Beimo's...
"My twin brother chose suicide rather than merging," Yang Zhiming's consciousness seeped into the labyrinth like venom. "But you...you will complete our unfinished experiment."
The maze began to collapse, its passages twisting and deforming. The connection between Du Siling and Han Beimo was forcibly disrupted, and their balance was in grave danger.
"It must be done now!" Han Beimo shouted, gripping the half-ring tightly.
Du Siling also gripped her half-ring tightly, and the two of them simultaneously took a step towards the center. When the half-rings touched, a dazzling white light burst forth, temporarily dispelling Yang Zhiming's interference.
In that moment of pure connection, a decision was made without words—Han Beimo would sacrifice himself to ensure Du Siling's survival. Du Siling sensed this thought and angrily refused, but Han Beimo had already taken action.
In the virtual world, Han Beimo abruptly shoved Du Siling aside and slammed his half-ring into the ground: "Go! The exit can only hold one person!"
A point of light appeared at the top of the maze, rapidly expanding into an exit. But Du Siling didn't leave; instead, she lunged at Han Beimo, grabbing his dissipating arm:
"No! Let's go together! Linghua meant 'symbiosis,' not sacrifice!"
Their argument unexpectedly generated a resonant frequency. The two semi-rings suddenly took flight on their own, perfectly merging into a complete circle in mid-air. The light emitted by the circle dispelled all external interference, including Yang Zhiming's consciousness.
"Balance..." Han Beimo suddenly realized, "It's not about one person adapting to another, but about mutual adjustment."
The ring slowly descended, encircling the two. A new balance was established—neither merging nor separating, but a harmonious coexistence. The maze walls rearranged, forming a straight path leading to the exit.
In the real world, the ring-shaped device emitted a loud completion sound. The hatch opened, and Du Siling and Han Beimo opened their eyes simultaneously. The two immediately checked each other—the scars on Du Siling's arm had faded considerably, and Han Beimo's old wounds no longer looked so gruesome. More importantly, the feeling of identity confusion had lessened.
"Did it work?" Du Siling asked breathlessly.
Han Beimo touched his temple: "Not completely fused. But the connection is still there, only... more organized."
Their celebration was abruptly interrupted by a loud bang. The laboratory door was blown open, and Yang Zhiming stormed in with a fully armed squad. But unlike before, the brand on the back of his neck now emitted an eerie blue light, and his eyes took on an unnatural golden hue.
"What a touching reunion," Yang Zhiming sneered, raising his gun to aim. "Too bad the third generation can never compare to the original, right?"
Du Siling and Han Beimo stood back to back, instinctively entering battle mode. Through their newly established balance connection, they could perfectly coordinate every movement, as if one person were controlling two bodies.
"You don't understand what you are." Yang Zhiming continued to approach, the golden light in his eyes growing brighter. "You are the key. The key to unlock the gate of super soldiers."
He suddenly bent over in pain, the light from the Γ brand becoming blinding. When he looked up again, his expression had completely changed—cold, mechanical, as if taken over by some kind of program.
"Command confirmed: Retrieve original sample." Yang Zhiming's voice now had a metallic quality. "Destroy the Beta if necessary, preserve the Alpha."
Du Siling and Han Beimo instantly understood—the Γ mark within Yang Zhiming's body was not just a label, but some kind of control device. He was no longer a person with free will, but merely a tool to carry out orders.
The squad opened fire simultaneously. Du Siling and Han Beimo dodged with incredible coordination, as if they had anticipated the trajectory of every bullet. Their counterattacks were also perfectly synchronized, one disrupting the other's vision while the other attacked weak points.
But Yang Zhiming displayed extraordinary abilities—he easily dodged Han Beimo's attack and sent Du Siling flying several meters with a backhand punch. The power of this strike far exceeded that of an ordinary human.
"You think you're the only ones with special genes?" Yang Zhiming sneered. "The Gamma series may be unstable, but its power is the sum of Alpha and Beta."
Du Siling got up from the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Through the connection, he sensed that Han Beimo was planning something—a suicide attack to create an opportunity for him to escape.
"No!" Du Siling sharply stopped him, "We're going together!"
Han Beimo hesitated. Just then, Yang Zhiming suddenly convulsed, the light of the Γ-mark flashing violently. He knelt on the ground, clutching his head in agony: "Get out...get out of my head!"
Taking advantage of the chaos, Du Siling and Han Beimo rushed towards the emergency exit on the other side of the laboratory. Yang Zhiming roared behind them, "You can't escape! They'll use satellites, DNA tracking... you'll never escape!"
They passed through a long tunnel and returned to the surface. Night had fallen, and the azaleas shone with an eerie purple hue in the moonlight. Without lingering, the two continued running deeper into the mountains.
They only stopped to catch their breath once they were certain they had shaken off their pursuers. Du Siling checked his physical condition—the balancing ritual seemed to have stabilized the genetic connection, but hadn't eliminated it. He could still sense Han Beimo's emotions and parts of his thoughts, but the fear of identity confusion was gone.
"What do we do next?" Du Siling asked, even though she already knew Han Beimo's thoughts through the connection.
Han Beimo gazed at the distant, rolling mountains: "We need to disappear. Completely rebuild our...system."
He took out the frozen serum—after the balancing ritual, it was no longer the only option, but it was still an important safety net.
"Together," Du Siling said firmly, grasping Han Beimo's wrist. "Not separation, not merging. Finding a third path."
Han Beimo gave a rare, genuine smile, no longer the cold, mocking one he usually wore: "Symbiosis."
Under the moonlight, two "twins" created by genetic engineering stand on a mountaintop, with the entire world hunting them behind them and an unknown future before them.
But at this moment, through that balanced connection, they felt a kind of peace for the first time—not loneliness, nor confusion, but the feeling of being two independent yet deeply connected beings.
In the distance, a drone silently streaked across the night sky, a reminder that their escape was far from over...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com