Chapter 75
A joint laboratory was urgently constructed aboard the Dawn, bringing together the nine nations' top neuroscientists and psychic engineers. Xing Lan served as Chief Technical Officer, Dr. Anthony was responsible for the safety of the neural interface, and the psychic masters of the Celestial Nation provided theoretical support for the harmony of consciousness.
In the center of the laboratory sat a prototype of a "Consciousness Resonance Amplifier," constructed according to ancient blueprints. It resembled a strange tree interwoven with crystal and living metal, emitting a soft glow. Wen Ling sat at the base of the tree, at the primary link, with Miao Weizhen sitting next to him, designated as the "primary anchor."
"First low-intensity test begins."
Xinglan's voice came through the PA system, with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Wen Ling closed his eyes and felt a gentle stream of consciousness surge in like a warm current. Following his training, he tried to guide and amplify this force. At first, it went smoothly. He seemed to be able to sense the focused thoughts of every researcher in the lab, like stars in the night sky.
However, when he tried to connect with Miao Weizhen's consciousness at a deeper level, something strange happened!
Deep within Miao Weizhen's consciousness lay far more than the calm he appeared. Lurking there were deliberately forgotten traumas: the bloody memory of witnessing his parents' deaths at the hands of the Federation as a child; the dark years of struggling to survive in the slave market; the suffocating feeling of having to personally sign a compatriot's death warrant in order to obtain intelligence; and the deep remorse for having long been unable to protect his sister, Xinglan... These suppressed, sharp pains, like an iceberg hidden beneath the calm surface of the sea, were instantly detonated in the connection between consciousnesses!
"Well--!"
Wen Ling's eyes snapped open, his face turning pale as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The painful memories and negative emotions that didn't belong to him surged through the walls of his consciousness like a tsunami.
Almost at the same time, Miao Weizhen also let out a muffled groan. He felt the turbulent waves in Wen Ling's consciousness caused by the pain he endured. This automatically activated his own defense mechanism, and his mental strength subconsciously resisted and rebounded.
The prototype issued a shrill alarm and the energy readings fluctuated violently!
"Forcefully disconnect the link!" Xinglan gave the order decisively.
The connection was forcibly severed. Wen Ling fell backwards, exhausted, and was caught by Miao Weizhen, who stood up instantly.
Both of them were breathing slightly, their eyes filled with lingering fear.
"What's going on?" General Sai Yiguo asked in a deep voice through the observation window. He was worried about this "unstable" factor.
Xing Lan quickly analyzed the data, his expression grave. "It's subconscious trauma interference! Minister Miao's subconscious defenses are too strong, causing a violent conflict with His Highness Wen Ling's highly empathetic consciousness. This...this is theoretically unavoidable. Everyone has areas deep within their consciousness that they don't want to be touched."
This means that if even Miao Weizhen, who serves as the "primary anchor point", cannot establish a deep trust link with Wen Ling, then expanding the collective consciousness link to hundreds of millions of people is even more unrealistic.
The first test almost ended in failure.
The atmosphere in the conference room was even more depressing than before the test.
"A connection of consciousness requires absolute trust and openness," the psychic master of the Seli Kingdom said slowly, his tone filled with ancient wisdom. "If there is still a wall between the core and the anchor point, how can we guide the hearts of the people? This wall must be torn down."
How to dismantle it? Force Miao Weizhen to open up about his bloody past?
This was tantamount to torture for both of them.
Wen Ling looked at Miao Weizhen, who was silent beside him. His lips were tightly pursed, and his jawline was tense, a sign of his extreme resistance and the pain of memories. Wen Ling's heart ached. He knew better than anyone how cruel it was to let Miao Weizhen face the darkness.
"Perhaps we can try another approach," Wen Ling suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Instead of pursuing a complete fusion of consciousness, we can build a 'consensus network.' I'll serve as the core processor, receiving and integrating the initially filtered positive consciousness energy that represents a shared will, such as the energy of survival and protection, rather than the raw emotions and memories of all individuals."
This proposal is technically more complex, but may be able to bypass the deepest levels of personal privacy and psychological trauma.
Xing Lan's eyes lit up. "It's feasible! We can design a consciousness filter, but this requires the core guide—that is, His Highness Wen Ling—to possess even greater information processing capabilities and mental stability, to shoulder the immense pressure of integration alone."
The pressure shifted from the two parties in the connection to Wen Ling alone.
"No," Miao Weizhen objected firmly. He looked at Wen Ling, his dark brown eyes filled with unprecedented anxiety. "You can't bear it."
"This is the most feasible path at the moment." Wen Ling met his gaze, her eyes gentle but unquestionable, "Weizhen, let me try."
His trust, like a warm current, tried to melt Miao Weizhen's frozen defenses.
Miao Weizhen clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms. He looked at the determination in Wen Ling's eyes as she endured the pain for him, and saw his determination to take all the pressure on himself. For the first time, the high wall built by dark memories in his heart began to waver violently.
Is it for so-called "self-protection" that she continues to build a high wall, watching Wen Ling walk alone into the abyss that may crush her? Or is it for him that she bravely dissects her past, even if it means bloodshed?
He realized that the real test did not come from technology, but from the last barrier between them, which was built of fear and pain.
And the key to breaking this barrier is not elsewhere, but in his own hands.
The night after the test was terminated, Miao Weizhen locked himself in the training room.
The humming sound of ionized blades slicing through the air was the only outlet for his current state of mind. Each slash was filled with ferocity, as if to completely shatter the weak self that had lost control during the daytime connection to his consciousness.
The door to the training room slid open silently. Wen Ling stood at the door, not moving closer, but just looking at him quietly.
There was no questioning or urging in his eyes, only a bottomless tolerance like the ocean.
Miao Weizhen's movements slowed down and finally stopped.
Sweat dripped down his tense jawline. He had his back to Wen Ling, the lines of his shoulder blades clearly visible through his soaked combat uniform.
"Those aren't your fault."
Wen Ling's voice was soft, but it clearly penetrated the echoes in the training room.
Miao Weizhen turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with a scarlet glow and self-mockery.
"Isn't it? Who does it belong to? To the useless person who watched his parents die in front of him when he was ten years old and was powerless to do anything? Or to the beast who survived by biting his companions in the slave pile?"
He took a step closer, his voice suppressed and hoarse:
"Wen Ling, the 'Miao Weizhen' you see is built on these things. The trust and openness you desire? This is the price—to drag you into this filthy quagmire and infect you with this indelible stench."
Wen Ling did not retreat.
He even took a step forward and looked deeply into Miao Weizhen's violently turbulent eyes.
"A quagmire?"
Wen Ling's voice was unusually calm, yet filled with decisive force:
"But what I saw was a child in that quagmire, clinging tightly to the belief that he had to find his sister.
What I saw was a young man, covered in bruises but never truly kneeling down.
What I saw was a man, carrying all the infamy and sin, walking alone in the darkest night, just to win a dawn for his country and the people he loved.
With every word he spoke, Miao Weizhen's pupils contracted a little.
"Weizhen, you're mistaken." Wen Ling finally reached out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching Miao Weizhen's clenched, slightly trembling fist. "What I want to share is never your 'sin', but your 'pain'. Your past is the path you've walked, not a stain you need to hide from me. What I love is the complete you who has gone through all of this and still stands before me."
"Complete, me?" Miao Weizhen murmured again, as if he understood the meaning of the word for the first time.
The high wall he built collapsed at this moment not because of the impact, but because the people inside the wall finally believed in the warmth of the light outside the wall.
The taut string broke.
He didn't say anything, but instead gripped Wen Ling's hand tightly, squeezing it so hard it nearly crushed her knuckles. He looked deeply into Wen Ling's deep green eyes, filled with understanding, heartache, and unconditional love. He reflected himself clearly in them—no longer the monster who could only hide in the shadows, but a being who was fully accepted.
The next second, he suddenly pulled Wen Ling into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed him fiercely on the lips with an almost desperate piety and cathartic desire.
It wasn't a gentle kiss.
It's filled with so many complex emotions—
The long suppressed pain, the sudden release of vulnerability, the desperate trust, and the surging love that had been buried deep in his heart and finally broke through. His arms were like an iron hoop, tightly wrapped around Wen Ling's waist, as if to merge them into one, never to be separated.
After his initial surprise, Wen Ling didn't resist at all. He closed his eyes, enduring this heavy, scorching kiss, even responding awkwardly yet firmly. He tasted a salty taste, and couldn't tell if it was sweat or the wetness that finally slipped from Miao Weizhen's eyes, unable to bear it anymore.
This kiss is worth a thousand words. It is the most thorough confession and the most resolute answer.
It was unknown how long it was before Miao Weizhen slowly let go, resting his forehead against Wen Ling's. His breathing was still heavy, but the storm in his dark brown eyes had subsided, leaving only deep fatigue washed away by tears and unprecedented clarity.
"Okay." He only said this one word. His voice was hoarse, but it carried the relief of having been relieved of a heavy burden.
One word promised everything.
The next day, the lab.
When the two sat in the linking position again, an invisible, solid bond had been established.
Link started.
This time, there was no resistance, no ripples. When Wen Ling's consciousness reached out again, he encountered a silent, vast night sky, filled with tranquility and complete trust. Moonlight streamed down, light and darkness blending seamlessly into one. The prototype emitted a steady, lingering resonance, and on the data screen, all waveforms were perfectly synchronized.
The link ends. Miao Weizhen opens his eyes and meets Wen Ling's gaze. Their eyes hold a tacit understanding and peace that only they understand.
Xing Lan looked at the monitoring results and said excitedly, "Link stability... 98.7 percent. Far exceeding the theoretical optimal value."
The wall of my heart has collapsed, and the future is promising.
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