Chasing Husband
Rain lashed the car window, forming a blurry curtain. Si Qi gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring at the flashing red dot on the GPS—the coordinates of an abandoned industrial area on the outskirts of the city, a location Shao Wei had "dug" out of his memory.
"Are you sure it's here?" Si Qi asked for the umpteenth time.
Shao Wei, sitting in the passenger seat, closed his eyes and pressed his finger on his temples: "Turn left, there's a gray building in three hundred meters."
His voice was soft, yet filled with undeniable certainty. Ever since receiving that mysterious phone call, unfamiliar fragments of memory had been flashing through Shao Wei's mind, like a box suddenly opened after years of being locked. Most disturbingly, these memories included a young Si Qi.
Siqi turned as directed, his tires plunging through the puddles, sending up a cloud of mud. A dilapidated, three-story gray building gradually emerged from the rain. The windows were boarded up, withered vines crawled across the walls, and a rusty "Do Not Trespass" sign hung on the door.
This is it.
Si Qi turned off the engine and the two of them sat in the car, staring at the building in silence. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof was particularly loud in the confined space.
"How much do you remember?" Si Qi broke the silence.
Shao Wei opened his eyes, his icy blue pupils appearing even darker in the dim light. "Scattered images. A white room... lots of instruments... numbered children..." He paused, "There's you. About five or six years old."
Si Qi's stomach tightened. He'd experienced similar flashbacks, but he'd always thought they were childhood nightmares. If those were real memories...
"We weren't the only two in the experiment," Shao Wei suddenly said. "There were other children, too. But I can't remember how many there were."
The rain eased slightly, and the two decided to take action. Si Qi pulled a high-intensity flashlight and a crowbar from the trunk, while Shao Wei checked their cell phone signal—as expected, there was almost no coverage in the area.
The lock on the main door was rusted shut, but the wooden planks of the side door were loose. Si Qi used a crowbar to create a gap wide enough for one person to pass through. A damp, musty smell mixed with the scent of some chemical agent hit them in the face, causing both men to frown.
"Pheromone inhibitors," Shao Wei whispered, "After all these years, there are still some residues..."
The flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the dusty corridor. The paint on the wall peeled, revealing an eerie pale blue coating underneath. Paper and shards of glass littered the floor, making a teeth-grinding sound with every step.
"This way." Shao Wei turned to the right passage as if guided by some intuition.
At the end of the corridor was a metal door. The sign on it was already blurred, but the words "Observation Room" could still be made out. The door was not locked, and Si Qi pushed it open lightly.
The scene illuminated by the flashlight made both of them freeze at the same time.
In the center of the room was a large glass cabin, large enough to accommodate several children. Connected to the cabin were various tubes and wires, and surrounded by monitoring equipment and computer terminals. The walls were covered with yellowed papers, some containing data charts, others containing observations of the children's behavior.
The creepiest thing was that the inner wall of the glass cabin was covered with tiny scratches, and there were a few dark stains on the bottom, like... blood.
Si Qi's flashlight began to tremble. He suddenly felt a severe headache, and a rapidly switching picture flashed before his eyes:
Children in white straitjackets cried in the cabin... Adults in white coats recorded data... Needles pierced tiny arms...
"Siqi?" Shao Wei's voice came from far away.
Si Qi shook his head to dispel the illusion and found that Shao Wei had walked to the wall and was examining the yellowed papers. His movements suddenly stopped, his fingers suspended in mid-air, as if he had seen something incredible.
"What's wrong?" Si Qi walked over.
Shao Wei didn't answer, but gently peeled off a photo and handed it to him. It was a group photo of a dozen children, about five or six years old, lined up in two rows, wearing identical white clothes and numbered tags pinned to their chests. In the center of the front row stood two boys who stood out—one with stubbornly curled black hair and a rebellious look in his eyes; the other with smooth blond hair and a calm expression.
Even at a young age, Si Qi recognized himself and Shao Wei at a glance. They had "7" and "8" marked on their chests respectively.
"We really lived here together." Si Qi's voice was hoarse, "But why don't I remember it at all?"
Shao Wei's fingertips gently stroked Xiao Siqi's face in the photo: "Memory intervention. They must have used some method..." His words stopped abruptly, his body swayed violently, and he held on to the wall to avoid falling.
"Shao Wei!"
"It's okay...it's just..." Shao Wei's breathing became rapid. "When I came across the photo, I saw it again...more..."
His pupils were dilated and his eyes were blurry, clearly experiencing a strong memory flashback. Si Qi helped him sit on a dusty chair and waited anxiously for him to recover.
After a few minutes, Shao Wei's eyes refocused, but his expression had completely changed. "We're not the first group of experimental subjects. There were six children before... and they all failed."
"What does failure mean?"
Shao Wei's Adam's apple rolled. "Dead. Pheromone system collapse, organ failure." He pointed to a staff member in the corner of the photo. "Look at this person."
Si Qi got closer and saw a small man wearing thick glasses standing behind the children. Even after all these years, the sharp eyes behind the glasses were still clear and recognizable.
"Watchman?" Si Qi guessed.
Shao Wei nodded. "I remember... His name is Dr. Chen, a neuroscientist. He's in charge of memory encoding and... behavior modification."
The word sent a chill down Siqi's spine. He continued to look through other files and found a folder labeled "Twin Alpha Project: Phase 3." Inside were stacks of observation reports documenting the children's behavioral patterns and the results of paired tests.
Si Qi's hand suddenly stopped when he turned to a certain page. It was a pairing compatibility chart. The data in the "7 & 8" column far exceeded that of other combinations. Next to it was the words "Best Match" written with an asterisk.
"So they chose us," Siqi murmured, "designing us to be...a perfect match."
Shao Wei suddenly stood up and walked over to the filing cabinet at the other end of the room. His movements were strangely certain, as if his muscles still remembered the place. The bottom drawer was locked, but the dilapidated metal fell away with a firm pull.
There was only a folder inside with the word "Terminated" printed in red on the cover.
The two exchanged glances, and Si Qi opened the folder. Inside were several medical reports and a single photograph. The photo showed a blond boy who bore a passing resemblance to Shao Wei, though with a darker look in his eyes. He wore a badge with the number "9" pinned to his chest.
"Who is this?" Si Qi frowned.
Shao Wei's face turned pale: "I don't know...but..." His hand unconsciously touched his face, as if confirming the difference between him and the person in the photo.
The medical reports in the file indicate that Subject 9 developed severe pheromone disturbances and aggressive behavior at age seven, leading to his removal from the main experimental group. The final entry reads, "Processing of Sample 9 terminated. Memory encoding initiated, memory cleansing completed for all associated subjects."
"They killed him." Shao Wei's voice was as light as a feather. "They also wiped our memories of him..."
Si Qi wanted to say something, but suddenly heard footsteps outside. The two immediately became alert, Si Qi turned off the flashlight, and the room fell into darkness.
The footsteps stopped outside the door. A flashlight flashed through the crack of the door, followed by the sound of a key turning.
The metal door slowly opened, and a thin figure stood in the doorway, only visible in outline in the backlight. The person pressed a switch on the wall, and surprisingly, several lights on the ceiling came on - this place still had electricity.
In the blinding white light, Si Qi finally saw the man's face clearly—it was the scientist in the photo with thick glasses, only twenty years older. His hair was completely white, but his eyes were still as sharp as a knife.
"Welcome home, No. 7 and No. 8," Dr. Chen said with a smile. "Or should I say, Si Qi and Shao Wei? Those were the names we gave you later."
Si Qi instinctively stood in front of Shao Wei: "You are the watcher."
"Smart kid." Dr. Chen walked slowly into the room, his hands in the pockets of his white coat. "Although it's slower than I expected. I thought your 'chance encounter' three years ago would trigger the recovery of your memories."
Shao Wei walked out from behind Si Qi and said in a cold voice, "What kind of encounter?"
"Kyoto." Dr. Chen showed an exaggerated expression of surprise. "You don't really think that's a coincidence, do you? The whole reunion scene is carefully choreographed—the snow, the danger, the hero saving the beauty. It's cliché, but effective."
Si Qi's fists clenched until they crackled. One of the most precious memories in their lives was just a play directed by this madman?
"Why?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Why do you do this to us?"
Dr. Chen walked over to the glass chamber and lovingly stroked its surface. "For science, for evolution. The Alpha population is declining, and the fertility rate is decreasing year by year. We've proven that through gene editing and early conditioning, we can create Alpha pairs that transcend the laws of nature."
He turned to the two of them, his eyes flashing with enthusiasm. "You are our masterpiece. Perfectly compatible pheromone systems, complementary personality traits, and even..." He looked at Shao Wei meaningfully, "a design with a tendency towards self-sacrifice."
Shao Wei's body trembled slightly: "Those memories...were they implanted by you?"
"Mostly," Dr. Chen admitted, "especially the childhood part. But the development in adulthood... it really exceeded expectations." He tilted his head to observe the two of them, "especially the fact that you actually developed an emotional attachment. That wasn't part of the original plan."
Si Qi felt dizzy. If memories could be implanted and emotions could be engineered, then what was real between them?
Shao Wei seemed to understand Si Qi's thoughts. He suddenly grabbed Si Qi's hand and said, "Body temperature is real." Then he pressed Si Qi's hand against his chest and said, "So is the heartbeat."
This simple gesture was more powerful than any words. Si Qi took a deep breath and turned to Dr. Chen: "What do you want? Why are you showing up now?"
Dr. Chen's smile faded. "Because you are approaching a dangerous truth. The existence of Number 9 is a mistake, and his memory should be completely erased."
"You killed him." Shao Wei said coldly.
"He shouldn't have existed in the first place!" Dr. Chen suddenly became excited. "A test subject out of control will ruin the entire project!" He took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Listen, I'm here to warn you. Stop investigating and go back to your happy lives. Otherwise..."
"What else?" Si Qi asked provocatively.
Dr. Chen pulled a small electronic device from his pocket and pressed a button. The next second, Shao Wei suddenly screamed and fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands, as if in great pain.
"Commissioner Shao!" Si Qi immediately supported him and glared at Dr. Chen, "What did you do to him?"
"A safety measure." Dr. Chen shook the device in his hand. "A microcontroller has been implanted in each subject's brain. It was originally intended to prevent escape, but I didn't expect it to be useful now."
Shao Wei's pain seemed to ease somewhat, but his breathing remained rapid. Si Qi could sense his pheromones spiraling out of control, the scent of cedar becoming sharp and aggressive.
"What do you want?" Si Qi asked again, his voice low and dangerous.
"It's simple," Dr. Chen said. "First, cease investigating No. 9 and related memories. Second, provide your physical data and pheromone samples regularly. In exchange, I will not initiate the termination procedure."
"Terminate the program?"
Dr. Chen gave a cruel smile. "That's exactly what it says. The chip in your brain is directly connected to the pheromone gland. One signal, and boom—" he gestured with an explosion. "The gland self-destructs, taking most of the autonomic nervous system with it."
Si Qi felt a chill run down his spine. This was why Shao Wei had suddenly gotten a headache, why they could sense each other's location and emotions—it all had to do with those damn chips.
"Think about it." Dr. Chen walked towards the door. "I'll give you 48 hours. Don't even think about removing the chip surgically. Any attempt will trigger self-destruction." He paused at the door and added, "By the way, it's best not to delve into the matter of No. 9. Some truths... are better left unsaid."
The door closed, and the footsteps faded away. Only the heavy breathing of the two people remained in the room.
Si Qi helped Shao Wei sit on a chair and checked his condition. Shao Wei's pupils were still dilated and his pheromones were fluctuating violently, but he was conscious.
"We have to leave here." Si Qi said, "Go back first and then think of a way-"
Before he could finish his words, Shao Wei suddenly grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall. Si Qi's head slammed against the hard surface, and his vision went black. Even more shocking was the unfamiliar, beast-like light flashing in Shao Wei's eyes.
"Shao Wei? It's me—"
Shao Wei responded with a low growl, pure Alpha attack instinct. His pheromones swept in like a blizzard, brimming with aggression and territoriality. Si Qi instinctively released his own pheromones in retaliation, a fierce clash of sandalwood and cedar in the air.
This is not an ordinary dispute, but the most primitive Alpha confrontation, a fight at the pheromone level.
Si Qi tried to control the situation, but Shao Wei had already pounced on him. The two men fell heavily to the ground, rolling and wrestling. Concerned about Shao Wei's body, which had just undergone surgery, Si Qi didn't dare to fight back with all his strength, and he was quickly at a disadvantage. Shao Wei straddled him, his fingers pinching his throat, his eyes devoid of any rationality.
"Commissioner Shao... stop..." Si Qi squeezed out these words with difficulty, and his vision began to go dark.
Just when his consciousness was about to fade, Si Qi made a desperate decision - he stopped all resistance, completely relaxed his body, and exposed the most vulnerable gland part to Shao Wei.
"It's me..." he rasped, "your...matched..."
A miracle happened. Shao Wei's fingers loosened, and the frenzy in his eyes gradually faded. He looked down at Si Qi, his expression changing from fury to confusion, and finally to deep fear.
"Siqi...?" His voice was trembling. "I just... couldn't control myself..."
Si Qi sat up and hugged the still trembling Shao Wei into his arms: "Chip. That bastard must have activated some program."
Shao Wei's body stiffened for a moment, then suddenly collapsed. This usually calm and self-controlled Alpha trembled like a fallen leaf in Si Qi's arms, his fingers tightly grasping Si Qi's clothes.
"If even my anger isn't my own..." His voice broke, "What am I then?"
Siqi held his face in his hands and rested his forehead against his: "Breathe. Look at me. At this moment, the choice is yours - trust me, or push me away."
Shao Wei's blue eyes stared straight at him, the pain and confusion clearly visible in them. After a few seconds of silence, he made a small movement—leaning forward and resting his forehead on Si Qi's shoulder.
This simple choice seemed to exhaust all his strength. Si Qi hugged him tightly, feeling their two hearts beating at different rhythms, then slowly synchronizing.
"Let's go home." Si Qi said softly, "and then find a way to get rid of those chips."
Shao Wei nodded slightly. As they separated, Si Qi noticed that the photo of Number 9 was missing from the floor. Someone had taken it while they were fighting.
The rain began to fall again. As the two left the abandoned laboratory, Siqi had a strange feeling—they had taken away more questions than answers, and the biggest mystery had only just been revealed.
Who is Number 9, the one who bears a striking resemblance to Commissioner Shao? Why is Dr. Chen so afraid of them investigating this? More importantly, how much of their "independent choices" can the chips in their brains truly control?
In the car on the way back, Shao Wei leaned against the window, and the rain meandered down the glass like transparent scars.
"Whatever they devise," he said suddenly, still looking out the window, "one thing I know for sure is true."
"What?" Si Qi asked.
Shao Wei turned his head, the rain casting flowing shadows on his pale face: "If I have to forget everything, I hope to at least remember you."
These words stabbed Si Qi's heart like a blunt knife. He reached out and grasped Shao Wei's cold fingers, silently promising: no matter what, they would face it together.
As the car drove towards the city in the rain, the outline of the abandoned laboratory gradually blurred in the rearview mirror, but something had changed forever.
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