Shafley read his reply once before putting the phone down.

Several hours had passed since Chen Ci's questioning. Chen Nian had not woken up yet. He was so immersed in madness and pain that he didn't even bother to read the news.

I hope his late reply did not delay Chen Ci's work.

Chen Nian's identity could no longer be hidden, and it was only a matter of time before Bai Ta came looking for him. From the beginning, they speculated that Chen Nian might have the same talent as Chen Ci. Perhaps Bai Ta would also take Chen Nian over for blood extraction.

With the Ashes leak in Sanshui, more vaccines are definitely needed to avoid possible infections.

So Shafley added: "If necessary, I will tell Chen Nian about Ashes. It will be better for him to hear the news from others, which will be more difficult for him to accept."

Chen Ci did not respond for the time being. It was night time in Sanshui now, so maybe he was resting.

Shafley checked the secret program on the terminal. The program was written by him personally and was connected to the chip implanted in Chen Ci's shoulder. It could obtain relevant data of Chen Ci's body to ensure that he could be rescued when he was in danger.

Sure enough, Shafley saw that the data suddenly peaked yesterday, instantly exceeding the safety range he had set previously, and the time point was exactly when Chen Nian was injured.

The magical telepathy between the twins affected Chen Ci, who was only three years old, and he even fainted from the severe pain.

For Chen Ci, the place where Chen Nian was injured was exactly where his heart was.

However, at that time he was in a hurry to get ashore with Chen Nian, and did not care about the warning sent by the terminal.

A strong sense of guilt once again surged into Shafley's heart. Not only did he fail to protect Chen Nian, he also caused Chen Ci to suffer.

In the hours that followed, Chen Ci's data remained high, and at one point reached an unprecedented peak, with all indicators almost exceeding the limits of the human body.

Fortunately, the data subsequently gradually stabilized and remained at a normal level.

What happened to Chen Ci at that moment? Was it when he killed Donald?

Shafley is still unclear about it, but fortunately Chen Ci's situation has turned out well, otherwise he would have felt guilty for his negligence for the rest of his life.

Shafley sat in the nursing chair beside the bed, holding Chen Nian's hand tightly. The situation finally returned to normal, and only then did he feel an unignorable fatigue.

Alpha hadn't slept for a whole day and night, and his mind and emotions were greatly exhausted.

There will definitely be all kinds of situations that will be overwhelming in the future, and he needs to recuperate a little. Chen Nian's identity is about to be exposed, and facing the White Tower, he is the only support for the young man.

Shafla closed his eyes, and almost the moment his body relaxed, he leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.

Chen Nian was awakened by the pain.

Perhaps the effect of the painkiller injection had almost worn off, and the pain in my chest went straight into my brain with every breath.

He woke up with a grin on his face, turned his head in pain, and saw Shaflay sleeping on the side of the bed.

Alpha was still sitting in the accompanying chair, with his arms resting on the edge of the bed and his platinum head resting on them.

Shafulai wanted to hold Chen Nian's hand, but was afraid that he would feel cold, so he only pinched a small part of his fingertips that were exposed outside the quilt, as if he was afraid that if he let go, Chen Nian would disappear from his side.

Shaflay was a tall man, and he remained in a prone position, which was quite uncomfortable just to look at.

Chen Nian knew that Shafulai must have endured it for a long time, so he didn't want to wake him up and endured the pain silently. Fortunately, it was not the kind that he could not bear.

Now that he was alone and calm, he could finally think about more issues.

The little alien in the game has blue eyes on his belly, and in the sea, he is surrounded by blue eyes on the bodies of fish, and the same symbol is seen on the heads of attacking monsters.

Then it was a dream.

The monster seemed to be gentler than in reality. It no longer had the terrifying metal spikes covering its mechanical parts, and the eyes on its head were also golden.

Obviously, at that time it was taking care of itself and Chen Si.

But in the end, it was as if invaded and dyed with crystal blue.

Chen Nian always felt that the scene in his dream was his memory from his fetal period, otherwise how could he dream of such a scene for no reason?

If true, it means that the monster's stance has actually changed dramatically, from taking care of him to trying every possible means to kill him.

As for the reason, it is likely related to the color-changing eyes. The military has successfully captured the monster, so perhaps they can get more clues from it.

Chen Nian took a deep breath and then let out a long exhale. He controlled the whole process at a very slow speed because if it was faster, his wound would be more painful.

Chen Nian seldom got sick since he was a child. Although Uncle Jiang was in poor health, he took extra good care of him. At most, Chen Nian would get some minor bumps and bruises because of being naughty, where Uncle Jiang couldn't see.

So this kind of pain was the first time for Chen Nian.

The call bell was right at hand. Just pressing it would send medical personnel to help him relieve the situation, but this would inevitably wake up the sleeping Shafley.

Chen Nian didn’t know how long Alpha had slept, but he probably hadn’t had a good rest for a long time. Chen Nian felt sorry for Shafulai and wanted him to sleep a little longer.

It's really boring to lie there without being able to move.

Chen Nian even fell asleep again amidst the pain.

When he woke up again, Chen Nian was extremely hungry.

The chest pain had subsided a lot, and it seemed that someone had given him a painkiller injection.

Chen Nian looked to the side and saw Shafulai, who had been sleeping beside him, standing by the window, talking to someone in a low voice.

Chen Nian did not make a sound to interrupt. He listened quietly for a while and realized that the person on the other end of the line should be the emperor. They were talking about something like "blocking and handling".

Should he deal with the waters where he was attacked, or somewhere else?

Shafley's voice sounded particularly serious. It must be a very troublesome matter. Did he even mention Chen Ci?

Shafley finally hummed a few times and hung up the phone. He turned around and found that Chen Nian had woken up and was a little surprised.

Alpha hurried to the bedside, leaned over and asked in a low voice: "Do you want some water? Are you a little hungry?"

Chen Nian nodded and said honestly, "I'm hungry."

Shafulai immediately took out the prepared food from the thermal cabinet nearby. The meat porridge cooked by Chef Yu was most suitable for Chen Nian's current condition. It was nutritious and easy to digest.

Shafley picked up a spoon, sat on the edge of the bed, and placed a towel on Chen Nian's chest to prevent the hospital gown from getting dirty.

For a moment, Chen Nian felt like he was back in his childhood, having to use a bib to feed his child.

Shafulai scooped a spoonful of fresh meat porridge, brought it to his lips and touched it lightly, making sure it was the right temperature before bringing it to Chen Nian's mouth.

Chen Nian opened his mouth and took it in. The moment the meat porridge touched his lips and teeth, the fragrance spread. It had the most original taste of rice and meat, with a hint of wood sorrel and cinnamon, but it was not greasy and flowed smoothly over the tongue.

When you are hungry, even ordinary food is delicious, not to mention that this is a nutritious meal carefully prepared by Chef Yu.

Chen Nian swallowed the porridge with tears in his eyes. He didn't even bother to ask any questions and opened his mouth again impatiently.

After being fed more than ten spoonfuls of warm porridge, Chen Nian's hunger was relieved. He then asked contentedly, "Were you talking on the phone with His Majesty just now?"

"Yes." Shafley put the spoon to his lips. "Open your mouth."

Chen Nian: "I heard you guys mentioned Chen Ci and the blockade. Is there something wrong with my brother?"

Shafley: "He killed Donald. We have to help him seal off the scene. After all, Donald is also a well-known figure in Cinnabar. If the news leaks out, it will be a bit troublesome."

Chen Nian uttered an "oh", drank another mouthful of porridge, and asked, "Is that really all?"

Shafulai was silent, and just this moment of hesitation made Chen Nian certain that he was hiding something from her.

He stared at Shaflay steadily, and his amber eyes reflected the depression between Alpha's brows.

"Chen Nian." After a long while, Shafley finally said softly, "If there is something that requires you to make some sacrifices, but it can save tens of millions of lives, are you willing to do it?"

Chen Nian did not answer directly: "What kind of sacrifice?"

Schaffray: "You suffer some pain regularly every month, you are protected in the safest place, but you lose your freedom."

Chen Nian reacted instantly: "Are you talking about my brother? No, you are asking me, which means that my brother and I are actually the same?"

"So his monthly physical examination is not just a simple checkup, right? When he came back to the villa that day, he looked very bad. What did he do?"

"We need Chen Ci's blood." Shafley took a deep breath and finally made up his mind at this moment to confess to Chen Nian, even though he had not received a reply from Chen Ci yet.

But Shafla felt that the situation had reached a point where everyone needed to face it together. Now that Chen Nian had just escaped from danger, he had the right to know the whole truth.

Shafley: "Do you know Ashes?"

"What?"

"You may be more familiar with it by its other name, dust disease."

Chen Nian was stunned for a moment, he knew this.

Dust disease is an epidemic that suddenly appeared about fifteen or sixteen years ago. The infected people will be parasitized by purple crystals. They first enter the body, slowly grow by attaching to the internal organs, and then break through the human body from the inside out until the host's body is completely sucked out.

The dust disease raged for nearly three years, claiming the lives of millions.

Fortunately, the vaccine was successfully developed and all humans were vaccinated as quickly as possible. The epidemic was effectively controlled and gradually faded from the public's view as time passed.

When the vaccine was developed, Chen Nian was still young, maybe only six or seven years old. People of his generation basically have little impression of the epidemic.

Vaccines, every month, blood.

Chen Nian's eyes suddenly widened. If he hadn't been injured, he would have jumped up in shock: "You used my brother's blood to make a vaccine!"

Shafley nodded: "Yes, Chen Ci has saved tens of millions of people in the past twelve years. He is a hero for all mankind."

Chen Nian was shocked beyond words. Even though he had already guessed that Bai Ta had kept Chen Ci under house arrest because he wanted to use him for biochemical experiments, when the truth was laid out so starkly in front of him, he still found it hard to accept it for a while.

No wonder Chen Ci has lived in the White Tower since he was a child, no wonder he has to establish an engagement with Shafla, no wonder he needs to have a physical examination every month, no wonder he longs for freedom so much.

After the two brothers recognized each other, they would take a week off each time they switched roles to restore their original identities, because Chen Ci needed to have blood drawn regularly to make vaccines.

From beginning to end, Chen Ci never mentioned it to him. Even though he asked him about it several times, his brother always told him in the calmest and most normal manner that it was just an unimportant matter.

It turns out that he has always been protected by everyone in the safest place.

Chen Nian opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

He thought that everyone was on the same front and needed to share all information, but he was kept in the dark. He should have been angry.

But Chen Nian could understand why Shafley and Chen Ci chose to remain silent: out of a desire to protect him and also out of some sense of guilt.

They felt guilty about having lived in the underground city since they were young and growing up in such a chaotic environment, so they wanted to protect him better and prevent him from facing too much cruelty.

Chen Nian simply couldn't bear to be angry with Chen Ci, especially when he thought about how it was his brother who had been imprisoned in the White Tower at the cost of his freedom who had to bear such a heavy responsibility. He couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I'm not as fragile as you think."

"This was Chen Ci's idea." Shafley said softly, "Remember the purple glowing object you saw under the table in the Marshal's former residence? In fact, the test results have already come out. It is a metabolite of Ashes. Only people who have been infected with it can see it."

Chen Nian gasped for air instantly, and his chest ached, but he ignored it: "Then you touched it with your hand! Isn't it——"

Shafley shook his head: "It doesn't matter, I've been vaccinated, and the barrier effect of the vaccine is very good."

"So, it is because Chen Ci and I have the same talent that we can see that purple."

Chen Nian was filled with mixed emotions: "Father must have known this, so he used Ashes as a mark, hoping that one day in the future, my two brothers would be able to find what he had hidden."

Shafley hummed: "That should be the case."

It took Chen Nian several minutes to digest it. In fact, he had expected this and was able to accept the truth. It was just... a little heavier than he had expected.

Use your own sacrifice to exchange for more lives.

This is a very typical trolley problem. Most people would definitely choose to sacrifice that one person without hesitation. After all, compared with tens of millions of people, one person, no matter how outstanding his achievements are, cannot compare with more lives.

But when the person to be sacrificed becomes his relative, or even himself, Chen Nian can no longer think with absolute rationality.

Fortunately, fortunately, the only sacrifice they need to make is some blood and freedom provided periodically.

Chen Nian took a deep breath and said to Shaflay, "Tell me more about Ashes. I know too little and I haven't studied it before."

Schafflet skips all the nonsense and gets straight to the point:

"It is a parasitic mineral crystal. No one knows where Ashes came from. It appeared three years after the collapse of Moonlight. After tracing its origin, we found that Ashes first appeared in the sea near Moonlight, and was carried to the nearest Sanshui by the ocean current, and then spread rapidly."

"The mortality rate of Ashes infection is 100%. In the early stages, Ashes will attach to internal organs, absorb nutrients from the human body, and grow from the inside until they pierce the body and seek to spread to a wider area."

"Chen Ci and I were born shortly after the Moonlight Collapse, and the Ashes spread three years after we were born. Chen Ci's and my blood can serve as a vaccine."

Chen Nian paused. In fact, if he sorted out the time, the situation would be very clear: "The existence of the vaccine should be later than the epidemic, which means that Ashes actually existed a long time ago, but it has been locked inside the moonlight... Do you think the collapse of the moonlight is related to it?"

Shafley nodded. "I've been thinking about this question, too. Besides, after the collapse, Moonlight has actually been in contact with the beacon outside. The last message it sent was nine years ago."

Chen Nian: “What are the specific contents?”

Shafley: "Those are top secret documents. I guess only the beacon itself knows them."

All clues point to the moonlight.

"So, if we want to know more, we have to go there in person. It seems that my brother's initial goal is the right one."

Chen Nian sighed: "It's a pity that I'm injured now, otherwise we can set out immediately and meet up with my brother in Sanshui and go there together."

"Take good care of yourself, don't think too much, the most important thing is to take good care of your body."

Shaflay soothed him, "We can take care of other things during this time. My father said that the monster has been moved to a deep cell and research and investigation will begin immediately. I'd better go there and take a look at the situation."

"Then go quickly," Chen Nian urged, "and see if you can get as many clues as possible."

Shafley: "I'm worried about you being here alone."

Chen Nian: "Just call more people to guard it. It's impossible that all of us have been infiltrated and want to kill me, right?"

Under Chen Nian's persuasion, Shafulai decided to go. If he moved quickly, it wouldn't take too long.

Shaflay called in a royal guard of more than 20 people to guard inside and outside the ward, and even the windows were locked tightly to ensure that not even a mosquito could get in.

At the same time, he connected the ward's intelligent control system to his own terminal to ensure that he could see Chen Nian's condition at any time.

After confirming that everything was correct, Shafulai leaned over and kissed Chen Nian on the forehead before quickly leaving.

Monsters are imprisoned in the deep cell, which is located in the simulated soil layer on the top. It is jointly managed by the military and the research institute and is used to complete some secret research that requires special approval.

When Shafla arrived, soldiers and researchers armed with live ammunition were waiting in the corridor. When they saw the eldest prince coming, they saluted him respectfully.

"What's the situation?" Shafley took the bulletproof vest from the officer, put it on, and picked up a submachine gun to arm himself.

"A strong sedative has been injected, so the struggle is not as intense anymore, but there is still a certain degree of danger."

The lead researcher said, "Your Highness, do you really have to go and see it now? We just captured it, and now is not the best time to observe it."

"I want to know the general situation. After all, it attacked my princess." Shafulai said calmly, "It shouldn't be too dangerous if I just take a quick look."

The researcher nodded and agreed: "Okay, Your Highness, please follow me."

Shafley followed the researchers and brought a team of well-trained soldiers.

They passed through several heavy doors, underwent full body disinfection and testing, and finally arrived at the place where the monsters were imprisoned.

At just one glance, Shafley was sure that this cell had been specially prepared long ago.

A 5x5 square pool was dug in the center of the cell, and a transparent protective cover made of special materials formed a solid cage.

The monster floated face down in the water, half dead, and the powerful sedative had made it comatose.

This was the first time that Shafley saw so clearly the monster described by Jiang Dai. When Chen Nian was attacked, he actually couldn't see it very clearly.

Its body is gray-black, as if covered with the afterglow of burnt protein, but it is relatively smooth overall. There are a few scales on both sides of its back, and the shape of the bones at its shoulders is also different from that of humans.

The two heads do not originate from the same point, but are distributed side by side on the left and right shoulders. Its arms are more like tentacles, bent due to the lack of bones, and covered with dense metal spikes. The part below the waist is submerged in water and cannot be accurately observed for the time being.

The monster was floating face down, and from Shaflay's angle he couldn't make out the blue eyes on its head.

Along with the anger, there was also a kind of unspeakable fear, which was the instinctive reaction of human beings to unknown creatures. Shafley held the gun tightly in his hand and treated all possible situations with caution.

In the monitoring room separated by a wall, many researchers were watching the monster's movements through instruments.

The sedative they injected into the monster was enough to knock out a blue whale, but it was better to be cautious, just in case.

Shafley took two steps forward, trying to see if the blue eyes were still on its head.

If the scene Chen Nian dreamed about while in a coma was his true memory, the color of his eyes might have a different meaning.

Shaflay gradually approached the transparent protective layer.

Just as he stopped and wanted to take a closer look, the monster that had been lying silently in the water suddenly raised its head and rushed towards Shafulai!

This was clearly a ferocious blow with all its accumulated strength. The protective shield made a sound of being unable to bear the heavy weight under the violent impact and turned into a translucent dark color due to energy overload. It only lasted for three short seconds before it shattered with a loud bang!

"Your Highness!"

With a panicked cry, Shaflai took a step back and raised the submachine gun in his hand. His mental strength, which had been prepared for a long time, suddenly gathered -

Everything in front of her eyes seemed to slow down. The cold metallic spikes, the upright blue eyes on the head, the split mouth on the neck and the several tongues sticking out greedily were all clearly reflected in her violet eyes.

Raise your gun and shoot.

Bang--!

Alpha calculated the monster's movement trajectory in an instant, and the first bullet hit the center of its head.

That blue eye was not actually an organ that any living creature would have, but a pattern made up of lines. Some kind of liquid was flowing in the lines, carrying tiny, crystal-clear spots of light that made it appear blue.

After Shafuli, countless bullets poured onto the monster. Its momentum was blocked almost instantly. Blue blood spurted out wildly. The monster's head and chest were beaten to pieces. It fell to the ground screaming and rolling in pain.

The blue blood quickly spread into a large pool. After more than a minute, the monster's howling became smaller and smaller, and finally it fell face down on the ground powerlessly, motionless.

Someone with a gun in hand tried to come forward to check the situation, but Shafley immediately raised his hand to tell him not to come closer.

Although we are in different places, what is happening in front of us is so familiar.

Just as he raised his hand, the monster's back suddenly cracked, and a long blue creature like an eel emerged from its spine and rushed straight towards Shafley!

"Protect His Highness!"

Shafulai, who was well prepared, took a step back suddenly. Just when the nervous people were about to fight back, an elliptical cover dropped from the sky and instantly pinned the alien in the air to the ground!

The soldier with the fastest reaction had already completed the shooting. The bullet originally aimed at the alien hit the cover with a "bang" and was bounced to the side without even a tiny crack appearing.

What is——?!

Everyone was stunned for a moment. From their tense and shocked reactions, it could be seen that no one had expected such a situation to happen.

Whether it's the alien that emerges from the monster's back, or the containment chamber that suddenly captures it at the critical moment.

These were all unexpected changes that went beyond our plan.

This series of events happened in just a dozen seconds. As the person who faced everything, Shaflay stared closely at the alien in the containment chamber that was constantly jumping and struggling to escape.

A slender eel-like body that was entirely blue in color emerged from behind the monster's corpse, with a clear target in mind, as it rushed straight towards him.

Shafla knew that if they failed to stop it, the thing would pass through his mouth and into his body.

That was the accident that Chen Nian encountered in Afanasy's base a few days ago.

The game was once again reflected in reality, but it did not appear next to Chen Ci as they imagined, but fell on his head.

If Chen Nian had not come into contact with the fetus in the game and been attacked by the alien, what would have happened now? He would have been caught off guard and perhaps swallowed by the monster.

One thing is certain, the aliens in real life are not like in the game, where they simply stay quietly in the character's belly and draw pictures on it.

Shafley took a deep breath, and the researcher beside him finally reacted. He trembled and asked hurriedly: "Your Highness! How are you?!"

"I'm fine."

Shafla looked up. It was obvious that there were many mechanisms hidden under the high ceiling of this special cell.

He handed the submachine gun to the soldier, took out a wet tissue from his pocket and wiped the remaining traces of gunpowder from his fingers.

Shafla knew that at this moment, countless eyes were watching everything that happened in this deep prison.

Those cameras flashing red and in operation are Cinnabar's omnipresent eyes.