Chapter 207: Chapter 203: Brain in a Vat
Everything in the surroundings instantly dimmed, plunging into pitch darkness.
Yamaguchi Sora felt as if he were adrift in the cosmos. Before his eyes was a colossal black hole that consumed nearly his entire field of vision—boundless and immeasurably vast, yet its overall shape was somehow perceptible.
A sense of powerlessness and insignificance washed over him, like a triggered case of megalophobia. In that moment, Yamaguchi Sora felt as minuscule as a speck of dust, as if he had no value at all, capable only of prostrating himself in worship before the indescribable existence in front of him.
The Master of the Void. This is the Master of the Void!
For some reason, a name surfaced in his subconscious. Everything from the previous "dream" became clear—he was supposed to be a Disciple of the Master of the Void!
The letters and chemical formulas gradually materialized in the void before him, though they remained somewhat blurry. But Yamaguchi Sora already understood what they were.
This was one of the Truths belonging to the Master of the Void—the path for the Master of the Void to descend upon the mortal world and rule the entire Cosmos!
"I grant you... eternity!"
The indescribable voice, accompanied by a harsh static, echoed in Yamaguchi Sora’s mind. A jolt shot through him, followed by violent trembling as he fully absorbed the information.
But something about it all still felt strange, as if something were wrong...
’Is it the lingering effect of the nightmare?’
’Or was the nightmare just a sign that the Master of the Void was projecting its consciousness onto him?’
’But something else still seems off...’
’It’s like... the Master of the Void isn’t supposed to be like this...’
’Why, though...’
’Why...’
The surrounding space trembled violently, as if invisible ripples were spreading through the cosmos. In a place Yamaguchi Sora failed to notice, the edges of the Master of the Void’s black hole began to pixelate, and the effect was spreading.
In the Virtual Space, Shen Feng, who was continuously applying electrical stimuli to Yamaguchi Sora’s brain, hastily said to Jingwei:
"This isn’t working. His consciousness can’t seem to handle the stimulation. If we keep this up, I’m afraid his brain will collapse! And this texture you made is garbage. Why is it pixelating?! Have you recorded the virus’s chemical formula yet?"
Jingwei’s voice was also tinged with anxiety. While struggling to play the part of the Master of the Void, it replied:
"Brain-computer co-creation with virtual reality is a new technology. This isn’t just a Virtual Space we created; it incorporates his own brainwave responses to co-create the current Virtual World. In other words, his brain has become part of the drive, using his memories to complete this Virtual World. He naturally can’t hold out for long... That damn structural formula is too important in his memory. His subconscious is protecting that set of information. It’s still too blurry, I can’t see it clearly!"
Shen Feng said quickly:
"We can’t go on like this. Switch to the next scene immediately. Back to the Celestial Divine Biomedical Corporation office!"
The words had barely left his lips when the surrounding scene shifted, returning them to the office. Yamaguchi Sora was still sitting at his desk. He snapped his eyes open, looking dazed at first, then overjoyed.
’Just now... I seem to have obtained an extremely powerful ability, the Truth of the Void!’
Observing from the side, Shen Feng quickly submerged his consciousness into the role of Maruyama Mori, letting out a long sigh from the adjacent room. "Sigh..."
The volume of the sound was perfectly controlled. Any softer, and Yamaguchi Sora wouldn’t have heard it; any louder, and it would have seemed melodramatic.
It sounded as if Maruyama Mori were trying to muffle his voice, not wanting anyone else to hear.
Hearing the sigh from his good friend Maruyama Mori, Yamaguchi Sora stood up, a confident smile already on his face. He walked into the next room and asked the "Maruyama" who was slumped on the sofa with his head in his hands:
"Mori? What happened? Is the new drug development not going well? Or is there another funding gap?"
"Maruyama Mori" gave a bitter smile and said:
"Yamaguchi, you heard me... It’s nothing. I’m just useless... Not only is the new drug development struggling, but that loan we got from Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank is due next month, and our accounts are completely... Sigh..."
Yamaguchi Sora hesitated at first, his subconscious still nagging him that something was wrong. Then, his brow furrowed for a moment before he broke into a smile.
"Mori, don’t worry. I have something to show you. Once you see it, you’ll understand that all our current worries are nothing but illusions!"
As he spoke, he walked over to the desk, took out a pen and paper, and began to rapidly write down the chemical composition that had been imprinted on his brain, followed by the cultivation method and the viruses and fungi to be added as catalysts.
After finishing, Yamaguchi Sora looked it over once more before standing up and confidently handing the paper to his good friend.
"Maruyama Mori" raised his hand and grabbed a corner of the A4 paper, looking quite eager to take it.
Just then, Yamaguchi Sora was struck by that extremely strange feeling again. It was as if something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. For a moment, he tightened his grip on his side of the paper, not letting go.
"Maruyama Mori" tugged at the paper but found he couldn’t pull it free. He let go and smiled at Yamaguchi Sora.
"Yamaguchi, what’s so good that you can’t bear to part with it? If it’s not convenient, just forget it. I’ll figure something else out. It’s okay, brother. Don’t worry about it."
His eyes shone with a sincere light, and the smile on his face was so genuine, as if he were the best friend in the world.
Hearing this, Yamaguchi Sora felt a pang of shame. He shook his head, trying to banish the strange feeling from earlier, and let go of the paper, saying:
"It’s nothing, I just zoned out for a second. Of course I trust you. You’re my best friend in the whole world. This is the preparation method for a brand-new drug. It has an incredibly powerful ability—it can grant humanity eternity, eternal life!"
The instant he let go, "Maruyama Mori" lowered his head to look at the paper. A flash of greed flickered in his eyes, as if he were gazing upon a priceless treasure.
In just a few seconds, "Maruyama Mori" had clearly seen and recorded all the contents of the paper. He snapped his head up and stared at Yamaguchi Sora with a chilling gaze.
Yamaguchi Sora was stunned for a moment. Then, the feeling of unease in his heart grew stronger. He asked:
"Mori, what’s wrong?"
"’You trust me?’ Why did you infect me and turn me into your test subject? You have the Master of the Void’s protection, so you won’t get infected, but you pushed me into the deepest Abyss! I hate you! I hate you! Yamaguchi Sora! I HATE YOU!" As he spoke, the "Maruyama Mori" before him began to rot, pus and blood streaming from his eyes. He transformed into a wretched-looking zombie and reached out for Yamaguchi Sora!
Yamaguchi Sora was horrified by the scene. He turned and fled, yet he also felt that this was somehow to be expected.
When he ran out of the company building, he found the outside enveloped in a yellow fog, with zombies wandering aimlessly everywhere.
And in front of the building, it seemed, was the Tokyo Tower.
But now, the Tokyo Tower seemed to have become a sacrificial altar, hung with the groaning bodies of humans.
Blood trickled down the tower’s frame, forming a crimson lake that was dazzlingly bright.
"This is... This is..." Yamaguchi Sora trembled all over as many of his memories rapidly returned, as if a thick fog were being swiftly parted.
The entire world was trembling. The surroundings changed once again, this time to the epic battle between the zombie horde and the Gray Tide, a repeat of the scene from his "dream."
Immediately after, the scene shifted again. The entirety of Tokyo was now encased in a giant metal cocoon formed by the Gray Tide.
Yamaguchi Sora found himself on the back of a horde monster. He tore off his own arm, revealing the Bone-Breaking Sword within.
He had a sudden epiphany, finally remembering everything that had happened before. He roared at the giant metal face above the Gray Tide:
"Shen! You coward! What have you done to me!? I’m already dead, so why won’t you let my soul rest in peace! I want to go to the Master of the Void’s land of nothingness!"
He had already committed suicide by disembowelment and even beheaded himself. Why was he still here!?
"Why?" The giant metal face above the Gray Tide gave a grim smile and said:
"You have the fucking nerve to ask why? You killed so many people, and you still fucking feel wronged? Fuck your samurai spirit! You think you can die that easily? In your dreams!"
As it spoke, the surrounding scene began to rapidly crumble, revealing a sealed metal room.
It was impossible to tell where this room was. It was filled with life support equipment and something that looked like the "Other Shore" virtual reality device. At the same time, numerous Nanomechanical Robots were bustling about, adjusting the various machines.
’Where is this?’
Yamaguchi Sora looked around, trying to turn his head, but found he couldn’t move his body.
Just then, a nearby Nanomechanical Robot suddenly turned and brought a smooth metal mirror before Yamaguchi Sora.
Yamaguchi Sora immediately saw the reflection in the mirror clearly.
It was a sealed glass jar filled with nutrient fluid.
In the center of the fluid floated a bizarre brain. It was dark in color and twisted in shape, like a shriveled walnut, with a black hole in its center that resembled a black hole. Yet, it was still recognizably a human brain.
Countless tubes were connected to the brain, and various electrodes were attached to its gyri.
There were also two eyeballs floating in the nutrient fluid, connected to the brain by blood vessels and nerves.
Apparently, this brain could only see through these two eyeballs.
Yamaguchi Sora was stunned for a moment, and then, in an instant, he understood. This was his brain!
Or rather, this brain... was him now!
A brain in a vat!