16:55
The archive room is dimly lit, with the blue glow of the computer screen as the only light source.
I stare at the "Final Report" on the screen, my finger gently tracing the last line:
"Experiment successful. We found a way to keep people true in extreme conditions. But the cost is great."
Qi Si whispers behind me, "What's the cost?"
Shen Yan is silent, his eyes deep.
I take a deep breath and keep scrolling down.
The last page of the report is a photo: a massive ice-encased lab, with a transparent glass jar in the center, inside which a figure floats.
"What is this?" Qi Si asks.
I look at the photo, a chill running down my spine.
"This is the core of the experiment," Shen Yan says.
"The core is what?" I ask.
"Memory," Shen Yan replies.
"Memory?" I'm stunned.
"Yes," Shen Yan continues, "Lin Yi discovered that memory is the most vulnerable part of human nature. In extreme conditions, people give up their memories to survive. But memory is also the most real part of human nature. He found a way to keep people true even as they lose their memories."
17:05
I look at the photo, thinking:
"Memory..."
Qi Si steps beside me and whispers, "What does this mean?"
"It means," I reply, "we might have already lost our memories."
Shen Yan looks up, his eyes resolute: "But we can find them again."
"How?" Qi Si asks.
Shen Yan points to the glass jar in the photo: "We need to find that jar."
"Where is the jar?" I ask.
"Under the ice," Shen Yan replies.
"Under the ice?" I'm stunned.
"Yes," Shen Yan says, "in the lab beneath the ice."
17:15
We leave the archive room and follow the corridor back to the lab.
Shen Yan opens a hidden mechanism, and the floor slowly opens to reveal a staircase leading down.
"Where does this staircase lead?" I ask.
"To the lab under the ice," Shen Yan replies.
"The lab under the ice?" I'm stunned.
"Yes," Shen Yan says, "Lin Yi's final experiment site."
I take a deep breath and follow them down.
The staircase is long, each step a test of endurance.
"We're almost there," Shen Yan says.
"Hope the truth is worth it," Qi Si murmurs in response.
17:25
We arrive at the lab beneath the ice, dimly lit and filled with a cold, icy atmosphere.
In the center of the lab is a massive glass jar, inside which a figure floats.
I walk up to the jar and look at the figure inside.
"Who is this?" I ask.
"No idea," Shen Yan replies.
"But this person is important," Qi Si says.
I look at the figure inside the jar, thinking:
"Who is this person?"
Suddenly, the lid of the jar slowly opens, and the figure inside begins to move.
"Watch out!" Qi Si shouts.
I take a step back, and Shen Yan steps in front of me.
The figure inside the jar slowly steps out, a woman in a white lab coat.
She looks up, her eyes hollow but with a faint smile on her lips.
"Who are you?" she asks.
"We're here for the truth," I reply.
She looks at us, her eyes gradually regaining some life.
"Truth..." she repeats, "Do you really want to find the truth?"
"Yes," Shen Yan replies.
"Are you ready to face it?" she asks.
"Ready," I reply.
She extends her hand and points to the door behind us.
"The truth is in there," she says.
We turn around to see a sealed metal door.
Shen Yan walks over and opens it.
Behind the door is another sealed archive room, filled with files and hard drives.
"There must be something we need in here," Shen Yan says.
Qi Si picks up a hard drive and plugs it into a computer.
A folder labeled "Final Report" appears on the screen.
I click it open to find a detailed report of Lin Yi's experiment process and results.
"What did he find?" I ask.
"The truth," Shen Yan replies.
17:35
The last page of the report reads:
"Experiment successful. We found a way to keep people true in extreme conditions. But the cost is great."
I look at them, a sense of unease rising in my chest.
"What's the cost?" I ask.
Shen Yan falls silent for a moment, then speaks: "Maybe, it's us."
Chapter 23, end.