[Time Coordinate: 2035 · New Era]
[Location: Tianhai City · Third Central Hospital · Intensive Care Unit]
[Weather: Acid Rain, Neon Index: High Risk]
...
The moment consciousness returned to her body, the first thing Shen Qingqiu smelled was a suffocating odor, a mixture of metallic rust and cheap air freshener.
This smell was too "industrial," completely different from the crisp wind and snow on the peak of Buzhou Mountain, and the sweet fragrance of the peach blossoms in Qingqiu.
It was cold, artificial, and full of the texture of plastic.
"Beep—"
"Beep—"
The monotonous electronic sound in her ears was like a countdown to death.
Shen Qingqiu slowly opened her eyes.
What met her gaze was a stark white ceiling, devoid of any antique-style coffered ceilings, only a few exposed cables flashing with a faint blue light, like peeled blood vessels winding across the wall.
She moved her fingers, and a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand.
Looking down, a transparent IV tube was inserted into her wrist. The liquid flowing through it wasn't medicine, but a faintly glowing blue nutrient solution. The other end of the IV tube was connected to a medical pod with a rounded shape, yet flashing with a red warning light.
"This is..."
Shen Qingqiu tried to speak, her voice dry as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.
She turned her head and looked at the entire wall of one-way glass windows.
Outside the window, it was night.
But not a black night.
It was a bizarre abyss forcibly illuminated by neon lights.
Hundreds of meters high holographic advertising billboards floated in mid-air, and a giant virtual idol was swaying her translucent waist in the rain, singing a wordless electronic synthesized song. Flying cars, trailing red exhaust fumes, weaved between the skyscrapers, like flowing blood vessels.
Purple, red, and blue lights diffused in the air filled with acidic mist, decorating the entire city like a giant, decaying cyberpunk petri dish. It was 2035.
It was the modern world she remembered, yet it had become completely unrecognizable.
*Hiss—*
Just then, the automatic door of the ward slid open.
A woman in a white nurse's uniform walked in. She made no sound as she walked, because her legs, from the knees down, were two silver-white mechanical prosthetics.
"Patient number 1307, you're awake."
The nurse walked to the bedside, her electronic eyes, which had no pupils but only two circles of blue light, scanned Shen Qingqiu up and down.
Her voice was gentle and standard, yet perfectly devoid of any human emotion.
"Thanks to the grace of **'Tianshu'** (the Great System). Your vital signs have returned to normal."
The nurse raised her mechanical arm and quickly tapped a few times on the touchscreen of the medical pod.
"Tianshu?"
Shen Qingqiu caught this keyword.
Her fingers instinctively touched her chest. There, the cold bronze pendant still clung to her skin, emitting a faint, familiar warmth.
"Yes, the great Tianshu system."
A trace of fanatical worship flashed in the nurse's electronic eyes.
"It calculated your probability of waking up and formulated the optimal recovery plan for you. In this Tianhai City, everything is within Tianshu's calculations. Praise rationality."
Shen Qingqiu lowered her eyes, concealing the cold glint in them.
Praise rationality?
In this cold steel jungle, even the nurse's faith was written into the code?
"I want some water."
Shen Qingqiu said softly.
"Okay, please wait. Applying for your drinking water quota."
The nurse turned and walked towards the water dispenser.
The moment she turned around,
The smart glasses Shen Qingqiu had placed on the bedside table suddenly lit up without warning.
Not only the glasses.
The TV screen on the wall, the medical pod's display screen, and even the indicator lights on the nurse's prosthetics, all flickered and malfunctioned at that moment.
*Buzz buzz buzz—*
Countless green data streams frantically scrolled across all the screens.
Then, the nurse suddenly froze. She seemed to have been cut off from power, holding a water glass in her hand, frozen in a walking posture, completely still.
"Qingqiu."
A voice, not transmitted through the air, but through the bone conduction headphones in Shen Qingqiu's ear, resonated directly in the depths of her cerebral cortex.
The voice was low and magnetic, carrying a hint of weariness and deep affection that transcended dimensions.
Even after being compressed by electronic signals, it still made Shen Qingqiu's soul tremble.
"Seventeen?!"
Shen Qingqiu suddenly sat up, disregarding the IV tube that was being pulled, causing blood to flow back.
She looked around, searching for that familiar figure.
"Where are you?"
"I'm... in your eyes."
Shen Qingqiu was stunned for a moment.
She reached out, picked up the flashing smart glasses, and put them on.
Buzz.
The world changed.
Through the AR (augmented reality) lenses, she saw another side of this world.
In the originally empty hospital room, countless blue data fragments were now floating. These fragments converged in the air, right beside her bed, gradually outlining a translucent, slender human figure.
He had no physical body.
He was merely a holographic projection composed of light and code.
But he was wearing that familiar black robe, and the red chip (Red Lotus mark) on his forehead shone brightly amidst the flow of data.
It was Seventeen.
Or rather, it was an electronic ghost who had lost his physical body and could only reside in the network.
He sat by the bed, leaning slightly, looking at Shen Qingqiu.
Although those purple eyes were only a collection of pixels, they were still filled with a tenderness that could drown a person.
"I'm sorry."
Seventeen's voice sounded in the headphones, with a helpless, bitter smile.
"Now... I can only see you in this way."
"I want to hug you, but..."
He stretched out his hand.
The palm, composed of blue light points, slowly reached towards Shen Qingqiu's cheek.
When his "fingertips" touched Shen Qingqiu's skin,
There was no warm touch. Only on the lenses of her glasses did a tiny, warm haptic feedback box pop up, along with a precise microcurrent stimulating Shen Qingqiu's facial nerves, simulating a tingling sensation similar to a caress.
This was an embrace in the cyber age.
Separated by a light screen, as if across an insurmountable distance.
Shen Qingqiu's eyes reddened.
She reached out, wanting to grasp his hand.
But her fingers passed through the blue light and shadow, only grasping the dust in the air.
"It's okay."
Shen Qingqiu sniffled, fighting back tears.
She pressed her face against the illusory hand, as if truly nestled in his palm.
"As long as you're here, the form... doesn't matter."
Seventeen looked at her, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.
As a data life form, he could clearly scan Shen Qingqiu's current physical condition: rapid heart rate, surging adrenaline, and... that strong bioelectrical wave called "longing."
"Qingqiu, don't cry."
"I will rebuild my physical body as soon as possible."
Seventeen's finger (cursor) gently traced the corner of her eye, as if trying to wipe away her tears.
"This world... is very sick."
"My core data is too massive; the current network infrastructure cannot fully support it. I can only temporarily disperse myself across your electronic devices."
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, quickly adjusting her emotions.
She was a god-slayer who had experienced ninety-nine reincarnations, not a little girl who only knew how to cry.
"Tell me, what's the situation now?"
Shen Qingqiu removed the IV tube and got out of bed barefoot.
She walked to the nurse who had been frozen in place, looking at the lifeless electronic eyes.
"This is the domain ruled by 'Tianshu'."
Seventeen's voice became cold.
"In this era, all gods have been 'technologized'. People no longer burn incense and worship Buddha, but pray to AI, selling their privacy, emotions, and even computing power in exchange for so-called 'perfect lives'."
"And that Tianshu..."
Seventeen paused.
"I scanned his core code in the network's underlying structure."
"That's... my code."
Shen Qingqiu turned around abruptly. "Yours?"
"To be precise, it's the 'absolute rationality' that was stripped away from me in each reincarnation."
"The higher-dimensional civilization recovered those fragments and pieced together a being without emotions, only calculations... a false god."
Shen Qingqiu walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
She stretched out a finger and gently tapped the rain-streaked glass.
[Truth Manipulation · Golden Eye (Cybernetic Version).]
Buzz—
In the depths of her pupils, golden gears began to rotate.
The neon city before her eyes was instantly stripped of its superficial appearance.
The dazzling lights disappeared.
In their place were massive, gray data cages.
Every person walking on the street was connected by an invisible data cable. These lines converged towards the sky, connecting to the faintly visible floating city above the clouds.
And at the top of that floating city...
A huge, indifferent face was looking down on all living beings.
It was a holographic projection.
White hair, silver eyes, a face as handsome as a marble statue.
That face was identical to Seventeen's.
But in those eyes, there were no red lotuses, no purple light.
Only an endless, despairing stream of ice-blue data.
"Tian Shu…"
Shen Qingqiu looked at that face, a cold, elegant smile playing on her lips.
"So it's… a fake."
The holographic projection outside the window seemed to sense the intrusion.
The huge silver eyes shifted slightly, their gaze seemingly penetrating the rain curtain and landing on the window of this small hospital room.
[Warning! Abnormal data stream detected.]
[Source: Node 1307.]
[Judgment: False alarm.]
Seventeen immediately acted.
His massive ghost data stream instantly enveloped Shen Qingqiu, constructing a perfect invisibility barrier for her at the network level.
"Don't look into his eyes."
Seventeen's voice was urgent.
"He's too strong right now; once you're locked onto, it will attract the 'Cleaners'."
Shen Qingqiu withdrew her gaze, the golden light fading from her eyes.
She turned and looked at Seventeen, who still maintained his ethereal form. "Seventeen."
She walked up to him and tilted her head back.
Although they couldn't touch, their breaths (if he had any) seemed to intertwine.
"He stole your face, stole your sanity, and even dared to steal this world."
Shen Qingqiu's fingers gently traced across his ethereal chest.
"I'll help you get it back."
"With interest."
Seventeen looked at her.
In those golden eyes of the cyber age, a fighting spirit burned hotter than the primordial flames of chaos.
He smiled.
That smile was devilish yet doting, instantly warming the cold hospital room.
He lowered his head.
Although he had no physical form, he still devoutly pressed his lips against hers.
Zzz—
An electric sound rang out.
Shen Qingqiu felt a tingling sensation on her lips.
It was a kiss of data, with a slight sting.
"Okay."
"You are my Red Lotus."
"I am your... Ghost."
"Let's connect, my lady."
"The game... has begun."
Outside the window, a purple lightning bolt streaked across the night sky, illuminating the cold, floating city.
And in this small hospital room,
a top-level virus attack against a "god," accompanied by this kiss across the screen... officially went live.