In the prison.

"This goes back a long time," Anthony began slowly. "After all, your teacher started getting involved in your research project several years ago..."

Zheng Rong nodded. "Back when my brother was still alive."

Eve, knitting without raising her head, added, "Your brother has always been alive. Haven’t you felt anything?"

Zheng Rong’s heart clenched at her remark, unsure how to respond. Eve’s question touched on a topic he had been avoiding—one that haunted him.

Anthony continued, "Do you remember the first research report, the one where you posed a question: What distinguishes us from others?"

Zheng Rong calmly replied, "I remember."

Anthony nodded. "You meant to ask that question to Li Ying, didn’t you?"

Zheng Rong answered, "Not just him. Later, I realized something else..."

Anthony interjected, "Xiang Yu."

Zheng Rong’s tone grew more reflective. "Yes, but I wanted to believe he came with his own memories. My brother died in that explosion, and yet Xiang Yu seemed to remember everything so clearly before he arrived—like the Battle of Wujiang. Speaking of that... how did you know about Xiang Yu’s origins?"

Anthony smirked. "After the experiment failed, the teacher compiled everything, and the military shared information about Xiang Yu. With the army’s intelligence system, what’s impossible to find out?"

Eve added cryptically, "People always think they know everything, but no one can know it all."

Anthony ignored her and continued. "Anyway, he came. He was replicated from the past and brought into the present, but without any original memories. The teacher mentioned this in his ‘failed experiment report.’ Li Ying’s replica was a prime example."

"They could replicate a person, but not their memories. The new being shares the same personality and, given the same environment, their body’s enzymes and hormones would push them to make similar choices."

Zheng Rong nodded, "In essence, he’s still himself."

"Yes, you could say that," Anthony agreed. "Your brother was brilliant. He had already drafted a preliminary report explaining this. You made similar guesses when you reviewed the images Li Ying transmitted. In this regard, you and your brother are both geniuses."

"But there’s one thing I don’t understand," Zheng Rong interjected. "If he doesn’t have his original memories, how could he recall events from the Battle of Wujiang or the siege at Gaixia? Even his use of ancient language and dialect was spot on."

Anthony replied, "Those aren’t his memories—they’re your brother’s."

Maya Mothership

Xiang Yu’s footsteps echoed with steady confidence as he walked out of the teleportation chamber. The ship was deathly silent, the spiral corridor reflecting his tall, imposing figure.

He walked for a long time before finally sitting against the wall. Xiang Yu pulled out his wallet and looked at a photo: a reproduction Lance had made. In it were Zheng Feng, Lance, Li Ying, and a much younger Zheng Rong, held by Zheng Feng with a wide smile, flashing a peace sign at the camera.

After a brief rest, Xiang Yu drank some water and secured his sword on his back before sprinting down the corridor.

"Brother, I can’t walk anymore."

"I’ll carry you."

"Brother, why are the aliens killing humans? Will they leave?"

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"They will. Someday, we’ll find a way to avenge ourselves. Don’t think too much about it, Zheng Rong."

"Will everything return to normal after the aliens leave?"

"Yes, Zheng Rong. Everything will get better. Don’t lose hope. Look, we’re still walking alongside them. The ship will come soon."

"Will the dead ever come back?"

Zheng Feng smiled but did not answer.

Zheng Rong pressed on, "If they know so much more than us... can they travel through time, or...?"

"I don’t think so, Zheng Rong," Zheng Feng replied gently. "But I promise you, once we defeat the aliens, we’ll live in a new world. But the dead will never return..."

"...Don’t cry, Zheng Rong. We keep moving forward. The souls of the departed are watching over us. The teacher always said that when a body dies, it’s just the temporary separation of consciousness from its vessel. It drifts through the vast universe and will return someday."

"What do you think, Zheng Rong? I believe memories and faith make up a person’s soul. You and I, we share the same memories. So in your life, you carry half of my soul."

In the Prison

"So, Xiang Yu carries many of my brother’s memories, but... I don’t feel like he is my brother," Zheng Rong said.

"Of course not," Anthony replied. "I also don’t think he’s entirely Zheng Feng. He’s just a man—one who lost his original memories but has learned new things."

"Zheng Feng’s memories might give him some behavioral guidance, but ultimately, his actions are still based on his own personality," Anthony explained.

Zheng Rong closed his eyes, weary. "Did you talk to him about all this?"

"No," Anthony said, shaking his head. "The military’s reports refer to him as ‘The Confused One.’ What he asked me about was something else—his body. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now."

Zheng Rong sighed. "I don’t think he can do anything significant."

"The military disagrees," Anthony said flatly. "Xiang Yu’s genes are dominant. Based on your own theories, the teacher made detailed hypotheses last winter. He’s the closest we’ve found to a perfect Maya specimen."

Zheng Rong suddenly shouted, "That’s impossible! He’s just... different!"

Eve interjected calmly, "He’s a suitable candidate, a vessel capable of replacing the Maya. Trust me, child. After Alaska received that hypothesis, they conducted another experiment—attempting to activate a Maya baby’s dominant genes to create a new vessel that could host powerful consciousness waves."

Anthony, uncharacteristically agreeing with Eve, added, "But that would take too long—nearly twenty years. The longer we wait, the more unpredictable things become. Humanity can’t afford that risk."

"What do we need a vessel for?" Zheng Rong demanded.

"As bait," Anthony explained. "Only a suitable vessel can safely reach the core of the saucer and meet the captain."

Maya Mothership

Xiang Yu bent over, panting, in front of a massive sealed door. The metal cocoons that Li Ying had once captured on camera were mostly gone from the empty hall.

A few remaining cocoons seemed to sense Xiang Yu’s presence. One of them moved closer, extending a metallic tube, its tip glowing red as a scanning light shot into Xiang Yu’s eyes.

Xiang Yu’s expression remained stoic as he slowly unsheathed the ancient Zhanlu sword from his back.

As the sword emerged, the cocoons retracted their tendrils, almost as if in fear.

"Open the door," Xiang Yu ordered in a deep voice.

He struck the sword’s scabbard against the rune switches beside the door several times. The alloy gate slowly opened, revealing the circular central control room.

In the center, lying on a disk, was a withered figure connected to countless life-support tubes. The being’s skin had shriveled, marked with countless wrinkles. The being was no longer the figure it had been three years ago.

Dozens of tubes connected to large nutrient tanks, filled with dismembered human limbs suspended in green liquid. These proteins sustained the being’s frail existence.

"I have arrived," Xiang Yu said.

The being’s wrinkled, faceless visage formed a mouth, trying to utter a few syllables.

"I... have arrived."

Xiang Yu inhaled deeply.

The being’s voice was a grating, metallic rasp. Then, a clear voice rang directly in Xiang Yu’s mind.

"Huaxia man."

Xiang Yu closed his eyes, recognizing the mental communication.

"Yes, I am Huaxia, and my name is Xiang Yu."

"The humans have finally come. They... have left my body. Soon, I will... lose consciousness again."

Xiang Yu: "This is part of a planned operation. What is your name?"

"My name is Maya."

In the Prison

"A suitable vessel," Zheng Rong murmured.

Anthony nodded. "Yes. This was all part of your brother’s plan. Or rather, it was the result of your brother and the teacher working together. General Lance was merely a participant—an unwitting one at that."

Zheng Rong said, "He knows he’s going to die, doesn’t he?"

Eve replied coolly, "He certainly doesn’t know."

Zheng Rong sighed. Anthony continued, "After Zheng Feng’s death, Xiang Yu survived. General Lance was given a second mission: to observe Xiang Yu’s behavior."

"Xiang Yu became aware of this, but Li Ying’s involvement caused a small shift in the plan. The teacher began to focus on Li Ying and used Lance’s reports to conduct analyses, which led to a new theory."

"The theory of memory extraction," Zheng Rong said quietly.

Anthony nodded. "In the instant the particle generator exploded, everyone present died. Zheng Feng’s drifting consciousness wave was closest to Xiang Yu, and most of his memories were transferred into Xiang Yu’s blank mind."

Zheng Rong remained silent. Anthony added, "Xiang Yu is quite remarkable."

"At the beginning, his thoughts must have been incredibly confused," Zheng Rong said softly.

"Yes," Anthony agreed. "He was disoriented, carrying fragments of someone else’s memories, which clashed with his own personality. Zheng Feng’s memory fragments were incomplete, but what was the first thing Xiang Yu said to you when you met him?"

Zheng Rong frowned, thinking back. "He spoke in ancient language—his native dialect."

"That shows how smart he is," Anthony said. "After receiving part of Zheng Feng’s memories, Xiang Yu immediately understood his new identity and adapted to it. He made the right decisions. Does he still retain Zheng Feng’s knowledge?"

Zheng Rong shook his head slowly. "It’s hard to say. But his capacity to learn is remarkable. He’s absorbed almost everything about physics."

"That means he knows he’s Zheng Feng’s duplicate, he knows who Zheng Feng was, and he understands what he needs to do with his new life."

"Enough," Zheng Rong said, slumping against the cell door in sorrow. "I didn’t think about all this so clearly. It was just... a vague guess."

"The true confirmation of his role came from that broadcast," Eve interjected.

Zheng Rong murmured, "You all orchestrated it—letting the Maya intercept that transmission, then..."

"We followed orders," Anthony said. "Initially, the transmission was supposed to go to a place near the Alaskan underground city—Refuge Valley."

"Then why was the location compromised?!" Zheng Rong asked, panic rising. "Something’s wrong."

Anthony explained calmly, "Another consciousness wave interfered with the signal, redirecting it to the central stone tower."

Zheng Rong was alarmed. "Who was it?!"

Anthony’s voice remained flat. "I killed him with my own hands."

Zheng Rong felt his whole body go cold. After a tense moment, a chilling realization dawned on him. "Are you saying... Hugo?"

Anthony nodded. "To be precise, it was a strange lifeform residing in Hugo’s brain. After it escaped the nutrient pod, it had survived until I connected the device to his brain."

Zheng Rong gasped for breath, too stunned to speak.