152: Memetic contamination?

Yang Dian also felt much better.

Previously, entering the Research Department, no matter how familiar he was with the guard at the entrance, he would first have to apply, then get a temporary pass, and finally go through a checkpoint for an instrument scan before being allowed in.

But now?

Face recognition!

Walking into the Research Department unimpeded, Yang Dian was still a bit unaccustomed.

After all, it was the first time it had been so smooth and seamless.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as the Research Institute's artificial intelligence, Jingwei Bird, appeared beside him as a projection.

“First-Class Policeman Comrade Yang Dian, welcome to the Fuzhou Paranormal Management Bureau Research Department.”

Looking at the Jingwei Bird, shaped like a crow with runes on its brow and eye corners, a white beak, red feet, and emanating a colorful, iridescent glow as if it had stepped from myth into reality, Yang Dian couldn't help but look around.

“Comrade Yang Dian, what are you looking for?”

“I'm looking for the projector,” Yang Dian said.

“Last time I came to the Research Institute, you still needed a projector to project your body, and there were still light rays around your body produced by the projection, right?”

“How come you suddenly don't need a projector now?”

“If one didn't know you were a projection, who could say you were illusory?”

The Jingwei Bird happily flapped its wings twice:

“Because our country's dimensional technology has made a leap forward.”

“By observing and studying the phenomenon of dimensional overlap and erosion, Dr. Bai verified the four-dimensional quantum projection technology.”

“In short, it involves quantifying the material information of an object, such as atomic arrangement, electromagnetic properties, etc., recording a four-dimensional quantum sequence, and then through energy recombination, finally achieving projection in three-dimensional space.”

“According to Dr. Bai's calculations, the ultimate form of four-dimensional quantum projection technology should be cross-space material and life-form teleportation.”

“But this requires an enormous amount of energy.”

“Even for a simple three-dimensional space projection, if the projection distance is too far, it is beyond what our existing energy System can support.”

“So for now, I can only move freely within the Research Institute's range.”

Looking at the Jingwei Bird, whose behavior, emotions, and speech were extremely human-like, Yang Dian couldn't help but feel a little wary.

He had seen too many movies and novels about Machina crises, both in his previous life and this one.

However, thinking back, he slapped away that trace of wariness.

If the brainy people at the top weren't worried, why should he, a mere martial artist, worry?

Besides, as long as his strength was sufficient.

What Machina? What crisis?

Smash them all!

Following the Jingwei Bird towards the underground passage, Yang Dian curiously asked again:

“Who is Dr. Bai? Why haven't I heard of him before?”

The Jingwei Bird flew a circle around Yang Dian:

“Dr. Bai is the first Awakened of the brain domain in Huaxia. His identity information is top secret. I only know that he created me, led the development of Huaxia's technology, and produced a series of his scientific research achievements.”

“Other than that, my information database does not contain any other information about Dr. Bai.”

Yang Dian understood.

Another cheater.

If his cheat was a personal one, where great power belonged to himself.

Then Dr. Bai's cheat was equivalent to a group cheat that led Huaxia's technology to become godlike.

Thinking of this, Yang Dian also felt it was quite good.

At least he wasn't fighting alone.

He still had countless comrades... After a round of disinfection and changing into protective gear, he walked into the underground passage as before.

In just a moment, Yang Dian, led by the Jingwei Bird, stood before a steel wall.

Just as he looked at the Jingwei Bird with some doubt, the seamlessly sealed wall suddenly split open, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

'Good heavens.'

'With all these interconnected passages, how many have they dug?'

In amazement, Yang Dian followed the passage downwards, eventually stopping before a fully enclosed laboratory door.

Not long after he stopped, Professor Shen Fei, with a gaunt face and dispirited look, opened the laboratory door and appeared before Yang Dian.

“When did you get back?” He rubbed his hair, leaned against the doorframe, and took two deep breaths:

“But you've come at just the right time. Come in and see the new good stuff I've come up with.”

With that, Professor Shen Fei didn't give Yang Dian a chance to refuse and pulled him into the laboratory.

The laboratory was not small, with a total area exceeding 800 square meters.

Against the walls were various high-tech instruments Yang Dian had never seen, and the only desk was neatly covered with documents and manuscripts.

The ceiling had pipes of various sizes, dense but orderly.

The pipes led directly to a square display cabinet in the center of the laboratory, covered by a black cloth.

Presumably, the mutated Blue-Ringed Octopus was in that display cabinet.

However, it was not as Yang Dian expected.

Professor Shen Fei did not pull him to the display cabinet but to a wall covered by a black curtain.

As soon as he stood firm, the curtain was pulled open from left to right, and just by seeing a corner of the artwork behind the curtain, Yang Dian instinctively averted his eyes.

“Yes, that's exactly the state I want.”

Professor Shen Fei's words were a little excited.

“The moment one sees it, the body will instinctively feel uncomfortable, subconsciously shift its gaze to ignore it, thereby achieving an 'invisibility' effect.”

Yang Dian looked at Professor Shen Fei in surprise, then immediately turned his gaze back to the artwork hidden by the curtain.

To call it a painting would be less accurate than calling it a wall carving.

However, this wall carving was somewhat eerie.

The edges of the wall carving were neither square nor round nor straight; some parts were sharp, some were abruptly rounded, and some were wavy.

The carving also had no complete pattern; it looked more like someone had casually used a knife and axe to carve and chisel the rock wall.

Some areas were obliquely recessed, some looked like circles, but upon closer inspection, one could find bizarre distortions on the seemingly circular carving marks.

There were also areas that resembled overlapping eyes, with inverted triangles embedded within the eyes, and within the inverted triangles were carved an unknown number of tentacles, twisted into eerie symbols... In short, it gave people an incredibly bizarre feeling.

Just by staring at the carving for a while, Yang Dian heard a clear 'crack' sound in his mind.

If his consciousness sank into the dwelling place of his Soul.

He would see a disc of stars, formed from constellations, suspended behind his head to protect his Soul from mental impact, no longer perfect.

A clear crack had appeared on the edge of the disc.

Blinking, Yang Dian felt an inexplicable surge of anger, wanting to smash the carving before him with a punch.

Turning his head and taking two deep breaths to calm his emotions, Yang Dian turned back and looked at Professor Shen Fei, who had his back to the carving:

“Professor, is this something you researched?”

Professor Shen Fei waved his hand, first ordering Jingwei Bird to pull the black curtain back, then looked at Yang Dian:

“What do you feel?”

Lowering his head and sketching the carving he had just seen in his mind, another crisp 'crack' sounded in Yang Dian's mind.

The feeling of anger surged again, and the impulse to smash something reappeared.

Raising his hands and rubbing his temples, Yang Dian felt a bit annoyed.

What was going on?

Could it be that he was meme-polluted?