328: Reverse operation

Under Yi Fang's suggestion, Xia Er's team immediately sprang into action.

They swiftly modified the memory extraction device, enabling it to identify memory content within the life milk.

"I remember a batch of the latest nanoscale hummingbird probes in the supplies from a few days ago," Xia Er stood before the control panel, his gaze fixed on the Reuleaux tetrahedron slowly rotating in the container. "Use those. Minimize additional stimulation."

"Also, calculate the positions. Insert them simultaneously from fourteen different directions to ensure coverage of the entire structure."

The technicians carefully operated the precision instruments.

Fourteen probes, as fine as hair yet as hard as iron, slowly extended towards the container, their tips glinting with a faint metallic light. When the probes touched the surface of the milky white liquid, they caused almost no ripple, blending in as naturally as a drop of water merging into the sea.

"Probes in position," the chief technician reported. "All channels are stably connected. Commencing surface memory reading."

The holographic screen began to display the extracted memory fragments, with the initial content being as expected.

Holographic screens displaying complex formulas scrolled rapidly around. Musicians in the center of the Star Hall were receiving applause from tens of thousands of people. The red and black clashes amidst a hail of bullets made blood boil.

"Basic memory integrity 100%," Anderson recorded the data. "All original content is perfectly preserved. So far, there hasn't been—"

"Holy crap!"

But just as the team thought everything was normal, an anomaly appeared.

"Wait! What is this?" Dr. Li Shan suddenly pointed to a completely new scene appearing on the screen.

In a pitch-black forest, goose-down snow fell thick and fast. The sun had already set, and only a faint moonlight filtered through the dense clouds. A fierce wind howled through the forest, making the tree branches sway violently and emit unsettling sounds.

However, deep within this dark forest, there was a small, exquisite wooden cabin. The warm light emanating from its windows formed a stark contrast with the severe cold outside.

The scene switched to the interior of the wooden cabin. The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, crackling and casting the entire room in a warm orange-red glow. A thick fur rug covered most of the floor, adorned with comfortable fur sofas.

In the center of the room, tea was brewing over a brazier, steam rising gently and diffusing a faint tea aroma. Beside it was a recliner with several soft plush cushions.

Most heartwarming of all, an orange cat was curled up by the fireplace, its paws tucked in, purring contentedly.

"This, this is completely original content!" Anderson stared at the scene before him in shock. "The scene construction is complete, the details are rich, and, and it's filled with emotional warmth!"

"Incredible!"

"Could it be...?"

Xia Er observed the scene carefully, deep in thought.

"The blizzard outside and the dark forest represent fear and unease, while the warmth and comfort inside the cabin symbolize safety and refuge. This is clearly a 'sanctuary of the mind' constructed by a consciousness for itself."

"Hmm, I'm afraid you're right, Anderson."

Xia Er already had an answer.

As the scan deepened, more details emerged. The team discovered that every element in this scene could be traced back to the original three memories, yet they had been cleverly merged and reshaped.

Especially that Hajime, it was almost the strongest manifestation of the fusion of the three memories.

The mathematician loved cats and owned seven different breeds. The musician's first gift from his beloved in his life was an adorable cat.

As for the soldier, he didn't love cats, but he liked places where cats were present.

Because of cats' strong vigilance, their presence signified a safe environment.

When the team attempted to communicate with this consciousness, it exhibited a clear tendency towards self-protection.

When the system simulated storm-like noises, the Reuleaux tetrahedron's rotation speed noticeably increased, and the patterns on its surface became more pronounced.

At the same time, the extracted memory images showed that the fireplace flames in the wooden cabin burned even more fiercely, as if combating the cold outside.

The team decided to conduct further tests to explore the cognitive boundaries of this nascent consciousness.

Anderson designed a set of mathematical problems to see if it could perform logical reasoning or abstract thinking. Unfortunately, it showed no significant reaction to such stimuli.

Xia Er, both excited and worried, recorded in the experimental log: "The experiment confirms that three distinct memories, catalyzed by the life milk, indeed gave birth to an autonomous consciousness."

"This consciousness exhibits clear emotional responses and self-preservation instincts, particularly by constructing a 'sanctuary of the mind' to cope with perceived uneasy environments."

"We added an empty chair to the scene, and it immediately reacted. A small tea table and two teacups were added next to the empty chair, as if anticipating a visitor. This clearly indicates a longing for companionship."

"All this evidence points to one conclusion: we have indeed created a new conscious life."

"Though incredibly weak and lacking in ability, it is truly existent."

"We now face a major decision. This consciousness clearly possesses characteristics of life. Do we have the right to continue treating it as an experimental subject?"

..."Continue," Erwin conveyed the highest directive.

This was a secret facility hidden within a massive underground cavern.

In the center of the cavern, a giant sphere of life milk, over ten meters in diameter, floated and slowly rotated at a height of more than ten meters above the ground. Ripple-like fluctuations occasionally appeared on the sphere's surface, emitting a soft glow.

Surrounding this massive sphere were dozens of thick alloy probes, deeply inserted into the sphere's interior, connecting to hundreds of hibernation pods on the ground.

Each hibernation pod contained a Trisolaran, in a state of deep hibernation. Cables extended from each pod, converging in twos and threes, finally connecting to the probes in the air.

The conservative elder Erwin stood on the observation platform, looking down at this grand experimental scene. His eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

"Yes!"

"Commencing consciousness fusion program. All systems in position."

The Trisolarans volunteers in the hundreds of hibernation pods exhibited violent bodily reactions almost simultaneously.

Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably, and their facial expressions contorted, as if they were experiencing immense pain.

Erwin stared intently at the data on the main screen, his limbs trembling slightly. Although he maintained a calm exterior, his heart was filled with both anticipation and unease.

If this experiment succeeded, it would fundamentally alter the evolutionary direction of the Trisolaran Civilization.

The volunteers' body tremors lasted less than three minutes before gradually subsiding. Their expressions became serene, and their breathing steady, as if they had entered the deepest sleep.

Individual consciousness boundaries began to blur, their brainwave patterns converging, like drops of water merging into the sea.

Just then, the surface of the giant life milk sphere suspended in mid-air began to change. As if hundreds of invisible pebbles had been cast into a calm lake, layers of ripples spread across the sphere's surface.