Chapter 130: Chapter 129
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Arasaka Tower, 33rd floor.
Sasha stared blankly out the window, frozen in place.
Just a moment ago.
The two of them stood in front of the panoramic glass window.
Tang Yu asked her if she wanted to see fireworks.
She said she did.
So, following the direction pointed out by Tang Yu, she witnessed a streak of electricity lighting up the building.
It was a biotech company building. Powerful currents shot up from its base, piercing through the building into the sky, and finally bursting into a glorious firework.
This was the firework Tang Yu spoke of, prepared especially for her.
Suddenly.
Sasha's eyes narrowed, the brilliant fireworks seemed to pull her into another world—a kaleidoscope world of dazzling colors.
In a daze.
A myriad of scenes fluttered before her eyes like magical bubbles, radiant and colorful.
Skyscrapers, explosions, fireworks, biotechnology...
Her world, bathed in blue and pink, kept changing—like looking at flowers through a mist, vivid and brilliant.
At this moment.
Sasha seemed to see more...
Those scenes, unfamiliar yet incredibly familiar.
Like a dream.
Childhood, mother, hospital, painkillers, biotechnology...
Gradually.
A fog seemed to cloud Sasha's view, as if dazzled by the radiance, a colorful world emerging from the deepest memories of her mind.
She seemed to be watching a life through a kaleidoscope, a life that belonged to her.
"Mom..."
Sasha saw her mother, lying in the cold hospital room, with a bottle of painkillers on the bedside table.
Feeling alone and helpless, she felt her mother slipping away from her.
She tried to grasp her mother's hand but caught nothing, could do nothing.
Confused and immobile, she didn't understand why her mother lay on the bed, forever closing her eyes, no longer smiling at her.
Suddenly she looked down and found a kaleidoscope in her hands—the one her mother had given her, her favorite.
She liked to view the world through the kaleidoscope; it was so pretty, so beautiful.
She loved seeing her mother through the kaleidoscope, surrounded by dazzling light, smiling like a radiant angel.
Sasha looked down at the kaleidoscope lying quietly in her palm. Perhaps her mother was in a place full of light and splendor, waiting for her.
She slowly lifted the kaleidoscope to her eyes, gazing at her mother through the colorful lens.
Yes.
She saw her mother's smile, as tender as before, her mother raising her hand to gently stroke her hair.
But when Sasha put down the kaleidoscope, looking forward to running to her mother with joy, there was only the cold room, and little Sasha, still standing alone.
She realized that she had grown up.
In an instant.
Sasha found herself wandering in the neon-lit streets at night, past steel beams and bridges, and rows of fluorescent billboards.
In the dead of night, stifling a yawn, she finally arrived at the biotech building.
She sneaked into the corporate building, reached the high-level office, hacked the office system, chewing a red bubblegum.
Just as Sasha was about to withdraw, she stumbled upon something familiar.
Painkillers.
Scenes from her childhood resurfaced, making it impossible to divert her gaze.
At that moment.
She chose to open Pandora's box and review the file on painkillers.
Sasha learned the truth behind her mother's death, instantly understanding her inner decision.
Her younger self, still in some corner of her heart, watched it all through the kaleidoscope.
Resolutely, Sasha decided to upload the information to Channel 54.
She wanted to expose the data, to seek justice for her mother's grievances.
She trusted that Channel 54 would advocate for her mother, who had once fought for the country.
With firm belief, Sasha chose to stay in the biotech office, ready to face the incoming foes.
But the continuous onslaught of Kang-Tao combat robots began a fierce attack.
In the end.
Sasha completed the data transfer, only to be forced to detonate the explosives, falling from the skyscraper.
Things came to an end.
At that moment.
She fulfilled a childhood wish.
Suddenly.
Sasha felt a warm hand gently placed on her head.
Regaining her senses, she realized that she was standing in front of the panoramic glass window, looking at the now darkened biotech building.
Unaware of when, her eyes had filled with tears, spilling over.
Her gaze gradually focused on the warm hand before her.
It was Tang Yu.
Sasha just stared at him, dumbfounded.
She seemed to see Tang Yu through the kaleidoscope, his figure seemingly enveloped in radiant light.
His smile was so warm, so comforting.
Suddenly.
Sasha understood everything.
The meaning of the fireworks, the significance of the concert, she understood all along what Tang Yu had done.
"Don't cry; from now on, I am with you."
Sasha saw Tang Yu stroking her head, speaking softly to comfort her, and she couldn't help but shed clear tears.
She smiled.
After the fireworks.
Tang Yu saw Sasha standing still, unconsciously turning into a tearful figure, and realized she must have remembered something.
Perhaps it was her original consciousness being affected by the emotions, or maybe Sasha had accessed the memories of that consciousness.
The two souls, already similar, had interacted in some way.
With one sentence from Tang Yu.
Sasha's tears stopped.
Seeing her so well-behaved, Tang Yu knew this was still the Sasha he knew, and asked softly, "Does your head hurt?"
Normally, with such a memory convergence, Sasha would suffer a significant headache, requiring the immediate use of medication to suppress brain activity.
Sasha shook her head slightly.
She knew that whenever these unfamiliar yet familiar scenes appeared in her mind, she would feel a headache.
But this time, she felt nothing unusual.
The sudden images in her mind seemed like memories hidden deep for a very long time, only resurfacing today.
As simple as picking up a seashell while walking on the beach.
"Sasha doesn't have a headache,"
"Just remembered some things, acquired some memories that are both familiar and strange."
"Sasha is a bit confused, but those memories seem so real."
Clearly, the Sasha in front of Tang Yu hadn't undergone any cerebral changes; her original consciousness was still asleep.
But what about the sudden memories?
Could it be the original consciousness transitioning, imparting some memories to the current Sasha?
Considering Sasha's still-unsettled emotions, these questions had to be postponed.
Sasha looked at Tang Yu earnestly, as if gathering the courage, and murmured.
"Mr. Tang, Sasha wants to thank you."
Tang Yu didn't know which Sasha she referred to but didn't ask further, only reaching out again to touch her head.
Indeed.
Whether Sasha understood the underlying meaning or not, he would go to Kerry for the concert and plan this riot.
Everyone needs a spark to ignite the torch in their heart.
The long-silient Kerry needed that fire to reignite the rock spirit, break free from repression, and declare the immortal spirit of the Samurai band with a liberating rock concert.
Maine, bound by his fears, needed that fire to reconcile with his past self.
Trapped in fear of losing close friends, fear of losing those around him, he tried to become strong enough to protect everyone.
Now, this fire told him—Sasha's choices were her own to bear.
Similarly.
Everyone who saw the biotech crimes needed that fire to dispel the darkness in their hearts.
Tang Yu had not anticipated that Sasha would gain some memories, a part of the original consciousness.
He suddenly realized this might not be good for the current Sasha.
Sasha slowly accepting the original consciousness's memories meant partly overwriting her current identity.
Like the relic biochip, it could forcibly overwrite her consciousness over time.
In this special circumstance, Tang Yu couldn't judge accurately, leaving two possibilities.
The first was the original consciousness merging and taking over. When the brain finished repairing, the current 'Sasha' might cease to exist, her body and soul united once again.
The second was Sasha acquiring fragments of the original consciousness's memory, stimulated by something, affecting but not overwriting her current consciousness.
Or rather.
The second was more like the original consciousness intentionally giving memories to the current Sasha, allowing her to regain human memories, thus completing her emotional self.
Regardless of which scenario, Sasha now had a piece of her past, allowing her to live more as herself.
Tang Yu needed to know how much memory Sasha had absorbed, so he asked, "Sasha, do you now remember who Rebecca is?"
Rebecca?
Sasha tried hard to search her mind, trying to find scattered memories of Rebecca.
After a moment.
Sasha shook her head with disappointment; she obviously didn't know who Rebecca was.
"Sasha doesn't remember Rebecca. Rebecca must have been a very good friend of Sasha's," she speculated.
"When she saw Sasha, she was really surprised and happy, but Sasha can't remember her at all."
Sasha said, with a hint of apology in her eyes, as if she was troubled and regretful for not being able to remember.
These emotional expressions showed that Sasha's own emotions were gradually sprouting.
Sasha still didn't know about the other original consciousness in her mind and didn't understand why she had lost her memory; she truly believed she was 'Sasha'.
Tang Yu felt that it was best for her to continue in this confused state.
Anyone who suddenly realizes one day that they are not themselves but a consciousness occupying someone else's body would likely fall into intense self-doubt.
Tang Yu gently stroked the top of her head, comforting her, "Don't blame yourself, because Sasha once had a serious illness and can't remember many things, which is normal."
"But the illness will slowly get better, and then Sasha will be able to remember the past."
Hearing this, Sasha immediately looked up at him, nodded seriously, and said, "Yes, Sasha's illness will definitely get better, and then I will remember everything."
She had deep faith in Tang Yu's words, and her worries instantly dissipated, her eyes regaining their usual clarity and brightness.
Tang Yu looked at Sasha's pure thoughts and couldn't help but wonder if she would still be the same if the day of awakening ever came.
The current Sasha was like living in a bubble, pure and beautiful, yet so fragile.
Moreover.
With memories came a past, and with a past came secrets.
These secrets could bring her danger, especially from Arasaka.
The various changes and phenomena of the consciousness were closely related to Arasaka's relic development experiments.
Tang Yu couldn't completely rule out potential dangers from this; if Saburo Arasaka or high-level R&D personnel from Arasaka were aware of this, it could spell disaster for Sasha.
If detected, she could be in danger and suffer the same fate as Alt Cunningham.
Apart from Tang Yu, no one else could know about Sasha's absorption of memories; she must learn to keep secrets.
Tang Yu said sternly, "Sasha, initiate the highest user privilege."
Sasha immediately complied, her optical eye lens moved, and she initiated the highest authority mode.
Tang Yu then accessed her storage settings, encrypting and locking specific memory caches, such as those related to biotechnology, painkillers, and mother, while also adding a destruction prevention program.
Once set.
Only Tang Yu could access these memories; even if someone hacked into Sasha's database, these contents would be unreachable.
If someone forcibly hacked into these critical memories, the memory cache would self-destruct, and Sasha would automatically lose these memories.
After disabling the highest authority mode, Tang Yu earnestly warned her, "Sasha, don't talk about your memories to anyone, not even to me, understand?"
Sasha blinked her blue eyes, slightly perplexed but obediently nodded and replied, "Sasha remembers, I won't mention anything about the memories to anyone."
After dealing with Sasha's memory issues, Tang Yu turned his attention back to the chaos in the company square.
The rioting was still ongoing but gradually winding down.
Kerry's concert had officially ended, and he was escorted into an aerodyne and left the scene safely.
Scattered around the concert site were people who were very drunk, lying on the ground, struggling and shouting.
The flames on the streets of the company square were initially under control, with only sporadic fires burning.
As the initial fervor of the crowd died down, so did their momentum.
Biotechnica started to bring in more security robots, armed with electric shock guns and soft-shell guns, and threw smoke grenades to disperse the rioters.
Many people rushed into the Biotechnica building, wreaked havoc, and then left in groups, one after another.
Some were holding electronic screens, some were carrying prototypes, and some had pockets filled with various chips.
The NCPD's police chiefs were also just standing by, watching without any intention of intervening.
At the main entrances and exits of the company square, the tribe's nomads had also finished their group fights and returned to their cars, starting the engines and speeding away from the scene.
The traffic hubs began to slowly open up again, with streams of cars re-entering the roundabout, forming a flowing landscape of light and shadow.
The riot and fire destroyed half of the Biotechnica building, regardless of what the outcome would be.
But the night had been spectacular enough.
Many journalists had already arrived at the scene, competing to report the news.
The news van from Channel 54 arrived at the company square, and the camera crew immediately got out to find a relatively open spot for a live broadcast.
The smart floating drone's camera automatically adjusted the focus and zoomed in on the presenter, with the Biotechnica building in the background.
The blonde, pink-dressed presenter then lifted the microphone and said, "Hello, dear viewers, this is the company square riot scene; I am Gillian, the field reporter from Channel 54."
"Now behind me is the frontline of the riot, the Biotechnica building."
The smart floating drone camera then switched to a wide angle to include the entire Biotechnica building in the shot.
Gillian continued to explain, "As you can see, the fire has spread to the middle of the Biotechnica building, affecting nearly half of the building's floors. The external flames of the building have been extinguished, but the riot inside continues."
"Biotechnica has dispatched multiple aerodynes to carry out emergency firefighting, but they clearly lack the means to control the rioting crowd."
"Moreover, we can see that many of the rioters have begun to withdraw, having stolen property from inside the Biotechnica building, evidently, the situation has spiraled out of control."
Reporter Gillian then saw a group of rioters heading her way and quickly intercepted them to ask for an interview.
"Hello, I'm a field reporter from Channel 54. Can I take a few minutes of your precious time for an interview?"
However, the group cursed back, "What the hell, Channel 54, don't you see we're busy here, f***!"
"And the unethical things Biotechnica has been doing with painkillers, bio-weapons, you all know better than anyone, what's there to ask?"
"Yeah, companies are shit, not a single good one!"
After cursing at the camera, they ran off without looking back.
Gillian was suddenly embarrassed, cut off that part of the feed, and then smiled at the camera once more.
"From the current situation, this riot at the company square is mainly targeting Biotechnica."
"It is reported that the main cause of the riot is related to several biochemical medicine projects by Biotechnica."
"Our station has received relevant materials from various channels indicating that a painkiller developed and marketed by Biotechnica had neurodegenerative side effects that were not made public, leading to many veterans suffering from serious neurological diseases."
"Policies have now been announced that there will be serious accountability towards Biotechnica and the establishment of a relief fund to assist veterans who have taken these medications."
"As for the riot and the various projects under widespread scrutiny, Biotechnica has yet to issue any statement."
"Reporter Gillian, reporting live for you."
After finishing the broadcast, Gillian's professional expression faded away, and she checked the broadcast effect.
After making sure there were no issues, she went to a corner and lit a cigarette.
As a seasoned reporter and presenter for Channel 54, she had heard about this incident long ago.
The project's documents on the painkiller were sent to the station many years back.
She even personally asked her superiors whether to broadcast the information.
Due to some irresistible factors, not only was the broadcast prohibited, but the material was also confiscated and encrypted.
It was just one of the many episodes in her media career, which she recalled from countless memory fragments.
Gillian was numb to these things, emotionlessly blowing a ring of smoke.
"Maybe this is why my colleague Regina Jones left the job."
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