What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 90

Chapter 90 – Oh Oh Oh Oh!!

Perhaps Sheng Yunze’s prayers had worked. By the third day in the intensive care unit, Duan Yi’s vital signs had stabilized.

The doctors were astonished, gathering around his bed in a circle, marveling at the phenomenon.

They had never seen anything like it.

After all, everyone had been certain he wouldn’t survive past dawn the previous day.

Yet not only had he pulled through, but he also showed no signs of complications.

However, while his vital signs were stable, their stability was terrifying.

Duan Yi remained completely unconscious, like someone who couldn’t be awakened, lying motionless with his eyes closed, sustained only by intravenous fluids.

A week later, when he showed no signs of regaining consciousness, the hospital finally took notice. Doctors conducted thorough daily examinations, finding no issues beyond the injuries to his heart and lungs.

The hospital staff began revolving around Duan Yi. They held large meetings in the mornings and smaller ones in the afternoons, rushing to the ICU every other day. The expensive medical equipment burned through approximately six figures in RMB daily, and no one knew how long this situation would persist.

Sheng Xi pressed his face against the window, his heart pounding as he looked at Xiaoduan Mom. “Grandma, why can’t we go in?”

Xiaoduan Mom looked weary as she patted Sheng Xi’s head. “It’ll be over soon. Everything will be alright.”

Sheng Xi asked, “Then why hasn’t he opened his eyes yet? Why isn’t he waking up?”

Xiaoduan Mom crouched down. “Sweetheart, listen to your maternal grandmother. Let’s go home first, okay? By the time you wake up tomorrow morning, she’ll be awake too.”

Tears welled up in Sheng Xi’s eyes, but this time he didn’t burst into sobs. He wiped them away like a grown-up and nodded. “Then Brother and I will go home and wait for Mommy.”

Xiaoduan Mom placed the pocket watch she had planned to give the twins on their birthday into Sheng Xi’s hand. “When the hands point to twelve o’clock, everything will be alright.”

The pocket watch was already half-broken. If Sheng Xi had opened it, he would have seen that the hands inside were frozen.

He clutched the watch obediently as Sheng Ming took his hand, and they got into the car to go home.

A black Bugatti sped past them.

The car stopped in front of the hospital’s inpatient building. Sheng Yunze stepped out, accompanied by a man whose age was difficult to discern and who carried a strange-looking computer.

Sheng Yunxi followed closely behind as they entered the hospital.

The door was ajar, and inside, the three figures stood silently, each facing a different direction.

“I’m not sure, but your idea is far too risky.” Sheng Yunxi slumped onto the hard bench, as if drained of energy. “Brother, this isn’t a joke. The human brain contains roughly 86 billion neurons, each connected to tens of thousands of others. Even computers can’t map every neuron, let alone simulate their functions. Perhaps you could pull it off, but can you guarantee there won’t be any unforeseen complications?”

Sheng Yunze remained silent.

Sheng Yunxi continued, “I know you’re in immense pain, but if we’re truly going to proceed with this method, I urge you to reconsider for a while longer.”

The man carrying the laptop was her senior, Patrick, whom she had studied genetic engineering with abroad. Their advisor, Professor Warren, was a renowned physicist who had once met Sheng Yunze. During Sheng Yunze’s exchange program abroad, Professor Warren had tried to persuade him to stay and become his assistant.

But Sheng Yunze had declined, and ultimately it was his sister, Sheng Yunxi, who remained with Professor Warren.

“We call this theory Transhumanism,” Patrick explained. “It posits that science can offer humanity an alternative path, allowing us to transcend our current physical limitations and realize dreams that are impossible in reality.”

Patrick’s Chinese wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. His accent was peculiar, but in the current circumstances, no one cared about its oddness.

“Sheng, I don’t think we need to consider this any further. I’m confident I can do it. Professor Warren and I have already managed to abstract numerical and logical patterns from molecular-level details, allowing us to perfectly simulate human thought.”

Sheng Yunxi countered, “You’ve only experimented on monkeys…”

Patrick, his eyes burning with fervor, fixed his gaze on Sheng Yunze. “How can we succeed without trying, Sheng? I believe in your skills and technology. No one has ever attempted to design a brain before. If you succeed, it will be the most significant step in human history!”

Sheng Yunxi covered her face. “This is simply impossible. The human brain is constantly evolving. How could you possibly design it…?”

Sheng Yunze interjected, “What if we only extract and design a portion of memories?”

Sheng Yunxi paused, stunned.

Her mind was a complete mess at that moment, unsure whether to call her senior crazy or her brother insane.

The three of them debated in the small room for the entire afternoon. In the end, Sheng Yunze stubbornly insisted on proceeding with the risky venture.

Sheng Yunxi grabbed his hand, looking at him after Patrick returned to the hotel. “Brother, think this through. If your operational error prevents Duan Yi’s consciousness from being simulated, what awaits him… You know better than I do.”

Sheng Yunze, who hadn’t spoken in a long time, replied in a voice as calm as stagnant water, “Do you think I have any other choice?”

Sheng Yunxi closed her eyes. “At least… please don’t go.”

Sheng Yunze gazed at her indifferently. Sheng Yunxi opened her eyes, her gaze pleading. “Have you thought about Mom and Dad? Have you thought about your sons?”

Sheng Yunze gently pulled his hand free. “I can’t think about so much.”

In the silent hospital room, two nearly identical faces stared at each other in silence.

Eventually, Sheng Yunxi relented, letting go with a sigh of defeat.

Sheng Yunze returned to the ward. Duan Yi had already been transferred to the private hospital owned by his family.

The hospital was located in a scenic area within the bustling city, with mountains rising behind it, so quiet that the clamor of car horns outside couldn’t be heard.

When he opened the window, the setting sun cast a crimson glow into the room, gradually tinting Duan Yi’s face with a rosy hue, making him look as if he were merely asleep.

A healthy, vibrant sleep.

Sheng Yunze smoothed Duan Yi’s hair. He wanted to touch Duan Yi’s face, but his hand only met the cold, unyielding surface of the ventilator.

His index finger trembled slightly. Suddenly, Sheng Yunze felt utterly exhausted.

For the first time, he realized that when grief overwhelms a person, they become like living corpses, devoid of feeling. Even crying felt exhausting. Only when he thought of Duan Yi, every single second, did he feel a suffocating pain.

But how could he not think of him?

It was like being subjected to the slow slicing of lingchi. The more he tried to escape, the more memories of Duan Yi flooded his mind.

Duan Yi had occupied such a vast part of his life. How could he possibly stop thinking about him?

Sheng Yunze closed his eyes, leaning over Duan Yi’s bedside, bathed in warm light. He gripped Duan Yi’s hand, which trembled slightly in his own.

As Sheng Yunxi had said, the human brain is constantly evolving and cannot be designed.

Perhaps in the future, humanity would unlock the secrets of genetics and be able to engineer brains. But with current scientific capabilities, such a feat remains impossible.

Sheng Yunze settled for a compromise: designing a single memory to exist within Duan Yi’s brain. Even this scaled-down plan carried immense risks.

Duan Yi’s consciousness lay dormant. Successfully simulating his mind with a computer was only the first step.

In the subconscious, the brain can deceive us.

Just as Duan Yi firmly believed in his worldview, his subconscious likely perceived itself as living in a real world. Forcibly awakening him could cause his brain to collapse.

Even if Sheng Yunze successfully replicated his own consciousness into Duan Yi’s memories without a single error, he would still face an even greater challenge: he needed to find a way to awaken Duan Yi subtly, without alarming him.

It would be like waking someone from a deep sleep, leaving them feeling as if they had just experienced a vivid dream.

Exhausted and in agony, Sheng Yunze closed his eyes, feeling his body grow heavier and heavier.

In a daze, he heard someone calling his name. The voice was utterly unfamiliar, and he felt a reluctance to respond.

But the calls, initially gentle, grew increasingly insistent and warm, stirring an inexplicable sense of familiarity within him.

He had barely slumped down beside Duan Yi’s bed when his eyes snapped open.

Instead of the sterile white walls, he saw something else entirely. The rhythmic beeping of machines was gone, replaced by…

Sheng Yunze’s vision gradually sharpened, revealing Dr. He looking at him with concern.

“How are you feeling?”

Sheng Yunze sat up straight and instinctively wiped his face, finding it covered in fresh tear tracks.

Dr. He’s hypnosis had ended.

He had awakened from his memories.

“Drink some water. I was going to show you another segment, but your condition was too unstable. I was afraid of complications, so I had to wake you early.” Dr. He poured him a cup of warm water and tentatively asked, “Professor?”

The moment Sheng Yunze stood up, his demeanor underwent a subtle transformation.

It was a change imperceptible to those unfamiliar with him, like a seventeen-year-old boy suddenly maturing overnight, gaining a more mysterious and mature allure.

Sheng Yunze ignored the warm water, his gaze fixed on Dr. He. “What happened next?”

Dr. He sighed inwardly, relieved. That tone… he remembers everything.

He slowly began to explain, “After that, you tried again. You successfully simulated Duan Yi’s thought patterns, but when you attempted to simulate yours, something went wrong.”

Sheng Yunze calmly stated, “It’s because I was awake.”

Dr. He nodded, his expression conveying ‘You’re exactly as I expected.’ “Yes, Duan Yi’s dormant state meant his cognitive activity was low, making him relatively easy to simulate. But your mind is different. First, you possess an extraordinary intellect—what we often call genius. Your brain’s neurons are far more sensitive than those of ordinary people, making it nearly impossible to replicate your thought processes.”

Sheng Yunze continued, “So you could only simulate my high school self?”

“Correct,” Dr. He confirmed.

Sheng Yunze felt his suspicions were largely confirmed. Dr. He elaborated, “Even simulating your high school self was extremely challenging. Miss Sheng Yunxi approached me, requesting that I hypnotize you to regress your mental state and memories to that period. By the way, even your high school mind proved difficult to simulate. My initial suggestion was to simulate your elementary school self instead, but considering how difficult it would be for an elementary school-aged you to awaken Duan Yi—and the fact that you two had no interaction back then—we abandoned that approach.”

Dr. He continued, “Our method was to retain a small portion of your consciousness and then hypnotically regress the rest to your high school years… However, during the simulation, an unexpected glitch occurred. Your memories were disrupted, leaving you with no recollection whatsoever. Don’t worry, though. You always have a backup plan. A small fragment of your consciousness likely interfered with Duan Yi’s thoughts. If he’s been acting strangely lately, that’s probably your doings.”

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Dr. He turned to Sheng Yunze and asked, “Are you really that worried your charm won’t win over your wife?”

Sheng Yunze had no time for banter. He cut straight to the point, “What about me now?”

“You’re in the hospital, asleep,” Dr. He replied. “Don’t worry, Sheng Yunxi is watching over you. She’ll make sure you get all the nutrients you need so you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to go.”

Sheng Yunze’s gaze turned icy. “Did I authorize you to bring Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi here?”

Dr. He waved his hands frantically. “Hey, that wasn’t my idea! The technology had matured by then, so Sheng Yunxi’s mad scientist senior consulted me. Of course, the main reason was your two sons were crying so desperately—I was afraid they’d blind themselves. Rest assured, I wouldn’t have taken the risk without absolute certainty. They’re fine now, Miss Gu has already taken them home.”

Hearing that Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi were staying at Xiaoduan Mom’s house, Sheng Yunze breathed a sigh of relief.

Dr. He cautioned him, “They’re still too young. Their bodies can’t endure prolonged sleep without suffering irreversible damage.”

He added, “This applies not only to your sons but also to you and Duan Yi. If this goes on too long, your bodies will start to fail.”

In the small room, both men fell silent.

Dr. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “You know how to wake Duan Yi, right? Telling him directly is impossible. His brain will reject the truth, causing mental chaos. Not even you would be able to escape. We’d all be killed in his subconscious.”

Sheng Yunze gazed out the window.

Dr. He sighed. “The best approach is to make him abandon his consciousness of this world.”

If someone is dreaming and wants to wake up, they might hurt themselves to jolt awake.

But how can someone trapped in their own subconscious awaken from the world of consciousness?

And what does it mean to abandon one’s consciousness of this world?

Duan Yi either had to kill himself or experience a massive external shock that would force him to realize this world was fake.

Dr. He forced a rather awkward smile. “I think getting him to commit suicide would be quite difficult, and you wouldn’t want that anyway.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he continued, “Why don’t you try stimulating him from the outside? Is there any way to make him break free from this conscious world? For example, if you suddenly disappeared, he might be unable to accept that reality and start questioning the world… Ah, I’m just spitballing here. The specifics are up to you, but I think this could be a good approach. Better a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one. You can’t let Duan Yi remain in this slumber forever. Now that you’ve regained your memories, you need to take this final step.”

Sheng Yunze picked up his backpack from the bed, pushed open the door, and left.

Dr. He waved goodbye from behind. “If you decide to try it, feel free to come back anytime.”

By the time Sheng Yunze left the hospital, it was already dark.

Two rows of streetlights illuminated the main gate of Second High School, stretching all the way to the school square.

Beyond that lay their classroom.

Sheng Yunze’s footsteps felt light as if he were walking on cotton. He could hear faint noises from the fourth floor, carrying through the distance.

He genuinely hadn’t heard that on the first day of school, Old He had led a team from the Political Education Office to crack down on early romances.

They searched from the first floor to the fourth, confiscating phones along with everything else. Dozens of Apple Machines were stuffed into black plastic bags.

The fourth floor housed five classes: Third Year Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 7, and Class 11.

On the third floor, Old He confiscated a phone from a second-year girl. By sheer coincidence, she was texting her boyfriend at that very moment, allowing Old He to catch two birds with one stone.

Her boyfriend was an Alpha from Third Year Class 3, a decent student Old He vaguely remembered. He was shocked that this usually well-behaved student would engage in early romance at such a crucial time. Old He wasn’t trying to be a killjoy; he just believed that dating during the final semester of third year could ruin a student’s entire future.

Perhaps they wouldn’t understand Old He’s good intentions now. They might even deflate his bicycle tires or steal his underwear while he showered and hang it from a tree as graduation pranks.

But when they were studying at prestigious universities, receiving excellent educations, and later securing promising careers, they might look back and remember the Dean who loved Divine Sword and Hero, with his “petite” frame, booming voice, and penchant for glaring and puffing out his mustache.

By then, they might even feel a sliver of gratitude.

Old He didn’t seek their gratitude. He was a truly selfless teacher, relishing the intellectual and strategic battles with each new wave of mischievous students.

—Though he was still furious when his underwear was hung from a tree.

So, the moment he reached the fourth floor, Old He bellowed, dragging out the model student from Third Year Class 3 and confiscating his phone.

For some inexplicable reason, the model student suddenly turned defiant. Perhaps embarrassed by the crowd of onlookers, he stubbornly refused to hand over his phone, sparking a heated argument that echoed through the fourth floor.

Seeing the student’s stubbornness, Old He ordered someone to bring up the boy’s girlfriend, determined to expose their early romance.

But this plan backfired spectacularly. When the girl arrived and saw her boyfriend denying their relationship to keep his phone, she felt betrayed. The argument escalated from student versus teacher to a full-blown lovers’ quarrel.

Emotions flared beyond control. Enraged, Old He roared, “Do you two even realize this is a school?! Do you have any semblance of student behavior left?!”

Duan Yi, jolted awake by Old He’s ferocious “He” roar, dragged his chair over to the window to watch the spectacle.

He ended up watching a couple arguing. For some reason, he empathized with them, and his heart grew heavy.

Sheng Yunze ignored him all afternoon.

Okay, I ignored him first, but I didn’t mean to ignore him that much…

Duan Yi was initially angry, but after sitting on his stool and reflecting for a long time, he began to blame himself.

I told him I could provide for them! Why did he send my son away?!

Then another voice in his head countered: But Sheng Yunze didn’t send them away. They were never meant to be in this world. They were bound to leave sooner or later.

That’s right! Duan Yi thought. So why am I blaming Sheng Yunze?!

The other voice in his head chimed in: Exactly! Why are you blaming Sheng Yunze? Are you toxic?!

I am toxic!

Duan Yi finally concluded. He quickly admitted his mistake and sent Sheng Yunze a message to make amends.

But the message vanished into the void, leaving Duan Yi panicked.

Could he really be angry?

He stared at his phone all afternoon until Old He came to collect them for the night. Only then did Duan Yi hide his phone in his drawer.

Hearing a commotion outside, he went to investigate.

Unexpectedly, the scene stirred up his emotions, making him even more depressed.

His posture at the window was rather endearing, his stray hair swaying in the breeze.

Sheng Yunze saw Duan Yi in all his vibrant, youthful glory.

The seventeen-year-old boy’s face, creased with a frown and a pout, clearly declared, “I’m not happy.”

His chubby cheeks, healthy and flushed with a hint of pink, were pressed against his arm, squeezing his baby fat into a soft mound. The right side of his face, still flushed from being pressed against the desk after waking up, bore a faint red mark.

His hair stood up in disarray, and he wore Sheng Yunze’s school uniform, which hung loosely on him, the sleeves long enough to cover half his hand.

In that instant, Sheng Yunze felt as if a decade had passed.

The pale face on the hospital bed and the antiseptic smell of the hospital were instantly replaced by the school bell and the sight of a healthy, vibrant youth.

The corridor buzzed with activity as curious students craned their necks from their classrooms to watch the student arguing with Old He. The rows of bobbing heads formed a comical spectacle, accompanied by a cacophony of chatter.

Duan Yi seemed to notice him, his face tinged with guilt and a hint of embarrassment. He straightened up, his gaze drifting away before quickly returning, as if calling Sheng Yunze’s name.

Though Sheng Yunze heard nothing, his body moved on its own, drawing him toward Duan Yi.

Principal He’s voice, lecturing a student, brushed past Sheng Yunze’s ear, “Look at your grades! Do you think you’ve done well? Let me tell you, even if you’re doing well now, if you start dating in your third year, your grades will plummet! You’re already getting arrogant just because you’re ranked so high? Do you even have the right to be dating? Or do you think Tsinghua and Peking Universities are just waiting to let you pick them?!”

Old He caught a glimpse of Sheng Yunze, looking dazed, brushing past him. He immediately turned back to the student and resumed his lecture, “Look at Sheng Yunze! He’s ranked first in the entire grade! Is he dating? Huh? Why can’t you be more like—”

Sheng Yunze.

The last three words never came out.

Because Sheng Yunze had walked up to Duan Yi, reached through the open window, and pulled Duan Yi into his arms, holding him tightly against his chest.

The next moment, Duan Yi suddenly heard Sheng Yunze’s choked sobs. He quickly felt a dampness on his shoulder, as if Sheng Yunze was crying.

Duan Yi: “=口=!”

In that instant, Duan Yi was utterly panicked, his mind racing, his soul nearly leaving his body. He thought their cold war had driven Sheng Yunze to tears.

Just as Duan Yi was about to explain, Sheng Yunze made an unexpected move. He cupped Duan Yi’s face and kissed him directly.

Duan Yi saw the clear tear tracks still visible on Sheng Yunze’s face. As they kissed, he tasted the salt of Yunze’s tears.

It felt like a survivor finding solid ground after a shipwreck. The bitterness made Duan Yi’s heart tremble inexplicably.

For a moment, the corridor fell into dead silence.

Then, a cacophony of screams, cheers, and whistles erupted, threatening to lift the roof off the fourth floor.

“Oooooooohhhhhh!!!!”

“Wooooooahhhh—awesome!!!”

“Holy shit!! Awesome!! Awesome!!!!”

The uproar was punctuated by applause and whistles from onlookers eager for drama.

Old He pointed at Sheng Yunze, his hand trembling slightly: “……”

The model student blinked innocently. “Teacher He, do I still need to learn from Sheng Yunze?”

Author’s Note:

Old He: My blood pressure meds, quick! My hypertension is acting up…