Bruce reached out with his right hand to take the remote from Dr. Haisen, only to find his palm trembling faintly.
He knew he had waited far too long for this moment, invested far too much.
Now, at last, came the time of verification.
Bruce pressed the red button. The middle-aged man strapped to the chair jolted, his eyes rolling back as the metal helmet on his head glowed blue, emitting a faint hum.
Immediately after, the several large screens covering the right wall of the lab lit up all at once. Countless streams of data raced across them at lightning speed.
"Your Majesty, look!" Dr. Haisen pointed excitedly at the screens. "We're currently in the memory traversal phase!"
Bruce watched in silence.
As one of the few deeply involved in the project, he knew the memory digitization and upload process was divided into three phases.
The first phase was memory traversal. Before uploading, all the target's memories had to be fully digitized and scanned through to ensure no omissions or errors.
The second phase was "packaging." The system would compress the traversed memories using lossless data compression to reduce overall energy consumption.
The final third phase was the actual upload. The packaged "memory body" would be uploaded to an ultra-large-scale storage cluster, where a constantly changing "key" would be generated.
After that, whether for review or access, the key would be required to enter the storage center. This ensured no memory leak or theft.
Though the probability was extremely low... a single memory body was so massive that the energy needed to steal it could only be supplied on a national scale. Still, as a precaution, necessary safeguards were essential.
After all, if someone's goal wasn't theft but destruction, no vast energy would be required. Simply entering the database to perform a deletion—not even a complete deletion, just removing part of it—could cause irreparable damage to the entire memory body.
Because the energy requirements for storing memory bodies were so high, multi-backup was nearly impossible.
A full six hours later, the data streams on the wall screens finally stopped moving, leaving only a blinking cursor at the end, accompanied by a prompt: Please manually initiate the next procedure.
Seeing this, Dr. Haisen clapped his hands and shouted, "Traversal succeeded! Haha, I said Subject Zero would save both energy and time. Next comes packaging!"
Bruce, who had been sitting in the chair waiting, asked, "Just traversing this little memory took six hours?"
"...Yes, Your Majesty." Dr. Haisen then offered an explanation.
"In fact, this is already quite fast. Besides explicit memories, humans also have many implicit memories. The latter only surface when triggered by specific cues.
For example, a place visited in childhood, or something eaten back then—adults don't normally recall them. But if by chance they return to that place or eat that food again, fragments of those childhood memories may resurface... That's an implicit memory trigger.
Take Subject Zero. He only retains memories from before age six. While explicit memories may not be many, the volume of implicit memories is enormous. Add the brain's complex subconscious... It's not surprising it took this long."
After Dr. Haisen finished, Bruce's expression grew grave.
If it took that long to traverse the memories of someone with only post-six-year-old memories, how long would it take for a normal adult? What about a slightly older middle-aged or elderly person?
The time consumption would likely multiply exponentially.
Perhaps sensing Bruce's displeasure, Dr. Haisen said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the second and third phases will take even longer... If you find the wait tedious, you may return first. Your assistants and I can keep watch over the experiment."
Bruce said calmly, "I've waited a year for this. What's a little more time?"
"Yes, yes... Then let's continue."
Dr. Haisen knew how much importance Bruce placed on this technology—he had set aside many national matters for it.
Just like when the Suroma official press conference was held to explain the "Array Action," Bruce should have appeared as a matter of principle and courtesy. Yet he didn't go, choosing instead to stay in the lab overseeing the experiment's progress.
That choice undoubtedly displeased many nations and even many Suromans, casting further doubt on Dodge's explanations.
But Bruce ignored it all completely. It seemed that in his mind, nothing mattered more than this experiment and the realization of memory digitization technology.
Dr. Haisen went to the console, made some adjustments, and the data streams on the wall screens scrolled again as they officially entered the second phase: "memory compression and packaging."
This phase took even longer.
Because compared to traversal, it added new tasks like reorganization, writing, and encapsulation.
And to ensure no memory loss, "lossless" was a critical step.
After all, memories were fundamentally different from cold electronic data.
If part of an electronic file was lost, you could search online for a replacement. But if part of a person's memory was lost, how would you find an identical one to make up for it?
What if the lost part was a crucial memory, or even a foundational key memory, it could render the entire memory body useless, devoid of any functionality.
For instance, losing the self-identity memory of "who am I" would make self-positioning impossible, causing all other memories to malfunction.
Thus, this step was vital—no mistakes could be made. It was better to spend more time than to risk carelessness.
So Bruce waited this time until the next evening.
When the prompt indicating compression completion appeared on the large screen, Dr. Haisen and the assistants let out joyful cheers.
"Success!"
This was indeed worth celebrating. As long as the packaging step went without error, it meant the technology was fully operational!
The third phase of upload only consumed energy and storage; it was almost impossible to encounter technical failures.
Though the exhaustion was evident on their faces, the joy of success was enough to overcome two sleepless days.
And Bruce, the king, had also spent these two days in the lab, staying awake alongside them.
"Haisen, you've done well." He stood up. "This achievement will be duly rewarded."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Dr. Haisen wiped his face, too excited to even think about resting.
"Next is the final upload phase. It might take a few more days, but there's no technical risk. Please, Your Majesty, go and rest. The new rule is about to be released soon."
"Hmm."
Only three days remained until the new rule's release—not enough to complete the upload. The verification would have to wait until after the new rule was published.
But the news that traversal and packaging had been successfully implemented could be announced now, proving Suroma's continued leadership in this field.
And indeed it was.
After the Suroma official announcement of the experiment's preliminary success, the world erupted in excitement.
Some even hailed it as humanity's "singularity moment," believing it would fundamentally change humanity's future in the long run.
But due to insufficient information released by Suroma, people could only speculate about the details behind the announcement of "preliminary success" and wait for more information.
...
On the eve of the new rule's release, Xisiya.
Inside the Twin Stars Bar's back room, Guan Tong finished converting his last batch of stored Flowable Mind Power and opened his panel to check.
[Name: Guan Tong]
[Nickname: Shadow]
[Title: Advanced Civilization Observer]
[Mind Power: 1600 (1600) (871570)]
[Ascension Coins: 248500]
[Overall Biometric Rating: Awakened]
...
During the half-month rest period, thanks in part to the boost from faith power, his Mind Power upper limit had risen to 1,600.
His reserve Mind Power had rebounded from zero to over 870,000—naturally, thanks to the power of money.
Aside from the contributions from the Serpent Hair Society, Twin Stars Bar, and the [Impermanent Tax] Authority, his own stash of over four million Ascension Coins had been whittled down to just over 200,000. In exchange, he had nearly one million in reserve Mind Power.
At his current consumption rate, over 800,000 wasn't really that much. An ability like [Shadow Domain] could burn through tens of thousands in one activation. Even 800,000 wouldn't last long if used freely.
So until he had millions, tens of millions, or even billions in reserve, he wouldn't truly feel secure.
"Troupe Leader, we probably won't get much Flowable Mind Power today."
At that moment, Black Star came in from the front room.
Guan Tong nodded. "I know."
Ascendants usually sold their Flowable Mind Power during the Interval Period since it replenished quickly.
But with the new rule dropping tomorrow, no one would sell now.
Who knew what the new rule would entail? If it required a lot of Mind Power, and someone had sold theirs without time to recover, they'd be screwed.
"Once the new rule is announced—if it's not survival-based and not too difficult—I bet a ton of Ascendants will start selling again that same day. That's way more profitable than rule rewards," Black Star said with a grin.
One Ascension Coin for one point of Flowable Mind Power—someone with a few hundred upper limit could earn hundreds of Ascension Coins in one sale. Once they recovered, they'd sell again. A month of that could net thousands, far exceeding the reward for a single rule.
But then again, the wool came from the sheep—those Ascension Coins ultimately came from the Ascendants themselves.
Guan Tong had created some Ascension Coins in the early days using the [Wordless Book], but later on, his coins came from selling rules, selling services, taking official mission rewards, and earning brokerage fees.
In fact, he'd considered reviving the old method—leaving a new page in the [Wordless Book] to manufacture more coins. But after careful thought, he abandoned the idea.
The reason was simple: Ascension Coins created by the [Wordless Book] were bound to him and couldn't be used in transactions. That meant they couldn't buy Flowable Mind Power.
Without the ability to buy Flowable Mind Power, they were nearly useless. Because Guan Tong hardly bought any items now—all his improvements came from developing his abilities.
"When that time comes, just keep collecting," Guan Tong said. "Take as much as you can. I'll keep supplying the coins."
"Easy enough. Oh, by the way, Troupe Leader, have you seen Aaron recently?"
"No. Why?"
"Nothing much. White Star and I miss him a bit. We plan to meet up after this rule ends. Video calls are convenient, but they can't replace seeing someone in person. Though I hear the Beixing Countermeasures Research Office has strict management..."
Guan Tong promised, "No problem. After the new rule ends, I'll contact the Research Office. They should be able to give Aaron a day off so you three siblings can meet."
Black Star smiled. "Thanks, Troupe Leader. Heh."
"Alright. I'll head out now." Guan Tong stood up.
Black Star was surprised. "You're leaving? I thought you'd stay in Xisiya to tackle tomorrow's new rule."
"No. I'm planning to go back to Pinglu first. After the rule drops, I'll check the situation. If I'm sure I can handle it, I'll head to Suroma."
"Suroma... So that's not over yet." Black Star knew Joiessen wasn't the mastermind. "Troupe Leader, if you ever need anything from us, don't hesitate."
"Of course. And you and White Star should contact me if you have problems." Guan Tong paused. "But you two should focus on raising your Mind Power upper limits. Aim to break through 1,000 soon and unlock the Mind Network. That'll make communication easier."
Just then, White Star entered the room. Hearing this, she said helplessly, "Troupe Leader, my brother and I can't compare to you or the Deputy Troupe Leader in this area."
"Not that we can't compare," Black Star corrected. "We're miles behind."
White Star nodded. "Yeah. Last time I video-chatted with Aaron, his Mind Power upper limit was almost surpassing ours—and that kid missed several rules. Now he's catching up. That's talent for you."
"True," Black Star agreed. "Among the three of us, Aaron might actually be the first to break through."
Guan Tong shook his head. "That's not how you should look at it. You two have been busy acting as intermediaries to earn Ascension Coins for Aaron's sake, neglecting your own Mind Power development. That's why you've improved more slowly."
Even so, it was hard to say about speed. Some people were naturally fast—you could only chalk it up to exceptional talent.
"Troupe Leader, we'll work hard," Black Star said, shaking his fist with determination. "We won't hold the Troupe back."
"That's fine. Just focus on surviving well."
After saying goodbye to the two, Guan Tong returned to Pinglu.
He went to check out the canyon bottom where he used to live. The ground was covered in black scorch marks.
It seemed that during the last rule period, the Beixing authorities, worried the mutated plants in this canyon might threaten the densely populated cities, had dumped quite a few incendiary bombs here.
He summoned the Wordless Book shelter, went inside, and lay down. On the last day of the Interval Period, he just wanted to rest and do nothing.
The next morning.
Guan Tong and Coal Ball sat by the door, quietly waiting for the new rule's announcement.
At nine o'clock sharp, the Rule Maker's voice rang out on time.
[The 23rd Doomsday Rule has been announced.]
[Doomsday Rule 23: Memory Erasure]
[Rule Content: After the rule is announced, each person must delete at least 24 consecutive hours of complete memory per day. The deletion quota resets at midnight each day. Unused quota will not accumulate. Failure to delete in time will result in challenge failure. During this rule period, the Terminal Panel will activate a temporary feature: the "Memory Market." Ascendants may sell portions of their own memories or purchase memories sold by others. This rule will last 15 days.]
[Success Reward: 2,000 Ascension Coins]
[Failure Penalty: All memories cleared]
[Note: Is it memory that shapes the self of intelligent beings, or does the self of intelligent beings create memory?]