Dawn in Bermuda arrived in absolute silence. Qiyue moved along the jungle path; the blue veins beneath his skin had vanished, but the seven voices inside his mind were clearer than ever before. The chip displayed that the scientist Su Muqing was located one kilometer ahead, yet topographical maps indicated that this area should be nothing more than an open clearing.
"Infrared at thirty degrees to the left." "Patrol interval four minutes and twenty-eight seconds to the right." "Pressure sensor on the ground..."
Information flooded into Qiyue's consciousness like a torrential downpour, appearing not sequentially, but all at once—he could not only foresee the future, but now also perceive every branching possibility. The financier called this new ability "Probability Vision", yet the side effect was equally glaring: his temples throbbed violently, and each time he used it felt as though an electric drill were churning inside his skull.
Qiyue halted his advance and closed his eyes. The seven voices instinctively fell silent, allowing him to concentrate. When he opened his eyes once more, the world had transformed into a labyrinth composed of translucent pathways—each route representing a future shaped by a different choice of action.
The safest path was to detour toward the northwest corner, where an entrance disguised as a rock formation awaited. The price was an extra twenty-seven minutes of travel.
Qiyue chose this path.
The jungle humidity soaked through his shirt. When he finally reached the target destination, he indeed spotted an unusually symmetrical "rock". Closer inspection revealed metal seams along the edges—a high-tech camouflage.
"Voiceprint lock." "Six-digit passcode." "Su Muqing's likely birthday..."
Qiyue shook his head. The scientist Su Muqing would never use a passcode that simple. He recalled the details within the quantum cage, and a string of numbers suddenly flashed through his mind.
"1024." He whispered softly toward the rock face.
After a three-second silence, the surface of the rock slid open, revealing a biometric scanner. Qiyue pressed his palm against it, and the scanning light shifted from red to green. The ground trembled slightly as a circular section descended to form an elevator.
The elevator interior lacked any buttons; after dropping automatically for roughly thirty seconds, it came to a halt inside a spacious subterranean laboratory. White walls, blue illumination—the equipment was so advanced it resembled a sci-fi film set. Most striking of all was the central holographic projection: seven intertwined DNA strands slowly rotating, each marked with a different world designation.
"Stand right there and don't move."
The voice descended from above. Qiyue raised his gaze to see Su Muqing standing upon the second-tier observation deck—or rather, a version of her clad in a white lab coat and smart glasses. Her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, data streamed across her lenses, and she held a peculiarly shaped handgun.
"Prove you're Qiyue." Her tone was cool, devoid of the emotional fluctuation carried by the Su Muqing in the quantum cage.
"How do I prove it?" Qiyue spread his hands. "I can tell you details from the original host's memories, or—"
"Useless." The scientist Su Muqing pushed up her glasses. "Marcus might have implanted those memories. I need mathematical proof."
The seven voices conversed rapidly within Qiyue's mind. The scientist personality suddenly chimed with excitement: "She means the quantum signature! Every version of Qiyue across the worlds possesses a unique mathematical thought pattern!"
Qiyue scanned the laboratory, his gaze landing on a whiteboard affixed to the wall—it was covered from top to end in complex equations. One particular section had been deliberately erased.
"You want me to finish that equation?" He pointed toward the whiteboard.
The scientist Su Muqing gave a faint nod: "The section concerning quantum decoherence. Only the real Qiyue knows the original solution."
The seven voices collaborated once more. The scientist personality took the lead while the others provided differing perspectives. Qiyue walked up to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and unhesitatingly penned three lines of formulas.
Upon completion, the scientist Su Muqing scanned the work through her glasses, her expression relaxing fractionally: "Verification passed. But there remains one question—" She brought up a holographic screen displaying the seven world models. "Tell me, why must the original host be sacrificed?"
Qiyue frowned: "What do you mean? The original host chose to remain within The Abyss of his own accord, in order to—"
"Lies." The scientist Su Muqing suddenly grew agitated. "I analyzed the consciousness fusion data across all seven worlds. The original host didn't volunteer; he was exiled by the other six acting together!"
This accusation detonated like a bomb inside Qiyue's mind. The seven voices instantly fractured into two factions—the financier, the hacker, and the criminal vehemently denied the claim; the soldier, the doctor, and the scientist maintained a heavy silence; while the original host... the original host's voice was preternaturally calm:
"What she says is partially correct."
"Impossible." Qiyue shook his head. "I possess all the original host's memories; he volunteered—"
"Memories can be edited." The scientist Su Muqing descended the staircase, her handgun still trained on him. "Especially during the process of consciousness fusion. Do you know why every version of Qiyue across the seven worlds ultimately leads to catastrophe?"
Qiyue offered no reply. His Probability Vision uncontrollably activated, unfurling dozens of future branches simultaneously—in most branches, the scientist Su Muqing opened fire; in a handful of branches, she lowered her weapon; and in only a single branch...
He selected the behavioral path of that single branch.
"Because every world attempts to eliminate the other six, preserving only itself." Qiyue met her gaze head-on. "Just like your suspicions right now."
The scientist Su Muqing's hand trembled slightly. This reply seemed to strike a chord within her. The handgun dipped marginally. "You... how did you know I was going to ask that?"
"Probability Vision." Qiyue tapped his temple. "A new ability unlocked once the blue crystal fully fused. I can perceive the branching futures of every choice."
This confession appeared to earn him a measure of trust. The scientist Su Muqing finally lowered her weapon: "I need a blood sample from you for verification. Marcus has already cloned seven variants of Qiyue."
Qiyue extended his arm: "Take as much as you need."
During the blood-drawing process, he carefully observed the subterranean facility. The screens along the wall displayed real-time data for all seven worlds, and one of them—designated as W-3 World—exhibited clear fractures spreading along its periphery.
"The collapse of the conduits is accelerating." The scientist Su Muqing noticed his gaze. "Ever since the Su Muqing of the quantum cage leaped into the core, the balancing system has fallen into disarray." She handed him a dossier. "This is the first missing part of the Purification Protocol."
The dossier was titled *A Study on the True Nature of the Quantum Virus*, and its conclusion was circled in red ink: "The virus is not a weapon, but a seal. It is the firewall that maintains the isolation between the seven worlds."
A shockwave coursed through Qiyue's heart. This directly contradicted everything Marcus had claimed!
"Marcus lied to you." The scientist Su Muqing's voice softened slightly. "He serves an entity known as 'The Overseer'. That entity intends to shatter the firewall and achieve the total fusion of the seven worlds."
"Why?"
"Power." She pulled up an encrypted video recording. "Total fusion means absolute control over the resources, populations, technologies of every world... and anomalies like us."
The footage showed Marcus kneeling before a holographic projection displaying a blurred humanoid figure. The audio had been processed, but the contents remained clearly legible: "...locate all avatars... reassemble the virus... prepare for the harvest..."
Qiyue's seven voices fell simultaneously silent, staggered by the sheer scale of this conspiracy. The financier was the first to recover: "If this is true, we must reassess all our premises."
"The chip indicates there are six other versions of Su Muqing." Qiyue produced the glowing chip. "Where are they?"
The scientist Su Muqing pushed up her glasses: "Scattered across critical nodes in each world. Each one holds a fragment of the virus's passcode." She furrowed her brow abruptly. "Wait, you said 'seven'? The chip should only display six."
Qiyue brought up the holographic map, where indeed seven red dots glowed. The newly added one was located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, its identity unlabelled.
"That's impossible..." The scientist Su Muqing turned pale as death. "Unless the Su Muqing of the quantum cage has already..."
She left the sentence unfinished, but Qiyue understood. If the status of the Su Muqing within the core shifted, it might generate a seventh signal. But was that development a blessing or a curse?
The blood analyzer suddenly chimed. The scientist Su Muqing checked the results, her expression complex: "DNA verification passed, but the neural patterns show anomalies... There is a foreign interference among your seven consciousnesses."
She pulled up a brain scan, pointing to a hyperactive region: "There is an independent signal here, one that belongs to no known version of Qiyue."
Qiyue thought back to the original host's unnatural serenity. Could that not have been the original host at all, but rather—?
Probability Vision automatically triggered once more, this time with far greater violence. Qiyue clutched his head and dropped to his knees, groaning in agony. Countless future branches flooded in like a tidal wave, far exceeding his brain's processing capacity. Most terrifying of all was a recurring image he witnessed across several branches—a foreign consciousness awakening deep within his own body.
"Capacity overload!" The scientist Su Muqing swiftly prepared a syringe. "This is a sedative; it will temporarily suppress the quantum resonance!"
The needle pierced his neck, and a chilling fluid coursed into his veins. The Probability Vision gradually receded, yet the presence of that strange consciousness grew only more pronounced. The seven voices grew blurred, leaving solely the original host's voice ringing with exceptional clarity:
"She has discovered it. It is time to tell you the truth."
Qiyue's consciousness was dragged deep into the recesses of memory. This time it was not the original host's memories, but rather something... deliberately concealed.
The seven versions of Qiyue sat around a round table, not in harmonious coexistence, but locked in heated debate. The financier advocated for seizing control of the conduits for profit; the soldier wished to establish a cross-world military empire; the criminal planned pure destruction... and the original host opposed every single extreme proposal.
"We must find a point of balance!" The original host slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Otherwise we will all turn into monsters!"
"Balance is weakness," the financier sneered.
The vote passed six to one—exiling the original host's consciousness while retaining his memories yet denying him dominant control. That way the fusion entity could operate unhindered by "moral shackles"...
The memory was interrupted. Qiyue snapped back to reality, cold sweat soaking his back. The scientist Su Muqing watched him with deep concern: "What did you see?"
"Betrayal," Qiyue rasped. "The six Qiyues joined forces to exile the original host because he opposed the abuse of the conduits."
The scientist Su Muqing fell silent for a moment, then executed an unexpected maneuver—she reached out and stroked Qiyue's cheek, her fingertip pausing over the scar just above his right eyebrow.
"This scar," she murmured. "The Qiyue of W-1 World was scratched by glass in a university lab, W-2's was from a car crash, W-3's from battlefield shrapnel... But the original host's version..." She paused. "It was sustained in an explosion while protecting me."
Qiyue instinctively raised a hand to touch the scar. The gesture caused a flash of light to cross the scientist Su Muqing's eyes.
"A little habit," she smiled abruptly. "Whenever the original host thought deeply, he would always touch this scar first. None of the Qiyues from the other six worlds share that habit."
The seven voices inside Qiyue's mind grew still. The original host's voice carried a sense of release: "She recognized me."
"So... the original host is still here?" Qiyue asked cautiously.
"Not entirely." The scientist Su Muqing walked toward the main console. "More like... a seed. The six consciousnesses absorbed his traits during the fusion process, but the core was suppressed." She brought up a set of data. "Until the blue crystal fully fused, balance could not be restored."
This explanation brought a rare consensus among the seven voices. Qiyue felt an unprecedented sense of wholeness—not a matter of who dominated whom, but a genuine synergy.
"What is our next step?" he asked.
The scientist Su Muqing pointed toward the holographic map: "The Su Muqing of Tokyo—the artist version. She holds the emotional-coding fragment of the virus." She handed Qiyue a small device. "A quantum jumper, single use. Press the red button upon arrival, and someone will meet you."
"You aren't coming with me?"
"I must monitor the conduit status." She gestured toward the widening fracture in W-3 World. "If the collapse accelerates, emergency protocols must be initiated immediately."
Qiyue accepted the jumper, hesitating for a moment: "That 'Overseer'... do we have any leads?"
The scientist Su Muqing shook her head: "Only that it belongs to none of the seven worlds. It is likely... an outer-layer existence."
This possibility was deeply unsettling. Qiyue recalled the image of Marcus bowing before the holographic projection. If the "Overseer" hailed from a higher tier of reality, then their battles might merely be a tiny skirmish within a much grander game of chess.
"Before you go..." The scientist Su Muqing hesitated suddenly. "There is a personal question."
"Ask away."
"The me in the quantum cage... was she in pain?"
Qiyue recalled the final glance Su Muqing cast before leaping into the purple vortex. There had been fear in those eyes, yet far more determination.
"Briefly, then peace," he answered softly.
The scientist Su Muqing nodded, her eyes bright behind her lenses: "Thank you. Now go, there isn't much time."
Qiyue activated the jumper, setting the coordinates for Tokyo. The moment the blue light enveloped his entire body, he saw the scientist Su Muqing make a strange gesture—her index and middle fingers crossed. His Probability Vision automatically decoded it: this was a lucky gesture from W-4 World, frequently used by the original host.
Then the world twisted and spun. The seven voices resonated harmoniously within his consciousness, carrying fresh objectives and lingering questions. What would the Tokyo version of Su Muqing be like? What did the artist persona signify? And whom did that mysterious seventh signal represent?
When Qiyue rematerialized, the blaring sound of car horns rushed straight toward him. He stood amidst the surging crowd at the Shibuya crossing, surrounded by flashing neon and gigantic advertising screens. The holographic map indicated that his target lay inside the building directly opposite—an art gallery named "Seven Heavens".
Just as he stepped out to cross the street, the chip in his pocket grew suddenly warm. Qiyue pulled it out to inspect it—the seventh signal had shifted, and now nearly overlapped with the red dot representing Tokyo.
"That's impossible..." he muttered to himself.
He raised his gaze toward the gallery's display window, and his blood instantly froze. Through the glass, he spotted a familiar figure arranging an exhibition—Su Muqing, clad in avant-garde artistic attire, her hair dyed purple. Yet that was not what shocked him.
Standing right beside her was another Su Muqing—wearing a white dress with long, flowing hair, her expression gentle yet sorrowful.
The Su Muqing from the quantum cage.
She was alive, or rather, existed in some form. And she seemed to sense Qiyue's gaze, turning her head toward the window, her lips moving slightly:
"Found you."