Chapter 99: Comparing X and Xie Shiyu’s DNA
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
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“Do you have any tasks today?”
While eating breakfast, Chu Feng asked X: “Do you want to go somewhere for a stroll? H City has many tourist attractions…”
Before he could finish his sentence, zzz zzz zzz—
X’s phone suddenly erupted with an alarm: a player was in distress.
“Sorry.”
X quickly said, quickly set down his chopsticks, put on the single-sided earplug, leaned back in his chair, and his consciousness entered the game.
***
Three minutes later, di—
The brain waves disconnected, and X returned:
“Sorry, a player in the city just experienced a tsunami.”
Chu Feng: “…”
X, who had just returned from a life-saving mission, casually picked up his chopsticks to continue his calm breakfast.
“Have your tasks been busy lately?” Chu Feng asked. “Or have they always been this busy?”
X’s body needed regular rest more than a normal person’s, and long periods of high-intensity work were obviously not suitable.
“About the same. It’s been a bit busier lately,” X replied.
Chu Feng thought of his 17-year-old character Little Xie in the city: “Is it because of the recent… hacker attacks?”
After being attacked, although the characters didn’t show any abnormalities, they would load code that endangered the players’ lives. Seventeen-year-old school bully Little Xie was still isolated in a glass ball.
X nodded, “This year is the fifth anniversary conference, so it’s quite important.”
All departments of the company had been working overtime recently to control the situation. Fortunately, it hadn’t caused widespread impact. The PR department had been monitoring the trends of major websites, and most players hadn’t noticed the crisis.
“The security department should be automatically updating the completed version of the props for all players today,” X said.
After the update, the characters isolated by the glass ball would automatically fix the vulnerabilities left by the hacker attacks.
X glanced at his phone screen and checked the time: 9:15.
“The update should have been done at 8 am,” X said. “You can go back to the Dream City and take a look.”
Last time he had given Chu Feng the incomplete version of the isolation glass ball prop, but now it had automatically updated to the completed version. The isolated character Little Xie should have been fixed from the hacker vulnerabilities, and the bugs caused by the [incomplete version] should have been resolved.
“So… does that mean…” Chu Feng said, “My Platonism status in the city has been lifted?”
“It should be,” X replied. He took out a spare Dream City game headset from his luggage and handed it to Chu Feng.
When he handed it over, he thought to himself that Chu Feng probably…. wouldn’t use his headset. He might just politely accept it, then take the opportunity to leave and go back home to play with his own headset.
After all, after the end of the Platonism in the city, Chu Feng could openly be affectionate with his husband again.
“Thank you.”
Chu Feng naturally took the headset, showing no intention of leaving.
X was a bit surprised, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He teased, “Or maybe you want to use the single-sided earplug?”
The hand holding the headset paused for a moment as Chu Feng thought of this morning’s events. He glared at X and didn’t answer. Chu Feng put on the headset and got up, lying down on the sofa in the living room.
Di—
The blue brain waves successfully connected.
[Welcome to Dream City]
Chu Feng re-entered the game. With the headset on, the immersion was indeed much better, and the scene was very lifelike, much more stable than the mental connection of the single-sided earplug.
In front of him was Xie Shiyu’s high school, with two large banyan trees standing at the school gate.
Chu Feng returned to the place where he had almost stumbled just now: a step. School bully Xie Shiyu hadn’t left, still standing behind the step, waiting under the tree shade, with a sullen expression.
“Back already?” School bully Xie Shiyu raised an eyebrow, looking very displeased.
Chu Feng carefully examined the clothes of this Xie Shiyu, the blue and white school uniform jacket with a black collar showing underneath, seeming to be an undershirt.
The weather today was actually a bit hot, but Chu Feng noticed that Xie Shiyu was still wearing a long-sleeved school uniform jacket, and the zipper was pulled up very high, covering the black undershirt under the jacket.
Chu Feng felt a bit strange. In general, the 18-year-old school bully Xie Shiyu wouldn’t dress so neatly, let alone zip up all the way to the top. Normally, when the weather was hot like this, Xie Shiyu would prefer to wear only a vest to school.
Chu Feng took a step forward and walked towards the Little Xie. Without saying a word, he pulled up the zipper of the Little Xie’s jacket all the way:
Revealing the undershirt under the school uniform jacket: a black T-shirt embroidered with English letters: Maple, the maple tree.
Chu Feng remembered this shirt. It was the first couple shirt he and Xie Shiye had bought together, and his shirt was a white Maple.
It was bought when they were 17 years old.
So, the high probability of wearing this shirt was not [18-year-old high school bully Xie Shiyu], but [17-year-old high school bully Xie Shiyu].
“Trying to pass off as an adult again?” Chu Feng fiercely knocked on the head of this Xie Shiyu.
Because there wasn’t much of an age difference, some sixteen or seventeen-year-old underage Little Xies often tried to pass off as eighteen-year-old adults, flaunting themselves in front of Chu Feng, attempting to pass through smoothly and get the chance to plant trees.
Chu Feng often needed to guard against this “scam.”
The 17-year-old Little Xie saw his disguise fail and immediately whimpered, covering his head that had been knocked by Chu Feng. The dominant and overbearing aura on his face disappeared instantly, and he turned into a weak younger brother, pleading with Chu Feng for forgiveness.
Chu Feng gave him a look, “Stop dilly-dallying. It’s already past nine o’clock. Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”
The 17-year-old Xie Shiyu didn’t answer the question of whether he was going to class or not. Instead, he asked:
“Do I not look like I’m eighteen? How did you figure out it was me?”
Chu Feng reached out and grabbed the black T-shirt inside his school uniform jacket:
“You didn’t even bother changing this shirt before trying to pretend. Everyone wears short-sleeved uniforms to class, and you’re the only one wearing black inside. Don’t you think it’s obvious that you’re trying to fool me?”
Xie Shiyu lowered his head and affectionately touched the word “Maple” embroidered on the T-shirt:
“This is the first couple outfit we bought, I can’t bear to take it off.”
“We’ll buy many more in the future.” Chu Feng pointed to Xie Shiyu’s long-sleeved school uniform jacket:
“Isn’t it hot wearing that?”
Failing to disguise himself, the 17-year-old high school sophomore Xie Shiyu sighed and reluctantly took off his school uniform jacket. He tied the sleeves around his waist like ropes and grumbled unhappily:
“Just because I’m one year younger, why can’t I do anything…”
“One year younger is still underage.”
Chu Feng often needed to educate these restless underage Little Xies who attempted to plant trees, making them behave:
“I’ve let you kiss and hug me this morning, what else do you want?”
The 17-year-old Xie Shiyu was sulking, “Nonsense, I’ve only kissed and hugged you, I haven’t done anything else. That transparent adult behind you, on the other hand, has done everything! Don’t think I haven’t noticed!”
Chu Feng suddenly felt his ears burning with embarrassment. Xie Shiyu found it extremely amusing and reached out to pinch Chu Feng’s earlobe:
“Are you shy?”
Xie Shiyu laughed, his hazel eyes warm like amber in the sunlight, looking at Chu Feng:
“So you still blush at 29 years old.”
Chu Feng didn’t say anything. They walked slowly through the campus together. It was past nine o’clock, and most of the students, including Little Xies, were in class. The playground was empty, and the shadows of the plane trees swayed in the wind.
“What was I like when I was 29?”
Suddenly, the 17-year-old Xie Shiyu asked softly:
“It seems like I’ve never seen the 29-year-old me.”
***
Their school uniforms, tied around their waists, swayed slightly in the wind. Chu Feng looked at the familiar high school campus.
High school… from fifteen to eighteen, for Chu Feng, who was now twenty-nine, it was all more than a decade ago.
Across more than ten years, in the virtual world, the seventeen-year-old character Little Xie, who knew nothing, asked him:
[Where did the 29-year-old me go?]
Chu Feng didn’t know how to answer. He remained silent for a long time before finally replying:
“Maybe, coming back soon.”
***
They walked together to the student dormitory building.
Chu Feng: “Skipping class again?”
Xie Shiyu yawned: “Too tired. If I go, I’ll just sleep. I might as well go back to the dorm and sleep.”
Chu Feng: “How does it feel to come out of the glass ball? No discomfort?”
Xie Shiyu was startled: “How did you know I was…”
In the game, there were four high school sophomore bullies, all the same age, same appearance, and sometimes even dressed the same.
Chu Feng smiled and said, “I have my ways.”
The reason why the memory of Xie Shiyu was split by the game system was because their mental states were different. With careful observation, Chu Feng could discern the differences between each Little Xie from their expressions and behaviors.
The Little Xie in front of him was undoubtedly [17-year-old – Nighttime Explorer], the one isolated in the glass ball.
This morning, Dream City updated the glass ball prop and fixed the hacker attack and [City Platonism]. This Little Xie who sneaked out at night ran out of the glass ball and came to the school gate to confront Chu Feng.
The seventeen-year-old Little Xies indeed looked very similar, but after this incident, Chu Feng felt that [Nighttime Explorer] seemed a bit more sinister than the other seventeen-year-old Little Xies.
Chu Feng opened the [Little Xie Illustrated Handbook], and sure enough, the position of the [17-year-old – Nighttime Explorer] character was right beside him.
“Tch.”
Xie Shiyu made a regretful sound. “Forget it, forget it, I’ll just go back to the dorm and sleep. I’m leaving—”
Xie Shiyu waved his hand without looking back and walked towards the dormitory building entrance.
As a teacher, Chu Feng didn’t stop Little Xie from sleeping, nor did he urge him to study. The setting of the [Nighttime Explorer] character was to come out at night and not attend classes during the day. Daytime was his time to sleep; it was his program routine.
Chu Feng was about to turn around and leave when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something unusual.
Today, Xie Shiyu had just safely come out of the glass ball and wanted to see him, so he appeared at the school gate.
For the first time, Chu Feng had the opportunity to see this Little Xie who sneaked out at night during the day.
He watched Xie Shiyu’s departing figure, and just as he was about to turn around and leave, his vision seemed to catch something different.
With his gaze fixed on Xie Shiyu’s figure, he carefully examined it. For the first time, Chu Feng observed this Little Xie in broad daylight with abundant sunlight.
He stared intently, trying to figure out what… was wrong…
Suddenly! Chu Feng suddenly noticed that there was a slightly wet spot on Xie Shiyu’s black T-shirt!
There was a semicircular wet mark on the left shoulder.
Generally, if a piece of clothing got wet, the color would darken, and it would be very noticeable if it was a light-colored garment. But Xie Shiyu’s T-shirt was black, so it was almost impossible to notice if a small area got wet.
—What was wet? Sweat?
It didn’t seem like it.
Although the weather was indeed a bit hot today, sweat usually occurred on the neckline and the back. It wouldn’t inexplicably leave a wet mark on the left shoulder.
“Xie Shiyu—”
Chu Feng ran over to the seventeen-year-old Xie Shiyu and called out to him.
“What’s wrong, Chu Feng?”
Xie Shiyu turned his head, and his expression became somewhat playful:
“Don’t tell me you suddenly changed your mind and think I look like an adult now?”
“To tell you the truth.” Suddenly, Chu Feng seemed to realize something. He asked solemnly:
“What’s on your left shoulder? There’s a wet mark.”
“What?”
Xie Shiyu’s face remained expressionless. He turned his head slightly, used his right hand to pull down the collar of his T-shirt, and turned to look at the left shoulder of his T-shirt:
“What’s wrong? There’s nothing there.”
“How can there be nothing? There’s clearly something wet…” Chu Feng reached out and touched the wet spot on Xie Shiyu’s left shoulder:
“Right here, can’t you see it?”
The character Xie Shiyu didn’t respond. When Chu Feng touched the wet spot and withdrew his hand—
He clearly saw a little red on his fingertips.
—This wet mark wasn’t sweat or water, it was:
Blood!
“Xie Shiyu… where did this come from?”
Chu Feng’s voice sounded uncertain: “Was it… from when the mountain collapsed?”
Although he said so, he had another premonition in his heart. Chu Feng thought that if this [Nighttime Explorer] Little Xie had been injured during the mountain collapse incident in the old teaching building, he would have answered him.
However, the character Xie Shiyu seemed completely unaware of this bloodstain. He felt that there was nothing unusual about his black T-shirt.
Even if he had accidentally injured himself during the mountain collapse incident, after spending a few days in the glass ball, the wound should have healed. It wouldn’t bleed and wet his black T-shirt.
Chu Feng quickly pulled open the collar of Xie Shiyu’s black T-shirt. Sure enough, the skin on the left shoulder of the character Xie was intact, without any injuries!
This confirmed another bold guess of Chu Feng’s.
In this situation, there was only one possibility: in reality, this black T-shirt had already been stained with blood.
When the game system restored memories, it treated this bloodstain as an inherent attribute of the black T-shirt and restored it together. When the 17-year-old Xie wore this T-shirt, he naturally didn’t realize that he was bleeding.
Because the bloodstain was an inherent attribute of the T-shirt, the character itself couldn’t perceive what it was, only recognizing it as part of the T-shirt. Therefore, the [17-year-old – Nighttime Explorer] Xie didn’t find the bloodstain strange.
Chu Feng felt like he was getting closer to another new secret.
Twelve years ago, when they were seventeen, on a certain night, Xie Shiyu came to find him wearing the first couple outfit they bought: the black T-shirt embroidered with “Maple.”
That night, the lighting wasn’t sufficient, and Chu Feng’s visual input captured all the details of reality and transmitted all the image information to his brain.
But the seventeen-year-old Chu Feng lacked an understanding of cause and effect. His brain didn’t pay attention to this wet spot at the time, let alone think that it was blood.
What happened to Xie Shiyu on that night when he was seventeen?
He even bled…
Chu Feng speculated that at that time, Xie Shiyu must have been urgent, and he didn’t even have time to bandage the wound before coming to see him, bleeding as he did.
What could make Xie Shiyu bleed… Chu Feng felt like he was getting closer to the truth, another absolutely secretive secret.
He thought of the city-wide virus. He had decrypted several secrets of Xie Shiyu, revealing a series of power rankings, but still didn’t know how old the Xie Shiyu ranked NO.2 was or what kind of top-secret event he was involved in.
Twelve years had passed, and many things were unknown. Because Xie Shiyu was by his side, for Chu Feng, perhaps everything was just a seventeen-year, ordinary night.
The span of twelve years had diluted that ordinary night again and again, to the point where he couldn’t even remember which scene this Xie Shiyu who came to see him belonged to.
If…
X was really Xie Shiyu, perhaps one day, when he recovered his memories, Chu Feng could confront him with the evidence, and he wondered what expression the twenty-nine-year-old Xie Shiyu would have at that time?
Chu Feng pondered this in his mind for a moment, but he realized that there was something more urgent to do now.
If there was really blood on this black T-shirt in reality, it meant that Xie Shiyu had indeed left behind DNA.
Di—
Chu Feng immediately exited the Dream City game.
He sat up abruptly from the sofa and heard the sound of water flowing in the kitchen.
X was tidying up the tableware and washing dishes.
There was a partition door between the kitchen and the living room of the presidential suite to prevent the kitchen fumes from spreading to the entire room. Chu Feng walked to the outside of the kitchen and knocked on the door:
“Sorry, I suddenly have urgent business to attend to.”
The sound of flowing water in the kitchen stopped for a moment, and X responded with an “mm,” saying:
“You go ahead and take care of it. It’s okay.”
Chu Feng put on his coat and hurried back to the bedroom.
To conduct DNA comparison, besides Xie Shiyu’s, he also needed X’s…
Chu Feng picked up a set of clothes from the floor.
Last night, Chief Jin mentioned a new DNA technology project to him. During the dinner party, Chu Feng had already discussed with the technical personnel that he could invest heavily in this technology, but with one condition: they must conduct a DNA identification for him at a very fast speed.
The researchers and Chief Jin were naturally very happy and immediately agreed to Chu Feng’s request.
Chu Feng also requested that they couldn’t conduct the DNA identification at their own research institute. They had to move all staff to the DNA facility designated by him and conduct the identification using their technology.
Because only the computer system of that facility was completely closed, Chu Feng had to maximize the security of Xie Shiyu’s DNA.
Last night, the batch of technical personnel had already moved into the DNA facility designated by Chu Feng and started the DNA extraction work after receiving all of Xie Shiyu’s old belongings, working overtime to complete the extraction.
“Hello, how are you—”
After leaving the hotel, Chu Feng quickly called the DNA technical personnel.
“Hello, hello, Chief Chu!”
The old items of Xie Shiyu that Chu Feng sent last night filled eight boxes, and the technical personnel were still extracting them one by one.
High school clothes from over ten years ago had basically been thrown away, but the black T-shirt with Maple embroidered on it was the first couple outfit they bought. Regardless of how many years had passed, he and Xie Shiyu would always keep it well.
Chu Feng said over the phone, “There’s no need to extract them one by one. Just find the eighth box. There’s a black T-shirt with the letters ‘Maple’ on it. Check the left shoulder area. There should have been blood stains there.”
“Okay…” The appraiser, wearing gloves and following Chu Feng’s instructions carefully, inspected the black clothing. “I’m sorry, Chief Chu, there are no traces on it.”
Chu Feng was taken aback.
Thinking about it, Xie Shiyu was such a cautious person. If his regular clothes had blood stains on them, he would definitely deal with it immediately.
Because this was a couple outfit, it had to be kept and couldn’t be destroyed. So, in reality, Xie Shiyu would definitely try his best to wash away the blood stains.
Chu Feng speculated that on that night, the situation might have been urgent, and Xie Shiyu rushed to see him without bandaging the wound in time or having time to wash his clothes, so the blood stains were imprinted on the T-shirt’s back shoulder.
His vision objectively captured this image information, which was then read by the Dream City system and restored. So today, he saw the bloodstains on the black T-shirt worn by 17-year-old Xie.
But the 17-year-old Chu Feng couldn’t subjectively realize what the wet spots on this T-shirt might mean.
Now, the blood stains on it should have been washed away by Xie Shiyu. Chu Feng fell silent. After so many years, he didn’t know if there was still a chance to leave behind that tiny amount of DNA.
“It’s okay, Chief Chu. We’re about to start DNA molecule bead technology here. Rest assured, even though it seems like all the molecules have been completely washed away to the naked eye, generally, it’s impossible for not a single molecule to remain, even with hand washing or machine washing. As long as there’s still a molecule left, we can successfully amplify it into complete DNA.”
Chu Feng: “How long will it take?”
Technician: “It will take some time to amplify it into complete DNA, usually 14 working days. Because you’re in a hurry, we’ll definitely have the comparison for you within 5 days. Oh, Chief Chu, the DNA identification requires two samples. Can the other person provide DNA, or do we also need to extract it?”
Chu Feng glanced at the sealed plastic bag: a used condom. He replied, “There’s a sample.”
Technician: “Alright. That’s no problem then. Once we extract the trace molecules, we’ll contact you immediately!”
“Okay.”
Chu Feng said, “I’ll bring the other sample right away.”
***
X finished washing the dishes.
After Chu Feng left, the whole room quieted down.
While washing the dishes just now, he seemed to hear Chu Feng hurriedly enter the bedroom, probably fetching something.
X guessed it should be a personal item, like a phone charging cable.
After Chu Feng took the item, then, with a bang, he heard Chu Feng leave.
X tidied up the tableware, placed them on the drying rack, and then walked back to the bedroom.
It was empty now, with only him left.
X was already quite content. He originally thought that waking up in the morning would be cold and empty, but he didn’t expect to share a very pleasant breakfast with Chu Feng. Maybe last night was too good, and Chu Feng’s mood improved as well.
Recalling the wonderful night, X even began to doubt it himself.
Generally, two people who just started their nighttime relationship would need to explore each other, like two machines needing a certain break-in period.
But…
Last night, X felt like a fish that had been away from the shore for a long time suddenly returning to the ocean. Chu Feng didn’t show any resistance or awkwardness, as if everything was just natural.
There were two possibilities:
Either they were more compatible than Chu Feng’s former husband, Xie Shiyu, or…
X’s suspicion about his own identity was further confirmed.
He lowered his head and started to tidy up the bedroom.
Generally, people staying overnight in a hotel wouldn’t voluntarily clean up and would just leave since they paid for the room, and there would be cleaners coming in. But X instinctively felt that it wasn’t safe. He would wipe the switches and tables every day to prevent leaving fingerprints. This seemed to be a habit ingrained in him, even though he wouldn’t leave fingerprints under normal circumstances, especially now with bandages on his hands.
X picked up the used items on the floor and started cleaning.
Normally, he would do this cleaning as soon as he got up, but this morning, he was busy with breakfast and work tasks, so he was a bit busy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed these things to be scattered on the floor like this.
X picked up the used items from the floor, one by one… he needed to destroy them. He put them in a plastic bag and tied it up.
There was only one left. X searched every corner of the bedroom…
When he searched to the end, X found that every corner of the bedroom was spotless:
There was one condom missing.
***
Realizing this, X checked every corner of the bedroom again. Indeed, there was really one missing.
There were only him and Chu Feng in the hotel room. He didn’t move it, so it was…
Taken by Chu Feng.
This kind of thing was useless; the only use was that it contained… a lot of DNA.
***
A lightproof brown plastic bag containing a condom. Chu Feng, wearing gloves, labeled the sealed plastic bag:
Sample 2.
Sample 1 is waiting for extraction.
Half an hour later, he received a call:
“Chief Chu, hello, congratulations! We’ve successfully found trace molecules from the black T-shirt. But we can’t make an identification yet. We need to amplify these molecules into complete DNA. Give us five days, and we’ll definitely be able to identify it for you. Is the other sample ready?”
“Yes. I’m already at the door.”
Chu Feng, wearing sunglasses, parked the car and personally walked into the DNA identification institution, looking for the technical staff. He took out a black lightproof sealed plastic bag from his bag, containing a lot of X’s DNA from last night.
He handed it over, his voice trembling slightly, as if he had finally come to the moment of deciding fate:
“This is the second sample, please compare it as soon as possible.”
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