As the hole was being opened, mist rose up.
The two of them didn’t use water to cool it down. This mist clearly came from the liquid inside the box.
When the hole was finally opened, they inserted a miniature camera inside.
A moment later, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.
They never expected that inside the box there were no metal mechanisms, nor were there any crystal chips or microchips, just a half-evaporated, sticky liquid.
"What... what is this? A creature? The essence of the Ghost Particle Communicator is biological?"
Ju Qingmeng looked confused.
Ren Zhong reacted quickly, suddenly getting up. At high speed, he prepared a microscopic viewing slide and placed it under an integrated microscope that had both electronic and optical functionalities.
Thirty seconds later, Ren Zhong’s eyes widened as he looked at the modeled image and momentarily lost himself.
It was an octopus-like cell.
As a Ph.D. in Biology, Ren Zhong was very familiar with this cell.
It was a neuron cell from the human brain.
At this moment, the biological activity in this cell was rapidly stagnating and dissipating, indicating that the cell was dying.
Shifting the camera’s position, one dying neuron cell after another appeared in the image.
He then looked at the small black box, still containing a few remnants of liquid.
Who knows how many such neurons were in the palm-sized box’s solution.
He couldn’t understand why a communicator that had been working for decades had no mechanical structure but was composed of neuron cells from the human brain.
Won’t the cells die if they don’t eat or drink?
Ju Qingmeng hadn’t studied in this field and didn’t recognize them.
She asked in wonder, "What kind of creature is this? It can generate Ghost Particles; it’s truly incredible."
Ren Zhong instinctively replied, "This is... never mind. It is indeed a wondrous life form, a miracle of the universe. It’s just its fate is tragic, to live on as a communication device."
On Source Star, someone must know the truth.
It can’t be hidden.
But no one ever mentions it.
As if this matter isn’t important at all.
"Wait a minute."
Ren Zhong said as he grabbed a disassembly part from his own armor from nearby—a Five Senses Resonance Connector.
After activating the connector, he placed the sensing probe, originally meant to attach to the back of a person’s neck, into the liquid. Then he activated the information reading device.
A three-dimensional projection appeared, showing a snowy pattern like old cathode-ray tube TVs show when they have no signal, with no information whatsoever.
But the audio system emitted a sound.
It was a heartrending wail, making one’s skin crawl and causing discomfort just by listening.
After some time, as the cells in the sample died, the wailing finally ceased.
A pale-faced Ju Qingmeng asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Ren Zhong: "It could be the unique sound that creature makes when emitting Ghost Particles outwards, it’s nothing."
The research work stopped there.
After tidying up the laboratory, Ren Zhong stood up and walked to the balcony.
The cold night wind hit his face.
He stared blankly at the twin silver moons in the sky.
Ju Qingmeng followed and said, "It’s ten o’clock at night, get some rest early."
Ren Zhong waved his hand, turning his face away, "It’s nothing, you go to sleep first."
Ju Qingmeng suddenly moved in front of him, "Are you crying?"
Ren Zhong barely smiled, "It’s just some sand in my eye."
He didn’t know how many functions the human brain still had.
But he at least knew one of its uses.
He also didn’t know what methods the higher civilization used to keep people’s neuron cells alive in such liquid.
The only thing he could be sure of is that if those neuron cells could communicate with each other, forming a complete consciousness, a "soul," then this soul must be living in unspeakable everlasting agony.
In comparison with the high civilization, the second option in the Mengdu Group’s human brain plantation plan seemed somewhat kind.
Ren Zhong also didn’t know how many human brains the high civilization had "bought" from Source Star to date.
How many souls were enduring this endless, dark torment.
All of this sent chills down his spine.