Memory Retrieval

As expected, Tu Ran had called it right.

Zhao Yan kept his mouth shut, even closing his eyes with an air of "I know, but I'm not telling."

Tu Ran clicked her tongue against her teeth and shifted her gaze from the rearview mirror to the window.

Just wait and see!

We'll see who gets buried first!

Behind her, Zhao Yan, who had caught her thoughts, gave a slight twitch of his eyelids but quickly returned to a serene state, as if he'd dozed off.

The patrol car set down on the hotel's external parking platform where Tu Ran was staying.

She hopped out and watched the patrol vehicle take off.

They still had to head back to Luqing City.

Tu Ran used facial recognition to enter her room and flopped straight onto the sofa.

She was exhausted, but she still had over three hours before she was off duty, and during that time, she had to be ready to move at a moment's notice, so she could only snatch a quick lie-down in her combat suit.

If a mission came through, Zero would wake her. Tu Ran didn't fight the drowsiness and fell asleep almost instantly.

The sofa was soft, and she sank into it, her head hitting the cushion and her eyes closing in the same breath.

Luckily, no gene monsters showed up in Pandalim District until seven in the morning.

She could finally enjoy a full twelve hours of leave.

The first thing Tu Ran did was peel off her combat suit, take a shower, slip into a comfortable bathrobe, and collapse back onto the bed for more sleep.

No matter how nice the sofa was, it couldn't hold a candle to the bed.

She slept straight through until two in the afternoon and woke up feeling completely refreshed.

Stretching, she grabbed the communicator from beside her pillow.

It was a habit she'd picked up over two lifetimes.

Today, her communicator was buzzing with messages.

They were all from people she didn't recognize.

She tapped one at random.

"Senior, I've been assigned to study under you. Hope you'll take care of me! [heart] [heart]"

Assigned to study under her? What was that about?

Tu Ran backed out and opened another.

Similar content, another plea for her guidance.

Frowning, she switched to her work interface and saw two messages.

The first read: "First-generation pioneers shoulder heavy workloads, while second-generation pioneers urgently need practical training. It's recommended that each first-generation pioneer take on five second-generation pioneers as assistants, sharing the load and giving the newcomers initial combat experience."

Proposer: Senior Pioneer Yao Bei.

Approval: Endorsed. [Commander-in-Chief Xie Zhao]

"Pioneer Tu Ran, your second-generation members have been assigned. Please check."

Tu Ran tapped the link.

It loaded the files of five people.

Four men, one woman.

Each file had a photo, a detailed specialty description, and at the end, their graduation assessment scores and rankings.

Tu Ran skimmed through, her eyes catching on the scores.

Going by the grades, these five weren't just impressive—they were top-tier.

First place, fourth, fifth, sixth, and tenth.

With over three thousand in the second cohort, five of the top ten were assigned to her.

Her eyelids twitched.

"Was this random?"

If it were, she'd have won the lottery.

Zero's voice came from the communicator. "They chose you."

So all those top performers picked her of their own accord?

Did she have some kind of magic?

"Don't they know I'm a junior pioneer?"

These folks must have been blinded by her performance yesterday and glossed over the fact that she was only a junior.

Logically, in a self-selection setup, someone like Yao Bei—a rare senior—would be the obvious draw.

"Your credentials were displayed to them in full. They know you're a junior pioneer."

They knew, and they still picked her.

Tu Ran clicked her tongue and shook her head.

Young people with terrible eyesight.

What could she possibly teach them? Nothing.

Whatever. She'd sort it out after clocking in at seven.

She exited that screen and opened the next message.

"Dear Pioneer Tu Ran, your memory retrieval is scheduled for today at 3:20 PM in Room 936 of the Administrative Building's memory suite. Please arrive on time."

A notice to retrieve her memories from inside the Threshold.

But today was only the second day—Zero had originally estimated the third.

Good thing she'd prepared in advance, so even an early date didn't faze her.

She checked the time: 2:20.

It would take half an hour to get to the Administrative Building.

That left her half an hour to eat and get ready.

Tu Ran ordered lunch through the hotel and started changing.

By the time she had her gear on, the door chimed.

"Ding—your lunch has arrived."

"Come in." Tu Ran was adjusting her collar.

The door slid open, and a small cart glided in, stopping in front of the dining table.

As Tu Ran approached, the cart's camera scanned her face, the food compartment popped open, and a mechanical arm set the plates neatly on the table.

"Enjoy your meal!"

The cart slid away on its own, and the door closed again.

Tu Ran had ordered a glass of milk, an egg, and a sandwich.

This hotel was a Xie family chain, serving only genuine ingredients, and staying there came with free meals.

She ate her fill, grabbed her helmet, and headed out.

She took the maglev again and arrived at the Administrative Building half an hour later.

The lobby was as bustling as ever.

The Federation had dozens of departments—at least thirty or forty recognizable ones—each with its own uniform, so the observant could often tell someone's department just by their clothes.

At the moment, the lobby was a sea of uniforms in various colors and styles, everyone rushing about with purpose.

Tu Ran took the elevator to the 93rd floor.

The entire floor was dedicated to memory retrieval rooms.

Six machines were spread across six rooms, each staffed by researchers.

The hallway was quiet, with seven or eight pioneers waiting outside.

An electronic screen embedded in the wall announced whose turn was next.

Tu Ran waited five minutes before her name popped up.

"Pioneer Tu Ran, please proceed to Room 936 for memory retrieval."

She glanced at the door numbers along the two rows, found 936, and right then, a pioneer stepped out. Taking a closer look, it was Li Wenchuan.

He was a senior pioneer, so he should have had his retrieval done on the first day.

Probably here to "falsify" his memories with Xie Xu.

The two nodded at each other, feigning unfamiliarity, and brushed past.

Tu Ran entered the room, and a massive machine came into view.

Blocky and square, its cables snaked to a computer.

There was also a bed. Xie Xu, in his standard Research Institute uniform, sat at a desk beside it, fiddling with the computer.

Hearing her approach, he turned his head and glanced at her. "Take off your helmet and lie down."

Tu Ran did as told and lay flat on the bed.

Xie Xu rose from the computer, holding a strange silver mask.