"We concluded that the key reason the synapses in hibernating brains break down is that the brain remains shut down and inactive for too long," Lu Chengen said.
"It may seem as though freezing solidifies time, but time hasn't truly frozen. It's still moving slowly, and brain tissue is constantly changing at a slow pace."
"Exactly!" Song He nodded. "The brain has to stay active from the moment it's born. If it becomes inactive, it immediately begins to deteriorate. A freezing environment may even make fragile brain tissue more prone to damage."
"So we came up with an idea. Could we alter the state of a hibernator's brain? The heart could stop completely, while the brain was kept running at a slow pace to extend its preservation period?" Professor Lu said something astonishing.
Song He and Lou Jinghui were both startled. Separated by the screen, they stared at each other in dismay.
"Professor Lu, are you a demon?" Lou Jinghui couldn't help commenting.
"That's a little terrifying. The body is frozen, but the brain keeps running?" Song He tilted his head and thought about it.
"Lu Xun wrote an essay called 'After Death,' written from the perspective of a corpse. The protagonist retains his consciousness and senses after death, but his body cannot move at all. He can hear the people around him chattering and can even feel ants crawling over his skin, yet he can't raise a hand to scratch them and can only endure it."
"If a hibernator's body were frozen while only his brain kept running, I wouldn't dare imagine what that would feel like. It might be like being a human swine—or even worse."
"That... is a little horrifying." Professor Lu awkwardly scratched his head. "I was only considering the technical feasibility. I didn't think that