My name is Li Yingyue, and I'm an utterly ordinary young man. After graduating from college, I became a nine-to-five office worker, just like most people my age.
My life was simple and routine. Every day, I went back and forth between home and work.
Though it was a little dull, I truly enjoyed the peace and quiet.
I liked this simple, uncomplicated way of life. There wasn't much stress or worry, and I was free to manage my own time.
But fate didn't seem inclined to let me live in peace forever.
A sudden war shattered my quiet life and changed the course of many people's lives.
In this turbulent era, everyone had to make a choice.
I was no exception. I was conscripted as a volunteer and assigned to logistics work.
That meant leaving the city I knew and heading somewhere unfamiliar to begin an entirely new journey.
Sometimes, I couldn't help imagining how wonderful it would be if life could stay this uneventful—without grand dramas or thrilling adventures, just the same trivial, tedious routine day after day. Though ordinary, such a life brought a reassuring sense of calm.
But reality was always cruel. The shadow of war hung over our world, filling people with unease and fear.
Countless lives vanished in the flames of war every day, while innocent people endured pain and torment.
I wished more than anything that it would all end and true peace would come.
But the war seemed endless. Every new conflict brought more destruction and casualties.
And I was already exhausted, in body and mind. Perhaps death was the only way to find release.
It was an utterly ordinary day. The sun hung high in the sky, shining down on the earth and bringing a little warmth and light.
Yet for me, today was destined to be anything but ordinary.
As a logistics transporter for a highly classified research institute, I usually led a quiet, routine life.
Every day, I drove a truck and delivered the required supplies to the institute on schedule.
But today, as I drove along the road as usual, I noticed something strange. A blinding white light flashed in the distance, as if something had exploded.
The light was so dazzling that I had to squint to keep it from hurting my eyes.
At the same time, a powerful curiosity welled up inside me. I wanted to know what could have caused such a sight.
Just as I was trying to figure it out, a deafening boom rang out, shaking the whole world like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
The horrifying sound came with a powerful shock wave that swept over me in an instant.
I felt an enormous force, as if a car had slammed into me at tremendous speed, hurling me violently into the air.
Then everything blurred. My consciousness faded, and I sank into darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, everything before me was blurry. It took a while for my vision to clear.
The surgical light above me blazed brilliantly, its glare seeming to pierce my eyes.
My body felt as if it had been thrown into a raging fire. The heat was unbearable, and every cell in me trembled with pain.
I tried to move a finger, only to find that I couldn't move at all. It was as if some invisible force had bound me tight.
I tried to assess my condition and found blisters and sores all over my skin. I had clearly been severely burned.
I did my best to calm down, but the fear and unease inside me only grew stronger.
I noticed that all kinds of tubes were inserted into my body, each connected to a different fluid. Various medical devices stood around me.
They made faint sounds, as though telling me they were working hard to save my life.
"You're awake."
A man who looked like a doctor gazed at me with a steady, solemn expression.
"You're lucky you didn't die in the first nuclear blast. Almost everyone outside the base died," the doctor said heavily, his voice filled with helplessness and regret.
I lay silently in the hospital bed, surrounded by machines, my face pale as paper.
An endless sorrow and despair welled up inside me, as if the whole world had collapsed in an instant.
"But you're also unlucky. The radiation has caused your genes to break down throughout your body. With current medical technology, there's no way to treat it." A trace of pity showed in the doctor's eyes.
I listened in silence, my heart filled with pain and resentment.
I had once thought I could escape death, but now I found myself in an even more terrifying situation.
My body was gradually falling apart, and modern medicine was powerless to help.
I thought back to my past life. Those happy memories now seemed so distant and unreal.
I'd had dreams and hopes, but now it had all come to nothing. I didn't know how to face this reality or what the future held.
At that moment, I felt utterly alone and helpless. I knew I didn't have much time left, and there was still so much I hadn't done.
But what could I do? Was I supposed to silently accept this cruel fate? No! I refused to give up like this.
Even if my life was nearing its end, I would still do my best to find a glimmer of hope.
Even if the odds were only one in ten thousand, I would try to defeat this disease.
I would leave behind something worth remembering, no matter the cost.
"Have you heard of digital life technology?"
Digital life technology? The kind of technology that could upload a person's consciousness into a computer! Wasn't it still just science fiction? Could it already be in practical use?
"I have. You mean technology that uploads human consciousness into a computer?"
"That's right. I'm a researcher with the Digital Life Project. Your condition is beyond treatment. Your DNA is breaking apart throughout your body, and in a few days, you'll die in agony as your genes collapse. The only way to keep you alive is to upload your consciousness. Are you willing to take part in the Digital Life Project?"
"Do I have any other choice? There's only one path to survival, isn't there?"
"I'm willing to take part in the consciousness-uploading experiment!"
"A wise choice. I'll make the arrangements for your consciousness-uploading experiment," the researcher said with a smile. His voice carried a hint of excitement and anticipation that he could barely conceal.
He knew what this decision meant for the test subject, but he also understood that the process would be filled with challenges and unknowns.
Still, he believed in the power of science, and was convinced that this experiment could bring humanity new hope and possibilities.