Shortly after the caregivers carrying body bags left, a second group slipped furtively out through a side entrance of the Ethics Research Institute. Each of them bore some degree of deformity.
"What are they going out to do this late at night?" Old Ma imitated Doctor Gao, narrowing his eyes as he peeked at them.
"They're probably heading to the Forest to look for me." During the day, Doctor Gao had sounded Doctor Bu out with a few questions. His reactions had been off, so Doctor Gao intended to be far more cautious with this Shared Brain session than the previous ones.
They waited another twenty minutes before sneaking into the Ethics Research Institute. Using the two keys Doctor Bu had given him, Doctor Gao reached the Laboratory where the Shared Brain Device was stored without trouble.
He expertly started the equipment, not daring to waste a moment. He arranged the brains labeled Number Two on either side of the pool and connected the dense tangle of wires.
"Lately, I've been forgetting things faster and faster. It feels like... my mission is almost over."
After confirming that the equipment was running normally and had not been tampered with, Doctor Gao replaced one of the brains, injected himself with the drug, and lay down in the pool, still wearing his Pig Village clothes.
He gestured to Youngest Maternal Uncle. The instant the switch was pressed, Doctor Gao felt as though an electric current had pierced him. He could almost hear his brain crying for help, screaming, as though it would escape his body at any moment.
Shared Brain was not an exchange of souls. At first, it had merely been intended to let doctors experience their patients' suffering firsthand. Later, it gradually evolved into a form of punishment, because for some