The redwoods of Stanley Park, like prehistoric giants dressed in red, guard this beautiful and fertile land.
Dickinson sat fishing on the beach at dusk, the soft, glowing sun, like a glowing Apple, slowly sinking towards the horizon.
Huang Liang stood quietly to the side, watching the old man's serene expression. The fishing rod, held high in the sky, gleamed strangely in the setting sun. The sea was perfectly calm, with only a few seagulls soaring overhead, telling people that this was not a painting, but the real world.
However, Huang Liang knew that this was not the real world.
The setting sun had been hovering above the sea for a long time without setting, and the clouds in the sky had not changed at all. Dickinson sat there like a statue, his face lacking in detail, even indistinct, but if one concentrated and looked closely, one could clearly see the pores on his face and the nerves and blood vessels under his skin.
This is a unique memory belonging to a surgeon. Whenever he recalls details of someone in a dream, he can see the person's anatomy—hair follicles, skin, muscles, blood vessels, nerve distribution...
He knew he was dreaming, but he wasn't nervous. The person who dragged him into the dream meant no harm, and he didn't want to resist.
He let go of the fake Professor Dickinson in front of him and turned back to look. Behind him was a long wooden boardwalk connecting to the ring road, which had previously been a large forest. Through the dense foliage, he could see a lawn, and under the shade of a tree beside it was a bench with an old woman sitting on it.
Huang Liang smiled, took a light step forward, and ripples appeared in the space before him. He stepped across the void, as if passing through a portal of time and space, and stood directly in front of Selina deep in the park.
"Mrs. Selina!" Huang Liang greeted respectfully.
Over the years, he had met Selina several times and had a general idea of her stance and the purpose of arranging his arrival at the Wolf Family. Of course, Selina had never explicitly revealed her identity, nor had she said anything related to the organization, much less given him orders. Every time they met and spoke, it was as if they were exchanging secret signals; everything was just his guess. But he believed his judgment was correct: Selina was the organization's second leader, but her views differed from, and were even completely opposed to, those of the other members. She advocated for freedom of life and opposed any form of thought or mind control.
Huang Liang didn't know why the organization's second leader held such a view, because spiritual freedom and parasitism are inherently contradictory; parasitism inevitably means encroachment, control, and plunder.
He understood Selina's cautious demeanor and her careful speech. He could sense her loneliness; despite her high position in the organization, she still had to be extremely careful.
"Congratulations, Huang!" Selina said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Huang Liang bowed slightly to express his gratitude. "I didn't expect you to come, I..."
"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to give you a mission," Selina said. "I'm simply here to congratulate you and express my gratitude."
"Thank you?" Huang Liang didn't know why she said that.
Selina's face was very kind as she slowly said, "I knew long ago that you had fallen in love with that girl, and I encouraged you before. But I never expected you would actually muster the courage to take this final step."
She looked at Huang Liang like a loving mother looking at her child, saying, "Love can make people foolish; in our organization, this emotion is considered a sign of incomplete biological evolution. But love makes you more human, enabling you to appreciate the beauty, the brilliance, and the meaning of life."
Huang Liang was startled. This was the first time Selina had mentioned the word "organization" in front of him. This meant that she had acknowledged her identity and made it public to him.
He didn't know how to respond, so he could only listen in silence.
Selina continued, "Breaking free from the shackles of identity and societal norms, bravely loving and pursuing happiness—this is extremely difficult even for ordinary humans, let alone a Parasites!!"
When Huang Liang heard the word " Parasites," he was shaken once again. But he still remained silent.
"By taking this step, you have completely broken free from the organization's control. You are free, from your body to your soul! But you have become a traitor to the organization and will face punishment from the organization that may come soon."
You should know that the organization has always been lenient with its members because each consciousness has a close spiritual connection with the organization's core and rarely goes out of control. In the past, there have been people like you, whom we call diseased consciousness contaminated by humanity. For infectious consciousness diseases, the organization's attitude is to treat them if possible, and eliminate them if they cannot be cured.
Parasites never possess independent consciousness. We are merely a colony of worker ants, a bunch of octopus tentacles, seemingly independent, yet completely controlled by another brain. This control is elusive, its exact existence imperceptible to the perceptions of three-dimensional beings. In short, the organization's tightness surpasses that of any human group in history, and you are the first member to completely lose control!
Huang Liang knew that he was fortunate enough to be the "first" Selina mentioned, and besides being constantly cautious, two people deserved much of the credit. The first was Qingmu; if it weren't for Aoki's initial awakening, he wouldn't have achieved his mental growth, thus vaguely sensing the invisible hand reaching into his mind and having the opportunity to sever it. The second was Selina; without her indulgence and protection, his life in North America wouldn't have been so comfortable, and he might have been discovered by the organization long ago and subjected to forced treatment for his "illness."
He looked at Selina and said, "I don't think I'm the first, at most the second... You, at least you awakened earlier than me."
"I once had the chance to be the first, the chance to have a precious love..." Selina laughed self-deprecatingly. "... I often tell myself that my identity and the mission I bear prevent me from doing whatever I want. But in fact, I know very well in my heart that nothing is more precious than freedom! In the face of freedom, all missions, responsibilities, identities, and unavoidable hardships are just excuses, excuses for my retreat and cowardice."
I'm so glad I met you. Your courage has awakened and inspired me. It's time for me to make a decision, to do some things I've always wanted to do! Freedom! Only freedom is my ultimate pursuit! Thank you, Huang, you gave me the final courage!
For some reason, Huang Liang had a bad feeling.
Selin seemed to read his mind and smiled, "You don't need to worry about me. There are some things I should have done long ago. I've also long foreseen my destiny. In any case, if I can gain true freedom and help more people gain freedom, I will have no regrets in this life."
"What exactly are you planning to do?" Huang Liang asked anxiously.
"The time is ripe. The organization is plotting to seize human power to ensure the final portal to Earth opens. I'm going to stop it. From now on, I will be a traitor to the organization, just like you, hunted down and living a life of both freedom and danger." Selina's expression was utterly calm, Buddha discussing what to cook for dinner.
Huang Liang knew this was a serious matter and firmly said, "I stand with you. Just tell me what you need me to do."
Selina said, "Go north, to the place where the white wolf was born, to find the final Holy Land..."