Only I Walk Alone

The method of achieving immortality through the immortality virus appeared to have been successfully tested on humans, which is why Xiao Chao classified it as a high-success-rate method for immortality. However, it seemed necessary to answer a question posed by the inventor to use the immortality virus.

Wu Ge asked, “What’s the question?”

Xiao Chao presented the challenge, saying, “You now have a new car, but over time, parts of the car will wear out. So, you replace the worn parts with new ones before they fail. As time goes on, you replace more and more old parts until, eventually, you’ve replaced all the old parts of the car. Then, you assemble another car using the old parts, while the original car no longer contains any old parts. Which of the two cars is truly yours?”

Wu Ge recognized this as a famous philosophical question, closely related to the immortality project he was about to undertake. By using the immortality virus to replace all his body’s cells, would the resulting self still be him?

Wu Ge suddenly grasped the inventor’s intention behind this question. He responded, “Both cars are mine. The car assembled from old parts represents the car from that past period, while the car with new parts represents the car from this current period. They are different; they exist on different timelines as the car from the past and the car from the present.”

Xiao Chao was silent for a moment before saying, “There is no correct answer to this question. As long as the respondent can differentiate between the two and avoid self-confusion, they are granted the permission to use the immortality virus.”

Wu Ge understood that the inventor set up this question to prevent individuals who couldn’t discern their true selves from spiraling into a mental collapse upon receiving the immortality virus.

This type of question is instantly understood by some, while others who cannot grasp it might obsess over which car is truly theirs, eventually questioning, “Why did I foolishly assemble a car from old parts?”

Wu Ge had answered the question, unbothered by existential dilemmas. He inquired, “How long will this transformation process take?”

Xiao Chao replied, “It will take 81 days.”

Wu Ge was surprised, “Eighty-one days seems quite long.”

Xiao Chao explained, “This duration is the result of precise calculations and is roughly consistent with the time required for a transformation in cultivation. But rest assured, Wu Ge, you will be placed in a hibernation pod and immersed in hibernation fluid. You’ll just need to sleep through it, and the immortality plan will be completed.”

Wu Ge asked, “Must I enter the hibernation pod? Can’t I observe the changes in myself?”

Xiao Chao responded, “During the immortality project, you will experience significant discomfort. Your hair, teeth, and nails, among other tissues, will fall out and be replaced. As some genetic diseases might be present, this plan will also eliminate those genetic diseases. Your body will need to continuously absorb energy throughout the process. Staying outside the hibernation pod could lead to an inability to absorb energy promptly, and moving around could pose a risk to your life.”

Wu Ge nodded, “I have no objections then. But I have one question: will my memory be affected?”

Xiao Chao assured, “The 81-day period targets all body cells except those in the brain. The cells within the brain will undergo slow immortality transformation over the next fifteen years. This gradual process will not affect your memory.”

Three days later, Wu Ge commenced the immortality plan, which essentially required him to sleep through the entire process.

Escorted by robots, Wu Ge descended to the eighty-first underground level and entered an absolutely safe subterranean bunker, where a hibernation pod awaited him.

Following instructions, Wu Ge undressed and entered the pod. Soon, white gas was released inside, and a strange green liquid gradually covered his entire body. After inhaling the white gas, Wu Ge fell into a deep sleep.

Once he was asleep, a syringe emerged inside the pod, injecting a peculiar red liquid into his bloodstream.

Suddenly, Wu Ge began to convulse. The injection site swelled, and blood flowed out, turning the inside of the pod red. This was a normal reaction, as Wu Ge’s immune system attacked the immortality virus. Despite carrying Wu Ge’s complete genetic makeup, the virus was still a foreign entity, prompting an immune response.

Had Wu Ge been awake, he would have fainted from the intense pain caused by the battle between the immortality virus and his immune cells, destroying his normal cells in the process.

Endless streams of the immortality virus invaded Wu Ge’s body, aggressively targeting his normal cells. However, his immune system launched a comprehensive attack against the virus, with phagocytes and lymphocytes fiercely combating the intruders.

The immortality virus did not fight back; it lacked the means to do so. Instead, it continued to invade cells, reaching the cell membrane but blocked by its thickness. Then, the virus released false pheromones, tricking the cell membrane into admitting them as nutrients and proteins.

The virus successfully breached the cell’s defenses, reaching the nucleus. There, it disintegrated and transported strands of DNA through nuclear pores into the nucleus.

This marked the nucleus’s betrayal, as it began producing new DNA lacking certain genetic information related to hereditary diseases and the death code, while incorporating genes to enhance physical attributes and the capability to produce more immortality viruses.

The traitorous nucleus generated false DNA, which, through cellular organelles like ribosomes, produced new proteins and more immortality viruses. These new viruses left the altered cell, targeting other healthy cells.

The immortality project concluded once immortal cells replaced all cells in Wu Ge’s body.

This transformation, requiring approximately 81 days, would induce drastic changes in Wu Ge’s body, appearing terrifying but ultimately settling into tranquility.

The 81 days passed quickly for Wu Ge, as he had only been asleep. Upon awakening, he felt completely rejuvenated.