3:13 A.M.
Shen Yuchuan stood in front of the mirror.
No.
She should be called—Su Wanqing now.
The woman in the mirror was looking at her too.
That face was familiar enough to be terrifying.
The brows and eyes, the nose, the lips.
Even the faint mole at the corner of her eye was exactly like the Su Wanqing in her memories.
But Shen Yuchuan knew.
That wasn't her.
At least, it wasn't the her he knew.
"You said..."
Shen Yuchuan stared at the mirror.
"I'm Su Wanqing?"
The woman behind her didn't answer.
No.
That woman couldn't be called Su Wanqing anymore.
She was Zero.
The real Shen Yuchuan.
"What the hell did you do to me?"
"It wasn't me."
The woman gently shook her head.
"You chose this yourself."
"I chose it?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Twenty-five years ago."
Shen Yuchuan frowned.
"I don't have any memories from twenty-five years ago."
"Because those memories aren't yours."
The woman slowly walked closer.
"You always thought you'd forgotten."
"But you didn't."
"Someone took your memories away."
Shen Yuchuan stared at her.
"Who?"
The woman raised a hand.
She pointed at the mirror.
"You."
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"Me?"
"The real Su Wanqing."
"Before she died, she cut all her memories apart."
"She gave one part to you."
"She left one part inside her own body."
"And another part..."
The woman paused.
"She gave to me."
Shen Yuchuan's breathing quickened.
"So you're not Zero?"
"I am Zero."
"But Zero isn't Shen Yuchuan?"
The woman smiled.
"You finally asked the right question."
"Zero isn't a person."
"It's a position."
Shen Yuchuan said nothing.
The woman continued:
"The research institute's earliest studies weren't about resurrection."
"They were about 'identity.'"
"They wanted to know..."
"After a person lost all their memories..."
"were they still the same person they had been?"
Shen Yuchuan asked:
"And the answer?"
"No."
"So..."
"So they began experimenting."
The woman looked at her.
"They divided one person's memories into fourteen parts."
"Each part."
"could form a complete personality."
"But with fourteen people..."
"which one was the real one?"
Shen Yuchuan lowered her head.
"None of them."
"And all of them could be."
"Right."
The woman smiled.
"That's what was most insane about the research institute."
Shen Yuchuan suddenly asked:
"What about Su Wanqing?"
The woman fell silent.
"The real Su Wanqing."
"Where did she go?"
"She died."
"When?"
"Twenty-five years ago."
"How?"
The woman didn't answer.
But Shen Yuchuan suddenly saw a scene.
A white room.
A little girl lying on a bed.
Her wrists were strapped down.
A group of people in white coats stood nearby.
One of the men.
Shen Yuchuan recognized him.
Her father.
"Let's begin," someone said.
The little girl shook her head, crying.
"Dad."
"I don't want to."
The man didn't turn around.
"Wanqing."
"You'll save a lot of people."
"But I'll die."
"It's only one time."
"Then why don't you do it?"
The man fell silent.
The little girl looked at him.
"Because you're afraid to die."
The man finally turned around, his eyes cold.
"That's why we need you."
The scene suddenly vanished.
Shen Yuchuan collapsed onto the floor.
"That was..."
"My memory?"
"No," the woman said.
"It was Su Wanqing's."
Shen Yuchuan looked up.
"Then why could I see it?"
"Because she's inside your body now."
"Where?"
"Your heart."
Shen Yuchuan instinctively covered her chest.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heartbeat was steady.
"Her memories are in my heart?"
"No."
The woman held up one finger.
"Her consciousness."
"That's what's inside you."
Shen Yuchuan's expression changed.
"So..."
"My body right now."
"It's actually hers?"
"Yes."
"Where did my body go?"
The woman didn't answer.
Shen Yuchuan slowly looked toward the mirror.
The woman in the mirror suddenly blinked.
But Shen Yuchuan hadn't.
She staggered backward in fright.
"Did you see that?"
The woman nodded.
"I saw it."
The Su Wanqing in the mirror moved on her own.
She raised her hand and touched the glass.
"A-Chuan."
Her voice was barely audible.
Shen Yuchuan went completely rigid.
"This is..."
"Her," the woman said.
"The real Su Wanqing."
"She's still alive?"
"No."
"Then why..."
"Because she never left."
In the mirror, the woman began to cry.
"A-Chuan."
"Don't trust her."
Shen Yuchuan whipped around to look at Zero behind her.
"She says not to trust you."
Zero smiled.
"She always says that."
"Why?"
"Because she knows."
"I'm the last person who can keep you alive."
"How do I stay alive?"
"Take her out of your body."
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"Take her out?"
"Yes."
"And then?"
"You'll become Shen Yuchuan again."
"What about her?"
"She'll disappear."
Shen Yuchuan fell silent.
In the mirror, Su Wanqing shook her head over and over.
"No."
"A-Chuan."
"Don't trust her."
"She'll kill you."
Shen Yuchuan looked at her.
"Why?"
The woman in the mirror didn't answer.
"Tell me!"
"Because..."
Su Wanqing sobbed:
"She didn't tell you."
"She's not Zero at all."
Shen Yuchuan spun around.
Zero's expression changed for the first time.
"Shut up."
The Su Wanqing in the mirror looked at Shen Yuchuan.
"The true owner of Zero..."
"is your father."
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"What?"
"This body."
"He didn't create it."
"It belonged to him."
Zero suddenly lunged at the mirror.
Crash!
The mirror cracked.
"Don't listen to her!"
The cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb.
Shen Yuchuan stood between them.
Zero was on her left.
The mirror was on her right.
Su Wanqing was crying inside it.
"A-Chuan."
"Do you remember the last thing Dad said to you?"
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"What?"
"He said..."
"Don't let Mom know."
Shen Yuchuan's head suddenly exploded with pain.
A memory that had never appeared before came rushing in.
It was a rainy night.
He was five years old.
His father crouched in front of him.
"A-Chuan."
"Yeah?"
"If one day..."
"you see a woman in white..."
"don't go with her."
"Why not?"
"Because she isn't a woman."
"Then who is she?"
His father was silent for a long time.
Finally, he said:
"She's you."
Shen Yuchuan's eyes widened.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"You have two selves."
"One lives in your body."
"The other lives in your memories."
"If one day..."
"that memory wakes up..."
"you have to run."
The scene abruptly cut off there.
Shen Yuchuan dropped to her knees.
"Dad..."
For the first time, she truly remembered her father.
Not the laboratory.
Not the white coat.
Not that cold, indifferent man.
But a father who tucked him in before bed.
A father who cut fruit into bite-sized pieces.
A father who sat beside his bed all night when he had a fever.
But why?
Why had all those memories been buried?
"Because he regretted it."
Su Wanqing's voice came from the mirror.
"Later, he realized..."
"the experiment wasn't meant to keep people alive."
"It was meant to let the dead occupy the bodies of the living."
Shen Yuchuan looked up.
"So he wanted to stop?"
"Yes."
"But the research institute refused."
"So he took the last test subject away."
"Who?"
"You."
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"Me?"
"You were only five that year."
"Your body was already complete."
"But your consciousness wasn't."
"So he put part of my memories into your body."
"And let you grow up slowly."
"But..."
Shen Yuchuan murmured.
"Then why did you keep appearing throughout my life?"
Su Wanqing laughed through her tears.
"Because I was protecting you."
"Since you were five."
"Every time you were about to remember the truth..."
"I deleted your memories."
"So that's why I kept forgetting?"
"Yes."
"Every time at 3:13 A.M."
"It was you?"
"Yes."
Shen Yuchuan suddenly remembered.
Those nights.
Those people who disappeared.
Those blank spaces.
It turned out the world hadn't been deleting people.
Su Wanqing had been deleting his memories.
Just to keep him alive.
"But..."
Shen Yuchuan looked at Zero.
"She says she's Zero."
"She's not."
"Then who is she?"
Su Wanqing didn't answer.
But Zero smiled.
"Do you really want to know?"
Shen Yuchuan stared at her.
"Tell me."
The woman slowly extended her hand.
"I'm your mother."
Shen Yuchuan's pupils contracted instantly.
"That's impossible."
"Why is it impossible?"
"My mother died a long time ago."
"Yes."
The woman nodded.
"She died when you were five."
"Then you..."
"I died."
"But I never left."
Shen Yuchuan suddenly understood.
"So..."
"You're not Zero."
"You're my mother's memory?"
"No."
The woman looked at her.
"I am your mother."
"The real one."
"Then what about the real Su Wanqing?"
The woman smiled.
"She is too."
Shen Yuchuan was utterly confused.
"One body."
"Two people?"
"Three," the woman said.
"And you."
Shen Yuchuan abruptly backed away.
"Three?"
"Mom."
"Su Wanqing."
"And Zero."
"Then what am I?"
The woman pointed at the mirror.
"You."
"You're only a name."
Shen Yuchuan stood where she was, completely hollowed out.
"Am I really Shen Yuchuan?"
"Yes," the woman answered.
"But you're not the only Shen Yuchuan."
"What does that mean?"
"Your father."
"His name was Shen Yuchuan too."
Shen Yuchuan froze.
"What?"
"You thought Shen Yuchuan was your name?"
The woman smiled.
"It was actually your father's name."
"When you were born..."
"he didn't give you a name."
"Because he knew."
"You'd be taken away sooner or later."
"So he only gave you a number."
Shen Yuchuan's throat went dry.
"What number?"
The woman said:
"014."
Shen Yuchuan suddenly remembered.
The laboratory.
The empty refrigerated cabinet.
There was no 013 on it.
No 014.
Only 000.
She finally understood.
"The fourteenth."
"It wasn't the fourteenth test subject."
"It was the fourteenth version."
The woman nodded.
"Right."
"And you..."
"are the last one."
Shen Yuchuan looked at her.
"What about the first thirteen?"
The woman didn't answer.
Because inside the mirror, Su Wanqing suddenly turned around.
Behind her stood thirteen people.
All of them were previous Shen Yuchuans.
The first.
The second.
The third...
All the way to the thirteenth.
They said nothing.
They only watched Shen Yuchuan in silence.
Then, all at once, they raised their hands.
They pointed behind her.
Shen Yuchuan slowly turned around.
At some point, a door had appeared in the room.
Written on it was:
014
Shen Yuchuan walked over.
She placed her hand on the doorknob.
Zero suddenly said behind her:
"Don't open it."
Shen Yuchuan looked back.
"Why not?"
"Because there's no you inside."
"Then who's in there?"
The woman fell silent.
Shen Yuchuan slowly turned the doorknob.
The door opened.
Inside was a very small room.
There was only a bed.
A table.
And an old television.
The television was playing a recording.
On the screen was a five-year-old boy.
He sat on the bed, crying hard.
A girl sat beside him.
Su Wanqing.
She held the boy in her arms.
"A-Chuan."
"Don't be scared."
"Your big sister will protect you."
Five-year-old Shen Yuchuan looked up.
"Big Sis."
"Hmm?"
"If I die..."
"will you die too?"
Su Wanqing froze.
"No."
"Then will you stay with me forever?"
She smiled.
"I will."
The footage suddenly jolted.
Time sped forward.
Ten years old.
Fifteen.
Eighteen.
Twenty.
Every few years, Su Wanqing appeared beside the boy.
Until the end.
Twenty-five.
Shen Yuchuan lay in a hospital bed.
Su Wanqing stood beside him.
She was crying.
"A-Chuan."
"I'm sorry."
The Shen Yuchuan in the bed opened his eyes.
"Big Sis."
"What's wrong?"
"Am I about to die?"
Su Wanqing nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then don't save me."
She froze.
"Why?"
"Because I'm tired."
Su Wanqing began to cry.
"But I don't want you to die."
"Big Sis."
"Hmm?"
"You promised me."
"Promised what?"
"If I died..."
"you'd let me go."
Su Wanqing fell silent.
For a long time.
Only then did she nod.
"Okay."
The footage stopped.
Shen Yuchuan stood in front of the television.
Tears slowly fell down her face.
She finally remembered.
That hadn't been an experiment.
Not research.
Not a copy.
That had been her real self.
Before her final death, she had personally asked Su Wanqing...
not to save her.
But Su Wanqing hadn't done it.
She kept his memories.
Preserved his body.
Turned him into the fourteenth.
All because she couldn't bear to lose him.
Shen Yuchuan turned around.
She looked at Su Wanqing.
"You went against my wishes."
Su Wanqing nodded through her tears.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was selfish."
"Did you know how many people this would kill?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you do it?"
She didn't answer.
Shen Yuchuan slowly walked toward her.
"Because you loved me?"
Su Wanqing lifted her head.
"Yes."
"So you turned me into a monster."
"Yes."
"Made me die over and over."
"Yes."
"Made me forget over and over."
"Yes."
Shen Yuchuan stopped in front of her.
"Do you regret it now?"
Su Wanqing looked at him.
"I regret it."
"Then why won't you let me go?"
She cried as she said:
"Because this time..."
"I really don't know how to let go."
Shen Yuchuan was silent for a long time.
Finally, she reached out.
She gently embraced her.
"Then I'll teach you."
Su Wanqing froze.
"Teach me what?"
"How to let go."
She held him and cried like a child.
And inside the mirror, the thirteen Shen Yuchuans began to disappear one after another.
The first.
The second.
The third...
The thirteenth.
In the end, only Shen Yuchuan and Su Wanqing remained.
But the instant they pulled apart, Su Wanqing suddenly raised her head.
Her expression turned terrified.
"A-Chuan."
"What is it?"
"Get out of here. Now."
"Why?"
She looked behind her.
"Because we got one thing wrong."
Shen Yuchuan turned around.
Zero was already gone from the room.
The electronic clock on the wall suddenly began counting down.
03:13:59.
03:13:58.
03:13:57.
Shen Yuchuan frowned.
"Isn't it 3:13 A.M. right now?"
Su Wanqing's face went deathly pale.
"No."
"Then what time is it?"
"3:13."
"Then why is it counting down?"
She stared fixedly at the clock.
"Because this isn't the time."
"It's the experiment countdown."
Shen Yuchuan's heart sank.
"Counting down to what?"
Su Wanqing didn't answer.
Footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Dozens.
Like everyone in the entire hospital was walking toward them.
Shen Yuchuan grabbed Su Wanqing's hand.
"Go."
The two of them rushed out of the room.
But the hallway was packed with people.
Every single one of them was Shen Yuchuan.
Some were young.
Some were old.
Some wore hospital gowns.
Some wore suits.
Some were covered in blood.
Some wore smiles.
At the very front stood a five-year-old boy.
He looked up and said to Shen Yuchuan:
"Big brother."
"Do you remember?"
Shen Yuchuan stared at him.
"Remember what?"
The boy smiled.
"You're not the fourteenth."
"You're the first."
Shen Yuchuan's face went white.
"What?"
The boy held out his hand.
"Welcome home."
"The first Shen Yuchuan."
The next second, all the lights went out.
In the darkness, a woman's voice rang out.
It wasn't Su Wanqing.
It wasn't Zero either.
It was Shen Yuchuan's own voice.
"Finally."
"It's my turn to wake up."