"Look here!" Professor Zhang suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a detail on the display screen.
Shen Jingqi and Li Baiyu gathered around, their eyes fixed tightly on the small screen.
Shen Jingqi saw a complex waveform pattern, leaping on the display screen, as if it were some mysterious signal.
"But the strange thing is," Professor Zhang paused, scanning the room, "it doesn't seem to be entirely under Li Baiyu's control."
"Not entirely under her control?" Shen Jingqi frowned, his doubts growing like wild grass in his mind.
"Yes." Professor Zhang nodded, "We detected a certain regularity in the appearance of these waveform patterns, but they don't synchronize with any of Li Baiyu's physiological responses. They're like... signals from another place."
From another place? Shen Jingqi felt his heartbeat quicken, an inexplicable blend of excitement and fear entwining within him.
"Another place? You're saying..." He hesitated, unwilling to easily voice his suspicion.
"Yes," Professor Zhang's gaze grew profound, "we suspect this could be some kind of supernatural phenomenon, or an unknown region lurking within Li Baiyu's brain at play."
The laboratory fell into a sudden silence, with only the sound of the waveform patterns on the display screen breaking the quiet.
Shen Jingqi stared at the pattern, feeling increasingly that it seemed familiar. Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind—a blurry figure of a woman standing in a white, desolate world, her gaze empty and dazed.
"Wait!" Shen Jingqi suddenly lifted his head, "This waveform pattern... it resembles Li Baiyu's Illusion!"
"Illusion?" Professor Zhang frowned.
"Yes," Shen Jingqi quickly explained, "Li Baiyu has long been troubled by illusions. She described a woman named Cong Nanxue, saying she was an existence within her consciousness. And this waveform pattern bears a striking resemblance to Cong Nanxue's consciousness!"
Upon hearing this, Professor Zhang slowly nodded, "It indeed does, but what does this resemblance imply?"
"It implies Cong Nanxue might not just be an illusion." Shen Jingqi's voice was low and firm, "She might be a separate conscious entity in Li Baiyu's brain, maybe even... with her own will."
This speculation was too astounding. Professor Zhang was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke, "We need more evidence to support this hypothesis."
Professor Zhang gritted his teeth, "Delve into Li Baiyu's brain, find that Cong Nanxue!"
Everything was ready.
Professor Zhang gently pressed the start button, and the real-time waveform pattern of Li Baiyu's brain appeared on the display screen immediately. Shen Jingqi watched the screen intently, afraid to miss even a single detail.
At that moment, a familiar waveform pattern suddenly appeared on the screen.
"Cong Nanxue, can you hear us?" Professor Zhang's voice echoed in the laboratory.
The waveform pattern on the screen seemed to tremble slightly, but there was no other response. Professor Zhang was not discouraged and continued attempting to communicate with Cong Nanxue.
As time passed by the second, just when everyone started to feel disappointed, the waveform pattern on the screen suddenly underwent drastic changes. It began to pulse in a complex and orderly fashion, as if responding to Professor Zhang's words.
"She... she's responding to us!" Shen Jingqi exclaimed excitedly.
Professor Zhang's face also showed an irrepressible joy. He quickly analyzed the changes in the waveform pattern, trying to decipher the message it was trying to convey.
A moment later, he slowly spoke, "Cong Nanxue says... she's been trapped in Li Baiyu's brain, unable to escape. She longs for freedom, yearns to communicate with the outside world."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jingqi felt a surge of inexplicable sorrow in his heart. He imagined the lonely and bewildered consciousness of Cong Nanxue, wandering in endless darkness, longing for a thread of light.
"Can we help her?" he asked softly.
Professor Zhang was silent for a long time before he slowly replied, "I don't know. But we can try."
As the communication deepened, Cong Nanxue's consciousness gradually adapted to the interaction with the outside world, her waveform pattern becoming clearer and more consistent.
However, just when Shen Jingqi thought victory was within reach, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The lab suddenly lost power. In the darkness, the waveform pattern on the display screen vanished without a trace. Shen Jingqi and Professor Zhang anxiously tried to restore power, but everything seemed too late.
When the power finally returned, the waveform pattern of Cong Nanxue never appeared on the display screen again. She seemed as if she never existed, completely vanished into the darkness.
"No! This is impossible!" Shen Jingqi sat on the ground powerlessly, filled with despair.
Professor Zhang was also silent for a long time before he slowly spoke, "Maybe... this is Cong Nanxue's choice. She is a conscious entity with a mind."
Did Cong Nanxue really disappear?
Shen Jingqi faced the screen alone, suddenly feeling a chill sweeping over him.
He lifted his head, his eyes passing over the screen, as if seeing a shadow flickering in the darkness.
Was it Cong Nanxue? Or just his illusion?
Shen Jingqi couldn't be sure, but a strong sense of unease surged in his heart. Cong Nanxue might still be somewhere, quietly watching them...
"Cong Nanxue, where are you?" Shen Jingqi murmured softly.
And at this moment, a faint flash of light suddenly appeared on the screen. Shen Jingqi suddenly lifted his head, seeing a familiar waveform pattern on the screen—it was Cong Nanxue's mark!
She's back! Shen Jingqi's heartbeat accelerated instantly. He knew he couldn't miss this opportunity. He quickly adjusted the instruments, trying to establish a connection with Cong Nanxue.
However, the waveform pattern only flickered briefly before disappearing into the darkness again. Shen Jingqi, unwilling to give up, continued to try, but all to no avail.
Cong Nanxue seemed like a ghostly presence, enigmatic and elusive. Shen Jingqi began to doubt whether she really wanted to communicate with the outside world or was just toying with them.
But he quickly dismissed this thought. He knew Cong Nanxue was an independent conscious entity with her own thoughts and emotions. She must have her reasons for acting this way.
Cong Nanxue's consciousness seemed to have a special connection with Li Baiyu's brain, one that was mysterious and complex.
And whenever Shen Jingqi attempted to unravel the secret of this connection, Cong Nanxue would always respond in a subtle way. Sometimes it was a flicker of a waveform pattern, sometimes a brief illusion. These responses, though faint and vague, were enough for Shen Jingqi to firmly believe—Cong Nanxue truly existed, communicating with them in her own way.
However, this mode of communication was too subtle and complex, leaving Shen Jingqi feeling both excited and frustrated.
Shen Jingqi and Li Baiyu bade farewell to Professor Zhang and returned to the villa.
At night, when Shen Jingqi sat in front of the display screen again, he saw a waveform pattern unprecedentedly clear appearing on the screen.