⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️
This post contains a detailed spoiler for an R&S that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~
- [T/N] Not absolutely necessary, but it’s advised to read chapter 33 first beforehand.
[Chapter 1]
The silver-like drizzle splattered the slate floor with puddles of light-colored ink spots.
Lucien didn’t hold an umbrella and walked unhurriedly under the endless green shade. From time to time, he would follow the sound of laughter coming from all around and see those young people who were a little older than himself, chasing friends in the rain, or sitting under the promenade reading a book.
Those people vary in size, skin color, and appearance, but they all have smiles on their faces.
Is it because of the drizzle that swept away the heat at the end of summer, or because today is the start of the school report, a day that represents a new stage?
Lucien thought about it and leans more toward the latter.
Because people are always looking forward to new beginnings. Although he doesn’t quite understand the reason for this joy, if he compares this to an interesting new book, then he probably can more or less understand.
New things always make people want to approach involuntarily.
Seeing that he was about to walk out of the last shade of greenery, Lucien withdrew his gaze and turned into the corridor leading to the student office.
Perhaps because it was almost noon, there were not many students lined up in front of the student office, and it wasn’t long before it was Lucien’s turn.
But the middle-aged teacher with heavy glasses in front of him just glanced at him with his golden eyebrows raised, and then he stretched out his hand and pointed to the side.
“This is where postgraduates check-in, the undergraduates check-in is in the next building.”
“Teacher, I don’t think I went to the wrong place.”
Lucien raised a polite smile and handed over the admission materials in his hand. After a while, the teacher raised his head and turned back and forth between Lucien and the materials as if his eyes were confirming, and then he suddenly opened his mouth.
“Oh, so you are the sixteen-year-old genius from China.”
A slightly exaggerated sigh set off ripples in the quiet afternoon. Lucien heard soft whispers, and even the students behind him in line took a half step forward and looked over with their probes.
After their curious eyes, Lucien just smiled faintly and looked back at the teachers who were checking in, silently shutting out the probing around him.
Until the last official seal was affixed, the teacher finally smiled and handed the materials back to Lucien.
“Lucien, welcome to our school.”
After completing the admission procedure, Lucien didn’t linger too much on the campus, and walked straight into the black car parked on the roadside, its tail lights blinking immediately after one another, and slowly left in the rain.
After an unknown period of time, the car pulled into a towering building, Lucien got out and came to a large black door, looking at the dark color embossed with the word B.S. He leaned slightly to the iris identifier on the side.
In the next second, the door opened with a sound.
The cold light of the sky disappeared at the moment the door was closed, leaving only the white light dormant in the surrounding dimness.
Lucien walked quietly until he came to a room. He reached out and knocked gently twice.
“Get in.”
The unhurried voice came out through the door, Lucien pushed the door and saw a man dressed in black sitting at the table, his face was somewhat obscure in the dim light, revealing only a pair of eyes without the traces of age.
“Isn’t today your admission day? Why are you looking for me at this time?”
“The admission procedure has been completed, and I came here to apply for an independent research lab.”
Lucien said while pulling out a list of different types of experimental equipment from the folder and handing it over.
“In addition to an independent space, I need some appropriate equipment.”
The figure hidden in the darkness moved slightly and turned his gaze to Lucien
“You said before that you prioritized your studies and would not be in charge of the organization’s projects for the time being. Why are you suddenly interested now?”
Lucien’s expression remained the same, and he replied unhurriedly, “Before, my studies were heavy, so I was unable to spare some time. But this time, I think I can spare some energy for the research of the project.”
The man’s fingertips tapped on the desk with a muffled sound.
“I remember you said you want to get a doctorate, from the current time, it will take at least eight years?”
Lucien lowered his eyes and raised his lips imperceptibly.
“For me, I think four years is enough.”
[Chapter 2]
“This will be your laboratory in the future. No one can enter without your permission.”
The morning light outside swept out strands of pure white dust in the research room, which also illuminated the streamer in the depths of Lucien’s eyes for a moment.
With independent research space, it should be quite convenient to do things in the future. Thinking like this, Lucien walked around, checked every device rigorously, and looked at the man in black.
“If new equipment is needed in the future, I will apply with you in advance.”
When Lucien nodded slightly to express his gratitude, a magazine-thick document was suddenly handed in front of him.
“There is an unfinished experiment here, which was previously suspended for some reason, so now you will take over.”
“Just in time for your lab to come in handy.”
There is no free lunch in the world, and this is especially true for BS. After hearing the man’s request, Lucien was not surprised. He took the document and flipped through it at a glance.
“The difficulty of this experiment does not seem to be too high at the moment, except that it requires a lot of calculations and a process of repeated comparisons to be made. If you are lucky and no mistakes are made in the process, it will take nearly a month or so to complete.”
Silence permeated quietly, there was only a soft sound of turning pages cut the air from time to time.
Perhaps because it was too quiet, the man’s voice sounded again.
“You’re out of focus these days, so if you have a problem, you can talk about it.”
“After all, it was nine years ago when you first became involved in the experiment.”
Lucien paused as he turned the page. He glanced at the man who had hardly changed in the past nine years, and a hidden emotion flashed in his eyes.
“Do you value this experiment?”
“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter whether you succeed or fail.”
The man’s gaze looked far away, but then his eyes seemed empty, and slowly, he added, “It’s only for me.”
“Outside the time frame, I don’t need them, and they also don’t need my participation.” The man said, looked at Lucien thoughtfully, and twitched his fingers casually. “If you want to get more out of this place, you need to show some results.”
Lucien did not say anything, he simply put the document in his hand on the table. He then turned around and activated the device.
As if seeing an interesting scene, the man raised his eyebrows and sighed with emotion: “Your personality hasn’t changed much. If you think about it, it’s a pity.”
“There will always be times when experiments fail, and that’s normal.”
With the slender morning light, the man’s calm face loosened a little.
“You are right. It is because of your accumulated samples and experience at the time that the experiment in the orphanage was so successful.”
Lucien didn’t respond, the hum of the machine echoed in the research room. When he raised his head again, there was only himself left in the huge space.
Lucien finally took a good look around the research room that belonged to him.
Before this, he basically only walked into the laboratory as an assistant or a test subject. But now it is different. Those restraints, in one way or another, are no longer enough to hinder him, and he can devote himself to the experiments he is interested in without hesitation.
He took a deep breath and reached out to brush the machine in front of him. Inadvertently, two figures in white coats appeared in my mind. Lucien’s eyes twitched as if some emotion was quietly emerging from the depths of his heart.
Now he should be one step closer to them again.
From that day on, Lucien went to school during the day and locked himself in this cold laboratory at night. He is like a machine, running day after day, night after night.
Here, no one will ask him to stop for a second.
Lucien won’t stop before the experiment is successful.
Because in such a place where strength speaks for itself, he doesn’t want to hide his strength. Instead, he needs to expose his abilities more. Only in this way can he hold more words and exercise power here.
After half a month, Lucien re-entered the office with a thick stack of documents.
“The relevant experimental results of Evol’s energy fluctuations are out, you can check it out.”.
“Not only that, but I also found a way to quickly return the unstable Evol to a safe threshold”
“The specific data and analysis are listed in the report together.”
The man raised his eyes, and his gaze landed on Lucien lightly, “You are much better than the researchers here.”
“Thank you. So I think I can ask for different treatment from them.”
Lucien paused and looked straight at the man, “I need more authority.”
“Especially the internal data of BS, including the experiment seven years ago.”
The morning light coming in from the window clearly reflected Lucien’s eyes. He doesn’t want to go step by step in this regard. After all, in this place, sometimes it is easier to get positive feedback in a direct way than in a roundabout way.
The man was silent, then smiled after a long time.
“Then become one of the Main God as soon as possible.”
“And as a reward for the results of this experiment, I can provide you with some information.”
[Chapter 3]
Lucien was not surprised or anxious about such a result.
He knows very well that each vein has its own rhythm, and his own request is merely to move this vein forward more quickly.
So until there is a new pulse, he decided to live as usual.
It was different from the previous year when he was studying in England, and even though he continued to maintain his previous style of keeping a low profile, he still received a lot of unexpected attention.
Is it because the atmosphere on American campuses is not as reserved as in the UK?
Or is it because his age of sixteen seems too much in an environment full of graduate and doctoral students?
Lucien washed his hands while looking at himself in the mirror and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
After the sound of flushing came from the compartment behind, Lucien came back to his senses and turned to leave the bathroom. When he’s returning to the multimedia classroom, he found that there was another man next to his seat.
Looking at his curly hair and the striking freckles on his cheeks, Lucien quickly remembered that this was his classmate in the same major, and he liked to sit in the corner and play handheld game consoles.
“Lucien!”
The other party saw him standing at the door of the classroom at a glance, and waved warmly.
When Lucien returned to his seat, he found that the other party’s book was next to his own notebook. But he just glanced at it and then spread the book without moving a few points in his direction.
“Do you remember me? I asked you a question in the library a few days ago. We are in the same major.”
“Well, I remember.”
“I can’t believe we all took this elective course, it’s great! “
“If I still don’t understand something, can I trouble you again?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll be friends in the future!” The man smiled and moved toward Lucien, inadvertently narrowing their distance. “
At the same time, Lucien looked at the other party indifferently.
“Friends?”
“That’s right, we can go to school and eat in the cafeteria together.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I need a friend like that.”
The deliberately aggressive and slightly profound wording reveals a clear alienation. The man in front of him widened his eyes in confusion and looked flustered.
“If it’s an academic question, I’ll be happy to answer it for you, but that’s all.”
The man opened his mouth to explain something, but Lucien lowered his voice without showing any expression.
“Not only do I remember that you were my classmate, but I also have a very clear idea of who exactly you are.”
“So if you’re trying to “spy” on me as a friend or classmate, I’m afraid you’ve already missed your chance.”
[Chapter 4]
The moonlight swayed silently in the corridor of BS with tree shadows wrapped around it, and Lucien walked in.
Holding a stack of heavy documents, he walked towards the research room with brisk steps. An interesting phenomenon was discovered in class today, and he can’t wait to verify it now.
But halfway through, he met the man.
Lucien did not wish to stop, but before he nodded politely and left, the other party stopped him first.
“Why don’t you ask me to keep away those who are spying on you?”
Even though the opening at the moment was a little unclear, Lucien quickly reacted to the other party’s message and stopped.
“I don’t think it’s necessary. After all, making such a request won’t solve the problem, it will hide those ‘eyes’ even deeper.”
“So since I choose to stay here, it means that I accept these hidden rules.”
Lucien seems to have thought of something and lightly added a sentence.
“They are not a problem as long as they’re only bystanders, but if they want to interfere with me then I’ll also have a way to make these “eyes” disappear.”
The man chuckled at the sound of his voice, “You’re perfect for Black Swan, maybe one day you can really be the main god here.”
“If being a Main God is a better way to achieve my goals, then I will give it a try.”
Having said that, Lucien’s voice was cold, making people unable to hear any emotion.
He knew very well that what he cared about from the beginning to the end was not the position of the main god. For him, Black Swan is just an organization with many pedals. What he needs to do is to choose the pedal that can reach the end faster in the most favorable way.
“The position of the Main God is not as easy as you think.”
“The back of it represents the purpose of realizing the evolution of all mankind.” The man looked at Lucien meaningfully.”
“I never deny the purpose of Black Swan.”
“After all, the strong eat the weak, if you don’t choose to evolve, you will inevitably be eliminated.”
The expression on Lucien’s face was calm as if his views on this had already been deeply rooted in his heart. The man didn’t say anything, but Lucien took a step forward with an inquiry.
“What about you, are you the same?”
The man looked sideways at the night outside the window and slowly opened his mouth after a long time.
“The power of people to reverse their fate is too small, even the so-called change is nothing more than the tacit consent of fate.”
[Chapter 5]
After the voice fell, it seemed that the world was silent.
Lucien was not very satisfied with the outcome of his probing, he believed that the man still hid a lot of secrets worth continuing to explore. It seems that he needs to think more carefully before he can do so.
Without waiting for Lucien to find an excuse to leave, the man spoke first.
“I will send you the information you asked for before. But if you think it’s not enough, just find it yourself.”
“Whether you can get it from other places is up to you.”
There was no turbulence in the man’s tone, but Lucien still found a clue in it and reinforced the suspicion that he had long ago.
It seems that there are complex interest relationships involved within the organization, and obtaining information and achieving goals is far more complicated than he imagined.
Perhaps because the brief silence was perceived, the man spoke faintly.
“I thought you had long since gotten used to the BS style of handling things.”
“It seems that you are still some distance away from that position.”
Lucien lowered his eyes and silently covered his expression.
“You must know that even if the destination is the same, everyone’s path is different. Cooperation and mutual benefit are two different things.”
When he returned to the research room, Lucien put down the file and logged on to the internal encrypted email in front of the computer. As expected, the man had already sent the information.
He slid the mouse wheel, not letting go of any details, and looked carefully at the information about that experiment seven years ago. But after browsing through all the documents, he found that the information sent by the man did not differ much from the details he remembered, and there were no clues worthy of deeper investigation.
Lucien could not help leaning back in his chair, but his brain did not rest to continue filtering the information he had just seen.
It’s just that for some reason, some images began to appear in his mind, smudged like ink-
It was a small house with white bricks and red tiles, warmed by the setting sun.
A man in a white coat sat in front of the window, playing with the chessboard, and then looked gently at the woman in a long skirt sitting opposite him. They played chess together under the sunset, talking and laughing, as if time had stopped silently at this moment.
For some reason, Lucien’s chest suddenly felt pain.
He lowered his head in a daze and subconsciously raised his hand over his chest, feeling a crushing pain that was somewhat unfamiliar.
He didn’t know why he was thinking about this; was it because of the information? Or was it because of something else?
Lucien wanted to calm down to think, but the more he tried to calm down, the more the agony was expanding endlessly. Like a deep pool of stagnant water that was suddenly thrown with stones, and the circle of dark ripples will never stop.
Suddenly, a touch of emerald green in the black and white world gradually spread out, Lucien imperceptibly widened his eyes.
In a trance, he seemed to see light falling from the cracks of the leaves and sprinkled it on a drawing board, reflecting the sketched paper cranes beautifully. The sound of clattering leaves clearly penetrated his ears, and also pulled Lucien back to reality with a jolt.
The stinging pain in his heart made him gasp for breath, and the cold and thin moonlight hanging in the air seemed to remind him that those colors and that warmth were real, but just an inattentive, illusory image buried from the memories.
Lucien closed his eyes wearily.
When can I go back to that place again? Almost subconsciously, this question floated in his mind.
Even though he has always been proficient in calculus, he could not get a definite answer to this question. But Lucien is very clear that Loveland City is the starting point of everything and the center of the “vortex”.
So sooner or later, he has to come back here again.