Chapter 409


    ?


    "Ready or not, herees the roller coaster ride..."


    The eerie voice cut through the air again, this time unmistakably human, not the mechanical recordings we''d heard on earlier levels. Someone was pulling the strings from behind the curtain.


    This person had to be part of the plot.


    "Such a grand setup... There''s definitely more than one person behind this," I muttered under my breath, my brows furrowed in concentration.


    In fact, I suspected a whole organization was involved, a gang of sorts.


    "It''s not just one person," Colin confirmed.


    "Countdown 3, 2, 1..."


    As the countdown ended, the mechanisms under the ground started moving unpredictably again.


    Colin and I took shelter under a carousel, narrowly avoiding a trapdoor that opened right beneath us.


    If it weren''t for our quick reflexes, we might have fallen through.


    "Screams echoed as people tried to escape their hiding spots, only to draw attention to themselves.


    "Help me!" one yelled, trying to run away.


    Nearby, Ste nearly fell through an opening trapdoor, but Robin caught her in time, saving her from the fall.


    Unfortunately, Zoe''s scream gave away their position.


    They all ended up hiding in a cab, practically blowing their cover.


    With no other choice, Bran stepped out to confront the assants, despite being poorly armed. "We''re really not equipped for this..." Bran cursed under his breath.


    As Robin tried to protect Ste and join the fray, his axe met the business end of an opponent''s chainsaw.


    "Help me!" Now it was Bran''s turn to scream, dragging Robin away in a desperate escape.


    Colin and I were cramped under the carousel, so close I almost ended up in hisp.


    He seemed oddly amused... This was a massacre in the making, and he was taking it lightly? "Phoebe..." Colin''s mind seemed to be elsewhere, trying to lighten the mood even in this dire situation. "Shut up..." I whispered fiercely, giving him a tap on the forehead. "Bran''s in trouble."


    But Colin just hugged me tighter, like a big puppy finding sce in its owner.


    "You..." I sighed, not as angry as I thought I''d be.


    Patting his head, I whispered, "Stay here. I''ll try to draw them away."


    It was strange. Protecting Colin felt like an instinct. But hadn''t I always sought his protection before?


    His grip on my hand tightened as he looked up at me, his eyes brimming with a mix of emotions.


    It was as if... the old Phoebe had always been there to protect him.


    "Don''t make me wait any longer," Colin''s voice was hoarse, trembling with anticipation.


    He was tired of waiting.


    "Phoebe, you often wonder if


    gically modified humans are still


    human. But what makes us human,


    irreceably so, is emotion.


    something that can never be


    reced," he said, his voice filledExclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    with conviction.


    That was what Phoebe had always sought to prove. With emotions, she was human. With emotions, she could find reasons and the strength to live.


    The side effects of gic


    modification were overwhelming Depression, ack of will to


    being puppeteered by


    het


    self-destructive thoughts. Content


    Because such existence was unnatural, against ethics, morality, even the natural order.


    I felt numb, reaching out to grab Colin''s wrist. "Let''s face it together."


    Lately, I had been haunted by dreams, pondering whether human consciousness belonged to carbon or silicon. If consciousness could be transferred likeputer files, and the human body was merely vessel, then perhaps ''rebirth ''regeneration,'' even ''immortality'' were not so far-fetched after all.