264: She is not her.

A familiar voice came from behind him. Tian Ming turned around with a smile on his face.

"Husband!" A figure threw herself into Tian Ming's embrace, and her familiar voice brought a warm smile to his face.

Shen Yuan looked up, her clear eyes gazing at Tian Ming, but her face appeared very haggard. Tian Ming touched her cheek, but felt that her ability was draining even faster than before.

"What's going on? How could this happen?" Tian Ming's heart was filled with a touch of panic.

Shen Yuan smiled slightly and said reassuringly, "I just received an injection of Red Crystal Core energy, but the situation is not good. I feel my ability is deteriorating even faster. It's like a dam has been opened, and it can't be stopped."

Tian Ming's face darkened. He pulled Shen Yuan and started walking, saying, "Let's go find the Professor at the Energy Research Institute and ask what's going on."

But Shen Yuan pulled Tian Ming back, shook her head, and said, "Don't go. I snuck out. The Professor said my ability is unstable and needs a large amount of Red Crystal Core energy to replenish the loss from its decline, but I know my own situation."

Tears suddenly streamed down Shen Yuan's face. She quickly wiped them away, forcing a smile on her haggard face.

"Husband, let's go back. I don't want to stay here anymore. I might not have much time left. No matter how much time is left, I just want to be with you in my final days."

Shen Yuan's words were undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for Tian Ming. Everything had been fine a while ago, why was the situation so serious now?

Just then, an old man with white hair, guided by a patrol officer, ran over, panting. Upon seeing Shen Yuan, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Little Yuan, are you alright?" The old man stepped forward, asking with a worried expression.

Shen Yuan shook her head slightly and said, "Professor Zhang, I'm fine. I made you worry."

The old man was precisely Professor Zhang Songxi from the Energy Research Institute. He was very familiar with Shen Yuan's situation and had been searching for a solution.

Professor Zhang looked at Shen Yuan's haggard face and Tian Ming's panicked expression, and he understood. He sighed, then turned to Tian Ming.

"You must be Little Yuan's boyfriend, Lu Tianming, and also the only Full Element Ability?"

Tian Ming nodded, uttering a single word: "Yes."

"Let's go to the institute. There are some things I need to discuss with you privately."

"Okay!"

Tian Ming did not hesitate at all, nodding his head. He just wanted to know as soon as possible why Shen Yuan's ability decline had suddenly accelerated, and even more, how to cure her.

At the Energy Research Institute, Professor Zhang let Shen Yuan rest first, and he took Tian Ming into his office. Throughout the journey, Professor Zhang's expression remained very serious.

Professor Zhang deliberately avoided Shen Yuan and spoke to Tian Ming alone because there were some things that Shen Yuan herself should not know.

"Have a seat!" Professor Zhang said.

Professor Zhang looked at Tian Ming and said in a deep voice, "We extracted epithelial cells from Little Yuan's mouth, and also some blood samples. We found that her somatic cell telomeres are extremely abnormal. At the Energy Research Institute, we have leading figures from various fields. Since the Super Soldier Project was implemented, we have never seen an Ability User with such an extreme phenomenon."

"What do you mean, Professor Zhang? Please be more specific."

Professor Zhang sighed, "Let me put it this way, young man. Human cell division has its limits. When it approaches that limit, people age, and life ends. Ability Users' cell energy can repair telomeres, keeping the body's basic units in their golden prime. But Little Yuan's situation is different; she is precisely the opposite. Her body, in order to maintain her ability, is draining her remaining lifespan."

Tian Ming felt his mind go blank.

"Then... do you know the specific reason?" Tian Ming asked.

Professor Zhang shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know, but there are two conjectures. After this period of observation, and with Little Yuan's cooperation, we discovered that the ability energy within her body does not belong to her. It feels like she was injected with a short-term Superpower Potion."

Tian Ming's face immediately darkened, and he said, "Shen Yuan was captured by the Lawrence Family for only about half a month. She is an eight-element Superpower User, even a Superpower Potion shouldn't be able to affect an eight-element Superpower User."

"Don't worry, this is just one conjecture. There's another. According to my conversation with Little Yuan, she said she always hears a voice in her mind. We also conducted twenty-four-hour brainwave monitoring and discovered some abnormal wave patterns that even our neuro-professors don't understand. Perhaps the second conjecture is a bit metaphysical. Our conclusion is that some entity is remotely drawing the ability from Little Yuan's body."

Tian Ming was silent for a moment, then spoke, "What do you mean? Are you saying Shen Yuan's ability is being drawn away by an unknown force?"

Professor Zhang nodded and said, "Yes, our human understanding is not sufficient to detect deeper reasons. Just like why an Ability User's consciousness can control the microscopic world, we haven't found a specific and reasonable scientific explanation. Little Yuan might not be Little Yuan."

"What do you mean?"

Professor Zhang took a deep breath and said, "The Shen Yuan you see now might just be a duplicate. But what's currently unexplainable is how the Lawrence Family could clone and replicate a person in just over ten days, and perfectly replicate the original's consciousness. Even Little Yuan herself doesn't realize she's a copy."

Tian Ming felt a lump in his chest. What was this? The entire Lawrence Family was now under his control, how could they pull off such a trick right under his nose?

Professor Zhang saw Tian Ming lost in thought and said, "These are just conjectures. If the Lawrence Family could truly do all this, then this world would have been theirs long ago. Currently, there's no better way to extend Shen Yuan's lifespan. She's like a bottomless pit; no matter how much Red Crystal Core energy is filled in, it rapidly drains away. Moreover, the more you fill, the faster it drains."

After a long while, Tian Ming finally looked up, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "How much time does she have left?"

"Judging from her condition, two months, or even less."

Tian Ming was silent for a moment, then stood up and bowed to Professor Zhang: "Thank you, Professor Zhang!"

With that, Tian Ming turned to leave. But just as he reached the door, he stopped again.

"I'm taking Shen Yuan with me. For the time she has left, I'll be with her."