“Taking my father’s Person of the Principle, his memories….”
Irene’s astonishing statement seemed to indicate that she had long known about the existence of the Forgetful Bookstore!
Li Andy suddenly realized several issues he had previously overlooked:
Namely, where did the Forgetfulness Bookstore come from, when did it appear in the Library, and what exactly was its true nature?
“Crackle… crackle…”
Suddenly, Irene and the others’ movements also showed obvious delays and stutters. It was like an old television experiencing static interference.
“Snap—”
Something akin to a barrier was broken through.
Immediately after, the scene before them changed abruptly. The perfectly intact cargo ship suddenly became a dilapidated wreck.
The storm and heavy rain, astonishingly, once again lashed down upon the faces of the four high-dimensional observers.
“What’s going on?!”
Sophia’s fur bristled, and her ears shot up.
Li Andy, however, looked up at the shadowy figure on the broken deck:
“She’s awake.”
“Boom—”
Lightning flashed, illuminating Irene in a blood-stained laboratory coat.
“Heh heh…”
At this moment, Irene’s demeanor was eerie, completely unlike her usual appearance at the Academy.
“I truly didn’t expect you to not be those third-rate con artist detectives. Not only do you know about the ‘Memory Maze,’ but you can also invade my mindscape.”
“It seems that forgetting the past and segmenting oneself cannot avoid all risks or hide all secrets.”
Sophia, reacting a little slower, was greatly shocked:
“You’ve been lying to us all along?! You killed your father! And Erick…”
Irene chuckled:
“Little junior, I didn’t lie to you. That me truly knew nothing, you see~ And how did I harm them?”
Irene feigned a wronged expression, but the pathological glint in her eyes did not fade in the slightest.
“My father can have a healthy body, and my boyfriend gained the knowledge and courage he yearned for. I’m helping them have the best of both worlds!”
Sophia’s worldview was shattered:
“Are they still them?! And you… don’t you feel awkward facing that Erick?!”
“What’s so awkward about it?”
Irene shook her head regretfully.
“Being both a father and a boyfriend—doesn’t that make things even more exciting? I thought you all would be able to understand me quite well. After all, your relationships also seem very unusual.”
Can this be understood?
We are completely different, aren’t we!
Sophia’s mind flashed with the scene of Li Andy and Youxi’s Person of the Principle merging into the same body, and goosebumps erupted all over her, her heart shaking its head in frantic rejection.
Irene’s gaze passed over Sophia and landed on Li Andy, who was at the forefront.
“Since you know about this place, your true identity must also be extraordinary, right? Heh heh, let me guess… could it be a fellow believer from Theocracy faction?”
Li Andy’s brows immediately furrowed.
She’s from the Church?!
No, was your Church founded during a game of Werewolf?
Whether someone is an ally or not is all based on guessing?
Li Andy’s reaction seemed to make Irene mistakenly believe she had guessed correctly. She laughed mockingly:
“I knew why someone would know about this place. So it’s you group of charlatans.”
“This is the ‘Realm of Memory.’ There is only past, no future, and certainly none of your so-called ‘predestined nodes.’ ”
“Leave this place! Forget everything related to it. For the sake of being fellow believers, I can mercifully allow you to still remember who you are.”
It seems they are not teammates; the relationship between the cult factions does not seem harmonious…
Li Andy muttered inwardly, somewhat not understanding why the other party was so arrogant and confident:
“Make us forget everything? Are you that powerful?”
Irene smiled disdainfully, as if looking at a group of ants:
“It’s impressive that you can invade this place. But you should also be very clear that this is my mindscape. In this world, I am like a god!”
With that, she slowly ascended, and the shadows beneath her spread out like a tide.
In the darkness, ghostly figures abounded, with countless faces filled with delusion and obsession, screaming madly at everyone.
“Buzz—”
In an instant, Youxi and the others felt their minds being forcibly pried open, their previously coherent memories about to be torn into fragmented pieces.
But the next second, this dizzying sensation abruptly ceased.
Irene, who had called herself “God,” was as if strangled by an invisible hand, locked rigidly in mid-air.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
Irene’s eyes widened, watching the charlatan she had despised slowly ascend, surpassing her height, like a true deity, looking down at her indifferently.
“This is indeed your mindscape,” Li Andy said, “But your mindscape is within my mindscape.”
Irene’s pupils constricted:
“Impossible! How can a mindscape contain a mindscape?! You… you…”
Suddenly, Irene froze, her expression becoming twisted, like a deranged old woman.
“No! No! My memory is incomplete! I… I’m not the main body?!”
She was stunned, her expression transitioning from confusion to despair.
“I remember now… I’m a discarded piece… I’m a discarded Person of the Principle!!!”
Irene completely collapsed, frantically scratching her face until it was bloody and bruised.
She used the remaining knowledge in her mind to continuously attack Li Andy and the others. The shadows beneath her were blurred, as if they could explode and collapse at any moment.
However, she was as if banished to another dimension; no matter how much she struggled, she could not touch them even slightly.
“Andy, she… why did she go crazy?” Sophia felt her skin crawl. The scene before her was even more bizarre than seeing a ghost.
Li Andy’s brows gradually furrowed.
She said she was a discarded piece? Then the main body…
“Erick!”
Li Andy and Youxi simultaneously cried out, exchanging glances, breaking out in cold sweat from shock.
“Brother, quickly take us out!”
“I know, don’t rush me!”
Li Andy dared not delay, immediately embracing his sisters tightly.
As he closed his eyes, the world suddenly dimmed.
He frantically pressed the brightly lit “Exit Game” button.
In an instant, a sense of weightlessness struck, and the few of them plunged into an abyss.
During the fall, Li Andy felt his brain crash, and the light and shadow of his life’s montage constantly flickered around him.
He saw himself, first learning about the mindscape world, cautiously yet accidentally getting himself killed;
He saw himself, first finding his family, but due to a twisted coincidence in the mindscape, he accidentally killed Sophia and became enemies with Youxi;
He saw himself, his mindscape twisted and uncontrollable, creating countless tragedies and troubles;
He saw himself, restarting and trying again and again, using fragmented memories, attempting to salvage everything;
He collapsed, then stood up again, his hair gray, finally finding the right path and seeing the Tree of Memory;
He gambled with the Bookstore, swallowed the mindscapes of others, and finally, on the desk, he solitarily wrote that sentence: “Forgetting is a form of protection.”
“Buzz—”
Li Andy’s brain throbbed with intense pain; his frail soul, as if under the influence of time’s magic, continuously expanded and compressed within his narrow body.
Pain!
It really hurts so much!
Why don’t I just die!
“Brother, wake up quickly!”
Suddenly, a familiar and urgent voice sounded in his ear, making him feel as if he had grasped something.
He looked up, only to see that note: “Forgetting is a form of protection!”
In that instant, his soul seemed to overflow spontaneously, the excess portions actively dissipating.
Gradually, those surging memories began to blur, leaving only a brief overview impression, like a few hundred words.
He opened his eyes; it was the Library’s ceiling.
A worried Youxi was constantly calling out to him.
Molly was also at his side, looking at him with equal concern. Although her small face was expressionless, the emotions in her eyes were vivid and real.
Sophia, dazed, sat up clutching her head, asking confusedly:
“Is this the real world?”
Li Andy got up with Youxi’s help, harboring the same doubt internally.
At this moment, they were on the second floor of the Library. Outside the window, it was already a night with a crescent moon.
Besides their own four, there were two others present: the bewildered and dazed Irene, and the motionless corpse of the corpse manipulator.
As for Erick… he was gone!
“Bang!”
The Library’s main door was slammed open, and Dean Mapel of the Academy burst in with a group of well-equipped individuals.
“Damn it! The domain virtualization finally disappeared!”
Mapel was both anxious and angry, staring at Li Andy.
“I sealed the Library according to your letter’s request! But there was a domain here, why didn’t you tell me?!”
Li Andy was slightly stunned, concluding that he had returned to reality.
He frowned at Mapel and retorted:
“Aren’t you Academy management? Why didn’t you know?”
He wouldn’t be foolish enough to explain; often, a counter-question is the best way to end questioning.
Mapel was taken aback by the question, then took a deep breath and apologized:
“Sorry, I was a little hasty. Are you… alright? What are the investigation results?”
Li Andy looked at Irene, who was like a young, disoriented child, biting her finger and crying out for her mother.
He swallowed, then replied:
“The true participant in the illegal experiment is Irene! She’s also part of the Circle. She… abandoned her own body, occupied Erick’s body, and escaped!”
Mapel was stunned, but as an elder within the Circle, she was aware of such possibilities.
She quickly ordered:
“Send people to search immediately! Seal off the Academy!”
Whoosh—This steam unit immediately split up and took action.
After arranging everything, Mapel glanced at the few people who had safely returned from the unknown domain, her expression somewhat complex, containing both vigilance and admiration, even solemnity.
“You all go back and rest first. I’ll send people to escort you.”
Saying that, she had a team that looked like the elite of elites step forward, surrounding the few of them.
It was called an escort, but in reality, it was surveillance.
It was estimated that these people would remain stationed around his office all night after delivering him back.
Li Andy’s mind was exhausted at this moment, and he also wanted to go back and rest early. For now, he was too lazy to argue, treating them as free bodyguards.
…
Outside the Academy, dark clouds obscured half the moon.
Before the steam unit could fully seal off the area, a figure had already stepped into the night alley.
That figure swayed alluringly, seemingly in extreme delight.
A few confused drunkards, their desires stirred, approached with evil smiles and lecherous thoughts.
But when they clearly saw the figure, they were scared into a cold sweat.
The owner of that alluring shadow was actually a strange man talking to himself!
The man’s expression alternated between anger, laughter, and sorrow, his tone shifting from high to low, as if a ghost was possessing his body.
The angry face roared:
“Irene! It’s really you! Get out of my body now!”
The laughing face chuckled:
“Erick, don’t be angry. Didn’t you say you wanted to be with me forever? Now, aren’t we inseparable forever? This is so good, hahaha… the three of us, together forever!”
The angry face showed fear and began to plead:
“Irene, I beg you, let me go! I don’t want to be like this, neither human nor ghost! Teacher, Youge Teacher! Please, quickly persuade your daughter!”
The sorrowful face sighed deeply, remaining silent.
Finally, the laughing face took the dominant position, leaping out of the shadows, dancing a pathological dance under the crescent moon.
As the dance swayed, the eyes of the peeking drunkards suddenly became hazy.
Then, as if they had forgotten all their life’s memories, they collapsed to the ground, crying loudly like newborn babies.
In stark contrast to them, Erick laughed and danced with increasing joy:
“Hahaha! This is great! We’re together forever!”
“Thank you so much for Senior Andy’s suggestion, he’s truly a genius!”
“I just don’t know if Senior is from Theocracy or Person of the Principle?”
“Hahaha, if Senior hasn’t forgotten that memory, then next time we meet, I will definitely thank you properly~~”
“Oh, right, I should change my name now. How about… ‘Eiyige’?”
“Father, you agreed?! Hahaha, two against one, the minority obeys the majority!”
That bizarre shadow grew three distinctly different heads under the moonlight, arguing, laughing, and disappearing into the horizon.
…
On the other side, Li Andy was under the hot water, his mind constantly replaying and reviewing.
He always felt as if he hadn’t fully remembered many things.
His existing memories were full of strangeness.
He touched his right earlobe but didn’t feel any earring.
But his hazy shadow beneath him truly held a dark, teardrop-shaped earring.
‘Should I open it and look?’
Li Andy stood for a long time, eventually lowering his arm.
His mind was very tired now, and he didn’t know if he could bear it at this moment.
“Hoo—”
Li Andy exhaled deeply, turned off the water, wrapped himself in a towel, and pushed the bathroom door open.
As soon as he stepped out of the misty area, he was embraced by something soft and damp.
“You’re so slow!”
The water droplets on the blonde girl’s skin were slightly cool; she seemed to have been waiting there for a while.
“Sophia…”
Li Andy was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to say some comforting words, he was suddenly pushed to the ground.
“Youxi is changing, so I… I’ll just have a little taste first!”
Sophia’s breathing was slightly ragged, her eager appearance as if she had been suppressing and enduring for over two months.