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墨書 Inktalez
Stepping out of the police station, it was already evening.
The detective named Li Cheng had subjected me to several hours of intense questioning, each question sharp and probing, trying to untangle my confused thoughts in search of what he deemed the "truth." I could only repeat over and over that "perhaps I was hallucinating due to overwhelming sadness," attributing the "nonsense" I had uttered at Grandma Wang Shufen's doorstep to my mental disorientation.
He clearly didn't believe me, but it seemed he hadn't extracted anything from me that he had hoped for. Just when I thought this ordeal was finally coming to an end and he was about to let me go, he suddenly strode up to me, and in a moment when several officers were distracted, he quickly shoved a cold, hard object into my coat pocket with an insistence that left no room for resistance.
His gaze remained sharp, yet the corners of his mouth seemed to curl into a barely perceptible, meaningful smirk. Then, lowering his voice, he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Take this, don’t lose it. Maybe… you’re more ‘interesting’ than you think."
Straightening up, he resumed his cold, businesslike demeanor and tossed out a parting remark: "I’ll be keeping an eye on you," which felt like a stone pressing against my chest.
In the end, lacking evidence, he had no choice but to let me go. I was physically and mentally exhausted, yet my mind was unusually clear. The translucent figure of Grandma Wang Shufen, the coercive guidance of that "Soul Return Book," and Li Cheng’s insinuating remark about "this kind of ghostly thing" all intertwined like threads, sketching out a shape in my amnesiac, blank past that I dared not imagine.
Upon returning home, the first thing I did was rummage through everything in Zhou Yu's room. Her sketches, her diary, those peculiar little trinkets… I tried to find any clues related to the twisted symbols from the "Soul Return Book" or any encrypted messages she might have left behind.
Time ticked away as darkness enveloped the outside world. Just when despair began to creep in, I found a folded yellowed note tucked inside one of her favorite art books. On it was a hasty drawing of a struggling bird symbol!
Next to the symbol were tiny letters forming a string of numbers: SF-B7-L03.
This string of numbers felt eerily familiar. It was as if a deeply buried memory had suddenly been unearthed by something. Certain items from before my amnesia… some old business cards and discarded flyers that I had carelessly tossed into the corner of a drawer as "junk information"…
I dashed to my room and yanked open the dusty drawer, spilling its contents onto the floor. Amongst a pile of expired coupons and meaningless cards, I discovered a crumpled card that resembled some sort of internal pass. The card had faded with time; its text was barely legible except for a fragmented logo that vaguely resembled the words "Xinxin Biotechnology."
On the back of the card was hastily scribbled an address along with… another string of codes!
SF-B7-L03!
It was exactly the same!
The address pointed to an abandoned... clinic on the outskirts of the city?
My heart raced.
This was definitely not a coincidence!
The symbols left by Zhou Yu, the encoded message, matched perfectly with an inconspicuous item from my life before I lost my memory!
What was this place… and what connection did it have to Zhou Yu? What did it mean for me?
Fear clashed with an overwhelming urge to uncover the truth within me.
In the end, the latter prevailed.
I had to see it for myself.
The destination lay in a desolate suburb, surrounded by overgrown weeds and a scene of decay.
The iron gate was rusted, and I managed to pry it open with little effort.
A strong, pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with dust and mildew hit me like a wave.
"Ugh..."
My stomach lurched violently, a wave of nausea rising in my throat.
It was not just a physical discomfort.
More terrifying was the way this disinfectant smell invaded my senses, triggering a powerful response in my brain, causing countless chaotic, fragmented images and sounds to flood uncontrollably into my mind!
Cold metal operating tables... blinding surgical lights... various oddly shaped glass instruments...
"Sample activity stable..."
"Memory module loading..."
"... Data anomaly detected..."
Fuzzy silhouettes in white coats swirled before my eyes; their voices seemed to come from a distant place yet echoed directly in my mind.
I saw myself... no, a blurred figure bound to some kind of apparatus... struggling violently... emitting silent screams...
An overwhelming sense of fear and helplessness washed over me like a tidal wave.
"No... don't..."
I cradled my head, crouching down in agony as the world spun around me.
What… is this?
Is it my memory?
Who… am I?!
The Soul Returning Book in my backpack trembled violently, emitting an unprecedented chill that seemed to respond to my current pain, almost as if it were… warning me of something.
Just as I felt I was about to be consumed by these chaotic flashbacks, a voice that was not human, filled with agony and resentment, echoed from the depths of the laboratory, jolting me awake.
That voice… stirred a strange sense of familiarity and… palpitations within me.
I gritted my teeth against the intense headache and nausea, leaning against the wall as I stumbled toward the source of the sound.
The interior of the laboratory was a wreck, littered with shattered glass and scattered instruments.
In the innermost room, which resembled an observation chamber, I saw the “thing” that had let out that howl.
That… thing bore no resemblance to anything I had ever known.
Its form was grotesquely twisted, covered in ghastly scars and… clear signs of mechanical modifications!
Several broken metal tubes protruded awkwardly from its spine and arms, still crackling with faint electrical sparks.
Its eyes were not like Zhou Yu’s hollow black ones but rather murky, flickering with a mad red glow.
It was chained to a specially designed metal bed by thick metal chains, but most of the chains had already been broken by its struggles, producing a harsh scraping sound.
Its obsession… or rather, the emotion it radiated was so intense, so pure—an ingrained hatred!
An endless loathing for the one who “created” it and an extreme yearning for freedom!
The reaction of the Soul Returning Book was stronger than ever before; it felt as if it might ignite behind me!
And I… gazing at that monster, felt an inexplicable sense of… connection? Or perhaps a strange sense of “superiority”?
As if… I were somehow “higher” than it?
This absurd thought sent chills down my spine.
While I was lost in thought, another door in the laboratory suddenly burst open!
Several individuals clad in matching black uniforms and wearing gas masks rushed in!
They moved efficiently and coldly, wielding weapons that resembled energy guns unlike anything I had ever seen.
“Target acquired! Prepare for retrieval!” one of them said in a completely emotionless tone.
The chained monster let out an even more anguished scream upon seeing them, thrashing wildly as the broken chains whipped through the air.
These individuals were clearly well-trained; they quickly spread out, aiming their energy guns at the creature.
A series of blue energy beams shot out, striking the monster. It let out a painful roar, its body convulsing violently as sparks flew from the mechanical parts embedded in its form.
"Sir... will not... spare... you..."
With its last ounce of strength, the creature managed to hiss out a few broken words before being completely subdued by the energy beams. Sir?
At that moment, one of the men in black seemed to notice me in the corner and raised his energy gun.
Danger!
I barely had time to think before my body instinctively reacted— I rolled clumsily and hid behind a massive metal cabinet that had been knocked over by the monster. The energy beam grazed my scalp, leaving a charred hole in the wall. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.
I couldn't stay here!
I glanced around and locked my gaze on a damaged vent opening in the ceiling. It was created when the monster had struggled earlier. There was no time to hesitate!
Before they could fire again, I summoned all my strength, climbed up the metal cabinet using both hands and feet, and without a second thought, squeezed into the narrow vent.
Behind me came furious roars and the sound of energy guns firing again.
I dared not look back as I desperately crawled forward in the darkness of the vent, the strong smell of disinfectant and rust assaulting my senses.
"Those men in black... 'Sir'... and that modified monster..."
What on earth was happening?
What terrible secrets lay hidden in my past?
All I knew was that I had to survive. I had to uncover the truth.
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