Chapter 231 Memory - Quantity Difference
"Sir! I got him...I got him!"

The woman pinched the escapee's head with her fat hands and moved her pale face in front of Caesar and Lu Mingfei.

It sounds strange.

Although the women and buildings have evolved to become closer to reality, the children still remain faceless.

Of course, Caesar and the other two also have missing facial features.

She seemed very excited and kept chattering even when no one was paying attention to her.

"Great! Great! I knew the eavesdropper must be among the three of us... This way I'm safe!"

Caesar remained silent.

He was wondering whether he should tell the truth about Su Beixun's instigation.

But after thinking for a moment he gave up the idea.

Not to mention the failed report.

In such a memory layer, the only choice for its owner is when he is left with no other options.

Click~

In the building behind me, there seemed to be someone being woken up and making noises.

The woman quickly lowered her voice, hid the child behind her, and whispered, "Gentlemen, please follow me."

Return to the first floor room.

The woman stuffed the skull-deformed, motionless body in her hand under the bed and sat on the quilt, urging him implicitly.

"When are you two going to leave?"

"Not in a hurry."

Caesar replied: "Ma'am, do you have the files on the three suspects you mentioned?"

"What do you want this for?"

"Just in case... After all, this is a serious matter, I think we need to be more cautious."

Caesar asked back, "What do you think?"

The woman looked at him for a moment, then stood up in dissatisfaction and rummaged through the desk and cabinet, muttering with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah... you powerful people certainly shouldn't believe the inferences made by a marginal person like me... Ha! I understand."

After about a minute.

The drawer that had been searched carefully was actually taken out by the woman into which a stack of yellowed papers was found.

“These are the briefs that are shown to people when they come in to adopt.”

The woman shook the thing and handed it over.

"It's just some names, age, blood type, whether the body is disabled, and some simple character judgments."

Caesar nodded: "That's enough."

He stretched out his hand and stacked the overly dry pages one by one.

Right at the fourth one.

The name printed on it made him pause.

——【Wang Er】.

The sticky ink became intermittent over time, and the color photo next to it gradually faded in the wash.

Unlike the pale and empty face, Caesar finally saw his specific appearance this time.

This boy did not look pleasing at first sight. He was thin, had messy hair, and a coin-sized hairy birthmark on his right cheek.

Caesar's mouth corners were tense, and he rubbed his index finger slowly on the rough wood fibers.

If what he had thought before was true, Su Beixun still had a fresh memory of the past due to the misjudgment, then the key to breaking free should be to find the real eavesdropper.

And if Haozhe was like that, he would not be easily instigated to make such a suspicious escape.

Among the three, only Wang Er is left...

But looking at the gradually worsening eye disease in the [Physical] column, Caesar felt that this person was not someone who could quickly escape after eavesdropping.

Without rushing to judge, he continued to flip through the papers and read the rest of the file.

immediately.

Caesar took out Su Beixun's card with some curiosity.

"Ma'am, aren't there very few adoptive parents visiting the orphanage? Why is he still living here?"

In such an orphanage where most of the members are physically disabled, a healthy individual like Su Beixun can be said to stand out from the crowd. Moreover, he looks cute, and there is no problem with his academic performance and personality assessment.

"I remember that when I was six years old, there was indeed a couple who were very interested in him, but because of his family situation, Su Beixun clearly expressed his resistance."

"Family background? Is it a very difficult family?"

"It doesn't count."

The woman explained: "The couple is from a well-off family. The husband is the workshop director of the factory, and the wife is a Chinese teacher in an elementary school... But Su Beixun is indeed not satisfied with this."

"I see." Caesar thought, "Do you want a more convenient life?"

He shook his head slightly, disapproving, but didn't say anything disdainful.

As the heir of the Gattuso family, Caesar was confident that no matter what situation he was in, it would not affect his achievements, but a higher quality education was indeed a useful booster.

Hearing this, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but say, "A well-off family... that's better than the treatment in the welfare home, right?"

The woman shrugged. "Given the child's condition, there are many families willing to adopt him. It's not surprising that they want to wait and choose."

between conversations.

Caesar had finished reading all the papers in his hand.

But vaguely, he felt a very subtle sense of disharmony.

The information he had read before quickly emerged in his mind. Caesar's eyes focused and his fingers moved quickly across the papers.

"lady!"

He looked up suddenly: "Are all the children's information here?!"

"Uh... almost."

The woman was startled and said subconsciously, "The older children's information is all here. The rest are children under the age of five who sleep on the big bunk bed. It's impossible for them to eavesdrop."

Caesar's sharp eyes stung her eyes, and he asked clearly, "So, madam...how many children have rooms on the second floor?"

"Ten!"

The woman pointed to the stack of papers and said calmly, "The list is all here."

Ten?

Lu Mingfei opened his eyes wide and his expression changed slightly.

In those repetitive experiences, they searched the rooms on the second floor again and again, knowing full well that there were 11 rooms with name tags on the doors!
Seeing the two men's confused expressions, the woman hesitated and asked, "Sir... is there something wrong?"

"nothing."

Caesar lowered his hands, still holding the stack of documents: "Madam, it's getting late. We should go back to the room and rest for a while. We can leave the trouble until tomorrow."

After the woman nodded in confusion, he and Lu Mingfei quickly left the room and strode to the second floor.

The night was still quiet.

The only sound in the corridor was the ball-bearing sound caused by the expansion and contraction of the wooden boards.

The experience of just leaving a bright room made it difficult for them to adapt to the dark environment, but Caesar didn't want to wait. He took out the lighter he fumbled from his backpack and lit it with a click.

The orange-yellow flames flickered slightly.

Caesar walked over quickly, his pupils moving left and right as he checked the list one by one.

【Wang Er】

【Luo Yun】

【Huang Xin】

【Hao Zhe】

【Xie Feng】

……

at last.

Caesar stopped in front of a wooden door whose outer cover had peeled off, revealing a dark yellow interior.

——【Nize】.

He handed the lighter to Lu Mingfei and looked through the list again to confirm that the name was not on it.

Caesar took hold of the peeling paint handle.

Lu Mingfei swallowed his saliva and wanted to dissuade him, but his lips closed tightly as soon as he opened them.

Click~

The rust spots on the lock tongue feel like skin and flesh being pulled apart.

Caesar stuck his head in.

In the haze, no color changes could be seen, and it seemed that even the sound just now could not wake the other person from his sleep.

But when the flames and his palm went in, Caesar realized that he was wrong.

The child was not asleep on the standard wooden bed. He leaned against the headboard with his bare upper body, his hollow face staring straight at the door.

The foot that was reaching inward stopped.

Under the fireworks, two dancing shadows tentatively made contact.

creak~

The bed groaned. The boy came down barefoot, grabbed the crimson coat beside him and put it on, without putting it on properly, and approached the two men with his flat chest and abdomen exposed.

"Old...Old~Big?"

Lu Mingfei almost dug his nails into Caesar's flesh in response to the stress.

Caesar's eyebrows jumped, and he felt extremely helpless, but before he could make a decision about the current situation...

The boy stopped just outside the safe distance line.

He sighed softly.

Like a complaint.

It also seems like resentment.

"Brother, you are so useless!"

The familiar voice and tone made Lu Mingfei stunned: "Little devil?! Why is it you?!"

Little devil?
Caesar raised his eyebrows and cast a questioning look at the two of them.

The boy bowed and put his right hand behind his back, performing a standard etiquette.

Then he raised his squirming face and smiled at Caesar: "Nice to meet you. My name is Lu Mingze... The one behind you is my useless brother."

Ineffective?
It's useless!
Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes wildly, but the negative emotions accumulated in his heart disappeared quickly.

Although he was very dissatisfied with this profiteer who was eyeing his life, it was undeniable that no matter what difficulties he encountered, as long as he saw this guy, he would feel that it was no big deal.

"brother?"

Caesar questioned bluntly: "When Lu Mingfei joined the student union, I investigated the relevant information. His cousin Lu Mingze is completely different from you in terms of age and personality!"

"Yeah...yes! He used the same name as me, a minor deviation from countless restarts."

The boy's voice was so soft that no one could hear it, and when he spoke again he had changed his tone.

"You can think of me as my brother's alter ego. I am his close friend born out of his oppressive family atmosphere and lonely situation."

Lu Mingfei's eyes suddenly widened.

What the hell?

A close friend?

you? !

He really wanted to scold the little devil for being shameless, but he couldn't come up with a second excuse in front of the boss, so he could only grit his teeth and agree.

Caesar looked calm. He neither believed nor doubted. He just asked, "Why are you here?"

The boy snapped his fingers.

"Just like you guys here have been given an identity that is more in line with your memories, I was also torn out of my brother's body and became like this."

"In that case, why don't you join us?"

"Maybe it's because... I came in with my brother's spirit?"

The boy shrugged helplessly. "In short, before you realize my existence, my actions and words will be corrected into a different form in your eyes."

Caesar thought about it.

Lu Mingfei tilted his head, looking a little confused.

Is that right?

He remembered that when he first came in, the little devil could clearly have a conversation with him?

But before Lu Mingfei could start thinking, the boy's words interrupted his train of thought.

"Alright, you two! Now that we're together, stop wasting time."

Caesar frowned.

He didn't like the feeling of being looked down upon, so he said coldly, "What do you think?"

"I don't dare to express my opinion, but it should be more efficient than the two of you."

The boy bowed his head in mock humility.

"I have been observing secretly these days. I admire your determination to find the eavesdropper, but if I may be frank, it is too stupid."

A deep laugh came out of his throat, and the skin on his neck could be seen vibrating.

"Our goal is to reach the depths of the spirit, not to be a dream maker... Finding the eavesdropper and removing his obsession will only cause you to be transferred to another shallow memory."

Caesar was silent for a moment: "What's your method?"

"Of course it's this one!"

The boy ran back to the bed, reached out to the pillow, and after groping for a few times, he actually pulled out a black leather notebook from underneath.

The cover is elegantly printed in gold-plated fonts.

——《Exploration of Unknown Archives》

"This is……"

Lu Mingfei was shocked again: "Where did you get it?"

"I found it! It's downstairs."

The boy shook his notes, ignored Lu Mingfei's twitching mouth, and got back to the topic.

"In my opinion, if you want to reach the depths, you must assimilate and imitate Su Beixun to a certain extent."

"If you can replace what Su Beixun did in your memory in advance, you can continue to dive deeper."

"But unfortunately, it's too late now. We can only use more extreme methods."

Caesar understood what he meant and looked at the notebook swaying in the air: "You mean... to recreate the story inside?"

"Bingo!"

Snapping fingers crisply.

The boy nodded affirmatively: "Since this note appeared in Su Beixun's room, it must be related to him! Maybe it is a record of another encounter."

"what?"

Lu Mingfei doubted the little devil's brain: "No way! Are you trying to tell me that this guy has seen ghouls, been parasitized by someone, and danced with time?"

He sighed and looked pitiful: "I'm sorry, I didn't care enough about you."

"Idiot brother!"

The boy waved his arms in dissatisfaction.

"It's not necessarily a real experience. Do you understand the expression of intention? Illiterate!"

“Illiterate? How can I be illiterate?!” Lu Mingfei got angry and retorted: “I am an elite in the literature club, totally different from a primary school student like you!”

The boy snorted disdainfully and turned his head away, ignoring him.

Click~
The lighter suddenly went out, Caesar lit the flame again, and asked behind the floating light and shadow: "Imitate? How do you want to do it?"

"It's very simple, we just follow what it says!"

The boy turned the pages of the book and spread out the first story in front of the two of them.

"This script requires two actors, a [Monster] and a [Me]. The location is in the woods outside. Of course, in order to increase the success rate, I suggest that the [Monster] eat the people in the orphanage."

"edible?"

Lu Mingfei's throat rolled: "Are you serious? You want us to...eat people?"

"Come on brother, it's not a real person, it's just a figment of a memory."

The boy scratched the smooth dough, leaving smile marks on his face with his nails. "Maybe it will taste good."

Lu Mingfei’s face twitched, perhaps because of Lu Mingze’s faceless state, he suddenly felt that the little devil was particularly strange... just like a real devil!
"boring."

Caesar turned around expressionlessly: "I will not participate in your bottom-line game."

He pulled the handle and disappeared behind the swinging door.

Lu Mingfei subconsciously wanted to chase after him, but someone suddenly grabbed the corner of his clothes.

The boy raised his head, the smile on his face became fainter and fainter, and his voice sounded aggrieved.

"Brother, don't you believe me either?"

"Uh... no... I..."

Lu Mingfei stammered and couldn't answer.

Seeing this, the boy sighed again: "Okay! [Monster] I'll play it, okay?"

"But……"

Lu Mingfei was just about to say that eating people was wrong, even if it was a fake person in his memory, it was too much.

But before she could finish her words, the boy interrupted her seriously: "Brother! Time is really running out!"

Lu Mingfei paused.

He scratched his hair, hesitated and struggled, but thinking of Lu Mingze's help in the past, he nodded with difficulty.

"...Okay...but! Just try it once!"

……

The light from the lighter left with Caesar.

In the gradually darkening room.

Lu Mingfei didn’t see——

The boy in front of me reached out his hand again...

A crazy smile appeared on his face...

(End of this chapter)