Chapter 133 Successfully Entered 1
Out of control, rampaging, cannibalistic instincts...
For a moment, I couldn't imagine that Chang'an would become a strange creature that attacks humans, but ultimately, the reason he was sealed by the Zhu family when he was a child was because he had once lost control.
As a friend of Chang'an, I couldn't help but wonder: "You mentioned before that the demonic side of Chang'an went berserk... What exactly is this 'demonic side'?"
"Well, how should I put it..." Zhu Shi seemed to be choosing her words carefully, "In layman's terms, it's somewhat like a second personality?"
They've even come up with a "second personality"! Aren't you siblings' "that kind of setting" a bit too elaborate?
Zhu Shi seemed oblivious to my strange gaze and continued, "Brother has the blood of a demon, and demons, these kinds of strange beings, have knowledge passed down through their bloodlines. You see, even humans, if they are born without anyone to educate them, cannot learn to speak and write without a teacher. For example, some babies are abandoned in the wild by their parents, but grow up due to various coincidences; I think they're called 'wolf children.' Those children, let alone speak, may not even walk like humans."
"However, once a monster in folk legends takes human form, it can naturally walk on two legs, speak human language, and even easily blend into the marketplace. This is because monsters have innate wisdom, and their instincts are imprinted with the knowledge and skills necessary for hunting humans."
"So, Chang'an was born knowing how to hunt humans?" I vaguely understood the meaning of "rampage".
“Yes. As the saying goes, ‘He who possesses a weapon will naturally harbor murderous intent.’ Knowledge and technology are closer to the heart than material weapons. When one’s mind is still immature and full of curiosity about everything in the world, suddenly mastering a large amount of systematic knowledge of killing will naturally turn one into a murderous maniac. What’s more, my brother’s demon bloodline itself brings the urge to kill.” She nodded. “If he were a complete demon, he would have had the opportunity to digest those terrifying innate wisdoms with ease. But because he is still half-human, he cannot properly absorb the information flowing in his blood, and eventually fell into a mental breakdown.”
"This is what they call a berserk state... So is it really okay to unseal him now?" I asked.
“My brother is different now than when he was little. He has developed a set of values. As long as we break the seal gradually in stages, there shouldn’t be any major problems.” She said conservatively at first, then her tone became humorous. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Instead of worrying about that, let’s worry about whether he will keep saying things like ‘Ugh, the demonic bloodline in my body is restless…’ after the seal is broken.”
Hearing the rest, my seriousness lessened somewhat. Chang'an might indeed say that. "A power that risks going berserk when used" is practically a classic trope for protagonists in battle manga, though I have absolutely no envy for that. ...By the way, am I overthinking it? It seems like everyone I'm close to is like a protagonist in an adventure/battle story. I always have this feeling of being isolated and abandoned.
At this moment, I noticed that Mazao was very silent. It wasn't the previous silence where she couldn't join our conversation, but rather as if she was thinking about something.
"Is there anything that's bothering you?" I asked.
“Hmm… I remember you guys seemed to be paying a lot of attention to Ying Lingyun before, but isn’t he already dead?” she asked.
Now that I've said that, I've already revealed my speculations before I even explained to her that Ying Lingyun might possess a fragment of the Divine Seal.
“I’ve already told Zhu Shi about the existence of the Divine Seal fragments and the matter of the small bowl… I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for your opinion on the latter part,” I said.
"...That's alright."
That being said, I sensed that Ma Zao seemed a little resentful that I had discussed this matter with Zhu Shi first. She didn't express it, but simply said, "I see. So we'll continue fighting Ying Lingyun... What should we do next? Should I use my abilities to investigate his 'clinic' in the old city?"
Zhu Shi said seriously, "No, Ma Zao, go home and use the medicine to heal your soul first. You are not in a good condition to continue using your power. You should wait at least two more days."
“That’s right. You should be able to use the power of blessing to trace the clues at any time, right? There’s no need to rush for a day or two.” I chimed in.
Seeing us working in unison, Asahi's face showed displeasure: "But..."
“Besides, you’re not completely forbidden from doing anything at home.” Zhu Shi continued, taking out a USB drive from her pocket. “I asked Lu Chan to find a list of patients with amnesia in China, along with their photos. You can take it home and check if your friend Xiaowan is on it.”
Ma Zao was immediately drawn to the USB drive and took it with both hands.
Zhu Shi added, "The data here is only a part, about 20,000 people. More data will be sent over, and you can check them one by one."
"Twenty thousand people..."
I only knew before that there were many people suffering from amnesia, but I had never asked for the specific numbers. Twenty thousand is only a portion; what is the total number?
After asking, Zhu Shi revealed a solemn expression and said, "The number worldwide is unclear, but within China alone, the figure is likely close to 100,000 today."
"One hundred thousand people?" I exclaimed in surprise. "Has there been no report on it yet?"
"The Soul Loss Syndrome is classified as a bizarre phenomenon by both Luoshan and the official authorities, and so far, both sides... especially the latter, have tried to maintain a tacit understanding and do their best to prevent the secular world from knowing about the existence of the bizarre world," she said. "This tacit understanding is becoming increasingly fragile, and the number of Soul Loss Syndrome patients is increasing at an increasingly rapid pace. It is said that hundreds of new Soul Loss Syndrome patients are being added every day."
"I don't think Luoshan was completely helpless against this mass coma until the very end. There have been many strange and terrifying calamities in history. The Great Impermanence may not have really taken this event seriously. Once they took action, clues to solving the soul-loss syndrome would likely emerge. But by then it would be too late, and countless families would have crumbled during that time."
"So, Mazao, if you have any clues..."
As she finished speaking, her tone gradually became dejected, while Mazao silently put away the USB drive and said, "I understand."
Hundreds of new cases of mental illness are added every day—a truly alarming number. Keep in mind this isn't the flu; these are randomly generated vegetative state patients across the country. The fact that information can be so effectively controlled suggests the use of some "mysterious" methods.
I remember the outbreak of amnesia started four years ago, and the number of patients accumulated to date is close to 100,000. If we assume that 500 new patients are added every day, there will be nearly 200,000 new patients a year from now.
This increase is accelerating over time, and the actual number of new patients a year later will certainly be far more than this figure. Moreover, there are likely many numbers that haven't been included in the statistics. You don't even need to take out paper and pen to calculate; just by feeling, you know this is absolutely terrible.
I see. In such an emergency, it's understandable that Lu Youxun's forces would resort to some underhanded methods to find Ma Zao. When Lu Youxun admitted to me that "our side was indeed not entirely aboveboard," it was probably more because he was trying to win me over and was just going along with what I said. In reality, it wouldn't have been that difficult for him to refute me from a moral standpoint.
As long as Luo Shan doesn't intend to harm Asao, and only requests that Asao undergo a thorough examination, then I naturally have no reason not to support him. I estimate that someone will soon step forward to discuss this matter with Asao.
After saying goodbye to Zhu Shi, I took Ma Zao home and bought her a cell phone on the way. She thanked me and obediently accepted it. If we had just met, she definitely wouldn't have accepted my gift so readily. This progress in our relationship made me quite happy.
On the contrary, after hearing more information about the amnesia, she seemed preoccupied. When we got home, I sat down with her on the sofa and taught her how to use a mobile phone. She clumsily fiddled with it, opening web pages to browse social media under my guidance, but her movements became increasingly slow, and her expression gradually drifted off into a daze.
"...Zhuang Cheng, do you think my time travel is really related to amnesia?" she asked. "If Luo Shan studies my body, can it really save so many people?"
“You don’t need to think about that now,” I said. “Didn’t Zhu Shi give you the list of patients with amnesia? If you can find Xiao Wan’s photo in it, it means it’s related. If you can’t…”
Does not being able to find it prove that it's irrelevant? I paused to examine my own logic.
“I think it’s mostly related, though it’s just a feeling. My jinx tendencies always lead me into a lot of terrifying coincidences, and coincidences aren’t necessarily unrelated.” She looked at her phone. “Maybe I really was someone who lived in this era, and I used to be a girl who was very good at using a mobile phone. Then I traveled to the post-apocalyptic era and mistakenly thought I was a resident of the post-apocalyptic era.”
"And many of the people I met during the apocalypse might be like me, they also traveled from this era and were killed because they encountered me... If that's really the case..."
"You mean... if we cure their amnesia, those who died in the apocalypse can come back to life in this era?" I asked.
She nodded slightly.
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. Looking at her eyes now, if Luo Shan intended to conduct destructive experiments on her in his search for a cure for the Soul Loss Syndrome, she might also decide to sacrifice herself. Of course, Luo Shan would never use methods that consume precious awakening cases; if he did, I would absolutely stop him, even against her will. But her current mental state seemed to suggest some self-destructive tendencies.
I have to get her out of this state.
(End of this chapter)
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