Chapter 16: Battle for Memory VI

Suddenly, that silhouette stopped, as if it knew someone was watching it.

It turned around, revealing an extremely nauseating face. Tilting its head in curiosity, it approached the monitor and stared at the camera.

All who saw this bizarre smile pressed up against the screen felt an inexplicable tightness in their chest, and although everyone knew it wasn't possible, there was this feeling—that this person was staring right through the monitor at them.

Mr. Zou looked at Chen Xiao on the screen, his face growing exceedingly grim.

"It's him again!"

During that mission at the orphanage, Mr. Zou had already felt that there was something off about Chen Xiao, but after carefully reviewing his medical records and files, he found that he was merely a mentally ill person with a more complicated condition. In his world, shaped by countless bizarre and incomprehensible things, such a person was as ordinary as they come.

At this moment, Mr. Zou was intently observing that ugly smile and incomprehensible gaze on the screen.

Even though all the data indicated he was very ordinary, how could this guy possibly be ordinary?

"Report! The analysis of the surveillance video from Section D is complete!"

A staff member hurried over and handed him a document!

Mr. Zou gestured dismissively with his hand, indicating that he was too busy to look at it now.

"Just tell me!"

The staff member nodded and began to report on the incident.

In reality, the entirety of the "Section D Containment Area" was covered by surveillance cameras at every corner, so everything from the moment Chen Xiao left his cell to the present had been recorded.

And as the staff member reported, Mr. Zou's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

...

"So now, no one can get close to D-391?" Mr. Zou asked after hearing the report.

The staff member also seemed very anxious, but he could only helplessly shake his head: "The abnormality level of D-391 has reached Grade C. Now, it's not just about approaching him—anyone who enters within a ten-meter radius of his location immediately loses consciousness."

As he said this, he added another sentence: "Moreover, this range is still expanding!"

Mr. Zou cursed under his breath in annoyance: "Damn it!"

The situation had escalated to this extent, not because the organization lacked effective means of handling such emergencies. In fact, nearly all items contained here had corresponding "emergency protocols." Such as hypnosis, containment, immediate execution, and even more so, for some more dangerous items, if they were to escape control, the entire area they were located in would be immediately destroyed, including the staff therein.

In matters such as these, the organization had never been lenient.

However, this so-called "D-391" old man really had no "emergency protocols," because he was simply... too weak. If he ever did escape, any neighborhood committee auntie with a broom could subdue him.

Having discussed "emergency protocols," let's talk about "Abnormality Level Mutation," which is precisely why Mr. Zou is at his wit's end with this incident.

What does "Abnormality Level Mutation" mean? Well, it's pretty much what it sounds like. It indicates that the abnormality level of something has suddenly changed! (Obviously). But the direction, magnitude, and degree of danger of such a change are all uncertain. You see, it could go from Grade D to Grade S or from Grade S to a normal object.

Someone might ask, if the abnormality level can mutate, why was there no prevention in place?

The reason is simple: the chance of "Abnormality Level Mutation" happening is incredibly slim. How slim? About as slim as waking up to find you have a girlfriend tomorrow morning.

So, with such a minuscule chance that's practically nil, the organization couldn't possibly prepare special "emergency protocols" for every single item!

Even if you wanted to take every precaution regardless of manpower, resources, criticism from leaders above, and contempt from colleagues around, you never know in what bizarre direction these peculiar items might mutate.

All these explanations serve to say that, right now, the entire "Section D Containment Area" really has no way of dealing with this old man!

At that moment, another staff member finally brought over the file for "D-391."

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Project Number: D-391

Containment Measures:

1. D-391 (hereinafter referred to as "the subject") must be contained in a standard human-like entity containment chamber within the Biological Research Area 15. The interior of the containment chamber has already been modified to replicate the dwelling environment where the subject has resided for many years, as per "the subject's" request.

2. "The subject" has been identified as posing no threat and therefore does not require special "emergency protocols" or guard supervision. Supplies for daily living, such as tea and newspapers, may be provided to "the subject" upon the consent of the security personnel.

3. "The subject" requires the opportunity to interact with an unthreatening, healthy adult once daily, hereinafter referred to as "feeding."

Description: "D-391" is a 58-year-old male of Asian descent. "The subject's" appearance does not significantly differ from that of other ordinary men of the same age (possibly slightly overweight), and he suffers from diabetes and mild fatty liver. Its anomaly manifests in that most normal foods cannot provide "the subject" with the necessary sensation of fullness; through multiple verifications (see Appendix-1), it has been demonstrated that only human "memories" can alleviate its hunger temporarily.

Observations show that when "the subject" feeds, the muscles around the mouth and cheeks are capable of stretching to an extraordinary extent, forming a quasi-circular shape with a maximum radius of 20 centimeters. In this state, the subject will encompass the entire head and neck of the "fed" within its mouth and envelop it, while making a sucking motion.

In this state, most of the memories of the "fed" will rapidly vanish, and after "feeding," they will remain unconscious for at least 10 hours. Upon waking, they will have forgotten the majority of memories from the ages of 10 to 13 years old, except for normal cognition, established habits, and it does not impact intelligence. (see Appendix-2)

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Appendix-1:

Agent ███: So you're saying that ordinary food can provide you with the energy you need for life, and the "discomfort" you mentioned is actually just the feeling of being "hungry," right?

Subject: Not exactly. This feeling is a bit more intense than hunger. You know, hunger feels like it's in the stomach, but my feeling is in the brain. It constantly urges me to eat something. It's actually quite painful, kind of like the feeling when you desperately need to pee but can't, no matter what you do.

Agent ███: Uh... okay, that sounds pretty painful. Next topic! You once said that although you can't read these memories, you can taste that different memories have different flavors. Can you go into more detail about that?

Subject: Uh, it's hard to say. These tastes aren't like sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy, so they're difficult to describe. It's like if you don't use the word "sour" to describe sourness, then you basically can't describe it, right?

Agent ███: All right, can you tell me what it felt like the last time during the experiment when you consumed a pigeon's memory?

The subject appeared annoyed, then retched a few times and refused to cooperate...

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Appendix-2:

Agent ███: Hi there!

Eaten: Um. (The expression seemed very vacant.)

Agent ███: May I ask, what is your most vivid memory right now?

Eaten: I was having a snowball fight with my sister in the yard, but...

Agent ███: Go on, don't hesitate.

Eaten: Although this memory feels like it was yesterday, I've grown up. I know this is what I should look like as an adult.

Agent ███: Can you describe how you're feeling right now?

Eaten: (Thinking hard)... It's like I've jumped forward a dozen years or so. Yesterday I was less than 1.5 meters tall, and today I'm already full of beard. Plus, I clearly have learned a lot of things. Like now, I know about the price limit algorithm of "Anke Securities," but I shouldn't have ever dealt with such a thing.

...

...

What followed were several more pages of the file, but Mr. Zou didn't want to read any further. He tossed the file aside and muttered to himself, "Those fallen guards and the 'eaten' described in the report are very similar. Does this mean that 'D-391' has undergone mutation and can now directly absorb memories within a certain range?"

He looked up at the big screen. Chen Xiao was sitting on the ground at the moment, kicking against a guard's shoulder, desperately trying to pull off his helmet.

"Why does this kid seem totally unaffected..." Mr. Zou thought to himself, "Because 'D-391' doesn't absorb the memories of the mentally ill? After dealing with this, I must study him properly."

"When the hell is that remote-controlled robot with the tranquilizer gun going to get here!!" Mr. Zou bellowed.

A staff member, clearly flustered, stuttered in response, "Another... 20 minutes! But, but..."

"Speak up! Don't dither!" Mr. Zou's tone clearly conveyed his anger.

"D-391's room is not far from D-416. The kid has only recently been tamed... uh, as you know, that range is set to expand!"

Mr. Zou slapped his forehead hard, his lips pressed tightly together. He knew that the child codenamed "D-416," who could play with fire, was a big problem. If his memories were absorbed, who knew what kind of chaos might ensue.

On the screen, thanks to Chen Xiao's relentless effort, he finally pulled off the guard's riot helmet and, elated, started to fit it onto his own head.

Mr. Zou watched him and let out a deep breath as if trying hard to calm himself down.

"Connect the communication line to that corridor!" he said. Although he was reluctant, at this moment, it seemed the only quick resolution to the incident at hand.

...

Meanwhile, in the hallway of the D-class containment area.

Chen Xiao nonchalantly fiddled with the shotgun in his hands...

Suddenly, the sound of the microphone being activated echoed through the corridor, followed by a voice.

"Hey!"

Chen Xiao recognized that it was Mr. Zou speaking, but he paid it no mind, simply continuing to pull off the guard's shoes.

"Let's cut to the chase, I want you to..." Mr. Zou started to say.

"No!" Chen Xiao interrupted him before he could finish, then lifted the visor of the riot helmet, grinned at the surveillance camera nearby, and said,

"I refuse!"

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(By the way, I made my cover image myself, which took a whole hour and a half— impressive, right? Hahaha, thanks to Meitu Xiuxiu!)