“Twelve years ago…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback, then lowered his head to calculate the time. “I think I remember something…”
“Did anything strange happen that year…?” Yan Zhichun asked.
After all, in her memory, twelve years ago was the first time she encountered Bai Yang. It was from that point onward that the entire landscape of the “Land of Finality” began to change.
If she wanted to know what kind of person she had once been or what plans Bai Yang had actually made… she could only seek clues from those whose memories spanned more than twelve years.
“Mind Snatcher, to be honest…” Zheng Yingxiong said, “among the people I know, not a single one has managed to retain memories that long. When I first arrived in this city, I immediately asked around about who might know what happened twelve years ago, but no one here remembers.”
Yan Zhichun gave a bitter smile upon hearing this. Yes… how bizarre this situation was.
Twelve years seemed like a threshold, barring everyone from crossing it. Qi Xia had clearly done something before that time, yet the absurdity was that even he himself might not remember.
Only a handful of people vaguely sensed that something monumental had begun to unfold from that point.
“Why are you also investigating events from twelve years ago?” Yan Zhichun asked again.
“Because… around that time, my memories began to persist permanently,” Zheng Yingxiong replied. This was the first time he had revealed the truth to anyone other than Li Siwei and Gu Yu. “No matter how much pain I endure, I can’t forget any of it. I truly want to know what exactly happened twelve years ago…”
“Wait a minute…” Yan Zhichun suddenly caught onto something suspicious. “You… also started retaining your memories twelve years ago?”
“Yes,” Zheng Yingxiong nodded.
“Did you encounter any strange ‘Zodiacs’?” Yan Zhichun pressed.
In her memory, the method of preserving her memories had come from a note left by Bai Yang. Yet Zheng Yingxiong, all the way in “Jade City,” had experienced the same phenomenon at the same time…
If that was the case, then perhaps anyone who had managed to retain their memories for twelve years could reveal who Bai Yang’s “needles” were.
“No,” Zheng Yingxiong shook his head. “Even the ‘Zodiacs’ in our room rarely spoke to me.”
“Hero,” Yan Zhichun called again. “How did you survive the ‘Great Reshuffle’ in ‘Jade City’?”
“‘Great Reshuffle’…” Zheng Yingxiong hesitated slightly. “You mean…”
“I’m referring to the reshuffle triggered after collecting all the ‘chips.’ You must have avoided it to preserve your memories, right?”
“This…” Zheng Yingxiong shook his head. “Mind Snatcher, no one in our city has ever collected all the chips, so there’s never been a ‘Great Reshuffle.'”
“What…?” Both Yan Zhichun and Jiang Ruoxue were stunned.
A city with tens of thousands of people, yet not a single person had gathered enough chips in twelve years—how utterly absurd!
It could only be said that “Jade City” was, after all, “Jade City.” Its inhabitants had no interest in such pursuits.
“About seven years ago, when Brother Gu Yu returned, he altered Wan Cai’s ‘Jade’ and told us the rules of this ‘prison.’ He said no one should collect all the ‘chips,’ or they’d face the ‘Great Reshuffle,'” Zheng Yingxiong explained. “It was on that day that I suddenly caught the scent of a ‘colossal thought’ from afar, and I…”
“Hold on…” Yan Zhichun froze, her eyes widening. “What did you just say…?”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong raised an eyebrow. “I said I smelled a ‘colossal thought.'”
“No…” Yan Zhichun frowned slightly, her gaze tinged with suspicion. “You said Gu Yu told you the rules of this place seven years ago…?”
She then turned to Jiang Ruoxue. “What kind of joke is this…? If Gu Yu knew about this so long ago, why did he come asking us years later?”
Jiang Ruoxue also seemed confused, not grasping what Yan Zhichun was implying.
“Did he lose his memory…? Or was he lying to us?” Yan Zhichun muttered. “But what would be the point…?”
“Zhichun… what’s wrong with you…?” Jiang Ruoxue asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you think Gu Yu is acting strangely?” Yan Zhichun pressed. “Or is this kid named Hero lying…?”
“I’m not following. Gu Yu did come to us over seven years ago,” Jiang Ruoxue replied. “What’s going on with you?”
“What…”
“Did you pull another Bai Yang and not sleep for days?” Jiang Ruoxue asked with concern. “You should rest if you need to… Your subconscious isn’t as strong as his. Prolonged sleep deprivation will definitely cause problems.”
Yan Zhichun stared at Jiang Ruoxue for a long moment before slowly uttering, “What kind of joke is this…?”
“What?”
“You’re saying Gu Yu came to us over seven years ago…?” Yan Zhichun’s brows furrowed tightly. “He only arrived here three or four years ago… What are you playing at…?”
Jiang Ruoxue’s expression grew even more worried.
“Zhichun… are you really okay?” She stepped forward and tugged at Yan Zhichun’s arm. “Back when Gu Yu was here, I used to call you ‘wife.’ Then you got mad and told me to stop. Remember?”
Yan Zhichun’s pupils flickered slightly as if she were struggling to stay upright.
Yes… Jiang Ruoxue had indeed called her “wife” when Gu Yu was around.
But that was so long ago!
In her memory, Jiang Ruoxue had only called her that during the early days of their acquaintance.
“What are you saying…” Yan Zhichun’s lips trembled. “Are you telling me… Gu Yu appeared before Bai Yang even existed?”
“Yeah…”
“Mind Snatcher,” Zheng Yingxiong interjected. “Your scent is chaotic. If you don’t calm down immediately, your mind might collapse.”
Yan Zhichun seemed completely deaf to his words, her face locked in horror as she stared at Jiang Ruoxue. “Ruoxue… this doesn’t add up!”
“Huh? What doesn’t add up…?” Jiang Ruoxue asked softly, her hands kneading Yan Zhichun’s shoulders in an attempt to soothe her.
“This contradicts everything!” Yan Zhichun exclaimed. “Do you remember why I sought you out in the first place?! We fought because of Bai Yang… If Gu Yu appeared seven years ago, why would we have fought over Bai Yang?! He didn’t even exist back then—at most, he was a ‘Human-level’! But our fight was about ‘Pleasure Bank’—one of Bai Yang’s Earth-level games!”
“You… you’re scaring me…” Jiang Ruoxue frowned. “What fight over Bai Yang…? I know he’s important to you, but why would I argue with you over his game?”
“You… you…” Yan Zhichun stammered in disbelief. “Then what did we fight about…?”
“Didn’t I just say…?” Jiang Ruoxue smiled helplessly. “Don’t you remember why I stopped calling you ‘wife’? You got really angry and told me you hated that term.”
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