In a dim room, on a chair.
Eric, whose hands and feet were bound, opened his eyes in a daze.
"Where is this?"
He surveyed the empty darkness around him, and the memories of being kidnapped and tortured surged like a dark tide, causing him to feel a sudden panic and suffocation.
"No! I've returned to the Academy!"
He panted, forcibly calming his emotions, and widened his eyes, continuously recalling the recent experience.
"I... I think I attacked Irene!"
"Then... someone knocked me out!"
"It's Irene... It must be Irene and the people from the Academy who tied me up!"
He swallowed, trying to call out:
"Is anyone there?"
The darkness was silent, no one responded.
"Is anyone there? Irene... Irene!" He raised his voice, trying again, but still, there was no response, not even an echo!
He felt an inexplicable panic, as if he had been exiled into the deep void of nothingness.
The oppressive environment made his already unstable mind lose control again.
"Irene! I was wrong! Come out quickly!"
"Wuwu... It must be that monster forcing me, I won't question you anymore!"
"Irene! Please save me quickly! Wuwu... You can't do this..."
"I am Youge, I am your father!"
"Oh? Really?"
Suddenly, a ghostly voice sounded out of nowhere.
Eric was so scared his heart nearly stopped.
"Sizzle—"
A match scraped and ignited, lighting a candle, illuminating a young man's face.
"It's very quiet here, no one will disturb our conversation, including... that 'eye worm' in your stomach."
Li Andy reached out and pointed at the other person's stomach.
Eric was stunned, looking at the other person's calm demeanor, he felt himself inexplicably calm down.
"You... who exactly are you?"
"I am an investigator commissioned by the Academy."
Li Andy replied indifferently,
"Compared to who I am, I think you should want to know more—who you are. Why you became like this."
Eric's breathing hitched.
Yes, he really wanted to know!
"You... can you tell me?"
Li Andy did not answer, instead, he took out a black and white photo in front of him, showing a group photo of several people.
"Do you have any impression of the people above?"
Eric frowned and looked intently for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Li Andy told him:
"This is a group photo of Youge with his teammates in the Empire when he was young."
"I... I don't quite remember." Eric didn't know why he felt the need to explain.
Li Andy didn't mind, and took out other documents, displaying them one by one.
Eric looked at them, most of which he had no impression of.
The only clear memories he had were all related to Irene. For example, Irene's recommendation letter for admission when she was little, Irene's twelfth birthday present, and so on.
Finally, Li Andy displayed a photo of an elegant lady.
"Then this person, do you remember her?"
Eric frowned, feeling somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall at the moment.
Li Andy told him:
"This is Youge's former wife, Irene's mother, who passed away when Irene was little."
Eric furrowed his brow, after this series of questions.
He felt as if he was about to touch upon some crucial memory.
Li Andy put down the photo and slowly guided him:
"Eric, think carefully. Are Youge's memories always with Irene?"
Eric froze, his pupils trembling.
Yes, his Youge memories were always related to Irene!
"Wh-why?" Eric looked at the person in front of him.
Li Andy slowly explained:
"The memories you inherited are actually not Youge's, but Irene's.
"And strictly speaking, those are not memories, but experiences.
"It is the experience you gained by substituting her father in Irene's memories!"
Eric slowly opened his mouth wide, as if a barrier had been blown open in his mind.
An emotionless voice echoed deep in his mind.
"Only by forgetting oneself... can one truly experience others...."
"Right!"
"It was Irene who took me somewhere, made me forget myself, and then be her father for ten years!"
"I... I am Eric! I have always been Eric!!!"
Eric shouted loudly, his body trembling with excitement, hot tears continuously flowing, shimmering with fragmented light in the dim candlelight.
He... finally found himself!
Li Andy nodded in satisfaction. Eric got the answer he wanted, and he also confirmed his own conjecture.
In the game, it was mentioned that the Forgetfulness Bookstore had the function of changing people's memories and cognition, but the specific method was vaguely described.
And Youxi's trial to obtain the Translator's Earring was merely a simple self-discovery, walking out of the fog of memory.
Now, he could roughly confirm that the Bookstore's method of changing memories and cognition was actually a combined application of 'memory shielding' and 'experience simulation', rather than some absurd soul-possession and indoctrination.
Now, he could bring Jasmine in with more confidence.
"Um... sir?"
Under the influence of the enveloping darkness, Eric gradually calmed down, looking worriedly at Li Andy,
"What about the thing in my stomach? I... I don't want to die!"
Li Andy thought for a moment and replied:
"That thing is called a Corpse Worm, a special kind of roundworm that can transmit the host's voice back.
"You find an opportunity tonight to reveal a message, saying that Youge's secret has been found by Irene, and it's hidden in the Library in the evening.
"She plans to go with you to search for it secretly tomorrow.
"When things are over, I will find someone to help you remove that worm, and I won't let you die."
Eric was stunned, and immediately understood that Li Andy wanted to use him to lure someone out.
He pondered for a few seconds, and finally had no choice but to nod.
After explaining some details, Li Andy gently snapped his fingers, and the darkness enveloping them suddenly dissipated.
The sunlight from outside the window shone on both of them, momentarily a bit dazzling.
Their conversation did not take place in some dark room, but had been in the Library's lounge the entire time.