Li Andy opened his eyes again, and what greeted him was an unfamiliar ceiling.
“Did it succeed?”
He tried to get up but found his muscles felt like they were filled with lead, making him unable to exert any strength.
He frowned slightly, using a bit of Mad Blood's ability, and only then could he barely manage to prop his body up with difficulty.
“Bang!”
A crisp breaking sound came.
Looking over at the sound, he saw Mrs. Harveys standing still at the doorway, completely unaware that glass shards had cut her leg.
The next second, she took a few steps as one, hugging Li Andy tightly: “Molly! My child, boo hoo… This is great… boo hoo…”
Li Andy was stunned, involuntarily thinking of himself; it seemed he hadn't seen his mother in ten years either.
He opened his mouth, the words he had prepared to deceive suddenly became difficult to utter.
After a long silence, he finally made the girl's fragile voice speak slowly: “I’m very sorry, Madam. I am not Miss Molly, but please do not be afraid…”
Mrs. Harveys’ body stiffened slightly, and her eyes flickered with terror. But as her “daughter” explained, her expression gradually changed from terror to sadness.
When she heard the words, “I’m sorry, Miss Molly might never wake up again…,” her suppressed sobs could no longer be held back and turned into mournful wails.
Warm tears slid down her chin, soaking Li Andy’s shoulder and collar.
Affected by this body, Li Andy’s mood was also not pleasant.
…
…
“Whew…”
Returning to his own body, Li Andy let out a long breath.
After his explanation and persuasion, the Harveys had accepted the fact that their daughter might never wake up again.
Their sorrow turned into resentment, and they decided to do everything in their power to support him in finding the true culprit. The reward amount also doubled, and even if there were no results later, they were willing to pay half the reward.
“The pressure suddenly increased…”
Li Andy lay back on the sofa, replaying the game's plot in his mind.
According to the original timeline, Youxi, two years later, only captured a monster that fed on souls but failed to find the true mastermind.
She only deduced from scattered clues that the matter was related to the mysterious “Original Esoteric Sect.”
Therefore, Li Andy still did not know who the “true culprit” was.
“Molly’s diary…”
Li Andy took out a notebook and slowly opened it.
This was a clue item obtained after gaining the lady’s trust. Compared to the simplified, censored version in the game, this real diary was much more detailed.
From the lines, he seemed to see a lonely figure in a quiet room, quietly pouring her joys, sorrows, thoughts, and feelings into it with her pen. She confided her innermost thoughts and recorded her whimsical ideas about machines.
“The mechanical fleet that saved us is so amazing! I hope that when I grow up, I can also become a mechanic! A great female mechanic!”
“…”
Li Andy glanced at the beginning and turned the diary to the last few pages.
“Today, Mom and Dad went out to sea again. Their business is growing, and their territory has expanded to other countries. It’s amazing. However, they spend less and less time at home. I wonder if they can take me with them next time…”
“Tomorrow I’m going to the academy. I heard it’s a noble mechanical academy. I’m so excited. I wonder if anyone there also likes clocks and clockwork. If so, we’ll definitely become friends…”
“I’m so disappointed! It’s clearly a machine academy, but they value socializing and etiquette more! I… I was ridiculed. They said I only liked cold machines and that I was a weirdo. I don’t understand why this academy shouldn’t be called the Noble Etiquette Academy?…”
“Another day. I hate dance class. I hate them! I want to leave this academy! But… Mom and Dad’s business doesn’t seem to be doing well recently, and they’re not in the mood to listen to me. I… I don’t know what to do…”
“Today is a surprising day! I found that there are still people in the academy who like to study machines! I met a girl named Meilin. She’s the same age as me, wears large black glasses, and also likes clocks and clockwork. She introduced me to Professor Higgins. He is one of the few machine professors with real knowledge! I think I might still be able to stay…”
“They are so annoying! They came to tease me again, and I didn’t want to bother with them at all. They said I was a freak, that I smelled of oil, and told me to hang out with those bare-chested people from the lower class. Meilin was even scared and hasn’t dared to come near me these past few days…”
“This day, I went to reason with them, but they splashed me with cold water! They said our family was just a bunch of lucky pigs, daring to try and climb the steps of their nobility! I really couldn’t bear it anymore. I fought with them, but I couldn’t win, and a lot of my hair was pulled out…”
“This day, I went to find the professors, but they told me to reflect on my own reasons. I… I feel so suffocated…”
“Today, I didn’t go to the academy. I don’t want to go there. Mom and Dad, why haven’t they come back yet…”
“This day I didn’t go to the academy again, but Mom and Dad still haven’t returned. I heard the servants say there was a storm at sea. I’m a little worried…”
“Today I didn’t go to the academy again. The Dean of the academy came to see me, but I refused to meet. I feel a little dizzy…”
“Today I also didn’t go to the academy. I think I caught a cold… The butler found a doctor and had medicine prepared for me…”
“Today… I haven’t written in my diary for many days. My head is so dizzy. Mom and Dad, haven’t they returned yet…”
“Today…”
The final stroke of the pen stopped here.
“…”
Li Andy slowly closed the notebook and closed his eyes in thought.
Bullying, isolation… these are almost indispensable elements in the academy plot of horror games.
It’s childish and cliché, but it truly exists in reality.
It can be the cause of malicious incidents or the catalyst for tragedy.
“So, who is the true culprit? Is it someone from the diary?”
Li Andy recalled the monster in the game.
It was a “ghost” that could attach itself to various mechanical objects, living by parasitizing and devouring human souls.
“Related to machines… Could it be that Professor Higgins?”
“If it’s him, then why did only Molly get infected? Isn’t that girl Meilin a better target? And Molly’s problem only started after she returned home…”
“If it happened at home, the Dean of the academy visited the mansion. Could it be them?”
“Molly fought with someone and had her hair pulled out. Hair is a spiritual medium often used for curses. Could the culprit be among those people?”
All sorts of suspicions piled up, like layers of fog, obstructing Li Andy’s vision.
“It seems I still need to investigate on-site…”
“But how can I lure someone out?”
Li Andy pondered for a while, then a smile suddenly curved his lips as he thought of an interesting way to play.