Chapter 23: The Inscription of Memory

[Page 1 of 3]

[The Light]

The light is the most vital component of the major urban areas throughout the entire nation. The government invests vast amounts of funding and technology into the research and production of these lights. Especially those installed in large hospitals, which benefit from multiple layers of quality assurance and are maintained by technicians every month, are absolutely incapable of flickering abnormally as they are now.

Even the flickering of a single light would be highly suspicious, let alone the fact that several lights across the current floor are all blinking in unison.

Luo Di happens to be sitting at the corner landing in the middle of the stairwell; to leave, he would need to travel some distance either up or down.

Just as he prepares to bolt downwards—

*Step!*

The sound of hard soles striking the smooth staircase suddenly rings out, sounding incredibly clear in the quiet stairwell.

Strangely enough, Luo Di cannot determine whether the sound is coming from above or below. He can only judge from the volume that the person is exactly one floor away. In other words, if Luo Di chooses the wrong direction, he will run straight into them.

The other person is likely the source of the flickering lights.

However, after hearing the footsteps, Luo Di becomes less tense. His body, which had been tensed to stand, sinks back into a sitting position, as if he has already guessed something.

A pair of size 43 leather shoes descend the stairs, soon reaching Luo Di’s side.

The mysterious person speaks in Mandarin with a slight foreign accent: "How did you guess it was me?"

"This is the First Hospital of Jupiter City, one of the most core buildings in the entire city. And since I just experienced an accident, the hospital's security requirements should have been further heightened. If abnormal conditions occur under such circumstances, the entire city would likely be in danger. Besides, I have been jogging with you, Mr. Luofei, for half a year. Even though your shoes are different, I can still vaguely recognize the similarity in your stride."

"Not bad. It’s no wonder you were able to come up with a solution under the intense pressure of a runaway practical test."

The newcomer is indeed Luo Di’s jogging partner, Frederick Luofei.

The lights in the stairwell return to normal at this moment, ceasing their flicker.

"Because I intervened in your incident, I’ve been busy dealing with the 'aftermath' all day. I only came by tonight to check on your condition. It seems your body is doing quite well; your recovery speed is far beyond expectations."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Doing a small favor to earn some goodwill from a research unit is a pretty good deal. Besides, I was the one who volunteered to help you resolve the accident; I just didn't expect the accident to arrive so quickly."

[Page 2 of 3]

"Regarding this accident, you must have many questions, right?"

Mr. Luofei sits down as well, patiently waiting to answer.

Luo Di has already organized his questions, waiting for this very moment. "I do have many. How are the 'simulated anomalies' corresponding to the practical tests created?"

"That question touches upon the core technology of our research unit, so I cannot answer it completely. However, I can tell you that the source of a simulated anomaly is the 'Pseudo-Human' itself. Some are made directly from the corpses of killed Pseudo-Humans; others are Pseudo-Humans who have been discovered, captured, restrained, and contained, and have entered into a cooperative relationship with us, willing to assist. Then, there are those that are purely products of scientific research."

"The demon we encountered at the end, the one with 'possession' abilities and a tongue-related trait—which category did it fall into?"

"The cooperative category. Its true body is imprisoned elsewhere, and a tongue severed from it was sent to the Jupiter City Research Institute to create the 'simulated anomaly.' This tongue belonged to the highest difficulty level of simulated anomalies in our local institute's project, and you actually happened to run into it. This is already considered a major lapse. The 'employee' who caused the accident is still being hunted, and the institute responsible for the practice session will likely undergo large-scale restructuring and personnel changes."

Luo Di is indifferent to the 'troublemaking employee'; his mind is entirely focused on this true demonic anomaly and the Hell that lies behind it.

"After I was possessed, my spirit—or rather, my consciousness—went to Hell. Was that truly Hell?"

Upon hearing this, Luofei looks astonished. "Oh? You actually opened your eyes and saw the scenery of Hell? Most people can barely withstand the basic pain and fall unconscious within a short time."

"It was a rare opportunity; how could I not open my eyes to take a look?"

Luofei rubs the stubble on his face, his pupils shimmering. "Very few people can maintain a sound sense of self when first entering Hell, let alone open their eyes in such an extreme environment. However, this question is not easy to answer. I can only say that the 'Hell' you went to exists as a reality on a spatial level. But the essence of Hell is still related to the 'Corner'; it should be considered a constituent part of the Corner. Its essence is vastly different from the Hell depicted in literature—it is a completely different place, and an extremely dangerous one."

"I think I understand."

"Judging by your tone, you seem very interested in Hell."

"Yes... I saw a symbol in Hell."

Luo Di takes a folded piece of paper from his pocket. On it is drawn that special symbol, composed of three basic units: a cross, a spiral, and a pentagram, with strange characters filled in between the different layers of the spiral.

The overall design looks quite complex. This is why, as soon as he woke up, he immediately asked the nurse for paper and pen. No matter how excellent his memory is, even the slightest delay could lead to a loss of detail.

Mr. Luofei looks at the symbol on the paper, also at a loss. Even with his knowledge, he has never seen it before.

[Page 3 of 3]

"I've never seen it. After all, humanity's exploration of the 'Corner' is still in its early-to-mid stages. However, you really shouldn't record this kind of symbol in this way. Writing such a symbol on paper could potentially resonate at some point in time or space, causing you to be forced into the Corner. I’ll dispose of this for you; at your current level, falling into the Corner would be certain death."

Luofei pulls out a lighter and ignites the paper in his hand.

Luo Di agrees with his assessment and does not intervene, merely staring at the burning paper.

But just as the symbol on the paper is about to be consumed by the flames, the patterns of the fire suddenly align perfectly with the symbol, rooting themselves into Luo Di’s memory like a brand.

As the paper turns completely into black ash, Luo Di finds that he can recall every detail of the Hell symbol with just a slight effort of thought.

"It’s just stored in my brain, it should be fine, right?"

For some reason, Luo Di is very interested in this symbol. While there might be potential danger, there might also be opportunities hidden within it.

Luofei waves his hand. "If you can remember that many details, feel free to keep them. Things like magic circles or seals won't take effect as long as they aren't physically drawn out and the corresponding conditions aren't met."

"Understood. One last question: how much difference is there between a simulated anomaly and a real one?"

"With our current technology, we can achieve about a 10 to 30 percent simulation accuracy. Of course, real anomalies are very difficult to simulate fully, and it’s not something that can be explained by simple numbers. In short, just spend the next year at school completing your coursework and focus on advancing to higher education. Once you advance, you will have the chance to come into formal contact with such anomalies."

"Got it."

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going... Oh, right."

As Mr. Luofei stands up, he places a hand on Luo Di’s shoulder. "I'll give you some good news in advance: your experience in this accident will be recorded in your personal file, and the Municipal Research Bureau has given you a very high evaluation. As long as you can successfully complete your advancement assessments next year, even without my help, you will be able to join our company as a 'talent.' Due to competition issues, I can't tell you the specific name of the company yet; we'll have to wait until you complete your assessments."

"Understood."

"I look forward to your advancement assessments next year."