Chapter 28: May I ask, is there any way to expand brain capacity?

Returning to last night.

Zhou Mo, sporting a brand-new brain and cradling two others, had returned home. After soaking Zhang Shuo’s brain in glucose, he waited silently for it to revive.

Liao Feng’s brain sat curiously on the table, two eyes staring blankly at the new pot, seemingly fascinated by how a brain could actually come to life.

With his own skull empty, Zhou Mo stroked his chin in thought. "It seems that apart from Brother Brain, all other brains need to be soaked in glucose before they can wake up."

"But what is the logic behind this? Is there something wrong with me, or is there something wrong with Brother Brain?"

Since arriving in this world, Zhou Mo had discovered that the most absurd thing in existence was himself. Even the "Subconscious Monsters" had a traceable origin in the collective unconscious sea, but he felt like a bug in the system. Everything else had at least some basis in reality, while he defied all logic.

"Forget it. No point thinking about it."

"I can survive without a brain anyway. Once I find the killer and get my brain back, maybe I’ll figure it out."

Just as Zhou Mo stretched, he saw Brother Brain climb up in front of him, two eyeballs twitching in a complex display of non-verbal communication.

Zhou Mo scratched his head. "You're asking me who the killer is? I have no idea."

Brother Brain’s body stiffened. It pointed at the iron pot, then at Zhou Mo, and finally at itself. Its round body heaved with indignation, looking as if it were on the verge of using its own eyeballs to punch two more hatches into Zhou Mo’s skull.

Zhou Mo waved his hands frantically. "Let’s talk this out! Having a hinged skull is already absurd enough; if you open two more, I’ll look like a pavilion."

"I don't know who the killer is, but I have a rough guess."

Brother Brain tilted slightly, curious about how Zhou Mo had deduced this.

Zhou Mo cleared his throat. "It’s actually quite simple. The fact that the culprit got the news so quickly, combined with the fact that the voice sounds very familiar in my fragmented memories..."

"Plus, Zhang Shuo mentioned that the person’s voice was very distinct. This pretty much narrows down the suspect pool."

"The news industry. Specifically, a host."

Brother Brain scratched its prefrontal lobe with an eyeball, finding Zhou Mo’s logic sound.

"The killer received the news way too fast. They took photos at noon and broke into my house by evening. If it wasn't an internal leak from the City Guard, then it had to be someone in the news industry who spread the word."

"Besides, my situation wasn't exactly headline news. It wouldn't have garnered attention unless it had been widely broadcast."

"So, the suspects are limited to those in the news industry. Since Zhang Shuo and I both have a strong impression of the killer’s voice, I’d bet on someone like a host."

Zhou Mo shrugged, his empty head hollow. "Finding him shouldn't be hard. I just need to find out which reporters came to take my photos, and then investigate them one by one."

"Besides, the person who should be worried isn't me—it's the killer."

Brother Brain paused for three seconds, then suddenly crawled onto Zhou Mo’s head, flipped open his skull cap, and carefully inspected the interior to see if he had hidden anything inside. After poking around with its eyeballs and confirming it was empty, it retracted.

Zhou Mo quickly pulled Brother Brain off. "Don't mess around. This is a serious matter; I’ve been racking my brain for a long time."

"But this is just a guess. I suppose I’ll have to wait for Zhang Shuo’s brain to wake up and see if there are any memories to confirm it..."

*Clang!*

Before Zhou Mo could finish, the iron pot on the table was suddenly overturned. Glucose spilled everywhere as a black shadow flashed past Zhou Mo.

It circled the room, stopped in front of Zhou Mo to show off its form, then neurotically circled the room again, stopping right in front of him once more.

Zhou Mo: "..."
Brother Brain: "..."

Seeing that Zhou Mo didn't react, Zhang Shuo’s brain leaped into the air, kicked Zhou Mo in the chest, landed perfectly, and gave the stunned man a look.

*Am I cool or what?*

"You son of a..."

"Stay still! You could at least wipe up the glucose before running off!"

Just thinking about cleaning the sticky floor made Zhou Mo want to pour two buckets of water into his own head to cool down.

But as soon as Zhou Mo stood up to grab it, Zhang Shuo’s brain zipped behind him, stepped on Brother Brain, and launched itself onto the wall.

Brother Brain was instantly enraged and lunged forward, ready to strike.

Zhang Shuo’s brain was having the time of its life, darting across the walls, ceiling, and floor with such speed that even Brother Brain couldn't keep up.

Eventually, both Zhou Mo and Brother Brain gave up. This thing was just too fast!

Zhou Mo’s empty eye sockets met Brother Brain’s round, rolling eyes. A silent consensus was reached, and they both collapsed onto the bed, panting for breath.

Once they stopped, Zhang Shuo’s brain, however, was no longer satisfied. It kept stopping in front of them, only to find that neither was paying it any mind.

It flashed before Zhou Mo a few times, but when he remained indifferent, it went to provoke Brother Brain out of sheer stupidity.

Brother Brain was so angry that the wrinkles on its surface were stretched flat, but it held back, curling up on the pillow with its eyeballs tucked in front of its body.

Finally, Zhang Shuo’s brain tried to poke Brother Brain with an eyeball as a taunt. It didn't realize that while it was faster, Brother Brain was in a league of its own when it came to the speed of a punch.

*Thud!*

A visible bump appeared on Zhang Shuo’s brain. It was stunned for three seconds, staring at Brother Brain’s still-tucked eyeballs, before rolling around on the bed in pain.

After rolling for a while, it stopped and crawled back to Brother Brain, seemingly stubborn and unconvinced.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Zhang Shuo’s brain was dazed, its temper flaring. The two brains kept at it, with Zhang Shuo’s growing larger and larger from the bumps. Only after it had swollen to twice its size did it finally learn its lesson, slumping down next to Brother Brain, twitching.

Zhou Mo chuckled from the side. "This little thing is a total dog-brain. Looks like a purebred Husky, too."

Brother Brain sat on the pillow like a reclusive master, beckoning to Zhou Mo with an eyeball.

*It’s ready to have its memories checked.*

Zhou Mo stepped forward and flipped open his skull cap to insert Zhang Shuo’s brain, only to realize it wouldn't fit.

A dog-brain that wouldn't fit...

Brother Brain: "..."
Zhou Mo: "..."

Liao Feng’s brain sat under the table, bathed in the rain of glucose, completely unbothered by the world.