Chapter 7: The Abyss of Memory – In this world, I only believe in evidence and…

Editor: Min Zu

In the restaurant, Gu Yifeng handed her the menu.

“See what you’d like to eat? The dishes here are quite good.”

“Your treat?” Wen Yi raised an eyebrow.

Gu Yifeng tilted his chin, indicating she should order freely.

Wen Yi didn’t stand on ceremony either. Taking the menu, she began ticking off her favourites with enthusiasm—

Stewed Beef Lung Slices in Chili Sauce, braised duck, mouth-watering chicken, Longjing tea shrimp, Sweet and Sour Ribs, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish…

As she ordered, she thought smugly: You offered to treat. Don’t blame me for making you bleed a little.

Remembering the humiliation of being captured by Gu Yifeng, Wen Yi gritted her teeth as she flipped through the menu. When she saw Buddha Jumps Over the Wall priced at 8xx yuan per serving, she slapped her small hand on the table, “And this one too.”

The waiter hesitated, glancing between the menu and the two of them. “Miss… will you two be able to finish all of this?

“We can always take leftovers home,” Wen Yi replied smoothly, then turned to Gu Yifeng with deliberate provocation. “Director Gu isn’t that stingy, is he?”

The corner of Gu Yifeng’s mouth lifted slightly. 

“Of course not.” He paid, then added casually, “Yunhu City’s yellow croaker noodles are quite famous. Would Miss Wen like to try them?”

“I don’t eat noodles.” She refused without looking up.

Gu Yifeng’s hand holding the cup suddenly tightened.

“Director Gu?” Wen Yi waved the menu. “No problem adding some fermented glutinous rice balls, right?”

“As you wish.” Gu Yifeng nodded in agreement, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

Wen Yi deliberately ordered dishes of various flavors, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifting.

Since coming down the mountain, she had either been kidnapped or interrogated, suffering nothing but hardship without a single proper meal.

Now she could finally sit down peacefully and taste the flavors of the mortal world.

While flipping through the menu, she cast a sideways glance at Gu Yifeng across from her. He hadn’t ordered anything the whole time, just quietly watched her as if observing her every move.

Wen Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She asked with feigned nonchalance, “Aren’t you going to order, Director Gu?”

“Whatever you order is fine.” His tone was calm, then he casually added, “Miss Wen… do you like southern cuisine?”

Wen Yi was taken aback. She had clearly ordered dishes from various regions—how did Gu Yifeng guess?

She deliberately avoided answering and countered, “Don’t you like… southern cuisine?”

The question sounded somewhat abrupt, even carrying a hint of probing.

But Gu Yifeng’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled faintly. “I won’t dislike anything you like.”

Wen Yi was stunned for a moment, her heart feeling as if gently bumped, thumping rapidly.

She quickly lowered her head and took a sip of tea.

Gu Yifeng watched her thoughtfully, as if he had already planned something.

The dishes arrived quickly. Seeing the dazzling array of food before her, Wen Yi’s mood improved. She was the first to pick up her chopsticks.

“That stalker earlier…” Wen Yi scanned their surroundings and lowered her voice. “Was he after me?”

Gu Yifeng calmly picked up a piece of Sweet and Sour Ribs and placed it in her bowl.

“No matter who he was after, the outcome would be the same.”

Wen Yi raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned. A faint dimple appeared and disappeared on her cheek. “Director Gu sounds very confident.”

Gu Yifeng’s gaze involuntarily fell on her dimple, his heartbeat pausing slightly before he silently looked away.

“Eat in peace.” He proactively picked up the teapot to pour tea for her, his voice deep. “Don’t overthink it.”

“Thank you.” Wen Yi replied softly.

As she leaned back, her elbow accidentally brushed against the arm of the man sitting behind her.

In that instant, the familiar surge of energy flooded her senses.

Her vision shattered into fragments, forcing her to close her eyes.

“Wen Yi? Wen Yi! What’s wrong?”

Gu Yifeng’s voice seemed to come from both far away and impossibly close.

Her consciousness darted among the Light Cones, ultimately vanishing into a speck of light.

What was happening? 

Could it be that she could not only witness the experiences of the deceased but also access the memories of the living?

So, as long as she made contact with the target, she could enter their memory world.

Opening her eyes, the bright sunlight made her instinctively squint.

Thud—

The shovel plunged into the soil with a muffled sound, echoing through the silent wilderness.

Wen Yi’s vision gradually cleared. 

She was standing in a desolate field.

Knee-high wild grass surrounded her, with tall trees in the distance. The occasional whisper of wind and chirping of birds reached her ears.

Following her line of sight, she watched herself thrust the shovel into the ground again, mechanically repeating the digging motion. A deep pit was nearly complete.

Through her peripheral vision, she took in her own attire: athletic wear and oversized running shoes. If not for the gloves and the shovel in her hands, she might have believed she was simply out for a morning jog in the woods.

There was no expected struggle or resistance, no screams or blood—only the monotonous, mechanical sound of digging.

This setup didn’t seem like that of a victim.

It looked like—

Her gaze shifted to the side.

Among the dead leaves and broken branches nearby, a pale hand lay motionless.

Wen Yi’s breath hitched.

A lifeless man lay on his side on the ground, his disheveled hair partially obscuring his face. He was dressed in long sleeves and pants unsuitable for the season.

Dark red stains of blood congealed on his exposed wrists and ankles.

Clatter—

Wen Yi threw down the shovel, sending dust flying that settled on the man’s messy hair.

She watched herself stride calmly to the corpse, roughly grabbing its collar and yanking hard.

Thump—

The dull thud of the body hitting the ground sent a shiver through Wen Yi’s entire being.

A gust of wind swept up a few leaves, swirling them in the air before they gently settled over the corpse.

She finally understood what was happening.

This time, she was following the killer’s perspective—shifting from immersive victimhood to immersive murder and body disposal.

The scope of her ability was far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.

And the killer’s actions defied logic.

Who goes for a morning jog and casually buries a corpse along the way?

Wasn’t he worried about being seen?

From digging the pit to disposing of the body, every movement was executed with an almost inhuman composure.

Such psychological fortitude was chilling.

Just as Wen Yi let her guard down—

The killer suddenly jumped into the pit, straddling the corpse’s head, and slowly crouched down.

A spider abruptly emerged from the broken leaves, scurrying across the killer’s shoe.

Spiders had always been Wen Yi’s greatest fear since childhood. In that moment, terror nearly drove her mad. Yet trapped within this body, she couldn’t even close her eyes.

She could only watch as her hand viciously yanked the disheveled hair, revealing the ashen face hidden beneath.

The dead man’s features snapped into sharp focus—

And then, her consciousness slammed into an invisible barrier, violently thrown back as if some higher-dimensional force was forcibly expelling her.

Countless Light Cones shattered in the void, and Wen Yi tumbled chaotically through the space-time tunnel.

She saw herself suspended above the restaurant, as if observing from another world.

Gu Yifeng sat opposite another version of her. That Wen Yi was supporting her forehead with her head bowed, the chopsticks in her hand slowly slipping from her fingers.

Then—

Her consciousness crashed back into her body.

“Mm…” Wen Yi groaned as she pressed her temples. This sensation was different from before… Was this ability rejection?

Unretrieved energy still swirled and coiled around her fingertips, causing the air to ripple. Crack—

The chopsticks suddenly bent and snapped into several pieces that clattered across the floor.

The surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees. The steaming tea instantly cooled, a thin layer of frost quietly forming on the cup’s surface.

At the same time, Gu Yifeng’s watch screen flashed with a red warning.

 [0.2-level Gravitational Abnormality]

His pupils constricted sharply. His gaze quickly fell on her before sweeping over the cup of tea that had long lost its warmth.

He set down his teacup, his expression returning to normal as he asked calmly, “What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

Before Wen Yi could answer, she whipped her head around.

The man who had been behind her had disappeared without notice.

Only a crushed soda can remained on the table.

“The person who was sitting behind me just now… “ she asked urgently, turning back to Gu Yifeng. “Where did he go?”

Gu Yifeng glanced toward the restaurant entrance. “He’s already left. Why?”

Wen Yi didn’t know how to explain. Instinctively wanting to chase after the man, she instead told Gu Yifeng, “I need to use the restroom.”

By the time she hurried out of the restaurant, the man’s figure had already vanished into the crowd.

Still a step too late.

Intense disappointment and the discomfort from triggering her ability struck simultaneously. A wave of severe dizziness swept over her.

Warmth flooded from her nose as thick blood suddenly gushed out.

Flustered, she covered her nose but found no tissues after patting herself down.

“I believe the restaurant’s restroom isn’t this way.” Gu Yifeng had appeared beside her unnoticed, expressionlessly handing her a tissue.

“I… took a wrong turn.” Wen Yi awkwardly accepted the tissue.

“Miss Wen seems prone to internal heat. Perhaps you should eat lighter dishes.” His tone gave nothing away.

Steeling herself to return to their table, Wen Yi noticed the previous set of chopsticks was gone.

A waiter quickly brought a new pair, but she merely held them without moving to eat.

Gu Yifeng acted as if nothing unusual had happened.

Wen YI ate a few tasteless bites, frequently stealing glances at him.

Would he demand an explanation for her earlier behavior? Would he believe some fabricated excuse?

Even delicacies fit for royalty had lost their appeal. Wen Yi gently set down her chopsticks, hesitating to speak.

Gu Yifeng placed his chopsticks aside, his sharp gaze sweeping over her. “Has Miss Wen finished preparing her excuse?”

Wen Yi, who had been about to speak, choked back her words. Could this man read minds?

“You… don’t have any questions for me?” she asked guiltily, grabbing her teacup with slightly trembling fingers.

“If you haven’t figured out how to explain, you may choose not to speak.” Gu Yifeng poured tea for her. “But I won’t tolerate lies.”

Wen Yi lightly tapped the table with her fingers. After a moment’s thought, she tentatively asked, “Could I… first ask Director Gu for a favor?”

“Speak.”

“That man who was sitting behind me earlier—can you help me find him?”

Their gaze met again as Gu Yifeng stared at her blood-stained nose. “I need a sufficient reason.”

“He… isn’t a good person.”

“Insufficient reason.”

She took a deep breath. “I just accessed his memories. He might be connected to a murder case.”

The next moment, Gu Yifeng suddenly raised his hand to signal for the check. “Let’s go.”

“Go… where?”

“Search for clues and evidence. If it’s truly as you said, we’ll transfer the case to the local police as soon as possible.”

“You… you trust my judgment just like that?” Wen Yi looked at him incredulously. “Because I’m a registered Ability User?”

“In this world, I only believe in evidence.” Gu Yifeng lowered his gaze, looking at her meaningfully, “‘and the answers you provide.”

Wen Yi froze for a moment, a strange warmth stirring in her heart.

Gu Yifeng didn’t speak further. His right hand, tucked in his pants pocket, gently rubbed a pair of twisted and broken chopsticks, his eyes darkening.

The restaurant manager wiped his sweat as he hurried over with the POS machine. “I’m terribly sorry, but we can’t find that customer’s payment record in the system…”

“What about the restaurant’s surveillance equipment?”

“Somehow, everything malfunctioned today—as if the palace were haunted.” The manager’s face flushed with embarrassment. “It’s really not like this usually, I swear!”

Wen Yi and Gu Yifeng exchanged glances.

Someone who could easily erase data like this was definitely no ordinary person.

Perhaps from the very beginning, that man had intentionally sat behind Wen Yi. What was he trying to do?

Wen Yi didn’t voice all her suspicions. She wasn’t sure if this was some kind of mutual probing between Ability Users of the same origin.

Gu Yifeng had already taken out his phone.

“Xiao Gao, I need your help with something. Come quickly.”

Minutes later, Wen Yi and Gu Yifeng walked into the restaurant’s back office together.

Gao Yiyuan soon pushed the door open, laptop in hand.

“The surveillance system was wiped clean?” he asked as he sat down, a hint of irritation in his tone.

Gu Yifeng nodded. “Both the restaurant’s surveillance system and payment records were completely erased.”

“This guy covered his tracks pretty well.” Gao Yiyuan clicked his tongue, fingers flying across the keyboard.

Gu Yifeng stood by with crossed arms, his gaze cold and steady. “Any way to recover it?”

“Others might not be able to, but for me, nothing’s impossible”. Gao Yiyuan smiled confidently, pulling up a live-streaming platform interface. “No matter how skilled he is, he can’t hack into everyone’s phones. This place has been trending lately—tons of influencers are doing check-ins. I just searched all the live stream recordings from tonight…”

“Just wait and see.” Gao Yiyuan snapped his fingers triumphantly. “This guy thought he could erase all traces, but he forgot—these days, everyone is a walking surveillance camera.

The playback of the live stream footage fast-forwarded until it finally paused at 07:12:45—

The camera swept across a corner of the restaurant, capturing a man in black with thin-framed glasses looking down at his phone. The moment he looked up, he was caught perfectly by the lens.

Author’s Note:

———————-

Liking someone means taking them out to eat and eat and eat!

Place names are fictional, but the food is truly good food~~ I want to eat it [pitiful][pitiful][pitiful]

If you like it, please add to collection! [rose][rose][rose]

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