Did the world end today?

Chapter 169 Nightmare Suppression

Chapter 169 Nightmare Suppression
In Lin Xu's not-so-long life, the scene he witnessed of Ayana and Zhang Liming talking was probably the most bizarre scene he had ever experienced.

The interrogation room was dimly lit, as if some invisible force had drained its warmth from it, leaving even the light itself feeling cold.

The air was so still it felt like you could squeeze water out of it, and Lin Xu's every breath was slightly sluggish, as if even the oxygen had been sucked away by this strange standoff.

A Chinese man and a foreign woman with some features of a high-caste Indian.

They shouldn't have anything in common.

But now, the two are talking at almost the exact same frequency.

Ayana slowly stood up, her movements mirroring Zhang Liming's.

He raised his hand, and she raised her hand too.

He turned his head to the side, and she turned her head to the side as well.

The two people's joints seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, like dolls on the same frequency, or like reflections facing each other on both sides of a mirror.

A smile identical to Zhang Liming appeared on her face.

"You are Zhang Liming."

When Ayana spoke, her voice was no longer her original voice. Instead, it was a slightly languid, husky male voice.

It's obvious she's imitating Zhang Liming.

Zhang Liming's pupils contracted slightly, but quickly relaxed again.

He took a step forward, and Ayana took a step forward as well. Their footsteps overlapped, like an echo from the same body.

"You're not imitating it well."

Zhang Liming asked, his voice tinged with amusement.

"It's because you didn't imitate it well enough."

Ayana answered, raising her right hand and gently stroking her left wrist.

That was Zhang Liming's habitual gesture when he was thinking; he used to wear a Taoist Bagua bracelet on his wrist.

Lin Xu stood to the side, a chill running down his spine, as if a cold snake had suddenly crawled down his trouser leg and into his crotch while he was taking a nap on the grass.

It's numb, really numb.

Wait, what the hell is this Ayana??
She does have multiple personality disorder.

But is it Zhang Liming's personality that's split off?

Are you kidding me? ?

Lin Xu was unwilling to believe his own judgment, but in fact, there was no other reasonable explanation for what was happening.

This isn't Northeast China!
What, Ayana is involved too?
Lin Xu took a deep breath, pulled himself out of his slightly chaotic thoughts, and looked back at the two people in the interrogation room.

"interesting."

Zhang Liming finally spoke, his voice carrying a subtle hint of excitement.

"You can not only imitate my language, but also my thought patterns and even my subconscious actions."

Ayana's lips curled up again, this time with a deeper smile than before.

Her teeth gleamed a stark white in the cold light, like those of a wild beast ready to devour its prey.

I didn't imitate you.

She spoke slowly, her voice low and hoarse.

"I am Zhang Liming."

Before she finished speaking, her body suddenly leaned forward, as if she wanted to reach out and grab Zhang Liming.

Zhang Liming subconsciously took a step back, while Ayana's hand hung in mid-air.

The restraints made it impossible for her to touch Zhang Liming no matter what.

Lin Xu's breath hitched.

Just a moment ago, he almost rushed up and pulled the two apart.

But Zhang Liming raised his hand, indicating that he wasn't finished yet.

He stared into Ayana's eyes without fear, and even with great interest.

Their gazes met in the air, like two beams of light reflecting off a mirror.

But clearly, the light from Zhang Liming was much sharper.

He didn't speak immediately, but slowly raised his left hand.

On it, a string of Bagua (Eight Trigrams) bracelets reflected the cold white light, casting the reflection of the Bagua diagram onto Ayana's face.

"You don't have this—that's okay, try learning this!"

A sly smile appeared on Zhang Liming's face.

"The Three Mountains Technique!"

He made a hand seal with his left hand and held it up in front of Ayana.

Ayana quickly followed his movements, but the hand seals she formed were awkward and unnatural.

"Sword Technique!"

"Fire Spirit Technique!"

"The Spirit Official's Incantation!"

Zhang Liming seemed to be having a blast.

Ayana couldn't keep up even once.

Lin Xu watched from outside, dumbfounded.

???

What the hell is going on here?!
The terrifying atmosphere in the interrogation room was dispelled by Zhang Liming. At that moment, Lin Xu suddenly understood what Zhang Liming meant when he said he was "firm-willed".

Honestly, if someone else encountered such a bizarre "imitator," they would at least be a little scared, if not panicked.

However, Zhang Liming remained completely calm.

Not only was he calm, he even approached Ayana with a research-oriented mindset throughout, toying with her.

His thinking can be described as extremely sharp.

In just a few words, he discovered Ayana's weakness.

It is now almost certain that Ayana is indeed simulating Zhang Liming's personality.

She must have acquired a lot of information about Zhang Liming and guided and split off a similar personality in her mind.

But this personality is ultimately not complete.

With just a simple trial and error, Zhang Liming easily exposed the lie.

Finally, feeling bored, Zhang Liming put his hand down.

"Okay, the test is over."

"Now you know, right? You're not Zhang Liming at all, and you can't possibly be me."

"You are just a poor imitator, a pathetic and pathetic tool."

"Although I don't know how you obtained so much information about me or how you imitated my personality."

"But none of that matters."

"Because I can roughly guess what you want to do."

"Okay, bye."

"Go back to yourself—wait, can you switch personalities?" "Whatever, I don't care."

After speaking, Zhang Liming turned and walked out of the interrogation room.

Like a triumphant hero, he walked confidently toward Lin Xu.

Lin Xu was still completely confused. He looked at Zhang Liming, who was all smiles, and asked:
"So... what the hell is going on??"

"You seem to have guessed what was going on with her all along??"

"How did you know??"

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Zhang Liming gently patted Lin Xu's arm to comfort him.

"Actually, I was just guessing at first."

"I learned some basic information about Mnemosyne technology from my colleagues at the National Security Bureau. I always felt that this thing looked quite familiar."

"Think about it, if you want to influence and control someone through 'invisible means,' you must at least have a medium first."

medium.

Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Liming's judgment is the same as David Julius's.

Before he could speak, Zhang Liming continued.

"So I guess, since Ayana is so important, even being called the 'Goddess of Memory,' she is very likely the medium."

"As it turns out, that's indeed the case."

After Zhang Liming finished speaking, Lin Xu asked impatiently:
"So what's going on?"

"How does she, as a medium, function?"

Zhang Liming leaned slightly closer to Lin Xu and replied:
"Nightmare Suppression".

"You know?"

"It means... pinning voodoo dolls on someone."

Half an hour later, in Lin Xu's office.

Zhang Liming skillfully brewed tea for Lin Xu, while Lin Xu stared blankly at the notebook that had just been updated with new clues.

After watching for a few minutes, Zhang Liming's tea was ready.

After taking the teacup and taking a sip, Lin Xu finally asked:
"So you think Ayana is the voodoo doll in the voodoo doll story?"

"Yes."

Zhang Liming nodded in reply:

"I know absolutely nothing about neuroscience, such as NMDA receptors, sparse coding, memory imprints, ion channels, and the like."

"These things are too complicated for me."

"But I understood the basic logic."

"First of all, the most crucial factor affecting memory is to decode neurons, confirm the encoding method of a certain memory, and then alter or block the memory by influencing the 'receiving device,' also known as the 'synapse,' right?"

"Yes."

Lin Xu nodded.

In reality, the implementation of Mnemosyne technology is more complex. It involves more than just decoding. Even after decoding is completed, various mechanisms such as competitive inhibition between neurons, systematic consolidation, and reconsolidation windows must be fully considered during the input and coverage process.

But Zhang Liming really doesn't need to understand that much.

His basic logic is sound.

Seeing Lin Xu nod, Zhang Liming continued.

"So here's the problem—if they don't use me directly in their experiments, how can they possibly obtain the coding scheme of my neurons?"

"People are different. Even if the encoding methods are roughly the same, there will still be considerable differences."

"Then they need a little man."

"That is, Ayana, as the carrier of memories, or rather, personality."

"Judging from the current situation, Ayana has indeed replicated my personality to a great extent, which is also her talent."

"I heard from my colleagues at the National Security Bureau that you had actually discovered her symptoms of dissociative identity disorder, right?"

"She already had multiple personalities when she was very young, right?"

".That's right."

Lin Xu nodded again, while Zhang Liming spread his hands and said:
"That's right."

"She is very likely a so-called elite controller with dissociative identity disorder."

"She is a natural container and also the best natural decoding material."

"The more split personalities she has, the simpler the so-called sparse coding becomes, and the easier it is to decode, right?"

"Yes."

Lin Xu finally understood.

Ayana is indeed the goddess of memory.

But not because she could play a significant "active" role in the Mnemosyne project.

Rather, it's because she is a memory container.

Or to put it bluntly
"Furnace/cauldron".

Zhang Liming spoke for Lin Xu, saying what he wanted to say.

"Ayana is a furnace."

"Of course, she is a special kind of furnace."

“Now we have figured out her functionality and the source of the information—I’ve been living abroad for a long time, so it’s not surprising that I’ve been monitored and had my personal information stolen.”

"So only two questions remain."

"How Zhou Yue managed to put the item inside this little man, and how he used this little man to influence the main character."

"That's beyond my ability to speculate."

"So you know what?"

Lin Xu nodded emphatically.

"I know."

“Machines, drugs, or higher-dimensional channels.”

"The principles behind machines and drugs are very simple."

"Now we only need one last piece of the puzzle to complete the map of Mnemosyne technology."

"High-dimensional channel".

“We need to arrange an operation to get Amir’s body.”

"At least, it's part of the corpse."