Did the world end today?

Chapter 172 The Lighted Candle

The plane took off at 5 o'clock and landed at Meiji Island at 8 o'clock.

When I stepped out of the cabin, the sun was just rising over Meiji Island.

Contrary to Lin Xu's expectations, this is not a "completely militarized" island.

Looking out from outside the airport, he could clearly see many civilian buildings hidden among the trees, and even billboards for shopping malls and cinemas.

As Qin Feng led Lin Xu to the car that was picking him up at the airport, he introduced:

"This area has actually entered the civilian development stage, and the tourist resort area will probably open within two or three years."

"When the time comes, you can bring Engineer Jiang with you and have a good vacation."

"Actually, it doesn't have to be at that time. If you feel you have time in the next couple of days, we can arrange a plane to pick her up."

"never mind."

Lin Xu stepped into the car and sat down, then opened his laptop and asked:
How is the scene setup progressing?

"As per your request, all the scenes have been set up in advance."

Qin Feng replied:
"Coconut groves, beaches, lagoons, sand cakes."

"All elements are ready. Is anything missing?"

Lin Xu looked down at his notebook, carefully recalling the scene he had seen in his dream.

At that time, my attention was almost entirely drawn to Ayana in her childhood, and I wasn't very sensitive to the surrounding scene.

What impressed me most was the crystal-clear sea under the setting sun, the wooden stick on the sand cake that pretended to be a candle, and the match that was obviously damp and could not be lit no matter how many times it was struck.

anything else?
Lin Xu closed his eyes and tried to eliminate all distractions from his surroundings.

The car moved forward smoothly, and slowly, he seemed to return to that dream.

Ayana's singing voice seemed to be ringing in my ears, yet beyond her voice.
There seemed to be another kind of music playing faintly.

The music was a mix of drumbeats and high-pitched vocals.

This is also an important part of the environment.

Lin Xu opened his eyes and asked:
How old is Ayana now?

"21."

Qin Feng answered without hesitation; he knew everything about the person he was investigating by heart.

21 years old.
Judging from her height and build, Ayana, who is "celebrating her own birthday," is probably between 3 and 6 years old.

That was 15 to 18 years ago.

"Could you help me find out what kind of music was popular in Mauritius, including the Indian cultural area, between 2007 and 2010?"

"Release them immediately once you find them, and I'll pick them out one by one!"

"clear."

Qin Feng nodded immediately, and just two minutes later, the first song started playing on his phone.

The distinctive Indian voices filled the car, and Lin Xu felt he could even smell the curry.

"That's not it."

"next song."

He shook his head decisively, and Qin Feng immediately followed his instructions to change the song.

As the melody changed constantly, Lin Xu felt a strong sense of absurdity.

Good guy.

I was clearly saving the world.

How can we save the world by listening to Indian folk songs?
If those Indians found out about this, they'd probably put it all over the news and report it everywhere.
-
If the apocalyptic crisis is ultimately resolved, they might even fabricate a myth about "Indian music saving the world."
Lin Xu couldn't help but laugh. Qin Feng looked at him, puzzled, and didn't dare to say anything.

"cough"

Lin Xu awkwardly suppressed his smile and said:
"next song."

Cut the song.

The further you listen, the more complex the style of the songs becomes.

Lin Xu couldn't find that familiar feeling, and he even doubted whether he was going in the wrong direction.

After listening to the entire playlist, he shook his head in disappointment, while Qin Feng spoke up:

"According to think tank analysis, what you see is very likely the French Riviera of Mauritius."

“We sifted through all the restaurants, hotels and other shops that operated near the coast between 2007 and 2010 and roughly guessed some songs that might be used.”

"I'll play it for you now, so you can continue listening."

"clear."

Lin Xu nodded, and the music started again.

He opened his eyes almost instantly when the familiar drumbeats began to assault his eardrums.

"This is it!"

Lin Xu began to speak:
"But it wasn't that loud—judging from the distance, it must have been at least a hundred or two meters away."

"You need to arrange the distances properly and try to recreate the scene as accurately as possible."

"clear."

Qin Feng nodded in reply:
"Don't worry, we have professional psychoanalysts involved this time, and they will arrange everything."

"If it succeeds, great; if it doesn't succeed..."

"Then consider this your trip here as a rest and vacation."

"It's a pity we didn't bring Engineer Jiang along."

"She probably hasn't gotten up yet."

Lin Xu answered casually.

At this moment, the car had arrived at its destination and stopped. He got out of the car with Qin Feng and immediately saw Ayana, who was also being "escorted" out of the car.

The other person looked somewhat bewildered.

She kept asking the people around her what had happened in Mandarin that wasn't very fluent but clearly resembled Zhang Liming's accent, but no one answered.

At that moment, Lin Xu suddenly felt that Ayana was actually quite pathetic.

She was deceived by Zhou Yue, used as a tool, and even, as Zhang Liming called her, a "cauldron," all without her knowledge. She still believed that the "bright future" that Zhou Yue painted for her really existed.
Wait a minute, it seems like everyone associated with Zhou Yue ends up in a bad way?

The same goes for David Julius.

Isn't he just a complete slacker?

From this point alone, Zhou Yue has truly taken utilitarianism to the extreme.

Most importantly, his utilitarianism is purely personal.

What a cancer!

Lin Xu stopped going to see Ayana.

He just hoped things would go smoothly.

Just as Xu Quanyou said, it can awaken Ayana's "original personality".

Perhaps this isn't necessarily a bad outcome for her?

He turned and left, entering a room that had been prepared beforehand.

"There are still 9 hours until sunset, I suggest you get a good night's sleep."

Qin Feng said:

"I'll explain the situation to Engineer Jiang after she gets up."

"However, there is internet on the island, so you can use secure phones to contact each other."

"clear."

Lin Xu nodded and turned to enter the room.

Then, he collapsed onto the spacious bed and fell asleep immediately.
When I woke up again, it was already 6 p.m.

Everything was ready. Lin Xu washed his face and, led by Qin Feng, arrived at the so-called "test site".

He had to admit that he was almost in a daze when he saw that beach.

Is this still Meiji Island?

Isn't this pure Mauritius?

Thanks to the staff's efforts, the entire scene was recreated with extremely high fidelity.

Even the breakwater that was vaguely visible in my dream, extending from the shore, was perfectly recreated.

Furthermore, it wasn't a breakwater that originally existed on Meiji Island; it was built on the spot.

The strength of the infrastructure powerhouse is terrifying.

Lin Xu stepped onto the beach and carefully surveyed the area.

He knew that it was impossible to achieve a 100% restoration, and even if he took Ayana back to that island now, the scene would definitely have changed drastically.

In contrast, the scene here seems more fitting?

In the distance, the sun was already gradually setting.

It's almost time.

"Bring Ayana over here."

Lin Xu asked:
"How exactly will it be done? What does the psychoanalysis side say?" "It's hard to predict."

Qin Feng shook his head and said:
"Theoretically speaking, if this scene is really strongly related to her 'original personality,' she would react the moment she sees it."

"However, to be on the safe side, we have prepared two plans."

"Immersive type and bystander type."

"Today we'll test the bystander type first, observe her reaction, and if we don't get the expected results, we'll take further action."

"The bystander type?"

Lin Xu asked in confusion:

"Have you hired actors?"

"found."

Qin Feng pointed to a spot not far away, where a little girl was putting on makeup.

profession.

Lin Xu nodded to Qin Feng, and then said:

"Change your clothes."

"It's white, dirty white."

"clear."

Qin Feng immediately issued instructions to the "crew" staff. Soon, all the actors were in place, and Ayana had been brought to the beach.

As Lin Xu walked towards Ayana, he said:
Let's get going.

All staff members were evacuated, and the blindfold Ayana was wearing was removed.

At this moment, she seemed not to understand what had happened, and simply said in Zhang Liming's tone:
"May the Heavenly Venerable bestow boundless blessings. What are you trying to do?"

"Where am I? I want to go back to France!"

"ALICE, I am ALICE's chief scientist!"

"You can't do this to me!"

With a click, all the restraints on her body were removed.

Lin Xu tentatively approached her, and she immediately came to meet him.

Qin Feng warily stood in front of Lin Xu, but at this moment Ayana seemed to be completely controlled by Zhang Liming's personality and did not show any aggression.

"Comrade, where is this?"

"Comrade, you're a comrade, aren't you?"

Ayana's voice carried an eerie sense of incongruity, as if a humanoid robot had fallen into the uncanny valley.

Lin Xu always felt a chill when he was in her presence.

In that sense, Zhang Liming's mental fortitude is truly remarkable; he can even easily come up with a solution.
Lin Xu did not answer Ayana, and at that moment, music suddenly started playing in the distance.

The familiar drumbeats drifted in indistinctly, and Ayana, who had been anxiously looking around, suddenly fell silent.

It worked!
Lin Xu's eyes lit up.

"Look over there."

He pointed towards the shore and whispered to Ayana:
"That's the real you."

Ayana followed Lin Xu's gaze.

There, a little girl was squatting on the beach, filling a tattered bucket with sand.

Her movements were a little stiff at first—after all, it was her first time participating in such a crucial mission.

She held a small wooden shovel in one hand and a bucket in the other, awkwardly scooping sand into it.

Ayana's attention was drawn to the little girl's movements, and she subconsciously took a few steps forward.

Lin Xu and Qin Feng followed closely behind, partly to observe Ayana's changes, and partly to protect the "actress".

The bucket was quickly filled.

The little girl turned the bucket upside down, and the sand was fixed in place, forming an oval shape.

The cake appeared.

This time, Ayana's expression suddenly changed drastically.

As the girl ran towards the coconut grove behind the beach, she beat her to it.

In the haystacks beside the coconut grove, she found a few sticks and simply held them in her hand.

Then she walked over to the little girl and handed her the stick.

This unexpected situation left the little girl somewhat bewildered, but soon, she heard guidance from the psychoanalyst directing the operation through her earpiece.

"Thank you."

The girl thanked Ayana in Hindi, which she had just learned, and then ran back to the "cake" and stuck the "candle" on it.

Ayana stared at the scene in a daze.

She was completely absorbed in the scene.

Lin Xu keenly noticed her change.

"Play a song!"

Of course, it's impossible for a little girl to learn the Happy Birthday song in Hindi in such a short time.

The sound was coming from a speaker under her clothes.

When Ayana heard this song, she trembled uncontrollably.

"The actors have to leave!"

Lin Xu decisively spoke up and gave the order:

"There's a reaction!"

"Actors, remove! Props, leave!"

"clear."

A reply came, and the little girl ran away quickly.

At this moment, Ayana seemed to be in a state of "sleepwalking".

She walked forward step by step, looking dazed, and then squatted down in front of the sand cake.

Then she started singing.

Happy Birthday song.

At that moment, it seemed that the little girl had returned to her.

The match fell next to the "cake". She tore the match apart to try to light the "candle", but just like Lin Xu had seen in his dream, she couldn't light it no matter what she did.

The birthday song grew louder and louder, and Ayana's expression changed rapidly.

The personality that has revived within her seems to be trying to seize control of this body.

That's it now.

I have to give her a push.

Lin Xu turned to Qin Feng and said:
Give me the lighter.

"It needs to be protected from the wind."

Qin Feng quickly handed him a lighter, along with a wooden stick.

"Those that have been soaked in oil can be set on fire."

Lin Xu understood immediately.

What is professionalism?

The psychoanalyst in charge on-site certainly took this "potential trigger point" into account.

He hid the stick in his hand, walked up to Ayana, and then stuck the stick directly into the sand cake.