Memory inheritor

Chapter 231 In-Depth Investigation (Part 2)

Seeing Wei Hongsi lower his gaze and frown in thought, Liu Lu did not continue speaking.

After a long pause, Wei Hongsi looked up at her and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about these things last night?"

Liu Lu explained, "I got back to the company apartment very late yesterday, so you should have been resting by now. Also, my supervisor instructed me to update you on the information this morning."

"Okay, you can continue." Wei Hongsi nodded, not saying anything more.

Last night, Liu Lu finished talking with him at 10:30 pm. She went back to organize documents and went out for another 2 hours. When she came back, it was probably already 1 am. By then, he was already asleep.

However, urgent matters like this should take precedence over sleeping. When I was in school, it was common to stay up all night doing experiments with my professors and senior students.

Before going to sleep, he kept thinking about ways to crack the "circuit breaker mechanism" from multiple angles. If Liu Lu could bring the message back after returning, he could get up in the middle of the night to work overtime and develop a framework for a solution targeting teenagers, and then he could start taking action now.

But since things have come to this point, there's no point in dwelling on it anymore. A little more time won't make a difference; let's just get the case information aligned first.

Liu Lu then went on to introduce the latest developments in the cases related to Zhang Zishi.

Last night, after listening to her report, the leaders of the special task force basically confirmed that the organization Zhang Zishi belonged to was not the Daoguang Society.

Based on the implicit information deciphered by Liu Lu from "The Story of Time", we will temporarily use "Morning Star" as a pseudonym for this organization.

The task force learned of the existence of "Morning Star" after Wei Hongsi "recalled" some things from his childhood and reported the situation to the leadership team. It had been less than a week, and their understanding of the organization was very limited. Most of the clues were provided by Wei Hongsi.

Because "Morning Star's" criminal methods are highly similar to those of the Light Guide, it was included in the task force's work scope from the very beginning.

There are currently two investigations targeting this organization.

One task was to investigate Han Tao, and Zhang Shengyong was primarily responsible for this work.

Han Tao had previously lived in Lucheng and worked as a junior manager in a local company. He was single and had no children; his parents had passed away more than ten years ago.

About five or six years ago, Han Tao began to experience some mental health issues. Initially, those around him simply attributed it to excessive stress or emotional fluctuations due to personal issues such as finding a partner, and didn't pay much attention. However, as time went on, his behavior became increasingly erratic, and he was no longer able to work normally.

Because Han Tao had no immediate family members, his superiors and colleagues sent him to a local mental hospital, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and subsequently hospitalized for treatment.

Records show that Han Tao was hospitalized for nearly three years. After his condition improved, he was able to take care of himself and was discharged. He returned to work for a month, but the company, fearing he might cause trouble again, allowed him to work from home, assigning him simple tasks each month and providing him with a basic salary to support himself. The two parties remained at peace.

When Han Tao left Lucheng, the company he worked for was unaware of his departure. His job was merely symbolic, with no one supervising or verifying his performance. The company's finance department was only responsible for paying his salary on time, and almost no one had any contact with him.

Zhang Shengyong's investigation results show that Han Tao's life trajectory in Lucheng over the past thousand years is relatively clear. He has basically never left the city and has no record of leaving the country.

The timing of Han Tao's mental health issues closely coincided with Zhang Zishi's death. This suggests that Han Tao received memory implantation primarily based on Zhang Zishi's memories, which is the main reason for his mental health problems.

It remains unknown who performed this memory implantation on Han Tao.

Another investigative effort focused on Zhang Zishi and was led by Wei Hongbo.

Currently, the only confirmed member of "Morning Star" is Zhang Zishi, but he died five years ago, making the investigation very difficult.

Over the weekend, Wei Hongsi went to Xicheng and, after talking with Zhang Shuqiu who was drunk, provided Wei Hongbo with two clues.

One is that there were two children who were suspected of being used as test subjects for Zhang Zishi's memory implantation, resulting in one becoming mentally impaired and the other disappearing. The other is that there is an underground warehouse near Zhang Zishi's house, which is suspected to be the site where the memory implantation was carried out.

Wei Hongbo first verified the situation of the two children from that year and confirmed that the situation was true.

He found the child who had become mentally challenged. The child was about the same age as Wei Hongsi. He not only had severe intellectual disabilities but also incomplete motor function. He was in a semi-paralyzed state and relied entirely on his parents for survival.

Wei Hongbo then found the underground warehouse described by Zhang Shuqiu and discovered the remains of the missing child under the cement floor of the warehouse.

The child was only nine years old when he went missing, his entire body encased in cement. Due to the settling of the cement, tiny cracks formed, allowing air and moisture to enter, and most of the body had decomposed into bones. However, the areas with thicker layers of fat and better insulation turned into adipocere, remaining perfectly preserved even after fifteen years.

As Wei Hongsi listened to Liu Lu's description, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Years ago, Uncle Zhang had dragged him to an underground warehouse to implant memories, and there was a corpse buried beneath the surface.

Seeing that Wei Hongsi's expression had turned somewhat pale, Liu Lu stopped talking and asked, "Are you alright?"

Wei Hongsi breathed a sigh of relief, quickly calmed himself down, and said, "It's alright, please continue."

Liu Lu said, "In the child's body, some other people's hair tissue was also found. It is speculated that it was stuck to the body when the victim was sitting on that chair, or it was buried along with the body during the cleanup of the scene and then cement was poured on it. It has been confirmed that the hair tissue belongs to Zhang Zishi, Zhang Shuqiu and his daughter, and yours as well."

Wei Hongsi felt a chill run down his neck and nodded, saying, "That completes the chain of evidence."

Liu Lu said, "In addition, there are three other groups of hair tissue samples, whose identities are being verified. We hope to find more clues from them."

Wei Hongsi thought to himself, "My brother hasn't contacted me these past two days to tell me about what's going on over there, probably because he's afraid of scaring me."

Liu Lu added, "Wei Da is currently investigating information related to Zhang Shuqiu's mother, but there has been no progress yet."

That's all.

Wei Hongsi nodded.

When Liu Lu went to the headquarters last night, she met with Director Liang, who was her direct supervisor after she accepted this task.

Director Liang instructed her that while working alongside Wei Hongsi, she would have the final say on safety matters, but otherwise, she would follow Wei Hongsi's instructions regarding work-related matters.

Seeing that Wei Hongsi remained silent, Liu Lu added, "I promise to keep you informed in a timely manner in the future."

Seeing Liu Lu's serious demeanor, Wei Hongsi thought it was unnecessary, since he was just a specially invited expert, an unofficial staff member, and not her superior. But then he remembered that as a liaison, timely and effective information transmission was her duty, and she should indeed do it.

So, skipping that part, she asked, "So, you're officially a liaison officer now?"

"Yes." Liu Lu nodded.

"There are a few things you should write down and pass on to the leadership team for me."

"yes!"

Wei Hongsi said, "First, please ask Guo Da to find out as soon as possible the approximate time when the three children who are suspected of having received memory implantation last received it. This is very important for determining their current safety."

Guo Weiran will definitely investigate the whereabouts of those children to determine the location and time where they might have been subjected to indoctrination.

However, investigative and research work have different focuses, and therefore different emphases in their execution. Wei Hongsi's request serves as a reminder, allowing for the prioritization of determining the timeframe, as this is urgently needed information.

"Secondly, please help us coordinate and find some young volunteers aged 8 to 16 to participate in the equipment testing. Ideally, there should be 4 to 5 volunteers of each age group, both boys and girls; preferably, they should be academically strong and intelligent; we hope to finalize this by this Thursday."

This requirement is a preparation for rescuing children who have been implanted with memories.

Children and adolescents in their developmental stage can exhibit significant differences in brain and physical condition even within a year's age difference, necessitating the participation of a large number of volunteers. To better simulate the victims' situations, Wei Hongsi also stipulated intellectual requirements, a point that, if explicitly stated, might trigger parental resistance.

Therefore, only the authorities can mobilize and organize such a matter in the shortest possible time.

"Third, regarding the two survivors who failed the memory implantation, one is from the Morning Light Welfare Home and the other is from Xicheng, please have the Third Research Institute conduct a comprehensive test on them as soon as possible. Please let me know as soon as this is arranged. Okay, that's all."

Although the memory implantation of those two survivors occurred more than a decade ago, it is still of great research and reference value.

"Understood!" Liu Lu stood up, returned to her desk, transcribed the instructions given by Wei Hongsi into a text document, and sent it to the special task force.

Although she was not involved in the research and development work, she knew that these measures were all for the purpose of rescuing the children who had been subjected to memory implantation, and she also realized that if she had synchronized information with Wei Hongsi in the early morning, these things could have been arranged earlier.

When she first accepted this assignment, Wei Hongsi was merely someone she needed to protect. Her understanding of Wei Hongsi was limited to information on paper, and she wasn't very clear about the work of the task force. It wasn't that she was slow-witted or uncaring, but rather that it was a requirement of work discipline.

The two traveled together from Xicheng to Yuecheng, and Liu Lu reported to Zhiwei yesterday afternoon. Wei Hongsi didn't seem much different from other young people to her until the two of them read "The Story of Time" together and analyzed related cases. Only then did she realize that this young man was different.

Last night, I went to the brigade to report the situation to the leaders of the special task force. After hearing the leaders mention Wei Hongsi many times and reviewing a lot of case materials, I finally gained a more comprehensive understanding of the role and contribution Wei Hongsi made in this case.

Liu Lu was very surprised by this and admired Wei Hongsi. She recognized this temporary leader in her heart and no longer considered him just a figurehead.

When the two of them were exchanging information and heard that there was a body buried under the warehouse floor, Liu Lu saw fear on Wei Hongsi's face. This was a normal reaction, since Wei Hongsi had also stayed in that warehouse when he was young. If the experiment failed, he would probably be buried underground as well.

However, Wei Hongsi quickly adjusted his mindset and threw himself into his work, a quality that Liu Lu particularly admired. Those who can overcome their inner fears and steadfastly move towards their goals are truly remarkable.

When Wei Hongsi was explaining things to her, his serious and earnest demeanor revealed another side of this young man, to the point that Liu Lu almost stood up and wanted to give him a military salute.

After explaining things to Liu Lu, Wei Hongsi took out his phone and called Zhang Shengyong.

The call connected shortly afterward, and Wei Hongsi said, "Brother Yong, is it a convenient time to talk?"

"It's convenient. What happened that made you think of me again?" Zhang Shengyong's voice came through the receiver, accompanied by the sound of wind.

"I heard you went to Lucheng on a business trip?"

"Yeah, we're eating sand right now, and the wind is really strong here."

"I need to ask you for a favor. Try to find out if Han Tao had good grades when he was young, or if he seemed particularly intelligent."

"Oh, you want to know if he had any accidents when he was a child? That's quite difficult, but I'll try my best."

Although Zhang Shengyong was not in Yuecheng, the important information leadership group would still keep him informed. He knew that Daoguang would specifically target smart kids, so he immediately understood Wei Hongsi's intentions.

However, Han Tao has very few social connections, and his immediate family members have long since passed away. Investigating his situation from twenty or thirty years ago would inevitably be a very complicated process.

Wei Hongsi said, "This is very important. If nothing had happened to him when he was young, he might be the first adult we've discovered to have received a complete memory implant."

Zhang Shengyong couldn't help but laugh: "Since you've put it that way, I have to give you an explanation no matter what. Okay, I'll let you know as soon as I have news."

Examples of adults receiving memory implantation exist, such as Peng Jun, Li Yunxiang, and the five victims recently treated for having "death commands" implanted. However, Han Tao's case is significantly different. Simply put, the former received instruction-based coding, while the latter received a relatively complete memory. This differs from Mu Jie's case.

The situations of Zhou Huai and other members of the Light Guide Association were also quite different.

In Wei Hongsi's several encounters with Han Tao, Han Tao basically regarded himself as Zhang Zishi. The memory indoctrination he received may have included many other people's memory fragments, but the main body was undoubtedly Zhang Zishi.

Zhang Shuqiu's description of Han Tao's behavior when he appeared at her house after drinking last time also proves this point.

Among the known cases of memory implantation, Han Tao is undoubtedly the most unique, making in-depth research on him essential.

After finishing his call with Zhang Shengyong, Wei Hongsi called Feng Weixu.

The phone rang for a while but no one answered, so Wei Hongsi figured the caller was busy and didn't call Jiang Haiyang again. He stood up to leave when Feng Weixu called back.

Wei Hongsi answered the call and asked, "Is it at the Third Research Institute?"

Feng Weixu said, "Yes, the verification work is going very smoothly. It should be finished by noon, and we can start the practical test tonight. How about it, do you want to come and take a look?"

Wei Hongsi said, "Going to observe and learn is fine, but I have an urgent task at hand. I plan to make some modifications to the GH equipment, targeting teenagers, and I hope to conduct field tests and verification by Thursday."

"Damn, why are you in such a hurry?" Feng Weixu blurted out.

Wei Hongsi said, "In short, the sooner the better. I'll start designing the solution now, making adjustments based on our previous GH0.2. It shouldn't take too long. Once it's done, I'll send it to you for review, and you and Haiyang can help with the verification and optimization. The equipment integration work will begin this afternoon."

Feng Weixu said, "If we make improvements based on this, the equipment itself won't be too complicated. However, developing the supporting software model might not be quick, and it would require a lot of manpower."

Wei Hongsi said, "We'll work together to solve the manpower issue, so you can start preparing now. The model parameters can be adjusted and corrected during the validation process, which will take a relatively long time. I plan to invite about forty volunteers to participate in the validation, ranging from 8 to 16 years old."

"Ah, so many people?" Feng Weixu was excited when he heard this. "Very good, very good! Your plan is excellent. We'll find a way to overcome any difficulties."

After finishing his call, Wei Hongsi got up and walked outside. As he passed Liu Lu, he said to her, "I'm going to the lab on the 11th floor. You go ahead with your work and don't need to follow me."

Liu Lu stood up and said in a soft but firm voice, "I can't listen to you on this."

Wei Hongsi said with some helplessness, "Alright then, let's go together."

Liu Lu slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Wei Hongsi. The two of them went to the "Cognitive Purification" laboratory together.

Wei Hongsi checked the progress of the work here, made some adjustments and new arrangements to ensure that there were enough people to devote to the new equipment integration work in the afternoon.

Back in the office, Liu Lu continued to decipher the encrypted text in "The Story of Time," while Wei Hongsi began working on a new equipment design plan.

Around noon, Wei Hongsi sent the new plan to Feng Weixu, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Only then did he have time to open WD and check the messages he had received that morning.

I glanced through the messages and saw one from Gu Shiming. It was about his suggestions for revising the report materials for Wednesday's meeting. He had received the message about two hours and twenty minutes ago, which was shortly after he started work.

Wei Hongsi was taken aback for a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

He finished writing this document before leaving get off work yesterday and sent it to Gu Shiming, who replied to it as soon as he arrived this morning. But at that time, he was listening to Liu Lu recount the latest developments in the case and didn't pay any attention to it.