The school archives might hold information about the school's owner. The library could contain mirrors that led to the blood-red world. And the oil painting room in the experiment building was where Chen Ge had promised to take Zhou Tu.
"Which place should we go to first?" Chen Ge looked at Zhou Tu. "I know where the art club is, and I've seen the scenes from your dream. I can take you there anytime. But are you really ready to have your memories awakened?"
Zhou Tu hadn't interacted much with Chen Ge, and being put on the spot like this left him at a loss for words.
Before learning the truth about his lost memories, he had been desperate to know what he'd forgotten. But after seeing what had become of Zhang Ju and Wang Yicheng, he'd started to have second thoughts.
"Are you prepared to bear the weight of the past? If your memories stay dormant, you're just an insignificant student in this school — you don't have to think about anything, and you can keep repeating one peaceful, beautiful day after another. The moment your memories surface, the school's managers will come after you. There'll be no turning back." Chen Ge kept pressing Zhou Tu, but it was also a kind of test. Among all the club members, Zhou Tu was the most independent-minded.
"I've thought about it, and I think it's better to get my memories back. Living without a past, no matter how comfortable — it's just deceiving yourself." Zhou Tu's gaze drifted to Zhang Ju and Wang Yicheng. "I wonder if the real me would scare me to tears."
"You should think about it a while longer." Zhang Ju's voice was hoarse. He turned his charred face toward Zhou Tu. "You give off a feeling that makes me very uncomfortable. Your true self must be some kind of horrifying monster."
Zhou Tu faltered, unsure how to respond. His eyes wavered, and his resolve seemed to waver with them.
"Let's head to the school archives first. You still have plenty of time to decide." Chen Ge gently patted Zhou Tu's shoulder. "Don't pressure yourself. I'll respect whatever choice you make."
"Thanks."
Zhou Tu lowered his head in thought. Zhang Ju nudged Chen Ge and said quietly, "His real self must be something terrible. If he can recover his memories, whatever we're planning to do next will be a lot easier."
"Everyone has their own choices. I'm not going to interfere."
"Isn't the whole reason you help us recover our memories so we can reclaim our pasts, grow stronger, and then help you achieve your goals?" Zhang Ju sounded genuinely confused. He remembered clearly what Chen Ge had said before — that they were just in a relationship of mutual help and mutual use.
"I once read a line in a book: a rose doesn't ask why, nor does it ask for anything in return. It blooms simply because it blooms." Chen Ge looked at the other club members with complete sincerity. "I can't be that selfless, but at the very least, I've gone through the same kind of pain you have. When I look at you, I see myself."
Listening to Chen Ge's words, in that single moment all the vengeful spirits seemed to forget that the man standing before them was nothing more than an ordinary person.
Perhaps he simply hadn't recovered his own memories yet.
Zhang Ju and Zhu Long nodded and fell into step behind Chen Ge.
Wang Yicheng opened eyes brimming with bloody tears, appearing to side with Chen Ge even more firmly than before.
Zhou Tu brought up the rear, lost in thought, his gaze slowly growing steadier and more resolute.
They returned to the long corridor. Before Chen Ge had taken more than a few steps, he felt something was wrong.
A thick, foul stench hung in the air — the same smell he'd once caught inside the experiment building.
A creeping sense of dread settled in his chest. The farther he walked, the heavier the oppression became, as though he were trudging along the bottom of a lake, cold pressing in from every direction.