Ling Xiao’s deskmate was already stunned. After a long pause, she finally said, “Um, our school doesn’t allow early relationships.”
Ning Su replied, “Zhong Huiling, did you stay up late reading romance novels last night? Why is your head full of early relationships? How is this an early relationship?”
Zhong Huiling: “?”
Just as she was about to say something, a sharp shout came from outside the window.
The students near the window saw the person shouting outside and immediately started discussing.
“Isn’t that Ren Hongwei? Why are the teachers taking him away?”
“It seems he has amnesia. Last night, the teachers were already looking for him but couldn’t find him. Now they’re probably taking him for treatment.”
“Ugh, he’s got it tough. I think he’s a bit depressed too. And with such proud professor parents, who knows how they’ll react now.”
Ning Su looked outside and saw Ren Hongwei, the third-ranked student in the grade, who had written a message on his scratch paper during the Chinese exam after losing his memory, just like Xia Mengyu.
He asked Zhong Huiling, “Does the school take every student with amnesia for treatment? Can it be cured?”
Zhong Huiling replied confidently, “Yes, it can.”
Ning Su was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected it to be curable. If it could be treated, didn’t that mean the players’ amnesia might also be curable in this scenario? This might be another way out.
Zhong Huiling continued, “Amnesia isn’t a terminal illness; it can be treated. There have been cases before where students recovered, but the treatment process takes quite a while—about two months.”
She sighed and said, “Unfortunately, they won’t make it in time for the college entrance exams. It’s said that amnesia is related to stress. The top-ranking students aiming for elite universities face pressures we can’t even imagine.”
The players wouldn’t make it in time either.
The timing was too perfect.
Starting the mock exams two months before the college entrance exams ensured that the top students would study intensely until the very last two months. Starting even one month earlier would have been a waste. They only wanted to harvest the ripest fruits—and even test how good the fruits might be.
Since Zhong Huiling was so certain it could be cured, with precedents to back it up, it meant that two months later, after the college entrance exams were over, some of the top students’ memories would likely be returned to them, creating the illusion of real amnesia.
But by then, it would be too late. The college entrance exams would already be over.
However, the ability to return memories might be their breakthrough point.
After the morning self-study session, it was time for the entire school to have breakfast.
Ning Su took Ling Xiao to the cafeteria.
As they walked out of the teaching building, they saw the Human Pupa Master following behind the Gu Witch, helping him pick up ants.
She picked up some ants from the ground, along with a random ladybug that had appeared from nowhere, and happily showed them to the Gu Witch. "Gu Witch, look, there's this bug too!"
Players couldn’t use their skills or weapons, and the Gu Witch’s poisonous insects couldn’t be brought out of the game instance. However, the Gu Witch had always been a Gu master before entering the instance, and his skills in raising Gu insects remained intact.
After Shi Tianzhu lost her memory, this large game instance was left without any organizational leadership or someone to control the overall situation.
It wasn’t like the top-tier players dared to step out and assume leadership rashly.
Among these top players, Ning Changfeng was a lone wolf. Ning Su had inherited more of this trait from his father. The Gu Witch, meanwhile, was engrossed in raising Gu insects at school, and the Human Pupa Master had lost her memory.
The amnesiac Human Pupa Master was somewhat different from before.
She now resembled an innocent and lively young girl, trailing behind the Gu Witch. After picking up bugs for him, she happily clung to the Gu Witch’s arm.
The Gu Witch pulled his arm away, gave her a cold glance, and quickly walked ahead.
Still cheerful, the Human Pupa Master continued to chase after the Gu Witch. "Gu Witch, Gu Witch, what are we having for breakfast?"
She held a strand of the Gu Witch’s long white hair and tilted her head to look at the sunlight filtering through it. "Gu Witch, it’s so beautiful."
Since losing her memory, she hadn’t worn makeup and was dressed in a school uniform: a white shirt and pleated skirt. With her clean, unadorned face, she looked fresh and neat.
This fearsome female demon, known for her bloodlust and ferocity, now seemed like a simple and pure young girl.
Ning Su recalled the night in the [Ghost Embodiment] game instance, the Human Pupa Master at that time.
Lu Yue had once said that for players who had completely lost their memory and were utterly unfamiliar with the world, the person who initially helped them and guided them in understanding the world held significant importance.
As for the Human Pupa Master, she had grown up without a father. In such a family, she and her younger sister had stumbled through the dark to understand the world.
For her, the Gu Witch—who was now leading her and protecting her as a powerful player—likely carried a particularly profound meaning.
Ning Su suddenly thought of Shi Tianzhu. Although she did have a father, he was a scumbag she despised. And now, it was Ning Changfeng who was helping her.
“…”
Ning Su looked at Ling Xiao and saw that Ling Xiao was staring back at him.
Ning Su grabbed Ling Xiao’s wrist. “You can only follow me. You’re not allowed to follow anyone else, understand?”
He added, "I am someone very important to you."
Ling Xiao stared at him for a long time, long enough to make Ning Su feel a bit guilty. Then Ling Xiao said, "I know. If I lose it, I won't have..."
He pointed to Ning Su's chest. The Flower God, now completely amnesiac, had no idea what a heart even was. "This."
Ning Su responded, "…Right."
When they arrived at the cafeteria, Ning Changfeng and the others had already gotten their food and secured seats.
Ning Su told them about Ling Xiao's amnesia.
"Ling Xiao has amnesia?" Ning Changfeng was as shocked as if the sky had fallen. In his mind, Ling Xiao was someone who simply could not have any problems.
After a brief pause, Ning Changfeng said, "It's possible. Ling Xiao has been to the Reflection Hall twice now. The first time was during the placement exam, and the second time was for breaking school rules. The probability of amnesia increases significantly after two trips to the Reflection Hall."
Ning Su nodded but didn't mention that Ling Xiao had already started losing his memory on the very night they entered the instance. Explaining this would be too complicated and would involve Ling Xiao's background and identity.
Ning Changfeng said, "We need to quickly find a way to recover the lost memories or some other solution."
With Ling Xiao's amnesia, the urgency of the situation had intensified.
In the afternoon, rankings would be announced, and another sixty or seventy players would be sent to the Reflection Hall. Most of these would be players visiting the room for the second or third time, which meant the number of people with amnesia would increase. Soon, there wouldn’t be many players left.
"If we keep sticking to the dormitory, classroom, and cafeteria, it might be very difficult to find a way to recover memories or any alternative solution," Ning Su said.
Ning Changfeng asked, "What do you mean?"
"One does not enter the tiger’s den without catching the cub. I want to go to the Reflection Hall and see for myself," Ning Su replied.
He wanted to confront the monster and look for answers about the lost memories.
Ning Changfeng protested, "No way! If someone’s going, it’s me."
Ning Su retorted, "Even Ling Xiao and the president went there without detecting anything unusual. Do you think you can do better?"
"Besides, the probability of losing your memory after one visit is very low. And even if I do lose my memory, wouldn’t you be able to take care of me? I’d be like a child unfamiliar with the world, and you’d have to teach me everything step by step. Wouldn’t that fulfill any regrets you might have about never raising a son?"
Ning Changfeng: "..."
Ning Su also mentioned the possibility of memories being restored to top players.
Ning Changfeng said, "I’ve heard about that too. This amnesia can be cured, but it’s not guaranteed. Some top players never manage to recover and have to start over from scratch, living like children."
"Of course, since they've already obtained the precious fruits of someone else's years of hard work, how could they possibly let it go?" Ji Zeming sneered. "And after using the academic knowledge of top students to get into prestigious universities, these schools won't allow them to slack off. They'll still need that foundation of memorized knowledge to continue earning credits."
That much was true, but Ning Su had a bold theory in mind.
"If memory transfer is easy for them—whether transferring from the original owner to someone else or back to the original owner—what if, when they encounter someone truly exceptional, they store and save those memories for future use?"
The players at the table were stunned.
