Chapter 244: His Memory Has Been Tampered With
"Gambling is a fairer game than most." The doctor pressed down on the poker cards on the table. "Before the cards are revealed, adults and children, men and women, the strong and the weak—each occupies one side of the scale. Only when the cards are turned over do both parties holding them have the capital to contend."
"If you were holding a losing hand, what would you do?"
"Pretend my hand is strong and make the other person concede on their own." A childish voice answered.
"That only works on people less clever than you. Those as clever as you won't fall for it." The doctor added a candy to the center of the table. "You can increase the stakes."
"But my hand is really small. I'm definitely going to lose." The child's voice carried a hint of confusion.
"Someone as clever as you will have the same thought." The doctor said. "However, if the opponent's hand is very good, you can only lose this round."
"I lost all my candies." In the field of vision, the cards were flipped over, and the candy was taken away by the doctor.
"The joy of gambling lies in the possibility of winning or losing." The doctor's blurry face seemed to smile briefly as he placed two more cards on the table. "The weak can overcome the strong."
A small hand flipped over the two cards and shouted in surprise, "I won!"
The candy returned to the table.
"But Doctor, if it's just losing, it's not fun at all."
"So you have to try your best to win, especially at important moments." The doctor said with a smile.
The small hand unwrapped the candy, and its sweetness immediately spread. The child mumbled indistinctly, "I beat the doctor. Will the doctor hit me?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no." The doctor turned around, took a beautiful glass bottle, and poured out a different-colored candy. "After eating the red candy, you must eat a white one, or you'll get a headache."
The small hand reached out and grasped the white candy. The child was laughing. "Doctor, this medicine is really sweet..."
Xu Huo's eyes snapped open. Catching sight of the daylight outside, he instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.
The empty bottle of the Sweet Dream Potion was still by the bedside. He had slept until noon, but waking up hadn't alleviated his fatigue; instead, his head was splitting with pain.
He got up, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and looked at himself in the mirror. His mood had hit rock bottom.
When he had spoken that sentence about gambling in the Hundred-Person Art Museum, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong. He felt that sentence had been said to him by someone else, but there was no trace of that person in his memory.
Similarly, the dream from last night should have occurred during his hospitalization and observation period. The treatment room's decor matched his memory, but he had no recollection of the doctor, the poker table, or the pills. These things seemed to have been grafted onto his consciousness out of nowhere.
He took out the bent Identification Fork, turned it half a circle, and viciously stabbed it into his own arm. A holographic projection appeared before the mirror:
"A healthy male with balanced body fat and no toxins, with a history of long-term medication. Safe for consumption."
"However, cannibalism violates moral ethics and culinary integrity. Consumption is not recommended."
If the item wasn't malfunctioning, then the problem lay with his memory.
But he knew his memory had no gaps. Everything that had happened was coherent and logically smooth... Someone had tampered with his memory!
Hearing a sound behind him, Xu Huo whirled around.
Yu Qingqing was startled by his gaze. "What's wrong with you? You look like you want to eat someone!"
The intensity in his eyes faded, and Xu Huo wiped the water droplets from his face. "Don't you have training?"
"I applied to the team leader. I can train in Ting City from now on." Yu Qingqing looked at him. "You slept for so long. Are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine." Xu Huo dried his face with a towel. "Have you eaten?"
"I saved you some food. Double portions." Yu Qingqing said immediately.
"Li Chun didn't eat it, right? Don't cook anymore." Xu Huo said bluntly. "It's terrible."
Yu Qingqing looked displeased but still went out to get her wallet.
In the living room, Yuan Yao was playing a game with the Painting Woman. Seeing Xu Huo come out, he greeted him cheerfully.
Xu Huo gave a slight nod.
"Going out to eat? My treat." Yuan Yao stood up, his smile bright. "Consider it a welcome party for my cousin."
Yu Qingqing ignored him, put on her high heels, and walked out.
The Painting Woman's eyes lit up at the mention of going out to eat. She immediately forgot any overnight grudges with Yu Qingqing and warmly linked arms with her. Yu Qingqing couldn't shake her off, so the two had to walk out clinging to each other.
Yuan Yao's eyes lingered on their retreating figures, smacking his lips. "Xu Huo, your cousins are top-notch. Do you have any more sisters to spare for me?"
Xu Huo shot him a glance. "Those two aren't related to me by blood."
Yuan Yao grinned. "Of course I know that. Wouldn't it be great to wake up every day and see two pretty girls fighting each other?"
Xu Huo looked outside the door, where one was pulling the other's hair and the other was twisting her wrist, both grimacing and refusing to let go. He turned back to Yuan Yao, who was still grinning foolishly, and said, "If your mental health isn't good, you should see a doctor as soon as possible."
Yuan Yao looked horrified. "This is what a normal man should be like!"
Xu Huo couldn't be bothered with him and entered the elevator first.
The group found a high-end hotel. With three players and the Painting Woman, whose stomach was a bottomless pit, the dishes couldn't keep up with their eating. Soon, the hotel manager came over, offered two bottles of fine wine, and enthusiastically offered to comp the meal.
"No need. We're not short on cash!" Yuan Yao waved his hand grandly, tossing several cards onto the table. "I'm hosting a welcome dinner for my cousin. No one's stealing my thunder!"
Yu Qingqing punched his bank card in half. "Who's your cousin?"
Yuan Yao didn't seem to mind at all. "A girl with a little temper is cuter."
Yu Qingqing inhaled and leaned back. "I want to kill you."
Yuan Yao seemed to recall something unpleasant, quickly wiped the smile off his face, and moved closer to the Painting Woman to save face. "Cousin is formidable. I was just joking. Don't be mad."
The Painting Woman gave him a good-natured smile and pointed at the dishes on the table.
"Whatever Sister Li Chun commands!" Yuan Yao went so far as to move the entire platter in front of the Painting Woman.
Just then, Xu Huo's phone rang. He answered and said, "I'm in the private room on the third floor. Come on up."
Before long, Zhou Ning, with her two long braids, and the scrawny Hu Wenhu entered the room.
"Brother Xu." Hu Wenhu greeted them, but when he saw the Painting Woman, he awkwardly averted his gaze.
"Sit down and eat something." Xu Huo had the waiter bring extra bowls and chopsticks.
Zhou Ning thanked him but didn't seem very enthusiastic.
Xu Huo noticed they were both wearing plain-colored clothes and didn't say much. Yuan Yao, however, asked about the others.
During the earlier clash with the Holy Sword Society, Zhou Ning and the others had worked together, so they had some rapport.
"They didn't make it out of the game." Zhou Ning rubbed her bloodshot eyes, holding back her tears.
Xu Huo handed her a tissue. "My condolences."
"It's nothing," Zhou Ning said. "It's been months since we entered the game. I was already mentally prepared."
Players were all people with their lives on the line. Dying any day wasn't surprising. But when a life has a beginning with no end, and even the whereabouts of the body are unknown, it's hard not to feel a sense of shared sorrow.