Chapter 303: Razor

Fingertips tapped the tabletop; the seated Chu An, unusually silent for a long while, finally spoke slowly:

Lin An.

You found these glasses in the hospital, right?

Then.

Did you find them in Ward 317, or in the office of the talking zombie doctor?

Unlike Lin An's imagination, Chu An would either stay silent or admit.

He before me actually posed a question to me.

Lin An furrowed his brows, reached out and picked up the glasses, stared intently at Chu An's glasses, trying to discern any extra emotion:

These glasses were found by Gao Tian in Ward 317.

The glasses are expensive; I don't believe they were left by a patient in the ward or her relatives.

These glasses are yours, right!?

And...

How do you know about Ward 317 and the zombie doctor?

Chu An knew he would go to the hospital to bring back Mo Yu, but where he went...

How would he know.

For the first time, Lin An felt somewhat irritated; he hated the feeling of knowing nothing yet seeming to be completely understood by someone.

Chu An lowered his eyelids, as if thinking.

After a moment, he slowly spoke:

I have chatted with Wen Ya, An Jing Tian, and them.

I need your experience to conveniently devise a publicity plan for you.

Naturally, then, the two matters of the red‑clothed girl in Ward 317 and the zombie doctor— they have both told me about them, and the impression is extremely deep.

Lin An pondered for a moment; he saw nothing abnormal in Colonel Chu's gaze and expression.

Indeed, I have told Wen Ya and the others about these two matters; if Chu An were lying, this would be too easy to verify.

Therefore, Colonel Chu's statement should not be a lie.

After explaining the minor details, Chu An curled the corner of his mouth:

First, these glasses are not mine.

Are you guessing?

Are you guessing that I stayed in Ward 317 of the hospital during the apocalypse outbreak, then produced the red‑clothed girl, and finally relied on the ghost infant's transmission ability to leave the hospital?

Glasses, red‑clothed girl, ghost infant.

Your speculation sounds reasonable.

But.

That is not the case.

Lin An fell silent.

He tried to connect the clues.

In his speculation, Chu An possibly experimented on the girl from Ward 317 before the apocalypse outbreak, then, when the outbreak occurred, discovered the girl's abnormality, forcing Chu An to rely on the ghost infant's power to escape the hospital.

Even.

Under the most extreme, opposite speculation:

【Chu An is a reborn one! He came back from this world's 'future' by relying on the Causal Sequence!】

【In the future, I am very likely to truly become the 'fire seed'. Therefore Chu An is so certain of me, willing to help me and follow me.】

【And my fate in this life may have encountered an accident when meeting the red‑clothed girl—perhaps serious injury, perhaps delaying the base's establishment.】

【Thus, after being reborn, Chu An brought the black dragon by unknown means, then hid behind the scenes letting the black dragon assist me, frightening away the red‑clothed girl.】

【And the 'clang' sound I heard upon first entering the underground parking, as well as the strange traces of heavy objects being crushed, are extremely likely left by Chu An bringing the black dragon.】

【Perhaps the black dragon Chu An brought was not a juvenile but a youth.】

【Under the influence of the Causal Sequence, Chu An turned the black dragon into a juvenile! So that the black dragon could also follow me!】

Thus, all the clues can be linked together.

However, this speculation is too fantastical.

If Chu An could achieve this, wouldn't it mean his strength is far beyond my imagination?

Moreover, there is no evidence.

He only has two clues in hand that can barely prove this speculation.

In the meeting room, the atmosphere was heavy.

Under extreme speculation, Chu An, although not posing a threat to me, is even very likely genuinely intending to help me.

However, Lin An only felt a stifled breath in his chest.

I am like a marionette, being manipulated.

Before the desk, Chu An seemed to see his thoughts, and instead picked up the glasses on the table:

Speculation remains speculation.

Lin An, please believe me, I will not harm you.

His gaze was sincere, with no emotional fluctuation.

Have you ever thought that the glasses might actually belong to the zombie doctor?

As a pediatrician, it was quite normal for him to have come into contact with the red‑clothed girl before the apocalypse.

Do you still remember the zombie doctor's cabinet?

Zhang Tie told me that back then, you personally opened the cabinet so he could see the zombie doctor's face.

Children, they are all children's skulls.

A strange zombie doctor, clearly not a high-rank mutant, yet possesses speech and reason.

Therefore, it's not surprising that 'he' studied the red-clothed girl before the apocalypse broke out, right?

Moreover, 'he' also lured you to Ward 317.

This also proves that 'he' must have been there...

And he knows about the Red-Clothed Mutant.

The conversation shifted.

Chu An sighed:

Actually, killing the zombie doctor was too reckless.

Have you ever considered what it means for a zombie to be able to speak in the early days of the apocalypse?

Reason represents will and mental power.

I believe you found many clues about 'her' at the Red-Clothed Mutant, right?

I guess the Red-Clothed Mutant is not as simple as a mental-power mutant, right?

After a series of counter-questions, Lin An subconsciously began to think.

Without waiting for him to speak, Chu An continued in a steady pace:

Actually, your guess isn't wrong, but you've always been suspicious of me, so you replaced me with the role of the zombie doctor.

Actually, the one who did these things should be the zombie doctor, right?

A mysterious zombie doctor, who once served as the attending physician for the Red-Clothed Mutant, might even have been infected with the virus before the apocalypse broke out during treatment.

Under unknown reasons and conditions, he 'created' the Red-Clothed Mutant, trying to rely on it to find a way to save himself.

He succeeded halfway; at least he retained his reason and obtained the 【Skull-Crushing Hand】.

But your appearance disrupted his plans.

In order to survive, he tried to lure you to Ward 317, but he didn't expect you to kill him without hesitation.

【Occam's Razor】: If not necessary, do not add entities.

Lin An, to deduce the truth, one must not bring in personal emotions.

Just as a reminder.

Chu An gently lifted his glasses, his tone simulating a gentle feeling:

Lin An, still the same words, please believe me.

Actually, the matter is just that simple; I can only say that killing the zombie doctor... is too regrettable.

That guy likely hides a Third Rank secret, or even a mutant's secret...

Finally, Colonel Chu took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, chewing it slowly as he spoke:

As for the infant ghost's crying you heard:

That's even simpler.

If you encounter similar infant ghost Supernatural Incidents in the future, you'll find that their crying when activating abilities... is always the same.

I suspect that when they are generated by the system, the template used is actually the same.

Just like products on an assembly line...