Chapter 550: The Forest Sea Returns to Tranquility (8)

"No, that's impossible. I've already sworn to myself that I will never involve uninvolved people again. No matter which corner of the galaxy I hide in, the Company will find me… it's only a matter of time. I can't keep running forever, but I have other ways to resist."

"I've heard that there's a genius in the club who has developed a secret drug that can shield part of a person's consciousness and memory. But my relationship with the club members has always been distant, so I thought of asking you to help make the connection."

"Selective Blocking Drug—I've heard of it; it's probably the invention of that eccentric pharmacist. Indeed, that lady never deals with the Company, so there's no need to worry she'll betray her colleagues."

"Question: Do you think this is the safest solution?"

"…This has the smallest cost, I'm sure. As long as I can temporarily forget that knowledge… the Company won't be able to extract anything from my mind. As for whatever I have to endure… that's what I deserve. People must always take responsibility for their actions, and bearing the cost is a necessary part…"

"Luosi Gumu nodded: 'I understand, Dr. Zhadeweike. I will help you obtain that drug. You can finally face yourself honestly, Doctor—just that, I feel relieved for you. I sincerely hope you can get through this difficult period.'"

——

Slash Crimson Eye.

"Huh… so Dr. Zhadeweike's amnesia was the result of the drug, huh? Then the antidote Mr. Luosi Gumu gave him must be the antidote to the blocking drug, right?"

In the hunter's conference room, upon learning that the Company did not possess the key data of the imaginary-number pulse, Wei Er couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

This kind of superweapon in the Company's hands… is too dangerous to even imagine. If they ever opened fire on this world, the Empire would likely vanish before anyone could react.

He isn't afraid of death per se, but he doesn't want to die in such a vague, senseless way.

The black-eyed one furrowed his brow slightly: "But now that Zhadeweike has regained his memory, his family will certainly find out. If they contact the Company, the trouble will still involve Luosi Gumu."

"But Luosi Gumu isn't afraid of trouble," Wei Er said, looking up at the synthetic king in the sky dome. "Moreover, I don't think the Company has any reason to offend the king of Luosi Star over the imaginary-number pulse; it's not worth it. Besides, Ms. Heita gets along well with Luosi Gumu, and to protect her, the Company wouldn't dare make any overt moves."

"So what should we do with the key data of the imaginary-number pulse? Give it to Luosi Gumu?"

"At the moment, this might be the best choice. In terms of morality, Luosi Gumu has no flaws, and he's also a genius, so he certainly understands weapon maintenance and the like, and there's no need to worry about Company threats… Apart from him, only Ms. Heita is suitable to handle this weapon."

——

The final mental space was a study, where Zhadeweike sat exhausted; by his appearance, he seemed well past his seventies—no different from when we first met him in Pinokangni.

Still those eyes full of lingering worries, the whites now tinged with a hint of cloudiness.

"Doctor?" Xing stepped in front of him, calling out cautiously.

Zhadeweike lifted his head: "Ah… they sent newcomers again, huh? No matter who they send, it's the same. I've said the same thing countless times… I'm now of no use to you."

"You used the Selective Blocking Drug…"

Zhadeweike's pupils flickered, looking at Xing in disbelief: "You… how did you know?"

But he quickly recovered, his gaunt, withered body beginning to tremble uncontrollably: "Ah… I understand. This isn't reality… you're not sent by the Company, are you? Great… it's been far too long since I've spoken to someone normally. I'm here… never short of work, they will fulfill any of my requests… I just have no freedom."

"What did they do?"

"At first, they pretended to be very polite. They offered me all sorts of things, trying to trade material goods and promises for my knowledge… but it had no effect. Later they lost patience. They began forcing me to read literature related to imaginary-number application theory… but the blocking drug worked far better than I imagined. It not only shielded the knowledge in my mind, it even blocked my ability to learn knowledge."

"Later, they accepted that I had become a useless old man. From a certain point onward, their strategy turned to waiting for my death."

——

Xiao Lin's dragon maid.

"Alas, Dr. Zhadeweike is also pitiful…"

Looking at the gaunt, weathered old man in the sky dome, Tuo Er's eyebrows drooped: "Spending the rest of his life locked in such a tiny study until death, he must be enduring an unimaginable loneliness, I suppose?"

"Yes, but these are the retribution for his past mistakes; I hope this solitude can slightly ease the remorse and torment he once felt." Xiao Lin couldn't help but sigh, "Someone like him, a genius from the club, spending his remaining life without contributing his brilliance to science, only to waste away in this tiny study… what a regrettable ending."

If he hadn't taken the drug, countless theories would probably have emerged in that tiny study, but instead countless star systems would have perished under the Company's control.

"But I have a question." Tuo Er suddenly raised his hand and asked, "When Dr. Zhadeweike took the key data of the imaginary-number pulse, didn't the Company consider letting Luosi Gumu and Ms. Heita continue research in this area?"

Xiao Lin closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then guessed: "Probably because the fields are different. In Ms. Heita's view, the most important thing right now is probably uncovering the secret of the Star God. Asking her and Luosi Gumu to help would likely bore them. Ms. Heita is the emissary of intellect; with the emissary's power… the destructive effect she could cause is probably not even under the imaginary-number pulse, perhaps far greater."

——

Zhadeweike, through fragmented information and his own deductions, guessed that the Company planned to tamper with the memory substance in his brain after his physical death. He was terrified that the defenses he built would collapse the moment death arrived. If this development continued, the Company would sooner or later fully master the imaginary-number pulse technology and monopolize it. In the end, all his efforts would become futile…

"Allow me to deny that, Doctor—your efforts are not in vain."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out in the study, and the next second Luosi Gumu appeared within this thought space, solemnly looking at the white‑haired old man before him.

"We meet again, Dr. Zhadeweike."

Zhadeweike's eyes widened in astonishment: "Luosi… Luosi Gumu?! I never thought… I never imagined I could see you again…"

"I once thought the same. Fate is fickle, but it eventually showed us its benevolent side. I came to tell you, Doctor, that your efforts were not in vain. Even after your physical body perishes, you still cling to that knowledge, leaving no opening for those with ulterior motives—"

"—It is not the drug's effect that you rely on, but the obsession and perseverance engraved at the core of your consciousness."