Chapter 128: Recognition

After searching the living room for a while longer, Ding Mo indeed discovered the small knife he had originally used to commit suicide under the sofa.

The bloodstains on it had already dried; it was clear it had been left there for some time.

What was going on? Ding Mo stared at these two items, unable to fathom the reason.

After he had committed suicide back then, had the police not even taken away these "murder weapons"?

Judging by the information Li Shu had revealed, his suicide should have caused that "guy" who looked exactly like him to disappear from this world.

Looking at it now, was there a possibility that his death had also caused everyone to forget him?

When this plot, often seen in fictional movies, truly happened to him, Ding Mo only felt a sense of absurdity.

After staying in the living room for a while longer, Ding Mo thought for a moment and went to the room where his parents were.

This room was also very small; a half-person-tall dressing mirror stood by the wardrobe, reflecting his uncertain and shifting face.

If this world had truly forgotten him completely, did he still need to stay here?

He did not know; he had no answer in his heart for the time being.

Walking to the bedside, Ding Mo's gaze fell upon a photograph.

It was a family portrait of the three of them; he, having just graduated, was surrounded by his parents. On the latter's weary, dark-skinned faces was a rare smile.

Ding Mo picked up the photo frame, examined it carefully for a while, then took it to the half-length mirror to compare the Ding Mo in the photo with himself.

Neat corners of the eyes, eyebrows neither thick nor thin, a well-proportioned figure...

That's right, other than looking a bit more mature now, he was exactly the same as in the photo!

Father, Mother, since you still kept this photo, does that mean you still recognize me?!

Twenty-some years of living together day and night, of supporting each other through thick and thin, could not just disappear without a trace...

In the narrow, cramped room.

Just as Ding Mo was repeatedly comparing himself to the mirror using the photo, he did not notice that in the gap of the wardrobe to the side,

a gaze was staring at him.

【Task issued!】

【Enter the world, survive for one full year, and must not be discovered by 'them' during this period.】

【Landing location: Daning City】

In a room at the Isolation Zone Hotel.

The paper content from this "Typewriter" landed next to the fax machine.

Inside the study, a man was hunched over the desk writing something, muttering to himself:

"The next task is coming..."

Ding Mo had already left the room and returned to the living room.

He sat on the sofa, waiting.

No matter what, he had to meet his father and mother; even if the world had truly forgotten him, he would at least have a bottom line.

Time ticked away second by second, the sky was completely shrouded in night, and only a low-quality light bulb in the living room emitted a faint glow.

The sound of a child crying came from upstairs.

Ding Mo's expression was dazed for a moment, but then he heard something else.

Turning his head, just at this moment, the front door of the house was opened.

In Ding Mo's line of sight, a weary-looking, dark-skinned middle-aged man walked in, carrying rotten vegetables in his hand, his temples gray.

He was exactly Ding Mo's father, Ding Xian.

As soon as he entered, he subconsciously turned on the light, and then,

he saw Ding Mo sitting on the sofa!

He was startled immediately, and looking at the young man who had stood up, he shouted toward the empty space behind him:

"Mother, call the police quickly! A thief has broken in!"

While speaking, he threw away the vegetables, grabbed a broom placed by the door, and stared at Ding Mo nervously.

Ding Mo stared at him for a while, but felt a wave of sorrow—his old father's eyes were full of unfamiliarity, as if he didn't recognize him at all.

"Dad, it's me, Ding Mo; don't you recognize me?" Ding Mo said silently.

"? My son died a few days ago, don't joke around!" Ding Xian said, then spoke to the empty space behind him:

"Did you call the police? You did? Good, come with me to take down this little thief!"

Creak!

As his words fell, the half-open door suddenly seemed to be blown by the wind and swung wide open, letting one see everything outside the door.

Outside, there was nothing!

Ding Mo's pupils shrank instantly.

Just now, he had thought his mother was blocked by the half-open door and couldn't be seen.

But things didn't seem that simple... Ding Mo didn't have time to grieve over being forgotten by his family; he shifted his gaze to the floor.

On the fairly clean tile floor, a series of blurry footprints appeared; judging by their size, they were likely a woman's shoes!

Was that... his mother?

His father wasn't shouting at thin air?

Just as this absurd thought popped into Ding Mo's mind, he felt a force strike him, pushing him out.

Crash!

After knocking over a pile of clutter, Ding Mo scrambled up, grabbed the stick Ding Xian had taken the opportunity to swing at him, and while his father retreated in panic, he also took the chance to escape toward the window.

Now that the matter was settled, he had no way to harm his own parents and could only retreat for the time being.

Opening the window and nimbly leaping onto the sill, Ding Mo, just as he was about to leave, spotted something with his sharp eyes: in the living room,

a fruit knife was actually hovering in mid-air, its tip pointing straight at him!

Startled, Ding Mo leaped away, dodging the fruit knife that flew toward him the very next moment.

The fruit knife struck the wall of the building opposite with a "clang" and, losing its momentum, fell downward...

And when Ding Xian ran over to look out the window, Ding Mo's figure was already nowhere to be seen.

"..." He seemed to heave a sigh of relief, then turned back to say to 'Mother':

"Dear, are you alright?"

A second later, he seemed to see something in the empty living room and nodded at a patch of air in front of him.

"By the way, when will the police arrive?"

The sound of a short-tone followed by another short-tone siren echoed through the street. Amidst the majestic red and blue flashing lights,

Ding Mo hid far away in a small alley, watching several people in black uniforms get out of a car and head straight for the building where his home was located.

After watching for a while, Ding Mo sighed and turned to leave.

This world might have a problem...

The night deepened.

A cold, eerie moon hung in the sky, casting its final ray of light upon the human world.

After wandering for a long time, Ding Mo finally stopped in front of an abandoned, unfinished building.

Its mottled, rough brick walls were exposed, the exterior walls lacking cement or paint, bearing crisscrossing stains from years of erosion by wind and rain.

Many doors and windows were nothing but hollow frames, and the cold night wind poured in incessantly, making a "whoo-whoo" sound.

Kicking aside some trash that had rolled to his feet, Ding Mo found an opening and walked inside.

This was the place where he had spent his nights after his Identity was stolen and he was left wandering the streets.

It was also one of the strongholds of the "Lost Ones" organization!

Just now, after leaving home and before coming here, he had gone to find his childhood playmates, even his sworn brothers and his girlfriend.

None of them recognized him anymore!

Therefore, he needed to understand what exactly had happened to this world after he died! Even though only a few days had passed,

why had such earth-shattering changes occurred?

He needed an answer—and this, he feared, only the "Lost Ones" could give him now!

Stepping inside, Ding Mo indeed discovered several ragged figures huddled around a fire in the corner to keep warm...