Chapter 230: The Truth Behind Mr. Jin Revealed

Xiao Jin opened his eyes, and new memories flooded in—or rather, a new cycle of memories flooded in—making him feel a slight headache.

But soon, the various memories made Xiao Jin realize that he still had very important things to do.

"Ah!"

Nisen, Yueyun, Wen Xishu, and many other memories surfaced; these memories had not changed much.

It was just that certain things Xiao Jin had once doubted, once thought of... and once faced, had all disappeared.

When memories disappear and no one knows, it is almost as if they never happened.

Xiao Jin simply thought that after the Great Devouring, he had been unconscious for a while; now that the Great Devouring had perhaps ended, he should go and understand the situation in the outside world.

Xiao Jin stood up.

When he saw the door, certain scenes suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Xiao Jin... you must be kind to others; do not look down on others just because you have high talent."

"You must discover the strengths of others more often and learn to praise them more."

His grandfather's words appeared, and Xiao Jin nodded solemnly, but the moment he nodded, a great sense of déjà vu occurred. It was as if all of this had happened before.

The feeling of familiarity was the most elusive, fleeting in an instant.

Xiao Jin shook his head and pushed the door open, preparing to leave this place.

But the next second, Xiao Jin discovered that the door had already been pushed open.

Seeing Evelyn's face made Xiao Jin very happy.

And with Wen Xishu also behind Evelyn, Xiao Jin was even happier.

"Wow! Brother Wen! Wow, Aunt Evelyn!"

Xiao Jin was so excited he was about to hug Evelyn, and at this moment, Evelyn also felt a bit of pity for this child.

Although... in the common sense of things, Xiao Jin should not be a child.

Just as Xiao Jin was about to touch Evelyn, a figure appeared behind Xiao Jin, though no one knew when.

"Sorry, child, I need to know your secret."

Xiao Jin fell into a coma.

The one who appeared behind Xiao Jin was naturally the number one person in the Bunker, Albert.

With just one strike, the old Headmaster easily knocked Xiao Jin unconscious.

Xiao Jin was soon carried on his shoulder in a grand manner. This was the sixteenth floor of the Bunker, where one could occasionally see some of the Bunker's more well-known figures.

Such as those from the Six Great Families, or the Five Elders.

Seeing Albert's behavior, as if he were completely unconcerned about Old Jin, Evelyn said helplessly:

"This child has experienced so many memories... I suppose even if you, Wen Xishu, have a way to probe some memories, the memories may not necessarily be real."

Albert said:

"When it concerns Old Jin, I cannot stop; I must know the truth. Let's go, we are going to the Weird Tower Academy."

Albert, Evelyn, and Wen Xishu had been at the Three Towers Academy not long ago.

But given that Albert and Wen Xishu were the type to act immediately once they decided to do something, soon... Evelyn brought the two of them to Xiao Jin's residence.

Xiao Jin's memory implantation was not actually fully completed; there were still some details that needed finishing.

However, Evelyn knew that Albert and Wen Xishu, these two madmen—one old and one young—certainly would not care about such things.

Of course, she also made her own choice; since she had decided to be with Albert to dig out Old Jin's secret, she would see it through to the end.

……

……

Weird Tower Academy.

With the help of the Academy Spirit, Xiao Jin was soon placed in the special facility brought back by Wen Xishu.

Wen Xishu was also a bit nervous, not knowing if they could successfully replicate the plot from the Heaven-Chosen Train.

Wen Xishu summoned Wei Ping'an. It was very different from the scene in his memory; Wei Ping'an looked much older.

This conductor of the Heaven-Chosen Train now looked full of vicissitudes.

Wen Xishu knew that this was the Wei Ping'an from the future, on the Three Towers battlefield.

However, Wen Xishu did not ask Wei Ping'an what had happened; after all, he wouldn't get an answer.

Subsequently, Wen Xishu used the facility's "Reminiscence Record" ability to create the scene of the Heaven-Chosen Train.

"Wei Ping'an, do you still remember this child?"

Wei Ping'an nodded:

"Of course, I certainly remember him, someone who, unlike you, failed to reach the final carriage. Judging from the challenge at the time, he failed."

Wen Xishu gave a hum:

"That's right. As long as you remember, I need you to do something for me next."

"I will follow your instructions; please tell me your wishes."

Compared to the simulated Tang Rui, Wei Ping'an was like an AI.

Wen Xishu did not immediately mention Xiao Jin, but asked:

"Is your god... doing well?"

Wei Ping'an nodded:

"The god is changing in the direction people expect."

Wen Xishu said no more:

"I will restart the Heaven-Chosen Train; I need you to once again... let this child experience what he experienced back then."

"We want to awaken his fear. And the memories associated with that fear."

After pondering slightly, Wei Ping'an said:

"I will ensure a one-to-one replication of the experience at that time."

Evelyn said:

"That will be enough; leave the rest to me."

Wen Xishu sighed with emotion:

"Treating Xiao Jin like this is not my wish, but I hope we can truly... discover extremely important clues!"

Albert urged:

"Start."

Wen Xishu nodded, and inside the Reminiscence Record... the surrounding scene began to change.

……

……

He woke up.

Xiao Jin woke up again, in the Heaven-Chosen Train carriage, facing his deepest fear.

When he woke up, that intense sense of déjà vu raged through his consciousness like a storm.

"This... where is this?"

Xiao Jin felt his head aching.

He saw ahead... it was a void, and in the gloom, there was a tall figure.

Xiao Jin was no stranger to this figure.

It was his grandfather.

Those questions from back then surfaced once again—

Why do I have no other siblings?

Is Grandfather really the most powerful person in the Bunker?

There is a huge gap in the Heavenly Ladder Ranking; rumor has it that some kind of devourer exists.

Rumor has it that his grandfather plays some kind of terrifying role, and the people below are extremely dissatisfied with this bunker ruled by his grandfather...

Many of the bad rumors about his grandfather were Xiao Jin's inner fears.

Grandfather is already over ninety years old... and as the supreme ruler of the Bunker, why is he his only grandson?

Where are his mom and dad? Where are they? Why does Grandfather never mention them?

And inexplicably, the fear in his heart began to rise rapidly. Xiao Jin had always been one to dare to fight; he still remembered going to the sixty-floor Slaughter Tower with Senior Xun Hui.

Although his performance was not very good, not as good as Wen Xishu's, it was good that he dared to go.

But now, goosebumps began to appear rapidly on Xiao Jin's arms, and chills ran down his back.

His legs also seemed to be trembling.

Extreme fear was slowly disintegrating his will.

Xiao Jin began to recall his past.

Memories of his previous life, and his second previous life, third previous life, fourth previous life...

Because Evelyn had implanted memories too many times and wiped them away too many times, this also caused Xiao Jin's past erased memories to feel like "past-life memories."

He was like a ghost who had suddenly vomited up the Soup of Oblivion, with all kinds of memories appearing crazily.

Xiao Jin clutched his head, in extreme pain.

He felt many, many memories; these memories were very beautiful, he was kind to others, and finally achieved good results.

But these memories also gave him a sense of strangeness.

I am clearly Grandfather's grandson, so why do I have so many other identities?

Xiao Jin wailed in agony; gripped by fear, he began to weep and curl into a ball.

The Destiny Train had outlined the deepest fears within his heart, but it was not deep enough...

The layers of memories implanted by Evelyn were like shields, resisting the arrows of fear, preventing them from piercing through all the memories to reach the truth hidden deep within.

Yet, it was precisely Evelyn who was using her power to stir up Xiao Jin’s fear.

Emotional evocation is a power commonly possessed by the Desire Tower sequence.

At the Weird Tower Academy, Evelyn’s abilities were in full swing. Although Evelyn’s tower-climbing journey was different from Wen Xishu’s, most of what Evelyn came into contact with were... the fringes of certain storylines.

But quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes; when you can reach the ninetieth floor, even if you miss the main storyline every time, you still possess incomparably powerful strength.

Evelyn’s fear evocation had some effect even on Albert, let alone Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin began to bang his head against the floor, appearing quite miserable. Wen Xishu found it hard to watch; after all, Xiao Jin was his friend.

Albert naturally could not bear it either, as this was his old friend’s grandson.

But on second thought, Evelyn would not deceive him, so this child could not possibly be Old Jin’s grandson. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Yet, in an instant, Albert’s gaze turned sharp.

"Don't stop, Evelyn, give it your all!"

Wen Xishu also said:

"It’s not time yet... he is still searching for the fear within those implanted memories, and these fears are worthless."

"But I can see some of his questioning toward Mr. Jin."

"However, I don't think it's enough. Senior Evelyn, please increase the intensity."

Evelyn complied.

It was just that she felt quite helpless; after all, this was already equivalent to the intensity of administering a torture.

Old Jin did not know any of this, nor did he know that his own position had shifted; if he knew, he would surely be very disappointed, right?

Evelyn was also a ruthless person; despite having many inner concerns, her hands did not stop for a moment. The fear Xiao Jin was enduring continued to grow.

Xiao Jin felt... as if he were a speck of dust facing a hideous and terrifying world.

In an environment of extreme fear, Xiao Jin began to develop feelings of anger without knowing when it started.

His rage grew heavier and heavier.

He displayed a ferocity that did not belong to him.

"Let me go back! Let me go back!"

[I want to go back! I want to leave this place! I don't belong here!]

At this moment, Wen Xishu, Albert, and Evelyn were all observing Xiao Jin from the next carriage. When Wen Xishu saw the barrage appear—

Wen Xishu realized that this was likely the one.

He did not belong here; he wanted to leave this place.

This made Wen Xishu feel that something was very wrong. His intuition told Wen Xishu that it was time to reel in the line.

Wen Xishu appeared quickly and touched the barrage that was about to slide past.

Of course, to Albert and Evelyn, this action of Wen Xishu’s appeared very strange; he seemed to have touched something, but the two of them could see nothing at all.

Albert remembered that Wen Xishu had made similar moves before.

Wen Xishu successfully touched the barrage, and under the influence of "All Feelings Gathered"... he began to collect that memory.

The secret of the Bunker’s Emperor and the original First Person was also quietly unveiled at this moment.

Because Xiao Jin’s memories were blurred and had undergone a great purge, when Wen Xishu used "All Feelings Gathered" to enter the memory—

He only felt that everything around him was very stream-of-consciousness.

In horror movies, there is often a method to express a child’s repression and inner fear. For example, a child drawing their parents in a diary, but the style is very eerie, with many lines appearing in a swirling pattern.

These lines twist and intertwine to express an equally twisted inner world.

At this moment, Wen Xishu felt that... all the people and scenes in this memory were of this twisted style.

The winding of those lines felt like the draft of a Van Gogh painting, before it had been fully colored.

However, vaguely, Wen Xishu still saw a familiar figure. Actually, it couldn't be called familiar, as he had only seen him once.

A slightly decadent noble youth holding a guitar, wearing a ten-gallon hat and a deep red jacket.

Although he couldn't see the colors clearly, Wen Xishu still remembered the other party’s attire from their first meeting.

These people... seem to never change their clothes?

Come to think of it, Scorpio is the same, always in a blue suit.

What Wen Xishu saw was none other than "Capricorn," one of the twelve constellations he had encountered in Hujiang not long ago.

"We should begin the full ritual; you are only here temporarily right now."

"I promised you and fulfilled my commitment; now it is your turn. Not only can I help you smuggle in, but I can also help you handle everything."

This voice was also distorted, but listening to it, one could still make out some of Capricorn’s tone.

"Start it. I also long to leave there and come here to you."

The image began to blur and jump.

It was just like an old-fashioned closed-circuit television, with the signal flickering.

Wen Xishu suddenly realized that this was some kind of rhythmic change... it seemed the scene had been switched?

"Jin! You deceived me! You ant, how dare you deceive me! You even dared to scheme against me!"

Capricorn?

Wen Xishu couldn't tell anymore because the voice was too angry and was no longer Capricorn’s previous tone. But in the image, it was indeed Capricorn flickering.

This kind of extremely stream-of-consciousness imagery was very difficult for Wen Xishu to identify. But he was somewhat certain that this was Capricorn.

What exactly did Mr. Jin do? To make a constellation this angry?

Why would these things... appear in Xiao Jin’s memory?

Was Xiao Jin a bystander?

"You despicable human! Jin! You untrustworthy guy, you actually dared to scheme against me! You won't have a good end!"

"You no longer belong there, and the people you plundered don't belong there either! Do you know the consequences of scheming against me? Every change in fate must have a price!!"

"Since you were the one who broke your word first! Then don't blame me for using my methods!"

The ritual appeared.

A blood-red triangle appeared in Wen Xishu’s line of sight, and three people stood at the three points of the triangle.

What Wen Xishu saw were two people: Mr. Jin and Capricorn.

However, Wen Xishu knew that his current perspective was Xiao Jin’s perspective.

"Xiao Jin... is not some kind of reincarnation of Mr. Jin, nor is he some kind of clone. He is indeed an independent existence."

"It seems that the meaning behind Capricorn’s words... is that Mr. Jin no longer belongs to the Bunker, and Xiao Jin doesn't belong to the Bunker either??"

Numerous clues emerged in Wen Xishu’s mind, and Wen Xishu began to piece them together one by one.

Albert, watching Wen Xishu and Xiao Jin in a state of stasis, became uncharacteristically impatient.

Fortunately, Evelyn touched Albert quickly, dispelling this impatience.

"I know, Old Jin’s secret is about to appear, but don't be anxious, Albert, give Wen Xishu some time."

Wen Xishu’s brows were tightly furrowed.

Without a doubt, the things he was seeing now, or rather the truth he was piecing together, left even him feeling shocked.

"I admit, you are indeed a genius, but now, you have been marked! Hahahaha, you have been marked! This mark will follow you forever!"

"Do you think you can protect him? It’s useless! Once he remembers everything, he will also be marked!"

"It’s a pity, I cannot kill you myself! But that mark will make you endure even greater pain."

"My brother will not let you off! Jin, you will pay the price for toying with a god!"

A sense of familiarity appeared.

At this moment, Wen Xishu seemed to have returned to the scene when he first faced the Priest; he felt it, some kind of prying from afar.

That feeling was like a composed hunter casting his gaze.

Perhaps in the next moment, the hunter would discover him, then draw his bow and nock an arrow, dealing him a fatal blow.

Capricorn’s mark left both Xiao Jin and Mr. Jin shrouded in that aura.

Strong as Mr. Jin was, he felt a kind of invincible power at this moment.

"I will not let you off! You think you’re the only one who can play tricks? Jin! There will be no more latecomers! Hahahahaha!"

The Capricorn in the image no longer had the noble air he had when he met him earlier; he looked like someone who had been deceived... no, wait, he was in a state of being frustrated and eager to regain his face.

In an instant, Wen Xishu understood everything.

He opened his eyes abruptly; by contrast, Xiao Jin had fallen unconscious.

Wen Xishu looked at Albert, and the surrounding scene began to fade away slowly, returning to the appearance of the Reminiscence Record.

Wen Xishu said:

"Principal, Senior Evelyn... although the images I obtained were blurry and the information consisted only of conversations at key nodes, I should know the truth now."

"Regarding why Mr. Jin dares not appear, and why there have been no latecomers in the Bunker all these years."

When Wen Xishu said this, he couldn't help but sigh:

"I have always wondered if there was something in the Bunker that would devour powerful existences, and I even thought, could it be you, Old Principal, or could it be Mr. Jin?"

"Now it seems... it is not. Mr. Jin is indeed, like you, worthy of being your fellow traveler."

"He schemed against a god and toyed with Capricorn of the Twelve Zodiacs. I don't know the specific process; you can ask Mr. Jin about everything."

"I believe that once you state my guess, he will no longer hide any of this."

"Furthermore, Mr. Jin... originally should have agreed to Capricorn's smuggling to head to the Three Towers Battlefield. But he did not do so; instead, he deceived the other party and used Capricorn's power in reverse, allowing a very important person who originally belonged to the Three Towers Battlefield to..."

"Come to the bunker."

Wen Xishu's gaze turned toward Xiao Jin:

"Xiao Jin is that very important person."

(End of chapter)