Day of Imprisonment

Luo Xi lived in an old-fashioned residential building. In this big city, there are towering skyscrapers, high-end CBDs, and old streets and alleys full of cultural heritage, which may even house key cultural relics units. Similarly, old-fashioned residential areas are also part of the metropolis.

In the old building without an elevator, he walked down the dilapidated stairs. The stairwell was filled with stacked cardboard boxes and杂物.

Before leaving, Luo Xi had carefully searched. Apart from the three cards, nothing else he had obtained from the previous Imprisonment Day had been brought back.

This included a folding knife, a dagger, and a small bottle of pills that could turn people into 'cleaners'.

"That is to say, only cards can be preserved until the next Imprisonment Day. Any other items and道具 can only exist in the current scenario." Luo Xi muttered to himself. For him, collecting various pieces of information and piecing them together was his forte.

It was like a jigsaw puzzle. Some pieces were too small and had no value on their own, but when pieced together, the situation was completely different.

Luo Xi had gained a deeper understanding of Imprisonment Day.

Downstairs, Luo Xi threw the garbage into a row of trash cans by the roadside, then walked to the intersection ahead. There was a bus stop on the right side of the road, and shops lined both sides of the street, including convenience stores, fruit shops, and small restaurants.

There was a breakfast shop here, serving porridge and buns, as well as soy milk and fried dough sticks.

Luo Xi preferred the latter combination, with some free pickles and a boiled egg, satisfying both nutrition and taste.

"Coming, find a seat!" Because he came here often, the owner already recognized Luo Xi and said, "The usual?"

"Yes."

Luo Xi sat down, scanned the QR code to pay, and soon the hot soy milk and freshly fried dough sticks were placed on the table, along with a boiled egg. Pickles were self-service, take as much as you want.

He was hungry.

When the weather was nice, the breakfast shop would set up roadside stalls with small stools and tables. Next to it was a clothing store with a very clean window, which could be used as a mirror due to the angle of the light. Reflected on the glass at this moment was Luo Xi's appearance while eating, as well as the surrounding background.

But at the small table where only he was sitting, the mirror showed it was full of people.

Some had no seats and stood, surrounding Luo Xi, but seemed somewhat afraid, not daring to get too close.

If you looked closely, these people looked exactly like Luo Xi, but their clothes and temperament were different.

"You're still in the mood to eat?" In the mirror, 'Glasses Luo Xi' sitting across the small table sneered coldly.

"He's just a glutton." Next to him, a figure somewhat similar to Luo Xi also shouted.

"Do you guys have something to say?" Luo Xi didn't even look up, as if he was used to this kind of scene.

"Just a friendly reminder, you haven't cleared the level. It's obvious that the cards are the most crucial anchor points. Such magical things can't exist in the real world, that's common sense, right? So, once you discover something that violates common sense, such as the cards, then it means you haven't..." Before a crazy 'Luo Xi' could finish speaking, Glasses Luo Xi patted him: "If he didn't know these things, then he would really be a waste, and he wouldn't have been able to defeat us and become the main body."

"Clumsy acting, save it. Speak if you have something to say, otherwise get lost." Luo Xi started peeling the egg.

"Why be so harsh on us? What we mean is that the situation you're encountering now has exceeded your capabilities. You need help, and we are willing to help you." Glasses Luo Xi extended his middle finger and adjusted his slightly slipping glasses frame.

"No need." Luo Xi directly refused.

"You are very strong, even terrifyingly strong. To be honest, we are all afraid of you, but this time is different. Don't forget, we are one. If you have bad luck, we won't benefit either."

Luo Xi chewed on the egg, not saying a word. The other party continued: "Now it's very obvious that the scope of Imprisonment Day is much larger than you imagined. Of course, I'm very sure you must have anticipated this situation long ago. After all, deducing all possibilities and then deducing based on each possibility is your forte, but I'm also very sure that this must be the worst of all the possibilities you anticipated."

"So, assuming the range affected by Imprisonment Day is too large, even infinite, this is the worst possibility you anticipated. You definitely can't handle it alone. You really need to consider the issue of cooperation, unless you are willing to be imprisoned in this day forever."

A phone ring interrupted Glasses Luo Xi's incessant chatter.

Luo Xi picked up his phone and looked at it.

It was Wu Rui.

He answered.

"I'm here." Only three words.

Luo Xi looked at the time with some surprise. It had been less than twenty minutes from the initial phone call until now. Did this woman drive a race car?

"Go north along the road, fifty meters to the intersection, breakfast stall on the west side of the road." As soon as Luo Xi finished speaking, he saw a red car driving over and stopping directly by the roadside. The engine was turned off, the door opened, and Wu Rui stepped out.

This woman did indeed have a decisive and efficient spirit.

Moreover, among all the Reminiscents that Luo Xi had encountered, Wu Rui was the most meticulous and intelligent.

Luo Xi had once heard that petite women were often more cunning and calculating, while taller women were more outgoing and genuinely innocent.

“I'll have congee, no sugar,” Wu Rui said, sitting down beside him. At that moment, the various 'Luo Xis' reflected in the distant glass disappeared.

Luo Xi ordered a bowl of congee.

Wu Rui was clearly without makeup, her hair uncombed, casually tied back with a rubber band. She picked up a spoon and began to eat.

“Want an oil pancake?” Luo Xi asked.

Wu Rui reached over and grabbed the half-eaten oil pancake from Luo Xi's plate, eating it directly.

“Half is enough for me.”

Luo Xi looked at the empty plate, turned to the owner, and said, “Another order, no, two orders of oil pancakes.”

“Okay.” The owner didn't even look up, speeding up the frying of the oil pancakes.

“What about them?” Wu Rui asked, her mouth full of oil, chewing as she spoke, seemingly unconcerned about her current appearance.

“They're not as fast as you,” Luo Xi glanced at the car parked by the roadside. “When did you figure it out?”

“When I woke up. I was happy at first, thinking I had really escaped, until I saw my binding card and realized the Day of Confinement hadn't ended. So, I immediately went downstairs, got in the car, and came to find you.”

“Was the journey smooth?”

“Yes, because it was early, before the traffic jams started.” Wu Rui suddenly realized that Luo Xi wouldn't ask meaningless questions.

It could be said that the Luo Xi in the Day of Confinement was far more composed, calm, and intelligent than the Luo Xi she knew.

“Why do you ask?”

“It's nothing!”

“…”

Wu Rui knew that he clearly didn't want to talk more about this topic, or perhaps he was still wary of her.

She then spoke the words she had prepared on the way: “Luo Xi, I admit I hid many things from you before, but it was only for self-protection. Although it sounds a bit like acting, I still have to say, you saved me. If you hadn't given me a memory card at the last moment, I would have become a Reminiscence-less.”

“Don't forget, you previously had three memory cards and my special card [Ebbinghaus's Pen], all of which I snatched from you,” Luo Xi said with an expressionless face, making him hard to read.

“But in the end, you still gave me a memory card, that's a fact. You didn't have to give it to me…” Wu Rui said frankly, meeting Luo Xi's gaze. They looked at each other for a moment.

“I just needed a useful pawn.” Luo Xi looked away. He could tell that Wu Rui was sincere this time.

“I'm willing to be that pawn,” Wu Rui said immediately.

“So, our previously broken friendship has been pieced back together, and our fragile trust has been strengthened.”

“You can certainly understand it that way.”

“Give me a reason.”

“I think you can take me away from here.” Wu Rui added, “I mean leave this day, escape the Day of Confinement, and return to the real reality.”

“I'm not sure I can do that.”

“But in my opinion, you have a great chance. That's my reason. You gave me hope. Relying on myself, I couldn't even escape the company scene. But you achieved it in just one cycle, so you are very strong, extremely strong.”

Looking at Wu Rui's earnest face, Luo Xi didn't say anything this time, but pointed to her half-bowl of congee: “It's getting cold.”

Wu Rui continued to eat.

Luo Xi's acceptance was a good thing for her.

It was clear that she was actually in a state of excitement and agitation; even her hands were trembling.

What Luo Xi had done before had shocked her greatly.

Because only by experiencing it firsthand could one know how desperate and terrifying it was to be trapped in the previous company office scene.

After saving her memory for the first time, she struggled constantly, repeatedly dying, being reborn, dying…

All she could do was try her best to obtain memory cards during each Day of Confinement to avoid becoming a Reminiscence-less, because Wu Rui knew very well that once she became a Reminiscence-less, she would lose all hope. Because everything in the eyes of a Reminiscence-less was normal, but in reality, they were just trapped in this terrifying endless loop, being killed, reborn, continuing to live the same day, then being killed again, then being reborn, over and over again.

The most terrifying assumption was what Wu Rui's 'mentor' had said: as a Reminiscent, one had no idea how many times this 'cycle' had occurred.

It could be dozens of times, or hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times…

If this terrifying cycle was not broken, then one would be trapped in this day forever.

How despairing.

In the end, the 'mentor' gave up in this despair. She deliberately violated the rules, had her memory cleared, and became a Reminiscence-less.

From a certain perspective, this might be the only ending. The mentor was completely desperate, saw no hope, so she chose to give up.

But Wu Rui was unwilling to give up.

She must escape and return to the real world.