Day of Imprisonment

Perhaps it was the pressure of the situation, or perhaps she was moved by Luo Xi's 'sincerity,' but in any case, Wu Rui was persuaded.

This exchange was noticeably more amicable.

“Everything I said before is true, I didn’t lie to you. You should remember the last time Mao-ge mutated, I was the one who pulled you away, because at that time you weren't a Memory Keeper yet. And you're not a bad person at heart. Like you said, there was a little something between us before, so saving you was just a matter of convenience.”

Wu Rui tried to keep her voice down.

She was starting to actively build rapport and improve her favorability.

This was a good start.

They both returned to the twenty-fourth floor's work area, to their adjacent cubicles.

“As for the questions you asked me, there's a lot I don't know. Yes, I can barely be considered a veteran. Including the last time, I've retained my memory four times. In the beginning, I didn't know what was happening. Everything was normal until the murder happened…”

“Oh, who died during your first time?” Luo Xi was clearly very interested in this question.

Wu Rui looked serious: “I know what you're thinking, and I've analyzed it myself. Here, the people who die are most likely Memory Keepers, because the killing rules dictate that killing other Memory Keepers is the fastest and easiest way to obtain memory cards. But the one I encountered shouldn't have been, because the one who died was a delivery guy, who died in the stairwell between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth floors.”

“A delivery guy?” Luo Xi was stunned. He certainly hadn't expected this answer.

“Yes, it seemed like he lost his footing and fell down the stairs, breaking his neck. Those same police officers handled the case at the time.”

“Officer Song and them?”

“Yes!”

Luo Xi thought for a moment and let Wu Rui continue.

“I hadn't encountered anything like that before, and I was very scared. But the police quickly processed the scene, and the preliminary investigation result was an accident. Everyone discussed it privately and also felt it should be an accident.”

“Continue!”

“Later, everything seemed normal. Mainly, I was focused on answering calls at that time. In the afternoon, near the end of the workday, Director Du said that some people were needed to work overtime temporarily. Mao-ge said that everyone could volunteer to participate. I happened to be free at the time, and I stayed behind to work overtime with a few other colleagues. As a result, at eight o'clock in the evening, someone else died, and this time, two people died.”

“Who?”

“Director Du and Xiao Lei.”

“Zhao Xiaolei?”

“Yes.”

Luo Xi's gaze swept towards a female colleague sitting about five or six cubicles in front of them.

She was happily answering customer calls, busy and organized, in stark contrast to Luo Xi and Wu Rui, who were wearing headphones and slacking off. There was nothing unusual about her.

“Two people died at once, and the matter caused a great uproar. The police arrived very quickly, and the scene was cordoned off. I don't know if they found anything specific. There weren't many people still at the company at the time, and everyone was waiting for the results at the scene, filled with anxiety. After all, including the delivery guy in the morning, three people had died in this place in one day. Some colleagues had already realized that something was wrong. As a result, around ten o'clock in the evening, Mao-ge suddenly changed, and the killing time began…”

“Killing time?”

“It's the time for the Cleaners to work… That time, I was killed. Death was almost instantaneous. I didn't feel anything at the time, but I felt scared afterward, scared to death. I entered the first cycle of the Imprisonment Day. When I stood in the elevator again, looking at the opening doors, I thought I was crazy.”

For Wu Rui, these events were like they had happened just a few days ago, so her memories were still fresh. She spoke with a hint of fear.

“Then, about the Imprisonment Day, the Cleaners, the Memory Keepers, and the killing time… where did you learn all this from? Someone must have told you. Who told you?”

Wu Rui glanced at Luo Xi with slight surprise. Clearly, he was very perceptive.

“Someone did tell me, but I can't tell you who that person is.”

“You're not being honest. You're toying with my feelings. I'm going to join forces with Lao Gao.”

“No, it's not that. This matter is different. I promised her that I would keep it a secret… Without her, I wouldn't be alive right now. I owe her a lot, and I know very little about her situation, so it's not like I'm hiding anything from you.” Wu Rui was anxious and annoyed.

“That person, did she lose her memory later?” Luo Xi returned to normal and suddenly asked.

Wu Rui was stunned, seemingly surprised that he even knew.

Clearly, Luo Xi was very different. She could see this before. He was hiding some unknown secret. Normal people would have gone crazy after experiencing these bizarre and terrifying things, but she found that he not only didn't have that emotion, but on the contrary, he actually had a kind of 'excitement'.

Steady, calm, this was the new impression Luo Xi gave her.

“To be precise, she gave it up herself. She said she had experienced too much and was tired of it, then gave me her last remaining memory card…”

Wu Rui's expression was somewhat黯然.

“I understand!” Luo Xi didn't continue to pursue this matter, seemingly not caring at all.

“So, your mentor also doesn't know how to escape from here, to clear this survival game. Without hope, there will be despair.”

Wu Rui nodded: “That's right, it should be.”

“Why didn't she leave?”

“Leave? Go where?”

“Go downstairs, to other places.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, once you become a Memory Keeper in a place, you can't leave that fixed area. I don't know about other places, but for example, the activity area here is the twenty-third and twenty-fourth floors. The Memory Keepers here can only operate in this area.”

“What happens if you go out of bounds?”

“Your memory is erased, and you become an amnesiac.”

“Is it a punishment rule? Can memory cards be used to offset it?”

“No, so remember, don't go out of bounds, don't go out of bounds, unless you want to become an amnesiac voluntarily…”

Luo Xi guessed that Wu Rui's 'mentor' probably couldn't stand it all in the end and chose to go out of bounds. Of course, other possibilities couldn't be ruled out.

“How many Imprisonment Days did your mentor experience?” Luo Xi continued to ask.

“I don't know, she didn't say, but I can feel that it should be a lot.” Wu Rui sighed: “Actually, most of what I know about the Imprisonment Day was told to me by that person. She taught me a lot of things…”

“For example, killing?”

Wu Rui was stunned for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment: “Yes, including killing. In this kind of place, if you don't kill people, they will kill you!”

Luo Xi nodded: “Then, who are the confirmed Memory Keepers you've encountered during these Imprisonment Days?”

“Including me, there have been a total of 9 people in several Imprisonment Day cycles. But you have to know that even if you're a Rememberer, once you lose your memory card, you'll become a Lost Memory person again after the next Imprisonment Day. Conversely, every Rememberer was once a Lost Memory person. Heh, it's a bit like the classic paradox: which came first, the chicken or the egg? So, someone who was a Rememberer last time might not be this time, and someone who was a Lost Memory person last time might become a Rememberer this time. From my observations, the few Rememberers I can confirm are all from the past. They've lost their memories. Currently, the only Rememberers I can confirm are myself, you, and possibly Lao Gao and CEO Du, but I'm not sure.”

Luo Xi thought for a moment and then said, “So, the only known way to preserve memories is through memory cards. Then, giving a memory card should also allow a Lost Memory person to become a Rememberer.”

“Yes, but it's not limited to that. We've discovered that there's a chance for a Lost Memory person to become a Rememberer.”

“Chance?” Luo Xi tried to understand.

“Yes, without any human intervention, a Lost Memory person might suddenly have the memories of the previous Imprisonment Day when the next one begins. Just like you, Luo Xi. I've observed you and recalled carefully. You are a Rememberer who emerged through this chance.”

“So, Rememberers are randomly generated from Lost Memory people? It's like needing one more player for a game, so you randomly pull someone to the table. In other words, there's a minimum number of Rememberers during Imprisonment Day. Then, what was the card you exchanged from me?”

“A reward. You can also think of it as a 'newbie gift pack'. Randomly generated Rememberers will have some special 'rewards'.”

Luo Xi didn't dwell on the card but asked another question: “Wu Rui, what was your initial card?”

“This... I'm sorry, this is my secret and I can't tell you. Besides, it's not within the scope of the transaction.” Wu Rui's refusal was actually very straightforward, without the hesitation in her tone.

“See, trust between people is too fragile. I'm being completely honest with you, but you're still guarding against me,” Luo Xi mocked her.

Wu Rui remained noncommittal. She glanced at the time on her wrist and then stood up. “I'm going to the restroom.”

Luo Xi also glanced at the time. It was exactly ten in the morning.

He suddenly grabbed Wu Rui's wrist and asked a somewhat strange question: “Every time during the Killing Moment, does Brother Mao crawl out of the cabinet?”

Wu Rui was stunned for a moment, recalled, nodded, and then shook her head. “Probably, I'm not sure. It's like last time, if I hadn't gone to the men's locker room, I definitely wouldn't have known that Brother Mao crawled out of the cabinet. And before that, I hadn't seen how Brother Mao transformed.”

“I understand, thank you!”

Luo Xi released her hand.

Wu Rui, who had taken two steps, hesitated for a moment and finally returned, leaning in and whispering, “You'd better hide too. No one can be sure if Brother Mao will start the Killing Time around ten o'clock like last time. Once it starts, it'll be a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. No one can escape. But the Killing Time will only last for an hour. It'll be safe once you get through it.”

Without waiting for Luo Xi to say anything, she quickly left and entered the women's restroom.

Luo Xi didn't move. He rubbed his face at his workstation.

The 'him' in the mirror turned on the mocking mode again, scolding Luo Xi with non-stop trash talk.

“The so-called initial card can actually be understood as some kind of ability. If my card is a card that can save memories twice, then Wu Rui's is most likely a card that allows her to hide, like a safe house. It's very important to her, and it can even be said to be her greatest reliance for survival. She certainly can't tell others casually.”

Luo Xi muttered to himself at this moment.

The 'him' in the mirror was stunned for a moment and was about to say something when a dark shadow stepped forward and pulled the trash-talking persona aside. In the mirror, it became another strange-looking 'Luo Xi', wearing glasses and a suit, dressed like an elite, looking very calm and wise.

“As expected of you, deducing that woman's trump card based on just some previous clues. I think there's at least a 70-80% chance that it's as you said. How ridiculous, she still thinks she's very smart. But it's useless to us. That woman won't cooperate and won't take us to a safe place. If Brother Mao starts the Killing Time in a while, we'll still be dead. Not to mention an hour, we can't even last ten minutes.”

“It's you, long time no see!” Luo Xi raised his eyelids and looked at the 'himself' in the mirror, who was handsome, like a successful CEO, an elite.

“Smart people don't talk nonsense. If you have a way, please hurry up, otherwise I'm afraid it'll be too late when Brother Mao transforms. You have to know that you don't have a memory card now. If you die, it's all over. If you can't do it, please step aside and let me do it. I guarantee I can definitely get through this crisis, and I've already thought of a way.”

Looking at himself in the mirror, wearing glasses and talking eloquently, Luo Xi had no expression on his face.

“Indeed, it's been a long time, so long that you've forgotten how powerful I am. You even think you can deceive me with this clumsy trick? Ha, go back to your corner and read your books, you bookworm!”

Luo Xi cursed.

The bespectacled Luo Xi in the mirror instantly became furious, his features twisted like a demon, but he didn't continue to speak. He just changed his expression, sneered, and slowly retreated into the shadows behind.

The shadows in the darkness were restless at this moment, whispering, but no one dared to step forward and be scolded again.

They were very clear, and they had all personally experienced how terrifying the 'Luo Xi' outside could be when he got serious.

In fact, Luo Xi already had a way to deal with Brother Mao.

It couldn't be said to be a solution, nor was it a way to completely solve the problem. At best, it was a means of delaying time and probing.

It was also very simple to operate.

Before accepting the police inquiry, Luo Xi used the customer service team's public email to send an email to Liu Mao, that is, Brother Mao.

【Mr. Cleaner:

Please come to the men's restroom on the 23rd floor at 18:30 tonight to discuss important matters. Please be on time and don't leave until we meet.

Gao Shengjie, Monday, July 29th】