Mysterious Contact Principle (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

This answer made Song Chushi pause. He could tell Han Su was telling the truth, and he could even hear the indescribable loneliness in his words.

After a long while, he took off his glasses and wiped away the fog, then said softly, "Thank you."

It was unclear whether he was thanking Han Su for wanting to save their loved ones or for his cooperation.

Han Su said nothing. Only then did he lower his head and begin eating the Wonton before him, which had long since gone cold.

They did not discuss any more specifics afterward. Song Chushi merely asked Han Su over and over about the details of those monsters. He was extremely meticulous, constantly revising his notes, as though he wanted to ask about every pattern, every scrap of fabric, and the color of the monsters' eyes.

Han Su answered as thoroughly as he could. Considering Song Chushi's identity, as well as his talk of supernatural phenomena, Han Su did not mind giving him enough help to make his investigation go more smoothly.

Song Chushi carefully recorded everything he said. Only when Han Su's account came to a pause did he slowly put down his pen.

As he carefully reviewed his notes, he seemed lost in thought. Then he suddenly asked, "Mr. Han, did you notice something strange about this entire incident?"

"?"

Han Su thought, What part of this damned thing wasn't strange?

"Identity!"

Song Chushi slowly raised his head and looked at Han Su. "When the Kidnapping Case first happened, everyone was shocked by the so-called monsters, the eerie Ancient Castle, and the failed investigation."

"A kidnapping no one in the world believed in was hyped into a nationwide spectacle, which made it easy to overlook another question."

"For example, why you?"

Han Su vaguely understood what Song Chushi was getting at. He quietly watched him, signaling for him to continue.

Song Chushi turned to a fresh page and slowly wrote down several names: "The daughter of the Chairman of Magic Box Group, the sole inheritor of the Lin family in neighboring Manchester, the grandson of an upper councilor from Qinggang City, a child prodigy in archaeology and cryptic texts, a young Go master, a gaming genius..."

"Among the kidnapped children, everyone whose identity was exposed, including my Younger Sister, could be called either wealthy or noble, with extraordinarily distinguished family backgrounds. That was also why this Kidnapping Case caused such a sensation in such a short time."

"As for the children whose identities were never exposed, the fact that they could study abroad alongside those people meant their backgrounds could not have been ordinary either."

"But..."

He slightly raised his head and looked at Han Su. "Who are you?"

"I..."

Han Su sat quietly, savoring Song Chushi's words.

"Among a group of children who either came from exceptional families or possessed extraordinary talent, there was you..."

Song Chushi slowly said, "Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Han, but your family circumstances were not good. The Public Security Bureau's investigation showed that you were raised by a single woman."

"However, after the Kidnapping Case happened, that woman fled the city."

"Even the Public Security Bureau could not find her, nor could they uncover any property under her name. So they could only send you to an orphanage..."

"You were not originally an orphan, but even so, your origins and circumstances were vastly different from those of the other children. So why did you happen to be on that kidnapped bus?"

"..."

His question was precise. It was also something Han Su had pondered countless times without ever finding an answer.

Back then, it was precisely because his identity was so out of place among everyone else's that so many speculations arose.

Some believed he was part of the criminal organization, that he had been on the bus to act as an inside man for the people who kidnapped the children, providing intelligence and location data.

Others believed he had not been kidnapped at all.

They thought that after so many people had suddenly found him, he had made up a story about being kidnapped by monsters just to show off and attract attention.

Unfortunately, he did not remember.

His memories from before the Kidnapping Case contained only a tall, skinny woman with long hair draped over her shoulders, living with him. She seemed to have had a bad temper. He was always beaten, yet after beating him, she would always hold him and weep bitterly.

Everything else was blurry.

Even his appearance on that bus was only a vague memory. Before it happened, that woman had arranged for him to transfer schools.

Afterward, he was suddenly swept into the vortex of discussion across the entire city. All he faced were the doubts and interrogations of the adults around him, while that woman vanished without a trace.

Even the Public Security Bureau could not find any lead on her. They only guessed that because he had caused such a disaster, she feared being implicated and fled the city.

Han Su's expression remained blank. After a long time, he finally looked up at Song Chushi. "So, do you have any theories?"

"There are many theories."

Song Chushi slowly said, "After something happened to you, she disappeared completely. So many powerful and influential people could not find any trace of her. That in itself is very strange."

The subject was not stated too directly, but its meaning had already been made clear.

Han Su understood it all. Though that woman had left very little trace in his life, over the years, he had imagined countless possibilities.

Who exactly was she? His mother?

Then why had she suddenly disappeared after something happened to him?

There were too many possible directions. An ordinary woman would not have had the ability to vanish completely under the watch of so many prominent figures in Azure Harbor. Either she herself was mysterious, with secrets no one knew about.

Or someone had found her after the incident, dealt with her, and done so very cleanly.

Either possibility made a faint, inexplicable tremor rise in Han Su's heart, which had long ceased to stir.

He said nothing. He merely picked up his plastic spoon, lowered his head, and ate the bowl of Wonton that was nearly cold.

"Let's not talk about unhappy things."

After voicing his speculation, Song Chushi and Han Su sat in silence for a while. Then Song Chushi smiled and spoke again. "I haven't returned to Azure Harbor in a long time either. I only came back this time because I wanted to see you and learn more details."

"Besides, I have an idea that might sound a little absurd..."

After a pause, he suddenly asked, "Mr. Han, do you want to prove that you weren't lying?"

Han Su frowned slightly.

Song Chushi continued. His voice seemed somewhat doubtful, but his gaze was earnest. "I want to ask, was this eye of yours also blinded by the monsters in that Ancient Castle?"

Han Su's expression had already turned unpleasant. He coldly looked up at him. "What else? You think I dug it out for fun?"

"Don't misunderstand, Mr. Han..."

Song Chushi hurriedly smiled and explained, "It's just that over the past few years, I've come into contact with quite a few things related to mysticism, and I've thought of some interesting questions."

"I've always tried to uncover the truth behind that Kidnapping Case, but I've run into walls everywhere. Every relevant clue seems to have been deliberately erased. Whenever I feel like I'm about to find something, the trail disappears."

"And you are much the same. I've looked into you. I know you've been troubled by some victims' families in real life. You've repeatedly faced questioning from the Public Security Bureau and tried to tell the truth, but no one has ever been willing to believe you."

"So I began wondering whether we were wrong."

"Whether trying to use real-world logic to find the answer meant we had been searching in the wrong direction from the beginning?"

"What I mean is..."

He gently spread his hands. "What if this Kidnapping Case, which clearly does not conform to real-world logic, can only be investigated using the logic of the Mysterious Side?"

Han Su was slightly taken aback and shifted his body. "Go on."

Song Chushi stared seriously at Han Su's blind eye and said in a low voice, "I only heard a certain theory."

"Mysterious Power does not disappear. Instead, it transfers through any logical contact, and that contact cannot be erased. It continues to exist in reality."

"For example, when it comes to mysterious things, knowing of their existence is a form of contact."

"Thinking of them is another form of contact."

"Seeing them is already quite a deep form of contact."

"And you..."

He paused, his voice filled with mystery. "Those monsters personally gouged out one of your eyes. What level of contact would that count as?"

Han Su froze upon hearing this. It was the first time he had heard someone analyze the matter from this angle.

"Mr. Han, if everything you said is true, if those monsters truly exist and are not things that should exist in reality..."

As Song Chushi spoke, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "Then we can reasonably suspect that the monsters' bizarre power may still remain in your eye."

"And proving that is actually very simple!"

As he spoke, he picked up the silver suitcase he carried with him and took out a voice recorder. "Consider this item my apology gift to you, Mr. Han."

"After all, over the past few years, many victims' families have caused you trouble because of their misunderstanding of the case and their concern for their loved ones."

"But in truth, we victims' families should be thanking you for bringing back clues."

Han Su did not take it. He merely watched him.

Meeting Han Su's scrutinizing gaze, Song Chushi gave a soft smile. "Over the past few years, I've traveled to many places and come into contact with many mysterious things in order to investigate the truth behind that Kidnapping Case. Sometimes I've gone too deeply into it, to the point where even I can no longer tell truth from falsehood."

"The Spell inside was obtained from a Fisherman at Sea Cape Port."

"They believe unknown ghosts and monsters exist at sea, capable of stirring up storms, capsizing their fishing boats, devouring their catch, even killing their family and friends..."

"So before going out to sea, they are accustomed to reciting this ancient Spell and praying for the protection of Mysterious Power."

"They say this Spell can awaken Mysterious Power hidden deep within some people's minds, or disperse certain shadows..."

"You might be able to try it..."

"Perhaps those monsters from the Ancient Castle really did leave some Mysterious Power in your eye?"