When Xue Zhi asked him that question, Han Su could only ask honestly, "Why?"
"Because our city was never supposed to be like this."
Xue Zhi sat opposite Han Su, his expression calm. But his hands kept rubbing together and fidgeting. At times, his fingers tapped at empty air as if he were typing on a nonexistent keyboard, or moved like a pen as if he were calculating something.
If you looked at his face and hands separately, you would have been sure they belonged to two different people. The contrast in their states was startling.
"I realized there was something wrong with this city a long time ago. I have Mr. Chen Gang to thank for that."
His voice sounded calm, even a little slow.
But he was speaking deliberately slowly, as if to make sure the other person understood. "He's the Secretary Number 5 you mentioned. When he first came to me, I was only six years old."
"At the time, he hadn't left the Crystal Skull organization, so he was responsible for finding suitable people to develop into new Crystal Skull members. Because I had certain congenital disorders, he chose me and tried to corrupt me."
"Six years old, and you were corrupted?"
Han Su's expression tightened. "Then what happened?"
"Then I freed myself from his corruption."
Xue Zhi continued calmly, "I have hyperthymesia. That means I never forget anything I've experienced."
"It's not a cool condition. More often than not, the brain's limited capacity eventually makes you go mad."
"But fortunately—or unfortunately—while I have hyperthymesia, I also lack the secretion of a certain hormone. That means I can't control the state of my thoughts."
"I have to think intensely every moment. My brain is like a bottomless monster. If I stop thinking, it starts devouring me,