Memory Fog

Chapter 26 - A Haze of Memory

After finishing their takeout, the Demoness Qingyao began to apply a secret technique to the black-rimmed plain glasses Li Bai had bought.

Wisps of pure energy coiled around the floating glasses, forming strange runes that slowly sank into the transparent resin lenses before vanishing.

Because her cultivation had not yet recovered, and combined with the changes in the world's rules, a secret technique that would have taken only a blink of an eye now took over two hours to barely meet Li Bai's requirements.

The secret technique might not last for three months, but two months were guaranteed at least. She could always reapply it after two months.

The psychological crisis intervention expert arranged by the Provincial Public Security Department had already left. Boss Cui, the owner of Huxi City's Xunfeng Car Dealership, was still rubbing his temples. While his complexion had improved from his previous state of shock, his body still trembled uncontrollably.

The experience in the suburbs of Beilun City, though ultimately without grave danger, had still given Boss Cui a significant scare.

A night passed. In his state of lingering shock, he hadn't managed to get any sleep. The police, seeing he wasn't well, arranged for psychological intervention, which helped him slightly.

"Feeling better? I brought some milk and pastries, just warmed them up. Drink this and get some good sleep, you'll be fine when you wake up."

A burly police officer entered the room carrying a paper bag. He saw Cui Wei sitting on the edge of the bed in his guesthouse room, continuously rubbing his temples, trying to relax.

This was the square-faced policeman who had accidentally revealed his identity during a reconnaissance mission and was kidnapped along with Boss Cui by the Yao Family's smuggling ring. They were fellow sufferers.

Being a public servant, his psychological resilience was stronger. After regaining his freedom, he quickly returned to normal, unlike Boss Cui, who was still in a state of shock.

"Much better! Thank you, Officer Guo."

Despite his words, Boss Cui felt his legs still trembled uncontrollably.

He took the paper bag, took a shaky sip of milk, and ate a couple of honey donuts. The sugar would help secrete dopamine, which could stabilize emotions. A bit of color returned to Boss Cui's pale face.

"Boss Cui, do you remember what happened in the warehouse?"

Officer Guo Wen Kai sat down on the other bed in the room.

"I remember!"

Boss Cui nodded vigorously. Nearly being killed by those vicious desperadoes was probably a memory he would never forget. How could he possibly forget it easily?

"But do you remember who took down those guys and untied us?"

Guo Wen Kai stared intently at Cui Wei, a lingering mystery troubling his mind.

"I..."

Boss Cui opened his mouth but inexplicably got stuck. His eyes widened in alarm as he realized he couldn't recall anyone like that existing, no matter how hard he tried.

"As expected!"

The square-faced policeman, Guo Wen Kai, slapped his forehead. He knew he wasn't the only one harboring this doubt.

Someone had appeared in the Yao Family's smuggled car warehouse, not only untied him and Boss Cui but also took down the smugglers.

Strangely, the two rescued individuals couldn't recall who their savior was. They had no memory of whether the person was male or female, old or young, their height or weight – nothing. It was as if a ghost had suddenly appeared and then inexplicably vanished.

Those bruised and battered desperadoes were also completely bewildered. They couldn't get anyone to tell them what the person who beat them up looked like, no matter how they were questioned.

The only evidence proving this person's existence was the phone recording from the Beilun City 110 emergency center.

Male, under 30 years old. Beyond that, there were no clues.

The national resident database only recorded names, ID numbers, household registration addresses, facial photos, and fingerprints. At most, there was DNA, but no voice recordings.

Within the human ear's audible frequency range of 20Hz-20000Hz, trying to find a lead from the vast population base would result in an alarmingly high overlap rate.

However, the provincial Public Security Department expert who provided psychological intervention for Boss Cui offered a clue: the collective amnesia experienced by so many people might be due to the use of a disabling weapon, followed by interference with everyone's memories using special equipment, or perhaps the effect of hypnosis.

The first possibility was too terrifying.

To deal with a mere smuggling ring, using such advanced, high-tech equipment whose technology was still immature was like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. It would be more plausible if aliens did it.

With such advanced equipment and the inclination to waste time, who would bother messing with a group of smugglers? For instance, fighting a small-scale war, rescuing hostages, or capturing a few major drug lords would be far more meaningful.

If the smugglers secretly harbored by the Yao Family and their smuggling warehouse weren't so deeply hidden, any county-level Public Security Bureau could have easily dealt with this group of smugglers.

While hypnosis could indeed block memories, hypnotizing so many people at once was beyond the capabilities of even the provincial Public Security Department's psychological crisis intervention expert, unless it was a nationally registered hypnosis master.

But these masters, who received special professional stipends every year, were utterly useless in a fight. They could hypnotize everyone involved in this case at once and block related memories, but there was no way they could have beaten those burly, ferocious desperadoes to the point where they could barely recognize their own parents.

In the guest room of the guesthouse designated for the public security system, Boss Cui and Officer Guo fell into silence.

After the smuggling den in the suburbs of Beilun City was raided by the local police, a large amount of crucial information was obtained through overnight interrogations. Under the unified command of the Provincial Public Security Department, the police departments of Beilun City and Huxi City launched a joint operation, solidifying irrefutable evidence of Yao Donghu's involvement in the import car smuggling.

In less than twenty-four hours, all members of the smuggling ring led by Yao Donghu were apprehended, with no one escaping. Several import car dealerships in Huxi City, including Dongling Auto Company, were also sealed off one after another.

The Yao Family plunged into chaos. As Yao Donghu fell into the clutches of the law, his family was immediately placed under residential surveillance. Like a tree falling and its branches scattering, their relatives, friends, and business partners quickly distanced themselves to protect themselves.

Misfortune never comes singly; as if things weren't bad enough, Yao Donghu's elder brother, Yao Dongfei, was also taken away by the police because Yao Gong Auto Trade Co., Ltd., under his name, was involved in selling smuggled engineering vehicles. Another family wept together.

The entire Yao Clan was in a state of panic, with no one knowing who would be arrested next.

"Li Bai's Demoness" had her internet access forcefully cut off by her Great Demon master, but the local Huxi City forum "17th Floor" did not return to calm.

The father of the second-generation rich perpetrator in the murder case, Yao Bing, was implicated in a major case involving high-end imported smuggled cars worth 1 billion RMB. When this news was broken by the media, the entire "17th Floor" forum erupted.

A murder case, falsified mental evaluation, and his father's involvement in smuggling – this was a triple whammy of explosive hot topics.

Even if the Demoness stirred up trouble again, she probably couldn't stop netizens from intensely focusing on the Yao Family. Many people were spreading the news online, proclaiming that heaven's justice prevails and good is rewarded while evil is punished.

As everyone was digging into the Yao Family's past, a post suddenly appeared on the "17th Floor" forum, creating a stir that pushed Li Bai to the same level as the Yao Family.

"Li Bai, an unscrupulous doctor at the Seventh People's Hospital who accepted bribes from the Yao Family and performed fraudulent diagnoses, disregarding professional ethics, is actually a charlatan skilled in dark arts."

The poster, "Falling Moon Full Boat," was a newly registered alt account. The exposé revealed that Li Bai used ancient, evil witchcraft to treat the youngest daughter of the Yuantian Hotel's chairman, disregarding the patient's life and seeking to profit from her death.

The post was heavily embellished, slinging mud and even claiming the witchcraft involved brutally slaughtered cats and dogs, disgusting insects, poisonous herbs and fungi, and even dead infants, among other horrifying things.

Coupled with testimonies from several nannies from the Cao Family and the IDs of various patients Li Bai had treated, the Great Demon Li's reputation online immediately became infamous, even surpassing that of the widely condemned Yao Family.

If Li Bai were to see this post, he would likely immediately suspect the meddling of those old Taoist priests from Qingliang Temple. These guys really know how to keep up with the times.