Taking a Loss

"Not necessarily," Xu Huo said. "At least I'm a good person."

Jiang Jiang suddenly laughed. At first it was a muffled chuckle, then she burst out laughing, and finally she doubled over, laughing so hard she could barely stand. After a while, she wiped away her tears. "Thank you. That's the funniest joke I've heard all year."

For some reason, Xu Huo laughed too. "When I was young, I received treatment at a psychiatric hospital. There should have been a doctor treating me back then."

"I say 'should' because I don't remember this doctor in my normal memories. I only discovered his existence after taking medication that stimulated my mind."

"I'm missing some of my memories. That wouldn't normally be a big deal. You don't have to remember everything or figure out every question to live your life. But among the memories I've lost is my older brother's death. To this day, I don't know why or how he died. And the memories I originally had have become a little blurry because of that doctor's appearance. But I'm certain of one thing: he died because of me."

"So I have to get to the bottom of what happened to him."

"Shang Shuming—or whoever's playing Shang Shuming—might not be the doctor from back then, but he's my only lead." Xu Huo gripped Eye of the Deceased, his gaze cold. "You're a decent person. I hope you'll tell me the truth."

Jiang Jiang glanced at the two players behind her, who were still wandering in circles, looking confused. Song Xu and the other man, who had gone after the Ghost Shadow, hadn't returned yet. "Looks like you've already taken control of the others. No matter how I explain things, you won't believe me, will you?"

Xu Huo nodded at the paintbrush in