In his memory, Qingmu left in a daze. He didn't know why he had followed Liu Daqing to Wuzhong. Liu Daqing was capable and good at interpersonal relationships, but Aoki didn't admire that kind of person. In comparison, he preferred to deal with straightforward and honest people.
Upon arriving in Wuzhong, he became an ordinary employee at the Daqing Woolen Mill, living in a simple dormitory with several other migrant workers from other places.
The wool mill was doing very well, and they quickly expanded their factory. Liu Daqing was a ruthless man; he managed the factory very strictly, and the workers were basically working at full capacity, with no free time at all. Many people called him " Liu the Skinflint " behind his back.
Qingmu didn't seem to mind. He didn't know anyone here, and there was little to do for entertainment. Aside from occasionally going to the internet cafe behind the factory, he almost never went out. Since the few coworkers from out of town who had come with Liu Daqing left, hardly anyone in the factory knew him anymore. The only person he could talk to was Old Bi, who managed the warehouse.
Old Bi came to the factory because of a mulberry tree in the yard. He said that decades ago, the entire Liuying Lane was full of mulberry trees, but after a fire, all the mulberry trees died. The older generation tried to replant them, but they couldn't survive. Instead, many willow trees grew. Later, this place became Liuying Lane.
Old Bi treated the mulberry tree in his yard like a treasure, watering, fertilizing, and weeding it. Not only that, but he would also stand in front of the tree for a while every morning and evening, talking to it. The mulberry sapling was also very promising, growing quickly. However, as the tree grew, it affected the stacking of goods and the entry and exit of vehicles. The factory decided to cut the tree down, but Old Bi disagreed and stubbornly blocked the way, saying, "If you want to cut down the tree, you'll have to cut off my head first and step over my dead body."
Old Bi was a local, well-liked and respected in Liuying Lane, so Liu Daqing didn't dare to go too far, saying that the tree would just grow and take up a corner of the yard. But that day, Old Bi's daughter-in-law was about to give birth, and he went to the hospital. The Liu Family took the opportunity to cut down the tree, leaving only a small section of the roots exposed in the soil.
Qingmu watched from the yard as the tree was being chopped down. He didn't stop it because he couldn't think of a reason, and no one would give him face. His heart ached a little when the tree was cut down, but it quickly subsided.
That night, he went to bed early but couldn't fall asleep. Then he heard someone crying and a pungent smell of burning drifted in through the window.
The scene from my memory lingered once more, along with the Tushu, bathed in the firelight.
Seeing the ever-changing face of Saladin across the firelight, Qingmu asked, "You should know I've lost my memory, so why did you still let Liu Huaian set me on fire and burn me to death?"
"To be honest, I'm a little afraid of you," Saladin said. "I've been afraid of you for a long time! You have immense power, capable of killing without leaving a trace; you are decisive and ruthless, using any means necessary to achieve your goals. Crucially, your personality has drastically changed since you returned from that so-called Holy Land. For a long time, you were on the verge of a mental breakdown. You've consistently exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia, behaving like two completely different people at different times. You also have severe violent and suicidal tendencies! When you wanted to commit suicide, I could see that it wasn't just a momentary lapse of judgment, but rather a very resolute decision."
I sensed danger in your mental state; otherwise, I fear I would have truly died at your hands. After you destroyed the Soul Laboratory, your mental state deteriorated to the extreme of madness. Later, you disappeared, and for a time, I thought you were dead. Although I am lonely without you, it's for the best. At least I won't be constantly worried that you'll discover the secret that I'm still alive.
Later, as the Internet began to flourish and the human chip project entered a critical phase, I saw new hope. As long as the world developed as planned, I would eventually achieve immortality in a world of interconnected things! All the machines, all the people, and even all life in the world would become my tentacles, my hairs, and a part of me! I didn't want anyone to ruin this plan, and just then, you appeared again.
You are the greatest threat to me. Once you learn about the projects Laboratory No. 19 is conducting, especially the progress of human-chip technology, you will definitely think of me and realize I'm still alive. Once you know I'm alive, Internet, you will definitely hunt me down along those metal wires. You will never let me go, nor will you let Laboratory No. 19 go. Your abilities terrify me. If anyone in the world can kill me, it will be you!
"So that's why you orchestrated a massive fire that killed so many innocent people?" Qingmu asked.
Saladin burst into laughter, "This doesn't sound like something you'd say! When did you become so compassionate? Back in the day, you were a ruthless demon king! Did you think so much before you killed me? Fine, you killed me once, and I survived; I killed you once, and you survived too. We're even!"
Qingmu nodded, seemingly unsure whether to agree or disagree, and then asked, "You didn't kill Liu Huaian to silence him?"
Saladin said, "It's not that I don't want to kill him to silence him, but he's really gone mad and out of control. I can't possibly go to great lengths for a Madman. Besides, his life doesn't pose any threat to me; on the contrary, it can serve as a signal to determine whether you're still alive."
"Signal?"
"If you were lucky or miraculously alive again, you would surely be able to uncover the truth behind the fire, find the arsonist, and seek revenge. That way, I would know you were alive, that you had returned. Although things didn't turn out the way I expected, I did know you were still alive through him."
Qingmu said, "As far as I know, Laboratory No. 19 was destroyed, and all the staff and experimenters died, except for Liu Huaian."
Saladin said, "No, no, not only. The fact that you know about this means Liu Huaian isn't the only one alive. Otherwise, who would tell you? In fact, many staff members in Laboratory No. 19 are alive; I just moved them to another location. I know who told you, Xia Xiaoxiao, right? She was on the death list, but someone rescued her. That person is very powerful, just as powerful as you. I was quite shocked and even thought you had been resurrected. Although you were indeed resurrected, I know you didn't do it. The person who rescued Xia Xiaoxiao was someone else, just as powerful as you. This further solidified my decision to move the experimental center to another location."
"So, you destroyed Laboratory No. 19 yourself?!" Qingmu was extremely surprised.
"That's right, just as you guessed."
"Even if you moved to a different location, why kill so many people?"
"While the United States government has many idiots, not all of them are. They have too many of their people planted in the labs; they were aware of my existence long ago and began investigating me. They even traced back to the old Soul Laboratory and found your and my names. But they never imagined I would exist on the Internet; I am everywhere."
Saladin grinned slyly. "I erased all the data they found. Everyone who knew anything, except those I absolutely trust, is on my death list. See, I saved you again. Otherwise, they would definitely have traced it back to you."
"So, Laboratory No. 19 is still there?"
"Yes, it's still there, but it's not called Laboratory No. 19 anymore. I've found a new partner, and it's now called the Shinbu Universe Research Center."
" Kitano Masatake?!"