“Dad.” This time, it was Lu Yanzhou who said it helplessly.
He hadn’t told Old Master Lu about coming to Big Mouth Mountain. Special Assistant Liang had informed Old Master Lu only after he suddenly fainted.
Knowing his father worried about his health, Lu Yanzhou had nothing to say in response to the teasing. After all, he really had rushed over from the Imperial Capital because of Lin Juan.
“Head straight back to the Imperial Capital.” Old Master Lu thought for a moment before speaking.
Even though he had brought the medical team here, the conditions were limited. It simply wasn’t as reassuring as being on his home turf.
Lin Juan also missed his salty fish days at Lu Garden. He muttered complaints to Lu Yanzhou. “You guys have no idea how perverse that illusion was. I slaved away as a corporate slave inside for nearly a year, dragging myself to the lab at 7:30 every day. Other people at least get weekends off, but I worked nonstop all year round!”
“Why did you have to work?” Lu Yanzhou asked in a low voice too.
Lin Juan recounted everything that happened after he entered Big Mouth Mountain, ranting mainly about the exploitative lab while also mentioning some things about No. 1.
Lu Yanzhou seemed very interested in No. 1 and asked for plenty of details.
Mentioning No. 1 made Lin Juan think inevitably of that final scene before leaving the illusion. He felt a pang of sorrow. “Silly No. 1. It clearly didn’t have to go through all that suffering.”
Everything lined up perfectly with the events in his memory. Stormy waves surged in Lu Yanzhou’s heart. After fainting, he really had entered the illusion where Lin Juan was and become No. 1—until Lin Juan broke the illusion and he escaped that illusory body.
“It wouldn’t regret it.” Even knowing it was just an illusion, No. 1 never would have let Lin Juan get hurt right under its watch.
Lu Yanzhou felt certain of that.
“How do you know?” Lin Juan didn’t expect an answer from Lu Yanzhou. He continued on his own. “Well, No. 1 was such a simpleton—huge body, but not the sharpest. If…”
If what?
Lin Juan trailed off without finishing.
No. 1 existed only in the illusion. Even if he ordered 【Memory Recall】 to recreate the exact same one, the new No. 1 wouldn’t be the real thing.
Lin Juan buried all those messy emotions deep inside. He wasn’t the type to show his joy or anger on his face, but Lu Yanzhou knew him well enough to spot his unease.
He reached out and grasped Lin Juan’s hand where it rested on his knee.
Lin Juan turned his head and looked at him in confusion.
“While I was unconscious, I had a dream.”
“In the dream, I woke up inside a massive ring-shaped transparent box. No hands, no feet. Pitch-black eyeballs surrounded me on all sides—and I’d become one myself.”
“At first, I thought it was because I’d eaten that eyeball back then and mutated. But soon I realized that wasn’t it. I saw you outside the transparent box, wearing a white work uniform.”
“An accident hit the lab. Someone opened the Containment Boxes, and the eyeballs swarmed out toward you. I’d only just spotted you—I couldn’t stand by and watch you get devoured.”
Lu Yanzhou went into great detail, and every bit matched Lin Juan’s memories perfectly.
Those memories he’d deliberately suppressed resurfaced as Lu Yanzhou spoke. Lin Juan sat there in a daze, completely still.
Lu Yanzhou’s voice stayed soft, but it hit Lin Juan’s ears like thunder. He didn’t even realize when their fingers had intertwined.
He gripped that hand tightly—gripped Lu Yanzhou’s hand intertwined with his own—his voice trembling faintly. “So after you fainted… you became No. 1?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Lin Juan didn’t care deeply about many people or things. He rarely faced loss. At first, he truly felt nothing for No. 1. But feelings grew from time spent together. No. 1 stuck to him day after day, always so obedient—how could Lin Juan not grow fond of it?
It was like raising an obedient, clingy pet. After caring for No. 1, Lin Juan finally understood why people treasured theirs so much.
In reality, he might never have formed such a deep bond. But in the illusion, they spent every day together. He handled everything for No. 1, and before he knew it, No. 1 had carved out a place in his heart.
And they’d parted in such a brutal way, before he even realized.
Lin Juan had kept himself from dwelling on it. Logic told him nothing in the illusion had been real. There’d never been a No. 1 at all, from start to finish.
He’d worked hard not to sink into those dark moods.
But now Lu Yanzhou was telling him he’d had a dream while unconscious.
Lu Yanzhou was No. 1.
Lin Juan pictured No. 1—even before it fully became No. 1—guarding him with that frail little body.
So fragile. It knew he was strong, knew he wouldn’t get hurt. And yet it pushed through with its dying breath, heedless of its own wounds from the impacts, refusing to let a single eyeball get near him.
Lin Juan’s vision blurred. He struggled to hide the catch in his voice. “Lu Yanzhou, you knew how strong I am. Why? Why…”
It had happened that time in Experiment Zone 5. And during the final explosion too.
“Xiao Juan, Juan Juan, calm down.” Lu Yanzhou drew the trembling youth into his arms. “I couldn’t bear seeing you hurt right in front of me. Juan Juan, I know you’re strong. I just wanted to protect you. Didn’t think beyond that.”
He gently patted the youth’s back. The car’s partition had risen at some point. Old Master Lu rode in a different vehicle—the entire back seat held only the two of them.
“Then why didn’t you tell me? Lu Yanzhou, was it fun watching me stumble around clueless?” Lin Juan knew he sounded petty and unreasonable, but he couldn’t help it.
He’d acted indifferent around others because he’d steeled himself for never seeing No. 1 again—because he’d believed No. 1 had never existed. Now Lu Yanzhou revealed No. 1 was him. All those bottled-up emotions exploded at once.
He was human. He worried. He grieved. He felt every emotion a human should.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you, Juan Juan. Later on, even I didn’t realize I was Lu Yanzhou.”
The steady patting soothed him. After his brief breakdown, Lin Juan quickly pulled himself together. He frowned in confusion. “How could you not know? Did you lose your memory? Was the injury that bad?”
Back then, No. 1 had seemed no different from the other experimental subjects in Lin Juan’s eyes. He hadn’t paid close attention to its condition.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
“No need for sorry.” Lu Yanzhou cupped Lin Juan’s face, his tone utterly serious. “Juan Juan, I’m telling you this not to make you feel guilty. I just want you to know No. 1 protecting you was pure instinct. No. 1 will never leave your side. Don’t grieve over what happened in the illusion.”
“Losing my memories as Lu Yanzhou—the injury was just one minor factor. The real cause was assimilation by the illusion itself, same as those Ability Users it claimed. Even without the injury, my memories still would’ve been suppressed.”
It wasn’t unwillingness to reunite with you. I simply couldn’t anymore.
Even without my memories, instinct drove me to love you.
Lu Yanzhou’s gaze deepened, hiding emotions Lin Juan couldn’t read. Lin Juan stared back blankly, his mind a whirlwind.
One moment it was the real Lu Yanzhou. The next, No. 1 from the illusion.
“Don’t overthink it.” Lu Yanzhou tightened his hold, drawing the youth back into his embrace.
Wrapped in that familiar scent, Lin Juan’s pent-up tension melted away all at once. His eyelids grew heavy.
He fell asleep.
Soft breaths came from his arms. Lu Yanzhou gazed down at the youth in his hold, his eyes brimming with boundless tenderness.
Lin Juan still slept when they boarded.
Lu Yanzhou scooped him up bridal-style and carried him onto the private jet.
Old Master Lu had boarded ahead. He startled at the sight. “What’s wrong with Xiao Juan?”
“He’s asleep.”
Old Master Lu let out a breath of relief, though worry lingered. “Once we’re back in the Imperial Capital, both of you get full medical check-ups.”
Especially Lu Yanzhou—fainting again?
The coma had been brief this time, but Old Master Lu couldn’t shake his concern. That swallowed eyeball was like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment. He needed to accelerate the search for a Healing Awakened.
Lin Juan woke just as the Lu Family’s private jet touched down.
Dusk had fallen, the setting sun a blaze of molten gold. Lin Juan squinted at the sky outside. After his nap, his mood had evened out considerably.
The memory of his earlier outburst made his expression stiffen.
Before awkwardness could settle in, a group of white-coated doctors arrived, cutting off his tangled feelings.
In a haze, Lin Juan underwent a full check-up. From Old Master Lu, he learned Lu Yanzhou had been unconscious for a full week.
That must have been when Lu Yanzhou entered the illusion.
Neither showed major problems. Lin Juan just suffered from sleep deprivation. Back at Lu Garden, he crashed hard for three days straight and bounced back full of energy.
When the illusion came up again, his emotions stayed far more even-keeled.
Lin Juan made a trip to the Anomalous Affairs Bureau.
Fan Xiwen and Mu Xiaowan’s madness stemmed from the eyeballs. Big Mouth Mountain’s Weird Phenomena was resolved, but they weren’t.
Lin Juan intended to check with 【Memory Recall】 for any way to restore Fan Xiwen and Mu Xiaowan.
He cornered 【Memory Recall】. The cleanup took little effort after that. Director Liu brought his team back to the Imperial Capital that same day. Hearing Lin Juan had arrived, he dropped everything to come over.
“Mr. Lin is here.”
“Is 【Memory Recall】 still with you? I have some questions for her.” Lin Juan got straight to the point.
“She is.”
【Memory Recall】’s case was unique. Chu Jifan looked far too human, with an extremely low Pollution Value. The Anomalous Affairs Bureau’s higher-ups had held meetings for days without reaching a consensus on her disposal.
Director Liu’s head throbbed at the mention of 【Memory Recall】. “Any thoughts on how to handle 【Memory Recall】, Mr. Lin?”
Lin Juan shrugged. “Can’t you just do it your usual way?”
Director Liu sighed. “We could, but some folks argue she’s too human-like. Treating her like standard Weird Phenomena feels inhumane. Besides, Chu Jifan’s research holds real value for us—they want her to keep at it.”
Chu Jifan had studied Weird Phenomena years ahead of them, with natural talent to boot. She’d spent ages researching ways to delay and reverse Pollution specifically to save lives. If those findings could be put to use, it’d be a huge win for all of Huaguo.
They no longer believed Weird Phenomena had appeared out of nowhere in recent years. With others so far ahead in research, Huaguo was at a severe disadvantage.
Director Liu got where the higher-ups were coming from. But Chu Jifan was Weird Phenomena now—too unpredictable. No one knew if she could be trusted or how to use her, and they lacked a plan convincing enough for the dissenters.
Three days later, Lin Juan saw Chu Jifan again.
Chu Jifan had changed into familiar researcher garb.
Catching Lin Juan staring, she spoke up first. “I still think this suits me best.”
She gave a faint smile. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Lin?”
“That smile of yours doesn’t suit her at all.” Lin Juan cracked a joke.
Chu Jifan’s smile faded. A hint of complexity entered her gaze toward him.
Lin Juan dragged over a chair and sat. He spotted the silver handcuffs on her wrists and raised a brow. “Handcuffs work on Weird Phenomena too?”
Director Liu, who had escorted him in, explained. “Not regular ones. Latest development from the Experimental Base—suppresses Weird powers.”
Chu Jifan’s status made visits tricky; they required advance applications. Director Liu had simply tagged along with Lin Juan.
