As they were not worried about Wei Hu’s safety, the two waited in place for a while, and sure enough, within three minutes, Wei Hu came back through the crowd.
“I used 5% of my memory to buy something.”
Wei Hu’s face was unable to hide his excitement, he looked at Chu Huai: “If I stay here for a full 100 days, I only need to pay 45% memory tax, the remaining 5% is extra. I didn’t think too much about it, and just bought it, so it happens to be 50%.”
Chu Huai’s expression sank. Wei Hu was not wrong in his statement. The decision to buy or not to buy was up to them.
In theory, as long as Wei Hu doesn’t buy anything else in the future, he won’t lose more than 50% of his memories. But what if there were other things that they didn’t know yet that would surely consume memories?
Wei Hu had no room for maneuvering now. But Chu Huai knew without guessing that what Wei Hu bought was more important than his own life to some extent.
Wei Hu’s gaze fell on their clasped hands and he smiled tactfully: “Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll go back first.”
After Wei Hu finished speaking, he hurried back. He bought some false memories, and after he went back and lay down on the bed, he could see his daughter in his dreams.
Since his daughter’s suicide, Wei Hu had been unable to sleep at night, longing for her to come to him in his dreams, almost going crazy, but he never dreamt of her once. Tonight, he could finally have a good dream.
Chu Huai felt bored and was about to suggest going back when he heard the street vendor ahead shouting: “Do you want to know secrets? Whether your lover truly loves you or is just pretending, is there someone else in their heart? Whether the climax on the bed is real or just acting? Did you really break up for the reason on the surface? Where is the crux of the misunderstanding…?”
Chu Huai stopped in his tracks.
Jin Tianyi was taken aback, not expecting to be tempted by this. He said: “Do you have any secrets you want to know?”
Chu Huai nodded, curious.
Without saying anything, Chu Huai approached and asked the vendor: “Can you know any secret?”
The vendor nodded firmly and said: “I will fulfill any request you have.”
He opened his coat, revealing the small demon he kept inside, just like the tax collectors before him.
Chu Huai had seen it before and was not afraid, even taking the opportunity to study it more closely.
As he got closer, he noticed that the demon was slightly different from the one he had seen before. There was a red mark on its shoulder, like some kind of special symbol.
Chu Huai pointed to Jin Tianyi and said: “Can you access memories that even he doesn’t know about?”
He was curious about what Jin Tianyi had lost in terms of memories. He wanted to know what the complete Jin Tianyi was like.
Jin Tianyi was surprised by this request, but it didn’t seem to bother him. However, Chu Huai wanted to know the full extent of Jin Tianyi’s being.
The vendor readily agreed: “I can do that.”
Chu Huai was really interested and was about to agree when Jin Tianyi interrupted him and took hold of him, leading him away.
Chu Huai was immobilized and annoyed: “Don’t you want to know? Why are you stopping me?”
“If we are going to buy something, I will be the one to buy it. Besides, if we have to stay for a hundred days, there’s no rush. You just disagreed with Wei Hu’s approach earlier. What’s the rush now?”
Chu Huai stopped struggling, realizing he was in the wrong. Jin Tianyi continued in a gentle voice: “I know you care about me, but don’t harm yourself in the process.”
They were too close, in public. Chu Huai blushed and broke free: “Okay, okay, I get it.”
Jin Tianyi smiled: “Besides, what if I was a heinous criminal before losing my memory, or had been married with children running around? Or if we had a grudge before…?”
Chu Huai ground his teeth: “Are you looking for a fight?”
Jin Tianyi stopped smiling: “I’m serious.”
He looked back at the vendor selling secrets in the distance. Memories and secrets were like Pandora’s box. He had no idea what would fly out if he opened it.
Jin Tianyi was not completely fearless.
Chu Huai sensed his apprehension and suddenly smiled: “You’re right in front of me. I don’t believe you would do anything that goes against the law of heaven and earth, and if I had to guess, you would be… kind and compassionate, seeking to help others.”
Chu Huai took his time considering his words before finally selecting the last two. Jin Tianyi found it amusing but also felt his heart soften.
Returning to their lodgings, Wei Hu was wrapped in a blanket, muttering to himself, and Chu Huai didn’t want to pry into other people’s privacy, so he went straight to his side. He faintly heard Wei Hu repeating a name “Xiao Yun”.
Chu Huai looked up and whispered to Jin Tianyi: “You go back? See you tomorrow during the day?”
“Go back?” Jin Tianyi smiled: “Isn’t there a bed here?”
Chu Huai glanced at the two-meter-long and one-meter-wide bed and gave him a white look. “How are we going to sleep?”
He wanted to stay with Jin Tianyi for safety reasons, but there was really nowhere to sleep. He felt restrained even by himself, let alone adding the much taller Jin Tianyi.
Jin Tianyi chuckled and said: “You can sleep on top of me.”
Chu Huai’s cheeks turned red, and his whole body stiffened. He strained his neck and said: “I have a roommate. Can you not think about those things all the time… umm.”
Jin Tianyi leaned down and kissed him: “I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking you might be cold.”
Chu Huai was about to bite him, but hearing those words, his expression became dazed for a second, and his lips slightly parted.
It feels good to have someone care about him and know whether he’s cold or hot…
Chu Huai smiled.
In the past, he felt that walking in the cold winter, feeling the warmth and pain, made him sober and kept him from turning back or stopping.
But looking forward, he didn’t know where the endpoint was. It was like being a floating duckweed, experiencing humility in resistance, and continuing to resist because of that humility, endlessly.
Chu Huai looked at Jin Tianyi’s face, but he always seemed to hear the sound of melting snow and cracking ice.
Jin Tianyi stayed as a matter of course, and on the tenth day, he went back once and made an appointment to go to a party after they finished their taxes on the eleventh day.
As they got more familiar with each other, the second time they paid taxes, Chu Huai shared some similarly insignificant memories.
When it was Wei Hu’s turn, he had a troubled expression.
Chu Huai glanced at him. He hadn’t gone to the West Market openings after that, because there was something he wanted to buy there.
Going there once would only tempt him again, so he decided not to test his willpower and simply didn’t go.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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When Wei Hu asked this question, his eyes were red, and he looked disheveled, as if he had gone through a fierce struggle in his mind before reluctantly asking.
His anxious and eager expression made it seem like he was addicted to drugs.
Chu Huai didn’t want to act like a saint. If he was underage, he would try to manage and help, but at Wei Hu’s age, the decisions he made were carefully considered.
He didn’t need Chu Huai to explain the details of cause and effect; Wei Hu understood them all.
Moreover, Chu Huai has also come to his senses recently. He doesn’t need to feel sad for those who can never leave the Memory City. After all, not everyone’s goal is to return to reality.
In the past ten days, he also discovered that many people are willing to stay.
They feel that the Memory City is more perfect than the terror world and the real world.
Although life is unchanged, the memories and dreams they purchase can make their lives colorful. As long as they lie down on the bed, they can have everything in their dreams.
Once the sleeping time is longer than the waking time, the dream world becomes more real, and waking up is just a dream.
A monotonous and short dream that can be sustained by eating and meeting basic needs. Then they can continue to lie down and return to that gorgeous world.
There, the dead live again, the old remain young, and the sins are compensated. The tragic life has restarted.
Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed of Zhuangzi.
At a certain moment, Chu Huai suddenly understood why the clothing, food, housing, and transportation in the Memory City were so shoddy and rough, and why the West Market was only open for two hours every two days.
It was because it was painful to be awake, so the residents here strongly demanded brevity. Because they don’t care about how they eat, dress, and use things in this world, as long as they can fill their stomachs and not freeze to death.
At this time, Wei Hu had already paid his taxes.
The enthusiastic woman said again: “Shall I take you to the mating party tonight?”
Chu Huai thanked her with a smile, and the woman blushed and left.
Turning around, Wei Hu looked at Chu Huai sitting at the table, with a confused and dull expression. After a while, he laughed with some innocent and unfamiliar expression: “Young man, are you also a resident? Are we roommates?”
Chu Huai was taken aback.
Wei Hu didn’t remember him. Wei Hu had just given away all memories of his friends.
Chu Huai felt complicated in his heart, smiled, and said: “Yes, I came in ten minutes earlier than you. I just went around outside. Every dormitory around here has two people living in it…”
Wei Hu scratched his head: “Why do I feel like I’ve heard this before? Did someone say it? Why don’t I remember?”
Chu Huai tried and found out that Wei Hu had even forgotten what he said to Chu Huai when he first came in.
Chu Huai spent some time explaining what he had discovered in the past few days and notified him to attend the mating party tonight, which can be considered as doing everything possible.
At noon, the temperature suddenly soared without any transition, and Memory City entered… summer.
Chu Huai was napping when he was abruptly awakened by the heat. He took off his clothes and went to open the window, only to find that the withered trees had grown lush and leafy.
If the previous temperature was between -10 to -15 degrees, now it might have exceeded 40 degrees.
Chu Huai finally understood that the red and blue letters on the calendar represented the seasons.
In Memory City, ten days make up one season, with blue representing the harsh winter and red representing the hot summer.
However, he didn’t know if this sudden temperature rise had anything to do with the mating party.
In the evening, Chu Huai and Wei Hu were led to the mating building.
Chu Huai had come to this area before when he was wandering around, but he never imagined that this completely transparent building would be the location of the party.
The exterior of the building resembled an octagonal fish tank, about ten stories high, with glass windows and doors that were wiped extremely clean. The scenes inside could be seen clearly from the outside.
Chu Huai was a little nearsighted and could only see a white mass inside from outside, while Wei Hu’s face began to turn red.
Wei Hu stuttered: “Should we not go in?”
“What’s wrong?” Chu Huai asked as he walked forward, while Wei Hu hesitated and grabbed his sleeve, but it was too late.
Through the polished glass, Chu Huai saw the grand mating scenes inside the building.
Although it was a party, there was nothing in the building except for beds and sofas. The beds were arranged side by side, neatly and orderly, like hospital wards.
At this moment, countless people were moving on the pristine beds, and the scene was shocking. Wei Hu couldn’t catch his breath for a long time.
He couldn’t understand why the people in Memory City, who were also residents, had opened up to such an extent when it came to sex.
Chu Huai quickly recovered from the initial shock and lazily walked in. Wei Hu was surprised: “What are you doing…”
Chu Huai said: “They’re all naked, which makes it convenient for me to see if they have the same heavenly mark that we, as players, have.”
“…You’re really bold,” Wei Hu coughed: “You have a really big heart.”
He felt his emotions rising just by looking at it for a moment, but Chu Huai could walk in so naturally. It’s really…
Due to time constraints, Chu Huai and Jin Tianyi agreed to meet at the mating party. Chu Huai walked in but didn’t see Jin Tianyi.
He walked along the beds, ignoring the debauchery sounds that filled his ears, and even stopped to carefully observe the bed in front of him.
Wei Hu doesn’t know why, but he has a little bit of an uncontrollable urge to move closer to the bed. He tries to hold back and stands stiffly at the doorway, trying to stay away from the temptation.
Wei Hu notices that many people are like him, standing awkwardly near the door, looking around, and rubbing their hands.
There are also many people hesitating whether or not to approach the chaotic gathering place. Some have already approached the bed with a dazed look, then suddenly shake their heads and escape in embarrassment.
Chu Huai came over and said: “Those… who are ‘exercising’ on the beds don’t have a heavenly mark on their bodies.”
Wei Hu realized and asked uncertainly: “Are they the 2nd generation?”
“Yes,” Chu Huai pondered: “according to previous speculations, the first generation are residents, and the second generation are their offspring. Due to mixed and complicated relationships and inbreeding, the second generation doesn’t have heavenly marks.”
Wei Hu offered his conjecture: “Did the first generation not come? Is the mating party actually a second-generation event?”
Chu Huai shook his head: “It shouldn’t be. Aren’t we first-generation? We are also allowed to come here. There should be first-generation…”
The rest of Chu Huai’s words got stuck in his throat. He suddenly looked up and looked at those people who stood far away, looking awkward.
Wei Hu saw that he suddenly stopped talking and asked in confusion: “What’s wrong?”
Chu Huai smiled: “Didn’t you say you wanted to find the residents who came in with us?”
“I said that?” Wei Hu was confused.
Chu Huai remembered that Wei Hu had forgotten about his friends, and shook his head: “It doesn’t matter. I think… I might have found them.”
Chu Huai went straight to the group of people standing still. They looked at him warily, afraid that he had bad intentions.
Chu Huai thought for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed, but also felt that as a big man, there was nothing to be ashamed of.
He simply took off his shirt, turned his back, and showed them his vivid heavenly mark at the base of his spine.
The group of people were stunned for a moment, and then showed joy on their faces. Those who were quick to act also began to take off their clothes, and the shine of the heavenly marks filled the air. A group of people had found their organization.
A few women felt a little embarrassed to take off their clothes, but they all nodded, indicating that they also had heavenly marks.
After a brief negotiation, Chu Huai asked: “How many of your memories have you sold?”
The crowd was stunned, and they all answered one after another. The vast majority were between 15% and 30%, and there wasn’t a single person who had sold any memories except for paying taxes.
Chu Huai understood, after all, they didn’t know about the 50% proportion. Speaking of which, if he hadn’t had the good fortune to meet the old man, he might not have hesitated to spend his memories to buy things after paying taxes.
Based on this calculation, if they want to stay here for a full hundred days, those who have sold memories less than or equal to 15% still have hope of leaving, but if it goes higher…
Is it really a death sentence silently pronounced?
Chu Huai frowned slightly, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
It shouldn’t be. If that were the case, then these people’s days ahead would be waiting to die, no matter what they did, they wouldn’t be able to redeem themselves, and could only wait until the 100 days were over, being condemned
And they know nothing during these 100 days, which is akin to a slow death.
This is too passive, unlike the usual style of the instance. So they must be able to do something.
Amidst the embarrassing noise from the side, Chu Huai called everyone over and calmly shared the information he knew with them.
Some people turned pale, but after all, they were all people who had experienced more than five copies, and they showed the necessary psychological qualities without making a fuss or breaking down emotionally.
“Why should you be the one to meet that old man who knows all this… If I knew, I wouldn’t have easily sold my memories.” A tall, dark-skinned man said indignantly.
He was the one with the highest proportion of sold memories.
A calm woman next to him sneered: “Luck is sometimes a kind of strength.”
Another person said despondently: “What should we do… I will exceed fifty percent after paying taxes five more times, isn’t that equivalent to certain death?”
Chu Huai shook his head: “Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s not all luck factor. Suppose I didn’t meet that old man, then I would be exactly the same as you.”
“But he shouldn’t have appeared in the first place. He is definitely not a guide NPC, so rest assured, the world won’t leave us with no way out. Besides the 50%, there must be other ways to let us return to reality smoothly.”
The cool and beautiful woman from earlier looked at Chu Huai and frowned: “Is refusing to pay taxes feasible?”
This is obviously the easiest method to think of.
The people’s eyes lit up.
“Yes, there are so many of us. As long as we refuse to pay taxes and resist those people, if we succeed, we can all survive…”
But Chu Huai shook his head decisively: “No, that won’t work.”
The crowd was puzzled, and a few even had a hint of hostility in their eyes.
In their eyes, Chu Huai’s situation was different from theirs. They were not in the same boat, and Chu Huai only needed to endure and not sell his memories to smoothly leave the memory city. He had no reason to help them, so they thought he was just talking big and immediately denied the woman’s dangerous proposal.
The composed woman furrowed her eyebrows and observed the situation carefully. She spoke openly to Chu Huai: “I’m sorry, but we can’t just take your word for it. After all, it concerns our lives. So, may we hear your thoughts?”
Everyone nodded, apologetically.
Chu Huai wasn’t offended and urgently asked about Jin Tianyi: “You’ve been here for a while and must have seen many elderly people who haven’t left, right?”
The woman nodded, suddenly seeming to understand. “You mean, whatever we can think of, they can too. So, if they didn’t do it, it’s highly likely they tried and failed.”
Everyone suddenly realized this.
“Of course, I don’t mind if you want to try. But you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
Chu Huai paused and added: “When I said there was a way out, I wasn’t lying to you. I didn’t have any motive to harm anyone, right?”
Chu Huai laughed halfway through his sentence: “Of course, I also don’t have any motive to save anyone. Just think of me as bored.”
Chu Huai found it amusing how good intentions needed to be explained even in a terrifying world.
Suddenly, Chu Huai thought of the old man. The old man probably didn’t sell his memories since his speech and hatred towards the roommate who purchased the “Spring Dream” could be seen indirectly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sacrificed his life just to hold on to the last bit of memory.
But if he didn’t sell his memories, why didn’t he leave?
For 100 days, all he needed to do was pay 45% in taxes, right?
There were two known ways to sell memories – either pay taxes or purchase memories and dreams. If he didn’t buy them, why didn’t he leave?
Chu Huai was shocked.
Could there be a third way to sell memories that nobody knew about?
Did the old man not tell him because he ran out of time, or did he already sell that part of his memory? Or did the old man not know, and that’s why he didn’t leave?
Chu Huai took a deep breath and reassured everyone: “The old man didn’t sell his memories, but he also didn’t find a way out. So my situation isn’t any better than yours. Instead of arguing about who has more remaining memories, let’s think about how to find another way out.”
Despite his gentle appearance, Chu Huai’s eyes were sharp and his thinking was agile, making people want to trust and follow him.
The woman nodded, hesitating for a moment before asking: “Should we gather together from now on?”
Chu Huai shook his head. “It’s useless.”
The woman, unwilling to lose face, turned white and then red at his firm response.
The tall man among them was impatient, as they were all the elite residents from various apartments and no one was willing to submit to another.
He was about to make a sarcastic remark when he realized that Chu Huai’s thinking was clear, so he forced himself to listen.
Chu Huai asked instead: “Are all of you living together in pairs?”
Everyone nodded.
The woman was wary: “How do you know?”
Chu Huai pointed to the tall man next to him and said expressionlessly: “I can smell your perfume on him.”
The man sniffed and was embarrassed to find it was true. The woman blushed too.
The man asked: “What does that have to do with not gathering together?”
Chu Huai was really annoyed and smiled innocently: “Brother, did you only use your brain to grow taller?”
“You!” The man was angry and ashamed.
The woman, still relatively calm, said: “I understand what you mean now. There’s no need for us to gather together.”
Chu Huai shrugged.
She continued on his behalf: “If gathering together was useful, why would the residents be separated into the same dormitory? Wouldn’t it be better to make us live with the second generation? Or even better, one person per room? I believe it wouldn’t be difficult for the controllers of Memory City.”
Someone nodded: “Yes, now that you mention it, I understand. In my dormitory building, not even half of the rooms are occupied, so it’s completely possible to have one person per room.”
The gazes of the crowd towards Chu Huai were varied.
Chu Huai couldn’t be bothered and asked again: “One last question, you all must answer me truthfully. That’s my reward for telling you so much. Do you have a problem with that?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Chu Huaixiao smiled and immediately became friendly and lively: “I’ll say it first, don’t blame me if my language is rough.”
Woman: “Go ahead.”
“I have a question. If you really want to have sex with someone or really want someone to have sex with you, raise your hand.”
As soon as Chu Huaixiao spoke, the expressions of the crowd immediately became lively. A few thin-skinned people blushed and didn’t expect him to suddenly change the tone.
“I’m serious, not joking,” Chu Huaixiao said impatiently when no one spoke.
“Let’s do this. You line up from really wanting to not wanting at all, and privately communicate where you stand.”
“Really?”
“Really really,” Chu Huaixiao said: “Hurry up, I’m not playing a prank on you. I’m not that bored. Let me go first.”
Chu Huaixiao stood aside after speaking: “I really don’t want to be…”
Someone was puzzled, “To be what?”
Chu Huaixiao almost said the wrong thing and his ears turned red. He perfunctorily said: “It’s nothing, I really don’t want to be with someone.”
A few of the more straightforward individuals started to line up.
Chu Huaixiao quickly came to the conclusion that the higher the proportion of sold memories, the easier it was to be affected by sexual desires and long for sexual intercourse.
That’s why all the beds were occupied by the second generation.
Chu Huaixiao was not affected at all, but the others in the apartment were distracted and kept swallowing saliva, emitting a hot and lustful aura.
“Thank you for your cooperation. If you need me, come find me in Room 428, Bed 2, Building 47 in the West District.”
The crowd looked at him and were at a loss.
Chu Huaixiao returned to his original position, but found that Wei Hu was gone. He stood on tiptoe and looked around, but didn’t see Wei Hu, but he saw Jin Tianyi.
Suddenly, there was a commotion from the second floor, followed by the sound of sharp glass breaking, and it fell from the second floor, injuring several young people who were drowning in lust.
Screams were heard all around.
Chu Huaixiao was startled.
Jin Tianyi pointed upstairs and Chu Huaixiao nodded. The two went upstairs.
Wei Hu held a piece of broken glass in his hand, with blood dripping from his palm. His eyes were bloodshot, his muscular arms trembling like an enraged bull, ready to charge toward a young man who was standing not far in front of him, completely naked.
“I’ll kill you!”
The delicate girl, protected by Wei Hu behind her, pointed at Wei Hu and said fearfully: “This man… he’s gone mad!”
Wei Hu turned his head and looked at her: “Xiao Yun, don’t be afraid! Daddy’s here!”
Xiao Yun? Chu Huai was startled and glanced at Jin Tianyi.
This name had been heard by them hundreds of times every day in the past ten days or so, and they were no strangers to it.
When Wei Hu was sober, Chu Huai also indirectly asked him about Xiao Yun, who was his daughter’s name.
Whenever Chu Huai asked more questions, Wei Hu would fall silent, apparently involving some gray memories that he didn’t want to share with others.
“What Xiao Yun? I don’t know you! Why are you obstructing us…” The girl was terrified. She hung her head, but a dark purple flash appeared in her eyes.
(T ^ T)
But… purple flash? (・・?)
Like a purple light/glint
Oh no, I meant I was wondering what it was caused by or what it was
Thank you for the update!
Wow, calm dawn, man
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
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