Chapter 61: Help Me…

Lin Yu felt a deafening hum fill his ears, his breath caught mid-air.

Shit! He remembers! He really remembers!

What the hell did the cleanup team even do?!
Weren’t they supposed to have that fancy memory-erasing device—like the one in Men in Black—just point it at someone’s forehead and “biu,” problem solved?!

Don’t tell me… Luo Shaotian’s willpower was so freakishly strong that even cutting-edge tech couldn’t wipe it clean?!

A flood of panicked thoughts exploded inside his mind like fireworks.

Fortunately, after months of grueling “corporate conditioning,” Lin Yu had at least gained some level of self-control.

Within seconds, he forced a look of confusion and innocence onto his face.

“What’s this about a Red City Gang? I might as well be riding a Red Hare Horse next!”

He blinked rapidly, his expression all wide-eyed bewilderment—pure ‘what nonsense are you talking about?’

“Come on, Shaotian, you haven’t been staying up so late you’re hallucinating, have you? Last time we met was at that barbecue stall in the Hive District, remember? What ‘night’ are you even talking about?”

Luo Shaotian said nothing.
He simply looked at him.

That gaze alone made Lin Yu feel like a prisoner under interrogation—and Luo, the officer in charge.
Well, to be fair, that was his job.

But as the saying goes—
“Confess, and you’ll get leniency… and a lifetime sentence.”
“Resist, and you’ll go home for the New Year.”

No way was Lin Yu confessing.
If his secret got out—if anyone found out a grown man like him turned into a magical girl—he’d be finished.
Not to mention the company might fire him for breaching confidentiality.

That was forty thousand yuan a month on the line!

After a long pause, Luo Shaotian finally spoke again.
His tone grew heavier, sharper.

“I remember it clearly.”

“At the time, you were tied to a rusted iron chair with a thick hemp rope, trembling like a leaf…”

“Then one of those bastards said they’d break your leg, blindfold you, and dump you in District C’s waste plant.”

With every detail Luo recited, Lin Yu’s face turned a shade paler.

No… no way. How does he—how does he remember all that?! Even that crazy woman, Scarlet Fox?!
Something went seriously wrong… where did it all go wrong?!

Luo continued, his voice soft but steady, his eyes distant.

“But then… I saw you, Ah Yu.
Tied up in their hands like that.
And in that moment, every tactical plan, every operation manual I’d ever memorized turned into worthless paper.”

“I’m not a good cop. My mentor used to tell me, ‘Necessary sacrifice is part of the mission. We can’t save everyone.’”

“But I forgot his words.”

A bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped him.
That laughter held the sharp sting of idealism crushed beneath reality.

“Rules are one thing, but real work…”
He trailed off, voice trembling slightly.
“You weren’t my subordinate. You weren’t my relative. Hell, we weren’t even really friends.”

“I just… didn’t want you to die.”

He rubbed his face hard with one hand.

“Damn it. Funny thing is—I probably watched too many cartoons as a kid. All those ‘heroes of justice’ nonsense. Got so hooked I decided to become a cop myself.”

“Thought the job was cool—prestigious, good pay, fulfilling.”

“But in the end…”

He lowered his hand.
The fire in his eyes was gone, leaving only gray ashes.

“I became nothing but a useless… idiot.”

“……”

Lin Yu sat frozen, unable to say a word.

(Luo Shaotian… you ridiculously noble idiot.)
(What the hell am I supposed to say to that?! Damn it, I actually feel bad!)
(I respect you, okay? I really do. But please, for the love of all that’s holy, stop digging! I can’t tell you the truth!)

Seeing the near-panic plastered all over Lin Yu’s face, Luo finally relented.

He stayed quiet for a long while, the sharpness of a trained officer fading into something tired and confused.

He pressed his fingers against his temple as if enduring a throbbing headache.

“…Forget it.”

His voice turned low and hoarse.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking things. My head’s been weird lately… like there’s something missing.”

“Feels like… a chunk of memory’s been forcibly erased from my brain.”

“I keep trying to remember, but all that comes back are fragments… and this blinding flash of pink light.”

Lin Yu swallowed hard, throat dry.

“Shaotian… buddy, maybe you’ve just been working too hard.
Seriously, you need a break. I’ll go downstairs, grab us some beer, yeah?”

“Work’s not worth losing your mind over! You’re still on medical leave anyway, right? I’ll drink with you. A few bottles, a good night’s sleep—you’ll feel way better, hahahaha!”

Just then—

“Ding-dong~ Your ‘PinHaoMeal’ delivery has arrived! Please check your order~ ❤”

A sugary, girlish voice chimed from Lin Yu’s wrist.

“Oh… my food. Finally.”

He stood up slowly—

—and froze.

“Eh—?”

Before he could react, Luo Shaotian grabbed his wrist in an iron grip and shoved him back against the cold wall!

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”

Lin Yu yelped, instinctively trying to pull away, but the man’s grip was like burning metal—impossible to escape.

Luo’s piercing gaze bore into him.
But he wasn’t looking at Lin Yu’s eyes.

He was staring at Lin Yu’s wrist.

At the Contract Bracelet.

“This thing…”

Luo’s voice was soft but resolute.
“…I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.”

“What?!”

Lin Yu’s mind went blank.

(Seen it?! Impossible! Manager Qian just gave it to me! How could—)

“I remember now…”

Luo’s eyes lost focus, his tone distant.

“That night… in the blinding pink light…”

“I think… I saw a girl.”

“She was wearing something strange—like a maid outfit…”

“Her hair was gray. Her eyes… green.”

“And on her wrist…”

Luo’s gaze snapped sharply back into focus—

—and locked onto Lin Yu’s face.

“She was wearing a bracelet just like yours!”

“!!!”

Lin Yu felt an invisible hand clamp around his throat.
He couldn’t speak.

All he could do was stare, wide-eyed, as Luo’s questioning gaze grew sharper, closer, suffocating.

(No way… he’s remembering?!)
(No, no—it’s fragmented! He just remembers my transformed self!)
(There’s still hope! I can still—)

But before Luo could say another word—

Crack.

A faint popping sound came from above.

Then—

Pop! Pop! Pop—!

The entire room—and the city lights beyond the window—were swallowed by blackness in an instant.

A blackout?

The sudden darkness drenched the room like a bucket of ice water, dousing their tense standoff.

“What the hell?!”

Lin Yu gasped, his voice trembling with a mix of panic… and relief.

Luo immediately released his wrist.

“It’s fine.”

Even in the dark, his voice was steady, calm—oddly reassuring.

“Probably a transformer issue or a short circuit. Stay put. I’ll grab my phone.”

“O-Okay…”

Lin Yu nodded, still frozen against the wall, too afraid to move.

He heard Luo’s footsteps shuffle toward the coffee table, the faint rustle of fabric… and the pounding of his own heart.

(…Saved?)

The thought flickered through his mind.

(Whatever happened, thank God this interrogation’s over—at least for now.)

But that relief lasted only a heartbeat.

Because—

“Help me.”

A woman’s voice, soft and faint, drifted through the darkness.

Lin Yu’s entire body went rigid.
He stopped breathing.

Across the room, Luo froze mid-motion.

“…Did you hear that?”

His voice was low, taut with caution.

“Y-Yeah…” Lin Yu stammered, his throat dry.
“Probably the TV next door… or upstairs…”

“No.”

Luo’s reply came instantly, firm.

“It’s too close.”

His tone grew grim, his words heavy with certainty.

“It sounds like…”

“…it’s coming from inside this room.”

Every hair on Lin Yu’s body stood on end.
His scalp tingled.

Then—

“So cold…”

The woman’s voice came again.
Clearer.
Nearer.

Lin Yu could even hear the faint chattering of her teeth.

“Hallucination?” Luo muttered.

“N-No,” Lin Yu whispered, his teeth clattering uncontrollably.

Because he saw it.

He saw where the voice was coming from.

With a trembling hand, he pointed toward the full-length mirror beside him.

“Th-there… over there…”

Luo found his phone and turned on the flashlight.
The beam cut through the dark—

—and then stopped.

Because he saw it too.

In the reflection—
a woman hung suspended from the ceiling.

Her face was swollen and bluish-purple.
Her eyes bulged, bloodshot like cracked glass.
Her mouth gaped wide, a blackened tongue dangling limply out.

But the worst part—
was that her eyes…

were staring right at them.

Then, the tongue twitched.
Fat, wriggling maggots crawled out from her mouth and fell.

Lin Yu felt something heavy strike his head—something that moved.

Help…

The voice came again.
From above.

Help… me…

Lin Yu slowly, painfully tilted his head upward—

—and saw the woman’s face twist into a smile.