Volume 2: The Undersea City Chapter 43: Memory of the Knife
"What... are you talking about?" Ke Lan looked at Asano Akira with suspicion, then looked at the... knife in his arms.
Could this guy be a severe fetishist with delusional disorder?
He had indeed heard that some soldiers would imagine the gun in their hands to be a beautiful girl, and would call the weapon "wife" all day long... There were also reports in the early years that someone used a gun to masturbate, but accidentally pulled the trigger, and the gun chamber happened to be loaded with bullets... No, it was a tragedy .
"My knife is my eyes, it will not deceive me." Asano Akira said firmly.
"Ah, this..." Ke Lan couldn't help but fall silent. This symptom seemed to be in the late stage...
"I know you don't believe me," Asano Akira hesitated and said in a very low voice, "Can you let me go in and tell you in detail? This is confidential."
"Uh... okay." Ke Lan nodded quickly. Even if Asano Akira hadn't made any request himself, he wouldn't have left him out. After all, were friends who had risked their lives for each other.
"It might be a bit messy in there..." Ke Lan put his eyes close to the door lock. A red light net swept across his irises, and with a crisp "click", a small gap appeared in the metal door.
"What would you like to drink? But I only have purified water and instant coffee here... Oh, and a box of lemon-flavored soda, but it should have expired a long time ago..." Ke Lan pushed the door open and walked in.
"Water will do."
Two aluminum alloy cups were placed on a dining table that was less than one square meter in size. The water in each cup just covered the 100-milliliters mark - drinkable clean water is also a very precious resource, especially water with a purification level of four or above. This type of water has no radiation, no pollution, is clear and transparent, and tastes sweet. Of course, the price is also very considerable.
These two cups of Grade 4 water are no cheaper than a bottle of "Roland Malt Craft Beer".
If the Hound were here, he would definitely curse "luxury".
"It's level four water." said Asano Akira.
"We have to bring some good things to entertain guests." The only chair in the room was given to Asano Akira, and Ke Lan sat on the edge of the bed.
"Let's get down to business." Asano Akira put down the cup. "Have you heard about the telekinetic human experiment?"
Ke Lan shook her head.
"I was previously affiliated with this experimental unit."
"I thought your troops were all experts in using cold weapons..." Ke Lan said, "But what is this telekinesis?"
"This ability originated from the Alpha Civilization. A hunter found a device in the ruins that can multiply the power of living beings' thoughts. People at the research institute discovered that when the power of thoughts reaches a certain level, it will have the ability to change reality."
"...Is this a fantasy novel?" Ke Lan almost choked on the water in his mouth. "Can I understand from this...when the mind is strong enough, then 'what you wish for' can come true?"
"Almost. But it's not as magical as you described. With that device, the most you can do is use your mind to control some weapons, such as swords, guns, etc."
"'Flying Fairy with a Sword'? Okay, it seems that this is not a fantasy novel... it is a fairy tale..." Ke Lan glanced at Asano Akira's sword again and asked tentatively: "Then... then can you make it fly?"
"I can't do it." Asano Akira's hand gently stroked the scabbard, "But it bears the imprint of my thoughts. It is a part of my body."
"...To be honest, Asano, I don't really understand this...this..." Ke Lan suddenly found that she was at a loss for words.
"They tried to expand human will to the limit. To that extent, perhaps what you said could be realized...but the experiment failed. Everyone who participated in the experiment was a failure. No one succeeded. Many people died, and even more went crazy...The closer people are to that threshold, the more miserable their ending will be. My ability is almost at the bottom among all the experimental subjects, so the price I paid was very small." Asano Akira pointed to his eyes.
"Is this why you went blind?"
"Yeah. Actually, my eyes are intact, but the area of my brain responsible for vision is completely dead. That's the price."
Asano Akira continued, "The experimental team was disbanded, all the data was sealed, and the insane experimental subjects were dealt with. People like me were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. If it is leaked, the security bureau will..."
"Etc., etc!"
Ke Lan jumped up immediately, walked to the door, added three combination locks in a row, fastened the anti-theft chain, and then dragged out a dusty machine from under the bed, plugged it in, and turned on the switch.
A slight "buzzing" sound immediately came out from the machine.
"What is this? An air purifier?" Asano Akira asked, his ears moving slightly.
"No, it's just a jammer. It can interfere with all monitoring devices within a twenty-meter range—Cooper!"
"Yes, my master." A neutral voice sounded in the room. This was the smart butler that Ark provided to each resident, which came with every room.
"Disconnect from the network, close all background programs, and enter hibernation mode."
"Including temperature control equipment and air filters? That may have adverse effects on the owner's health."
"Yes, turn them all off, then you can go to sleep and wake up in an hour!" Ke Lan said.
"Yes, master." Cooper's voice disappeared, and at the same time, the room suddenly became much colder.
"...Huh." Ke Lan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said helplessly, "If it's a life-threatening secret, why did you just say it out loud like that!"
"…I'm sorry." A rare blush appeared on Asano Akira's face.
"Alright, alright, it's alright, go on... Just now I was talking about, yes, talking about the disbanding of the unit, you all signed a confidentiality agreement."
"My thoughts are imprinted into this knife. You can think of it as a part of my body, an extension of my arm." Asano Akira grabbed the scabbard and held the knife horizontally in front of him.
"Hmm? And then?"
"That day in the ruins, you said that I was separated from you. Later, you and Layton encountered a centipede-like monster in a stone chamber. That monster had the same face as mine."
"Yes, just when Layton and I were about to give up, you suddenly rushed out, fought with the monster for eighteen rounds, chopped the guy to death with one knife, and then led us to the huge stone door."
"I don't remember the things you described. I clearly remember that I was with you all the time. We didn't encounter that monster and no battle broke out in the stone chamber. The stone door was discovered by everyone together." Asano Akira's voice was a little low.
"So you all said that what I saw was an illusion... Later, I returned to the stone chamber with Lao Gou and Layton, but we didn't find any traces of fighting there... " Ke Lan recalled, "So even I myself didn't know whether what I saw was real or illusory."
"Although I don't have those memories, my sword does..."
"Your knife... has memories. Could it be that it has become a spirit?" Ke Lan's face looked a little strange.
"No ...just the memory of the battle." Asano Akira suddenly unsheathed his sword and gently stroked the blade with the fingers of his left hand.
"There were a total of 117 collisions. The last move was the cassock slash, followed by a step back, a turn of the wrist and the drawing of the sword, which first cut off the enemy's weapon and then chopped off his head." Asano Akira said.
"..." The strange expression on Ke Lan's face disappeared. He sat up straight with a serious look and looked directly at Asano Akira and his knife.
In his previous description of the "illusion", he had never mentioned these details, but Asano Akira described them exactly.
"All of our memories have been tampered with except for you."
