Memory inheritor

Chapter 47 Traces of Memory

"What's going on?" Wei Hongsi asked.

When it was just the two brothers, he didn't have to hold back when he spoke. But if it was something that couldn't be revealed, his older brother naturally wouldn't tell him.

"Take a guess. If you can guess, I'll tell you."

"How did you become a riddle teller? Besides, I've already guessed it, why do you need to tell me anything?"

"Are you sure your guess is right? I still need to give you an answer." Wei Hongbo glanced at his brother. "Besides, we have rules that prohibit us from disclosing any information related to the case to irrelevant or uninformed individuals."

So if I guessed it, then I wouldn't be someone who was unaware or uninvolved? Isn't that just deceiving myself?

Wei Hongsi shook his head and asked, "Is the suspect refusing to confess?"

"Ah, if only that were the case."

"What I mean is, the suspect has lost his capacity to act due to some factor, and you have no way to get him to confess."

"How did you guess?" Wei Hongbo looked at Wei Hongsi with some surprise.

"Please, I'm already an insider, okay?" Wei Hongsi pouted. "When I called you on Saturday..."

Wei Hongbo waved his hand, signaling Wei Hongsi not to speak yet. He walked to the kitchen doorway, glanced into the living room, and saw his wife tidying up. He then pulled Wei Hongsi into the kitchen and closed the door.

Tell me, how did you guess?

"I called you on Saturday, and from your tone, it seems you've already found the suspect. Catching him is just a matter of time. If you hadn't caught him, you wouldn't be staying home right now."

"How did you guess that the suspect was incapacitated?"

"Didn't you say you would have a contingency plan? Then when you go to arrest them, you definitely won't repeat the same mistake as Li Yunxiang, at least you won't let the suspect die. Since you've already caught them, but you're still so frustrated, it's obvious that the lead has gone cold again. As for the reason the lead went cold, of course it's because the suspect refuses to confess."

"Could this suspect be just a tool like Peng Jun, someone who can't provide any further clues?"

"Absolutely impossible. Unless this suspect is not the one who indoctrinated Peng Jun and Li Yunxiang."

Wei Hongsi paused here, looked at his older brother, and said, "Actually, some of my speculations were based on the analysis of known information, and some were guesses based on your reaction. But I'm very certain about this."

"You guessed right. We did make a lot of preparations, including deploying a medical team, blocking electronic signals on all frequencies at the suspect's residence, and using some unconventional methods when arresting him. But we basically didn't need to use any of those plans. I should have listened to your advice more."

Wei Hongbo sighed, placed the peeled garlic cloves on the cutting board, smashed them with the flat of a knife, and then chopped them fiercely.

"Keep your noise down, are you going to tear the house apart?" Guan Shan's voice came from the living room.

Wei Hongbo paused immediately, scraped up the chopped garlic with a knife, and spread it on a plate of smashed cucumber.

"Dude, my specialty is cognitive neuroscience. I'm not a doctor or an emergency specialist, so I can't give you any advice."

"Okay, I'll take it as you're telling the truth."

Wei Hongbo shook his head and then recounted the events of that day when Mu Jie was arrested.

After getting dressed that day, Mu Jie lay on the bed as if he were asleep. Wei Hongbo and Zhang Shengyong had seen similar situations far too many times, but most of them were scoundrels. It was relatively rare for someone like Mu Jie, who had some wealth, to do something like this.

The methods used in this case, in particular, were beyond their previous understanding of advanced technology. Even though Mu Jie was clearly just a pawn, they expected him to have some semblance of decorum, but he turned out to be just as shameless. Therefore, while they were astonished, they also found it somewhat amusing.

Zhang Shengyong jokingly called out twice, but Mu Jie didn't respond, so he stepped forward and gave him a push. As an experienced veteran criminal investigator, he was very sensitive to the body's reactions in certain special situations. After the push, he immediately realized something was wrong and quickly called the medical emergency team.

Upon seeing this, Wei Hongbo also went up to investigate. He had already sensed that something was amiss, and probably for this reason, his tolerance level was relatively low. Therefore, when he found that Mu Jie's breathing and heartbeat were relatively normal, he was less nervous.

Soon, the medical team came in with equipment and tested Mu Jie's vital signs. They found that the suspect's condition was similar to that of a deep sleep caused by excessive fatigue. Although he showed little reaction to external stimuli, his life was not in danger.

This relieved everyone present. Mu Jie was then placed on a stretcher and taken to an ambulance to receive appropriate treatment at the hospital, with preparations made for any potential emergency care.

So far, the operation should be considered a success. The information Mu Jie provided before falling into a deep sleep proved that the police investigation was on the right track. They only needed to wait for him to wake up and provide more clues before proceeding with the next step of the investigation.

However, Mu Jie remained unconscious, and his condition was gradually deteriorating, seemingly on the verge of death.

After listening, Wei Hongsi pondered for a moment and then said, "It sounds like this suspect's situation is like he terminated his own capacity to act through some kind of predetermined mechanism."

Wei Hongbo didn't quite understand, but he grasped the key points and asked, "Is it similar to Peng Jun's hypnotic dancing?"

Wei Hongsi nodded and said, "Yes. But this suspect's behavior seems more like it was deliberate. That is to say, he knew which of his actions would lead to such consequences."

"Wearing clothes?" Wei Hongbo guessed. If that's the case, then that guy should just stay naked.

"Definitely not, he's just playing you guys."

Wei Hongbo's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He picked up a carrot and began to chop it, as if he were chopping something else entirely.

Wei Hongsi pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say exactly what it is; only the person who creates the mystery knows the answer. But based on the information we have, it's very likely that he revealed the facts that you already know."

Wei Hongbo stopped chopping the carrot and looked at Wei Hongsi: "You mean, the matter related to Li Yunxiang and Peng Jun?"

"Yes, this should be a circuit breaker mechanism. In terms of role positioning, Li Yunxiang and Peng Jun are just pawns, who can be sacrificed at any time. That also means that the player who controls these two pawns may be exposed. In order to prevent the player from harming the next level, it is necessary to sever the connection between the player and the next level."

Wei Hongsi crossed his arms, flicked his index finger lightly, and said while thinking, "In other words, when the chess player is discovered, the secret about the chess pieces is destined to be lost. So setting this as a conditional statement makes perfect sense."

Wei Hongbo remained silent for a moment, then threw the unevenly sized carrot pieces into the trash can.

The things Mu Jie told him before he fell into a deep sleep seemed useful, but in fact they did not help solve the case at all.

Before finding this person, although most of the analysis of the case was speculative, relevant evidence could always be found. After finding this person, what was most needed was to obtain more unknown clues, but the results were minimal.

After arresting Mu Jie, the police thoroughly searched his bars, music stores, and apartments, and found a lot of physical evidence that could prove Mu Jie's crimes. However, it did little to uncover the forces behind Mu Jie.

The investigation of the case has reached its conclusion for their branch's criminal investigation division; the follow-up work will be taken over by higher authorities. This was a decision made by the special task force, and Yu Zhen had no choice but to accept it. Moreover, their work has been highly praised by higher authorities.

But Wei Hongbo was extremely unwilling to withdraw from the case after it had reached this stage.

He spent a long time nagging Yu Zhen about it. Yu Zhen said, "I can't do anything about it unless we can find a new breakthrough."

The words he had previously told Wei Hongsi not to disclose to unrelated or uninformed individuals were actually Yu Zhen's exact words. It seems the team leader had some ideas, given the younger brother's prominent role in the case; this was a veiled way of asking him to inquire if the younger brother had any further insights.

Little did he know, Wei Hongsi was thinking that without his brother's help in solving this case, would the other two missions even be completed? It seemed unlikely, since he wouldn't be able to assist at all.

……

……

Wei Hongbo cooked dinner, preparing five dishes plus three cold dishes.

During the meal, Wei Hongbo took out a bottle of wine and suggested that his younger brother have a drink too: "You've had your share of drinks before, why don't you have a couple with your brother today? We won't drink much, just to have some fun!"

Wei Hongsi was very surprised: "Have I been drinking alcohol?"

"Of course I drank it!" Wei Hongbo said confidently. "You were just in third grade then, and I let you drink a beer. You were so dizzy that you kept running into the wall, and I almost got a beating from my mom."

Guan Shan said disdainfully, "You're such a clueless older brother!"

Wei Hongsi smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "Then I'll have some beer."

It was clear the guy was feeling down and really wanted someone to have a drink with him. Also, Wei Hongsi felt his mental state had been a bit strange lately, so he decided to give it a try.

Finally, Wei Hongsi drank a bottle of beer and felt a little dizzy. It was a strange experience he had never had before, as if his body had become several ounces lighter.

Even on his days off, Wei Hongbo usually has to be on standby most of the time. These two days are his compensatory leave, and Yu Zhen told him to relax and not worry about anything. However, he only drank three ounces of baijiu and was much more sober than Wei Hongsi.

After dinner, Wei Hongsi stayed at his older brother's house. Actually, they had always kept a room for him there; when he first started university, he often came over on weekends to hang out with his brother. After his brother got married, he came less often.

After taking a shower, Wei Hongsi sat down in his room and found it a bit messy.

A short while later, Wei Hongbo also came into the room. Seeing his younger brother sitting on the bed, looking around with a slightly vacant expression, he smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law just finished teaching a graduating class. Now that the college entrance exams are over, she's on vacation and is planning to tidy up that little room and dig out all these old things."

Wei Hongsi nodded: "It's definitely necessary. But I think we should tidy up this room, since I don't come here often anyway. When Mom comes over to help you take care of the kids, this room will be more spacious."

Wei Hongbo asked in surprise, "Your sister-in-law told you? That can't be!"

Wei Hongsi rolled his eyes at his older brother: "You used to only get 60 points for cooking, and after marrying my sister-in-law you barely reached 75 points. Why should I let you cook today? You quit smoking for a year and started again, and my sister-in-law didn't say anything about you drinking today. Aren't these things obvious enough?"

Wei Hongbo glared at him and said, "No way, how do you know everything when you've never been in a relationship?"

"If you have to experience everything to know, then what's the point of having schools?"

"You still teach these things at school?"

"I can learn about these things."

Wei Hongbo smiled a little embarrassedly, and his depression completely disappeared when the topic came up.

The two chatted for a while, inevitably reminiscing about the past. At times like these, the older brother is adept at teasing his younger brother about embarrassing childhood incidents. With a ten-year age gap, Wei Hongsi was completely powerless to resist.

There was a stack of photo albums on the bedside table, containing some old photos of the two of them, things that are rarely seen these days.

Wei Hongbo picked it up and started flipping through it while talking. Wei Hongsi tried to stop him several times, but couldn't stop his brother's wicked hobby.

As he flipped through the album, Wei Hongsi caught a glimpse of a photo and quickly pulled the album closer to examine it closely.

This photo was probably taken at a scenic spot by the lake in my hometown.

In the picture is an eight or nine-year-old boy running on the grass. It is a picture of him when he was a child. He is holding something in his hand that looks like a whistle. It reflects a metallic luster under the sunlight.

A little further away, there were several adults standing. Due to the focus, the figures were somewhat blurry, but the outlines made it possible to recognize a father and mother.

Beside the father was the figure of a man, his face obscured, but the fisherman's hat he wore was easily recognizable.

"Brother, who is this person?" Wei Hongsi asked, pointing at the person.

Wei Hongbo glanced at it and said, "Isn't this Uncle Zhang?"

"Who is Uncle Zhang?" Wei Hongsi asked, somewhat puzzled. Judging from his older brother's tone, they seemed to be quite familiar with each other.

"Uncle Zhang, don't you remember?" Wei Hongbo asked, feigning surprise. "He's Dad's friend, didn't he teach you to play the whistle?"

"Blow...a whistle?" Wei Hongsi asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes." Wei Hongbo glanced at the photo again, then said with certainty, "This photo was taken during my freshman year National Day holiday. You even bragged about it to me back then."

"I can play the whistle?" Wei Hongsi asked incredulously.

"I'm alright," Wei Hongbo said, then noticed his younger brother's body trembling and his complexion looking off, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Wei Hongsi forced himself to remain calm and then asked, "How old is this Uncle Zhang, and where is he now?"

"I remember being two years younger than my dad, but he's no longer with us."

"Gone?"

"It must have been when you were a sophomore in college that you died in a car accident."