Black Crow Prison (2) Lost Memories

Once the bearded man left, the four of them looked at each other. Zhou Kui spoke first: "Are you all newcomers?"

Feng Xuanxuan, newly arrived and already terrified, hurriedly replied, "I was just lying on my bed scrolling through videos when the sky suddenly turned red. The next thing I knew, I was here..."

Seeing this, Zhang Dafu quickly added, "I'm a plumber, and I ended up here for no reason either. What exactly is going on here, brother?"

Zhou Kui nodded. "And you?" He turned his gaze toward the girl who had remained silent from the start. There was something indescribably strange about her, and she was clutching a doll wrapped in bandages.

"Trying on new clothes," she said briefly.

Zhou Kui stared at her face, but her lips hadn't moved. A ventriloquist? Interesting. His lips curled upward. He turned away for only a split second, managing to mask his expression, but Mu Xinning caught it nonetheless.

He then addressed the other two's confusion: "Once you are dragged into this game, there is no going back. You have to keep playing until you find a way home."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xuanxuan became frantic. "How can that be? I want to go home..." Her voice was choked with tears.

Seeing the girl cry, Zhou Kui's heart softened. He stepped forward to console her. "Don't worry, I'll help you clear the game." Feng Xuanxuan finally stopped crying.

Zhang Dafu raised a crucial question: "You seem very knowledgeable, so you must be a veteran player. But I don't understand—we entered the game at almost the same time. How could there be veteran players here?"

"Yes, exactly! It’s not like there are two different worlds, right?" Feng Xuanxuan added, confused.

Zhou Kui revealed a desperate truth: "There are certainly multiple worlds in the human realm. The game periodically snatches people to play. Who knows, your parents might even be here."

"Parents...?" Feng Xuanxuan didn't understand. She had no memory of ever having parents.

"The game doesn't take the elderly or children. From what I've heard, the children born to those snatched by the game are kept in nutrient pods until they reach the age of twelve. After basic knowledge is implanted, they are sent to the human realm."

"Not only that, if parents are taken by the game while their children are still below the age limit, the memories of their parents' existence are wiped from the children's minds."

"This... this..." Feng Xuanxuan found it impossible to accept.

"So, even if your parents are here, after all these years since you were born, they wouldn't even know what you look like, and you wouldn't know they exist."

"As for those of us who lost our memories, our brains fill in the gaps according to the game's presets—like growing up alone or being an orphan," Zhou Kui added.

No wonder... no wonder even when they had doubts, they never questioned their own origins; they simply lacked the memories! That was why they so readily accepted being orphans.

"Now do you understand why you've had a silver card to support your life ever since you gained consciousness? Did you think it was an inheritance left by your parents, or that you were born with it?"

"Wrong! It was actually prepared for you by the game!"

"It was just to ensure you had enough money to grow up until the game came to snatch you!" Zhou Kui’s revelation shattered the worldview they had held their entire lives.

"No... impossible... impossible!" Feng Xuanxuan sat on the ground and burst into tears.

"When a new batch grows up and the numbers are sufficient, they are all snatched away. Those who are lucky enough to be too young or too old are spared, but it’s just a vicious cycle!"

"No—!" Feng Xuanxuan clutched her head and sobbed on the floor. She could not imagine that the truth was so cruel.

"People who come to the game know the truth, so no one wants to have children. But those in the human realm who have lost their memories continue to reproduce. This truth cannot be passed on to those people, and new people join every so often."

"In the end, everyone just stops caring. If they want to have kids, let them. But some choose not to, not wanting their children to suffer in the game once they are born."

Zhang Dafu clenched his fists. He refused to cry; he had to be strong. Only by surviving could there be any hope of returning!

"That's all I know for now. There are many unknowns in the game. Perhaps there are many identical worlds breeding humans," Zhou Kui sighed helplessly.

Jin listened to their entire conversation, but he alone knew a secret...

It was true that there were many worlds in the human realm... but time flowed at the same rate in all of them. Yet, the entire spacetime of the human realm had collectively backtracked for the sake of one person. Was that really possible?

Yet, reality told him it had indeed happened.

Zhou Kui comforted the two. "Why don't you both calm down for a while? I'm sure you can't process all this at once." As no one spoke, the cell grew quiet.

Mu Xinning had already heard these facts in her previous life. She knew she must have lost part of her memory, but she felt that the memories she had lost were not limited to just these. Ignoring the other three, she walked over to examine the schedule posted on the wall, next to which was a set of prison rules.

Zhou Kui had been watching her movements. This girl could remain calm even after hearing such horrifying things. Is she expressionless?

"Number 3, shall we look together?" he asked, attempting to wear a friendly smile.

Mu Xinning didn't respond, but she moved aside slightly. Zhou Kui quickly squeezed into the space.

Jin: "..." For some reason, he felt a bit irritated.

There was a wall clock in the cell, showing it was 4:30 PM.

[Black Raven Prison Rules! Strict compliance required!]

[1) Leaving the cell after 10:00 PM is strictly prohibited! Do not make noise! Consequences are yours to bear! Normalcy resumes after 7:00 AM!]

[2) Do not use the elevators without special permission!]

[3) No violence within the prison; violators will be placed in solitary confinement!]

[4) Prisoners must provide their own food and drink! The prison does not provide any free meals!]

Zhou Kui frowned after reading the rules. The first three seemed fine, but the last one about no free meals—where were they supposed to find food? To survive until clearing the game, food and water were essential.

When Mu Xinning saw the word "elevator," she recalled the path the bearded man had taken to bring them to the cell; she hadn't seen any elevators, only two staircases.

She then looked at the schedule. Most of the time had to be spent in the cell; wandering was not allowed. Free time was only from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and during the 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM shower time.

During free time, the cell doors would open automatically and lock immediately once the time was up. Prisoners who didn't return to their cells on time would be punished. The nature of the punishment was not specified.

Soon, they realized another problem: there was no prison map. The prison was vast, and wandering without a map would easily lead to getting lost, which would be disastrous if they couldn't return to their cells in time.

The other two, having adjusted their emotions, also came over to check the two sheets of paper.

After reading, Zhang Dafu spoke first: "Everyone, I think we should discuss what to do next. We can go out once it hits 7 o'clock."

It was around 4:30, with over two hours to go.

"Listen to me, we only have two choices during the free time: either find food or go take a shower."

Zhang Dafu felt that food was the priority; showering was secondary.

Mu Xinning had eaten her fill before entering the instance, so she didn't feel hungry. She planned to use today's free time to wander around and familiarize herself with the prison's layout.