It must have been many years since Rena had a chance to talk to someone.
Lin Sanjiu had this feeling when she looked at the photo.
When Rena first appeared in front of Lin Sanjiu, she gave Lin Sanjiu the impression that she was sneering at the world. However, now that Rena started talking about Reno and her past, it was obvious that she had temporarily forgotten about her current identity and her current life. Through Lin Sanjiu, Rena's old friend, Lin Sanjiu allowed Lin Sanjiu to reconnect with the little girl in the past.
She tilted her head. In the depths of her eyes, there was a light from many years ago.
"How could I have known that a flying brain wasn't a ghost, but a person!" She raised her head and laughed. She pointed at the photo and said, "I bet you don't know how illogical you looked back then, do you?"
Lin Sanjiu held the photo in front of her eyes. She couldn't help but laugh.
Of course, the photo in her hand wasn't taken at Kisaragi Station. Why would anyone remember to take a photo of her? According to Rena, not long after they parted ways with Lin Sanjiu, they happened to meet a memory photographer. The photographer could restore a person's memories, which were not very reliable and would change over time. Even if a person could not remember a certain scene correctly, the scene in the photo would definitely be the scene from that year.
For example, Lin Sanjiu had always thought that she was just an ordinary brain. Even though her brain was not always alone, she had the same brain as it should be. She was honest and not out of line. Looking at the picture now, she had to admit that the grayish-white thing in the picture was ghastly and full of wrinkles. It was as if there was some kind of conspiracy about to drip out of it.
"That's her?" "No wonder the two kids hit me the moment they met."
Not only did Lin Sanjiu have memories from Kisaragi Station, but Rena also had some scattered photos from the few years after they parted ways. She said that it was because her and her brother's status and power were different. Many people were willing to curry favor with them. Some people somehow found out that they had used memory photography before and liked it, so they brought along a group of memory photographers for them.
Lin Sanjiu was fortunate that someone wanted to fawn over her that she saw Reno, who had just grown into a young man.
He had long arms and legs, like a thin bamboo that had just been plucked out. Even through the photo, one could tell that he didn't know how to deal with the sudden growth. His carefree and lively personality in the past had been restrained and dissipated a lot. Now his face was clear and distant. Only when he turned around and saw his sister did his face reveal a trace of emotion, as if the fog had dissipated.
He was so different from the Reno she remembered in her "brain in a vat".
While Lin Sanjiu was looking at Reno, Rena kept turning her head away. She stared at the meticulous, cold, and shiny large machines in the city.
Over the years, whenever Lin Sanjiu thought of Reno and Rena, she would subconsciously think that they were still together and that they could take care of each other. It was better than being alone. It was as if their relationship as siblings could ensure that they would not get separated.
She silently handed the photo back.
"The apocalyptic world is too big …" she whispered.
That was the only thing Lin Sanjiu could think of to say. She had gone through the same thing herself. Every time they parted, it was like falling into a whirlpool and being washed far away into the dark ocean. How big was the apocalyptic world? Did it have any boundaries? It was beyond the scope of human understanding. If she tried to focus her mind on that universe, even her mind would dissipate in the eternity.
After she was separated from Reno, she had never seen him or heard any news about him. There were too many friends. Qing Jiuliu, Polva, Maxin, Hai Tianqing … However, she couldn't comfort Rena with that. At the very least, those friends that she had never heard from were not her Reno.
She thought of Cyrus. When he mentioned Irezumi, his expression and voice trembled slightly. Lin Sanjiu was terrified. It was as if she could see the corpses of the victims in front of her, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't change the path she was walking on. All she could do was pray that she wouldn't be the next victim.
"He might be dead." Rena put the photo away calmly.
Even when she saw the sudden change in Lin Sanjiu's expression, she smiled calmly. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a teenage girl anymore. I've seen the true face of this world with my own eyes. I won't be surprised if Reno is dead or if he's lost and can't come back. However, it is a question that I will never get the answer to. "
She paused for a moment and led Lin Sanjiu around a corner. Then, she suddenly said, "Sometimes, I hope he's dead. Sometimes, I hope I never find out."
If one did not experience the pain and suffering that Rena had gone through, they would never understand what she meant. Even Lin Sanjiu could only vaguely understand what she meant.
It was as if even her sigh was too light and inappropriate. Just when Lin Sanjiu didn't know what to say, Rena continued, "Anyway, the sharks that you saw today and what we are doing now are all because of my brother."
"Oh?" Lin Sanjiu was stunned. She knew that the answer was coming. "Why?"
Rena suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Sanjiu. "I told you before that everything you experienced in the 'Brain in a Vat' is actually possible, right?"
Lin Sanjiu had her doubts about this. "What you mean by realization, are you referring to making them …"
Rena seemed to realize what Lin Sanjiu wanted to say. She shook her head and said, "No, it's up to you to reunite with your friends, or what they do or don't do. When I say that it's possible, it doesn't involve their personal wishes. I can only provide them with an opportunity and a foundation for their future. Let me ask you, if you want to reunite with your friends so much, why haven't you reunited yet? "
"Why do you think …" Lin Sanjiu was really at a loss this time. "Isn't it obvious? We still haven't found a chance to reunite with our friends. Besides, even if we have a chance to reunite, our companionship is only temporary … "
"What is this chance?" Rena interrupted her.
"Everyone has to be transported to the same world. This is something that happens by chance." Lin Sanjiu didn't understand why Rena suddenly asked a question with such an obvious answer. "Most of the time, when you reunite with someone after much difficulty, you are separated again after the flood or the transportation."
Rena smiled bitterly and continued, "Furthermore, the apocalyptic world has created different problems for them … Until now, I still don't know how to solve many of these problems. The time I experienced in the 'Brain in a Vat' will never happen in the real world. "
Rena nodded.
Rena didn't know what was on her mind, so she didn't say anything for a moment. She just gestured for Lin Sanjiu to follow her. The two of them walked along the city road in silence for a while. After a turn, Lin Sanjiu realized that she had returned to the same city road.
Almost half a day had passed, but the group of people in biochemical suits were still standing at the same spot, staring at the screen. Just as they stepped into the city road, they saw something and suddenly burst into a deafening cheer. Their joy was so loud that Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but jump.
It was as if the group of people had turned from adults into children in an instant. One of them was jumping on the same spot, causing the tiles on the ground to shake. However, he couldn't stop and didn't want to stop. After someone cheered and high-fived the people around him, he slapped the screen, the machine, the wall and his own thighs as if he had gone crazy. Another person took off his mask, revealing a tired and unshaven face. He squatted on the ground and covered his mouth as he cried.
"We did it. No, we are about to succeed," another person who had taken off his mask looked up and saw Rena. He took a few steps forward, shouting and laughing. It was as if he had completely forgotten Rena's status. He only remembered that Rena was also an ordinary person who he could share his joy with. "Group 5. All of them passed. Group 5. Not a single person was stopped by the pocket dimension!"
Rena was stunned for a moment. Her eyes glowed faintly like the surface of a pond being stirred up by the raindrops on a rainy day. A faint smile appeared on her face. It was as if she was about to cry.
"Really?" Rena mumbled in disbelief, "Group 5 all …?"
Lin Sanjiu recalled the series of confusing procedures she had seen in the factory. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you guys so happy about? What do you mean by almost succeeding? What are you guys doing in the factory? "
The woman in the biochemical suit looked at Lin Sanjiu as if she had just come from another planet. When Rena nodded and gave her permission, the woman immediately cheered and slapped Lin Sanjiu's shoulder.
"Of course, it's the vaccine against teleportation and the flood! With the vaccine, we don't have to suffer the pain of teleportation anymore! "
Dodge Face
(End of chapter)
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