Zhang Heng stood in front of the mirror in the living room, looking at his seventeen-year-old self.
His height and body shape were still different from three years later. Fortunately, his strength, speed, and other attributes were still preserved in this quest.
Zhang Heng turned on Mate7 and looked at the time. The screen showed that it was Thursday, April 14, 2015.
Zhang Heng did not know what had happened on this day, and even if he remembered, it would not be of much use for reference since he was now in a quest.
A quest like this, which was exactly the same as the real world, was actually the most troublesome.
Because one did not know what had been modified, there was no way to know whether the past memories would have a positive or negative effect.
Zhang Heng walked around the living room and several rooms, but he did not find anything unusual.
So, he decided to go out and have a look. Although his grandfather told him to stay put before he left, considering that he was now in a quest, he could not just sit there and do his homework.
Zhang Heng took the key and opened the door.
Grandpa usually went to the big market to buy fish, but it was a little far away. So, Zhang Heng had about forty minutes to wander around.
He did not have a goal, and so far, Zhang Heng had not found anything that could be regarded as a clue. So, he could only continue to wander around.
The neighborhood was still the same, and the residents were exactly the same as he remembered. He even met Qin Zhen on the road. The latter was riding a bicycle, with a basketball in the basket, and was about to play basketball at the open-air court by the river embankment.
When he saw Zhang Heng, he stopped his bike, put one foot on the ground, and said, "Let's go play basketball together."
"No, I haven't done my homework yet," Zhang Heng said.
"I haven't done it either. I can only get up a little earlier tomorrow and go to the classroom to copy." Qin Zhen spread his hands. "And aren't you wandering around outside now?"
"…"
"I have something else to do. Let's play basketball next time," Zhang Heng said.
"What is it?" Qin Zhen was interested when he heard this. "Is it a date? Is there a girl in your class? Do you need my help? For example, act as a bully and let you save the damsel in distress. "He waved his arm as he spoke.
Not to mention his tanned skin and tall stature, he really did have the demeanor of a bully.
"I appreciate your kindness," Zhang Heng said. Zhang Heng said, "But you should go and play basketball. The soy sauce at home has run out. I have to buy some for grandpa."
"Tsk, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Qin Zhen retracted his foot and stepped on the stirrup again. He said, "Don't forget about Sunday." Then, he rushed to the field.
Zhang Heng didn't know what he and Qin Zhen had agreed to meet three years ago, but the two of them were childhood friends. Zhang Heng guessed that it was either a game or a ball game.
Anyway, this guy's hobbies were basically these. The rest was downloading some short movies or something, but this kind of thing was usually watched by himself.
Zhang Heng did not take it to heart. Other than Qin Zhen, he met a few other familiar uncles and aunties. He greeted them one by one, then walked to the entrance of the community and bought a local newspaper from a newsstand. He flipped through the news, and it was similar to what he remembered. It was all about meetings and learning new ideas. He knew every word, but he could not remember what was written when they were put together. After that, it was about electric power repair and the drowning of three children at the riverbank.
Zhang Heng had some recollection of the last piece of news. It was considered a major event back in the day. No one knew how the three children sneaked out of the house at night after their families had fallen asleep. What's more, they even walked nearly five miles together to the riverbank at dawn, where they drowned.
The whole incident was bizarre and strange, causing quite a stir at the time. Everyone talked about it for a week, and there were all kinds of speculations. Among them, the water ghost theory had a long history, because basically every summer, there would be people drowning in the river. Some drowned while playing in the water, and some committed suicide. Even though there was a sign by the river that forbade swimming, it could not stop the enthusiasm of some residents to play in the water.
However, the children who drowned this time were very young. The oldest was only fourteen years old, and the youngest was only ten years old. Three children drowned at the same time, attracting a lot of attention.
However, Zhang Heng remembered that the police soon announced the results of the investigation. One of the children even left a diary, proving that it was indeed an accident. At that time, Zhang Heng was still in school, and he did not think much about it.
But now, he was in the Proxy War quest, and the game started the day after the three children drowned. Could this be related to the three children?
Zhang Heng threw the other pages of the newspaper into the trash can, but he kept the page that recorded the drowning news.
Other than that, he also saw the pancake stall next to the newsstand, and he felt a sense of familiarity with it. This pancake stall was closed when he was in his third year of high school. He heard that the owner had made enough money to go back to the village to build a house and get married.
Sometimes, when he woke up late in the morning and did not have time to eat, he would buy a pancake here. So, the owner knew him, and he even smiled at him.
Zhang Heng estimated the time. If he went to the river now, he would not be able to make it back before his grandfather returned home. He had no choice but to postpone the investigation of the three children's drowning until the evening.
Zhang Heng went to the convenience store and bought a bottle of mosquito repellent perfume. There were too many mosquitoes by the river in the summer. After that, he bought four batteries. He had a flashlight at home, and finally, he bought a bottle of mineral water and biscuits. He had almost used up all his pocket money.
When he was paying the bill, Zhang Heng met another acquaintance.
This person was quite famous in the neighborhood. He graduated from a prestigious university, and most parents thought he was the kind of child who excelled in both academics and conduct. But after graduation, something happened to him. He found a few jobs, but none of them lasted long. After he quit his last job, he stayed at home, playing games and watching anime.
So the people around him began to change their evaluation of him, from a typical role model to a negative example. Some time ago, he seemed to have some mental problems after staying at home for too long. He was sent to a mental hospital by his family for a period of time. If Zhang Heng remembered correctly, he should have just been discharged from the hospital not long ago.
He looked a lot thinner, wearing an old T-shirt, and his beard was unshaven. He kept his head down, and he did not look at anyone. He came to the convenience store to buy cigarettes. In this era where almost everyone used Alipay and WeChat, he still paid with paper money. And after a long time, he still could not take out his last dollar.
The cashier lady looked a little impatient.
"I'll pay for him," Zhang Heng, who was behind him in the line, said.
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