SCOM - Chapter 67
Chapter 67
The area in the eastern mountain range where the mine had previously collapsed had now been slightly excavated, but only slightly.
The blasting point Sun Long had originally chosen was the easiest spot to mine, but it seemed as if they had detonated all the bombs they brought in, making the subsequent cleanup extremely difficult. For one person to have survived out of the few who went in was already a miracle.
Lu Hui had spent the last few days clearing the rubble from the collapse and had sent a piece of blasted rock for analysis. However, before he could begin mining, he had to hand the operation over to the army groups from the Western and Northern regions.
So when Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi arrived, he was there, along with Yan Yan's father.
“Classmate Zuo, Classmate Ji, weren't you about to head back?” Yan Yan's father asked in surprise.
Zuo Luohuan said, “Something came up unexpectedly.”
It just so happened that she also wanted to find Yan Yan's father to ask about the situation again, but what he said was no different from the report.
“Is it about that time… was there a problem?” Yan Yan's father asked hesitantly. He had always found the premature explosion and collapse suspicious, but he could never find a reason.
Zuo Luohuan shook her head. “We don’t know yet.”
She needed to sort through everything that had happened once more, to walk through every place she had been again.
Ji Yuezhi stayed by her side the entire time.
The next day, Fang Yong was brought to the hospital to examine Yan Yan's mother, while Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi went to the Hong residence.
The Star Lord was temporarily detained, and Hong Tongdao had already been escorted to the capital. Most of the Hong family members were also imprisoned. The entire Hong residence was now empty, with only the Winter Army guarding the entrance.
“They used to hold frequent banquets here.” Zuo Luohuan stepped around a piece of broken porcelain on the ground and turned, subconsciously reaching to take Ji Yuezhi's hand and lead him past.
Ji Yuezhi looked down, stepped over the porcelain shard, and missed the hand she quickly retracted. He stepped onto the grass and looked up, asking, “A year ago?”
“Yes.” Zuo Luohuan waited for him to walk beside her. “The Hong family’s adopted son often invited his favorite guests over. The entire residence was brightly lit every night with endless banquets, a bit like the underground casino.”
Ji Yuezhi listened quietly, as if he was being drawn into the scene: a young Alpha, out for amusement, standing in a corner of the garden, smiling as she watched the various states of drunkenness among the crowd.
“The room at the very end of the third floor is Hong Tongdao’s study,” Zuo Luohuan said, tilting her head back to look at a certain spot.
It was there that she had accidentally entered Hong Tongdao’s study, discovered that document, was stabbed by Zhang Yongzhen, fell into Hong Tongdao’s hands, and ultimately escaped with her life.
Ji Yuezhi turned to look at her. “I’ll go up with you to take a look.”
“Okay.”
The two of them went up and found that anything that could be taken from the room had already been removed and sealed by the Winter Army.
Ji Yuezhi walked around the room once, then looked at Zuo Luohuan. “You said you got lost and accidentally walked into this study?”
“Yes.”
“But you never get lost,” Ji Yuezhi said to her. “Were you distracted by something, or was there some other reason you pushed open the study door and came in?”
In terms of eidetic memory, Zuo Luohuan was no worse than Ji Yuezhi.
Zuo Luohuan froze. The only reason in her mind was that she had gotten lost, but she had never considered that she had never been lost before. This reason seemed to be something her subconscious was telling her.
“Did Hong Tongdao do something to you in the basement?” Ji Yuezhi didn't miss Zuo Luohuan's dazed expression.
“…I don’t remember.” Zuo Luohuan’s memory contained a dim basement and endless pain. The events that had occurred were both clear and hazy.
Now, with Ji Yuezhi’s sudden reminder, Zuo Luohuan subconsciously tried to search her memory for why she had come to the study back then, but she couldn’t recall. The only impression she had was of getting lost and taking a wrong turn.
Ji Yuezhi watched as Zuo Luohuan, standing by the window, suddenly turned pale. She clutched her head and was about to fall to the ground. He immediately rushed forward to support her. “What’s wrong?”
Zuo Luohuan felt that whenever she tried to think deeply about the scene from that time, even breathing hurt. The pain that felt like it was being chiseled into her brain seemed to have returned.
In a daze, she saw Ji Yuezhi, forced a smile, and raised her hand to touch his face. “I’m… fine.”
Zuo Luohuan paused and said, “I might need a hypnotist.”
Ji Yuezhi helped Zuo Luohuan leave. While they were looking for a hypnotist, Fang Yong had already begun examining Yan Yan's mother. He concluded that someone had injected her with a drug, which was why she hadn't woken up. Fortunately, no further doses were administered, which was how she had survived until now.
Ji Yuezhi glanced at the message from Jiang Hong, then looked at Zuo Luohuan lying on the chair and couldn't help but press his lips together. The events of the past were indeed not that simple.
The hired hypnotist tried to hypnotize Zuo Luohuan several times but failed. Her defenses were too strong. Even though she tried her best to relax, her subconscious was still resisting the hypnosis.
“Are you sure you’ve been hypnotized before?” The hypnotist considered herself quite skilled, but this was the first time she had encountered someone who claimed to be relaxed yet was so difficult to work with.
“It was probably done with the help of drugs,” Zuo Luohuan said, lying on the chair with her eyes closed.
The hypnotist said, “…Alright, let’s try one last time. Don’t resist.”
“I’ll do my best.” Zuo Luohuan was clearly aware of how difficult she was to hypnotize.
Just as the hypnotist was about to begin, she suddenly looked at Ji Yuezhi sitting beside them, made a hand-clasping gesture, and motioned for him to hold Zuo Luohuan’s hand.
Ji Yuezhi was taken aback, but he ultimately did as the hypnotist suggested and reached out to take Zuo Luohuan’s fingers.
The moment she was touched, Zuo Luohuan’s body subconsciously reacted with an attack. Just as she was about to open her eyes and strike, her brain registered whose hand it was. Her body stiffened, then instantly relaxed, allowing Ji Yuezhi to place her hand in his palm.
Seeing that the two were holding hands, the hypnotist began the final attempt at hypnosis.
This time, it was successful.
Zuo Luohuan lay on the chair, her body completely relaxed, but she did not let go of Ji Yuezhi’s hand.
Following the hypnotist’s voice, Zuo Luohuan returned to the Hong residence in her memory. It was as lively as ever, the night was beautiful, and she stood in a corner with a glass of wine, watching Zhang Yongzhen converse with the Hong family heir.
They were probably discussing future matters concerning the underground casino.
Zuo Luohuan shifted her gaze, only to unexpectedly meet a pair of eyes on the third floor.
Timid, yet seemingly longing to be discovered.
Zuo Luohuan tilted her head back and took a sip of wine. Although she was curious, she had no intention of going up to see. The upper floor was not a place for guests.
But perhaps fate was playing a trick on her. The restroom was packed with guests today, and Zuo Luohuan grew impatient. A butler came over and said she could go upstairs.
She followed a few other guests to the second floor. After coming out and preparing to go back down, she suddenly looked up toward the top of the stairs. It was those eyes again, but this time, half a face was visible.
Zuo Luohuan narrowed her eyes: He looks a lot like the Hong family’s adopted son downstairs. Are they not really brothers?
The person stared at her for a moment, then ran further up, glancing back at her before disappearing.
Zuo Luohuan almost laughed to herself. Are they trying to lure me upstairs?
Without hesitation, Zuo Luohuan went straight up to the third floor. The hallway was empty. She walked forward slowly, passing one room after another.
Finally, just as she was about to reach the very end, the person emerged from a side room, revealing themselves completely to Zuo Luohuan. They bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to the person downstairs.
In her dream state, a flash of white light went through Zuo Luohuan’s mind:
Hong Tongdao, the real Hong Tongdao.
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