XĂŒ Beijin turns his head around, curious, âwhatâs wrong?â
Lin Qin appears to be in doubt.
XĂŒ Beijin has never seen Lin Qin as doubtful as he is now. So he asks again, âwhatâs wrong? Do you feel ill?â
âNoâŠâ Lin Qin answers, unsure, and says, âbut I do think something is wrong with me.â
XĂŒ Beijin, shocked, asked, âwhat is it?â
Lin Qin says, âI think Iâm remembering some of my past memories.â
XĂŒ Beijin is stunned, then wonders, âwhy⊠I mean, do you know what might have triggered that memory recovery?â
âNot really recovery, but more, some kind of vague feeling,â Lin Qin corrects XĂŒ Beijin. Telling him what heâs feeling has made him feel better.
So his tone quickly returns to the usual frank and nonchalant form, âitâs not really that much of a bother, but I thought I should tell you.â
Heâs just reporting what heâs thinking to XĂŒ Beijin by habit.
Though⊠âNot that much of a botherâ?
XĂŒ Beijinâs eyes widen. He is speechless learning that this is what Lin Qin really thinks.
Heâs oddly sympathising with how Lin Qin was all concerned over him while he was dismissive; is this what it feels like for the eunuchs to be worried sick while emperor just faffs about?
Oh, of course he doesnât mean to describe himself or Lin Qin as a eunuch.
He is just⊠experiencing stuff from othersâ shoes, as their roles switched.
Then XĂŒ Beijin starts casting doubtful gazes at Lin Qin. Did he do this on purpose? Is he even that quick-witted?
Lin Qin tilts his head at XĂŒ Beijin, looking all clean and honest. With his baby face, too, he looks innocent as ever.
XĂŒ Beijin then doubts his own suspicions. It looks like Lin Qin really might be regaining his memories.
Why now, though?
XĂŒ Beijin is slightly concerned over it, because if Lin Qin manages to remember everything right here, right this moment⊠Wouldnât it imply that Lin Qin may have a more complicated identity than XĂŒ Beijin thought?
To put it simply, XĂŒ Beijin thought Lin Qinâs amnesia comes from either some special mental illness or was the price he paid to use some utility card.
XĂŒ Beijin is more leaning towards the latter, too, since it works all too well as an explanation for how he gained his immense fighting power.
Of course, it remains a hypothesis, because he can see Lin Qin doesnât seem to treat his amnesia or fighting power as something important to him. This means it doesnât look like heâd be the kind to initiate such a transaction.
Regardless, XĂŒ Beijin ended up disregarding the discrepancies surrounding Lin Qin. Only occasionally remembering it, thinks about it, and then casts the thoughts aside without making any progress whatsoeverâŠ
XĂŒ Beijin suddenly wonders, alarmed, why he would lose interest in Lin Qinâs condition repeated.
Why would such obscene fighting power be here in the Tower? Even the most insane Tower resident has never lost their memories of the past. No one has ever lost their entire memory in the process of entering the Tower.
So why did it happen to Lin Qin?
XĂŒ Beijin also canât help but feel a little guilty.
He has been aware of Lin Qinâs oddities all along, but somehow, he ignored it over and over, finding them slip out of his mind.
It might be because Lin Qin always looked so âmatter-of-factlyâ when questioned about it. Itâs almost as if heâd been born just like this. Possibly⊠it was NE that changed him, or adjusted the mental states of the Missiontakers, or both?
They might joke about Lin Qinâs strength, and diss his asocial behaviours. No one has ever asked, though, why Lin Qin is like that.
XĂŒ Beijin finds himself drenched in cold sweat just standing there. His face is going pale again, after regaining the slightest bit of colour earlier.
How terrible. Questions keep popping up one after another, while theyâre still just beginning to conquer the labyrinthâŠ
Oh, wait, no. Heâs supposed to be thinking about Lin Qinâs problems right now.
He almost lost track of his thoughts again.
The phenomenon has XĂŒ Beijin realise that NE is probably behind this. Perhaps⊠Lin Qinâs past, really is special?
Lin Qin, meanwhile, appears quite worried about XĂŒ Beijin, asking, âwhatâs wrong? Why are you looking all pale white again?â
He touches XĂŒ Beijin on the cheeks, and says, âwhat should I do⊠to make you feel better?â
Lin Qin looks really concerned and lost. Heâs angry, but he canât lash out at XĂŒ Beijin, obviously. All he can do is just sulk, so he looks quite grim.
Now, theyâre already at the entrance to the labyrinth.
XĂŒ Beijin looks at the Missiontakers in the front, and then says, âLin Qin, I need you to answer a question honestly.â
Lin Qin looks dead serious with XĂŒ Beijin looking like this, replying, âI will.â
âWhat do you think is the reason that you have lost your memories and hold such strength?â
Lin Qin seems to blank out processing the question a little, muttering, âthe reason⊠what?â
âWhy did you lose your memories? And why do you have such power?â
âI donât know,â Lin Qin tilts his head. He looks a little lost for words, âI donât know. Iâve always been like this.â
âDo you not find it weird?â
âNot really, because this is just how I am,â Lin Qin mutters, then asks, âwhy do you ask?â
âDo you feel anything strange when you hear other people describe Earth?â
Lin Qin looks like heâs blanking out while trying to recall. Then he slowly shakes his head, saying, ânothing, really.â
His world is just blank. Empty.
XĂŒ Beijin is examining his reactions closely.
Lin Qin, he⊠he doesnât share the identity of being human with others.
He knows consciously that theyâre his same species, but he doesnât actually think of himself as a fellow human.
He knows consciously about some rules of human society, perhaps even about the different, common emotions of humanity, but he is more like a passing observer, who decides to participate in their âritualsâ and âcustoms.â
XĂŒ Beijin is inside of his world, now, but their relationship actually stemmed from a rather embarrassing misunderstanding.
Lin Qin misunderstands his behaviour as being âromantically attracted to XĂŒ Beijin,â and then he ended up falling in love for real. Now, no one can ever deny that he does like, and love XĂŒ Beijin.
Not even XĂŒ Beijin can deny Lin Qinâs feelings now.
He knows Lin Qin loves him. Even in spite of⊠Lin Qinâs world being empty.
Since in the very beginning, he really believed whatever anyone told him, and then simply checking to see if he himself filled the bill.
Itâs almost like⊠almost likeâŠ
Heâs just an NPC in this game world.
boilpoil's notes:
This part of the chapter depicts XĂŒ Beijin trying to wrestle out Lin Qinâs nature. More to follow in the next part.