"Are we absolutely sure about this?"
Mo Zhi savored Old John's words, but after a long while, no reasonable conjecture emerged.
Never mind, let's keep reading.
There were too few clues.
Watts grumbled, "I have a bad feeling about this. This job is going to be a complete nightmare."
Rosalind stepped forward to console him, "Johnny, trust us. This is what we're going to make happen..."
"We need to enter your childhood memories, but it's too far back to be completed in a single memory journey."
She continued to explain to John, "Therefore, we'll be doing a reverse jump, traversing your memories. Oh, and we have your authorization for this."
"Once we establish a direct path to your childhood memories, we'll return here."
"Hopefully, by then, you'll be able to assist us in persuading your younger self to become an astronaut."
Old John nodded, "As long as you take me to the moon, I'll cooperate as best I can."
This also served to educate the player on the game's mechanics: implanting the wish to become an astronaut into young John's memory would alter his life path.
Then, logically, he would ascend to the moon.
Fulfilling Old John's heartfelt desire.
"Excellent."
Rosalind said, "Now, to jump into a memory, we need an item that is very important to you, as a connector for the memory."
"Do you possess any memory fragments that can serve as a link for time travel?"
Old John thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and handed her a paper rabbit.
This was the very same one Rosalind had seen in the room at the top of the lighthouse, in a different color.
[Obtained: Note - The Moon]
"Thank you. As long as this paper rabbit also appears in your past memories, we can travel there."
"Uh... but, this rabbit isn't very old," John said.
"It's alright. As we trace our way back, we'll find other memory fragments to use as connectors. Each one we find will allow us to jump back further in time."
Watts said impatiently, "Hey, hey, he's just a virtual character, a piece of memory code. Don't be so indecisive. Activate the memory fragment, let's go."
[Memory Fragment: I'm ready! / Not yet]
'I don't quite get the setup...'
'So, you achieve time travel back to the past through items that trigger memories. Very futuristic!'
'Whoa, what a novel gameplay mechanic!'
'A reverse chronological journey back to childhood, implanting the astronaut wish, laying the groundwork at various ages, and finally landing on the moon to fulfill the dream... it's...'
'To be honest, it's a bit bland compared to the developer's previous two games.'
...
"I know this one!"
Seeing that some viewers didn't quite grasp the logic, Mo Zhi raised her hand to explain, "For example, imagine we bought a kite at a large gathering once, and then it sat in a corner for a long time, unused."
"Then one day, while tidying your room, you see that kite. Your mind will drift back to the memory of the gathering where you bought it, and you might even recall the feelings you had while flying it."
"This memory fragment is the 'kite' in Old John's memories. We need to collect these 'kites' in the game, gradually moving back towards his childhood, to implant the dream."
Ohhhh!!
The chat erupted in exclamations. It was explained in a way that was easy to understand, allowing even those who were slower to process things to grasp the game's mechanics. Gifts poured in.
After explaining,
Mo Zhi chose to confirm, initiating the first time jump using the memory fragment provided by Old John – [A Colorful Paper Rabbit].
Ding!
A crisp notification sound echoed, and a string of mysterious code, resembling a hacker interface, appeared on the screen.
Once the paper rabbit was pieced together, the journey to traverse memory fragments began.
The perspective focused on the colorful paper rabbit and then zoomed in.
With a flash of white light, Watts and Rosalind reappeared in a small room from a few years prior.
The two-toned paper rabbit lay on the floor of the room.
Besides it, many white folded paper rabbits were scattered on the ground.
John was sitting at a piano, playing a melody.
On the piano sat a plush platypus, identical to the one Mo Zhi had seen in the basement when she controlled Watts.
At this point in the timeline, John was still in his elderly years.
The melodious piano music played, still the same beautiful piece – forriver.
Watts and Rosalind materialized.
Rosalind said to Watts, "Let's turn off visual and interactive modes. We can't explain who we are to him every time we jump."
Watts made an adjustment, and their figures became transparent.
He looked at the rabbits scattered everywhere and said, "Wow, why are there so many—rabbits here?"
"It gives me the creeps. Maybe we should check his psychiatric history."
Dong dong dong dong~~~ Dong dong dong dong~~~ BOOM!
!!!
The music's rhythm broke, startling Watts, "What the—Did he hear us talking?"
Rosalind replied, "Impossible. It's probably just part of the memory."
Boom boom!!
On screen, Old John slammed his hands onto the piano, the discordant notes creating a jarring noise.
This startled Mo Zhi, watching from outside the game.
'Holy crap!'
'Headphone users instantly defeated!'
'Damn it, I'm getting more curious. Does this Old John have a secret?'
[Establish five memory links by interacting with items]
A prompt appeared. Mo Zhi directed Watts to search the room for memory fragments.
It was clear that collecting five fragments would summon—well, not a genie, but enough to jump back once into Old John's temporal memories.
"Such a peculiar rabbit."
Watts quipped, "This colorful paper rabbit stands out amongst the rest of its companions, drowned in bleach. It must be an important item."
Click, click, click. Mo Zhi rummaged around frantically and finally assembled the complete memory fragments.
[You can now travel with a keepsake (parasol)]
Masaka!!
Activate!
Second traversal of temporal memory. /
I want to see what made Old John so irascible.
With a flash of white light, the two disappeared from the room.
Through that umbrella, they had traveled back a few more years in John's memories.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
The sky was overcast, and a light rain continued to fall.
Old John sat quietly by the lighthouse, holding an umbrella, before the tombstone of his wife, Xiaoxi.
Rosalind suggested, "We must find a significant memory fragment, or we'll be stuck in this loop endlessly."
The two found two memory fragments around Old John. Just as they were about to head inside the lighthouse, Old John suddenly spoke.
His expression was serene as he quietly whispered to the tombstone, "It's all over now, Xiaoxi."
A slightly sorrowful background music intertwined with the falling rain, making the entire world appear bleak.
Mo Zhi watched silently, as if viewing a peculiar film.
"I can also take care of her every day, just like you could."
"She'll never be alone again."
"Even if I may never understand, I will be loyal to your wish."
"Anya will surely also feel... grateful towards you."
"But, when I leave this world... who will look after us then?"
A lonely tower, a tombstone, an old man, a rainy day, and mournful background music – a monologue to a deceased wife.
All the elements were in place!
The audience's emotions were involuntarily drawn in. From their initial chatter, they were now completely immersed in the game world, focusing on the plot:
'Got goosebumps!'
'The background music really hits the tear ducts.'
'Damn, I smell tragedy!'
'Seeing this makes me feel inexplicably sad.'
'Based on my years of experience with puzzle games, I think this lighthouse must be related to the wish to go to the moon!!'