"December 2nd," Watanabe replied.

Feng Bujue said, "The first video recording took place on November 24th, right?"

"That's right."

"May I ask, what are the dates for the second and third recordings?" Feng Bujue asked again.

Watanabe didn't answer immediately; he seemed to need to think. But Inspector Tachibana was more familiar with the case and chimed in, "Fukui was shot and killed on November 26th. That afternoon, he sent all the servants at his house away, the reason being… to meet with your wife, Satou Haruko." He hesitated slightly when he said this, presumably searching for a more appropriate way to phrase it. "Personally, I think a guy like Fukui deserved to die, but I absolutely will not show you any leniency for implicating my subordinate in order to obtain the murder weapon."

Watanabe then added, "Fukui's body wasn't discovered until noon the next day. Because it was a shooting, the investigation progressed very meticulously. And that day, Hirata-kun went to work as usual, acting very calm. Satou Haruko, however, was absent. And that night, the incident in the third video recording occurred."

Feng Bujue said, "So… Officer Yamada's disappearance should have been during the period from when Hirata left the company on November 24th to the morning of November 26th, right?"

Inspector Tachibana replied, "On the night of the 25th, he went out on patrol on his bicycle, and no one has seen him since."

"Was the bicycle found?" Feng Bujue asked.

"I'm asking you where he is!" Tachibana shouted.

"So it hasn't been found…" Feng Bujue pondered, "Hmm… I see."

"Are you trying to get punched with that tone, kid?" Tachibana threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and charged over again.

Feng Bujue ignored him, talking to himself, "As far as I know, Japan has pretty good public safety, and the proportion of police officers to the total population is considered high. In big cities, detectives and special police are issued firearms. But in a small town like this, I'm guessing… everything from public safety to criminal cases is handled by a fixed and limited number of people. So… it's not surprising that Yamada became a target." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Here's what I think. Assuming Hirata planned to steal Yamada's gun, he had two choices: first, to steal it; second, to rob it.

"Stealing requires skill, especially stealing a police gun. If he got caught in the act, he'd definitely go to jail, and his intent to murder Fukui would be exposed. What Hirata did was reckless, but that was under the premise of successfully killing Fukui. Before the crime was completed, he couldn't afford to fail. So… robbing was obviously a surer bet than stealing. Of course, the crime is also more serious, but a man who is planning to commit murder already has that awareness.

"Since it's a robbery, he doesn't need any skill. He just needs to take advantage of the night, choose a deserted place, attack the unsuspecting Yamada from behind, and then take the gun. But if that were the case, Yamada couldn't have disappeared… he'd just be passed out on the side of the road at most.

"The fact that Yamada has indeed disappeared means that something unexpected happened during Hirata's gun grab. Perhaps he only intended to stun Officer Yamada, but accidentally killed him during the action…"

"Bastard!" Tachibana was serious this time; he grabbed Feng Bujue by the collar. "So you finally admit it! Tell me! Where is Yamada's body!"

Feng Bujue continued to narrate calmly, "I don't know. I'm just speculating based on the clues you've given me… uh…" As he said this, he took a heavy punch to the stomach from Tachibana, and his Survival Value dropped by 30% directly, and he was also inflicted with the [Paralysis] status.

"Inspector Tachibana!" Watanabe stepped forward and pulled the middle-aged man away. "Please don't abuse your authority on the suspect!"

"Suspect? This kid killed at least two people!" Tachibana roared.

"Alright, Inspector Tachibana, that's enough," Watanabe advised.

Feng Bujue suffered in silence, unable to catch his breath, and it took him a long time to recover. He had unknowingly immersed himself in the joy of reasoning and started doing things his own way. This punch made him realize again that he was in a Nightmare difficulty script. Even if these two people in front of him were humanoid NPCs who could communicate, there was absolutely no such thing as "safety." Any small mistake could lead to his demise. Saying the wrong thing, or even having a bad attitude, could trigger a death flag, and any NPC could potentially kill him instantly.

"Haa… haa…" Feng Bujue panted, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and continued what he had been interrupted from saying, "If Hirata ambushed Officer Yamada while he was patrolling on his bicycle and killed him, then… the bicycle should have been found."

Tachibana seemed to have calmed down, and Watanabe released his grip. The two turned to look at Feng Bujue, listening to what he would say next.

"When Hirata realized that he had accidentally killed a police officer, there were only two possible reactions. The first was to take the gun and run away; the second was to dispose of the body and then run. Even in the second case, he couldn't possibly move both the body and the bicycle at the same time. At most, he'd throw the bicycle into some inconspicuous corner to hide it, and then try to move the body…" He paused here and said again, "By the way, does Hirata have a car?"

Watanabe replied, "No, in fact, he doesn't even have a driver's license."

"Then we can basically rule out the possibility that he hit Yamada with a car, and then put the body and bicycle in the trunk and drove them away," Feng Bujue said thoughtfully. He paused again for about ten seconds, sorting out his thoughts. "I have three theories. First, after Hirata attacked Yamada, he dragged the body away and disposed of it in some hidden place. The bicycle was left on the side of the road, and later found and picked up by a third party. This third party probably didn't witness the crime, so they dared to pick up the bicycle. It's highly likely they were a homeless person. They may have already left the town, or they may have later learned that the bicycle was related to some incident, and out of fear, threw the bicycle into the river or even dismantled it into parts.

"Second, after Hirata attacked Officer Yamada, the latter didn't die, nor did he lose consciousness, and he even saw Hirata's face clearly. Hirata had no choice. If he let Yamada go, he would be arrested soon, so he had to use the stolen gun to hold Officer Yamada hostage and take him to some hidden place to detain him… or kill him. In that case, the bicycle was pushed away by Officer Yamada himself, with Hirata holding him hostage beside him.

"Third, after Hirata realized he had accidentally killed someone, he did indeed take the gun and run away. But after he left, someone else disposed of the body and the bicycle."

"What do you mean? Do you have an accomplice?" Inspector Tachibana asked sternly.

"This is just a reasonable assumption. Theoretically, this possibility completely exists. For example, someone saw the whole thing from the shadows, and he happened to know Hirata. So, after Hirata ran away, he cleaned up the scene, trying to cover up the incident. In the future, he could use this to blackmail Hirata for money, or even make Hirata use that gun to kill someone for him," Feng Bujue replied.

"Alright! Enough of your nonsense! How long are you going to keep pretending! Tell me where Yamada is!" Inspector Tachibana's patience had long reached its limit.

"Please wait a moment, there are still some things I'm not clear about…" Feng Bujue said, "On the afternoon of November 24th, Hirata developed the motive to kill; on the night of November 25th, he managed to get the handgun from Officer Yamada; on the afternoon of November 26th, he went to Fukui's mansion to catch his wife in the act of adultery and killed him…" He looked at Watanabe, "Since there were no witnesses, how do you know that Haruko was in the room when Hirata broke into the room that afternoon?"

Watanabe said, "It's based on Hirata-kun's own description, combined with the conclusions of the scene investigation. He said that when he opened the door, he saw Haruko in bed, and a monster was attacking her, so he shot and killed the monster. Then we asked where the gun came from, and he said he couldn't remember."

"Haruko didn't die at the time?" Feng Bujue said.

"On the night of the 27th, the police received a report and rushed to the scene. Satou Haruko's body was found in Hirata-kun's house. Judging from the traces at the scene, it was suicide. The estimated time of death was in the afternoon of the 27th. At that time, Hirata was working at the company as usual," Watanabe said.

"In other words… on the 26th, Hirata went to the mansion, killed the man, and took Haruko back to his house. The next day, Hirata appeared at the company as if nothing had happened, and his wife committed suicide at home," Feng Bujue recited. "Satou Haruko was unlikely to have hanged herself to commit suicide with her lover, nor did she report the case to the police… that means her suicide was either due to mental stimulation, or an act of guilt and fear towards her husband."

"You don't need to repeat things that we already know," Tachibana said impatiently from the side.

"The things you know, these three video recordings have roughly reconstructed," Feng Bujue continued, "And the things you don't know… namely Officer Yamada's whereabouts, are locked in Hirata Shuichi's already insane mind." He shifted his gaze to Doctor Watanabe's face. "So Doctor Watanabe wants to help you awaken Hirata's memory?"

Watanabe said, "Have you remembered anything, Mr. F?"

Feng Bujue replied, "Sorry, the memory I saw was only the three segments recorded in the video. However, it's not quite the same as the content in your video recordings. What I saw seemed to be the world of monsters in Hirata-kun's imagination."

Watanabe sighed and said, "A person's memory can be affected after being subjected to severe trauma. For example, if a person has experienced beatings and abuse as a child, because those memories are very painful and exceed the limit of their mental endurance, their brain may seal off the relevant memories, and that person will completely forget those things, as if they never happened; and sometimes, the memory is not 'sealed,' but 'changed,' just like Hirata-kun's situation. Perhaps in his memory, he only remembers that he saw his wife being attacked by a monster, but in reality…"

"I know that," Feng Bujue interrupted. "I also know a little bit about this." He moved his neck, which was a little uncomfortable from being restrained. "The situation where memory is 'sealed' can easily lead to multiple personality disorder, and if it's 'changed,' it's a hallucination…"

"After saying so much, where is Yamada! Do you know or not! Do you remember or not!" Inspector Tachibana stood in front of Feng Bujue, staring at him fiercely, looking like he was about to get violent again.

Although Feng Bujue didn't want to get punched again, he didn't have any room to resist at this moment. His whole body was restrained, so he could only obediently take the beating. He didn't try to use Spiritual Consciousness Convergence Technique, because judging from the current setting and the words and actions of these two NPCs, if he suddenly used that kind of supernatural skill, then… before he could successfully break free, Watanabe would be shocked and retreat, while Tachibana would decisively draw his gun and shoot. This development would inevitably lead to a death ending.

"To know Yamada's whereabouts, I have to go back…" Feng Bujue quickly said.

"What did you say?" Tachibana looked suspicious.

"I have to go back to that black and white world to investigate," Feng Bujue said.

Watanabe looked at him and frowned. "You mean… you want to go back to Hirata's mental world?" He tentatively asked, "How do you do that? Watch the video again?"

"No… that's useless now," Feng Bujue said. "Didn't I just watch the video once? I only saw the normal images… Before, when 'Hirata' was watching the video, I was experiencing the distorted memory in his mental world, and then I came here. What can I do to go back…" He pondered, "And I have to go back to a time point before the evening of November 25th…"

"Very good, since you are willing to cooperate, then you can talk to the doctor," Tachibana's tone suddenly changed, so calm that it was unsettling.

Feng Bujue was stunned when he heard this. "What?" He looked at Watanabe again. "Haven't I been talking to Doctor Watanabe all along…"

Watanabe interrupted him. "You have regained the memory of the case, recognized your mental state, and locked onto Yamada, this memory blind spot. We can rest assured now."

"Huh?" Feng Bujue completely didn't understand what they were saying. "You suddenly…"

Before he could finish his question, he lost the ability to speak, because he had turned back into that first-person CG state, and the scene in front of him changed again.

Feng Bujue felt that he was about to be played stupid by this script. At first, he thought it was a normal ghost story setting, then he thought it was a multi-line paranormal event, but then he found that the initial three events were on an inverted timeline and were just a mental patient's distorted memories. The script setting became a real-world murder case.

And next… he didn't know what would come next.

Buzz—

This was the sound of a fluorescent lamp, and a dazzling white light brought Feng Bujue back from a brief trance.

He closed one eye and turned his head away. After two seconds, he adapted to the sudden increase in light and saw his surroundings clearly.

Feng Bujue was now wearing a striped prison uniform, sitting in front of a table. His hands were handcuffed to the armrests of the chair, and his feet were shackled together.

There was a desk lamp on the table, and some paper documents were spread out. Opposite the table, there was a man in a white coat, who looked to be in his fifties, with wrinkles all over his forehead. He was holding a piece of paper and circling and writing on it with a pen. There was also a mini recorder next to him.

This room was not closed off. There was a small window with iron bars high up, and a cluster of moonlight fell through the gap. There was a bed in the corner of the room, and a flush toilet in the other corner. The four walls were no longer a monotonous cement color, but painted in soft and bright colors. Feng Bujue could see the door to go out. There was a small window above the door panel. This small window was not made of glass, but filled with very dense, intersecting iron mesh. There was also a baffle at the bottom of the door, which seemed to only be opened from the outside. That should be the place to deliver food to the prisoners.

"So… Hirata-kun, if you are ready, let's start this conversation," the man in the white coat said.

Feng Bujue sighed, "Excuse me, there are three things I must ask you."

The man in the white coat was silent for two seconds, frowned and looked at him, "What is it?"

"Who are you, where am I, and… what is today's date?" Feng Bujue asked.

The other person also took a deep breath, and then sighed deeply: "Alas…" He picked up the mini recorder next to him, pressed the record button, and said to the mouth, "March 9, 2005, patient number 0098, Hirata Shuichi. File recorder, Takakura Taro." Takakura put the recorder aside and said to Feng Bujue, "Don't you remember me?"

Feng Bujue ignored him, lowered his head hard, and touched his face with the back of his hand. After touching it twice, he could basically confirm that his face was not fifteen years older. Although he looked like he was wearing a prison uniform, there was no change in the clothing column when he opened the game menu. But in any case, from the perspective of the NPC, the person in front of him was undoubtedly the forty-year-old Hirata Shuichi.

"You…" Takakura seemed to be a very perceptive person, "Who are you? Are you Hirata? Watanabe? Tachibana? Or someone else?"

The amount of information in this question was quite large, but Feng Bujue immediately reacted: "Do I have multiple personality disorder?"

"Yes," Takakura replied. He picked up the document in his hand and sighed again, "Since 1991… when you were locked up, many doctors have participated in your treatment and research. The personalities that can be identified so far are three, the main personality is Hirata Shuichi, and there are two other personalities, a psychologist named Watanabe, and a policeman named Tachibana. So, which one are you? Or none of them?"

Feng Bujue leaned back in his chair: "You can call me Mr. F." He looked at the ceiling, "Watanabe represents Hirata's rationality and wisdom, and Tachibana represents Hirata's conscience and self-blame. Hirata himself… I don't know, I haven't seen him yet."

"Mr. F? Rationality? Conscience?" Takakura snorted coldly, "Okay, Mr. F. Then what do you represent? Your identity, occupation…"

"Me?" Feng Bujue smiled, "I am a mystery novelist, who came from a higher dimension and entered this body." He looked relaxed, "I am gradually breaking free from a cage cast by thought, the main body of which may be Hirata-kun, whom I have not yet met, or something else. I broke through from the most chaotic and vague world of memory, to the subconscious world of self-spirit, and then regained some important memories and came here." He moved his body forward a bit, "I now seriously suspect, Doctor Takakura, whether you, and this cell, are real, or a symbol of another cage…"