“December 2nd,” Watanabe replied.

Feng Bujue said, “The first video recording was on November 24th, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“What about 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 from behind, “Fukui was shot and killed on November 26th. That afternoon, he sent all the servants away from his house, claiming it was… to meet with your wife, Haruko Sato.” He hesitated slightly when saying this, probably trying to find a suitable way to phrase it. “Personally, I think a guy like Fukui deserved to die, but I won’t show you any leniency for implicating my subordinates in your quest 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. On that day, Hirata-kun went to work as usual, appearing very calm, while Haruko Sato was absent. And that night, the events in the third video occurred.”

Feng Bujue said, “So… Officer Yamada’s disappearance should have occurred between the time Hirata left the company on November 24th and the morning of November 26th, right?”

Inspector Tachibana replied, “On the evening 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 the person is!” Tachibana shouted.

“So it wasn’t…” Feng Bujue mused, “Hmm… I see.”

“Is that tone of yours asking for a beating?” Tachibana threw away his cigarette butt and charged over again.

Feng Bujue ignored him, continuing to speak to himself, “As far as I know, Japan has pretty good public safety, and the proportion of police officers to the total population is relatively high. In big cities, detectives and special police are issued firearms. But in a small town like this, I estimate… everything from public safety to criminal cases is handled by a fixed and limited group of people. So… it’s not surprising that Yamada became a target.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “Here’s what I think. Let’s assume Hirata planned to steal Yamada’s gun. He had two options: first, steal it; second, 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 intention to murder Fukui would be exposed. What Hirata did was reckless, but that was on the premise of successfully killing Fukui. Before the crime was completed, he couldn’t afford to fail. So… robbing was obviously more certain than stealing. Of course, the crime is also more serious, but a man who’s planning to kill someone already has that awareness.

Since it’s a robbery, there’s no need for any skill. Just take advantage of the night, pick a deserted place, attack the unsuspecting Yamada from behind, and take the gun. But if that were the case, Yamada couldn’t have disappeared… at most, he’d just be knocked unconscious by the roadside.

The fact that Yamada has disappeared means that something unexpected happened during Hirata’s attempt to steal the gun. Perhaps he only intended to knock Officer Yamada unconscious, but he accidentally killed him during the action…”

“Bastard!” Tachibana was serious this time, grabbing Feng Bujue by the collar. “Finally confessing! Speak! 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, directly dropping his survival value by 30% and inflicting the [Paralysis] status.

“Inspector Tachibana!” Watanabe stepped forward to pull the middle-aged officer away. “Please don’t abuse 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. He had unconsciously immersed himself in the joy of deduction and was acting as he pleased. This punch reminded him that he was in a nightmare difficulty script, and even if the two people in front of him were communicative humanoid NPCs, 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.

“Haah… haah…” Feng Bujue gasped, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and continued the interrupted conversation, “If Hirata ambushed and killed Officer Yamada while he was patrolling on his bicycle, then… the bicycle should have been found.”

Tachibana seemed to have calmed down, and Watanabe let go of him. The two turned to look at Feng Bujue, listening to what he was going to say next.

“When Hirata realized that he had accidentally killed a police officer, there were only two possible reactions: first, take the gun and run; second, dispose of the body and then run. Even in the second scenario, he couldn’t have moved both the body and the bicycle at the same time. At most, he would have hidden the bicycle in some inconspicuous corner nearby and then tried to move the body…” He said, “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 the bicycle in the trunk and drove away,” Feng Bujue said thoughtfully. He paused 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 a hidden place. The bicycle was left on the road, and later found and picked up by a third person. This third person probably didn’t witness the incident, so they dared to take the bicycle. It’s very likely that they were a homeless person. The person may have already left the town, or perhaps they later learned that the bicycle was related to some events and threw it into the river or even disassembled it out of fear.

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 a hidden place to imprison him… or kill him. In that case, the bicycle was pushed away by Officer Yamada himself, while Hirata was holding him hostage nearby.

Third, after Hirata realized that he had accidentally killed someone, he did 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 said sternly.

“These are just reasonable assumptions. Theoretically, this possibility exists. For example, someone saw what happened from the shadows, and he happened to know Hirata. So, after Hirata ran away, he cleaned up the scene, trying to cover things up. In the future, he can 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 don’t understand…” Feng Bujue said, “On the afternoon of November 24th, Hirata developed a motive for murder; on the evening of November 25th, he managed to get a handgun from Officer Yamada; on the afternoon of November 26th, he went to Fukui’s mansion to catch his wife in the act and commit murder…” 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 crime scene investigation. He said that when he opened the door, he saw Haruko on the bed, and a monster was attacking Haruko, so he shot 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 evening of the 27th, the police received a report and rushed over. They found Haruko Sato’s body in Hirata-kun’s house. Judging from the traces at the scene, it was a suicide. The estimated time of death was in the afternoon of the 27th. At that time, Hirata was at work as usual,” Watanabe said.

“In other words… on the 26th, Hirata went to the mansion, killed the person, and then took Haruko home. The next day, Hirata appeared at the company as if nothing had happened, while his wife committed suicide at home,” Feng Bujue recited. “It’s unlikely that Haruko Sato hanged herself to commit suicide with her lover. She also didn’t report to the police… which means that her suicide was either due to a mental breakdown or an act driven by guilt and fear towards her husband.”

“We already know these things. You don’t need to repeat them,” Tachibana said impatiently from the side.

“You know the things that these three videos have roughly reconstructed,” Feng Bujue continued, “And the things you don’t know… that is, Officer Yamada’s whereabouts, are locked in Hirata Shuichi’s already insane brain.” He shifted his gaze to Doctor Watanabe’s face, “So Doctor Watanabe wants to help you awaken Hirata’s memory?”

Watanabe said, “Do you remember anything? Mr. F?”

Feng Bujue replied, “Sorry, the only memories I saw were the three segments recorded in the videos. But what I saw was a little different from the content in your videos. What I saw seemed to be the world of monsters that Hirata-kun imagined.”

Watanabe sighed and said, “People’s brains can be affected after a severe shock. For example, if a person has been beaten or abused as a child, because those memories are very painful and exceed the limits of their mental endurance, their brain may block the relevant memories. That person will completely forget those things, as if they never happened; and sometimes, the memories are not ‘blocked’ but ‘changed,’ just like Hirata-kun’s situation. Maybe in his memory, he only remembers that he caught his wife being attacked by a monster, but in reality…”

“I know this,” Feng Bujue interrupted, “I also know a little about this.” He moved his neck, which was a little uncomfortable from being restrained, “The situation where memories are ‘blocked’ can easily lead to multiple personality disorder, while being ‘changed’ leads to hallucinations…”

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

Although Feng Bujue didn’t want to take another punch, he had no room to resist at the moment. He was completely restrained and could only obediently take the beating. He didn’t try to use Spirit Gathering Body Technique, because judging from the current setting and the words and actions of these two NPCs, if he suddenly used such a 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 fatal 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. “Are you saying… you want to go back to Hirata’s mental world?” He tentatively asked, “How? 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 footage… When ‘Hirata’ was watching the video before, I was experiencing the distorted memories in his mental world. Then I came here. What can I do to go back…” He pondered, “And I have to go back to a time before the evening of November 25th…”

“Very good. Since you’re willing to cooperate, you can talk to the doctor,” Tachibana’s tone suddenly changed, becoming unsettlingly calm.

Feng Bujue was stunned when he heard this. “What?” He looked at Watanabe again. “Wasn’t I just talking to Doctor Watanabe…”

Watanabe interrupted him, “You’ve regained your memory of the case, realized your mental state, and identified Yamada as a memory blind spot. We can rest assured now.”

“Huh?” Feng Bujue didn’t understand what they were saying at all. “You suddenly…”

Before he could finish his question, he lost the ability to speak, because he had returned to the CG state of watching in the first person, and the scene in front of him changed again.

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

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

Buzz—

This was the sound of a fluorescent light. A blinding white light brought Feng Bujue back from his brief daze.

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

Feng Bujue was now wearing a striped prisoner’s uniform, sitting in front of a table. His hands were shackled to the armrests of the chair with two pairs of handcuffs, and his feet were chained together with leg irons.

There was a desk lamp on the table, and some paper documents were spread out. Across the table from him 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. A mini tape recorder was placed beside him.

This room wasn’t closed off. There was a small window high up with iron bars, and a cluster of moonlight fell through the cracks. 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 were painted in soft and bright colors. Feng Bujue could see the door to the outside. There was a small window above the door, which was not made of glass but was filled with a very dense, crossed iron mesh. There was also a baffle at the bottom of the door, which seemed to only be opened from the outside. It must be the opening to deliver food to the prisoners.

“So… Hirata-kun, if you’re ready, let’s start this conversation,” the man in the white coat said.

Feng Bujue sighed. “Excuse me, there are three things I need you to tell me.”

The man in the white coat was silent for two seconds and looked at him with a frown. “What are they?”

“Who are you, where am I, and… today’s date,” Feng Bujue asked.

The other person also took a deep breath, then let out a heavy sigh. “Sigh…” He picked up the mini tape recorder at hand, pressed the record button, and said to the microphone, “March 9, 2005, patient number 0098, Hirata Shuichi. File recorder, Takakura Taro.” Takakura put the tape recorder aside and said to Feng Bujue, “Don’t you remember me?”

Feng Bujue ignored him, forcefully lowered his head, used the back of his hand to touch his face, and after touching it a few times, he could basically confirm that his face didn’t look fifteen years older. Although he seemed to be wearing a prisoner’s uniform, the clothing column in the game menu hadn’t changed. But in any case, from the perspective of the NPCs, the person in front of him was undoubtedly the forty-something Hirata Shuichi.

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

The information contained in this question was quite large, but Feng Bujue immediately reacted. “Do I have multiple personality disorder?”

“Yes,” Takakura replied. He picked up the file in his hand and sighed again. “Since 1991… since you were locked up, several doctors have participated in your treatment and research. Currently, three personalities can be identified. The main personality is Hirata Shuichi, and there are two other personalities, a psychologist named Watanabe and a police officer named Tachibana. So, which one are you? Or are you none of them?”

Feng Bujue leaned back in the 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 met him yet.”

“Mr. F? Rationality? Conscience?” Takakura snorted coldly. “Alright, Mr. F. Then what do you represent? Your identity, profession…”

“Me?” Feng Bujue smiled. “I’m a detective novelist who came from a higher dimension and entered this body.” He looked relaxed. “I’m gradually breaking free from a prison built by thoughts. The main body may be Hirata-kun, whom I haven’t met yet, or something else. I broke through from the most chaotic and vague world of memories to the subconscious world of self, then I regained some important memories and came here.” He moved his body forward. “I now seriously suspect that Doctor Takakura, you, and this prison cell, whether they are real, or symbols of another layer of prison…”