Alma Espejo Antigua

Capítulo 35

"He'll wake up when he regains his memories, but even then, he won't like you."

Pan Xiaolu was slightly annoyed that he had seen through her thoughts, but she also felt that what he said was true, and her heart was filled with frustration. These two emotions intertwined, leaving her speechless for a moment, only able to glare at him fiercely. She continued to gaze at Xu Haicheng, and after a while, he suddenly released her hand, his breathing slow and even, his eyebrows relaxed, no longer as weak as before.

Hawke stood up and said, "Wake him up. He's asleep now, not hypnotized."

Pan Xiaolu nudged him with some skepticism, and Xu Haicheng indeed opened his eyes. He looked at the rotating light above with a puzzled expression, then turned to look at Pan Xiaolu and then at Hawke. After a moment, he suddenly realized what was happening and sat up.

"Captain Xu, do you remember?"

Section 66: Chapter Eleven, Part One of the Void Tribulation (4)

Xu Haicheng nodded. "Yes, I didn't kill those four people at all."

Hawke, who had already reached the table, suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Dr. Huo, thank you." Xu Haicheng had just finished speaking when Pan Xiaolu suddenly snorted. He looked at her in confusion, but she glared fiercely at Huo Ke, her eyes like a dagger.

"You're welcome." Hawke regained his usual calm and gentle expression, and Pan Xiaolu gave another soft hum.

Xu Haicheng looked at Hawke, then at Pan Xiaolu, and finally realized that something was wrong between the two. But how could someone as gentle and refined as Hawke have offended Pan Xiaolu?

"Let's have a drink sometime when we're free..." Xu Haicheng hadn't finished speaking when Pan Xiaolu finally couldn't help but interrupt him, "Captain Xu, this kid almost tried to kill you, and you're still drinking with him."

Xu Haicheng was taken aback and looked at Hawke, but he remained noncommittal.

Pan Xiaolu felt wronged when she saw that Xu Haicheng didn't believe her. She remembered how worried and scared she had been, and he still didn't believe her. She turned around and left Hawke's office.

Although Xu Haicheng was unaware of the details, judging from their expressions, they had likely had a disagreement during his hypnosis. He just couldn't understand how one person, gentle and refined, and the other cheerful and outgoing, could have clashed. He quickly said goodbye to Hawke and only caught up with Pan Xiaolu, who was still sulking, at the gate. "What's wrong, Xiaolu?"

Pan Xiaolu naturally didn't express her anger at his distrust of her. Instead, she said, "Captain Xu, I think Hawke has ulterior motives..." She briefly explained what had just happened.

Xu Haicheng didn't see anything wrong with it, saying, "He's a doctor; he might be concerned with different things."

Upon hearing this, Pan Xiaolu felt even more depressed and fell silent.

Xu Haicheng noticed her eyes were still a little red, and recalling the obvious concern she had shown in her words, he was touched and wanted to say something. However, remembering Fang Li's tearful appearance in his memories that had only returned today, he finally decided to ignore her concern.

After a while, Pan Xiaolu's frustration subsided slightly, and she said, "Captain Xu, since you didn't kill the person, you should quickly explain things to Director Chen and then return to the team."

Xu Haicheng shook his head and said, "Ma Junnan's matter was just a trigger; someone doesn't want me in this position."

"Why?"

"I don't know either, maybe I offended him."

The conversation ended there. Pan Xiaolu glanced at her watch, saw that it was getting late, and said, "I'll go back to the station first." She jumped into her car and hurriedly left. Xu Haicheng hailed a taxi. Sitting in the car, he leaned his head back, closed his eyes slightly, and savored the memories he had just regained.

...He ordered everyone to lower their heads, exposing their necks. Everyone's expressions were somewhat complicated, but they obediently lowered their heads. Suddenly, a dark gun barrel emerged from one of the lowered heads, spitting a burst of bullets at him. He bent over to dodge, simultaneously raising his gun, when suddenly his body jolted, as if his head were splitting open, feeling something drilling into it. As it went deeper, his limbs began to twitch.

He felt himself fall heavily to the ground, his head still throbbing, but the pain didn't make him faint. He just felt blood rushing to a certain part of his head. A crimson light spread around him, and he couldn't hear the gunshots outside, only his own rapid breathing. With each exhale, he felt his life slipping away, and with each inhale, he felt an unbearable difficulty. At that moment, the thought flashed through his mind: I'm going to die, I'm going to die.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his and held it tightly. Someone was calling softly in his ear, but he couldn't hear it. However, warm liquid fell onto his palm. Through the bloody blur, he saw a familiar face, "Fang Li..." His consciousness suddenly returned. He couldn't die. If he died, he would never see her again.

He vaguely sensed Fang Li weeping and talking to someone. Then someone bent down, a pair of glassy eyes meeting Xu Haicheng's gaze, murmuring a string of words. Although he couldn't understand them, or even hear them clearly, Xu Haicheng felt an indescribable sense of peace. The pain and the fear of impending death vanished. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Fang Li is still alive.

He had met a country bumpkin.

He never fired a shot at those four soldiers.

But why doesn't Fang Li come back?

Why would Ma Junnan tell such a huge lie?

This recovered memory left Xu Haicheng's mind in turmoil, a mix of joy, frustration, doubt, and helplessness... a cacophony of thoughts and emotions playing out in his mind. For a fleeting moment, he felt an urge to find Lao Tu Mao and ask about Fang Li's whereabouts. In another instant, a different urge arose—to find Ma Junnan and get the truth out of him.

These two impulses intertwined in her mind, but the first impulse was forcibly suppressed due to its impracticality. Although she was more eager to know where Fang Li was than to clear her name, where could she find that old bumpkin in such a short time?

Section 67: Chapter Eleven, Part One of the Void Tribulation (5)

He decided to go find Ma Junnan after all; this matter was too painful to leave unresolved. The taxi stopped at Nanpu University, and the turmoil in his heart had dissipated. He found a restaurant to have dinner. Just as he entered, he heard a pleasant voice coming from the television: "Having traversed the Jingyun Mountains and approached Ma Junnan, viewers, let us share together the poignant journey of the Nanpu University expedition team to the Wuyu region..."

Ma Junnan?

Xu Haicheng stared in astonishment. Wasn't that Ma Junnan, the man in the suit on TV? But he clearly remembered that the TV preview said that tonight's interview would be with Tu Chunfang, the dean of the School of Humanities at Nanpu University.

He ordered a bowl of noodles and ate while watching TV. Ma Junnan still looked terribly thin, but that only accentuated the refined elegance of a scholar; his expression was neither overjoyed nor timid in front of the camera, unlike someone who would be overjoyed to be on television.

Speaking of Ma Junnan, he is considered a senior professor in the Archaeology Department of Nanpu University, but under the bright sun of Lei Yunshan, he has always been overshadowed, like a firefly in autumn. The difference in their connections and reputation is vast. The fact that such an important television interview approached him, and even jumped the queue, raises some interesting questions.

Ma Junnan's interview was shorter and less detailed than previous ones, possibly due to insufficient preparation and the taboo nature of the topic. The complete annihilation of the Nanpu University expedition team made it difficult to publicize the event. The interview inevitably touched upon the deaths of the team members, and Ma Junnan delivered a smooth-talking lie, attributing their deaths to the complex natural environment and the elusive pythons, without mentioning any taboo topics such as ghost masters, blind snake poison, or ghost poison…

He spoke eloquently, his eyes occasionally welling with tears. In his words, the team members became the bravest people, and the expedition to Nanpu University transformed into a grand expedition to trace the footsteps of the migrating Mansi people. Though the team members died, they live on forever, their names immortalized. The audience was deeply moved, their eyes filled with respect as they looked at him.

Finally, the host asked, "Professor Ma, does the Mansi tribe still exist?"

Ma Junnan wiped away tears from his eyes and said, "We found many traces of their lives along the way, such as Sifang Lake and Shixun. These can prove that they continued to migrate deeper into the mountains. Although a long time has passed, I believe that they must live in the 200,000 square kilometers of Jingyun Mountains, and they also live in our hearts."

The applause was thunderous, and the program came to an end.

Xu Haicheng muttered a curse under his breath, "Damn it, Ma Junnan is really good at talking nonsense."

Regardless, the interview was undoubtedly a success. Xu Haicheng could even imagine tomorrow's newspapers filled with lengthy accounts of the expedition members' glorious deeds. He also suddenly realized that Ma Junnan's unexpected interview was at the behest of higher-ups, intended to quell long-standing public speculation about the failure of the Nanpu City expedition. After all, the expedition's search for the Mansi people would certainly be mentioned by people in the cultural circle both domestically and internationally at the festival.

After the TV program ended, Xu Haicheng strolled slowly towards Ma Junnan's house. Along the way, he saw figures embracing each other among the trees and behind the artificial hill, so close they seemed inseparable. He sighed slightly, realizing he and Fang Li had never experienced such mutual affection and openness, and hoped to make up for this regret in the future.

Xu Haicheng guessed that Ma Junnan had not returned yet, so he sat on the stairs to wait for him. When he heard the sound of a car stopping downstairs and then faint voices, which sounded somewhat familiar, he went to the window and saw Ma Junnan waving as the TV station car sped away.