Chapter 126: An Interlude in Memory (Mantou Arc)

When did I miss it?

Yan Jing recalled the memory fragments he had just watched.

Although he had focused on the turning points of major events, he had quickly skimmed through the rest of the scenes.

In Cameraman's memories, he and the girl spent most of their time just reading. Checking the footage from the days before and after was enough to determine whether anything major had happened.

If nothing had, the day could be skipped.

And since this was all unfolding inside Cameraman's head, processing it was much faster than watching a movie on fast-forward.

Because of this, Yan Jing felt he shouldn't have missed something as important as finding the platform.

When questioned by the girl, Cameraman had explained that it happened by accident a few years prior; he hadn't intentionally hidden it.

But he hadn't specified exactly when.

Left with no other choice, Yan Jing could only re-watch the scenes he had skimmed over earlier.

Time ticked by, and soon, Yan Jing noticed something unusual.

He realized that Cameraman's memories were not quite what he had imagined.

He had originally assumed that because the memories were recorded automatically, the footage would remain consistent regardless of how deep an impression an event had left on Cameraman.

Now, however, he discovered that while the recording process was consistent, the playback was not. Scenes that hadn't left a strong impression on Cameraman would fast-forward, flashing by in a fleeting instant.

So... the reason he had missed it earlier likely wasn't because he hadn't looked closely enough. It was simply because finding the platform hadn't been a memorable event for Cameraman.

In other words, the memory of finding the platform was most likely hidden within those rapidly skipped scenes.

Having narrowed down his search, Yan Jing soon found the memory in question:

It happened after Cameraman announced that the girl's designation was Number Zero.

Although he had gotten his wish and the girl grew increasingly close to him, he would still feel sad whenever she deliberately gave him the cold shoulder.

He would constantly overthink, wondering why she treated him that way and whether he had done something wrong.

During these periods of overthinking, he even wanted to stay away from her, afraid of seeing that disappointed, indifferent expression on her face again.

Because of this, he spent that entire period living in a constant daze.

Even his field of vision was angled upward from constantly staring at the ceiling.

It was during a trip to the washroom that, with his head slightly raised, he suddenly noticed a Rift in the ceiling.

Driven by curiosity, he tried pushing aside the ceiling panel with the Rift in it, ultimately discovering the platform.

In the days that followed, whenever he felt heartbroken over the girl, he would spend an hour sitting on this platform and thinking about her.

He had no intention of using this passage to go to the outside world.

Perhaps it was because the White House was more than just a safe zone providing room and board; it also offered the girl's companionship, and allowed him to... wait for that man to return.

Yan Jing found the memory, but he was also somewhat disappointed.

It was incredibly mundane and gave him no further clues.

However, since this concerned the passage to the outside world, he decided to watch Cameraman's time on the platform at a slightly faster speed, just to ensure he didn't miss anything else.

During this process, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he unconsciously hit pause.

A familiar face had appeared in the footage.

It was a dirty little face with a large Electric Helmet perched on top. Messy hair clung wildly to her forehead, and she looked much younger than Yan Jing remembered.

Only those big eyes remained exactly as Yan Jing knew them—just as large, and just as beautiful.

Mantou.

Or rather, a tiny Mantou.

She was lying on her stomach by the opening below, looking up at Cameraman with a curious gaze.

Yan Jing suppressed his astonishment.

He hadn't expected Cameraman to have met Mantou before.

And Mantou had seemingly never mentioned it.

Not even the last time they went to gather Heavy Pollution Herbs.

The Mantou from back then looked much smaller than she did now. Her clothes were even more tattered than when Yan Jing had first met her, but she seemed... much bolder.

"Sir... what... what are you doing... up there...?"

Mantou tilted her head, her big eyes blinking. She pursed her lips and struggled to get the question out.

Hearing this, Yan Jing recalled Old Master Liu getting drunk on the day of the banquet and chatting with him.

"Do you know what that Nizi, Mantou, said first when she begged us to help save you...?"

"She called this Old Man 'Sir'."

Old Master Liu had chuckled. "I never thought there'd be a day when I, Liu Fu, would be called 'Sir'."

Yan Jing also thought of the staff at the Mad Amusement Park.

Because of their status as staff members, they always addressed others as "Sir" right from the start.

Clearly, this silly girl hadn't been taught by anyone; she had secretly learned the habit by mimicking them.

Whenever she faced someone she respected, she believed she had to call them "Sir."

Thinking of this, Yan Jing felt a twinge of sorrow.

In the footage.

Faced with Mantou's question, Cameraman glanced down at her without saying a word.

His mind was occupied with the girl named A Si. As for this dirty little girl, she couldn't even compare to the other girls in the White House.

But Mantou pursed her lips and spoke again:

"S-Sir... are... are you... stuck...?"

She tremblingly reached her small hand into the opening.

"Try... try... grabbing me... just try..."

But Cameraman still said nothing.

Amid the silence, Mantou pursed her lips again and fell quiet.

She didn't leave, however. She stayed sprawled by the opening, staring blankly at Cameraman, her thoughts a mystery.

Being stared at like this irritated Cameraman.

"What do you want?"

Finally hearing him speak, Mantou gave a foolish smile:

"I... I... I'm not... doing anything... Sir... if you're... you're busy... I... I won't bother you..."

Despite her words, Cameraman noticed that Mantou's eyes were fixed on the apple in his hand.

The apple had grown on a small tree in his room.

About half a year ago, the "teachers" had brought the tree, planted it in his room, and told him to eat one apple every day.

"You want this?"

Cameraman held up the apple.

Mantou gave a silly smile and nodded.

But then she spoke up again in a slight panic:

"I... I don't want... want to eat the one in... in your hand, Sir... after... after you finish eating... I'll pick it up... I'll eat that... just to taste it... I... I've never eaten one before... I'm sorry..."

To her surprise, Cameraman simply threw the completely untouched apple down to her.

"Here."

"Don't bother me."

Cameraman spoke, though Mantou clearly hadn't registered his last sentence.

In the footage, she stared blankly at the apple that had landed squarely in her hands, her large eyes shining.

Then, she raised her head and looked at Cameraman:

"For... for me... this... the whole... the whole thing...?"

As if still unable to believe it, she hurriedly reached out, grabbed the apple, and offered it back up toward the hole:

"Sir... did you... did you... accidentally... drop it...? Here... here..."

"It's for you."

Cameraman spoke impatiently. He then stood up and left the platform.

Behind him, Mantou's voice echoed continuously:

"Thank you... thank you... Sir... thank you... Sir... see you next time..."

After that, whenever Cameraman came to the platform, there was a high probability he would "coincidentally" run into Mantou.

"Sir... h-hello..."

The tiny Mantou would always greet him like this, a massive smile blooming on her face.

"Today... it's... it's sunny outside..."

She would always sprawl by the opening and tell Cameraman about the weather outside, even though he had never asked.

As for Cameraman, after shaking off his longing for the girl, he would toss an apple down to get rid of the annoying nuisance.

This was how the encounters between the two of them began.

Over the following period, Mantou continued seeking out Cameraman, but he clearly grew more and more impatient.

Finally, during their last encounter, Cameraman scolded her harshly. He then turned and left, leaving Mantou staring blankly at the empty platform, completely unsure of what had happened.

Seeing this, Yan Jing unconsciously hit pause and frowned.