Ch2 - Regained Memory

Hello! Thank you for all the nice comments, here’s chapter 2! I will be posting every Wednesday until I stock chapters and hopefully I can post more days a week! Big thank you to kyrgona for the kofi dono, was not expecting it, tysm! Also big thank you to my new editor Haru!!

The Future, the Year 2568 of the New Era – 

This is the most prosperous metropolis in the entire galaxy and the capital star of the entire empire.

People have long since learned to control the weather and when the time comes, well-timed snowflakes cover the entire planet at night.

The city was lit up and strewn with lights. There were lines built from the ground to the sky and houses built in mid-air.

The lights reflecting from the floors were colourful, adding to the atmosphere of red wine and green, and the lights from the lighthouses not far away kept moving at a slow pace. 

There were lights as far as the eye could see.

On such a seemingly normal night, on a long sidewalk, there was a young man in his twenties. His eyelashes drooped as he raised his frost-white, bony hands and used his fingers to pull his collar tightly towards himself.

The man shivered involuntarily, his face a little pale, but continued to walk along the pavement against the cold wind.

Under the night sky, the youth’s head was half-lowered, his lips light red and his chin showed a perfect curve.

He lifted his head and extended his gaze from his feet all the way to the road ahead, taking in everything from the high structures in the air to the flat ground, until; he saw the end of the road …… where a grand hotel of gilded splendour and beauty stood.

His eyelashes trembled lightly and his eyes went from clear to dark, before he laughed bitterly.

He shook his head and followed the road upwards.

Looking down from high above, a tiny black dot gradually moved upwards on the road in mid-air, snow covering its feet and leaving its footprints behind. 

The youth’s body was slim, without an ounce of fat on his body, he seemed to be in good shape.

There was no telling how long the path would take, the youth weaved through the darkness against the moonlight and stars.

Until a golden light came into his eyes and the world became noisy.

Dazed and unsure of what to do, he approached a waiter to ask about the person and the booth he was looking for, the other man smiled politely and slowly led him in a direction …… 

In a private room, people were gathered around a table talking and laughing, the atmosphere was very lively.

They were all dressed in high-end clothes, and even though they were loose and unrestrained, the movements of their hands revealed a bit of etiquette.

They looked like they had been friends for many years, they were all toasting each other and having a good time,
But an amount of imperceptible wariness was hidden in their eyes.

Glass after glass of wine went down and most of the dishes on the table were eaten. 

Someone looked at the virtual clock in the sky, his cheeks were flushed but his eyes narrowed unhappily as he heaved his wine glass onto the table with a thud.

“Why hasn’t he appeared yet? We’re not idle people, if we wait, our good tempers will wear out!”

Someone else’s eyes sank when he heard this, but he leaned back in his chair and put his legs on the edge of the table, lighting a cigarette and speaking softly.

“What’s the hurry? Young Master Bai has recently had a family issue, it’s normal that he doesn’t want to see us so soon.” 

It was unknown who laughed, “In any case, they have the same surname as the ancestor, how come they’re in such a state? Not only have they disgraced the ancestor, but they’ve also disgraced the entire mecha community!”

Another person also knocked on the table while laughing.

“Eh, eh! Not everyone can master mecha, there are always a few talented ones in every family, aren’t there? However, this generation of the Bai family is truly unlucky, there are only two offspring in total. The eldest lady is clueless, and the young master is barely better than his sister.

Bai Lu Xi was going to encourage the young master to learn, but who knew that he had secretly enrolled himself in a performance major? This wasn’t able to make Bai Lu Xi die of anger!” 

The group burst out laughing, “The family is full of mech builders, what’s the need for that kind of money? If you make a good mech, you can sell it for a fortune. Why did he become an actor?”

“Who knows?” The man who spoke was flicking his chopsticks, “This guy says he’s good at it.”

Someone laughed and shook their head, “He’s good at it, but has he ever made a name for himself? How many dramas have you done, and you haven’t even heard of him?”

A tough-looking man moved his wrists and leaned back in his chair; smoking a cigarette. He exhaled a smoke ring and said in a raspy voice. 

“Come on guys, you really don’t know why he hasn’t made a name for himself yet?”Dusting off his cigarette he lifted his eyes and looked at the crowd absently.

“Say, how many of you have intercepted?”

One person snickered, raised his head and said in a voice as light as feather, “Brother Li, I must’ve forgotten and overlooked that.”

A streak of fierceness flashed through his eyes, which was then covered with a smile. 

“Anything that he, Bai Ruogu, has acted in, none of them have been allowed to be screened!”

“So, what if he’s talented? So, what if various teachers praise him? Since he’s being sunk to the bottom of the lake, he won’t be able to come out!”

“What else is there to say about him being in the public eye, that sooner or later he’ll become a movie emperor scheduled to be a star across the galaxy? I’ll crush all his resources and see if he can still turn up!”

There was silence in the booth, finally, someone moved his hands to clap and offered a thumbs up. 

The man surnamed Li didn’t interrupt at first. He shook his head with a deep look in his eyes.

Lifting his head he looked around the room with a smile and pushed the body of the cigar into an ashtray.

“In that case, then I’ll leave behind these words; when the Bai family’s podium falls, I want 50% of their family’s market share, as well as the core technology, All of it, whether it’s the original or the copies.”

The corners of someone’s lips tugged lightly, the hand on his side clenched, but his face was plastered with a smile. 

“Brother Li, look at what you’re saying. We are all peers and have worked together for so many years, you can’t just take the lion’s share, at least give us some soup?”

The rest of the group echoed the sentiment, “Yes, Brother Li, your family is the largest mech family, why are you competing with us?”

The young master Li didn’t want to say anything more and put the ashtray on the table, “It’s not easy to win in high places, one has to be more prepared for danger in times of peace.”

“This ……” 

Someone gave a fake smile and tried to play down the situation, “That is correct, but after all, we are all peers, we should be cooperating in future ……”

Brother Li pushed his cup forwards, a sharp edge was hidden in his words, “Even the biggest giants have to worry about the betrayal of others ……”

Just as the scene was getting grimmer the booth sounded with a “ding”.

Everyone changed their expressions and quickly sat down in their seats. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

The previous exchange of swords was gone in an instant, some people raised their glasses to toast each other, allowing the happy and harmonious mood to return.

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Cii fsfr aegcfv abkjgvr atf mtjlg, ktlmt kjr wjvf bo j cfk wjafglji atja ibbxfv atlc yea kjr nfgs rbilv jcv rboa. 

The dark blue chair was somewhat transparent and didn’t look like much of a deal, yet some people’s eyes were dark.

The man smiled as he smoked his cigarette, “Wasn’t the deal to keep him alive to watch the family slowly decay?”

Young Master Li took a sip of his wine and said slowly, “Even if he lives, he can’t do anything to help the family, but if he doesn’t, what do you think will happen to Bai Lu Xi?”

Someone laughed out loud, “Ha! He’ll go crazy! With the Bai House in chaos, it’ll be better to strike.” 

“Wouldn’t that be the end of it? By the way, remember to call the police and tell them there’s been a murder here.”

“Of course.”

Someone pressed a button in the air and the door opened when the command was received outside.

Two different kinds of air collided with each other in the room and created a temperature that felt parts hot and parts cold. 

The waiter bent down gently and respectfully said to Bai Ruogu, “Have a good evening, Sir” With that, he left the place.

Bai Ruogu walked through the bright light of the door into the dim, smoky place, which was filled; all eyes inside turned towards him.

The white light that shone inside the booth brightened his white skin more than the golden light outside.

His lips were dry and his head trembled low, just as he was mentally preparing himself to raise his head to greet, he was startled by a nonchalant cry. 

“What? Young Master Bai has been away from home for so long that he forgot even the most basic of manners? How come you don’t know about closing the door when you enter?”

A booming laugh immediately followed, causing Bai Ruogu’s scalp to tingle, he hurriedly turned his head to close the door behind him.

He looked around in full view of everyone and finally spotted a lone chair.

He walked over and pulled the chair away. 

Someone had a very rich expression, they shook their glass but said nothing and just watched in silence.

Perhaps, knowing what was going to happen later, someone laughed out loud.

“How does it feel to be in the Bai family line, Young Master Bai? Following the ancestor’s surname, which was once so glorious to the whole empire but, now ……” he sighed with regret and shook his head.

Bai Ruogu naturally knew what they meant. He was a cowardly person, but that didn’t mean his family could be trampled on. 

He raised his head and looked at everyone with a smile, sneering, “The Bai family is on the verge of death, but even a starving camel is bigger than a horse, and not just any grasshopper can see the thoughts of an ant.”

“You-”

Someone couldn’t help himself and looked at the youth in the light in front of him. He was wearing a simple jumper paired with a jacket, yet his own elegance remained intact, his figure was slightly thin and looked like it would crumble in a pinch.

“How is Young Master Bai’s business? I heard that the family is facing an economic crisis, Can this be supported by your film salary, Young Master Bai?” 

“Oh!” The man seemed to remember something else, “Young Master Bai seems to be known as the poison of the film industry, making non-sense films, films that can’t be broadcasted.

Now I guess there are no more productions that dare to approach Young Master Bai?”

If there was still some doubt before, Bai Ruogu was now certain when he saw the look on these people’s faces.

“You guys did it!” He slapped the table, panting and staring at them with hatred in his eyes. 

Young Master Li knocked on the table, his eyelashes cowered down and cast a shadow on his face.

“Young Master Bai you should not slander people. Some things cannot be said lightly.”

“You-”

Someone laughed and calmed down the situation, “Stop it, stop it, hurry up, sit down and eat first, it’s not a good thing to be angry.” 

It looked like he was trying to pacify, but the word “sit” had a strange effect. For a moment, everyone’s hands lurched, but then they naturally covered up.

Bai Ruogu didn’t notice either, he glared at everyone and subconsciously sat down ……

The moment his body made contact with the chair, it suddenly flickered with electric light that went straight up his body.

Bai Ruogu froze, and his pupils shrank. Electricity crackled all over his body, making a “zzz zzz” sound. 

His face stiffened and he opened his mouth to make an “ahhhh” sound, but the sound was cut off from his body and could not come out.

The crowd seemed to be prepared for this scene and some of them even laughed.

The lights hanging in the air flickered and the shadows bounced around, which was a little unusual.

People laughed as if the man wasn’t present in the room.. Glasses of wine were clinked against each other and goblets were exchanged. 

Unusual sounds resonated through the room, the security camera had long been tampered with and was now capturing a pre-recorded image set up in advance.

The lights similar to a nightclub were constantly pulsating. There was the sound of electricity in the room, the clinking of glasses, the sound of people cheering, talking and laughing …… and the sound of struggling pleas for help.

One side was very joyful, the other full of desperation, these two extremes contradicted each other in one room.

When the joyful scene was reflected in Bai Ruogu’s pupils, the pair of eyes kept trembling. 

But, the next second, the scene jumped.

Now the reflection in those eyes was not of the current event, instead, it seemed like incidents from a long, long time ago ……

A young scholar won the three major awards that carried great weight in the scientific community and mounted the podium amidst cheers from everyone.

“Professor Bai, you must bring some students with you, eh eh eh …… this is not in accordance with the regulations!” 

“Thank you, Professor Bai, for all you have done so far. The state has awarded you the title of honorary Academician.”

“Fifty million, no! One hundred million! You’re selling this invention to me, right? Do you really not know the value?”

“Congratulations, Professor Bai, on gaining the title of the first person in new energy research and development.”

“Congratulations to Professor Bai for winning the International Gold Giant Award.” 

“Professor Bai, the higher-ups want you to judge the scientific research competition.”

“Wow, you’re the legendary Professor Bai? Can I take a photo with you?”

“Great! Ruogu! With this new machine you’ve invented, now the elderly won’t have to worry about their safety.”

“My God! Old man Bai, what fields are you not good at? You’re almost omnipotent, the Da Vinci of Da Vinci.” 

Time kept jumping around and various data passed through the youth’s eyes.

In the end, a human form was gradually perfected and placed in the centre of his vision.

“I do not believe in human emotion. I fear betrayal and boredom. You are my lover.”

“A human-machine love affair is totally absurd, isn’t it, Su Miao?” 

His first ever lover in his memory opened his eyes for the first time, his expression dull and mechanical, “As much as I would like to agree with you, I cannot. My love, Ruogu ……”

Images kept forming into his eyes and condensed in his mind bit by bit.

The electricity kept stimulating his brain, causing a slight change in the structure.

The body, devoured by electricity, seemed to have opened a wide space somewhere, where a little white light was accumulating. 

After years of stillness, dusty memories were slowly being cracked open. The memories left in that light flooded the brain and dispersed everywhere.

It seemed like after a long sleep, a consciousness had finally awakened.

Because of the exhaustion of his body back then, he did not care about the world outside until today.

The two consciousness’ were colliding with and pressing each other. 

They kept consuming each other, and some of it was even disappearing.

That consciousness of the young body was very weak, whilst the consciousness of the newly awakened old man was unprecedentedly strong, and it gradually took over.

The older Bai Ruogu knew there was bound to be attrition as the consciousnesses merged and losing some things was inevitable.

However….. he could choose what to keep and what to lose. 

The memories of his previous life were too important and he controlled them a little, eventually just going through the changes of age.

Not a trace of his own memory had changed, yet his state of mind changed back to what it was when he was young.

When faced with various types of information, the newly awakened Bai Ruogu’s first choice was knowledge.

Not a single word of the textbooks from childhood to adulthood was missed. After all, he did not want to leave anything behind. 

But there were some side effects, he had lost many names and forgot what they looked like.

But, this can be solved in future when he meets them. For now, he chose to keep the memories associated with these people and what role they played in his life.

Other than a small amount of memory and common sense of this era being missing, nothing was found to be amiss.

Little by little, time passed. In front of the crowd, the electrocuted body lost its movement and sank into silence. 

Bai Ruogu dropped his head and his short, silky black hair appeared in the crowd’s view. The strength was gone from his whole body and his arms dropped.

Someone finally put down their cup and asked in a whisper, “Is there still a breath?”

The other shook his head and lowered his voice, “I don’t think so.”
“Then hurry up and call the police!”

“Oh, oh !” 

Some people gathered their expressions and began to pack up their things, whilst others continued to light a cigarette and leaned back in their chairs, not knowing what to think.

Just when they thought it was all going to end, the man, who had long since lost his breath, suddenly moved.

The moment his fingers moved slightly, the crowd’s eyes instantly shifted. Their nerves tensed up, and they stared at the man with rapt attention.

First his fingers, then his hand, and finally, his whole arm lifted. 

As the pupils of the crowd shook with shock, the hanging head slowly lifted. His eyes were deep for a moment whilst he looked over them one by one, then, he shook his head.

His whole aura changed instantly, he smiled lightly and moved casually, as if he did not take the incident to heart.

He stretched, after which he straightened his collar and turned over some of the creases.

The electricity was still buzzing, and the crowd’s eyes became appalled, some even started moving backwards gently. 

The man’s white fingers still flickered with electricity, yet they were unharmed. Bai Ruogu looked at his finger with downcast eyes, and a helpless smile occured at the corner of his mouth.

“Was this …… an invincibility effect for a few seconds?”

Then as if incomparably aware of the construction of this chair, he bent down and yanked out a certain wire causing the current to instantly disappear.

“You ……” 

Someone’s heart beat wildly, feeling something different.

Did this electrocution shock out a second personality?!

Bai Ruogu sat back with his hands on the chair, the whole person’s back straight and emitting an indescribable aura.

It was both expansive and inclusive, accommodating all things, yet looking down on everything, as if nothing was in his eyes. 

He looked up at the arrangement of the room, first at the various virtual switches in the air, and then at the construction of the whole room ……

Everything was both familiar and new as if he was seeing it for the first time, the changes made his eyes narrow.

He continued his observations, running his fingertips over the handle of the chair, from the corners to the middle of the head.

After that, he turned his head to take a good look again at the equipment in the room, which was luxurious …… but also full of blind spots. 

He then turned and looked at the group in front of him.

He still had the memory of the first few minutes and knew that these people were by no means good, not by any stretch of the imagination. They had even tried, in vain, to kill him.

This fact caused a dark light to flash at the bottom of his eyes and he gave a low chuckle.

It was true that he had become younger, he remembered that he had decided to overlook petty grudges; but now, he had become a calculating person again. 

It had also been a long time …… since he’d cleaned up after someone.

None of them knew what to do at that moment, it was clear that the other side was physically thin, but they all felt a pressure that made them gasp a little.

In an instant, the youth in front of them seemed like a different person. The more he smiled, the more it made their hearts drop.

Bai Ruogu reached for the table with a pair of chopsticks in hand, and all of them subconsciously clenched something close by. 

When they realised that what Bai Ruogu had pinched was a peanut on the table, they were momentarily relieved, but then secretly frowned, thinking that they were being too paranoid.

Even if the man in front of him had changed, so what? Right now, it was just him, and there were so many of them.

Bai Ruogu’s physical quality was poor, not even a grade B like a normal person. Where the vast majority of people here were B+ or even A, Bai Ruogu only had a grade C physical body.

It was clear who was stronger and who was weaker. 

They were vaguely relieved, but a hint of foreboding rose up in their hearts.

Bai Ruogu had just raised the peanut but then suddenly he threw it in a direction.

Someone’s eyebrows jumped, then they heard Bai Ruogu smile lightly and say, “Sorry, my hand slipped.”

The man shook his head, not taking it to heart. 

The meal became dead silent, some moved their chopsticks silently, but the majority just sat there, sipping their wine.

Out of their sight, the peanut flew out and fell into a bag which was dangling over the edge of an unused table next to them.

The bag fell and covered the sensor of the safety equipment underneath.

The sensor detected that it was a bag and a mechanical arm appeared to pull it away, however, it inadvertently hit the decorative ball next to it. 

The decorative ball rolled away and hit a plastic casing, which was slightly larger than the decorative ball, and fell back down.

It smashed into a cue ball and fell down just enough to poke the corner of the room ……

Today’s houses were no longer made of real brick and stones, instead, they were made of all sorts of new materials, such as virtual walls, magnetic induction and the like.

It was clear that the safety margin of such houses were also still much higher than before. But even now at this age, they frequently encountered blind spots. 

And not just one, but many of them.

Under infinitely harsh conditions, it was not surprising that they were reached at the same time. (T/N)

Just as the group was eating with trepidation, they suddenly heard a subtle movement.

Some people raised their heads to look, yet before they could even react, a sizeable chunk of roof collapsed straight on their heads, burying them inside. 

It was not known if it was a coincidence or not, but this happened to be the highest floor and there was nothing on it.

Bai Ruogu was cutting a steak when the roof fell from above, landing just a centimetre away from his plate ……

He was at peace with himself. The space that belonged to him became a pure slate, full of magnificence, sharply contrasting the other side of the room that was in ruins.

The staff around the room were shocked to find this scene, and when they reacted they called others to come forward and move the ruins out of the way. 

However, there were too many remnants there and it would be impossible to move them for a while.

Bai Ruogu put down his cutlery, got up and left his seat and slowly walked out of the hotel.

The Building’s materials were light, like foam, and would not hurt them too much.

A single man emerged from the golden light and returned to the night sky, walking slowly on the snow towards the bustling city below. 

A long slope connected the ground and the sky. The man once again became a small black dot walking down this slope, with his back straight.

A couple ran past him, and a girl was shouting excitedly.

“The once-in-a-millennium meteor shower is coming! It just happens to pass by here. There’s a ten-minute countdown! Hurry up and climb, you can take my picture, I want to stand under the stars.”

Bai Ruogu paused, as information about this meteor shower suddenly flashed through his mind. 

He smiled, turned to the girl and said, “Wrong, there are still three minutes left.”

The girl covered her mouth in some surprise, then opened her smart bracelet and looked, “No! It’s ten minutes! The experts have reported the exact time before, it’s well calculated!”

Bai Ruogu rubbed his chin with his index finger, “But I also calculated that it was three minutes.”

“When did you do the math?” 

“Just now.”

Girl: “……”

“I don’t believe it.”

Before Bai Ruogu could explain to the girl how the calculation was done, the girl pulled her boyfriend away. 

Bai Ruogu stood in place and shook his head, somewhat helpless.

He leaned over the railing on the slope and looked at the clock above a building not far away and waited quietly.

Three minutes, two minutes, one minute ……

He recited the countdown softly, “Ten, nine ……” 

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

As soon as his words fell, a large meteor shower instantly flew up from the sky. 

Looking from mid-air, a small dark figure was leaning on the railing as millions of shooting stars, as bright as fireworks, glided over his head, their starlight illuminating his cheeks and cloaking them in a starry glow.

At this moment, he was the only one here who was ready.

Under the myriad stars, he opened his arms. The meteors passed by, bright and magnificent as if welcoming the arrival of a New Era.