Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Last time, when Pierce was leaving the reading room, he asked, "Have you ever been outside of Nameless City? Have you ever wondered what's outside of Nameless City?"

This question shocked Zhong Chenmu greatly at the time, because when he tried to find the answer in his memory, he found no clues.

However, he had no intention to think about or verify this issue these days.

All he could think about now was how to find his parents.

Seeing Zhong Chenmu's somewhat embarrassed expression, Pierce didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he softened his tone and said, "It's okay. The answer to this question isn't that easy to find. It depends on whether you want to answer it. Many times, when you decide to set out, it's already the right thing to do. Whether you can finally arrive isn't that important."

After saying that, he walked around Zhong Chenmu and headed towards the bookshelf area.

"By the way...if you feel it's too lonely to find the answer alone, you can join an organization. The power of a team might be even greater."

He said over his shoulder before burying himself between the bookshelves.

After hearing this, Zhong Chenmu stood there and silently savored these words.

"One person... is powerless... perhaps the power of a team is greater..."

A moment later, he caught up with Pierce and asked, "Professor Pierce, what do you mean?"

At this time, they were both between two rows of tall bookshelves. Looking inside from the door of the reading room, they could not see a single person.

Pierce turned around and looked at Zhong Chenmu meaningfully without saying a word.

The sunlight outside the window and the light from the reading room were perfectly blocked by the bookshelves. Zhong Chenmu could only see a face full of wrinkles and a pair of bright light blue eyes.

The owner of this face broke the silence: "Would you like to join the Prophet Society?"

"The Prophet Society?" Zhong Chenmu was stunned.

"Yes, that's what these words mean. This is the organization I founded. If you join us, you can get closer to the prophet. For example, maybe you can find the answer to my question."

Hearing this, Zhong Chenmu suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable absurdity.

"Has an unknown city become the boundary of our activities and cognition? How ridiculous... But I really can't remember what's outside the city..."

Looking at Zhong Chenmu's expression, Pierce said, "Don't think my question is simple. In fact, I've searched the library countless times and haven't found any clues. I just don't want to give up."

"Does this include electronic search libraries?"

Zhong Chenmu looked at the computer area in the corner at the end.

"Of course, don't look at me as an old man."

"Actually, I thought I was the only one with no memory of anything outside of Nameless City. I didn't expect that you, a university professor, wouldn't even know what the outside world is like?"

"There's no shame in admitting that," Pierce said.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhong Chenmu's mind, and he quickly asked, "Just now you said 'I've searched the library countless times', but, including today, this is only the second time we've met, right?"

"Just because we've only met twice doesn't mean I haven't been here before. Didn't you just come here to work during the summer vacation?"

"No..." Zhong Chenmu slowly organized his words. "What I mean is, did you really come to the library before meeting me twice, or... is it just a memory?"

Pierce's light blue eyes grew deeper. "I understand what you mean. What we think we've experienced is not the same as what actually happened. Memory can be deceiving."

"No..." Zhong Chenmu decided to speak directly about his feelings at the time: "I feel that the day we first met, my entire memory was refreshed. All the memories before that day seem to have no basis to confirm..."

Having said that, he suddenly realized something, his mouth half opened, his lips trembling slightly, and the trembling quickly spread to his whole body.

"Is it... impossible..."

He raised his palms and rubbed them vigorously on his temples.

Pierce quietly looked at the boy in front of him, his face trembling with pain. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he said gently, "Xiao Zhong, it sounds like you're going through some pain, and it seems that this pain is related to my problem. Don't bear it alone. Join our Prophet Society and believe in the power of the organization."

As he had guessed, after hearing these words, Zhong Chenmu recovered from his previous state. He nodded and said, "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

Pierce smiled and said, "You don't have to do anything. Just come find me at the City God Temple in the northwest of the city after get off work tonight."

"Okay, what time is it?"

"After get off work is fine, but our event will start a little earlier, so if you don't arrive on time, we won't wait for you."

"..."

At this point, Pierce gestured "please." "Alright, Xiao Zhong, we'll talk about the rest tonight. I need to get back to my research. I can't sit here until the end of the day like last time, because I need to get there early. Everyone's waiting for me."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, we are an organization. Am I the only one?"

"Okay, then... Professor Pierce, I won't bother you for now."

After saying that, Zhong Chenmu turned around and walked from between the bookshelves to the reading room hall.

suddenly see the light.

However, he was still thinking and deducing the thought he had just had, that crazy thought.

He didn't intend to tell Pierce everything right now, whether it was the feeling of being spied on and watched from time to time, or the binary number system in his mind whose operating mechanism was still unclear. After all, he had no idea what the old professor's background was or what his motives were.

And forming a prophetic society does not seem to be the post-retirement lifestyle that an ordinary retired university professor would generally choose.

As I was thinking, there was some noise at the door.

The first group of guests who come to the reading room to read and borrow books have arrived.

Zhong Chenmu calmed his mind, smiled, and went to meet him.