Chapter 125: Silence

“No matter who sealed away your memories, your past—I’ve seen it all.”

The boy in the nutrient solution finished speaking, his eyes turning a milky white as he fixed an unblinking gaze on Mu You. At the same time, an inexplicable force surged directly into the depths of Mu You’s mind.

Fragments of images began to coalesce. Though still broken and intermittent, they revealed a rough outline.

It was... a doll beside a garbage heap, drenched by heavy rain, discovered by Mu You as he passed by.

Cautiously, he approached the doll, lowering his head to look at its dirtied, soaked body, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Such a beautiful doll, abandoned here like this—what a pity.

Mu You glanced around; seeing no one claimed the rag doll, he summoned his courage to pick it up, carefully wiping away the mud with the corner of his clothes. He studied the doll’s face attentively, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips.

“Are you alone too? Abandoned by your parents? So am I. If you’re lonely, how about being my little sister? I’ll protect you,” he said with hopeful eyes.

Seeing the faint, almost imperceptible smile curl at the doll’s lips, Mu You’s joy became impossible to contain.

“It’s settled then. From now on, you’re my sister. I’m so happy!”

He spoke with growing excitement, dancing and running wildly through the rain, heedless of the storm.

“Haha, I have a sister now! I’m not alone anymore! Haha, Mu You is so happy, so happy.”

Strangely, as Mu You’s mood lifted, the dense clouds gradually parted, revealing a crimson sunset glowing in the western sky.

Holding the doll up against the backdrop of the endless sunset, its cheeks tinged with a rosy light, tears began to well in Mu You’s eyes.

They were tears difficult to describe, a sorrow he wished not to dwell on.

Bittersweet, yet sweet nonetheless.

He named the doll “Silent.”

From then on, the images became even more fragmented.

...

Inside the cafeteria.

“Xiao Mo, look! There’s a piece of fatty meat in brother’s spoon—eat it quickly!” Mu You said excitedly, offering the piece to a small, delicately folded paper bowl beside him. The bowl’s owner was none other than the carefully dressed doll.

“Are you crazy?!” “Come on, let’s go, don’t pay attention to him.”

The surrounding classmates exchanged baffled looks, pushing each other away while whispering about Mu You’s baffling behavior.

Hearing this, Mu You first bowed his head, then smiled radiantly, gently caressing his sister “Silent’s” golden hair. “Be good, sister. Don’t take it to heart. I know you can hear and even eat, just differently from us.”

...

In the heart of the park, cherry blossoms bloomed in brilliant splendor.

Mu You carefully placed the rag doll beneath a cherry tree and, with only a short stub of crayon left, meticulously drew from the dew of dawn to the pale moonlight of night. At last, the drawing was finished.

It was a black-and-white sketch: amidst falling cherry blossoms, a petite, adorable princess lay obediently beneath the tree, offering Mu You a shy smile.

“Silent, today is your birthday. Brother spent the whole day drawing this for you. Do you like it?”

For some reason, Mu You felt that “Silent” was happier now than even in the picture. He carefully folded the drawing and slipped it into the doll’s pocket, patting it gently.

“Do you like your birthday gift? Happy birthday, Silent!”

...

Year after year, day after day, the images shifted. Mu You grew bit by bit, while Silent’s dress faded whiter with each wash. Though her smile remained bright, Mu You grew increasingly silent.

Finally, one day, about to enter middle school, Mu You returned to the garbage heap where he had first met Silent. Though the surroundings had changed, the heap of rubbish only grew taller.

He lingered there for a long time before deciding to place Silent back.

“I’m sorry. Brother is going to a place called Half Moon Island to study. Thank you for being with me all these years, helping me get through the hardest times. Thank you... thank you...” His chest ached with an unbearable bitterness as he continued, “But... it was all a lie, it doesn’t count. If you’re reborn in the next life, I truly hope you can be my sister... I’m sorry I wasn’t a good brother. This dream of ‘brother and sister’ has to end.”

His chest hurt like never before, pain so sharp it stole his breath, yet no tears would fall.

He felt utterly despicable—having fabricated a lie to deceive himself for so long, forcing himself out of it. He deserved all this pain.

“Sorry, Xiao Mo, brother... is leaving... take care...”

With those words, Mu You turned and walked away.

The scene zoomed in. The doll’s smile remained unchanged, but inexplicably, a droplet of clear liquid shimmered at the corner of her eye.

What was that? Tears? But she was a doll—how could she cry? What a joke.

Not only the boy in the nutrient solution but also the other challengers, curious beyond measure, hurried forward to take a closer look.

Yet at the same moment, the boy’s milky-white eyes began to bleed fine droplets of blood, and those still asleep spat blood from their mouths as well.

The image froze on the doll’s final crying expression. Mu You felt a splitting headache, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall the following scenes.

“Silent...” “Silent...” “Silent...” Mu You suddenly remembered. Yes, he had not only the sister called Mou You but also “Silent.” Because she could not speak, he had given her that name.

He remembered—though only fragments—but he truly remembered.

The question was why had he forgotten before, and why was he now recalling so vividly and painfully?

Something was wrong. It hurt so deeply—like the agonizing pain of separation from years ago—washing over Mu You once more.

He had willingly chosen to forget everything, so why was it returning? Why was it clearer than ever? Who was responsible?

“Big brother...” Mou You’s anxious voice drifted faintly from afar.

Electric currents—ashen black—spread from Mu You’s right chest into the helmet atop his head, wreaking havoc inside.

“Wake up! Wake up!”

Whose voice was that? So familiar, so warm, just like always being by his side.

No... The world he was in was constructed from memories. Everything just now was a tangle of pasts from different people.

“Where am I?!”

Death Row Paradise!!!

As Mu You suddenly realized, the same feelings surged through the other four—Nono, Fu Nian, Wolf Child, and Right Overlord—who all began struggling.

The boy in the nutrient solution, already severely injured, was shocked by Mu You’s strong reaction and hastily unleashed four streams of electricity to suppress the four instructors. Yet another ashen-black current grew more and more intense.