71: dinner party

After parting ways with the GUPA team at the edge of the dense forest outside the mine entrance, Lu Jianchuan quickly melted into the shadows. Once he confirmed no one was around, he pressed the gem on his armband behind a thick bush.

The armor peeled away and dissipated as if it had a life of its own, transforming back into the armband. At the same time, he felt an extremely subtle tingling sensation on his skin, like static electricity brushing past him. Instantly, a set of casual clothes, identical to what he wore before entering the mine, covered his body.

He instinctively looked down, rubbing the hem of his clothes with his hand. The texture... was peculiar. It looked like familiar cotton, but upon closer inspection, it lacked the subtle fibrous feel of fabric. Instead, it had an indescribable, incredibly smooth and uniform quality, as if it were tightly pieced together from countless tiny living Units. When pulled forcefully, its elasticity far exceeded that of ordinary clothing. This was definitely not his original outfit, but a highly realistic biomimetic simulation. A sense of surreal weirdness washed over him, but he quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time to dwell on this.

He straightened out his 'new' clothes, ensuring there were no flaws, then quickly left the Western Hills area along the route he had memorized and took public transportation back to the city center... The next day, the Police Station still seemed to carry the lingering fatigue from the tense and busy previous night, but a new kind of restlessness was brewing. Not long after Lu Jianchuan sat down at his workstation, he heard a somewhat noisy commotion coming from the reception area.

Soon, the political instructor walked into the large office accompanied by a man and a woman. Leading the way was a female reporter who appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in a sharp professional suit with meticulous makeup. Her gaze was sharp, and a professional smile played on her lips, her every move exuding competence and experience. Following her was a young male reporter who looked like he had just graduated, holding a voice recorder and notebook, his face showing a mix of rookie nervousness and curiosity.

"Everyone," the political instructor clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, "these two are reporters from the city TV station's 'Urban Focus' program, Reporter Qi Wei and her colleague. They'd like to learn about the rescue operation in the Western Hills yesterday for a positive report. Please cooperate, share what you know, and remember discipline."

Qi Wei stepped forward, her smile appropriate and her voice clear: "Thank you for your hard work, officers! We mainly want to understand the thrilling process of how that famous adventure streamer and two officers were trapped in the Western Hills yesterday and were successfully rescued. We heard our police comrades reacted very swiftly, and the rescue operation was highly professional. We hope to use this report to help citizens better understand the bravery and dedication of our police force."

Her eyes swept across the office and finally settled on a few veteran detectives who had participated in the initial search and subsequent support. Those veteran detectives exchanged glances, and one of them cleared his throat and began describing how they analyzed clues, organized the search and rescue, and struggled to find them in the complex environment.

Lu Jianchuan sat at his desk, head bowed, pretending to organize the files on his desk. His ears captured every word his colleagues described.

"The situation in the cave was very complex at the time, with many branching paths and no signal..." "We had only one thought in mind: we must find them!" "When we found them, they were unconscious, but their vital signs were relatively stable. It was truly a stroke of luck amidst misfortune..."

At first, Lu Jianchuan thought this was just his colleagues embellishing and simplifying the event without disclosing classified information. But as he listened, a chill gradually crept up his spine.

A veteran detective who had participated in the support last night but had absolutely not ventured deep into his area was speaking into the microphone with a tone of absolute certainty: "...At the time, our team searched along the third branch tunnel and found the three of them huddled together behind a collapsed mine cart, probably to keep warm..."

Lu Jianchuan abruptly looked up, a flicker of shock he couldn't suppress flashing in his eyes.

The third branch tunnel? Behind a collapsed mine cart?

The description was too specific, too accurate! Accurate as if seen with one's own eyes! But last night, aside from the GUPA personnel, no other rescue team members had reached that location! When he and Zhan Yong's team left, they had also confirmed no one else was around.

These details could only have been provided to them by GUPA! Not only provided, but they might have even... altered their memories? Or implanted this 'script' into their minds through some powerful psychological suggestion?

This thought sent a shiver down Lu Jianchuan's spine. He suddenly remembered the news reports after the battle with the White Whale at Linjiang Square, with their dismissive conclusions of 'holographic projection test' and 'collective memory confusion.'

So that's how it is.

He slowly lowered his head, gripping the pen in his hand tightly, his knuckles turning white. It wasn't simple information control, but something more thorough, more unbelievable... memory weaving. To conceal supernatural truths, that special department was capable of going to such lengths.

The female reporter Qi Wei seemed very satisfied with the 'first-hand information' she had gathered, a look of accomplishment on her face.

The barbecue stall was shrouded in smoke and bustling with noise. Sizzling meat skewers, golden-brown grilled buns, and tender chives were brought to the table one after another. Condensation formed on the walls of the chilled beer glasses. Old Zhang and a few young colleagues were noisily playing finger-guessing games and boasting, the atmosphere lively.

The interviewing reporters finally left with satisfactory material, and the subtle tension in the Police Station eased as well. As a busy day drew to a close, just as Lu Jianchuan was packing up to leave work, colleague Old Zhang and two other young officers slung their arms over each other's shoulders and approached him.

"Jianchuan, don't be in such a hurry to go back and stare at an empty room!" Old Zhang patted his shoulder heartily. "Come on, we've been busy for days, finally catching a breather today. Let's go to the night market for some barbecue, have a couple of drinks, and relax!"

Normally, Lu Jianchuan would most likely decline using fatigue as an excuse. But today, perhaps driven by the lingering sense of loneliness in his heart, or perhaps craving the long-missed, ordinary hustle and bustle of life, he hesitated for a moment and actually nodded: "Alright."

"Hey! The sun's rising from the west!" a young officer teased with a laugh.

The group chatted and laughed as they left the Police Station. The evening breeze carried a warm touch, dispelling some of their fatigue. They headed towards the most famous nearby night market, where the clamor of the crowd and the mingled aromas of food filled the air with the vitality of life.

Just as they passed a stall selling candied haws on sticks, a familiar figure caught Lu Jianchuan's eye. Lin Wan was standing there, holding a shiny candied haw skewer, carefully biting off one hawthorn berry, her cheeks puffed out as she squinted with satisfaction.

She also saw them, especially Lu Jianchuan in casual clothes walking among his colleagues. Her face instantly lit up with a delighted smile, and she waved the hand holding the candied haw vigorously: "Officer Lu! What a coincidence!"

"Oh-ho—" Old Zhang immediately drew out his voice, nudging Lu Jianchuan with his elbow and winking. The other two colleagues also wore good-natured, teasing smiles.

Lu Jianchuan felt his face grow slightly warm, but he still walked over: "Yeah, off work now. You... finished your shift?"

"Yeah!" Lin Wan nodded emphatically, swallowing the hawthorn in her mouth, her smile bright. "The deliveries went pretty smoothly today, so I thought I'd reward myself with a candied haw skewer!" She glanced at the colleagues beside Lu Jianchuan and bowed slightly, somewhat embarrassed. "Hello, officers."

"Hello, hello!" Old Zhang spoke on behalf of the group, grinning like a Maitreya Buddha. "Young lady, you seem quite familiar with our Officer Lu, huh?"

Lin Wan blushed, quickly waving her hands: "No, no! It's just... Officer Lu helped me. He's a good person!"

"Of course, our Xiao Lu is a model in the station!" another colleague chimed in with a laugh. "Steady and reliable!"

Lu Jianchuan felt somewhat embarrassed by their teasing and quickly interjected: "Don't listen to their nonsense." He turned to Lin Wan, trying to change the subject. "Recently... has delivering takeout been going smoothly?"

"Not bad! Getting more familiar with the routes!" Lin Wan replied with a smile, her eyes sparkling.

Watching their natural conversation, Old Zhang's eyes darted, and he enthusiastically extended an invitation: "Young lady, we're just heading to the front for some barbecue. Why don't you join us? The more, the merrier! It'll also help our Officer Lu... uh, relax!" He deliberately emphasized the word 'relax,' causing the other colleagues to snicker.

Lin Wan was taken aback, a blush spreading across her face. She instinctively looked at Lu Jianchuan, her eyes holding a hint of inquiry and anticipation.

Seeing her somewhat flustered yet expectant look under the neon lights, and then glancing at his colleagues who were enjoying the spectacle, Lu Jianchuan sighed inwardly but didn't object. He simply said calmly, "...Come along. At this hour, eating alone isn't very lively."

"Then... then I'll be intruding on you officers!" Lin Wan's face blossomed into a shy yet very happy smile, and she nodded emphatically.

Thus, the original group of four became five. The noisy group merged into the night market crowd, searching for their usual barbecue stall. Amidst the clamor of the city, the gloom of the case and the secrets he alone carried were temporarily washed away, leaving only the banter among friends, the aroma of food, and a quietly growing, warm sense of everyday life.

Lin Wan was a bit reserved at first, taking small bites of the meat skewers Lu Jianchuan handed her. But under the influence of everyone's enthusiasm, she gradually relaxed. She talked about her anxiety when she couldn't get illustration commissions, eating plain noodles for several days in a row to save money, laughing at her own Embarrassment when mentioning the tough times.

"But it's okay!" She picked up a skewer of grilled mushrooms, her eyes shining brightly under the hazy lights of the night market. "Just hang in there a bit longer. I heard the platform's commission fees will be settled soon, and things will be easier then."

Lu Jianchuan listened quietly, occasionally nodding, and pushed a plate of freshly grilled, cumin-sprinkled squid tentacles towards her. "Mm, take it slow. Things will get better." His voice was calm amidst the noisy environment.

He looked at the bustling crowd around him, his colleagues' innocent smiles, and the girl beside him striving to live her life. A long-lost warmth of ordinary life enveloped him. It felt good, allowing him to temporarily detach from the armor, the evolution factors, and those dark secrets.

However, when Old Zhang raised his glass and loudly proclaimed, "To our safety and peace!" Lu Jianchuan's smile faltered slightly. He instinctively glanced at an empty seat beside him, where Uncle Li used to always sit. He would smile watching the young ones fool around, occasionally interjecting with a steady yet witty remark.

A sharp pang of sorrow unexpectedly pierced through this fleeting warmth.

The scene of Uncle Li's sacrifice, the darkness and smell of blood in the warehouse, surfaced vividly in his mind once again. He picked up the teacup in front of him, took a silent sip, and forcefully pushed down the surging emotions.

Some sorrows don't fade with the passage of time; they merely sink into the depths of the heart, only to resurface at an unexpected moment, reminding you of their presence.