Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Memory
Gao Tian looked at "Father," "Mother," and his "sister" Gao Xi, who stood by the door, waiting to open it for the girlfriend outside.
He asked his final question:
"This district we live in, this building... what are they called?"
It was strange. Despite having lived in this district for over a decade, Gao Tian couldn’t recall its name at all. Moreover, ever since he had entered, every blade of grass, every tree, and the appearance of the apartment buildings all felt profoundly unfamiliar.
His mother still chuckled and shook her head:
"You’ve forgotten so much, Ah Tian.
"This is Renhuo District. So, naturally, this is Renhuo Building."
Renhuo.
Renhuo.
Renhuo.
’Renhuo... If you swap the syllables... doesn’t that sound just like "living person"?’
’Living person!’
’The Living Person Apartment!’
In that instant, Gao Tian understood everything.
’When did I fall into the trap?’
Unknowingly, his perception had been skewed. Under the influence of some mysterious power, he had voluntarily walked right into the Living Person Apartment!
It was the same "Living Person Apartment" that the leader of the Jialan Society chat group had changed their username to.
Gao Tian had once speculated that the Jialan Society’s leader had also stumbled into the Living Person Apartment when he was alive, and had, to some extent, resolved the incident back then. It was one of the most difficult supernatural cases he had ever solved in his career as a Ghost Hunter, which was why he had adopted "Living Person Apartment" as his name and call sign.
But the Jialan Society’s leader was already dead; he was a ghost now, not a Ghost Hunter. Besides, the Living Person Apartment—itself a ghost—couldn’t be killed, could never be truly eliminated. And now, it had returned.
’Why did I wander into the Living Person Apartment in such a daze? This "father," "mother," and "sister" before me... they’re most likely not human at all. They’re ghosts, disguised as my family, constantly feeding false memories into my mind through their words and suggestions!’
If Gao Tian’s will had been even a tiny bit weaker, he might have actually accepted excuses like "intermittent memory impairment" and, step by step, bought into the setup of this family of four.
BOOM. Gao Tian’s mind was like a drowning man suddenly pulled above the water’s surface. Countless new pieces of information flooded in, and his brain felt like it was about to explode.
He remembered. His real parents had died in a fire when he was just ten years old.
He was an only child. He had no siblings, not even any cousins.
No wonder the faces of his father, mother, and sister were all complete strangers.
Because Gao Tian had no mother at all!
After that fire, Gao Tian became an orphan. Fortunately, his real parents had been two scientists who left behind a foundation that sent him living expenses every month.
The university faculty housing his parents had lived in had long since been repossessed after the lease expired. That was why Gao Tian had been forced to move and rent a new apartment off-campus.
As for why he had to repeat a year, it was simply because he’d done poorly on his college entrance exams. Gao Tian hadn’t inherited his parents’ brilliant minds; he’d always had a mediocre aptitude for studying. Just getting into a top-tier university was an uphill battle for him, and the most elite schools were completely out of the question.
Fake. It was all fake. The roomful of awards was fake, the journal was fake, his sister was fake, his parents were fake, and the "girlfriend" banging frantically on the door was definitely fake.
His real memories had been in a "blocked" state. The numerous blank spots in his recollection were left intentionally, to make it easier for the ghost to implant fabricated memories.
’Honestly, when did it start? When did I become so dazed and walk right into the Living Person Apartment on my own?’
’It must have been when I saw that bizarre photograph, when the girl in the picture smiled at me...’
That was the moment his will and memories had been contaminated. The first false memory was created, leading him to walk to the fourth floor of the Living Person Apartment and accept the ghosts here as his "family."
Fortunately, Gao Tian was resolute enough. He firmly believed there was nothing wrong with his memory, that he couldn’t be the one who was mistaken. That mysterious power had never been able to force this false memory into his brain.
So, the question was, even though Gao Tian now knew his "family" wasn’t human, what should he do next to escape them?
’I have to stay calm right now. Don’t show my hand, and definitely don’t let on that I remember everything.’
These ghosts playing his family were still acting so kind, willing to speak to him gently, only because they thought they were on the verge of success, on the verge of assimilating him.
If the ghosts discovered their memory implantation had completely failed, would they drop the act and just kill him outright?
’How can I possibly find a reasonable excuse to leave this cozy little family of four?’
What was even trickier was that even if he found an excuse, he couldn’t get out. A new ghost had arrived outside, playing the part of his girlfriend, Li Xing, and was now blocking the door, knocking relentlessly. Forget about getting out—the immediate priority was to keep the ghost outside from getting in.
"Gao Tian, have you remembered yet?
"Li Xing has been shut outside for too long. She might be getting a little short-tempered."
As if because no one had opened the door for so long, the thing outside went from knocking gently and tenderly to pounding with increasing violence. Fists like sledgehammers slammed into the metal door again and again, shaking the entire apartment. The tableware on the dining table clattered against each other, emitting sharp metallic clinks.
’Is that really something a human can do?’
His mother stared at him, her smile having turned sinister at some point. She seemed to be studying his expression, trying to see if he had truly been convinced, or if he was starting to remember something.
Since he already knew his so-called "parents" and "sister" were ghosts, Gao Tian no longer had any reason to hold back.
He cast aside the last shred of hesitation in his heart and, without a second thought, activated the power of the Smashed-Face Ghost from the urn.
He chose to copy his "sister’s" facial features.
Combined with the two previous times they had locked eyes in the hallway and the study, Gao Tian had already collected three of his "sister’s" facial features. If he could get two more, he could directly copy her killing pattern for his own use.
The Smashed-Face Ghost’s power had a limit of acquiring three ghost patterns. He had already obtained one, leaving two empty slots.
And at that very moment, he saw the security door. Due to the insane, indescribable pounding, complete handprints were being dented right into the sheet metal. It seemed the thing outside was truly enraged and had dropped all pretense. A mere metal door would probably not be enough to stop "her" from getting in.
"Tian-tian, what’s wrong with your face?
"You look so pale. And your facial features... they seem to be changing."
At that, his "mother" shed her usual gentleness. The veins on the hand she pressed onto Gao Tian’s shoulder bulged. Gao Tian felt an incredible pressure weighing him down, as if she was afraid he would try to run.
’Good. They’ve stopped acting. They’ve all stopped acting.’
There was no more time to copy his "sister’s" features. Gao Tian decided to go for broke. As the gazes of his "father" and "mother" converged on him, he met their eyes directly and copied the two elders’ facial features.
The facial features of three different people appeared on his face at once, yet there was no rejection. Instead, they coexisted in surprising harmony.
Gao Tian immediately understood. His "father," "mother," and "sister" were all actually the same ghost. It had been playing three different parts, acting out a cozy life to run him in circles.
And now, by locking eyes with his "sister" three times and with his "parents" once each, he had unintentionally collected this single ghost’s facial features five times. He successfully activated the Smashed-Face’s ability and stole the ghost’s power.
This ghost... he would call it the Memory Ghost for now.
The Memory Ghost’s ability was simple: it could implant false memories into a victim’s mind through words, environment, and physical actions.
Different people had different levels of mental resistance, and thus different abilities to fight off the Memory Ghost. Someone like Gao Tian was exceptionally resilient. No matter how much evidence his "sister" presented to prove he had amnesia, and even though he couldn’t remember why there were blanks in his memory, he never yielded.
An ordinary person, faced with a room full of awards and a journal they had supposedly written, would likely have their will waver for an instant. The Memory Ghost would seize that opening, pouring in more and more false memories until the victim was completely assimilated.
Having acquired this killing pattern, Gao Tian knew he had to act. If the ghost outside got in, he was a dead man.
That one was a pure "stat ghost," with no specific killing pattern. It could kill him with a single slap.
Seeing "Gao Xi" reach out again to open the security door, which was already covered in dented handprints, Gao Tian had a sudden stroke of genius and shouted:
"Hey, have you all forgotten? Li Xing died last summer! We went to her funeral and took a taxi home. You were the one who cried the hardest, Gao Xi.
"Take another look through the peephole. Is the person out there really Li Xing?"
As long as the fabricated story was plausible enough and the suggestions were rich enough, he could alter the ghost’s memory.
The Memory Ghost’s ability wasn’t just effective on humans; it worked on other ghosts too. He just didn’t know if it would work on the Memory Ghost itself.
Hearing Gao Tian’s words, "Gao Xi’s" hand, which was already on the doorknob, paused. A hesitant expression flickered across her face.
"What are you talking about, bro? When did Li Xing die?
"I don’t remember that at all. Don’t you lie to me."
Her hesitation gave it away—the Memory Ghost’s ability actually worked on itself.
Gao Tian was going to alter the ghost’s memory!
He immediately pressed his advantage, improvising on the spot:
"You’ve forgotten, Gao Xi. You were the one who forced Li Xing to get in the river to teach you how to swim. Halfway through, your leg started cramping. Li Xing used all her strength to drag you to shore, but she was too exhausted and sank into the river herself.
"They sent out several salvage boats. They searched from dawn till dusk before they finally pulled Li Xing’s pale, waterlogged body from the river.
"You collapsed into my arms, crying until you lost your voice. You said it was your fault Li Xing died, that she would never forgive you even as a ghost, and that she would definitely come back this summer to claim your life in revenge.
"Now, look again. Is the Li Xing standing outside that door the same Li Xing from your memory?
"Or is she—"
