A frantic ringtone woke up Chen Chen from his sleep. It was a call from Chen, a staff member of the Super Brainwave Expert Group, notifying him to be present at the third-floor conference room of the administration building at Nanfang University by 10 a.m. for questioning.

It was just 6:15 a.m. The early call made Chen Chen suspect that something serious was afoot. Yet, the caller would not divulge any details, only emphasizing that he must not be late.

Sleepiness banished by this seemingly grave message, Chen Chen got up from his sofa, drove to the lab at his school, where he had spare clothes and could check on the progress of the ongoing experiments. Before leaving, he glanced at his father, still deep in sleep.

Precisely at 10 a.m., Chen Chen walked into the third-floor conference room. Five pairs of eyes on the opposite side of the table were waiting for him. A bespectacled man in the center gestured for him to sit down.

It turns out that after yesterday's meeting, Professor Wang Hongtao and two other experts from the Super Brainwave Expert Group had collectively suggested Chen Chen's removal as the group leader. They accused him of acting arbitrarily and hindering the progress of Super Brainwave research. They also questioned his upcoming participation in a special WHO conference on "Antamin," suspecting ties between Chen Chen and Ulysses that could be considered conflicts of interest.

As a result, an investigative group had been hastily formed, consisting of the five people present.

"This is a misunderstanding. I have never hindered the progress of the research," Chen Chen said after digesting the information, adding that, "Human understanding of science and disease evolves; what we think we know may sometimes aid us but may also mislead us."

Chen Chen had never cared for titles, but he now needed his role to counteract Professor Wang Hongtao's arbitrary conclusions and to participate in the "Antamin Special Research Meeting."

"So, Professor Chen, please state your reasons for dismissing the 'Super R-virus' as the causative agent of Super Brainwave !" the bespectacled man asked emotionlessly.

"I have not dismissed it; I merely called for further verification!" Chen Chen frowned.

Six grueling hours later, both sides were visibly tired. Chen Chen's arguments had some merit, and the investigative group could not easily label him as obstructing the research.

Then, a staff member brought in a stack of materials. After reading them, the investigators sighed and shook their heads. The leader threw the materials in Chen Chen's direction. "So, Professor Chen, could you please explain what this is all about? We have reasons to suspect that you're deliberately hiding information about the 'Super R-virus.'"

It was a printout of the latest online media reports. "First Case of Super Brainwave Found in the Lab of Renowned Neuroscientist Chen Chen," read the headline. An insider had tipped off that this might be related to a chemical leak in Chen Chen's lab.

Looking at the shocking words, Chen Chen's chest heaved, and an inexplicable sense of dread filled him. This was absurd. Who was trying to sabotage him? Was it his turn now after Professor Albert and Xia Nan?

The investigation group immediately decided to suspend Chen Chen from his role as the leader of the Super Brainwave Expert Group. Professor Wang Hongtao would represent China at the "Antamin Special Research Meeting" in Geneva. They also demanded that Chen Chen submit the substances his lab was currently developing within five days.

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After leaving the affiliated hospital of Southern University, Chen Chen slowly drove along the welcoming avenue. A few scattered, fashionably dressed young people aimlessly wandered on the sidewalk. There were still over three hours left before his 9 o'clock meeting with Mo Sijie at Yi Jia Hospital.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Having just experienced an intense interrogation, he was exhausted. A pile of thick press releases felt like a ghostly old tree, its long vines trapping him, putting him in a very passive position in the midst of this Super Brainwave pandemic.

Mo Sijie. Can he be trusted? At this point, it seemed like the only option. He replayed every word Mo Sijie had said to him in his mind, meticulously listing the credible information. This was crucial because only thorough preparation could make his upcoming test on this mysterious man closer to the truth. For Xia Nan, for Professor Albert, for the Super Brainwave , and even for himself, he had to try.

"Do you have a way to help your father remember?" Mo Sijie got straight to the point as soon as he met Chen Chen at Yi Jia Hospital.

"Perhaps, but I need your help," Chen Chen said, leading Mo Sijie into a lab where a white, chubby machine resembling a loaf of bread stood. It was the most advanced MRI scanner available internationally. With great effort, Chen Chen managed to borrow it for a night from Dr. Zhang, who was in charge of the machine.

"This machine is far from Professor Albert's memory extractor, but it's the best I can come up with right now. However, I need you to help me test it first."

Mo Sijie fully understood and did not hesitate to ask, "What do you need me to do?"

"It's very simple; you just have to lie down. I'll ask you a few questions. You don't have to answer verbally. I can deduce your responses from the activated regions of your brain, as well as signals like electric currents, waves, and magnetic fields during the thinking process. After questioning, we'll cross-check the answers to see if this method works," explained Chen Chen, deliberately using a lot of neuroscience jargon to make the process sound more convincing to laymen.

As simple as that, thought Mo Sijie, neuroscientists always have a way. Without a second thought, he lay down on the scanner bed. The machine started and pushed him into the large, spherical chamber. His entire body was inside, only his feet sticking out. At this moment, he began to feel tense, as if he were laid bare before Chen Chen.

More shameful than physical nudity was the mental exposure. The scanner could clearly read his thoughts, making Mo Sijie a little fearful of this technology. Thoughts should be private, invulnerable to intrusion. At this moment, he deeply admired Professor Albert's principle that only the involved parties should be able to access memories, even though he had criticized this design just yesterday.

After a series of beeps and clicks to calibrate the scanner, Chen Chen's voice came through the headphones. Every 10 seconds, he asked Mo Sijie a question. For example, he asked if Mo Sijie could fly a plane. Mo Sijie didn't answer verbally but thought of the answer in his mind. Then, there was a 20-second break before the next question. This cycle repeated for about ten questions, all related to things Mo Sijie had previously told him.

Analyzing the images and data on the display, Chen Chen noticed that Mo Sijie was becoming increasingly relaxed. Then, he asked the question he had summoned Mo Sijie for: "Did you kill Professor Albert?"

Initially, Mo Sijie didn't notice anything unusual. He considered the question silently, just as he had the previous ones, but quickly realized he'd been tricked. Chen Chen had brought him here today just to verify whether he was the one who had killed Professor Albert. And at this point, Chen Chen had already gotten the answer he sought.

"Professor Chen, are you satisfied with the answer?" Mo Sijie asked coldly, lying in the scanner, knowing that Chen Chen could hear him.

"Mr. Mo, since you didn't kill Professor Albert, please answer the following questions directly. Of course, I can also determine through the machine whether you are telling the truth or lying."

"Did you find any special clues at the crime scene?"

"I think the person who killed Professor Albert must be someone very familiar to him."

"Why do you think so?"

"The memory extractor was conspicuously placed. Such an important scientific achievement wasn't hidden when the murderer arrived."

"So you just took it."

"I thought it might be helpful, so I took it."

"Why can't I find any information about the San Francisco paranormal event online?"

"The U.S. government is very sensitive about it. They've devoted significant resources to burying the event rather than investigating it. It's as if they're afraid of what might be uncovered."

"Do you have any other evidence?"

"Professor Chen, if you don't believe me, I can show you the emails between Professor Albert and me. Let's not waste time on this."

Clearly agitated, Mo Sijie began tapping on the machine, signaling for Chen Chen to release him. Even if he had signed a confidentiality agreement with Professor Albert, forbidding him from disclosing any confidential material, what mattered now was to convince Chen Chen. Only then would he have a chance to thoroughly investigate the matter and find the murderer.

Chen Chen looked at the emails opened on Mo Sijie's laptop. Though they used a pseudonym, the punctuation habits were unmistakable—commas throughout, with a period only at the end.

"Mr. Mo, from now on, we should trust each other!"

The hands of the two men met in a firm grip.