"Angela, you're finally back!" Just as she stepped into the Chen Chen lab at Southern University, a raspy male voice immediately wafted over from the southeast corner of the lab. Jiang Fei, overjoyed to see Angela dragging her suitcase into the lab, immediately leapt up from his seat, extending his arms for a hug. However, Angela stopped him with a counter-question: "Where's Professor Chen? I couldn't get through on the phone."
"He's locked himself in his office and won't let anyone in," Jiang Fei pouted. "Don't worry, I'll call him right now. You have some water and rest first."
Professor Chen's office is in another building. When he doesn't have teaching duties, he generally stays in the lab. Yesterday, he had told everyone in the lab to stop their work, claiming it was a holiday for all, and then locked himself in his office. Jiang Fei, with nowhere else to go, stayed in the lab to work on his thesis so that he could be readily available should Professor Chen need him.
Angela looked around the empty lab, her heart sinking. This was the scientific research that Professor Chen considered his life's work. They had once pulled all-nighters here running experiments and correcting data. Now, it was desolate.
Regarding the Super Brainwave, Angela had organized her thoughts during the flight and had some ideas. If her hypotheses could be verified, it would likely exonerate Professor Chen.
Sandy Deaf School, Katrina, Biero's curse, Super Brainwave ... When Chen Chen arrived at the lab, these were the terms Angela was writing on the blackboard.
Chen Chen was somewhat entranced by this familiar scene, the name "Xia Nan" lingering on his lips. This blackboard was bought by Xia Nan, who said that writing chemical formulas on it could better stimulate inspiration. And the young woman in front of him now was Xia Nan's daughter, which felt very strange to Chen.
"What is this?"
Angela didn't notice Chen's entrance until she heard his familiar voice from behind her. Turning around, she frowned at the unkempt Chen, "Professor Chen, how can you look even more disheveled than me?"
"Been too busy," Chen touched his scruffy chin, making an excuse. Angela seemed in good condition, not like someone who had just been through a traumatic event. That was something he admired about her.
"Take me to Sichuan Boiling Fish. We can talk while we eat," Angela checked her watch, realizing it was mealtime, and began dragging Chen by his arm.
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The Sichuan Boiling Fish Restaurant is located on a food street near the northern gate of Southern University and is the number-one trending boiling fish restaurant in Southern City. Before the outbreak of the Super Brainwave , this small 50-square-meter shop would start having a line by 11 am every day. The first time Chen had come here was with Xia Nan.
Xia Nan loved spicy food, which had a lot to do with her parents being from Sichuan. Although she grew up in the United States, she was a spice aficionado. But for health reasons, she was very restrained and would only allow herself this treat for special occasions. Angela's love for spice took Chen by surprise. He once jokingly made a "spicy map of China" for Angela, telling her that according to her taste buds, one of her parents must be from Sichuan. Now, he knew the origin of Angela's spicy gene.
Today, the Sichuan Boiling Fish Restaurant finally had no line. Business in restaurants plummeted after the Super Brainwave outbreak, and ninety percent of the shops on this food street had closed due to poor business. The boss of this restaurant is from Chengdu and was a bit grouchy when business was good. Now with business down, he became much friendlier. "Hello!" came the enthusiastic greeting from inside the restaurant.
There were no other customers in the entire restaurant, so Chen and Angela chose a table by the window.
"Professor Chen, after this meal, my mood will plummet," Angela said, selecting her favorite dishes from the menu.
"Do you want to turn sorrow into strength?" Chen broke through his recent melancholy and made a joke with Angela. Whenever he was with her, he felt much more relaxed.
"The first lesson you taught me was about dopamine, and it turns out to be very effective," Angela grinned, hesitating between blackfish and mandarin fish. "Yearning brings more pleasure than having. Once you get what you desire, the level of dopamine decreases."
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"What really increases the secretion of dopamine is your psychological anticipation of the boiling fish, not the consumption of it," he knew what Angela was trying to express, "Well learned, student Angela. When the dishes arrive, you mustn't start eating. At that moment, the dopamine secreted by your brain's limbic system will reach its peak."
"Professor Chen, you're wrong again! Consuming boiling fish stimulates the pleasure center in the brain, causing the release of more endorphins, which in turn intensifies my love for boiling fish. In the future, when I think of boiling fish, my brain will release even more dopamine." Angela handed her chosen menu to Chen Chen, asking if anything needed to be added.
"Indeed, the old Chinese saying is true: 'The student starves the master.'" Chen Chen took the menu, ticked off a stir-fried vegetable dish, and handed it to the waiter. "I can no longer enjoy Sichuan cuisine in this lifetime. Is everything sorted with Professor Albert?"
"Everything's settled, the school was very helpful. I couldn't have done it alone," Angela said, her mood sinking at the mention of her father. "Something feels off."
Angela looked around the room, which was unnaturally quiet. She leaned in and whispered, "I suspect someone stole my father's brain."
"When did you discover this?" Chen Chen looked at Angela, who said, "In the morgue. I was too distraught to notice at the time. But in hindsight, his head felt lighter."
Angela paused before continuing, "I wanted to confirm after claiming his body from the police, but they notified me that due to the pandemic, they've already cremated him."
"Professor Albert had a stitch line under his jaw, which is abnormal for an autopsy. I questioned the police; they denied it. I guess they don't want people to know." Chen Chen sighed.
"So you suspected this too!" Angela exclaimed.
"Your discovery confirms my 99% suspicion. Now, I am certain someone stole Professor Albert's brain," Chen Chen said.
"Why? Why would the murderer steal his brain?" Angela became emotional.
Chen Chen gestured for her to calm down. "Maybe the brain was the objective. For experiments? Like Einstein's brain, illegally obtained for research?"
"If that were the case, it would be easier," sighed Chen Chen.
A sizzling hot pot was placed between them, disrupting their conversation. Angela straightened up, losing her appetite for the food.
"Do you believe in my father?" Angela asked, her eyes teary.
"I do," Chen Chen reassured her, "and you should too."
He served her a bowl of fish slices, "Eat up. Your dopamine can't wait."
Angela smiled. As she was about to eat, she looked at Chen Chen, "Oh, one more thing. I saw Sister Xia Nan in my father's lab."
"She was there again? How is she? Why hasn't she contacted me?" Chen Chen fired off three questions, eagerly waiting for Angela's reply.
Angela narrated the incident when she met Xia Nan in her father's lab. To avoid increasing Chen Chen's anxiety, she withheld the fact that Xia Nan appeared a bit neurotic and the memory chip that she had hidden; she could not hand it over to Chen Chen.
"She will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals, whether it's a scientific experiment or recovering lost memories." Hearing that Xia Nan was safe, Chen Chen sighed in relief.
He knew that Xia Nan would not give up until she recovered those memories. Just like when she dropped her ongoing research to fully support him, tirelessly looking for magnesium compounds. Finding a magnesium compound that could be effectively absorbed by the human body and was non-toxic was incredibly challenging. It took three years for Xia Nan to sift through over 10,000 compounds and select five magnesium ion compounds for Chen Chen's experiments. That's how MTX came to be.
But he was puzzled as to why Xia Nan hadn't contacted him. Even if she had lost her phone, there were plenty of ways to reach him. Why did she choose to disappear when she needed him the most? And why wasn't he by her side when she needed help? Chen Chen felt deeply guilty.
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Another point he couldn't understand was Xia Nan's amnesia. It should be psychogenic amnesia, selectively forgetting the past due to the enormous trauma of being raped and giving birth. Such amnesia can generally be reversed through hypnosis. Her memory loss seemed more complicated than that.
Chen Chen tried hard to control himself, not wanting Angela to detect any change in his emotions, but he clearly felt his heartbeat accelerating. He picked up a piece of spicy fish and stuffed it into his mouth, then another. The spiciness collided in his mouth, inhibiting the high-speed operation of his brain cells.
"Professor Chen, why are you eating spicy food?" Angela looked at Chen Chen in astonishment.
Only then did Chen Chen feel his stomach churning. He can't eat spicy food; every time he does, his stomach strongly protests. He drank three cups of hot tea to feel a bit better.
"I think Xia Nan is safe for now. Once the police find the real culprit, she can quickly reunite with you," Angela, knowing the professor's unusual behavior was due to his concerns for Xia Nan, comforted him.
"I hope so." Chen Chen closed his eyes wearily, praying for Xia Nan to be safe during this time. He suddenly remembered seeing Angela write something like 'Super Brainwave ' on the blackboard and asked, "What were you writing on the blackboard earlier?"
"I was organizing my thoughts, Professor Chen. I suspect that the outbreak of Super Brainwave may be related to a certain sound, but I can't confirm it yet," Angela said very mysteriously.
"A sound?" Chen Chen found it unbelievable.
"Possible! Give me two days to prove this," Angela already had a plan in her mind but couldn't tell Chen Chen. If he knew, he would definitely stop her.