299: Sealed Memories

In business, winning once is enough.

In this round, Old Ghost gambled everything and won it all back.

Lin Yu's steps did not move forward.

He merely turned around, preparing to leave this long corridor where countless researchers' hard work could be glimpsed.

"Where to next?" Wang Qingxuan asked softly, walking beside him, her tablet already switched to the architectural guide map of the entire Research Institute.

Feng Rui and Li Mo followed closely behind, like two soulless shadows, not daring to breathe loudly.

It was at the very moment Lin Yu turned around.

Inside the laboratory.

"We succeeded! We succeeded!"

Old Ghost practically leaped up, embracing a Young Man researcher next to him. His scrawny body erupted with astonishing strength, making the other person roll his eyes.

"Critical threshold! We broke through the critical threshold of 'Psionic Conduction'! Hahahaha!"

He acted like a madman, letting go of his unfortunate colleague, then rushed back to the enormous alchemy array. He prostrated himself on the ground, touching the faintly glowing runes with an almost devout posture.

This was the research environment he had dreamed of.

This was a scientific research sanctuary he could never have reached in his lifetime.

And now, he was here.

In his ecstasy, he subconsciously looked up, wanting to share this historic joy with his colleagues.

His gaze, passing through the one-way glass, fell upon the corridor outside.

He saw it.

He saw the tall Young Man, surrounded by everyone, at the center.

The Young Man happened to turn around.

A plain yet incredibly familiar face clearly appeared in his vision.

Boom!

In Old Ghost's mind, it was as if billions of tons of explosives had detonated simultaneously.

All sounds, all ecstasy, all excitement, were instantly shattered to pieces.

Time stood still.

The fervent smile on his face instantly froze, then cracked inch by inch, finally turning into a blank stare.

His entire being seemed to have been drained of all spirit and energy, leaving him rigid.

It was him.

It really was him.

Lin Yu's dressing style had never changed, so Old Ghost found his current appearance very familiar.

Different from everyone else here.

Feng Rui and the others saw a demon king crushing the Four Major Companies, a god who controlled their destiny.

Wang Qingxuan saw the brother she would wholeheartedly assist, her future hope.

But what Old Ghost saw... was that skinny figure struggling to survive in the dark corners of the black market, from the deepest part of his memories.

A memory that had been sealed away for a long time was forcibly torn open.

That was long before Lin Yu revealed his true face, when Lin Yu was not yet a legend of the black market.

At that time, Lin Yu was a regular at Old Ghost Hall.

In the black market, everyone tried their best to hide their identities.

But at that time, Lin Yu seemed unable to even afford a decent disguise item.

He used the lowest-grade Phantom Dust Mask, which was virtually useless in front of an old hand like Old Ghost.

With a little effort, one could see through the blurry light and shadow to glimpse the true face beneath.

A young face, somewhat sallow from long-term malnutrition, yet stubbornly defiant.

Old Ghost had an impression of him.

A deep impression.

Because this kid, every time he came, only bought one type of thing.

The cheapest, lowest quality, almost discarded mental stabilizer.

Throughout the Insect Dwelling black market, Old Ghost Hall's inferior Potions offered the best value for money.

Poverty was the deepest impression the youth left on Old Ghost.

Every transaction, the youth would haggle with him for a long time over a few coins.

Later, when the youth went to the black market again, he seemed to have saved enough money to switch to higher-grade disguise items.

Old Ghost could no longer recognize him.

Until some time ago, during the conflict that determined the fate of Old Ghost Hall.

When Lin Yu removed all his disguises in front of Chen Ao, revealing his true face.

Old Ghost felt a strange sense of familiarity.

But no matter what, he couldn't connect the mysterious youth before him, who casually annihilated a black market giant, with the poor kid from his memory who even haggled over medicine.

One was a celestial dragon.

The other was a loach in the mud.

How could it be?

This thought flashed through his mind, then was extinguished by himself.

Until these past two days.

For the construction of the Research Institute, he had more contact with people like Feng Rui and Li Mo.

From their fragmented words, mixed with fear and reverence, Old Ghost heard more of the 'truth' about Lin Yu.

What about the five years that passed.

What about being a College Entrance Examination candidate.

One fragment after another constantly collided and pieced together in his mind.

Finally, at this moment.

When he personally saw Lin Yu standing here, becoming the sole master of this technological divine kingdom.

All the fragments perfectly fit together.

That skinny youth who bought cheap mental stabilizers in the black market, struggling to survive.

And this terrifying existence before him, who made the Four Major Pharmaceutical Companies bow down and the Abyss Domain envoys bend their knees.

Were the same person.

Old Ghost didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment.

Was it absurd? Shocking? Or some ineffable sense of destiny?

He once, for a petty profit of a few dozen coins, sold a few inferior Potions to a youth struggling in despair.

And today, that youth bought his entire life.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound.

The data pad in Old Ghost's hand slipped to the ground, its screen shattered.

The Young Man researcher beside him was startled and quickly went to help him.

"Old Ghost! What's wrong? Are you too excited?"

Old Ghost didn't respond.

He pushed his colleague away, his body swaying from the violent impact.

In his cloudy old eyes, surging waves of shock and understanding, incomprehensible to outsiders, churned.

He suddenly turned around and stumbled, rushing towards the alloy door of the laboratory.

"Old Ghost! Where are you going? You can't just go out here!"

His colleague's alarmed cry was left behind him.

In the corridor, Feng Rui and Li Mo also noticed the commotion in the laboratory.

"What's going on? Is that Old Ghost guy going crazy?" Feng Rui frowned.

Wang Qingxuan also stopped, looking with some confusion at the suddenly chaotic laboratory.

Only Lin Yu remained calm.

Bang!

With a loud bang, the alloy door was violently forced open from the inside.

Old Ghost staggered out, his entire body as if his bones had been removed; if not for holding onto the doorframe, he would have collapsed to the ground.

His white hair was disheveled, and his deeply furrowed old face displayed a complex expression that defied words: shock, bewilderment, fear, and a fanaticism almost akin to pilgrimage.

Feng Rui and Li Mo's hearts stopped at this sudden turn of events, and they subconsciously took half a step back.

Is this old fellow crazy?

How dare he lose his composure like this in front of Mr. Lin?

Wang Qingxuan also frowned, slightly lowering her tablet, her entire being entering a state of alert.

Only Lin Yu still watched the old man with interest.