Chapter 55: Déjà Vu

Chuning suddenly realized just how well-matched he was with Tanya. Was this the feeling of her heart being moved? No, perhaps it was merely an illusion brought on by anxiety! She was so unfamiliar with the area around her own home—just how much of a recluse was she? As Chuning observed the unfamiliar surroundings, he felt an unprecedented sense of confusion. It was simply unreasonable that Tanya still expected him to lead the way!

This was the neighborhood near Tanya’s home, yet the supposed host knew nothing at all. Chuning took a deep breath, suppressing his impatience, and sighed as he saw the identical high-rises around them.

“All right, follow me,” Chuning stepped up at the crucial moment. Since Tanya’s request had already been fulfilled, they found themselves with nothing to do. Chuning was still filled with apprehension about this world, fearing that a single careless moment would see him sacrificed for the sake of science.

Thus, Chuning’s guiding principle was clear: wherever it was deserted, that was where they should go. He chose paths with as few people as possible, avoiding unnecessary contact. Too many witnesses would make silencing them all far too difficult!

At this thought, Chuning glanced at Tanya with satisfaction; she was an excellent conversation partner. If any unfortunate accident were to occur, he couldn’t help but smirk to himself.

As for the daunting task of asking for directions, Chuning believed that with modern technology—the navigation system—it was more than enough. His sense of direction depended entirely on which way he was facing. He knew full well how unreliable his orientation was when it came to reading maps.

Chuning had never had much confidence in his ability to find unfamiliar places; no one can be too perfect, after all—everyone must have some irremediable flaw.

But these were trifling matters. Modern technology had already met his needs for locating places, providing real-time updates that made finding his way easier.

So, they began to wander aimlessly, avoiding the wailing sirens and turning away whenever they heard them. They walked in silence for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts.

It wasn’t until Tanya once again saw the broken branches among the trees on the lawn that she felt she’d seen this scene before. She frowned, thinking perhaps it was an illusion; after all, humans often experience déjà vu.

At this thought, Tanya smiled to herself. After spending so much time with Chuning, she too had learned to explain everyday phenomena with scientific theories. This particular effect was known as the hippocampal effect—the common feeling of déjà vu.

She pursed her lips, pondering the scientific principles at play. It was likely due to a time lag in how the left and right hemispheres processed information; images seen by the eyes were imaged at different times in each hemisphere, and the relatively delayed hemisphere would mistakenly believe the scene had been seen before, as though it had happened in the past.

One is influenced by those around them, for better or worse.

Tanya didn’t believe the earlier incident was a case of wandering in a ghostly maze; there weren’t so many ghosts in the world, and such phenomena were usually limited to narrow spaces. As a member of the new generation of spirits, she understood this even more deeply.

She had nearly exhausted her energy to use her abilities; clearly, employing those eerie techniques from the movies came at a cost. Given the distance they’d covered, the area was much larger than a corridor.

Setting up a complicated formation in such a place would be troublesome; anyone capable wouldn’t go out of their way to do so.

Though common sense dictated this was unlikely, there were always oddballs who defied logic. Tanya glanced complexly at Chuning, who was swaggering ahead. Her first encounter with the ghostly maze could be traced back to him.

To relieve the boredom of the journey, Chuning engaged in casual conversation with Tanya, asking about her future plans. After all, her great revenge had been fulfilled; by standard drama conventions, they were nearing the finale—it was time to consider what came next.

If they truly wanted to pursue the culprit behind it all, they could follow the clue from “Horror Expedition” and keep investigating. Chuning gazed into the pitch-black night, pondering deeply as he explained the intricacies to Tanya.

In any case, what came after no longer concerned him. He had fulfilled his agreement with Tanya, and to involve himself further would only sour things.

“The night is dark and the winds are high—let’s take this opportunity to discuss something,” Chuning stopped in his tracks, turning to face Tanya with solemn eyes. He placed a hand on her left shoulder, preventing her from bumping into him in surprise.

“Oh? You noticed something strange too?” Tanya nearly stumbled and almost fell into Chuning’s arms. She asked in surprise, for in her eyes, Chuning had been wandering aimlessly, his gaze fixed on the sky, oblivious to his surroundings. It was likely he’d missed any subtle changes.

Chuning blinked awkwardly, his mind full of unanswered questions. “What’s strange? I didn’t notice anything unusual!” He glanced around, suddenly feeling unsettled by the eerie atmosphere, and shrank his neck in fear.

Fear was contagious. Seeing Chuning so nervously scanning the area, Tanya began to follow his gaze, but the darkness revealed nothing. Still, she couldn’t help growing suspicious herself.

“What’s wrong? Did something strange happen?” Tanya whispered in Chuning’s ear.

Chuning was baffled. If he remembered correctly, Tanya had brought it up first! Now she was asking him what was amiss—could that be right?

With time, they’d come to understand each other instantly. Tanya slapped her forehead, deciding to share what she’d noticed. If the scene had only repeated once, she could chalk it up to déjà vu or something similar.

But if it happened more than twice, there was no way she’d believe it was just coincidence. To insist on the hippocampal effect now would be to admit her brain was malfunctioning! Unwilling to doubt herself, she decided to consider a conspiracy.

Tanya said softly, “Did you notice the broken branch on the lawn? It seems we’ve seen it more than once. Does this pattern remind you of the forever sixth floor? Maybe we can find the key to breaking the maze and finally escape this area.”

“Really?” Chuning stared gravely at the newly broken branch. Judging by the freshness, it must have been snapped just recently.

Yet on the pale green lawn ahead, there were no footprints, not even the slightest trace of bent grass—each blade stood upright, almost mockingly.

He wracked his brains, wondering how someone could break a branch without stepping on the grass. The tree stood in the middle of the lawn, over three meters away.

No human arm could reach that far, and using a tool wouldn’t achieve so natural a break. Could it have been snapped while floating above the ground? That was too far-fetched to believe!