Deceitful Game

Chapter 302 Why don't you cut yourself open?

Chapter 302 Why don't you cut yourself open?

Mingbo fell into deep thought.

If this were his past life, he would have longed for death.

—No, that's not right. How could anyone crave death? That goes against the instinct for life.

So what he really craves is—excitement?

He craves the thrill of life and death, which is why he enjoys extreme sports.

But why is it that now that he has regained his memories, he doesn't like it as much anymore?

He might want to destroy the company—but why?

Just as Ai Shiping and Mingpo said, was the world in the previous cycle of reincarnation really much better than this one?

If the goal is to improve the lives or human rights of those who live in the city and in Central, shouldn't the aim be to improve the world and make everyone equal?

If it's for justice, then it shouldn't be about destroying everything.

Although many people died in the corporate war, many who should have died survived because of it.

Even Mingpo himself is such an example!

Without paradoxical technology, Mingpo probably wouldn't have lived to this age.

As his health deteriorates, the so-called seven lifetimes of reincarnation will only be exhausted more quickly, like a snowball rolling downhill, leading to a painful end.

Perhaps—what he wanted was a peaceful life where nothing had happened, where everything returned to its original state.

But if he did that, he wouldn't know Gao Fan anymore.

Mingpo would have made that choice without hesitation in the past, but now he has also met Gao Fan, Ke'er, and Shi Yue —

Can he really abandon these new bonds?

—From this perspective, perhaps what he longs for is friends.

Ai Shiping and Gao Fan were his only friends in his previous life.

In this life, he has a few more friends, but not many. Each and every one of them is someone he cherishes.

He compromised for the sake of his friend.

After all, Mingpo would never have done this before.

He would rather die than compromise.

But Minper also knew that he was not the kind of hero who would "rather sacrifice his life than betray the organization".

The reason he's so reckless is because he's "not afraid of death".

The saying goes, "The soft fear the hard, the hard fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless"—Mingpo is that reckless one.

But he wasn't the type who, after "knowing the meaning of life and death," would still be able to resolutely sacrifice his life. Instead, he was the type who didn't feel that his life had any meaning, so it didn't matter if he gave it up.

But now—this bus, which was floored, rocking out, and never slowing down, is finally starting to slow down and try to take control of itself.

"—What is it that I truly yearn for?"

Mingpo murmured softly, a rare hint of confusion in her eyes.

He regretted not changing his title to "The Silence of the Lambs".

If I were in that state, I would probably be able to easily analyze my own psychology.

He himself is a master's student in psychology, yet he can't even analyze his own mind. This third life experience has truly made him stupid.

----No.

Mingpo shook her head.

He quickly realized that this was just an excuse.

It's not that he *can't* do it, but rather that he *is unwilling* to do it.

He instinctively resisted the idea, so things that should have been easy for him didn't even register in his mind.

It is already difficult for psychotherapists to conduct their own counseling; they also have their own dedicated "supervisors."

"Don't put pressure on yourself, Apert. It's perfectly normal to not know your life goals."

Ai Shiping reached out and patted Mingpo on the shoulder, and their glasses clinked again: "How many people live their whole lives only to find at the very end that they have accomplished nothing?"

"You feel lost because until now, you've been pushed around by others."

"You're too good at finding fault with yourself. It's like you're always looking in a mirror, constantly finding your flaws and trying to correct them. It's like you're always concerned about your image."

"----you're right."

Mingpo nodded slowly, subconsciously smoothing her hair.

As a child, he was pushed around by his parents to attend after-school tutoring classes that he didn't understand the purpose of, and he didn't like studying.

His choice to major in psychology in college may have stemmed from the confusion and emptiness deep within him.

But Mingpo never seriously analyzes himself, nor is he willing to accept analysis from others.

He was aware that he probably had some kind of psychological problem or some kind of "shadow." But he couldn't remember when the problem started or when it became so serious.

Mingpo also roughly understood why she resonated so strongly with the title "The Silence of the Lambs".

If I weren't bound by law and morality, I might have become some kind of terrifying figure.

"There's no need to find the answer immediately; you just need to face the issue. Or rather, the fact that you can't give an answer right away shows that you truly value this problem—instead of just brushing it off."

Ai Shiping clinked glasses again and urged, "Have some, don't waste it. You've barely drunk any, while I've almost finished mine."

The hovercar began to slow down and descend, and Mingpo's office was already visible through the window.

Once Mingbo regained his senses, he downed the champagne in his glass and put it back in the self-cleaning refrigerator.

He didn't say anything, and got out of the car after it came to a complete stop.

Mingpo knew that he couldn't give Ai Shiping an answer right now.

But he did take this question to heart.

When he stepped back into his office, even though he had only been gone for less than an hour, he felt as if he had been in another world.

Even the sensation under my feet felt unfamiliar.

He stood by the window, staring blankly at his weightless chair.

"Move over a bit, don't block the way."

Ai Shiping pushed Mingpo, who was standing by the window, as they walked in: "Aren't you afraid of accidentally falling down—this is the fourteenth floor."

"So what if it's the fourteenth floor? I wouldn't die from falling from the eighteenth floor either. Do you even know what Adam's Hammer is? Although my cybernetic enhancement isn't as advanced as his, my strength is definitely greater than his, okay?"

While Mingpo instinctively remained defiant, she moved further in to prevent Ai Shiping from accidentally falling.

"I never expected this," Mingpo exclaimed, "that you'd be able to lecture me one day. I guess that's what life is all about."

"This is proof that our friendship has grown stronger, Amber."

Ai Shiping smiled and said, "Because it means that there are some things we no longer need to hide from each other."

"yes----"

Mingpo sighed, "After all, there aren't many days left."

"However," Ai Shiping sighed, "I do have something I'd like you to help me decide."

"What?"

Mingpo led Ai Shiping toward the main gate and casually replied, "Tell Father what it is."

They went outside, deactivated their appearance, and then went back inside, returning to Mingper's stronghold.

"These two versions of myself—with completely different memories and personalities—are indeed making me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Ai Shiping looked down at his palm, clearly in a bad mood: "I admit—both of them are me. I don't want to kill one of myself, but I also don't want these two memories to mix, because that would only kill both of me at the same time. At least that's what I think."

"Since you're from headquarters, you're exposed to more paradoxical technologies. Do you have any technology that can solve this problem?"

"Ugh————"

Upon hearing this, Mingpo thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "Indeed, there is."

"Oh?"

Ai Shiping was somewhat surprised.

He himself did not expect that Mingpo would actually give him an answer.

"There's a technology on the other side of the River of Oblivion that can trim personality and memories, cutting one's personality into different facets—"

"That's for researchers in the executive department or those whose projects are too cruel. The 'New Era Human Rights Discussion Joint Conference' previously mentioned equipping mining machines with this technology. Its effect is to separate the 'work persona' from the 'life persona,' thus preventing those overly bloody and cruel things from being brought into the family."

Mingpo turned around and explained, "Don't you think this is very efficient? A person's personality naturally has different facets, so why not just cut them apart?"

"When facing different people and dealing with different things, I switch to different personalities. These personalities are isolated from each other, and you can even choose the degree of isolation—for example, isolating only the personality, or isolating the memories as well."

"The latter would also prevent leaks. The system automatically switches to the work personality when you clock in and to the personal personality when you clock out. In the personal personality's memory, they've never worked a day in their life, and they have no work experience whatsoever. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"You have a point."

Ai Shiping nodded thoughtfully: "Personality segmentation technology, huh? I'll look it up when I get back."

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