Divine Oracle [Transmigration] (ORACLE)
No sooner had they finished interrogating Lu Ling than someone from the Fourth Division arrived at the Third Division, demanding to take Song Si away alone for documentation.
And it was someone from the Fourth Division.
The Fourth Division of the Special Investigation Bureau was the most mysterious department in the entire bureau, specializing in intelligence work that often operated in gray areas where the authorities turned a blind eye. They frequently borrowed personnel from Chu Mingyi, especially Song Si, to assist in interrogations. Beside Song Si’s workstation was a locked cabinet filled with confidentiality agreements signed with the Fourth Division.
Li Yunan, the head of the Fourth Division, was Fu Xi’s direct superior, but they held the same rank. With Li Yunan away on a business trip, Fu Xi was effectively in charge of the entire Fourth Division.
Under these circumstances, the Fourth Division’s personnel had argued with their own department head just to take Song Si away. It was clear the order had come from higher up, bypassing Fu Xi entirely and going straight to the operatives.
There was no reason for the higher-ups to suddenly suspect Song Si. If anything, this move seemed like someone was covering their tracks, trying to destroy evidence preemptively.
Chu Mingyi evidently thought the same. He hooked an arm around Song Si’s shoulders, pulling him into a side room, and said, “Call my name if anything comes up. Once the documentation is done, I’ll take you back to the Chu family.”
Song Si nodded and entered the meeting room. Before closing the door, he saw Chu Mingyi and Fu Xi standing by the window, speaking in hushed tones.
Five people sat at the meeting table.
As soon as Song Si took his seat, the one at the head smiled and said, “Brother Si, long time no see.”
Song Si smiled back. “Sorry, I’ve lost my memory. Who are you?”
The smiles on all five faces froze. Combined with the earlier argument, the atmosphere grew even more tense. After a few seconds of awkward silence, another person spoke up. “Brother Si, today’s matter isn’t directed at you. Let me apologize first. This morning, we received a notice from above expressing concerns that you might have been mentally contaminated by the suspect… Our division specializes in handling such cases. This isn’t an interrogation—we just want to run a check on you.”
Song Si said, “Director Fu already checked me.”
“Alright,” the room fell silent again for a moment. “Let’s begin.”
Due to the unique nature of mindscape interrogations, participants were required to provide separate documentation afterward, and mental health specialists were called in for evaluations.
With Chu Mingyi watching from outside, they didn’t dare drag their feet. The documentation was completed swiftly, and within just over an hour, the process was finished. They quickly packed up their things, eager to leave this trouble-filled place as soon as possible.
By the time Song Si stepped out, Fu Xi still hadn’t finished.
The Fourth Division’s people deliberately waited until Fu Xi emerged from the meeting room before bringing it up again. “Director, regarding the matter with our division head…”
Fu Xi motioned for them to leave immediately.
In the end, only Chu Mingyi, Fu Xi, and Song Si remained, standing in front of the empty meeting room.
Fu Xi spoke up firmly. “It wasn’t my division head. Given his personality, leaving on a business trip early this morning was his way of avoiding suspicion.”
Chu Mingyi said, “Two minutes ago, the request to enter Song Si’s sea of consciousness was rejected. We can’t delay this any longer—the more we wait, the more complications will arise. If someone within the Special Investigation Bureau wants to target Song Si, I might not be able to protect him.”
After saying this, both of them turned to look at Song Si.
Song Si: “?”
“As long as you agree, we’ll proceed as planned tonight,” Chu Mingyi said. “The more they forbid it, the more I want to see what’s hidden there.”
Song Si: “……”
As one of the suspects with self-awareness, Song Si managed a half-bitter smile. "Actually, I wanted to refuse..."
Chu Mingyi twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Just a thought," Song Si added. "Don't do anything too extreme in my mind."
Both men looked relieved. Chu Mingyi slung an arm around his shoulders again and ruffling his hair roughly twice. "Don't worry, I'll get you a raise this month."
Song Si couldn't quite muster a smile.
With a few words, the matter was settled. Afraid of unexpected complications, Chu Mingyi didn't dare leave Song Si at the bureau and personally drove him back to the Chu residence.
The Chu family home and the Special Investigation Bureau were at opposite ends of the city—the trip took over two hours. Chu Mingyi was still driving that beat-up manual transmission official car, which got them stopped at the entrance by a new security guard who scrutinized them suspiciously before finally letting them through.
This was a villa district with wide spacing between buildings. After several minutes of winding roads, they reached a four-story lakeside villa. Song Si gave it a cursory glance but felt no sense of familiarity.
The villa's main door was tightly shut, showing no signs of butlers or servants. Apart from insect chirps and bird calls, it was eerily silent. Chu Mingyi parked the old clunker among a row of luxury cars and took out his keys. "My brother's away these couple days—off on a beach vacation."
Inside, there wasn't a soul in sight. The vast villa made their voices echo hollowly.
"Your room's at the far right on the second floor. Mine's next to yours, and my brother's is at the far left—"
"Wait," Song Si interrupted, thoroughly confused. "Don't you think this is a bit strange?"
Chu Mingyi said, "He's getting on in years and has poor sleep quality, so he needs to stay farther away. Why? Got some thoughts?"
Song Si: "Getting on in years?"
Chu Mingyi stopped walking and turned to face him.
"You really forgot everything?" Chu Mingyi sounded incredulous. "Completely wiped me and my brother from your memory, yet you remember Fu Xi and the others crystal clear?"
Song Si took half a step back. "Not completely wiped... I remember bits. Like there is indeed some age gap between him and me."
"So you did completely forget me," Chu Mingyi concluded. "Even believed that nonsense about us sleeping together."
Song Si was speechless. His memories of Chu Mingyi were a complete blank. There was no way the novels hadn't mentioned him, yet he couldn't recall anything no matter how hard he tried.
Chu Mingyi was like a bug that had inexplicably appeared in a game—one without any traceable error points.
Seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic, Chu Mingyi pushed open the bedroom door. "Chu Mingxiao is the former director of the Special Investigation Bureau. You can rest easy here—the entire villa, inside and out, is covered with infrared detectors. Unless you open the door yourself, not even three hundred burglars could get in. Stay put and wait for me to come back for you."
Song Si gave a noncommittal "Mm."
"Stay put," Chu Mingyi repeated, glancing at the injury on Song Si's right wrist. "Don't make me worry, got it?"
Song Si sighed, his mood low. "Got it. I'll lie in bed and sleep, how's that?"
Chu Mingyi closed the door, locked it, and for the second time, left Song Si alone.
Song Si finally understood. Last time, when Chu Mingyi had left him at the clinic while saying "You're in danger recently, be careful," he'd actually been using him as bait to lure out Lu Ling.
If he'd truly been worried, he would've sent him to the Chu residence much sooner.
Having gone a full night without sleep, Song Si was exhausted. He took a shower in the bedroom before collapsing into bed.
He thought about Lu Ling's interrogation, Chu Mingyi's words—"We'll turn the world upside down to find him"—the inexplicable actions of the Fourth Division, and tonight's scheduled exploration of the Sea of Consciousness.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. After closing the door, even the chirping of insects disappeared, leaving a silence so profound it made his ears ring.
Song Si thought to himself: If he really was the one behind all this, what should he do next?
He couldn't commit suicide—that would only cause psychological trauma to his comrades and play right into the original "Song Si's" scheme. He couldn't shirk responsibility either; the facts were irreversible, and that went against his principles.
He couldn't...
He fell asleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when faint whispers reached his ears.
Song Si wanted to wake up, but exhaustion from relentless work had drained him completely—even moving a finger in his sleep was beyond him.
Someone seemed to be sitting by his bed and carefully touching his forehead.
Song Si murmured a soft sound. The person's movements were gentle as they whispered, "Just keep sleeping."
The voice brought him comfort, and his rapid breathing gradually steadied. The person rustled around for a moment before pressing something cold against his temple—metallic, with a faint electric current. Unconsciously, Song Si grasped their hand. The movement paused, and another person nearby chuckled softly, "I have a feeling this will go smoothly."
Soon, the room fell silent again, and the dimmed sleep light was turned off completely. Song Si sank deeper into sleep.
A moment later, he felt someone intruding into his dreams.
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