Mysterious Resurrection: What If

Chapter 186 Shen Lin's Choice
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone as Shen Lin pondered.

Wang Xiaoming suddenly approached him and inquired about the other team leader's situation, which was clearly not a good thing.

"I remember, but I'm very curious. I can't even remember his complete appearance, only a vague outline. How are you able to remember him?"

Wang Xiaoming glanced down at the diary in his hand. The diary was covered with a thick layer of oil, as if it had been soaked in corpse oil for many years, and it felt cold and slippery to the touch.

The dim light, refracted by the oil sheen, made the whole room seem even colder.

“Something,” Wang Xiaoming said slowly, “I’ve broken it in two. One half is in his hands, and the other half is with me.”

"Things?" Shen Lin frowned at the question. Wang Xiaoming always liked to only say half of what he meant.

“That’s right. Once it’s written down, it will never disappear. Even if the memory is erased, even if all the records are gone, the content written on it will still exist. If you help me find this captain, I can give this to you. As a consciousness-type demon tamer, I think you should understand what this means.”

“Wang Xiaoming.” Shen Lin’s tone was cold.

"Do you think I'm one of those idiots? Someone I can't even remember is obviously dangerous. Maybe I have a grudge against him, and he'll kill me when I get close."

That's why I came to you.

Wang Xiaoming spoke calmly, showing no concern for the threat in Shen Lin's words.

“I have always valued each and every captain, and of course I won’t let you take any risks. Regarding the ‘external body’ you mentioned before, I have some ideas.”

Shen Lin fell silent for a moment again: "A ghost is a ghost. No matter how similar it is to me in appearance and ability, its essence will not change. It is still a ghost, and no one can control it."

"What if we implant a subconscious idea into it, and then make it forget a memory?"

"Implanting ideas?" Shen Lin was taken aback. Even he sometimes felt confused when facing Wang Xiaoming.

"You mean, implant an idea into a ghost?! That's impossible! What's the difference between that and giving it a new murder rule? I've never heard of anyone being able to do that."

“I saw it last night.”

On the other end of the phone, Shen Lin remained silent for a long time.

Wang Xiaoming was referring to Chen Qiaoyang, who, outside the museum, used blood as a medium to briefly alter the targets of several vengeful ghosts. Essentially, this method "endowed" the ghosts with new killing patterns for a short period. Wang Xiaoming didn't know the underlying principles, but it proved to be effective.

He continued, "Although I don't know the principle, I know someone. He can rewrite the memories of the living, and even make them have false memories. If this ability could be applied to ghosts, perhaps it could achieve the same effect."

Shen Lin's voice was somewhat surprised: "You mean, if this method is used on ghosts, it's equivalent to changing the course of the ghost's own killing patterns, and it could even be so brutal as to completely modify the entire killing pattern."

"clever."

Wang Xiaoming nodded.

“Only the supernatural can alter memories. In a battle between supernatural beings, if one can prevail and completely suppress the other, the pattern of killing is essentially altered.” Shen Lin took a deep breath, as if weighing the possibilities. A faint static came from the other end of the phone, seemingly the sound of his footsteps.

"Your solution might indeed be effective."

The memories began to change. In his memory, Wang Xiaoming was standing in the archives room just like today, but there was one more person there.

It was a young man dressed casually, with a serious expression. He put away the satellite phone and said to Wang Xiaoming:
"But if the ghost outside the body undergoes unpredictable changes after the supernatural clashes, and new supernatural phenomena arise, it might give birth to a completely new vengeful ghost, a vengeful ghost with self-awareness. This approach is too risky."

Wang Xiaoming remained indifferent, showing no surprise at Shen Lin's appearance. He was already used to the captains' bizarre entrances; some looked like living people, some like ghosts, and sometimes it was impossible to tell if it was the "real person." Even now, standing before him, Shen Lin was uncertain whether he was the real him or merely a projection of a memory.

"That's how the supernatural is—uncontrollable and full of danger. You should understand this. Help me rescue that captain."

Shen Lin stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the mountains of files piled up around him. "Then who will erase the memories of the ghost 'Outer Body'?"

Wang Xiaoming raised his hand and held up the strange diary.

"There's already one, isn't there? By using that captain who's already out of control, we can make the person outside the body forget that they're a ghost."

Shen Lin frowned slightly: "Make a ghost forget that it is a ghost?"

“That’s right, but there’s a condition,” Wang Xiaoming continued to explain.

"A medium must be implanted within its body to make the ghost forget that it is a ghost. This is equivalent to erasing its killing patterns. Even a captain's continuous attacks cannot last long. Therefore, the implanted medium is very important. Only when the ghost outside itself recognizes 'it is you' in an instant can the whole mechanism work. Otherwise, all preparations will be in vain."

After saying that, he gently placed the half-torn diary on the table. Shen Lin's gaze immediately fell on the diary.

"Is the other half in the hands of that almost forgotten captain?"

Wang Xiaoming nodded.

"That means... it's possible to use the diary to allow an external entity to infiltrate the past... and indeed, it's possible to actively withstand attacks..."

A silence filled the room. A cold draft blew down from the vent, causing several sheets of white paper on the table to flutter and rustle.

Shen Lin remained standing, not in a hurry to respond. Every encounter with Wang Xiaoming left him feeling helpless. Wang Xiaoming's plans always seemed to offer choices, but in reality, there was no way out. What he presented to you wasn't "can you do it or not," but "do it now or do it later."

He could only passively be led by the nose by Wang Xiaoming, because he had no choice. Even as the captain, he faced the same risk of the vengeful ghost's resurgence. Unless he completely abandoned his human identity and became a true vengeful ghost, the resurgence of the vengeful ghost was only a matter of time.

That diary was crucial to Shen Lin; once written, the words could never be erased.

Based on this, it can be inferred that not only words, but perhaps even memories can be implanted into them.

(End of this chapter)