Reality Programming Association

Chapter 68: Chapter 28: Heavy Rain and Dropping the Case

”Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I’ve been having a little trouble sleeping lately?”

”Yeah, I know. I brought you back a box of melatonin.”

Yu Zhengze sat up, opened the plastic bag on the table, and took out the small bottle.

Only then did Yu Xian get a clear look. The bottle had a moon icon printed on it, along with a small, sleeping bear.

Yu Xian paused for a moment and looked at his cousin. The man’s face was etched with exhaustion.

”Thank you.”

”You should get more exercise. Your studies are important, but so is your health.”

Yu Zhengze didn’t look like he wanted to lecture, but he couldn’t help adding a few words.

”I wasn’t actually planning on taking anything for it.” Yu Xian chose his words carefully.

”Remember I told you about that international project called TDI? The one that’s supposed to help with insomnia?”

When Yu Zhengze didn’t react, he continued:

”I was thinking of trying it, but I saw some people who’ve used it complaining. They said it’s way too strong—it takes you straight from insomnia to hypersomnia. People said they couldn’t be woken up during the day, like they were in a coma.”

Yu Zhengze’s hand stalled as he was smoking, and he looked over at him.

Seeing he had his cousin’s attention, Yu Xian dangled the crucial bait. He said, with feigned casualness:

”People also say that the project can change your habits, personality, stuff like that, all through your dreams. You end up not even feeling like yourself anymore.”

Feeling his cousin’s stare, Yu Xian’s palms began to sweat.

Yu Zhengze stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray and looked at Yu Xian through the haze of smoke.

”Xiaoxian, are you still hung up on that case?”

Yu Xian felt a pang of guilt. He lowered his head and took a bite of noodles to hide his expression.

”No, really. I just happened to see it and thought... it sounded a little similar, so I figured I’d mention it to you.”

The air was tense for a few seconds.

”That project... it’s called TDI?”

Yu Zhengze picked up a notebook, uncapped a pen, and began to write something down.

”That’s right.” Yu Xian was inwardly delighted. ’Looks like he’s actually listening.’ He quickly added:

”TDI—Targeted Dream Incubation.”

Yu Zhengze had Yu Xian write the English name down in the notebook.

”It comes in the form of an audio file. It’s just piano music and white noise, but after you listen to it, the effect is... uncanny.”

Yu Zhengze stared at the words in the notebook, his frown deepening.

”An audio file?” He looked up at Yu Xian. ”You’re saying this whole thing is just a piece of music?”

”Yeah. A piece of... rather unpleasant piano music.”

’All I had to do was give the name to my cousin. The tech investigation unit could follow the lead, and if TDI was really a problem, they’d uncover the truth soon enough.’

Yu Zhengze stared at the words in his notebook for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh and leaned back into the sofa.

”The case has been dropped. Stop letting your imagination run wild.”

”Dropped?” Yu Xian was stunned. ”Why? I thought you were still investigating. I thought it wasn’t a closed case.”

”No homicide, no incitement, no coercion, no drugs. We did extensive background checks and technical forensics. All traces of their lives leading up to their deaths showed no indicative anomalies. All the evidence points to one conclusion: these were a few isolated incidents of suicide.”

Yu Zhengze’s voice was heavy with deep exhaustion and resignation.

”What about the ’smile’...”

”The smile is bizarre, I’ll admit. But the coroner’s report says it’s pre-mortem muscle memory, not the result of someone manipulating the body.” Yu Zhengze rubbed his brow.

”On top of that, with the heavy rain, all of Jiangcheng is in chaos. Flood control is under immense pressure, and personnel from the task force had to be reassigned to disaster relief. For now, the case can only be classified as some kind of mass hysteria, or a chain of tragedies triggered by online copycats.”

”But if you stop investigating, there will be more victims!” Yu Xian exclaimed.

”For a full month, there hasn’t been a single report of a similar ’smile suicide’ anywhere in the country. We were getting several a day before that, causing widespread panic, but the trend just suddenly stopped a month ago.”

Yu Xian froze in his chair, his mind buzzing.