Hidden Dead Ends

Chapter 36

The old man was cheerful, babbling something incomprehensible, his wrinkled face resembling tree bark but his eyes lively.

Standing at the door, Li Chengyi instantly recognized the old man.

*Eastwood Jagir.*

Those eyes were nearly identical to the young boy’s in the photograph.

“Can we have a moment with him?” Li Chengyi asked.

“Sure, but who are you to him? This old guy doesn’t have any family, no relatives or friends. He’s been here for years, and no one’s ever come to see him. You’re the first ones,” the plump nurse asked curiously.

She wasn’t particularly worried about any problems arising. After all, Jagir had no assets and was entirely dependent on social welfare. There was nothing to gain.

“We’re doing a special investigation on the Reiz earthquake and want to understand it better for an upcoming research paper,” Song Ran quickly fabricated a story.

The nurse, uninterested in academic research, agreed readily after receiving a small bribe. She escorted Jagir out and provided them a small room for their conversation.

The hospital room was bright and airy, with metal bars on the windows. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers and grass into the room.

Jagir sat upright on a small metal chair, looking at Li Chengyi and Song Ran with a hint of curiosity.

“Mr. Jagir, can you tell us how you were rescued from the underground?” Li Chengyi asked softly, taking a step closer.

“I don’t know,” Jagir replied cheerfully.

“Did you hide in a crack in the wall and wait a long time to be saved?” Li Chengyi ignored the initial response and continued probing.

“I don’t remember,” Jagir smiled.

“You don’t remember anything?” Li Chengyi’s brow furrowed.

“No, I’ve forgotten everything,” Jagir replied in perfect Mandarin, with no hint of a regional accent.

“What about this?” Li Chengyi suddenly pulled out the V-shaped metal tag.

The name "Eastwood Jagir" was clearly engraved on it.

“Is this yours?” Li Chengyi stared intently at Jagir’s face, watching for any sign of recognition.

“I don’t know.” But to his disappointment, Jagir remained still, his face unchanged, a naïve smile plastered on it.

“Do you remember your parents? How did they die?” Song Ran, unable to contain himself, interjected from behind.

“I’ve forgotten,” Jagir shook his head, his expression unchanged.

Li Chengyi frowned.

He had hoped the tag would trigger some memory in Jagir, but it seemed he was mistaken.

Thinking for a moment, Li Chengyi took out his phone, found a clear photo, and held it in front of Jagir.

“Have you seen this before?”

The image was an enlarged version of a dark red symbol, shaped like a distorted ‘M’ or a crawling figure.

But...

“I haven’t seen it,” Jagir said, his expression unchanged, eyes clear, showing no reaction to the symbol.

Li Chengyi exhaled, eyes fixed on Jagir’s face, but there was no hint of recognition.

Jagir showed no reaction to the symbol.

Li Chengyi then asked numerous questions about the Grius parking lot, but none yielded any clues.

When the nurse came in to usher them out—visiting time over—they reluctantly left the room.

Back in the courtyard, Li Chengyi held the tag found at the Grius site, his mood heavy.

He thought he had found the key to breaking through but...

He stood still, looking at Song Ran a few steps ahead.

“Brother Song, did the records show where Eastwood Jagir was originally from?”

“He’s from Yiguo, an ethnic minority. Why?” Song Ran asked, puzzled.

“That song... the nursery rhyme, ‘Bulwu’... Hold on.” Li Chengyi quickly typed in “Bulwu” to translate it from Grius.

Soon, a line of information that sent shivers down his spine appeared on his phone.

“This is...!”

* * *

**New Century Building.**

Sindra stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked at the gray trench coat-wearing man who had just entered.

“Can you help me look into this symbol?” He handed over a photo.

It was the mysterious symbol Li Chengyi had taken at Grius.

“No problem. Others might refuse, but I owe you, Sindra,” the man in the gray coat chuckled. His face was hidden under the hood, showing only a pale, refined chin.

“It’s troubling that a fully modified cyborg appeared here. It seems the Control Committee has been lax,” Sindra sighed.

“Things here are different from White Star. Cyborgs aren’t the mainstream—Flyyi are. You haven’t been here long enough to adapt,” the man in gray laughed. “You’ll get used to it over time.”

“Thanks, and if the self-sustaining city networks were connected, this wouldn’t be so complicated,” Sindra said.

“If they were connected, how could they remain autonomous?” The man shook his head slightly. “I’m off. The committee will handle that mysterious cyborg.”

“Are you still based in Andu?” Sindra asked.

“No, I’ve moved to ChaoYu. Andu is too lifeless now; business is tough there,” the man replied, waving as he left the office.

“Next time you’re in ChaoYu, I’ll treat you.”

“Deal.”

Watching his friend step into the elevator and disappear, Sindra took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, pulling one out.

But a glance at the ashtray, now filled with five stubs, made him pause.

With a sigh, he put the cigarette back in the pack.

Beep, beep, beep...

The sudden ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts.

He picked it up,

glanced at it, and answered quickly.

“Any news?”

“Boss.” Li Chengyi’s voice came through. “Can you help check if Jagir’s parents were originally from Grius?”

Sindra’s brow furrowed as he contacted the company’s AI at White Star through a secure line.

Within seconds, the response came.

“You were right. Jagir’s family were originally illegal immigrants from Grius, later obtaining residence permits through settlement policies and becoming Yiguo citizens,” Sindra replied swiftly.

“That’s it! It all fits,” Li Chengyi exclaimed. “We found a clue here at the mental hospital. Some patients like to hum a nursery rhyme. I asked around, and it turns out that’s what Jagir unconsciously hummed.”

“A nursery rhyme?”

“Yes,” Li Chengyi said, “I looked it up. The song is called *Kind Bulwu*, and in Grius, ‘Bulwu’ means...”

“Big-faced monster!”