The System's alarm was short-lived, quickly stabilizing after the initial jolt. The fluctuating emotion was not Gu Ying's; it was the transient shock of Qin Jin's Main Consciousness descending into the fragment.
[High-Dimensional Interference ceased. Target subject 'Gu Ying's' favorability towards Host: -85. Side Mission complete. Awarding Redemption Points +50. Current Total Redemption Points: +50. Awarding Special Item: 'Clue Hint Card' x1.]
Ling Zhao nodded internally. The initial negative points had been zeroed out, and the process was moving forward.
The applause in the studio continued enthusiastically. Ling Zhao was the first to pick up the microphone.
"The song 'Rebirth' is powerful," he said, his voice measured. "It's raw, it's angry, and it forces people to listen. Gu Ying, you succeeded in writing a song that belongs to you. It proves that talent cannot be plagiarized."
His assessment was concise and pointed, subtly weaving the issue of plagiarism into the professional critique.
The other mentors had to agree, giving high marks, particularly the diva who praised Gu Ying's desperate vocal delivery. The music producer, Wang, still looked uncomfortable but could not deny the quality.
Gu Ying returned backstage, looking utterly drained. The fleeting shadow of Qin Jin's consciousness had vanished, leaving him with a splitting headache and a deeper confusion about his own resolve.
Ling Zhao quickly used the System's newly awarded [Clue Hint Card].
[Special Item 'Clue Hint Card' activated. Clue provided: To disarm the 'Golden Melody Bomb,' the detonation password is required. The password is linked to 'Gu Ying's most painful memory related to betrayal.']
Gu Ying's most painful memory related to betrayal.
Ling Zhao reviewed the original body's memory fragments of Gu Ying: the moment Lin Zhe stole the draft, the subsequent betrayal by his company, the overwhelming online abuse, and the moment his mother died, believing him to be a fraud.
The death of his mother was the most profound wound. But was it the password?
Ling Zhao walked into the backstage area, ignoring the staff congratulating him on his team's success. He found Gu Ying sitting alone in the corner, staring at his hands.
"We need to talk." Ling Zhao stood before him.
Gu Ying flinched, then looked up, his eyes dull. "About what? The song? We won. Are you going to tell me what I have to do next?"
"About the bomb," Ling Zhao said directly, cutting through the small talk.
Gu Ying's face instantly paled, his guard shooting up. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know I do." Ling Zhao's voice was low and calm, forcing Gu Ying to look at him. "You didn't detonate it at the awards ceremony, not because you retreated, but because Qin Jin's consciousness briefly took over and he chose to postpone the show. But that thing is still ticking, and it's still illegal."
Gu Ying's breathing hitched. "Qin Jin? What are you—I'm not a lunatic! I don't know any Qin Jin!"
"He is your fragment's pain, magnified. He is the voice telling you that destruction is the only solution," Ling Zhao countered, his words penetrating and precise. "Now, where is it?"
Gu Ying bit his lip, his hands trembling. He looked around wildly, then whispered, "In the back compartment of a rented storage unit downtown. I set it to a 72-hour timer, starting from the moment I left the back alley. It goes off tomorrow night, during the Heavenly Voice semi-finals."
Ling Zhao's eyes narrowed. That timing ensured maximum chaos, potentially affecting him, the mentors, and Lin Zhe, who was scheduled to appear.
"I need the deactivation password."
Gu Ying stared at him in genuine confusion. "I... I didn't set a password. It's just a simple timer detonator. I built it myself—it doesn't have a password feature."
"It does," Ling Zhao insisted, his gaze piercing. "The detonator is linked to your most painful memory of betrayal. It needs a psychological trigger to be armed or disarmed. What is the one thing you regret the most?"
Ling Zhao was using his military psychology training, bypassing the technical facade to target the emotional core of the device.
Gu Ying's expression crumpled. He slumped over, tears silently streaming down his pale cheeks. "My mother," he whispered, brokenly. "When she was sick... and the online abuse was worst. She kept asking me why I was stealing other people's work. She didn't believe me, Ling Zhao. She died believing I was a thief."
Ling Zhao waited patiently, letting the silence hang.
"The only thing I saved from her apartment was a music box she gave me. It played 'Moonlight Sonata.' The key was missing. I used to listen to it with her when I was small. I kept trying to find a key that would fit." Gu Ying hugged himself tightly. "I wanted to use that song... to make her proud, to prove I didn't steal it."
Moonlight Sonata. The memory, the music box, the missing key