All she had to do was ask, and her friend would lend a hand to see what was really going on with Li Mo's amnesia.
"So, besides your name, you really can't remember anything? Family? Work? Hometown? Friends? Teachers, school, and… ahem, girlfriend?" Bronya confirmed again.
"I don't remember. Hmm… I don't think I have a girlfriend, right?" Li Mo lowered his head in thought. "I'm not sure. I should still be in school, right?"
"From the looks of it, you should be. High school, university, something like that. Forget it. Since you can't remember anything now, I can't just keep you around forever."
A slight smile played on Bronya's lips as she narrowed her eyes, her gaze drifting past Li Mo to the azure sky behind him.
She remembered being treated the same way back then.
Was this fate?
"If you want to live, then work with all your might (complete the commissions). I will arrange a suitable position for you (an assassination mission)."
Bronya smiled, her gaze returning to Li Mo's face.
After a moment's thought, Li Mo nodded. To him, Bronya's proposal was perfectly acceptable.
She had saved his life. Helping her with some work, even without pay, was only reasonable.
"First, let me treat you to a meal. You must be hungry after waking up," Bronya said, a cunning smile suddenly appearing on her face.
"Thank you. You're a good person," Li Mo said, not understanding Bronya's true meaning. He simply thought she was a nice person for offering to buy him a meal.
Half an hour later—
Li Mo was led by Bronya to the ground floor of the company building. He looked at the mountain of goods piled up in the warehouse, then at Bronya, who was standing by the truck with a mischievous grin.
"Now that you're full, it's time to work. Your job today is to move all these goods onto the truck. Don't worry, you have half a day."
"By myself?"
"I'll call for help in two hours. Just do your best until then."
Li Mo looked back at the massive pile of goods. For a normal person, moving it all would be exhausting, if not impossible, unless they worked non-stop.
"I understand. You can go about your business. I'll do my best."
"Alright. I'll come get you after work."
Bronya turned and left, leaving Li Mo to gaze calmly at the goods.
From a large advertisement on the wall, he learned that these goods were actually game merchandise.
"Arahato: Demon God Mecha? A strange name. Well, let's get to it. Can't eat for free, have to put in some effort."
With that, Li Mo began to move the boxes.
In the process, Li Mo noticed something strange. He didn't seem to feel… tired?
Is this normal?
Moreover, the boxes, marked as 50kg, felt as light as cotton, with no substantial weight at all.
No way.
Was I born with the physique of a workhorse saint?
What a terrible joke.
"In that case, I might as well move it all in one go. I'll get another meal out of Bronya tonight."
A normal person could only carry four boxes at a time, but Li Mo directly picked up a stack of goods five times his height and walked toward the truck with a steady, even pace.
Two hours later, when Bronya lazily stretched her limbs and followed four workers into the warehouse, she saw only an empty space.
"Where are the goods?"
Li Mo pointed a hand toward the truck. "They're all over there."
"Wait, you moved all this by yourself, bro? You look so scrawny. How'd you manage such heavy labor?"
"Hold on, that's not right, boss. What about our wages?"
The workers were baffled. They had finally landed a decent job, only to find the task completed the moment they arrived.
Bronya reacted quickly, reassuring them, "You'll still be paid for today. You can all go home and rest early."
After they left, her clear eyes shifted to Li Mo. "Li Mo, follow me. You're coming with me later."
Li Mo didn't refuse, obediently following her. Nothing was more important than a meal.
Bronya first took care of the shipping arrangements for Arahato before taking Li Mo back to her apartment.
She leaned in close to him and sniffed, but detected no scent of sweat at all.
Bronya frowned and pulled out her phone. The security footage confirmed that Li Mo had moved all the goods by himself.
At first, he had moved them box by box, but later, he had simply started carrying huge stacks at once.
This kind of strength was definitely not normal. Bronya was certain that even an A-rank Valkyrie using a standard battlesuit couldn't move tons of cargo with such ease.
"Are you sure you can't remember what you did before? A normal person doesn't have your kind of strength," Bronya said, showing Li Mo the footage.
Li Mo still shook his head blankly, replying that he didn't know.
Bronya took out a part of Fenghuang Down, a single crimson feather.
Senti had sent it over not long ago. She had no interest in prying into the memories of a normal person, especially a male one, so she had simply tossed a feather to Bronya.
"Clear your mind. I'll help you remember your past…"
Bronya manipulated Fenghuang Down to enter the depths of Li Mo's memories, but gradually, she felt something was wrong.
Her consciousness was enveloped by a strong sense of suffocation. It was pitch black all around, with no fragments of reality whatsoever.
How is this possible?
How can a living person's memory be a boundless void of nothingness?
"How did it go? Was it successful?" Li Mo asked.
Bronya's consciousness withdrew from the deep sea of Li Mo's memories. The moment it returned to her own body, she lost her balance and fell toward the floor. Fortunately, Li Mo reacted quickly and caught her.
"Ugh… my head hurts a little."
"It's okay. You should rest first. We can't rush this."
Li Mo helped Bronya to the sofa. It took half an hour for her to come to her senses. She rubbed her neck, gasping for air as if her throat were full of seawater.
"Sorry, there was a problem with the memory dive. I'll have to call a friend to help you recover your memories. But she has a rather strange personality, so it might take some time."
"It's fine, it's fine. I don't have to worry about food or a place to stay for the next few days, so it's all good. Am I still moving things tomorrow?"
"Pfft. You're quite open-minded. Yes, for now, that's your only job. Tomorrow afternoon, a driver will deliver raw materials the company needs to the warehouse. You just have to move them all inside."
"Piece of cake."
Li Mo clenched his right fist, felt something was off, then let go and clenched his left.
Hmm, one habit figured out. I seem to be left-handed.
"It's getting late. I'll go make dinner now."
As she spoke, Bronya tried to stand up and walk to the kitchen, but she lost her balance again the moment she got up, as if the concept of balance had vanished from her perception.
Li Mo helped her up and said confidently, "You rest on the sofa. I have a feeling."
Bronya: "What kind of feeling?"
Li Mo: "That I'm a very good cook."
Bronya: "Why? Did you remember something from your past?"
Li Mo: "Hmm… I don't know. I just feel that if I don't know how to cook, I'll die."
Bronya: "Starving to death is normal, but that's only if you're not living in human society. Otherwise, there's takeout and things like that. You can survive even if you can't cook, you won't die."
Li Mo: "It's not starving to death."
Bronya: "If it's not starving, what other way is there to die from not knowing how to cook?"
Li Mo: "I can't remember clearly. It seems like… poisoning?"
Bronya: "Were you living in a primeval forest? Having to eat poisonous mushrooms because you can't cook? That rarely happens in modern society, right?"
Li Mo: "That's why I said I can't remember. It's just a feeling."
While they were talking, Li Mo had already walked into the kitchen. Under Bronya's watchful gaze, he opened the fridge, looked through the ingredients, and expertly washed, peeled, and chopped the vegetables…
Even though he had lost his memory, cooking seemed to be an instinct. Every step was incredibly skillful.
Bronya turned her head and glanced over nonchalantly. Seeing that Li Mo could indeed cook, she relaxed and lay back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling and starting to think about what had just happened.
"Can Fenghuang Down fail on a normal person? No, his constitution is very special. I need to observe him closely. When the company has a holiday, I'll take him to Schicksal for a check-up," Bronya murmured.
Li Mo's memory was a void, a blank slate. It seemed his memories were hidden in a deeper ocean, leaving only an endless emptiness on the surface.
Perhaps this was the manifestation of his amnesia.
"Bronya, it's ready. Come and eat."
Li Mo walked out of the kitchen, carrying plates of food that gave off an enticing aroma, his mood cheerful.
Bronya swallowed. The deliciousness of these dishes seemed… almost on par with Mei's cooking.
No, Bronya, you're his boss. You have to be reserved. You can't look too casual.
With this thought, Bronya lowered her head and coughed lightly into her hand. "Ahem, not bad. You must have been a great chef in some region before. It looks good, but I don't know how it tastes."
As she spoke, Bronya picked up a fork, stabbed it into a piece of tender, juicy roasted meat, and slowly brought it to her mouth.
Ten minutes later—
"I guarantee, you were a master chef before you lost your memory!" Bronya raised her hand, swearing an oath.
Li Mo just smiled calmly, not taking it to heart.
"Whether I was or not doesn't matter. What I was in the past is not something I can consider now. What's important is to live well in the present. Seizing the day is the only thing for those who are still alive to do."
"Hmm… what if you had someone important to you before you lost your memory?"
"Time and fate. You can't force it."
"You're really Zen. It seems like your personality doesn't completely disappear with your memory. You must have been a very Zen person before."
"Haha, maybe. Anyway, I don't have the heart to strive for anything right now. Living in the moment is enough. Also…"
Li Mo suddenly turned to face Bronya. As he bent down to bow, Bronya quickly stepped forward to stop him.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"
"Thanking you. Thank you for saving me and giving me a job to support myself."
Li Mo's sincere thanks left Bronya a little flustered.
She even felt that the boy in front of her was a bit too naive and rule-abiding. Was bowing necessary for something like this? It was overly polite.
But no matter how she looked, Bronya couldn't read the word "fake" in Li Mo's eyes. This meant his thanks were genuine, without a trace of any other motive.
Just like that idiot Kiana.
Yup, only idiots are so foolishly by-the-book.
"Umm… by the way, is there anything you want to do yourself?" Bronya raised her eyes, changing the subject.
Li Mo thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't know. Right now, anything is fine. I can only feel out other ideas when I'm in a specific environment."
Bronya didn't answer directly, instead arranging for Li Mo's work to continue as usual for the next few days.
Li Mo had no complaints, carrying out Bronya's instructions without reservation.
"Next month, I'll take you to a place to meet some people. They're all good friends of mine. Your amnesia problem will 100% be solved there. You'll remember everything then."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. You're a good person. So… it's a promise."
"Yeah, it's a promise."
The days passed, and their relationship gradually warmed from strangers to friends.
But it stopped at friendship. Anything more was impossible, and Li Mo knew this well, always maintaining a sufficient sense of boundaries.
Once he got his salary at the end of the month, he could move out and no longer have to stay at Bronya's place.
After all, there was a difference between men and women.
Late at night, Li Mo sat on a chair guarding the warehouse, waiting boredly for the truck to arrive.
He had gradually gotten used to this routine. While waiting, he would watch some videos, play some games, read some novels, and then diligently move the goods. After seeing the truck leave, he would return to his apartment to rest.
His actual work time each day was less than half an hour, but of course, that was all based on his extraordinary physical condition.
Today was no exception. Li Mo was playing on his phone, occasionally looking up at the stars.
BOOM—!
A loud noise put Li Mo on alert. His body instinctively splayed the fingers of his left hand and clenched his right into a fist, assuming a fighting stance.
The next second, the ground cracked, and the sound of something huge stomping the earth grew closer.
Li Mo barely had time to turn his head before a "beast" tens of meters tall instantly tore apart several soldiers in front of him.
"Fire!!"
The captain immediately gave the order. All the nearby soldiers aimed their guns at the charging "beast." Muzzles flashed, and countless bullets rained down on the "beast," but they failed to penetrate its silicon-based armor.
Li Mo stood there dumbly and was kicked to the ground by the captain before he could react.
"What are you doing?! If you can't fire, get to the rear! Tell them the Honkai Beast tide is here, prepare the heavy weapons!"
With that, the captain drew the purplish-red tech blade from his waist and charged forward. With all his might, he plunged the blade into the "beast's" calf. Purplish-black blood slowly dripped down.
"ROOAARR!!"
Instantly, the beast let out a deafening roar and lifted its other foot.
As Li Mo watched, it stomped the captain into a pile of pulp, just like squashing an ant.
This scene was less than half a meter away from him. The captain's nerves and blood splattered onto his face.