The rain came as quickly as it went.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, making the puddles on the uneven ground shimmer with light.
Qi Zhimu closed his Oil-paper umbrella, lightly shook off the water, took off his mud-stained shoes, and changed into a pair of clean sandals.
"Go dry your clothes quickly."
"Mm."
Having experience bringing her mother here for treatment on rainy days, Clarice changed her shoes and walked into the Bamboo House with ease, starting the special 'dryer' placed in a fixed area.
It was said that Mr. Qi had tinkered with it in his spare time; too lazy to give it a name, he simply called it a dryer.
Warm air seeped into her dress, circulating along her skin, taking away the dampness left by the rain, forming a faint mist barely visible to the naked eye.
On the other side, Qi Zhimu returned to his room, changed his clothes, habitually put on a white lab coat, and walked into the treatment room.
The treatment session was nearing its end.
The young girl's agile figure stopped beside Qi Zhimu, looking at her relative inside the treatment pod, her fingers unconsciously interlaced in a prayer position.
"Rest assured, everything is normal."
As the treatment countdown reached zero, the medical pod door opened automatically, and Ms. Durand slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing the familiar and unfamiliar faces, the confusion in her eyes diminished slightly.
"...Clarice... and this gentleman..."
"Mother!"
Clarice carefully helped Ms. Durand up, hugging her mother excitedly, but soon snapped out of it, her small face filled with astonishment.
"Mother, you... don't remember Mr. Qi?"
"Mr. Qi, Mr. Qi..." Ms. Durand recalled carefully and said uncertainly, "...Is he the doctor helping me?"
Seeing this, a flash of solemnity crossed Qi Zhimu's eyes.
Meeting the girl's slightly panicked gaze, he gave her a discreet look.
"Ms. Durand, please allow me to examine the current state of your brain."
"Alright."
Attaching the relevant instrument electrodes to Ms. Durand's head, Qi Zhimu started the examination program.
Countless pieces of information that Clarice couldn't understand appeared on the display; Qi Zhimu didn't miss a single punctuation mark, taking it all in.
A few minutes later, he turned off the instrument and removed the numerous electrodes.
"Ms. Durand's current condition has some minor surprises, but it's still within the controllable range. Please rest assured, in two months, your amnesia will definitely be completely cured."
"Oh, good, thank you for your trouble."
Although Ms. Durand couldn't remember Qi Zhimu, she could feel the kindness he radiated.
"You can go home now. It's expected you'll return for a follow-up treatment in 24 days."
Ms. Durand didn't have any particular reaction to the number 24.
Clarice was different; seeing her mother's reaction, a flash of worry crossed her face.
This was the first time after treatment that her mother had forgotten the interval between each session.
And the time required until the next treatment had shortened by a few more days... sooner or later, it would reach a severe point where daily treatment would be of no use.
At that time—
Even she might be forgotten by her mother.
When a person completely loses their memory, even if they are still alive, they are no different from being deceased.
[Life is a circuitous maze; besides memories, we have nothing.]
Remembering the words her mother once said to her, Clarice seemed to understand the meaning of this sentence... After the mother and daughter left, Qi Zhimu imported the data from this treatment session into the recording terminal and began further analysis.
Generally speaking, even in worlds with relatively advanced medical technology, memory-related ailments have always been difficult problems.
For example, the people of the Xianzhou.
The specific reason they fall into a Mara-Struck state is deeply related to memory.
Those who fall into Mara have their senses overturned and lose their humanity.
His teacher had once researched how to cure the mara affliction, but he didn't know if this subject had been conquered.
That Xianzhou person who volunteered to be a research and experimental subject was also taken away by a starship one day.
Whether it was a success or failure, whether they lived or died, Qi Zhimu, who was only 22 at the time, also didn't know.
However, after that, the subjects Ruan Mei gave him included an additional study related to memory.
Thanks to his long immersion in memory subjects, he now had the ability to treat Ms. Durand's amnesia.
Currently, none of the symptoms have exceeded expectations, which is good.
Qi Zhimu had the confidence and would definitely fulfill the promise he gave to Clarice.
Since some unknown time, Qi Zhimu had begun to take promises very seriously.
Sometimes even he himself didn't know why he put so much effort into words that he could easily tell the other party had said casually.
Many years ago, Yu Qintu had once said a sentence to him—
'If you can make a pastry that satisfies me, I will unconditionally do one thing for you and solve one difficult problem for your teacher.'
'But since I admire Ruan Mei, even if you can't make it, I will still help her.'
Qi Zhimu naturally made a solemn promise, determined not to disappoint.
He remembered the look Yu Qintu gave him that day, filled with deep astonishment.
The meaning was obvious: a grand genius was just making a casual joke and never expected the Little Fellow in her eyes to agree; otherwise, there wouldn't have been a second sentence as a way out.
After snapping out of it, Yu Qintu curled her lips, her eyes showing a hint of interest and faint expectation.
It took a full seven years for Qi Zhimu to successfully develop a magical flavoring.
Adding it to a pastry would automatically cater to the taster, becoming their most preferred flavor.
In a sense, it was a bit of a trick, but it still gained Yu Qintu's approval.
Since then, every time Yu Qintu came to see Ruan Mei, Qi Zhimu would make an extra portion of pastries.
At first, he would use that flavoring, but as time went on, he never used it again.
"Ms. Durand's amnesia is not caused by brain damage or a specific disease..."
"It's not the same type as Alzheimer's disease, which was conquered long ago... this point can be 100% confirmed."
"Therefore, stem cell transplantation cannot be used."
"Using CRISPR-dCas9 technology to remove DNA methylation markers, reactivate memory-related genes, supplemented by CCKBR receptor modulators..."
Qi Zhimu opened the storage cabinet and took a dose of special medicine from the storage shelf surrounded by cold air.
This was the CCKBR receptor modulator.
Strictly speaking, it had no effect on Ms. Durand's amnesia; the reason it was used as an auxiliary preparation was for prevention.
If the treatment process caused neurological damage to the patient's brain, the CCKBR receptor modulator could take effect immediately.
To cure Ms. Durand's amnesia, he mainly had to rely on his years of research results.
—Memory Decoding and Backfilling.
Simulating hippocampal function through implanted devices to replicate memory-related neural signals.
Capturing and amplifying residual electrical signals in the hippocampus, and finally digitizing the patient's memory to be re-input through BCI.
"...Whew, if it were a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection, there might be simpler means..."
Unfortunately, he hadn't stepped onto the Path of Remembrance, so he could only rely on himself.
Currently, this research has reached its end, with only the final step remaining: clinical trials.
Qi Zhimu drank the receptor modulator, preparing to personally verify the efficacy.