"Branches of a tree?" Anna's pupils shrank slightly after hearing Olivia's words. The flesh-and-blood tree that Charles had conjured up appeared in her mind.
Anna was the one who caused Charles' appearance at that time. She also witnessed Charles' final departure and his temporary tree-like body quickly turning into a pool of blood.
If Charles wanted to keep any branches of the East Branch, he should have kept them for himself, not for others.
"Is this bastard hiding something from me? What does he want to do?" Anna paced back and forth with a frown on her face, constantly guessing.
"Isn't he addicted to being a savior, staying in the Earthsea and risking his life to cause trouble for Futan? The surface is calm, what tricks does he have up there?"
"But if he said he kept it for me, that doesn't make sense. I died once before, and I didn't see him do anything."
She suddenly stopped and looked down at Olivia who was huddled in the corner.
"Tell me in detail what the tentacles in the water tank look like. Can you be sure they are from that big tree? Or is it something else?"
Olivia still didn't raise her head. She lowered her voice and trembled, answering in a mixture of English and Greek: "I don't know, I didn't see the branch."
"What? Didn't see it?"
"They let me look, but there was nothing in the tank. It was the crazy man who said there was a branch in it, and he was the only one who could see the branch."
"A madman's hallucination?" Although Anna could think so, she instinctively felt that things were not that simple.
"What's the name of that crazy man?"
"Jackal, I heard others call him this nickname." As she continued to speak, Olivia's voice gradually became steadier.
"That madman always said that the branch was very, very dangerous and had to be contained as soon as possible."
"They also asked me to talk to the crazy man, and during the conversation, the crazy man told me that he was also one of those people."
"He also told me that he was not crazy. He truly felt how powerful the tree was in his dream. All the people in the world were nothing in front of it. The tree was there. It did not disappear. If the tree wanted to, it could easily kill all the people."
Anna came to Olivia mainly to find out how the IMF brainwashed people, but now it seems that this root branch is far more important than before.
Thinking of this, Anna turned her gaze to Olivia again, “Where were you imprisoned at the beginning, do you remember?”
The freckled girl thought for a long time and nodded slightly, "The memory was modified by them before, but with the return of the tree, the memory also returned, so I roughly remember it."
"Very good." Anna reached out and helped Olivia up, holding her and walking out of the room. "Let's go, it's not safe to talk here, I'll find a safe place to talk."
When they arrived at Anna and Gao Zhiming's temporary residence, Anna took out her laptop and handed it to him, asking her to find out where she had been detained before.
The huge map zoomed in and out several times, and an ordinary large city appeared in front of Anna. Olivia explained uneasily: "When I left, they blindfolded me, and I judged that it should be in this city."
Anna had not expected that the IMF's base this time would be in the city. This might be related to the fact that they were all patients who could be treated.
Looking at the map on the computer screen, Anna was planning her next move in her mind.
First of all, this is a place you definitely have to go to.
It would be fine if that thing was a madman's hallucination, but if the branch was real, then I must find out what Charles is doing.
As for whether that bastard is willing to help him, that is something he will consider after he finds him.
There is another point that Anna did not forget, this place also has something that can modify memory.
IMF was able to transform Olivia's previous frightening experience into a wonderful beach trip.
Then it can also modify the memories in Gao Zhiming's mind to what they should be.
After deciding on her next plan, Anna looked at the girl with very reserved eyes.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Everything you answered was very helpful to me. Now it's time to consider the matter between us. You know, you have seen my face."
Fear began to appear on Olivia's face. Although she was very young, she could still hear the subtext of the words. If she didn't answer well, she might die here.
The slender palm that patted her shoulder made Olivia's body tremble violently, and Anna's lips came close to her ear and whispered: "
Weren't you afraid? Afraid of that tree? Remember how that tree appeared?"
Anna gently rubbed the freckles on her face with the black diamond ring on her hand. "Your memory has returned. If you go back now, your nightmare will always follow you. If my guess is reasonable, you will go crazy soon."
"From ancient times to the present, when humans encounter inexplicable disasters, such as plague and death, they always personify them and worship them as gods, trying to offer sacrifices to them to make them stand on their side."
"In fact, you can change your mindset. Instead of living in fear of losing something, you can give in to the fear in your heart. After all, this is the tradition of mankind."
"You should follow this tradition. Think about it, although the power of the tree is extremely strong, if it is on your side, then wouldn't it be so scary?"
Olivia raised her head tremblingly, looking at Anna evasively. "Do you know Him? What's His name?"
"His name is Futan. He exists. As long as you help me, He will not harm you. He may even allow you to gain some special benefits."
Green corrosive flames appeared and floated around, making Anna's face turn green.
"But... I can't help you. I'm just a student." Olivia hesitated.
Anna touched her face with her hand and said, "No, you are very useful. This face in front is very useful to me."
"You can refuse, but that tree is very narrow-minded. You'd better think about the consequences of doing so."
Although this method of bewitching people is simple and crude, it is as effective as ever, especially when facing a simple girl like Olivia.
The freckled girl recalled the tree in her memory and her body began to tremble again. Extreme panic began to occupy her heart.
The pressure made her almost unable to breathe, and the pressure became greater and greater. Finally, the girl closed her eyes and released the pressure through her mouth.
"Okay, I'll help you! Help the great Futan!!"
(End of this chapter)