I! Cleaner!
Chapter 261 - 261: 0221 Using technology to counter magic~_1

"Let me try again?"

After hearing the words of the Director of the Purification Bureau, the Aquarius Director couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling as if his brain was boiling.

*If one were to list the world's pains by severity, having one's memory read by a God-Tier Brain-Eating Demon would definitely rank high.*

*The sensation of that long, purplish-red tumorous tongue gently scraping along the grooves of the brain, slowly extracting memories, was not just the agony of 'self' gradually slipping away but also a torturous physical ordeal.*

The entire memory-reading process felt like having hundreds of burning feet repeatedly stepping between one's legs, aiming at a crucial spot, kicking continuously for several minutes—something no human could endure!

"Impossible! I—"

"I'm sorry, but since it's related to the Watcher's Palace, I have to ask you to try again."

"What if it fails again?"

"Don't worry, it won't fail this time!"

Seeing the Aquarius Director's temples throbbing, the Director of the Purification Bureau, also aware of how painful the process was, promised with a somewhat apologetic expression,

"Before you woke up, the Taurus Director had already inspected the Dream Memory Furnace and temporarily repaired the corroded parts, ensuring no issues this time."

Taurus? After hearing the assurance from the Director of the Purification Bureau, the Aquarius Director's anger finally subsided a bit.

*As an Ascension Palace Person chosen by the Watcher's Palace, the character of the Taurus Director was beyond doubt. Even if she stood in opposition, she wouldn't resort to foul play in such matters.*

Moreover, the real reason why the Dream Memory Furnace malfunctioned might not have been the Brain-Eating Demon's gastric acid, but an error on his side. *After all, his brain wasn't the original, and issues were inevitable.*

*There was no choice but to undergo the reading again.*

Looking at the director, who, despite apologizing, showed an undeniable determination, the Aquarius Director took a deep breath and stood once more before the God-Tier Brain-Eating Demon, face darkened.

...

*When deciding to act, he had already considered the possibility of memory reading and prepared a solution.*

*While the God-Tier Brain-Eating Demon's memory reading couldn't be resisted, it relied on physical contact and didn't involve soul techniques. By swapping in an identical brain, its probe could be fooled.*

To withstand the memory reading at a critical moment, he drank from the Twin Mirrored Lakes, creating an equivalent replica. Using pre-prepared methods, he killed it and extracted another brain.

Next, by putting this replicated brain to sleep and creating a convincing dream for it, he could generate nearly flawless false memories.

*If there ever came a day when memory reading was unavoidable, he could temporarily swap in the fake brain through Crolock Kingdom's brain surgery. The similarity wouldn't be perfect, but 95% was achievable.*

*The only flaw lay in that the replicated brain's memory came from dreams, making extracted memories feel artificial and scattered, likely exposing upon close observation.*

Fortunately, the Brain-Eating Demon wouldn't present original memories directly but would replicate them into dreams through the Dream Memory Furnace. This process concealed the last 5% of imperfection.

*After all, he really was the Aquarius Director; though his brain wasn't original, it was still his. The memories matched his narrative, albeit slightly blurry—enough to get by.*

*As for why issues arose now... perhaps it was due to being rushed?*

He glanced toward the Gemini Sub-bureau's direction and received confirmation that no tampering occurred, and it was indeed a malfunction of the Dream Memory Furnace. The Aquarius Director sighed inwardly at his bad luck.

*When undergoing brain surgery at the Gemini Sub-bureau, the operating doctor mentioned it would take two to three days for the new brain to fully sync with the body.*

But due to the sudden appearance and inquiry from the Director of the Purification Bureau, a whole day was lost, resulting in the incomplete awakening of the new brain, so the memory reading failed.

Fortunately, he had considered this possibility, and the doctor from Crolock Kingdom had provided a solution.

*Carefully pressing the thin copper plate embedded in the back of his head and slightly increasing the current to activate the brain, the Aquarius Director and his fake brain were once again engulfed by hundreds of tumorous tongues...*

...

*Little Leon... we might have trouble...*

After reading the "Aquarius Director's partial memories" sent to him, the Red-haired Director sighed, watching Leon converse with the director on the main stage. He crushed the memory dream sphere with a hand and silently apologized to Leon in his heart.

*Although the Dream Memory Furnace suddenly malfunctioned, resulting in only about 5% of the Aquarius Director's memories being replicated, this 5% was enough to reveal a glimpse.*

To thoroughly suppress the Aquarius Director in one go, he, Beverly, and the Gemini Sub-bureau Director, who provided substantial evidence, conducted thorough investigations over this period, mapping 80-90% of his activities.

Yet within this 5% of memories, the Aquarius Director's actual actions greatly differed from their intelligence summaries.

*So, if his guess was correct, the Aquarius Director must have other contingencies prepared over these decades, possibly even finding a way to deceive the God-Tier Brain-Eating Demon.*

*Despite buying some time due to the Dream Memory Furnace's malfunction, the next memory reading, after Taurus's inspection, would surely encounter no problem, and Leon wouldn't escape unscathed either.*

*It was... too hasty to initiate this inquiry. A bit more preparation might have prevented this predicament, at least sparing Leon from being involved...*

...

"I just checked it, and it operates completely fine!"

While the Red-haired Director bemoaned his lack of preparation, Leon on the main stage slapped his chest, confidently assuring the Purification Bureau's director,

"After Taurus inspected it, it's more efficient than before; no issues in regular use!"

"That's good. Let's hope it doesn't malfunction again."

Receiving assurance from two "professionals," the director of the Purification Bureau nodded with satisfaction, without suspecting any tampering.

Meanwhile, Leon, observing his expression, switched to "Elite Performer," timely adding,

"Speaking of malfunctioning... Director, the first time I checked it, everything was alright. It should have been functional. Though the Dream Memory Furnace is old, it hasn't reached the point of malfunction.

I suspect Taurus felt the same since she couldn't find another issue. With your tight schedule, she probably concluded temporary malfunction.

Hmm?

Hearing Leon's hint, the Purification Bureau director paused, then glanced at Taurus, who was indeed pondering something, and contemplated:

"You mean... the issue might lie with the Aquarius Director?"