Dean drove east with Hope for more than two hours, entered another suburban neighborhood, and followed the tree-lined path to an old villa with a red arched roof.
parking.
Hope gently knocked on the glass door with a white curtain blocking the entrance.
And Dean habitually turned on the God's perspective and quickly scanned the house from a distance of dozens of meters, focusing on the telephone tube, wall clock and behind the lampshade in the hall to rule out possible eavesdropping and surveillance, and at the same time he breathed a long sigh of relief. , a woman was rushing to the door, and another woman was sitting in the living room, staring blankly at the TV. That much older face vaguely looked like Terry Ives!
But he looked weird.
The younger woman walked to the glass door, lifted the curtain, took a look outside, and opened the door.
She has dark blond medium curly hair and wears an old dark striped shirt. She has an ordinary appearance, probably in her forties, and her face has a look of tiredness and numbness oppressed by life.
"Is something wrong?" She casually glanced at Hope, who was wearing a cowboy hat and a police uniform, and the young and handsome Asian.
"Ms. Betsy? Hello, we're here to see your sister, Terri Ives," Dean asked as gently as possible, "Does she live here?"
"who are you?"
Hope showed her police badge.
"I'm Chief Hope from the Hawkins Police Department next door, and this is my colleague Dean."
"Police?" The woman frowned, "You came to ask Terry for questioning?"
"Yes, that's right,"
The woman lowered her head and sighed, with helplessness written on her face.
"Come in, you can talk to my sister, but if you want to ask anything out of her, it's unlikely."
"What do you mean?" Dean and Hope looked at each other and had a bad feeling in their hearts.
"You're three years late...Terry can't communicate with people normally now." Betsy led the two of them through the warm and simple hall and into the living room on the left. A lively and cheerful children's video was playing on the TV. In the show, several cute children sit under a baby's cradle and play with puppets.
Opposite the TV, Terry, wearing light blue pajamas, sat on an elderly chair with armrests. Compared to the young and beautiful appearance Dean saw from the microfilm, she was only in her forties. He has become very old, with gray bangs covering his temples, swollen skin on his face, shallow age spots on his cheeks, and dull and hollow eyes, as if he has lost his soul.
Only the facial features still reveal the beauty of youth.
When Dean saw her like this, he stepped forward and asked directly,
"Ms. Terry? I am Dean Lu, from Las Vegas...My mother Lena Lu and father Guangming Lu once communicated with you? Do you remember?"
Terry sat there blankly as if she didn't hear.
"They disappeared nine years ago in July 1972, and someone saw you with them at that time..." Dean walked up to her and knelt down, took out the long-collected photo of his parents from his windbreaker, and showed it to Tai Rui, "Do you know where they went? Or what they said in the end?"
At this moment, Terri's eyes suddenly blinked, and she turned to the photo to take a look. Just when Dean's head tightened, she turned to look at the TV without saying a word.
"What's wrong with her?" Hope, who was holding the door frame behind her, asked Betsy next to her.
"I said before, I'm afraid you will be disappointed." Betsy looked at her sister's sluggish look with a look of pity, "Her condition is very similar to that of an old man suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and she can't even take care of herself. "
"You're wrong," Dean reluctantly took back the photo in front of Terry, "I think she's worse than that, but how did she become like this?"
…
The three of them chatted around the round table in the living room. Hope thoughtfully lit two Marlboros and puffed away with Betsy.
The woman smoked a cigarette, and the sorrow condensed between her eyebrows was slightly relieved.
"The origin of all this is an experimental project that Terry participated in during college."
"Is it a project at Hawkins Laboratory?" Dean thought of the reports he saw in the microfilm, "Mind control experiments?"
"Yes, this experiment has been going on since the 1950s. Terry joined almost ten years ago in 1970. At that time, the project had reached its final stage. The drugs used were getting more and more crazy, and the participants were sometimes drowsy. Sleeping, sometimes yelling like a manic-depressive patient," Betsy paused, "Terry took a lot of medicine, so she became very nervous."
"The private sector will not allow such a horrific experiment," Hope interjected with a cold look in his eyes, "Is this cooperating with the government, FBI, or CIA?"
Betsy held the Marlboro between her right index and middle fingers, shook out the cigarette ashes, and said with a smile, "You are so funny, Sheriff."
"This is no joke..." Hope said solemnly, "Without the government's cover, how dare the laboratory be so blatant."
"Maybe you are right, but we little people don't care," Betsy took a deep breath from the cigarette, exhaled the smoke towards her sister who was watching the TV in the distance, and continued, "Every time you participate in an experiment, Researchers will give volunteers like my sister some money, a few hundred dollars, to take some pills such as sleeping pills, LSD and other drugs to enter a strange state."
Dean shook his head, "You are just kidding with your life for a few hundred dollars?"
"You must be a rich man," Betsy glanced at him and continued, "but my sister is poor. She took money several times, took drugs, and then stripped naked and lay in a sensory deprivation tank at the request of the researcher."
"Wait, what is a sensory deprivation tank?" Dean suddenly realized something.
"The sensory deprivation tank is a bit like a large closed bathtub filled with warm salt water. The person puts on a blindfold and ear plugs, lies in it and floats on the salt water," Betsy explained. "Slowly losing vision, hearing, smell, Touch, and the various sensations of gravity, nothing can be seen, nothing can be felt.”
Dean thought of the metal ball filled with water he saw in the laboratory. Eleven put on a diving helmet and lay down in it. Is this an upgraded version of the sensory deprivation tank?
"Those crazy researchers believe that when the experimenter loses all other senses, the boundaries of the brain will expand."
"Expanding the boundaries of the brain?" Hope asked. "Is this creating genius?"
Betsy shook her head and smiled, "Actually, Terry was not forced in any way during the experiment. She was paid to participate in the experiment voluntarily. But an accident occurred, which led to a series of negative consequences."
"What accident?" Dean asked,
"Teri didn't realize she was pregnant during the experiment, with the child of her ex-boyfriend who they had broken up with."
"Pregnant?" Dean thought of the information he read in the newspaper. "Is she pregnant with a girl named 'Jane Ives'?"
"That's a good guess. If the baby is born successfully, it will be called this name, but in fact everything is Terry's illusion." Betsy put out the cigarette butt and looked at her old sister with pity, "Terry had a miscarriage in the third trimester of pregnancy. Her child 'Jane' is gone..."
Dean was stunned for a moment, "When did Terry's miscarriage happen?"
"1972, nine years ago in 1972."
Dean's head flashed. This was the year his parents disappeared.
And if her child is born successfully, it will be 9 years old this year, which is very similar to the age of the little girl "11" imprisoned in the laboratory.
Is this a coincidence?
"Follow me here." At this time, Betsy put out the cigarette butts and led the two of them into another "baby room", which was decorated in a childlike manner, with baby cradle, toys, and even cute colorful clothes. ,shoe.
Hope was stunned for a moment, closed his eyes and covered his forehead, his cheek muscles twitching with a hint of grief.
"Teri had decorated this room when she was pregnant. She didn't expect that the baby would be miscarried, so she couldn't bear the shock and had hallucinations." Betsy recalled sitting on the small sofa. "She imagined that Jane would be born smoothly, and that Jane would be there When she returns home one day in the future, she will also say that Jane is special...with innate superpowers."
"What? Super powers?" Hope touched the wind chime with his finger and was stunned. How could this damn investigation of Hawkins Laboratory have anything to do with super powers?
What happened was beyond his expectation.
"Have you ever seen those science fiction movies?" Betsy said in a joking tone, "Telepathy, telekinesis and the like are all kinds of abilities to interfere with reality with thoughts. According to Terry, it is precisely because Jane has control over These superpowers, so she was captured by bad guys right after she was born.”
Dean's expression became very exciting. According to his observations in the past period of time, 11 happened to have these two superpowers, which matched again.
This proves that Terry is not talking nonsense, and 11 is becoming more and more like Terry's daughter.
Dean asked,
"Are you referring to Dr. Martin Brenner and his team as the bad guys here?"
"Have you heard of this guy?
"We have seen from the newspaper that he is also the head of Hawkins Laboratory." Hope explained,
Betsy nodded and said, "In 1972, Terri did not admit the fact of the miscarriage, but believed that Martin's team at Hawkins Laboratory had kidnapped her child, so later that year, in May, in order to get her child back, Terry Boy, sued Team Martin and the entire Department of Energy."
"But the court ruled against Terri. The doctor also believed that all this was a fantasy that she could not bear the shock of the miscarriage. It was a self-protection mechanism to avoid collapse."
Betsy's words are consistent with the information Dean read in the newspaper.
"But what if what Terry said is true?" Dean's eyes flashed, "What if she really gave birth to a girl named Jane?"
"That's impossible. There's no birth certificate and no hospital records," Betsy said seriously, "and both the doctor and the nurse certified her miscarriage."
"Maybe this is a cover-up." Hope adjusted the brim of her hat and stood clearly on Dean's side. "Think about it, what can't our government do in order to get a child with super powers? And what's more, it's hard for them. It's easy to fabricate evidence."
"This is not what a police officer would say. If Terry were still sane, she would definitely have a lively chat with you." Betsy smiled, obviously she had already determined that her sister's miscarriage was a fact.
Dean exchanged a look with Hope helplessly and asked,
"Did Terry become like this after the trial failed?" Dean asked,
"Not so fast. Terry didn't give up at that time. She kept trying to find ways to bring the 'Jane' she imagined back from Hawkins Laboratory."
Betsy sighed,
"After a long preparation, in 1978, she finally took action... I guess she broke into the Hawkins Laboratory, but I don't know exactly what happened. When I saw her in the hospital, she could no longer He could express himself fluently, but over the next three years, he gradually lost his ability to communicate and take care of himself..." Betsy said distressedly, "It was like undergoing the inhumane lobotomy used to cure mental illness."
"Terry's decline must be related to the people in the laboratory. Maybe they were worried that Terri would report again and hurt her." Dean asked, "Have you never thought about settling a score with the laboratory?"
"What can I do? I'm just an ordinary person. I have no evidence. How can I compete with the laboratory? I'm just thankful that Terry can survive!"
Betsy asked for another cigarette from Hope and lit it. The white smoke blurred the sadness in her eyes.
"You took care of her alone for three years?" Hope asked,
"She is my only relative, I can't just let it go." Betsy said helplessly,
"Isn't it tiring to take care of such a patient?"
"There's nothing I can do about it. I just hope she can return to normal one day."
"What about Lena and Light?" Dean asked reluctantly,
"Your parents? I'm sorry, I have no memory of them. Terry can only answer you when she wakes up."
…
There was a period of silence in the nursery.
Hope plays with the wind chimes on her cradle, lost in memories.
Betsy smoked quietly to clear her mind.
Dean's knuckles cracked as his thoughts raced through his mind.
Terry is unable to communicate properly.
The only way to get information out of her is to kill her and torture her soul.
But he immediately dismissed the idea.
He sorted out all the information he got today.
In 1970, Terry joined the Hawkins Laboratory's mind control program in order to make money, taking drugs and entering a sensory deprivation tank.
In early 1972, Terry underwent an experiment while pregnant, which resulted in a miscarriage, but she firmly believed that her daughter Jane was successfully born and was taken away by the laboratory.
In May, Terry sued Hawkins Lab for failing to get her daughter back.
In July, Terri met Dean's parents.
From 1972 to 1978, Terry made long preparations and tried every means to get her daughter back.
In 1978, Terry failed to break into Hawkins Laboratory to take back the imaginary child, and became disabled.
…
This time period in 1972 was particularly impressive to Dean.
Terry sued Hawkins Laboratory for stealing her daughter but failed. Then she met Lena and Guangming, and then the two disappeared.
"Did they follow Terry to the laboratory to snatch the child? Did something happen to them?"
This thought came to Dean's mind, and he shook his head again.
"Not necessarily, but their disappearance cannot be separated from the Hawkins Laboratory."
With this thought, the progress of "Bloodline" jumped to 7%.
Dean suppressed his boiling emotions.
Terry is crazy and can't find any more clues. He should "chat" with the researchers at Hawkins Laboratory, especially Dr. Martin Brenner, the leader of the experimental team, who 100% knows the inside story!
"Don't worry, I have to make a thorough plan first to avoid exposing myself."
…
Afterwards, the two continued to chat with Betsy for a while, but there was no more information.
"Then that's it for today. Thank you for your answer." Hope said goodbye and left with Dean.
But before going out, Dean looked at this warm home, his old and tired sister, and his crippled sister. He paused, put his hand into the underwear pocket of his windbreaker, made a fake gesture of taking out money, and took it out from the fantasy space. A stack of almost two thousand dollars was handed to Betsy. Betsy was stunned when she looked at the green dollars.
"Officer, what are you doing?"
"Teri was once a friend of my parents, and can be considered an elder of mine. Your answer just now helped me a lot. So this money is a little bit of my heart, and I can use it to improve my life a little."
"This is not a small sum of money, are you sure you want to give it to us?" Betsy pursed her lips, her eyes longing, but she did not reach out.
"Take it..."
"I, I... thank you." Betsy took the money, gave Dean an excited hug, and wiped the corners of her sore eyes with trembling lips, "This is the first time I have received such a large sum of money in many years. .”
"This is a reward for your affection. By the way, please don't reveal our visit today, and don't mention it on the phone. Otherwise, Hawkins Laboratory will take action against you, and your lives will be in danger."
"I swear to God," Betsy clutched the banknotes, "I will never reveal anything about today!"
"very good."
Dean turned around and walked to the living room again, taking one last look at Terry Ives who was sitting in the old man's chair and watching the TV blankly, and then thought of the little girl in the laboratory11.
No matter in terms of age, gender, or superpowers, 11 is similar to the kidnapped daughter in Terry's "imagination". 11 is most likely the daughter Jane Ives that Martin's team snatched from Terry Ives. !
He also made a bold inference that it was precisely because the mother underwent a large number of mind control experiments, sensory deprivation experiments, and took a variety of illegal drugs when she was pregnant that 11 was born with super powers. But also because of this super power It is catalyzed, so there are side effects, and you will definitely get nosebleeds every time you use it.
So Dean called out two names in succession——
"Jane Ives?"
"11."
Terry's expression was stiff and unresponsive.
"Wish you good luck and see you soon."
Dean sighed, turned and walked out the door.
"What did you do before?" Hope said curiously, leaning against the Chevrolet. "Just gave two thousand dollars to a stranger casually? You have too much money and no place to spend it?"
"I forgot to tell you, compared to ordinary people at the lowest level, I have a small superpower." Dean then opened the car door and threw a lollipop to Hope, "Money."
"Then how about paying for the two bar treats I owe Nick?" Hope boldly asked,
"No problem, you helped me a lot this time."
"Fucking rich man! I love it so much!"
…
"Haha, Terry, God bless us, today we have good luck and meet kind people, and we can live a comfortable life for a while again!" Looking out the window as the two cars drove away, the decadence and fatigue on Betsy's face disappeared, and she was full of joy. Terry ran to her and hugged her and kissed her hard, "Thanks to you, I'll go to town right away to buy some of your favorite roast chicken!"
Betsy left in a happy mood,
Terry was alone in the house, and except for the noise from the TV, everything was unusually peaceful.
At a certain moment, Terri, who had a silly expression, blinked her eyes and twitched her fingers slightly.
Sizzle...
A string of light bulbs on the ceiling flickered wildly out of control, the light flickering on and off.
"11...Jane, Lena, Lu..." Indistinct murmurs drifted out of the window, and a tear slipped down Terry's withered cheek.
…
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(End of chapter)
