If parents were to forget how many children they had, that would be a joke. They remembered very clearly—after nearly thirty years of marriage, the two of them had only ever had one son, Michael Bolton.

However, now, the question that Michael Bolton had just asked was something they truly could not answer.

Why was there a bunk bed in Michael Bolton’s room?

In a normal household, there would never be a bunk bed like the ones found in college dormitories, unless... it was because there were two children in the family!

Yet, no matter how hard the couple racked their brains, they simply couldn’t recall where that bed had come from. In their memories, from beginning to end, only Michael Bolton had ever lived in this room. And that bed... it was as if it had been there from the very start.

Looking at his parents’ confused and troubled faces, Michael Bolton felt a wave of terror wash over him. It seemed that they had truly forgotten about his younger brother.

Michael Bolton left his parents, who were still deep in thought, and walked out of his room alone, heading to the living room. He pulled out the photo album from yesterday and searched through it carefully, only to find that it was exactly the same as with Steven Harris—there wasn’t a single photo of his younger brother in the album. Not only was there no solo picture, but even in group photos with himself or his parents, Jason Bolton had vanished as if into thin air, and the backgrounds where Jason Bolton should have been were perfectly clear.

This was just too bizarre. First his friend Steven Harris, then his brother Jason Bolton—both had disappeared from the world in exactly the same way. All traces of their existence in the real world, and even in the memories of others, had been completely erased.

And the only one left who could remember them was Michael Bolton himself.

Even though the air conditioner was on in the house, Michael Bolton’s back was drenched in sweat.

“Xiaoyu, you... should go to bed early.” His parents also came into the living room, still looking a bit dazed. “It’s just a bed, it doesn’t mean anything. You’re just too tired.”

Michael Bolton stood up, nodded, and walked back to his room. Just as he was closing the door, he heard his mother mutter softly behind him, “Didn’t we only have Xiaoyu as our son? Where would he get a younger brother?”

Michael Bolton let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed. Staring up at the empty top bunk, he felt a surge of panic.

He took out his phone and searched for Jason Bolton’s number. When he called, just like with Steven Harris, it was a disconnected number. And on all social networks, Jason Bolton’s traces had also disappeared.

If it had only been Steven Harris, Michael Bolton might have worried that he was the one going crazy. But now, he was certain—he definitely hadn’t remembered wrong. It was everyone except himself who had forgotten about Steven Harris and Jason Bolton.

Yet the fear in Michael Bolton’s heart hadn’t lessened at all; in fact, it was only growing deeper.

What if, when he woke up tomorrow morning, he found that his parents had also disappeared from this world?

And even more terrifying...

Even though Michael Bolton tried his best to suppress his thoughts from going in the most frightening direction, he couldn’t help but think of the possibility he least wanted to consider.

—What if the one who disappeared was himself?

Michael Bolton wasn’t afraid of death; what he feared was “disappearing.”

Even if he died, only Michael Bolton’s physical body would vanish from this world. The traces he left behind, the proof that he had once existed, the memories others held of him, would still remain in this world. But to be wiped away so completely, like Steven Harris and Jason Bolton, with not even a trace left to show he had ever been here—this, to Michael Bolton, was the most terrifying and unacceptable thing.

Michael Bolton wasn’t stupid—in fact, he was very smart. Even after experiencing something so unbelievable, he quickly faced reality: Steven Harris and Jason Bolton had indeed disappeared. Although there were still many unanswered questions, at least Michael Bolton no longer doubted the reality of the current situation.

But... why did they disappear? And why was he the only one left who could remember them?

With these questions in mind, Michael Bolton slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 7: The Mysterious Girl

He slept until the sun was high in the sky the next day. As soon as Michael Bolton stepped out of his room, he found that his parents had already left for work, leaving only two fried eggs and a bowl of porridge on the table.

Michael Bolton quickly finished his breakfast and began to consider what he should do next.

His previous job had paid well, and since he had always been single, even though he regularly sent money home to help his parents, Michael Bolton had still managed to save up some money. So even if he didn’t rush to find a new job, he didn’t have to worry about starving.

Besides, the reason Michael Bolton had come home this time was to relax and take a break. Since that was the case, there was no need to hurry out and look for a job or send out résumés. The disappearance of his friend and his brother was what worried Michael Bolton the most right now. If he couldn’t uncover the truth, he would never be able to live in peace again.

As Michael Bolton was struggling with these thoughts, he suddenly heard two soft knocks at the door. Michael Bolton was taken aback—his parents had gone to work, so who could be visiting at this hour?