[POI Doujin] In the Perfect World

Now that Finch had made up his mind, he decisively exerted his maximum power of action.A few hours later in the morning, the middle-aged professor, who was used to being idle, stood in the office of his friend and boss Nathan, and talked eloquently with various reasons that he had considered for a long time. He not only asked for an increase in class hours, but also hoped that Get more involved in the administrative work of the department and even the college.

This unprecedented and abnormal move obviously frightened Nathan a lot. Mr. Elite was full of astonishment and could hardly believe his ears.However, after several explanations from Finch, Nathan finally determined that his friend's sincerity was not a joke.These requests were not difficult for him, and he quickly agreed to Finch's request.

Under his active mediation, Finch quickly regained the position of the college's curriculum management committee, and the application for new topics went smoothly.It's just that it's the middle of the semester, and Finch's proposed increase in class hours and selection of a new batch of graduate students can only be realized after a few months.

The workload has only increased a little for the time being, but after all, it is considered to be busy. Finch originally hoped to be able to perceive the strangeness in his life through more contact with the outside world, but it turned out that the school and family were busy at both ends, and he had no time to care about him. The days became more and more fulfilling, and even the strange dreams seemed to gradually go away from him.

However, what made Finch feel a little strange was that the increased communication he had envisioned hadn't found the right opportunity for so long.The usual academic conferences seem to have suddenly disappeared this year, and even the various charity fundraising dinners that Finch used to be the most troublesome in the past seem to have stopped at the same time.

Is there anyone who doesn't want me to socialize?Things were abnormal, and the middle-aged professor couldn't help thinking wildly because of this, but soon this idea was wiped out in the bud.After all, this is too much to overestimate his own importance, Finch really despised himself once in his heart.

Things always change unexpectedly.That day, Finch just went to Nathan's office to invite him to lunch on a whim. He never expected to find a beautifully printed card in the corner of Nathan's desk piled up with files. Finch opened it casually and looked at it. It turned out to be an invitation letter for the opening reception of a private museum.The museum is one of Finch's favorite places, and the networking reception is the event he most wants to participate in recently, and the combination of the two is exactly what he wants.Although it was indicated on the invitation that "Mr. Nathan Ingram and his companions" were invited, after Finch's repeated hints, Nathan, who had no intention of attending the meeting, had to raise his hand and surrender.

The invitation letter clearly stated that the reception required the guests to "Black Tie", and the three-piece suit that Finch usually wears seemed inappropriate.Fortunately, for Will's medical school graduation ceremony last year, Grace ordered an evening dress for him, which happened to come in handy again.

The reception started at [-]:[-] pm. Finch returned home from school early in the afternoon. After eating a little, he washed up and changed into a dress. He waited peacefully for Nathan to pick him up in his car in the evening.

The incandescent light in the cloakroom is bright enough to illuminate every corner of the room.Finch, who had changed into his gown, was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, undergoing the final adjustment of the bow tie.

Black woolen single-breasted coat with grosgrain shawl collar, black trousers of the same material, white wing collar shirt with platinum mother-of-pearl cuffs, black patent leather brogue Oxford shoes, black bow tie made of the same material as the grosgrain coat, glasses on the bridge of the nose It is a handmade buffalo horn frame.

The man in the mirror was well-dressed, but his face was slightly haggard. Finch patted himself on the cheek. The fast-paced and multi-tasking work during this period made him a little tired, but what brought him more pressure was the unspoken secret in his heart.

Finch sighed and didn't want to think about it any more. He continued to tighten his bow tie to adjust his position, then turned down the collar of his shirt, and looked down at his whole body to make sure everything was in order before he felt relieved.For some reason, he attached great importance to tonight's reception, and seemed to regard it not only as an attempt to solve the mystery in his heart. Finch couldn't figure out the reason, but he could only attribute it to the fact that he hadn't attended such occasions for too long, and he was worried that something was wrong to cause trouble for Nathan.

Although Finch had doubts about Grace and Nathan in his heart, he didn't doubt his friendship with Nathan.He harbors an extremely firm trust in Nathan's goodwill towards him, even though there may be lies or concealments between them.

Finch looked at himself in the mirror. Although it was last year's clothes, the whole dress still fit perfectly, showing that his waistline had not continued to expand in a year.His fingers ran across the satin of the neckline, and the smooth silk fabric made his fingertips feel slightly tingling like an electric shock, and this tingling made Finch dizzy for a moment.

Wasn't it rare for him to wear such an evening dress?Why does it feel familiar?

In a trance, Finch felt as if he was in a dark room, the windows were closed, and only a few steps away, the desk lamp on the round table emitted dim light, casting shadows on the walls.And he was also dressed in a dress, standing alone in the middle of the room.

No, not alone, beside him there was a tall man who was "struggling" with the bow tie in front of the full-length mirror.The man's expression was a little irritable, perhaps because of the delay in getting it right, and he seemed to be still discussing something with him.

Is this a memory from a strange dream?Or is it another hallucination? Finch wasn't sure, he tried hard to hear what the man said to him, "I have to step up to watch it with you, Finch."

Although he couldn't see the man's face clearly, Finch could tell from his voice that he was the man in suit in his strange dream.The scene continued, he helped the man in the suit put on his frock coat, and the conversation between the two was still going on, but Finch didn't know what he was talking about, and couldn't hear the other person's reply.

Suddenly there was the sound of the door being pushed open, and Finch unconsciously looked towards the door. A black-haired woman in a short dress with white brocade suspenders walked into the room with an impatient expression.who is this Finch racked his brains but couldn't find the corresponding character from his memory.

"Father, are you ready? Will said that Uncle Nathan has left the house, and he will arrive by car in a few minutes." Machine's crisp voice came from the door, interrupting Finch's meditation.

"Oh, I'm almost done here, I'll be downstairs soon." Finch walked to Machine and reached out to touch the top of his daughter's head.

Machine's attitude towards him is a bit strange recently, and he no longer likes to cling to him as much as before. Finch had carefully noticed that sometimes girls would hide at home and secretly look at him with an aggrieved expression, but quickly turned their eyes away to avoid being discovered by him.Even if the family goes out to play, the girl spends more time with her mother, Grace.Finch was not used to this change, and rather confused.Today, Machine is willing to express his closeness to him, and Finch is still quite happy in his heart.

"You stay at home with mom obediently, the reception may end late, you don't have to wait for me." Finch instructed the girl and walked out the door.But as soon as he took a step, he realized that the corner of his coat was being pulled. He looked down and saw that it was Machine stretching out his small hand to pinch the edge of the coat. "What? Is there anything else?"

The girl lowered her eyes, her expression was heavy and sad for her age, and it was a look Finch had never seen on her face.From Finch's angle, he could clearly see the girl's long and thin eyelashes fluttering, her pink lips slightly opened and then quickly tightened.

However, in the end the girl slowly let go of her fingers, "Father, remember to go home early."

Finch hesitated for a few seconds, then bent down to look at Machine's small face.Maybe I was too negligent, the girl is always precocious and intelligent, so it is hard to guarantee that she will notice that something is wrong with her recently.Finch felt deeply guilty when he thought of the psychological pressure he had put on his young daughter.

No matter whether my life is full of lies or not, in front of me is my daughter who has been regarded as a treasure by me since she was born. She should be innocent.Thinking of this, he raised his hand to touch the hair on the top of the girl's head again, feeling the soft hair slipping through his fingers, "Good boy, you will always be Daddy's baby."

The girl was taken aback when she heard the words, blinked her eyes, finally swept away the original haze, and burst into a very sweet smile, "Father, I love you too."

Located on the north side of Central Park, this private museum is a six-storey neoclassical building, which is said to have been inherited from a wealthy family that started with western oil at the end of the 20th century.The family has been keen on collecting cultural relics from Asia and South America since the [-]s, ranging from bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties in China to stone statues of the Maurya Dynasty in India, from painted pottery and murals from the Mayan era to golden sacrificial vessels from the Inca Empire. The number is astonishing, many of which are rare and rare.However, although the wealth of the family has increased geometrically for several generations, the number of people has gradually decreased.In the past two years, the only three remaining heirs of the family decided to set up a foundation to transform the original commercial building into a museum named after the family founder.

The above information is all homework done by Finch on the Internet and the school library after he found the invitation on Nathan's desk.Since you plan to come to the reception, you have to have a little understanding of the relevant background information and the situation of the characters, so you can be prepared. Finch has always acted cautiously, and naturally he will not be hasty in this regard.

The opening reception was held in the hall on the second floor of the museum. As soon as Finch followed Nathan into the venue, he was greeted by well-mannered welcome guests.After checking the identities of the two, the staff put a small white collar badge on each of them. "This is the identification mark of the guest. Please be sure to wear it all the time during the reception tonight." The beautiful blond welcome lady reminded softly, and the two returned polite smiles.

"It seems that there are quite a few guests today." Nathan took two glasses of champagne from the waiter's tray, took a sip himself, and handed the other glass to Finch.

Finch held his wine glass and looked around. The two-story hall was magnificent.To the south is a row of long windows facing the Central Park, and the long windows are decorated with white marble in the shape of colonnades.The dark green velvet curtains have all been rolled up. If it is daytime, you will definitely be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Central Park, but now you can enjoy the bustling lights of the downtown.In the middle of the north, there is an open space surrounded by two curved staircases, which happens to be a natural stage, where the speech platform for tonight's opening reception is set.The stairs lead directly to the upper floor, and a small string orchestra is playing on the platform at the top of the stairs. The melodious music adds a bit of elegance to the venue.

Countless precious cultural relics were placed on cylindrical display stands one by one, protected by glass covers, and scattered irregularly throughout the venue.The well-dressed guests shuttled between the priceless exhibits. Finch noticed that most of the guests were concentrating on chatting with each other, and few of them took a closer look at the artworks.

He couldn't help sighing, and Nathan heard the sound and came over, "Harold, I knew you would be bored, so I advised you not to join in the fun? You like to visit museums, so we can come at another time."

Nathan's misunderstanding made Finch laugh, and he patiently explained, "I'm not bored, I just feel so many precious cultural relics, so many people present are not willing to calm down and appreciate them."

"The so-called opening reception is just a place to provide social opportunities. Everyone who will come here today may have one or another reason, but there is definitely no reason to see these exhibits, except you." Nathan said from the wall Finch took a plate of fresh shrimp puffs from the long table, "I don't know why you must come to visit today...you can just watch while eating, I still have a few people I know who want to visit." Deal with it, I'll come find you later."

Although the shrimp puffs provided at the reception were produced by famous chefs, they really did not suit Finch's taste. Once Nathan left, his full attention turned to the many artifacts in the hall.Anyway, he didn't know any of the guests except Nathan, and he was not good at making friends with strangers, so it was a pleasure to appreciate the host's collection quietly by himself.

Due to the limited volume of the showcases, most of the exhibits placed on the cylindrical display stand are small objects. For example, in front of Finch is a golden mask used for sacrifice by the Inca Empire. Colored porcelain plate. Finch held a champagne glass, carefully admiring the treasures in front of him.Under the reflection of the spotlight, the golden mask glowed gorgeously, and there were faintly discernible lines and patterns on it.These lines made Finch feel very familiar, he bent down and tried to get closer to the glass cover to examine it carefully.

That's right, the lines on the mask form a very wonderful pattern, as if it is an irregular sequence composed of countless 0s and 1s. Finch frowned suspiciously. Although the Inca Empire had made considerable achievements in the field of mathematics, their mathematics should use the decimal system. So what does this binary sequence represent?He tried his best to recall all the information about the Inca civilization in his memory. In recent years, there has been an unrecognized conclusion in the archaeological circles. "Kipu" is the knotting record of the Incas. It uses a three-dimensional binary code. Is the sequence in front of you the digital form of "Kip"?

With this idea in mind, Finch looked at the sequence again, "010010100110111101101000011011100101001001100101011001010111001101100101...." How should this string of numbers be interpreted?It must be a very important content to be engraved on the golden mask of the sacrifice.The middle-aged professor frowned unconsciously, his face getting closer and closer to the showcase.

"Sir, please don't get too close, or the alarm device will be triggered." At some point, an Asian woman in a suit stood beside him and reminded him politely and softly. Finch guessed that she was a staff member of the museum.He straightened up, and smiled apologetically at the woman with some embarrassment, "I'm a little lost in thought."

"I'm glad you like today's exhibits, but please be careful when viewing them." The woman turned and left with a smile on her lips.

Being interrupted by her like this, Finch also lost interest in continuing his research.Looking around, he found that there were several Chinese paintings displayed on the westernmost wall of the hall. He always preferred paintings and ancient books, so he hurried over there after seeing Liexin.

Finch walks slowly among the crowd. Most of the guests present tonight are celebrities from New York and even the East Coast. Even he, who rarely pays attention to the news, can recognize some of them. , there are newly elected young city councilors, senior models who have won numerous international awards, and the heads of famous local charities.They are busy socializing with each other, and occasionally browse the exhibits around them in a hurry, just to get better conversation materials.

While silently feeling sorry for the precious cultural relics at the scene, Finch carefully avoided a display case of Angkor pottery, but almost bumped into a young man who was joking with several socialites next to him.

Finch hurriedly apologized to the other party, but the young man shrugged his shoulders indifferently. It was only after Finch walked away that he remembered that this man was a hot IT upstart in recent years. He looked back at the man again, and he was as arrogant and frivolous as the rumors said.

What's his name? Finch couldn't remember for a moment.In my impression, I have read a lot of reports about this person. He was so talented and became famous at a young age. Maybe the fame and money came too early and too fast. The young man had many times caused bad influence on the company due to abnormal behavior, which caused his partners and Board dissatisfaction.

"If he continues to play tricks like this, his partner will definitely hire a murderer to kill him for the sake of the company's future." This sentence jumped into Finch's mind inexplicably, and he was shocked.How could I have such an idea?And still so sure it will happen?

Questions followed, but before Finch could figure it out, a violent cough came from behind.He quickly turned around to look around, and found that the young man just now was bending over, covering his throat with his hands and coughing violently.It may be that the cough was too intense, the man's face turned into a liver color, and he was about to suffocate.

The word "allergies" flashed through Finch's mind, and he didn't know why he firmly believed that the strangeness of the man at the moment was because someone put allergens in his food. Finch didn't have time to think about where this conclusion came from. Saving people is the most important thing. Just as he was about to call for a doctor's help, a woman in a white evening dress walked out of the crowd and slapped the man on the back vigorously.

This blow had a miraculous effect. A small reddish object spewed out from the man's mouth and fell to the ground. It turned out that the man had choked on the shrimp puff.

Finch laughed secretly at himself, thinking about conspiracy theories for too long recently, he was skeptical about everything he looked at.He shook his head, pushing all those messy thoughts out of his mind.It was the woman who saved the life, Finch took a few more glances at her, the white dress was quite similar to the one worn by the woman in the hallucination before, but her appearance was quite different.

It was just a short episode. Seeing that the man was safe, the hall regained its original happy atmosphere. Finch finally arrived at the west side of the hall and stood in front of those Chinese paintings.

Finch doesn't have a deep study of ancient Chinese paintings, but he can still see the delicate brushwork and profound artistic conception of the landscape vertical scrolls in front of him.Just as he was concentrating on reading the explanatory card next to the scroll, Nathan came back to him after the entertainment.

"Harold, why did you come here?" Nathan patted him on the shoulder and followed his gaze to the paintings on the wall, "My dear friend, art is more interesting than people, right?"

Finch gave him a blank look. Although he doesn't like socializing, it doesn't mean he can't adapt to such occasions. On the contrary, he can vaguely feel in his heart that he seems to have participated in the same activities countless times.The fragrance of the clothes, the melodious sound of the music, the staggering of the cups, even though he was not to his liking, they all seemed familiar.

It seems that the reception tonight is the right time for me!However, there was no joy in Finch's heart, which added a bit of bewilderment and even a little fear.Who was he before?What kind of life did you live?

Perhaps because Finch was silent, Nathan intended to liven up the atmosphere, "Several couples who came to the reception tonight are enemies in the business world, and they are the ones who never stop. If they can get into trouble, it won't be boring."

"If the organizers know that you have such thoughts, they will definitely regret sending you the invitation letter." Finch raised his eyebrows at Nathan, "And I think there may be more excitement. These cultural relics are priceless tonight. The guests also have big names, this is a great opportunity for criminals to act~"

This time it was Nathan who couldn't laugh or cry, "Harold, I have known since college that your imagination is far richer than mine. I thought it was the reason why you are far better than me in professional academics. Hollywood's talent for writing scripts."

"I'm just playing along with your ideas." Hearing Nathan mention the college days, Finch smiled knowingly. Those heart-warming days brought him the best friend of his life.

The two looked at each other, smiled, toasted and drank.

"But with today's security level, it's not easy to make trouble here." Nathan reached out and took another glass of champagne from the passing waiter.

Finch frowned, and declined Nathan's glass of wine.His alcohol capacity has always been bad, and he needs to stay sober tonight, not only to find clues to reveal the truth of his life, he always feels that the peace tonight will soon be broken.

"I'm not as optimistic as you," he looked around the hall, "we didn't even have the most basic security checks when we came in. Although the monitoring equipment in the hall is complete, there are only five or six guards. They may not be capable enough to control the scene, let alone protect guests and cultural relics comprehensively."

"Wow~" Nathan whistled in surprise, "Harold, next time I go back to the college to upgrade the security of the building, I will definitely find you as a consultant."

Finch didn't show any complacency, on the contrary, the doubts in his heart grew bigger and bigger.As a research professor who only focuses on his major, he shouldn't have such knowledge, even if it's just superficial.

However, Finch didn't have more time to ponder the new confusion in his heart.Suddenly, all the lights in the hall went out, and the guests screamed in the darkness. Some staff tried to use the PA system to appease everyone, "Line failure, please stay calm..." Before the words fell, a few small flashes of fire flashed in the hall, accompanied by loud gunshots.

Nathan's reaction was much faster than Finch's. He grabbed Finch's arm and rushed to the corner to avoid the possible stray bullets and the ensuing chaotic crowd.The two stood leaning against the wall, relying on the gleam of light from the window, they could see many elegant guests screaming or running in all directions, all in panic.

The lights in the hall were turned on again, and Finch noticed that many guests were injured due to falls or impacts. He couldn't help but thank Nathan for his responsive response, otherwise their situation would not have been much better.

"Gentlemen and ladies, I'm sorry to disturb your party," the pure British English came out from the PA system, and the voice seemed to be quite old, "Now the whole building is under our control, please follow our instructions Instructions, do not make unnecessary resistance. I have no intention of hurting you, as long as I find the one I want from among you, I will release you immediately."

It was only then that Finch realized that there were many heavily armed masked men in the hall, holding light pistols or pistols, some gathered around the podium, and the rest were scattered throughout the hall.The original hall guards had been disarmed, their hands and feet were tied up and thrown at the base of the wall. It seemed that this group of gangsters really did not intend to start a massacre.

Finch's heart was beating violently, the voice of the leader who spoke just now seemed familiar, could it be someone related to his forgotten memory?He stared intently at the direction of the podium. The one closely guarded by several bandits should be the leader. Unfortunately, his face was covered by a hood, and Finch couldn't make out any trace after looking for a long time.

Armed bandits began to search the guests carefully one by one, and only then did Finch realize the danger was approaching.If this leader is his old acquaintance, these gangsters are probably looking for him!Thinking of this, he subconsciously tried to step back, but there was already a thick stone wall behind him, and there was no way to retreat.

Seeing the thieves getting closer, Finch's breathing became heavier and his heart seemed to be about to jump out of his chest.Who, who can come to my rescue? !

The two gangsters finally stood in front of him, and Finch closed his eyes and waited for the fate to come.

The screams were heard from close at hand. Finch opened his eyes and saw a tall man standing in front of him. He knocked down a gangster with a fist, and then twisted around and grabbed another gangster's wrist, grabbing his hand. The opponent's □ □.The guests at the scene were all dressed in formal attire, but this man was only wearing an ordinary black suit with an open collar of a white shirt inside, and he didn't even tie a tie.

The man moved so quickly that the other gangsters in the hall had no time to react.After finishing the two people in front of him, the man grabbed Finch's palm with his backhand and pulled him into a side door a few meters away.

"Sir, thank you very much for saving me..." Finch did not forget to thank the man in his panic.

"I'm not happy that you're going into danger without me, Harold!" the man grumbled as he dragged Finch down the corridor.

It was him, the man in his dream!Although he couldn't see the other person's face clearly, it was impossible for Finch to forget his signature breathy deep voice!

Finch squeezed back the man's palm, feeling the warmth of the man's palm.There were footsteps of gangsters chasing after him, but his heart was full of stability and peace, as if as long as this man was around, he would have nothing to fear in this world.

TBC