Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 56

Meanwhile, like at the office, Jane was sitting there with her chin propped up on her hand, her thoughts swirling all over the place. She watched that CCTV footage over and over again, trying to figure out what the heck might’ve gone down. The memories of that day remained fuzzy, like there was a major piece missing or covered up. Her anxiety was growing bigger by the minute.

Jane’s mind switched to Zoey, who in the footage seemed to be watching the whole thing go down with a shocked expression. Could Zoey remember something that could explain what really happened? Without any hesitation, Jane grabbed her phone and shot Zoey a quick message, asking to meet up during Zoey’s break.

Zoey replied quickly, agreeing to meet Jane later.

---

On the flip side, Karl was still caught up in his scheming. The idea of using Jane’s secret recording as a way to ensure his own secrets stayed hidden was becoming more appealing to him, even though he knew it would only stir things up even more. For him, this was the last resort to guarantee his position’s safety and keep all the power in his hands.

That day at the Convenience Store felt off, Zoey starting to feel weird because Jane messaged her when she could’ve just called her directly.

Karl not being as intimidating to Zoey as usual.

That day, the vibe in the convenience store was just different. Zoey felt strange, almost skittish, because Jane messaged her to meet outside of work hours. Usually, if Jane needed something from her, she could just call her directly at the store. But this time, there was an urgency in Jane’s message, something that made Zoey sense that a big secret was about to be spilled.

Zoey stole a glance at Karl in another part of the store, busying himself with restocking items on the shelves. There was something different about Karl’s demeanor that day. Normally, he would be patting his own backside or making sarcastic comments about every tiny mistake Zoey made. However, today, he seemed... uneasy, as if he were trying to avoid her. This only intensified the weird feeling in Zoey.

Zoey’s mind was torn between curiosity and worry. What did Jane really want to talk about? Was it about her habit of nicking small items at the Convenience Store? Did Karl have a change of heart and suddenly rat her out to Jane?

---

That evening, Zoey and Jane met in Jane’s office. Jane was seated at her desk with a serious expression, her eyes occasionally glancing at her phone, waiting for Zoey to arrive. Soon enough, Zoey stepped in, scanning the room, then quickly making her way to Jane’s desk with a face full of questions.

"Thanks for coming, Zoey," Jane greeted, her voice calm but firm.

Zoey nodded, taking a seat in front of Jane. "No problem, Mrs. Is there something you want to ask me?"

Jane took a deep breath, then pulled out a phone from her bag and placed it on the table. "I want to show you something. The CCTV footage from that... you see for yourself."

Zoey fell silent for a moment, then furrowed her brow, her gaze shifting to the phone screen displaying a clip of the CCTV footage from the break room that day. Surprise flashed across her face as she watched the scene where she walked into the room and found Jane and Karl in a position that looked... intimate.

"I... I remember that day," Zoey whispered to herself.

"Karl’s magic is still caught on CCTV?" Zoey pondered.

Jane stared at Zoey with a questioning look. "Zoey, I don’t remember this incident. That’s why I feel something’s off. The more I watch it, the weirder I feel... like something’s clouding my memory."

Zoey nodded slowly, but because she remembered Karl’s threat and the pleasure of his grip on her, Zoey responded as if she had no clue what happened.

"I... I don’t remember this happening," Zoey said.

Jane furrowed her brow, looking at Zoey more intensely. As if trying to unearth the truth behind every word and expression on her young assistant’s face. There was something in the way Zoey avoided eye contact that made Jane feel like something fishy was going on. But she held back, not wanting to push too hard, even though her suspicions were growing.

"Zoey, I want you to be honest," Jane said with a slightly softer tone, hoping to build trust. "This whole event... is so confusing, and if you know anything, no matter how small, please tell me."

Zoey shook her head slowly, maintaining her blank expression. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Jane. I really don’t remember. All I recall is opening the door and... feeling surprised, but the rest is a blur." She swallowed hard, feeling a bit nervous about the lie she just told. Karl’s threat still loomed over her mind— the man’s warning was real, and she didn’t dare take any risks.

Jane took a deep breath. She felt like she hit a dead end, but she wasn’t about to give up just yet. "Okay, Zoey. If your memory comes back or if there’s anything else you remember, please let me know. I just want to make sure that whatever happens, we can tackle it together."

Zoey nodded slowly, her heart racing. "Yes, Mrs. I’ll let you know if I remember anything," she said, looking down, trying to hide the guilt creeping in.

****

11:30 AM.

John sends a message to Chloe:

Chloe, I smell something fishy about your coworker Karl. He might be the mastermind behind the whole mind-bending scheme in the Spermberggirl video.

Chloe walking to the Convenience Store with Amber, furrows her brows, "Amber, why is Uncle John suspicious of Karl?"

"For real?"

"Yeah."

Chloe shows the message from John.

"I don’t know, but he’s on a mission to nab the dude in the Spermberggirl video, right?" Amber sighs.

Zoey grins, "Yeah, Uncle suspects that guy to be the one who changed ordinary people’s perspectives and made orphans got hit by car."

Amber sighs, "Uncle John is a good guy, even though he used to be cray and hunted down evil folks, he’s still hella smart. Maybe he’s got valid reasons to side-eye a lonely ah.. weeb like Karl." Amber tries to lighten the mood.

*****

John heads back to the Convenience Store, peeping from afar. As his eyes scan the scene, he spots Adam. Even though the CCTV footage is blurry, Homo Obscura’s powers to spot things clear as day help John recognize Adam.

Adam is chilling far from the Convenience Store, still wary of Karl, who in his memory, is a taekwondo master. He leaning on his car, busy on his phone.

John approaches Adam, "Yo, young blood!" greets John.