Mist

Chapter 41

Who Am I

Chapter 41

After taking the medicine and answering the phone, the anxiousness, confusion and panic from earlier had left Ji Yushi and his complexion looked much better.

They came early and the other teammates hadn’t arrived yet, so the two had some time to talk.

Ji Yushi said, “I asked you that because in my memory, the Chief of the Jiang City branch was surnamed Wang. She was a very impressive female leader, and it was her who sent us on our mission, and she was also the one who received me when I came. Based on my memory, there was no chief with the surname Qi.”

Song Qinglan was startled, “How could it be?”

He had asked this subconsciously, but it wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Ji Yushi’s memory. Instead, it was because he believed Ji Yushi too much, so he found it shocking, “A female leader surnamed Wang?”

Ji Yushi, “Try and remember. When we first met at the Tianqiong base, who was standing next to me?”

Song Qinglan answered very quickly, “It was Chief Qi. He was the one who introduced you to me. You also said that you attended his class three years ago and told him what he wore that day as well as the fact that I left early.”

Ji Yushi shook his head, “No. That was also Chief Wang. I remember her dress, her pearl earrings and the cup she broke.

It was noon on a summer’s day. The sun was shining bright.

Perhaps it was because the air-conditioning in the car was too strong, both of them felt a small chill.

But, after having experienced everything in the other worlds, they were able to remain calm —- At least no zombies would suddenly appear to feast on their brains.

There was no point pondering over the same question all the time. Ji Yushi asked, “Cap Song, why don’t you tell me about this Chief Qi?”

Song Qinglan said, “In fact, you met him when you were in the crevice. He’s Captain Qi of the Tianqiong twelfth squad that was trapped in the rainforest.”

Ji Yushi was shocked.

The scene of Captain Qi pointing his gun at the traitor in the rain was still very vivid.

“Xie Sian, I, as the witness and guardian of time, will give you your sentence.”

........

It turned out to be him?

For a long time, Ji Yushi didn’t speak. His mind was working fast. As soon as every piece of the puzzle fell into the right spot, he quickly understood what was going on, “.....It’s him.”

The timeline had changed. From the time the twelfth squad was rescued, everything that had already happened in reality had been changed. The Tianqiong twelfth squad returned to fifteen years ago and, because of his outstanding abilities, Cap Qi was promoted step by step, eventually becoming the Chief of the Jiang City branch. As a result, Chief Wang was never appointed.

But why did Song Qinglan’s memory change, but not his?

“When I saw him in the crevice, I was also shocked.” Song Qinglan said, “During those years I have been in the Jiang City branch, he had always been very strict with our seventh squad and never revealed anything. It turned out that Chief Qi had such an experience when he was young. From Chief Qi’s perspective, they were caught in the crevice fifteen years ago and was rescued by a Tianqiong seventh squad from the future. During those past fifteen years, Chief Qi didn’t intervene and just watched the seventh squad destined to save his squad form and when Old Yu was injured and you were transferred over from Ning City, he probably knew that we were about to complete the cycle.”

Ji Yushi’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

His eyes carried a hint of confusion.

“Chief Qi looked for me recently and we had a chat. Through him I realised that it was actually very difficult tracking us down after being hijacked. It was precisely because of his past that Chief Qi was able to find a loophole and intercept us with difficulty. Without it, we might not have been able to return.”

Song Qinglan said, “It’s like a continuous chain. Without us, there would be no Chief Qi and without Chief Qi, we would not have been able to return to reality. Just like what we said in the Ouroboros mission; only after a certain event at a certain moment is completed would everything else happen after that.”

Time operated extremely precisely.

Of course, this was something Ji Yushi could understand with his mental abilities.

But could one really change the past that easily?

Some people have appeared with the change.

Some people have disappeared with the change.

Those who appeared were taken for granted, while those who disappeared were no longer remembered.

It was actually quite sad.

Song Qinglan noticed his silence.

The two sat in the car for a few more minutes until Song Qinglan’s phone rang. Duan Wen asked on the other end, “Cap Song, where are you? We can’t find you.”

The teammates had already gone up.

Song Qinglan replied briefly, “Coming now.”

After hanging up, Song Qinglan found that Ji Yushi had already stored away his emotions. He opened the door and said, “Let’s go.”

*

The distance between them was a little close.

Song Qinglan’s lips almost touched the other party’s face.

Both retreated and no longer spoke.

Song Qinglan held the glass in his hand. He felt a little hot, so he downed it all in one go to cool himself down.

Just now, he had an urge to see what it would feel like if he touched Ji Yushi’s face.

As a leader who had gone through countless Guardian missions, Chief Qi wasn’t the type who liked to make things too official. This meal also reflected his personality.

As Song Qinglan had said in the car, Chief Qi briefly explained the encounter with the Seventh Squad in the crevice fifteen years ago.

Time was really a very strange existence

Chief Qi sighed, “Over the years, I watched your squad gradually come together and I also oversaw Xiao Ji’s transfer. I didn’t know what would happen to you, but I was certain of the result. After so many years, the death in the rainforest and the shooting of the traitor in the heavy rain still brings me nightmares. With your squad returning successfully, I was finally able to have a good night’s sleep last night. Most importantly, myself and my old teammates had been waiting all this time wanting to personally give you our gratitude. Although they cannot come, I would like to represent them and give everyone a toast.”

It must not have been easy keeping a secret for fifteen years.

Now that everything that needed to be completed had been completed, the secret was no longer a secret. After Chief Qi finished drinking from his glass, even the wrinkles around the corners of his eyes loosened somewhat.

Placing down his glass, Ji Yushi asked, “And Xie Sian?”

Everyone was curious about this.

Hearing the name, Chief Qi spoke solemnly, “After being trialled, life imprisonment.”

The topic returned to Ji Yushi.

Chief Qi asked, “Xiao Ji, your ability is very outstanding. I had a talk with your Chief Lin and want you to officially join the Guardian squad, but Chief Lin wasn’t willing. I think that your own opinion is more important so how about it? Do you want to consider it?”

One after another, he was asked about this.

The team members, the captain and now the chief.

As soon as Chief Qi finished speaking, everyone looked over with expectation. Ji Yushi: “......”

Wasn’t this supposed to be a farewell banquet?

In the end, Ji Yushi said, “Thank you Chief Qi, I will carefully take it into consideration.

*

After the meal, everyone said their goodbyes.

The squad gathered with Ji Yushi in the centre and insisted that no matter what decision Ji Yushi makes, he should look for them whenever he comes to visit Jiang City.

Since he was leaving the Guardian squad, the previously injected subcutaneous communicator had been removed and there was no communicator outside of the mission, Tang Le asked for Ji Yushi’s phone number. Everyone else also insisted on receiving the same treatment and similarly exchanged numbers,

It was Ji Yushi’s first time having so many numbers stored in his phone.

After saving them, Song Qinglan who was waiting by the side said, “Alright, Advisor Ji won’t be able to catch the train if we delay it any longer.”

There was a special intercity suspended train from Jiang City to Ning City which could reach a speed of five to six hundred kilometres per hour and would only take a little more than one hour to travel from one point to another. It was a ticket covered by the Jiang City branch.

As Ji Yushi put away his phone, he heard Song Qinglan say, “Advisor Ji, I’ll send you off.”

When he turned to look, the other party had his arms crossed habitually. It basically meant that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Ji Yushi originally didn’t have the intention to refuse so he nodded, “Then I’ll have to trouble Cap Song.”

The group of people waved as they watched them leave.

The afternoon sun was scorching hot. Cicadas cried unceasingly.

Ji Yushi was about to return to his city. He didn’t belong here.

Ji Yushi didn’t want to remember everyone’s sad expressions as he left, so he didn’t look back when he left. He opened the door and got into the car.

Song Qinglan also got in and silently drove all the way to the Jiang City’s East Station.

“Thank you.” Ji Yushi said, “Then I’ll be leaving.”

He was about to open the door when Song Qinglan suddenly stopped him, “Ji Yushi.”

Ji Yushi’s pale hands trembled slightly. He looked back and was met with Song Qinglan’s dark and deep eyes. He seemed to have wanted to say something, but he just continued to look at him in silence.

It made his heart beat faster for some reason.

He spoke up, “What is it?”

Song Qinglan took out his phone and dialled the number he memorised from just now and spoke very much like a straight man, “You have saved all their numbers. Save mine in there too.”