Mist

Chapter 54

When they parted, they didn’t expect that it in fact wasn’t the real end let alone that they would team up again so soon.

The five people from the seventh squad had gathered together. Only Duan Wen and Zhou Mingxuan were missing.

Duan Wen was one step ahead of them and had already reached the nursing home. Song Qinglan asked, “Where’s Old Zhou?”

The five hurried to the nursing home.

Whether it was six degrees of separation or interference as a result of their ‘observation’, as soon as they put on their artificial face, they seemed to have instantly disconnected from this worlds consciousness.

Everyone else on the street was rushing around so they didn’t attract anyone’s attention despite their hasty footsteps.

With Song Qinglan’s question, the other three fell silent.

Ji Yushi sensed that something didn’t seem right.

“What is it?” Song Qinglan’s tone turned a little more serious.

No one in the squad knew Zhou Mingxuan better than Song Qinglan. They had enlisted together, became special forces together and they also became Guardians together. Zhou Mingxuan usually just liked to play around but it could be said that besides Duan Wen, he was someone who could see the whole picture the best.

Striding down the steps, they passed by several phantoms of people.

The group went through a side street. Protesters continued to march onwards and there were police cars patrolling around. Screams could be heard in all directions.

Tang Qi said, “He may not go back.”

Song Qinglan’s footsteps stopped.

Unlike Ji Yushi, they were all ordinary people. Once they have two overlapping memories, it was easy to overlook one of them. Song Qinglan recalled his memory from the bubble world — Zhou Mingxuan’s life here had also changed a lot compared to his original reality and it was also an important change for him: In this world, Zhou Mingxuan’s only relative, his grandmother, was still alive.

Song Qinglan still remembered that in the original reality, due to a Guardian’s training schedule, Zhou Mingxuan would return home at irregular times. After a three-day long training session, he returned to find that his grandmother had already passed away. This was something that had weighed heavily on his mind all this time, but he had been reluctant to talk about it. This world however had given him a new possibility.

In the bubble world, it wasn’t the changes that were scary, and it wasn’t the fact that they had attained things that they originally didn’t have that was scary. For example, Li Chun and his girlfriend, Tang Qi and Tang Le and their younger sister, and Duan Wen with his wife and child.

What was really scary was when a person’s most precious thing was taken away by fate and the bubble world allowed you to experience the feeling of regaining something that had been lost.

The situation Zhou Mingxuan was facing now was like that of Ji Yushi’s.

Even the extraordinarily calm Ji Yushi who had been involved with countless Recorder missions found it difficult to resist the temptation. It would’ve been a very strong temptation for the hot blooded and impulsive Zhou Mingxuan.

“We went to Old Zhou’s place to get him.” Tang Le continued his brother’s words, “His grandmother’s legs aren’t well and needs someone to take care of her.”

“But it’s all fake!” Li Chun was anxious, “Why can’t Old Zhou understand?! Dammit!”

“It’s not that he doesn’t understand.” Song Qinglan suddenly spoke up, “It’s just too difficult to let go. He needs someone to give him a hand.”

Ji Yushi turned his head. He unconsciously clenched his hand.

Song Qinglan wasn’t looking at him but he could still feel the sensation of a strong and powerful hand holding his hand.

He had truly been ‘given a hand’.

Song Qinglan said, “Let’s leave it for now. We can talk about it later after meeting with Old Duan.”

Everyone soon arrived at the nursing home. The situation there was shocking. Patients were running wild around the nursing home, carers were chasing after the patients and family members were also hurrying around picking up their family member. It was a complete mess.

There were phantoms from the other world appearing here as well but compared to the ones outside, the phantoms here were clearer — Those phantoms were still, allowing people to clearly see their facial features and expressions. Some patients had even found their other self and were shouting at them while in a mentally unstable state.

What convinced everyone in the seventh squad even more that everything was related to Chief Wang was that not only were there phantoms in the nursing home, but the small details could also all be clearly distinguished. Rather than a phantom image, it was more like a real existence.

This place was the central starting point of the overlap of the two realities and from here it had spread across the entire world.

Song Qinglan checked his watch and urged, “Let’s go!”

Everyone increased their speed.

Ji Yushi knew why Song Qinglan urged them.

The Tianqiong in this reality must have already discovered that the source of the overlap was this place. Song Qinglan had checked his watch and calculated how long it would take for Tianqiong to reach this place starting from the moment he received the urgent order from Tianqiong.

“Cap Song!” Ji Yushi asked, “How long do we have?”

With no time to wait for the elevator, everyone strode up the stairs taking two or three steps at a time.

Song Qinglan said, “At most ten minutes!”

*

“The other me.”

Suddenly, a female voice sounded.

Everyone turned their heads. It may be because those words had touched on something but the Chief Wang who was originally nonresponsive had suddenly turned to them and said, “That’s not the real me. I can prove it.”

A quiet room. Motionless phantoms. A mentally unstable woman.

This moment sent a chill through everyone present.

It turns out that not only them, but the people in every world would think that they are the true existence.

Time was running out. Song Qinglan turned on his artificial face before turning around and asking, “How can you prove it?”

Chief Wang turned and looked back at the phantom figure sitting on the sofa, “Find the key point.”

Everyone, “.........”

This answer was equivalent to not giving them an answer!

The silence didn’t last very long. Ji Yushi immediately said, “I know.”

Except for Song Qinglan, the other people in the room were shocked.

“You know again?!”

Li Chun was about to go crazy.

“Cap Song and I were briefly pulled back to our original reality by a phone call not long ago.” Seeing Song Qinglan nod, Ji Yushi continued to explain. He swiped through the holographic projection so that the two previous wavy lines were showing again, “If you use an electromagnetic wave simulation program to simulate an electromagnetic wave that synchronises with the ones from our original reality from a month ago, and then....”

He paused and seemed to be a little hesitant.

“And then call someone who would answer the phone from that day.” Song Qinglan seemed to be able to read Ji Yushi’s mind and helped him finish his words, “The person called must also be a unique person in the two worlds.”

Tang Qi, “But Advisor Ji just said that only the seven of us are like that. How can we make this call?”

Tang Le also nodded. He was eager to know the answer.

“The so-called ‘unique’ doesn’t necessarily have to have the same meaning as our ‘unique’. As long as the lives of the two people in the two realities are completely different and they wouldn’t use the same number, it would be fine.” Song Qinglan said, “We have to make sure that we are not interfered with while we make the call, right Advisor Ji?”

Ji Yushi nodded.

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Duan Wen quickly thought of something, “Then we should call Chief Wang.”

Li Chun, “Brother Wen, do you remember Chief Wang’s phone number?”

Everyone looked at each other. Let alone the Chief’s number, they didn’t even know the numbers of their closest friends and relatives.

Ji Yushi said, “I remember.”

Everyone, “!!!”

How could they have forgotten that there was Ji Yushi in their squad who would never forget anything he saw. There wasn’t even a need for a phone book!

As soon as he finished speaking, sounds of cars and human voices could be heard downstairs.

Song Qinglan quickly approached the window and looked out the blinds, “Tiangqiong’s here.”

“Then let’s go!!” Tang Le said, “Let’s go and find Old Zhou and then use a simulator to call!!”

Song Qinglan released the blinds, allowing them to bounce back in place. A few seconds later, he said, “No need for that.”

“Bang——”

The door to the room was kicked open.

Zhou Mingxuan appeared at the door pointing his laser gun at them.

Everyone was stunned. What was the meaning of this?

Facing the gun, Song Qinglan didn’t move let alone show any fear. He just continued looking at his most trusted teammate with that pair of dark eyes of his.

They heard Zhou Mingxuan speak with a small voice, “Cap Song, I’m sorry. I don’t plan to go back.”

He moved his gun to the side and motioned, “While they’re not here yet, I’ll cover for you. Hurry and go.”