Everyone in the vehicle fell silent for a moment, their eyes fixed on the recorder on the control panel.

Although the space vehicle was moving through a city filled with obstacles, it was still traveling at over 100 kilometers per hour. They had been caught up in the thrill of the moment and hadn’t considered the possibility of crashing into another vehicle, let alone encountering a living person. The thought of hitting someone and turning them into scrap metal was deeply unsettling for anyone with a conscience.

Li Chun was in shock, his face filled with terror. “Did we… did we just kill someone?”

The expressions of the other team members weren’t any better.

Hitting zombies was one thing, but hitting a living person was something entirely different.

Only Tang Qi, who was always calm and never showed his emotions, responded, “Yes.”

Li Chun hesitated. “So what do we do?! Should we go back and check?”

Zhou Mingxuan spoke in a heavy tone, “Do we really need to check? At this speed and weight, there’s no way anyone survived. Ever seen how a scrapyard handles twisted metal? It’s about the same.”

“PU3K650,” Ji Yushi recited a license plate number.

His comment was abrupt, causing the others to look up.

Ji Yushi suddenly lowered his eyelashes and turned to walk toward the rear of the vehicle.

High up on the rear wall was a small square window, just the right height for Ji Yushi to see outside.

The ruined streets were bathed in the bright light of the rising sun, casting an unsettling beauty over the trail of crushed flesh and blood left behind in the wreckage. The space vehicle was moving so fast that the small car they had hit was already far behind, out of sight.

This wasn’t the first time Ji Yushi had seen that car.

As he recalled the past, memories unfolded like a vivid canvas.

Gunfire blazed, and the zombies were frenzied.

He had jumped out of a fake window in the warehouse, landing with a painful impact that reverberated through his feet. There was no time to think; he raised his gun and shot a zombie approaching from the left. The bullet hit its eye, and thick liquid splattered onto his hair. With his left hand, he grabbed the panicked Tang Le, pulling him forward.

Behind them, Song Qinglan’s furious shout for them to go ahead still echoed, while the deafening gunfire of the Shenmian weapon shook the walls, sending dust and debris flying.

Not far away was a silver-gray car, with Li Chun poking his head out of the driver’s seat, his expression anxious as he shouted, “Get in the car, quick!!”

These memories played out slowly in his mind, like a long, drawn-out slow-motion movie.

—In the corner of his vision, the license plate had briefly flashed by.

It was as if he was reliving that moment, seeing the license plate clearly.

PU3K650.

Black letters on a white background.

The same as the car that had just appeared.

A cold object brushed against the back of Ji Yushi’s hand.

He looked down and saw a new bottle of mineral water, then looked up to see Song Qinglan.

The other man’s sharp eyebrows were furrowed slightly. “Do you need to take a break?”

The light from the small window fell on Song Qinglan’s face.

Having just come out of the mission loop, his face was still clean and refreshed from the capsule pod.

Song Qinglan’s appearance actually aligned well with most people’s standards of attractiveness—high brow bones, a strong nose, deep-set eyes, and jet-black pupils. His lips were neither too thin nor too thick, giving him a handsome and proper look. However, there was a natural rogue quality about him, and his tendency to act and speak unconventionally often gave people the impression of a rebellious spirit.

“This is for you.”

The bottle nudged against Ji Yushi’s hand again.

Perhaps not great at expressing concern, Song Qinglan’s tone lacked patience. “You even dug through the dresser.”

He was referring to when Ji Yushi had found water in the park management office during the last mission restart. It had taken Song Qinglan a bit of time to find this one in the dresser.

Ji Yushi took the water. “Thank you, Captain Song.”

Song Qinglan looked out the window, analyzing the situation. “Do you remember anything about the car we just hit?”

Due to the height difference, the light only illuminated Ji Yushi’s eyes.

The light turned his pupils into a shade of amber, making one wonder just how much those eyes could hold in their memory.

“Yes,” Ji Yushi said. “It’s the same car we drove into Runjin Building last time.”

Song Qinglan recalled how they had driven out from the back of the warehouse during the last mission and had been heading toward an intersection when a space vehicle came speeding toward them. Ji Yushi had suddenly shouted, “Turn left!” and they had narrowly escaped, crashing into the building instead.

The spot they were in just now was the same intersection!

Wait, Song Qinglan suddenly remembered what Ji Yushi had told him in the bathroom of Runjin Building.

He had asked Ji Yushi, “If I’m not crazy, I remember you all made it to the car,” to which Ji Yushi had responded, “Yes, but we weren’t lucky. We barely made it out when the space vehicle we encountered earlier crashed into us.”

Song Qinglan understood why Ji Yushi had reacted so strangely.

Without needing Ji Yushi to say it, he was certain: “It’s the same car from the first failed mission, isn’t it?”

A sense of eerie unease washed over them both, sending a chill down their spines.

On the other side of the space vehicle, their teammates were still unaware of what they were discussing, focused instead on analyzing the survivors and nearing an argument.

Song Qinglan habitually crossed his arms over his chest. “After the anchor point is set, this timeline is fixed. I guess some events are fixed too, like plot points in a game that trigger different outcomes based on our choices. The first two times we entered the convenience store, which is why we ended up driving that car. But this time, we chose the space vehicle…”

“As you said, some events are fixed. So if we didn’t drive that car, other survivors might have,” Ji Yushi replied as he stepped away from the window and leaned against the vehicle wall, making it difficult for Song Qinglan to see his face. “Didn’t we also see smoke coming from Runjin Building? And each time, we encountered that woman running out for help—they’re all survivors.”

Song Qinglan thought for a few seconds, his furrowed brow relaxing slightly. “You’re right.”

In any case, this topic couldn’t be proven at the moment.

They couldn’t turn around to see what was going on with that car. The priority was still finding clues and finishing this damn mission as quickly as possible so they could return to their timeline.

“If we encounter any more survivors, we need to gather information from them.”

Song Qinglan was about to walk away after saying this but paused, standing still.

Ji Yushi’s hand was suddenly empty—Song Qinglan had taken the water bottle back.

Then, he twisted off the cap for him.

“We’ve bought ourselves some time, so we have more time than before.”

The water was placed back in Ji Yushi’s hand.

Ji Yushi: “…”

Was this some kind of special treatment? Or did he think Ji Yushi really couldn’t open the bottle himself?

“Besides, it’s safe now. Each time is bound to be better than the last.”

The other man stood in the light, his brows slightly raised in a roguish expression. “Even if you can’t forget, you need to push the bad memories out of your mind—don’t let them take over. And don’t think about getting so tired you end up with work-related injuries.”

At 6:52 AM.

The metal space vehicle plowed through everything in its path and arrived at the bookstore without a hitch.

When everyone got out of the vehicle, they felt a little nauseous.

The once-smooth and clean exterior of the vehicle was now covered in rotting flesh, and intestines were stuck to the front, making it look like a slaughter truck splattered with foul, rotten meat of all colors.

Hearing the vehicle approach, the zombies lurking near the bookstore began to growl and charge forward. The scent of living humans was an irresistible breakfast, driving them into a frenzy.

This time, as the mission restarted, the team members still had to face these creatures up close. After a brief sweep, they barely had time to catch their breath before more zombies surged out of the corners and streets.

Duan Wen kicked the bookstore door open. “Hurry, get inside!”

The group filed in.

An elderly zombie behind the counter stumbled forward, heading straight for the nearest target, Ji Yushi.

Ji Yushi had anticipated this scene, but before he could raise his gun, the zombie was shot dead by someone beside him.

The round-faced twin looked calm and composed.

“Thanks, Tang Le,” Ji Yushi said.

Tang Le: “…”

Ji Yushi had already put away his gun and headed to the bookshelves.

Tang Le, puzzled, turned to his brother. “Consultant Ji can really tell us apart!”

Tang Qi rolled his eyes at him. “Do you think you can pretend to be me? Go check the back!”

“Oh.” Tang Le grabbed Li Chun by the neck. “Come on, let’s check the back!”

Li Chun choked, “I’m just support! Wen-ge, help me out here!”

Duan Wen had just locked the door and was busy connecting a miniature drone to the communicator, planning to survey the area. “Wen-ge is busy!”

Zhou Mingxuan raised his gun and said to Song Qinglan, “Captain Song, I’ll go check upstairs.”

Song Qinglan smirked, “Go ahead.”

It seemed that even if Zhou Mingxuan couldn’t clearly remember what had happened last time, he still chose to go to a higher vantage point, perhaps out of habit as a sniper.

Seven people were in the room.

This team had never been so complete before, and listening to their lively conversations, Ji Yushi felt his tense nerves begin to relax a little.

Then, his eyes fell on a book on the shelf near the door that he hadn’t noticed the last time.

As one of the two people who retained memories of the previous two failed missions, Song Qinglan was curious about this so-called clue: ” ‘Golden Crow No. 1: Perpetual Propagation’? How does this relate to the Dark Chaser?”

Ji Yushi had already opened the book.

He was speed-reading, scanning ten lines at a time. Without looking up, he answered when he came across a keyword, “Golden Crow refers to the sun, also known as Chiyou.”

Seeing that Ji Yushi had quickly entered search mode, Song Qinglan, though curious, held back his questions for the moment.

They had arrived at the bookstore earlier this time, and there were still seven or eight hours left before the Black Wall would move in on the bookstore, giving them enough time to research their next move and for Ji Yushi to finish finding what he was looking for.

The bookstore remained in the same state as when they had first arrived.

All the books were in their original positions, with no signs of being disturbed, and the cans Li Chun had thrown on the floor were gone.

From Song Qinglan’s observations, every time the mission restarted, everything in PU-31 reset to the state before they arrived, perfectly aligning with their theory about the time anchor.

The teammates returned after completing their inspections.

Duan Wen had already sent out the drone, watching as the footage it transmitted grew increasingly distant. Song Qinglan reminded him, “Watch out for the Black Wall.”

The drone had vanished after crashing into the Black Wall last time.

Duan Wen froze slightly, his expression changing.

Song Qinglan, sharp as ever, noticed this and asked, “Remember something?”

Duan Wen: “…”

It was hard for a man in his thirties to describe what he was feeling.

Song Qinglan gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze—a wordless gesture of brotherly comfort—before moving on to the task at hand. “Let’s look at the map. Around 2 PM today, the Black Wall will move in rapidly from this direction. Whether it’s a circle or a cross-section is still unclear due to its immense size, but we know it will reach here, so we’ll need to move in the opposite direction, where there are fewer zombies.”

He traced a line on the map based on the drone footage.

“Now that we have the space vehicle, our goal is to maintain as much distance from the Black Wall as possible, especially if we don’t have any leads. If it comes to it, we can just outlast it. For now, let’s identify locations along this route where we might find food and supplies, marking each one to prepare for a prolonged effort.”

After he finished speaking, he addressed the group, “We’ve got time to kill. Does anyone have any thoughts or questions?”

Li Chun raised his hand.

Song Qinglan nodded, “Go ahead.”

Li Chun glanced in Ji Yushi’s direction and then quietly asked, “Captain Song, what’s your relationship with Consultant Ji now?”

Song Qinglan’s dark eyes deepened. “I’m the captain. What do you think our relationship is?”

“No, I mean, after that one time in the capsule pod, it feels like you two have changed. Before we set out, you barely spoke to each other, but now it seems like there are things only the two of you know, and us veteran team members are left out.”

Li Chun finished his bold question, even imitating the girls he flirted with by making a few “whining” sounds, only to be kicked in the butt by Song Qinglan.

He hopped away a few steps, still not satisfied. “It’s not just me, Wen-ge, don’t you agree?”

Duan Wen, who remembered more than Li Chun, hesitated while fiddling with the drone. “Well, I did see them twisting a bottle cap in the space vehicle.”

Zhou Mingxuan added, “And they talked quietly for quite a while.”

Tang Le, a bit more timid, was about to say something but held back.

Even the relatively composed Tang Qi nodded. “To be fair, they do seem a bit closer. I’m a little jealous.”

The others: “Same.”

“Same, my ass.” Song Qinglan said coldly, “If you all stop dying every time, maybe I’ll get closer to you too.”

The team scattered like birds.

Only Duan Wen remained, focusing on the map without saying a word.

Song Qinglan stood next to Duan Wen for a moment, pointing to a spot on the map. “What’s that building?”

In the drone footage, a massive, bowl-shaped structure caught Song Qinglan’s attention.

Under the sunlight, the metal surface of the building reflected light.

Duan Wen replied, “I’ve never seen it before. Judging by its shape, maybe it’s some kind of factory… but it’s huge.”

Song Qinglan said, “Mark it down. It’s on our way, so we’ll check it out.”

Duan Wen: “Got it.”

Meanwhile, Song Qinglan noticed something familiar on one of the bookshelves.

He walked over, his expression darkening.

It was a small square pillbox, clean and unmarked.

It belonged to Ji Yushi.

Last time, after finding it under the counter, Song Qinglan had planned to give it to Ji Yushi along with the water so he could take his medicine, but Ji Yushi had refused the water, finding it unclean after others had drunk from it.

Just then, they had been interrupted by Tang Qi’s sudden appearance outside the window, and Song Qinglan had absentmindedly placed both items on this bookshelf.

Yes, it was this bookshelf, right here on the seventh shelf.

Song Qinglan didn’t have hyperthymesia, but he had always been confident in his memory, yet now he found himself doubting it.

Ji Yushi stood with his back to the floor-to-ceiling window, where a new wave of zombies had gathered outside, their nails scratching at the glass with an irritating screech.

But this didn’t disturb Ji Yushi’s reading.

Noticing Song Qinglan approaching, Ji Yushi looked up, his beautiful eyes gleaming with something. “I figured it out! PU-31 is actually—”

Song Qinglan’s heart was struck by a strange feeling, similar to what he had felt last time when he found Ji Yushi in the training room, especially after the team’s earlier teasing.

He interrupted Ji Yushi, “Consultant Ji, did you take out the pillbox just now?”

Ji Yushi, cut off mid-sentence, simply replied, “No.”

Song Qinglan handed him the item. “Is this yours?”

Ji Yushi took the pillbox, looked at it, and then said, “Yes.”

Then he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in his palm.

Two identical pillboxes.

He opened the one Song Qinglan had given him, revealing that two pills were missing from the small compartments inside.

The other box, however, was still full.