The rain drizzled softly.

The sky was gloomy, and from the hallway, it looked as though dawn had yet to break.

He closed the door to his home, instinctively gripping his backpack straps with his small hands. He thought to himself that after school today, he could go buy some small cakes from the old shop on the corner. That way, if his father worked late and forgot to come home, he wouldn’t be so easily hungry.

In the dim light of the hallway, he descended nine steps and turned a corner, bumping into someone.

He looked up to see the other person dressed in a purple hoodie, with the hood pulled low over their face.

This was a stranger.

He paused, and the other person did as well, before they passed each other.

…

When the rain stopped, a police line had been set up downstairs.

Although it was already afternoon, the sky was still dark, with the sounds of police sirens, ambulance sirens, hurried footsteps, and the flashing red and blue lights of the police warning signals.

He stood outside the police line, and someone rushed over to him, pulling him into an embrace. Their voice trembled as they tried to comfort him or perhaps themselves: “My dear, my dear.”

A police officer lowered his voice and spoke to that person, the words indistinct: “…Professor Ji, the child is very frightened. It’s very likely he encountered the murderer…”

He lowered his head and saw a drop of water slide down his yellow raincoat.

…

The warm-colored room was filled with plush toys that made people feel comfortable.

An aunt from the children’s welfare office pushed open the door.

Someone had completed all the paperwork and now knelt in front of him, holding his small hand: “My dear, I’m here to take you home, to a new home.”

He nodded.

“Are you scared?”

He shook his head.

“Good. From now on, you’ll have a mother, a father, and a brother at home. It will be very lively.”

He remained silent.

“From today on, your surname will be Ji.”

…

“Hey, Xiao Ji, you’ve completed 89 B-level missions. Are you really not considering supporting an A-level one?” Minister Lin urged earnestly, “I’ve applied to the higher-ups. If we can exchange one A-level mission for ten B-level ones, you’d have 99 missions in total. After one more field assignment, you’d get what you want!”

He replied, “No rush. I can do ten more B-level missions myself; it’s the same.”

Minister Lin was anxious: “Oh, why don’t you listen to reason? Everyone knows you joined Sky Vault for a reason. You want to return that one year. The higher-ups say they’ll evaluate you, but they’re not that strict. No one’s trying to make things hard for you. You’re the one making it hard on yourself!”

He calmly responded, “Minister Lin, I cannot work with teammates who are stereotypical and blindly arrogant.”

Minister Lin sighed, “Captain Song isn’t without his merits either… Ah, Xiao Ji, wait!”

The black cat purred on his lap.

He read with one hand, while petting the cat with the other.

The cat was old, and he petted it lightly, feeling its soft, smooth fur pass through his fingers.

When the communicator rang, the cat stretched lazily and jumped off his lap, and he answered the video call.

In the video, the white-haired old professor put on his glasses and started chatting casually.

Another black cat jumped onto his lap, flipping onto its back. He scratched it, patiently listening to the old professor, then directly asked, “Teacher, are you here to persuade me to go to Jiangcheng?”

The old professor paused, then sighed, “My dear, the sooner you meet the requirements, the sooner you can return that year, and the sooner you’ll be free.”

He replied, “Okay.”

…

Thick eyelashes trembled rapidly, and in the next second, Ji Yushi opened his eyes.

Pain gradually began in his abdomen, clearly transmitting to his brain, so intense that he could hardly prop himself up, forcing him to lie back down and take small breaths.

Fragmented thoughts returned with the pain, and Ji Yushi remembered that he was analyzing the current situation with Song Qinglan.

He had only said half of what he wanted to say, and there were still many things left unsaid. He was really afraid that once he closed his eyes, he might never wake up again.

The person sitting beside him put down the binoculars and turned his head: “Consultant Ji! You’re awake so soon!”

It was Li Chun.

Ji Yushi asked in confusion, “How long did I sleep?”

Li Chun checked the communicator: “It’s only 10:42 now. You’ve been asleep for less than an hour since you passed out!”

Ji Yushi looked around and realized they were on the second-floor balcony of a building.

The low wall was made of small, ornate bricks, making it difficult to spot them from outside, while they could observe the situation outside through the gaps.

Ji Yushi had been placed on a lounge chair on the balcony by his teammates, with a sun umbrella shielding most of the sunlight, preventing him from being sunburned.

If it weren’t for the “hoarse” sound from the zombies, Ji Yushi might have thought he was napping at someone’s house.

Sure enough, when he slightly turned his head, he saw through the carved gaps, a group of zombies wandering below.

Looking further into the distance, he could see the other end of the street, with half of a bookstore exposed on the slope, facing their direction.

“Consultant Ji, you must be a light sleeper. Even though you were unconscious, your eyeballs were still moving under your eyelids, as if you were just dreaming and not resting at all.” Li Chun muttered while holding the binoculars. Ji Yushi was already well aware that Li Chun was a chatterbox. “I heard that you don’t sleep well usually, but even when you’re injured, you should rest. You can’t just keep quiet and endure it.”

Ji Yushi was at a loss for words and didn’t know how to explain it to him.

“Damn it,” Li Chun suddenly cursed, “I’m such an idiot.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

Holding the binoculars, Li Chun said in shame, “I didn’t know I walked so awkwardly. Why did no one ever tell me? I thought I looked cool! No wonder I’ve had no luck in the dating scene; the girls keep leaving one after another. Even old Zhou walks better than I do.”

What?

Ji Yushi suddenly remembered—at this time, their team, Squad 2, had already escaped from Runjin Tower, after losing Tang Qi and Duan Wen. The five of them had already reached the bookstore!

He turned his head and vaguely saw several figures inside the bookstore—his team from Squad 2!

In just a few seconds, cold sweat broke out on his body.

Had Li Chun and the others already figured it out?

“Consultant Ji, don’t be nervous. Captain Song already told us.” Li Chun turned around and said to him, “Because the mission has restarted, different versions of us will appear at the same time. It was bound to happen sooner or later, just like how we’ve run into ourselves now.”

Song Qinglan already told them?!

It was within Ji Yushi’s expectations that Song Qinglan would do this.

But wasn’t Li Chun’s reaction a bit too calm? Who would still have the mind to joke about their walking posture in such a situation? Shouldn’t they be terrified when they think it through?

Ji Yushi asked cautiously, “Aren’t you scared?”

“What’s there to be scared of? We’re not even afraid of death, so why would we be afraid of meeting another version of ourselves?” The simple-minded young man thought in straightforward terms, “Take you recorders, for example. When you go back to the past for a mission, you always see people and things from the past. If the time you travel to is closer, you might even run into your past self. Wouldn’t you be scared then?”

Ji Yushi replied, “It’s not the same.”

Hearing him say that, Li Chun smiled indifferently, looking uncannily like Song Qinglan.

No, it wasn’t just Song Qinglan; their entire team had this casual attitude at times.

“Pretty much the same,” Li Chun said.

“Look, what we’re seeing now is just our ‘past selves’ and the ‘selves that made different choices,’ that’s all. But no matter how many versions of us exist at the same time, the original anchor point is fixed. Just like how when you return to the past for a mission, you always return to the time point where you set out. This means that no matter what happens, the version of me that reappears at the anchor point is still me, and there will only ever be one of me. So, for the version of me at the anchor point, it doesn’t really matter how many versions of me existed simultaneously.”

The “past me” and the “parallel me”—which one is the true conscious self?

This is actually a philosophical question that few people in the world could answer.

But due to the existence of the anchor point, it had a reasonable explanation.

It was surprising that Li Chun could choose to understand it so clearly. Ji Yushi’s pupils contracted slightly, as he suddenly figured out many things.

He looked at Li Chun with new respect: “What you said makes a lot of sense.”

Li Chun scratched his head, embarrassed: “Actually, all of this was analyzed by Captain Song! I’m nowhere near as smart as you guys! I was sitting here watching over you, and it took me a whole hour to figure out what Captain Song meant!”

Ji Yushi: “…”

Alright.

It seemed that no matter which version of Li Chun it was, his mind was always that simple.

…Song Qinglan.

This person was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Ji Yushi had thought that the situation would become even more complicated, with everyone needing to avoid encountering another version of themselves, leading to confusion where no one could tell who was who, and possibly even resulting in chaos where they would become enemies. He had even imagined countless versions of himself appearing at the same point in time, engaged in brutal fights or even self-destruction over the so-called primary consciousness—truly a nightmare within a nightmare.

But what Ji Yushi hadn’t expected was that, under Song Qinglan’s leadership, this team acted like an arrow that never looks back once it leaves the bow. They never got bogged down in unnecessary suffering, and instead, they faced each challenge head-on, dealing with whatever came their way while steadily moving forward.

Every member of Sky Vault Team Seven formed the core cohesion of this team.

They constantly shattered Ji Yushi’s previous understanding.

From the start of the first mission loop until now, no matter who was sacrificed or who fell behind, their goal never changed.

It seemed to remind Ji Yushi that none of this was a big deal—as long as their will was strong, they wouldn’t get lost.

No matter what, no matter how many versions of themselves existed, the goal was always singular.

—Complete the mission and return to the original world.

This realization made the heavy weight on Ji Yushi’s chest gradually lighten.

He was stunned. So, could things really be this simple?

Before he lost consciousness, Song Qinglan’s face appeared in his mind, with furrowed brows and an emotion in his eyes that seemed to be anger.

Ji Yushi didn’t quite understand what had angered Song Qinglan.

So where were Song Qinglan and the others?

He asked this question once.

Li Chun said, “After you passed out, Old Zhou and Old Duan arrived—the ones you mentioned from Squad 4, the ones we got separated from in Runjin Tower. They arrived faster than Squad 2 because they had a space vehicle, but they’re still unaware of the existence of multiple versions of themselves. Tang Qi and Tang Le are probably working on getting them up to speed. Captain Song went to find some medical bandages for you; he should be back soon. Everyone will meet here, and then we’ll head to the next destination.”

Ji Yushi’s lips were still pale, and he was still weak.

“Consultant Ji, the bullet wound you got was caused by a Diamond Bird, fired from your own gun. Luckily, Diamond Bird bullets aren’t solid, so there’s no need to dig out the bullet from your stomach. The outer wound is small, but the internal damage is extensive. Don’t let this happen again.” Li Chun couldn’t help but add, “Captain Song was really worried about you.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

He was probably worried that Ji Yushi would drag the team down.

Li Chun continued, “Actually, our Captain Song is a good person. That time when Old Yu got into trouble, Captain Song carried him out of the desert by sheer force, walking dozens of kilometers. By the time they got back, his lips were completely cracked. Even though observers mostly do desk work, you never know when they’ll have to go into the field—when the mission is urgent, who can say? After that incident, Captain Song felt really guilty, so he didn’t want you to join us and intentionally made those remarks. We may be a bit straightforward, but we’re not unreasonable—”

“Whoosh—”

A slight sound was heard, and a clawed eagle hooked onto the balcony.

Two zombies wandering downstairs turned in their direction, growling “huh huh.” A few seconds later, Song Qinglan appeared outside the wall, and with a swift and agile movement, he climbed onto the balcony.

“You sure talk a lot.” Song Qinglan’s deep black eyes glanced at Ji Yushi before turning back to Li Chun, “I could hear you yammering all the way from across the street.”

Of course, that was impossible.

Li Chun grinned sheepishly and immediately shut his mouth.

Tang Le also climbed onto the balcony using the rope: “Consultant Ji, you’re awake!”

Ji Yushi nodded at him.

“Glad you’re awake! But you should rest more. We still have time!” Tang Le’s reaction was similar to Li Chun’s. His next sentence was, “Wait, let me see, has another version of me shown up?”

Li Chun handed him the binoculars: “Yes, but they aren’t heading in our direction. They’re probably looking for food. Don’t worry. I even left some unwanted Cramond beans for them in the convenience store.”

Tang Le: “…Damn, you’re even screwing over yourself. Are you even human?”

Song Qinglan was so tall that he almost had to duck under the sunshade umbrella.

He tossed a pack to Li Chun: “Found some painkillers, but no bandages. Got disinfectant, suture thread, and waterproof adhesive instead. Use these for now.”

Li Chun immediately moved to treat Ji Yushi’s wound.

As soon as he moved, Ji Yushi let out a soft hiss, his pale and smooth abdomen rising and falling with each breath. The bullet wound was barely held together by a makeshift bandage, already soaked with blood.

As the alcohol touched the area near the wound, Ji Yushi was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak. When the suturing began, he bit his lip hard, not uttering a single sound.

“Tough guy!” Li Chun remarked after finishing the stitches, “Consultant Ji, I really underestimated you!”

“More than just tough.”

Song Qinglan didn’t seem particularly happy, and Ji Yushi noticed.

Unexpectedly, Song Qinglan’s next words were: “I owe you an apology, tough guy.”

Ji Yushi: “?”

He wondered if he had misheard.

When he looked up, Song Qinglan didn’t mention why he was apologizing. He just stared at Ji Yushi and lazily said, “If you want to get through this with fewer incidents, you need to stay alive. Don’t just endure everything in silence; I’m not going to eat you. We’re all on the same side, and it’s a proud tradition of Sky vault Team Seven to be responsible and care for our teammates.”

As he spoke, Song Qinglan leaned over and took out a brand-new T-shirt from his pocket: “Consultant Ji, your clothes got cut up. I grabbed this one on the way here. Can you change by yourself? If not, just let me know.”

Tang Le and Li Chun turned around at the same time, their eyes full of question marks: “???”

Though the words about being responsible and caring for teammates didn’t have much room for argument, when had Captain Song ever been this considerate?

Could it be that smart people get special treatment?

Were they just unworthy?

Song Qinglan gave them a cold look, and they quickly turned back around, pretending nothing had happened.

Ji Yushi was puzzled by Song Qinglan’s sudden kindness and the fact that he was now inexplicably considered one of Sky vault Team Seven.

But he wasn’t that fragile; in fact, he was a bit startled by it: “Thanks, I can manage by myself.”

Song Qinglan: “You sure?”

Ji Yushi: “I’m sure!”

With that, Ji Yushi grabbed the hem of his black tactical uniform and pulled it up.

The pain from the stitches earlier had soaked him in sweat, leaving his fair skin covered in a layer of droplets.

It turned out he did need help after all. The movement tugged at his wound, and the pain almost caused him to faint again.

Song Qinglan didn’t just stand by, nor did he take the opportunity to mock him. He simply and seriously helped Ji Yushi remove his blood-soaked black tactical uniform and then helped him put on the clean white T-shirt.

Ji Yushi instantly looked much softer, like a young man who should be holding a book and studying, completely unaware of the world’s harsh realities.

After helping him, Song Qinglan said, “You’re welcome, Consultant Ji.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

Song Qinglan turned to ask Li Chun, “What’s the situation now?”

No one responded.

Li Chun and Tang Le took turns looking through the binoculars, their expressions somewhat odd: “Well, it’s hard to say.”

Ji Yushi placed the Diamond Bird at his back and stood up, having already composed himself: “Let me see.”

Li Chun: “Oh.”

Ji Yushi took the binoculars directly from Li Chun’s hand.

Through the binoculars, he saw that in the bookstore, Song Qinglan from Squad 2 was pinning Ji Yushi’s hands behind his back against a bookshelf, sternly saying something to him. Meanwhile, Squad 2’s Ji Yushi looked utterly powerless to resist—this was when Song Qinglan had questioned him about how many loops he had gone through, suspecting him.

Ji Yushi lowered the binoculars and said to Song Qinglan, “Captain Song, the current situation is that you are cornering me.”

Li Chun: “!!!”

Tang Le: “!!!”

Song Qinglan: “I’m… cornering you?”

Ji Yushi’s expression was natural.

Song Qinglan: “…”

Since Song Qinglan had shown goodwill this time, Ji Yushi thought that he wouldn’t describe Song Qinglan as “planning to beat me up” anymore.

He wasn’t the type to hold grudges, after all.

After all, reciprocation is a virtue.

The space vehicle was parked under the building, turning it into a temporary gathering point.

Ji Yushi was the first to slide down the rope. He was injured, and Zhou Mingxuan and Duan Wen quickly caught him and helped him into the space vehicle.

The familiar interior of the space vehicle was no different from when they had left the park management office, with all the equipment still in place—Ji Yushi almost immediately recalled the fierce battle with the assailants, the woman’s screams, curses, gunshots, the sight of the little girl falling into a pool of blood, and the loud crash against the wall—all vividly replaying in his mind.

The black-faced man had held his Diamond Bird gun, which discharged accidentally during the violent struggle.

There was no pain at the moment when the bullet pierced his flesh, but Ji Yushi could clearly remember the sensation of it entering his skin, making the pain from his freshly stitched wound even more intense.

But the vehicle was still intact.

In another timeline, none of this had happened.

Song Qinglan was the last to enter the vehicle: “Squad 2 is nearby. To avoid linking with them, has everyone turned off their communicator’s location settings?”

Everyone responded, “Turned off!”

Song Qinglan continued, “Duan Wen, create an encrypted channel that only those inside this vehicle can access.”

Duan Wen acknowledged and set to work.

Song Qinglan said, “It will take two to three hours to reach the Black Wall from here. Has everyone understood the issues I just explained? If you haven’t, now is the time to ask questions.”

Everyone was suddenly alert, eager to speak up.

Song Qinglan, feeling a headache coming on, unceremoniously stopped them: “One at a time!”

In another timeline, Zhou Mingxuan, who was driving the space vehicle at full speed and still hadn’t processed all the information, asked the first question: “Let me clarify this! Captain Song, according to the order of appearance of the squads, this is our current situation, right? You see, Duan Wen, Tang Qi, Tang Le, Li Chun, and I are from Squad 4. You and Consultant Ji are from Squad 3, which means that you two from Squad 3 and we five from Squad 4 have now formed a team here?”

Although a bit convoluted, that was indeed the case.

Zhou Mingxuan then asked, “So, where did the Captain Song and Consultant Ji from Squad 4 and the remaining members of Squad 3 go?”

Song Qinglan explained, “After Consultant Ji and I were taken hostage in the bookstore, the remaining members of Squad 3 must have been tracking us. At that time, I contacted Tang Qi on the public channel, and he mentioned hearing a loud noise, which means they weren’t far from us when we were trapped. The area where the space vehicle was damaged is on the only route to the bookstore, so the Squad 4 version of me and Consultant Ji, after getting separated from you, would have headed to the bookstore and passed through that area. I believe Tang Qi was on his way to pick us up when they encountered the other version of us heading to the bookstore.”

Zhou Mingxuan exclaimed, “Got it! So basically, Squads 3 and 4 are still the same, except that the Captain Song and Consultant Ji from each squad switched places!”

Song Qinglan confirmed, “Exactly. To differentiate, let’s temporarily refer to them as Team B.”

Tang Le asked, “Then what about us?”

Tang Qi rubbed his forehead: “We’re obviously Team A, little brother.”

Tang Le caught the double meaning in his brother’s words: “I’m sorry.”

Li Chun was still confused: “But why didn’t Team B go to the bookstore either? The reason we found the space vehicle at the park management office and headed to the bookstore was because Consultant Ji wanted to check a clue he hadn’t had time to investigate. Even if we merged into two new teams, they would still have gone to the bookstore.”

Ji Yushi, sitting on a supply box with his head resting against the vehicle wall, said slowly, “Because the me in Team B must have also realized the time-space overlap.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Ji Yushi’s face indeed looked unwell, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

The hope of solving the mission’s mystery now rested entirely on Ji Yushi. Without him, they wouldn’t be in the current situation—everyone might have gone crazy by now.

Feeling a mix of concern and a desire to protect him, they almost wanted to put him on a pedestal.

“But the me in Team B isn’t injured, so he didn’t pass out. After realizing the time-space overlap, they must have discussed the situation and reached a conclusion faster than we did,” Ji Yushi explained. “Team B knows, just like we do, that if they go to the bookstore now, they’ll definitely run into Squad 2, which would create a paradox.”

This was what Ji Yushi hadn’t had time to explain to Song Qinglan before he passed out.

Fortunately, Song Qinglan must have considered this as well, which is why he chose to observe the situation nearby.

The two stood there, one sitting, one standing.

Yet there was a certain unspoken understanding between them, as if they were true partners, the kind that no one else could come between.

That kind of tacit understanding had somehow quietly developed.

Li Chun asked, “What paradox?”

Ji Yushi spoke with difficulty, having to pause after each sentence.

Song Qinglan picked up where he left off: “Because our existence comes from the third mission loop, and the reason this third loop was initiated is that Squad 2 was completely wiped out. So, if any of us from Team A or Team B now meet Squad 2, we’ll inevitably alter Squad 2’s fate, which means the third mission loop wouldn’t play out as it has, and we wouldn’t be here now.”

Everyone understood.

“So they won’t go to the bookstore either.”

“So that’s how it is!”

Ji Yushi nodded, then said, “There’s one more thing. Do you all remember the mission mode?”

Everyone replied, “Ouroboros.”

“This is the key to solving the current mystery. I think I’m starting to understand,” Ji Yushi said. “In Western mythology, Ouroboros symbolizes infinite cycles. At first, we only understood it on a surface level, thinking it simply meant the mission would restart after death. But Ouroboros also has another meaning—it represents a snake devouring its own tail, or self-consumption.”

Ouroboros, a symbol of infinity, of no beginning and no end.

Ji Yushi picked up a military knife beside him: “Captain Song, help me draw a circle.”

Following his instructions, Song Qinglan carved a shallow white circle on the floor of the vehicle.

Ji Yushi took back the knife and used the tip to make several small dots along the circle.

“Look, each of these dots on the circle can be seen as both the beginning and the end of the circle,” he explained slowly, giving everyone time to think. “This is similar to our situation. We were killed in the first loop by a space vehicle because the person who chose to drive the vehicle was us. We encountered obstacles and a damaged space vehicle, took a detour through an alley, and ended up at the bookstore because, in another loop, we were taken hostage, causing the damage and blocking the road. We escaped the bookstore only to be swallowed by the Black Wall after crashing into a barbed wire fence because the people who took us hostage had set up the fence. It’s as if all these events were predestined, each incident interconnected, forming a circle.”

“Since time is fixed on this timeline, every trace we leave behind is like one of these small dots on the circle, indistinguishable in sequence and causally linked.”

After this explanation, everyone was awestruck by the vast, complex system governing the PU-31 mission.

Even though Song Qinglan had already speculated about this, Ji Yushi’s analysis was much clearer.

No one spoke for a long time.

“Bro, did you understand that?” Tang Le nudged Tang Qi.

“Yeah.” Tang Qi, usually cool and composed, showed a brief moment of confusion before nodding again, more assuredly this time, “Yeah.”

Zhou Mingxuan said, “I think I get it, but also kind of don’t… It’s a bit dizzying.”

Duan Wen pulled out a cigarette: “Want one?”

Li Chun added, “Wen Ge, I’ll take one too.”

After giving everyone a few minutes to process everything, Song Qinglan told them to put out their cigarettes.

Tang Le, worried, asked the most critical question: “Consultant Ji, can we still get out of this loop?”

Tang Qi, thinking along the same lines, added, “Could it be that every step we’re taking now is actually just part of the cause and effect, and nothing has really changed?”

Perhaps the painkillers were working, as Ji Yushi’s wound didn’t hurt as much as before.

He was silent for a moment before honestly saying, “I don’t know.”

Song Qinglan suddenly spoke, “We’ll definitely get out of the loop.”

He leaned against the vehicle wall in a rare, relaxed posture, but there was no sign of relaxation in his expression. “Now that we know what’s going on, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a loop. The only way out is to never look back and keep moving forward. Even if we fail, we need to leave clues for the next time. Don’t forget, we didn’t come here to experience cause and effect; our goal is—completing the mission.”

Everyone gradually began to calm down.

Song Qinglan asked, “Let me ask you this—do you want to go back?”

Everyone responded, “Yes!”

Song Qinglan nodded and asked, “Are you afraid of dying?”

Everyone answered, “No!”

“Then that’s settled.” Song Qinglan smiled, “There’s no need to overthink things. Understanding what’s happening is enough. Besides, even though we don’t know where Team B is hiding, now that we have Teams A and B, it’s like we’ve learned how to be in two places at once. Doesn’t that make completing the mission easier?”

Everyone’s spirits lifted, with a sense of pride.

But then Song Qinglan brought them back to reality: “Of course, the key is that we have two Advisors Ji who can analyze the situation.”

Song Qinglan said this without any hesitation.

It was almost like when Ji Yushi had expressionlessly mentioned wanting to “lie down and win.”

The tables had turned.

Everyone: “…”

Suddenly, there was a soft noise outside the space vehicle. Zhou Mingxuan tossed away his cigarette, grabbed his laser gun, and went to check it out.

They saw that a sealed plastic bag had been hooked onto the door by an eagle claw.

Three or four zombies were drawn by the sound, but to avoid making more noise and attracting even more zombies, Zhou Mingxuan pulled out his knife and killed them. He brought the plastic bag back inside. “What is this? Is someone trying to send us a message by carrier pigeon?”

Song Qinglan seemed to have an idea and said, “Open it and see.”

Inside the bag was a piece of paper and a pen.

When they opened the paper, it only had a book title written on it: Golden Crow No. 1: Perpetual Propagation?

“Let me see.”

Ji Yushi reached out his hand.

Song Qinglan handed him the paper.

“This is my handwriting.” Ji Yushi quickly realized, “It’s from the me in Team B! Just as I suspected, they’ve also figured out the time-space overlap issue and know they can’t go to the bookstore to check the clue, so they’re following us!”

The Ji Yushi from Team B remembered to look for this clue but hadn’t yet had the chance to check the book.

Everyone got goosebumps.

They had just mentioned not knowing where Team B was hiding, and now they’d shown up.

This was different from observing Squad 2 in the bookstore—Squad 2 represented their past selves, while Team B was their present selves.

Anyone would feel a chill imagining that there were two versions of themselves existing simultaneously in the world.

“Where did they get paper and a pen?” Duan Wen asked. “Should we try contacting them through the communicator?”

“No,” Song Qinglan immediately stopped him. “There are already multiple timelines in play. We need to avoid the risk of being discovered by Squad 2.”

Ji Yushi wrote quickly.

As he wrote down his insights from the book Golden Crow No. 1: Endless Propagation, he spoke, “I wasn’t wrong in my earlier guess. PU-31 itself is just an artificial colony in a parallel universe, existing in a crevice, an edge product that shouldn’t exist. In this universe, Earth’s energy is depleted and nearly extinct, so there are many colonies like PU-31. They rely on various artificial energy sources to sustain themselves, including artificial suns created under the thermonuclear fusion program.”

“Artificial suns?” Song Qinglan found it hard to believe. “Golden Crow No. 1?”

“And No. 2 as well,” Ji Yushi added. “I initially thought that cosmic radiation, dark matter, and other elements in the artificial sun might have caused mutations in plants and animals, like those strange-tasting Cramond beans no one eats. But those survivors in black robes and that woman—”

“She said that after Golden Crow No. 2 was launched, her daughter never saw sunlight again, so she definitely wouldn’t mutate.” Song Qinglan immediately caught Ji Yushi’s meaning. “So, this zombie disaster is related to the artificial suns.”

“Are the zombies a result of the artificial sun?”

“Damn, does that mean we might mutate too since we’ve been exposed to this sun?”

“I get it. It’s like a game save file. As long as we return to the anchor point and respawn, it’s like we’ve never been exposed.”

Ji Yushi said, “It’s not just related to mutations; it’s also likely tied to our mission target, the Dark Chaser. Although I don’t yet understand the exact connection, there are two Golden Crow bases, so we can split up to find the answers.”

When Ji Yushi finished writing, Song Qinglan took the pen and signed the paper at the bottom: Team A.

After the two of them finished, they looked back.

Inside the vehicle, everyone else was utterly confused.

Li Chun said, “I feel like I’m just an NPC who doesn’t understand anything. I’ll just follow the main characters and go through the plot.”

Everyone nodded, “Agreed.”

Despite their banter, Zhou Mingxuan still put everything back in the bag and casually tossed it out.

A group of zombies chased after the bag.

Zhou Mingxuan: “…”

A few moments later, there was another soft noise on the vehicle’s outer shell.

The bag had been returned.

This time, it read: We’re heading to Golden Crow No. 1.

At the bottom, it was signed: Team A.

The “A” was heavily circled, emphasizing that they considered themselves Team A.

It was clearly Song Qinglan’s handwriting. He was speechless for a moment: “Childish. As far as I’m concerned, they’re Team B.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

Song Qinglan quickly scribbled down the status of their team members at the bottom of the paper. He needed to know how Team B was doing.

When the paper was returned, Song Qinglan frowned.

The status of Team B’s members: Song Qinglan, Ji Yushi, Duan Wen, Li Chun, Zhou Mingxuan, and Tang Qi, with only one person missing—Tang Le.

There was a note at the bottom: Remind Tang Le not to chase after the two-tailed dog.

At the end of the note was a drawing of a little person with a cross over their neck.

Ji Yushi’s earlier analysis at the bookstore flooded Song Qinglan’s mind. At that time, he had mentioned that the zombie outside the bookstore in the second loop wasn’t Tang Qi but Tang Le. Song Qinglan hadn’t understood what Ji Yushi meant then, but now he did.

It turned out that it was the Tang Le from Team B.

Tang Le, still chatting energetically with Tang Qi, was full of life.

But several hours ago, he had rushed into the bookstore, gulped down a drink of water, and told everyone, “This place feels off!”

Faced with his teammates’ teasing, he had mentioned running into a two-tailed dog.

He didn’t know that several hours later, another version of himself would be drawn to the same thing, chase after it, and die because of it.

Song Qinglan turned and looked down at Ji Yushi, who was sitting on the equipment box.

Ji Yushi was also looking up at him, with a puzzled expression in his beautiful eyes, as if asking what was wrong.

Time is infinitely mysterious, and the vast universe is boundless.

Only wisdom remains eternal.

When lost, if you encounter a lighthouse, no matter how far you’ve traveled across oceans and mountains, you can still find your way home.

Song Qinglan averted his gaze.

He crumpled up the paper and threw it away, then said, “Pack up. We’re heading to Golden Crow No. 2.”