Ji Yushi wasn’t intentionally keeping everyone in suspense, though there wouldn’t be any reward for guessing correctly.

“Actually, when we were forcibly transitioned to PU-31, the Sky Vault System gave us a very important hint!” he quickly explained. “The key still lies with the Ouroboros! Like I mentioned before, the Ouroboros is a circular ring. The traces we leave on the ring are not sequential; they can be cause and effect of each other, no matter where you start. That’s why we have been stuck in a loop, unable to find a breakthrough. However—”

Everyone’s attention was instantly focused.

Ji Yushi suggested, “What if we start from an appropriate point and extend it, covering the points on the ring?”

Knowing that the others didn’t understand his meaning, Ji Yushi recognized that it was indeed difficult to explain clearly.

The group was waiting for him to continue, but instead, Ji Yushi unhurriedly asked the person next to him, “Tang Le, can I borrow your communicator?”

Ji Yushi and Song Qinglan’s communicators had been thrown away when they were intercepted by the man with the dark face.

Since the original mission was just a routine A-level task, there weren’t many backup communicators, only one, which Song Qinglan, as the team leader, was currently using after pairing with a subcutaneous communicator along the way. Thus, Ji Yushi didn’t have one.

“Use mine.” As if guessing what he intended, Song Qinglan handed his over. “You can continue.”

The sun blazed down.

Everyone returned to the space vehicle, and Song Qinglan instructed Duan Wen to drive towards the mirror location, Golden Crow-2.

On the way, Ji Yushi turned on the communicator’s projection function, intending to explain using a more intuitive method—drawing.

Everyone immediately felt that this was a considerate move for them, who were mostly non-experts.

Ji Yushi drew a circular ring once again.

It was clear he was somewhat excited, his radiant expression at that moment was so dazzling that it was hard to look away.

“We already know that due to the nature of the time axis, time and space here are fixed. The only thing that changes is us—we are the variables, represented by these points.” Ji Yushi chose different colors and marked several points on the white ring in the air. “Every time our squad is wiped out, a new version of us is created, meaning a new point is generated. For example, this green point represents us as we are now.”

“We start from a small green point, passing by this red point—which represents the first squad wiped out—and then by this yellow point—which is the squad that will soon be wiped out outside the bookstore.”

As he spoke, Ji Yushi extended the green point along the ring, turning it into a line that passed through and overlapped with the points representing squads 1 and 2.

“You see, during this time, squad 1 is dead, but squad 2 is still alive, so we coexist with squad 2. This is the temporal overlap we mentioned earlier, right?”

Everyone nodded.

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

It felt like a bizarre otherworldly class, with everyone fully engaged.

Ji Yushi continued, “Soon, squad 2 will also perish, but we will continue moving forward.”

The green line extended further along the ring before stopping.

Then, he added a blue point where the green line began.

“The blue point represents squad 5.”

Ji Yushi extended the blue point into a line along the ring, letting the blue line pass through the red point of squad 1, the yellow point of squad 2, and the current green line, until it extended beyond the green line’s direction.

“Squad 5 exists because we were wiped out, so they absorbed the memories and experiences left by the previous points and now walk ahead of us, living longer than us, so they can leave us clues that we can find.”

Song Qinglan understood his point: “You mean the temporal overlap we discussed might have happened far more times than just a few. At least in the current timeframe, squad 2, us, and squad 5 all coexist?”

Ji Yushi nodded and pointed to the green line: “Because we are in the third cycle, our awareness is confined to this short segment represented by the green line. We have no idea how many times we’ve been wiped out or how many loops have been initiated beyond that, as it’s beyond our imagination.”

Zhou Mingxuan couldn’t help but ask, “So does that mean there could be countless versions of us existing at different points along the ring within this timeframe? Like, at 2:00 a.m., there could be three squads; at 4:00 a.m., five squads; and at 7:00 a.m., eight squads?”

Ji Yushi: “Exactly.”

Temporal overlap would cause the cycles to continually stack within the same timeframe.

The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

Everyone was stunned.

Li Chun raised his hand: “I have a question.”

This time, Li Chun had clearly made a great effort, asking the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Consultant Ji, didn’t you and Captain Song say that squad 3 was created because squad 2 was wiped out, and squad 4 was created because squad 2 avoided squad 3’s space vehicle, unintentionally opening a parallel timeline? The creation of squads 3 and 4 is related to squad 2, so they can communicate with each other but not with squad 2, because that would change squad 2’s trajectory and erase our existence.”

Everyone nodded.

They all instinctively focused on the short segment of the green line on the ring, as that was all they currently had.

Li Chun continued, “So the creation of squad 5 must happen because we were wiped out, and only then will they appear. Why would they contact us? Aren’t they afraid of altering our trajectory, which would cause them to cease existing?”

“You’re right,” Ji Yushi said. “If our trajectory is altered, the causality gets disrupted, and not only will squad 5 disappear, but all the points on the ring will change, creating new causal relationships.”

Li Chun asked, “But Consultant Ji, if we don’t get wiped out, there would be no squad 5, meaning there would be no clues left for us, and we wouldn’t see them. Isn’t this another paradox?”

Finally, someone noticed the crucial point. Ji Yushi felt gratified—it was the underdog’s triumph!

To answer this, Ji Yushi asked Song Qinglan, “Captain Song, do you remember seeing two of my medicine boxes in the bookstore?”

Song Qinglan nodded.

Ji Yushi said, “One was used, and the other wasn’t, indicating that they didn’t come from the same timeline. The medicine box with two pills missing might have been left in the bookstore by me in another cycle after you cornered me. But that timeline’s version of us arrived at the bookstore earlier, and that might be squad 5.”

Cornered?

Tang Le and Li Chun, having witnessed this event through the telescope once before, remained silent.

The others: “???”

Song Qinglan: “…”

Not wanting the topic to go off track, Song Qinglan brought it back: “And then?”

“Two timelines coexist,” Ji Yushi explained. “Just like when we encountered squad 2, as long as squad 2 hasn’t been wiped out, we can see all the traces they leave behind, and they can see ours.”

“I understand. In reverse, as long as we haven’t reached the point of our demise, squad 5 isn’t dead either, so we can receive their information!”

“Then the paradox Li Chun mentioned hasn’t occurred yet!”

“I get it. This is practically a bug!”

Everyone was intrigued: “But if our trajectory changes, they will eventually disappear. Why would squad 5 do this?”

“Because they want our team to continue,” Song Qinglan understood and explained. “It’s likely because they need to shut down two base energy sources, and along the way, they encountered danger, leaving squad 5 severely undermanned. To them, our current team, with four parallel timelines, can split into teams A and B, making it the most suitable point on the ring to be ‘extended.'”

“Exactly.” A fleeting smile crossed Ji Yushi’s face. “As Captain Song mentioned earlier, even if we are stuck in an endless cycle, as long as we keep moving forward without turning back, squad 5 will continue to leave clues for us to find. Even if they disappear, new squads—6, 7, and so on—will leave clues for us. This way, future versions of us will keep disappearing, while we, represented by this green line, will continue extending along the ring, covering all the points that have appeared or haven’t yet appeared—until the mission is completed!”

These words, both gentle and inspiring, resonated deeply within everyone, leaving them unable to calm down.

It was hard to imagine how many versions of themselves were charging forward into the unknown future!

They would never turn back, even if it meant death or suffering, leaving behind precious clues to help their past selves break the cycle and achieve victory!

Song Qinglan looked at Ji Yushi, admiration shining in his eyes: “Consultant Ji, this is the breakthrough you were talking about.”

“It’s just one part of it,” Ji Yushi’s dark eyes gleamed. “If we can reach Golden Crow-2 in time, we might find the answer immediately.”

Outside the Golden Crow-2 base.

The surroundings were almost identical to the Golden Crow-1 base, except for the unimaginably tall, giant bowl-shaped building, with barren land all around.

The difference was that behind the five-meter-high electrified fence lay a heap of zombies in white work uniforms, electrocuted to death.

Hearing the approaching vehicle, a new wave of zombies began to gather from the open ground, stepping over the charred bodies of their kind and rushing towards the fence.

The security equipment at the base entrance was still operational, but the barrier had been broken, allowing zombies to pour out of the entrance, only to be crushed into bloody pulp by the incoming space vehicle.

The space vehicle drove straight into the giant bowl.

Inside the massive building, the bright lights were blinding. Two trails of blood stained the white floor, with severed limbs scattered around.

About ten meters ahead was a parked space vehicle, with its rear door open. From a distance, the scene inside the vehicle looked identical to their own.

Duan Wen: “Captain Song, is that squad 5’s vehicle?”

Song Qinglan: “Yes.”

Ji Yushi’s suggestion to reach Golden Crow-2 in time was well-founded; squad 5 members were still alive!

“Ugh—”

Inside the seemingly endless space, a distant glass door suddenly opened, and a group of zombies charged out.

Rushing to the front of the space vehicle, all that could be seen through the glass were the pale faces and gray-white eyes of the zombies. The mouths with decayed gums and bloodstained white work uniforms made it easy to imagine the horror and carnage that occurred during the disaster here.

Song Qinglan: “Everyone, get ready to disembark.”

The team moved into action, with Ji Yushi standing up and reaching for a bottle of water in the vehicle, swallowing a painkiller.

It had only been a few hours since his injury, and he hadn’t eaten or rested properly during that time. The previous pill likely hadn’t done much.

Under these circumstances, no one told the injured to stay in the vehicle, and Ji Yushi clearly didn’t intend to do so either.

Ji Yushi checked his Diamond Bird weapon and reloaded the energy cartridge: “We should head straight to the control room!”

Song Qinglan adjusted his gear, with his tactical vest pockets fully loaded.

“Listen to Consultant Ji. We’ll blast our way to the control room.” His voice was steady, “Keep an eye out for clues. If you see any suspicious living person, don’t shoot immediately—avoid accidentally taking out one of our own!”

Everyone: “Yes!”

The space vehicle door opened, and the well-equipped team disembarked in single file.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

Gunfire echoed through the vast space.

The journey was nearly unobstructed. Zombies’ heads were blown apart, with rotting flesh splattering, the nauseating stench mingling with the cold air, making one want to gag.

It was clear that this place had already experienced a fierce battle.

Entering a wide corridor, the walls displayed a large glass cabinet showcasing various creations since Golden Crow-2’s establishment. Rather than evoking wonder, it felt more like viewing some bizarre, grotesque exhibit.

Asexual birds, cloned mammals, eggs that didn’t require incubation… and even apples, pears, and mangoes growing on the same tree.

The strange ecological environment and unsettling innovations seemed to be the proud inventions of the scientists on this colony.

Passing by a pitch-black display case, no one understood what it was.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it contained writhing, thick worms and churning soil particles.

Inside the artificial soil were many vegetables they had never seen before, in all shapes and sizes. Among them was a type of green bean that was split in two, with each pod’s surface covered in a network of veins, resembling the blue veins on a zombie’s face, grotesque and hideous.

Upon closer inspection, the label under the display case read: Cramond Beans, the first batch of organic vegetables cultivated after Golden Crow-2 of PU-31 went online, a premium offering.

“Damn,” Li Chun felt nauseous again, “Ugh, I told you not to eat…”

“Shut up!!”

The group collectively groaned.

Even Ji Yushi wanted to join in the complaints, although he had stoically eaten an entire can of it, adhering to a spirit of perseverance.

Such a massive construction project at Golden Crow-2 would have housed at least a few thousand workers, yet now it resembled nothing more than a slaughterhouse.

The zombies’ putrid blood had left countless dark red footprints on the floor, creating a slippery hazard if one wasn’t careful.

Ji Yushi walked the slowest, but with remarkable steadiness.

Song Qinglan glanced back several times, always seeing his usual delicate profile and the unyielding posture as he held the Diamond Bird, as steady as a pine tree.

Would he remember all of this?

The thought crossed Song Qinglan’s mind, and he couldn’t help but frown.

“Captain Song!” At the front, Tang Qi had just finished mowing down a wave of zombies and seemed to have discovered something.

At the end of the corridor, in a large circular exhibition hall, the scene displayed on the holographic projection screen made everyone freeze in their tracks.

It was a real-time model of PU-31.

On the holographic screen, there was a pitch-black rift.

Next to this rift was the small, round planet, lush and vibrant.

An artificial sun hung at an oblique angle above, simulating the way sunlight strikes Earth. Hundreds of massive energy transmitters were positioned on the planet’s surface, all working together to generate energy for PU-31.

Golden Crow-1.

Golden Crow-2.

This false world had begun a beautiful dream of propagation because of them, but now, it had become a nightmare.

“The Golden Crow Project doesn’t just provide thermal and solar energy; it also supplies kinetic energy. Nearly all of this colony’s energy comes from here.” Ji Yushi looked at PU-31, its image reflected in his eyes. “The black wall… is merely a crack in the parallel universe. Through this rift, the Golden Crow Project draws energy from the void of the universe, distributing it through these energy transmitters, bringing light to this place as if it were divine creation.”

Suddenly, the image flickered, and a change occurred.

A black ring appeared on the surface of PU-31, as if all the energy transmitters within that darkened area had simultaneously malfunctioned.

The time displayed on the screen was: [14:32:53].

“It’s Team B; they’ve shut down the first energy source at Golden Crow-1.”

Ji Yushi’s voice was cold.

“This is the black wall!!”

“I get it! I get it!! Damn, it’s that Ouroboros again!!”

“Is it the one that’s about to wipe out Squad 2?!”

“So this damn black wall was created by us!”

“Damn it!!”

“Captain Song!” Duan Wen’s voice came, unusually tense.

Song Qinglan walked over.

Moments later, only two or three teammates remained around Ji Yushi.

Ji Yushi shifted his gaze away from the real-time holographic model and strode towards where the anomaly had been discovered, roughly guessing what had happened.

Before he reached the spot, the strong scent of blood hit him.

It wasn’t the putrid stench of zombie blood, but the distinct, fresh smell of blood still brimming with life.

Ji Yushi instinctively tightened his grip on the Diamond Bird.

The cold metal of the gun mirrored the chill in his heart.

Through the towering figures of his teammates, Ji Yushi only managed to catch a glimpse of a pool of blood and a severed limb clad in a black boot.

The scene darkened as a warm hand gently covered his eyes.

He heard Song Qinglan say, “Don’t look.”

This was actually an exhibit of artificial soil.