“Everyone, get ready. Sky Guardians Team Seven, 13th A-level mission, move out!”

A deep male voice swept past his ear.

It clearly resonated in his mind, sending tingles down his auditory nerves.

[Warning! Warning! You have deviated from the target coordinates! You have deviated from the target coordinates!]

Red warning lights flashed wildly in the capsule, and countless bizarre images flickered on the transparent panel. Suddenly, a white light flashed before his eyes, and a sharp ringing pierced his ears.

[Illegal jump detected!]

[Illegal jump detected!]

Something went wrong!!

Ji Yushi gritted his teeth, trying to press the warning button, but the capsule suddenly spun wildly. He had to exert all his strength to grasp the armrest of the safety seat to avoid being thrown out and hitting his head.

After a long bout of turbulence, the capsule finally settled. The moment it became calm, Ji Yushi grabbed the nutrient solution handed to him by the mechanical arm and gulped down a few sips, taking a full ten seconds to recover.

Wait…

Why does this scene feel… familiar?

It was as if he had already experienced this once before.

But the feeling quickly faded, and Ji Yushi didn’t have time to catch its tail before it dissipated into nothingness.

[???p0754%$#37]

[:“lrr”’l’89”]

Garbled characters appeared on the transparent panel as it completely froze.

He heard the voices of his teammates coming from outside the capsule.

Ji Yushi stepped out of the capsule and found that they had arrived in a forest. The sky was a dark gray, and the shadows of the pitch-black trees loomed. Aside from the seven capsules glowing faintly, there was no other light; the atmosphere was eerily silent and deep.

His teammates were complaining about something.

Song Qinglan’s voice came through: “I told you to ride the big pendulum ten times before you could go on another mission. Now, be honest, how many times did you actually ride it?”

Another voice sounded somewhat pained: “Twice… ugh—”

Apparently, someone had thrown up.

Ji Yushi: “…”

By the glow of the capsule, he could make out that the person vomiting was Li Chun, whose capsule was right next to his. Some unknown substance had even splattered onto his capsule.

Ji Yushi instantly held his breath, retreating several steps.

He also felt a bit like vomiting.

The team continued teasing Li Chun while Ji Yushi stood in the cold wind, waiting for the smell to dissipate and for their banter to end.

Li Chun seemed to have finally finished vomiting, his voice weak: “…No, seriously, can’t you guys smell it? The air here stinks.”

Someone said, “Chun, stop making excuses and go rinse your mouth.”

“Thanks, Brother Wen… huh? Where’s Consultant Ji?”

Just as Li Chun asked this, Ji Yushi instinctively replied, “I’m here.”

It was as if he knew Li Chun would ask that question.

Ji Yushi: “…”

That familiar feeling came back again.

Song Qinglan seemed to glance in his direction, his expression rather indifferent, before he looked down at his communicator.

Ji Yushi also checked his communicator.

[04:41:31]

This wasn’t the time coordinate they were supposed to arrive at.

Song Qinglan must have noticed this too because he immediately ordered, “Duan Wen. Check the main control panel for any data errors or information breaches, and contact the command center immediately.”

“Yes.” Duan Wen reported, “Captain Song, it seems our equipment has been locked.”

Ji Yushi walked over.

Locked?

Song Qinglan’s side profile was sharp, his brows furrowed: “What do you mean by locked?”

Duan Wen replied, “The main control panel is offline, we can’t contact the command center, and the capsules aren’t working. It seems to be due to the unusual electromagnetic waves or magnetic fields here, but we can’t be sure. It’s possible that the jump we just made is related to this. All we have left working are the communicators, meaning we’re stuck here.”

The surrounding team members all perked up their ears. When they heard this news, they started cursing.

“What about the mission?”

“I was planning to take a new girl I just met out for dinner tomorrow.”

“You’ve already messed around with so many, aren’t you done yet?”

Before the words even finished, footsteps suddenly echoed in the forest.

The Guardians operate under the principle of staying low-key, and revealing their identities to the original inhabitants of this timeline is prohibited unless absolutely necessary. Everyone instantly went silent.

Duan Wen, who was in charge of controls, quickly deactivated the glowing capsules and switched them to stealth mode.

Everyone stood still in the forest, motionless.

As the chaotic footsteps grew closer, Ji Yushi suddenly had a strong premonition… Sure enough, once he adjusted to the darkness, he clearly identified the approaching figure as a filthy homeless man.

“Haa—”

The homeless man lunged at Li Chun, but Li Chun threw him to the ground. The homeless man quickly sprang up again.

“What the hell?!” Li Chun, caught off guard, was knocked down and screamed, “Damn it!!!”

The homeless man viciously bit down on Li Chun’s shoulder!

Song Qinglan kicked the homeless man three or four meters away, making a loud “thud” sound.

Duan Wen quickly pulled Li Chun up, asking anxiously, “Chun’er! Are you okay?!”

Li Chun grimaced in pain, but fortunately, the armor on his shoulder left only a bite mark without any serious injury.

In the darkness, Song Qinglan swiftly subdued the homeless man. Then, looking at Li Chun, he raised his chin and teased, “Chun’er, is this someone you recently messed with? They followed you all the way here.”

Amid the laughter of his teammates, Ji Yushi remained unusually silent, standing off to the side, seemingly lost in thought.

By the time he snapped back to reality, Li Chun had already tied the homeless man to a tree.

Ji Yushi then turned on a flashlight and walked straight towards the homeless man.

Under the strong beam of the flashlight, the homeless man’s grayish-white, cloudy eyes, pale skin covered with blue-veined blood vessels, and a body stained with dark red blood and bits of flesh came into view, emitting a nauseating stench.

“Haa—” The homeless man’s expression was barely human, his mouth wide open, still trying to bite at the living people around him, struggling madly.

His teammates had varying reactions, clearly disturbed by the sight, but Ji Yushi stared unflinchingly, seemingly unaffected.

Li Chun murmured, “I told you guys the air here stinks.”

Song Qinglan frowned deeply as he observed the homeless man for a while before turning off the flashlight and saying, “Great, we’ve set a new record for the fastest time a Guardian team has been discovered by the locals. No one reports this when we get back, or else Team Nine will surpass us in the rankings.”

Hee stood up and added, “Let’s leave this guy here for now; someone will find him and call the police. It’s pitch black out here, and we can’t see anything. We need to figure out how to contact the Skynet of this time. Stay alert as we move out; we might pass through a crime scene.”

The team responded in unison, “Yes!”

Everyone moved quickly and efficiently as they geared up.

When it was Ji Yushi’s turn, he selected a handgun he had recently used in the training room.

Standing beside him, Song Qinglan said the gun’s name: “Diamond Bird.”

This man was tall, with a sharp and imposing presence that was hard to ignore when he wasn’t smiling.

Under Song Qinglan’s gaze, Ji Yushi, for some reason, continued the conversation, “Modeled after the PPK from the last century, used by both Hitler and Bond.”

Song Qinglan, who seemed to have intended to say the same thing, raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of arrogance in his expression: “Consultant Ji, you’re quite retro.”

Ji Yushi was slightly taken aback: “…”

What was going on?

Song Qinglan’s voice interrupted his odd train of thought: “In this situation, if I were you, I would choose a weapon better suited to self-defense.”

Ji Yushi couldn’t help but look up at him.

“Just a small suggestion,” Song Qinglan said, raising an eyebrow as he selected his own weapons. “Though it suits you.”

Song Qinglan first chose two military knives, which he strapped to his leg holsters. Ji Yushi watched as he then picked out a pair of gloves, some brass knuckles, and finally selected a shotgun.

“Sleepwalker?” Ji Yushi asked.

Whether or not someone had been in the military, recognizing a famous weapon wasn’t surprising.

Song Qinglan replied, “Yes, it suits me.”

Before setting off, Song Qinglan suddenly turned around and said, “Remember to use your weapon when necessary. Do you know what to do if the locals see that you’re carrying a gun?”

Under his gaze, which held a subtle, teasing smirk, it was clear he was implying, “You don’t exactly look like a cop.”

Ji Yushi followed up on his words, “Just say I’m a police officer.”

After leaving the forest, Ji Yushi realized they were in a park.

Along the way, they came across half of a gnawed corpse on the main road, which seemed to explain the chunks of flesh and blood on the homeless man.

Located in the heart of the city’s most bustling area, the park at 5 a.m. was eerily deserted. Apart from the garbage blown around by the wind and occasional dark red bloodstains on the ground, they saw no other living soul. The towering buildings around the park were dark, the city lifeless.

In this eerie atmosphere, the park felt particularly sinister as the group walked in formation.

“Captain Song, 11 o’clock, park management office,” Ji Yushi suddenly whispered, as if afraid of disturbing something.

He had been silent the entire way, and Song Qinglan looked in the direction Ji Yushi indicated.

Ji Yushi was about to add, “It seems like there’s light inside,” when Song Qinglan tilted his head slightly, “Split up and check it out.”

The teammates scattered in response to the order.

Ji Yushi and Song Qinglan were the only ones left on the main road.

A morning breeze blew past, causing Song Qinglan’s bangs to fall slightly over his forehead, his usually sharp and arrogant black eyes narrowing.

Ji Yushi felt a bit nervous, that sense of déjà vu growing stronger. Could it be that Song Qinglan also…

He hoped that was the case.

But Song Qinglan only asked bluntly, “Consultant Ji, how strong is your mental resilience?”

Ji Yushi: “…”

His face suddenly turned pale, his heart pounding violently as if he were trapped in a nightmare, ensnared by an overwhelming dread.

But it wasn’t because of Song Qinglan’s question.

On the surface, Ji Yushi remained calm, hiding the cold sweat forming in his palms, and replied, “Probably not great.”

Why was Captain Song, who judged people by their appearance, suddenly concerned about him?

Was this some sort of treatment for newbies?

Song Qinglan looked around at the silent, towering buildings before saying, “We’re trapped here, and who knows how long it’ll take to return. Your family might be getting worried. But I hope you can adjust.”

Ji Yushi asked, “Captain Song, do you have a personal talk with every new member during missions?”

Song Qinglan saw no need for small talk: “No.”

So this was a special precaution against “flower vases.”

Ji Yushi: “…I understand.”

After Song Qinglan left, Ji Yushi stood in place for a few seconds, trying to shake off the cold dread that had settled over him.

But the noise in his ears persisted, his heart racing as if it would leap out of his throat, making it difficult to calm down.

“Jianjian, you need to wake up… you need to stay strong, don’t let it drag you down.”

“Let’s not think about it! Let’s not think about it! Jianjian, look here, everything here is new, it’s never happened before, look!”

“Ji Yushi, this time you failed both the image recognition and psychological tests. Especially the psychological one, your score was terrifyingly low, worse with each test!”

“Ji Yushi! Get it together! You need to learn how to break down your brain’s overload! Otherwise, you’re close to going insane!”

“Jianjian, you need to distinguish between reality and memory. Overlapping memories won’t do you any good…”

…

At the park management office.

Ji Yushi was the last to arrive.

Tang Le was reporting, “Captain Song! A body was found in the restroom!”

Song Qinglan, who had found a shut-off communicator and was examining it, set it aside and went to check the restroom.

They turned the body over, and amidst the overwhelming stench of decay, Song Qinglan used his military knife to pry open the corpse’s tightly closed eyelids—this body exhibited the same symptoms as the homeless man they had encountered in the woods. The team began discussing the situation, not noticing that Ji Yushi, after glancing inside, had silently walked away.

As the dimly lit manager’s office swam before his eyes, Ji Yushi ignored the disarray on the desk, skipping over the keys, newspapers, and logbooks, and his gaze fixed on the black-screened communicator.

As if guided by something, Ji Yushi opened a drawer and found the charging port for the communicator.

The powered-down communicator turned on.

Ji Yushi glanced through it for only a minute or two before abruptly setting it down.

His eyes quickly scanned the office, and in the corner, he spotted a case of bottled water.

“What’s wrong?”

Song Qinglan and the others returned to the office, just in time to catch this scene.

Ji Yushi was holding a bottle of water, his face pale, long black eyelashes casting shadows over his eyelids. His entire body was trembling almost imperceptibly, as if he was struggling to suppress his discomfort.

He looked as fragile as porcelain that couldn’t withstand hardship, ready to shatter with the slightest touch.

In front of everyone, Ji Yushi handed the bottle of water to Song Qinglan without a second thought, his eyes clear, “Captain Song, can you help me out? I’m feeling a bit unwell.”

It seemed he was admitting his vulnerability.

And a fragile thing needs protection.

Everyone: “…”

What the hell.

The last person who acted like this in front of Song Qinglan was probably six feet under by now.

Not even able to open a bottle of water—what kind of man was this?!

But to their surprise, Song Qinglan simply looked at him for a couple of seconds, then unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it back to him, “Did you find anything?”

Ji Yushi took a small sip of water, swallowing down the pills he had in his mouth.

“I found the charging port for the manager’s communicator in the drawer and discovered a video.”