Chapter 401 |
Fang Qi stared blankly at Lin Xiaoyou.
In his mind, he was still replaying her last sentence.
“You tried to save them. Over and over again. But in the end, what was meant to happen still happened.”
…What?
What did she mean by trying to save them over and over again?
He stared at Lin Xiaoyou’s round face, still wearing that playful grin, but his pupils were trembling slightly.
…What else could it mean?!
Rewinding!
Re-wind-ing!!
He’d had the rewind ability back then!
He must have used the “rewind ability” to try to save his parents!
…Right!
Even if this was a “digital world”!
Even if his parents weren’t his “biological parents” in the truest sense…
They were still the people he’d lived with for nearly twenty years!
They weren’t just cold, lifeless code!
They were real lives!
How could he have just let them die?
So, if he’d had the rewind ability back then…
He would definitely have gone back again and again!
Tried to save them over and over!
Rewind!
Start over!
Rewind and start over again!
Just like he’d done before…
With Liguang.
Waking up at the coffee table each time, drinking that 52-degree tea each time, dancing on the blade of a yandere’s knife each time…
Changing what had already happened, until he reached today.
But…
Fang Qi’s breath trembled.
Back then, he hadn’t managed to save his parents?
Even after rewinding countless times, he still hadn’t saved them!
What was meant to happen still happened…?
In short…
He had failed.
Fang Qi clenched his fists.
But…
Why?
Could rewind not stop the car accident?
Or could it not stop their deaths?
Was their death a future that even rewind couldn’t change?
He couldn’t figure it out.
Maybe his amnesiac self hadn’t understood either.
With what feelings had he gone to find Lin Xiaoyou back then?
Rewinding again and again, watching his parents die again and again, helpless again and again…
Finally, he gave up.
Just like he’d given up searching for Liguang by the seaside, he gave up.
Then, he went to that genius girl who could solve calculus at age eight and said to her…
“I’m in so much pain. Having these memories is too painful. I want to forget all of it.”
But looking at it now…
His voluntary amnesia might have had a deeper reason?
That genius miss, Lin Xiaoyou, had been played by him too?
Was he really that impressive?
“Pop!”
A crisp clap of hands interrupted Fang Qi’s thoughts!
Fang Qi flinched slightly and looked across.
Lin Xiaoyou had her hands clasped together, head tilted, still wearing that infuriating grin.
“Senior, our first meeting was really dramatic, wasn’t it!”
Her almond eyes curved into crescents again!
“You were so cool back then!”
“Standing alone in the corner, wearing dark clothes, your collar buttoned up tight…”
She gestured in the air, then cupped her cheeks in her hands and put on an adoring expression!
“That vibe, that gaze—wow!”
The silver-haired girl in his arms stirred slightly.
Lin Xiaoyou immediately straightened her face and added:
“If my heart weren’t already taken by Xiaoqing, I might have fallen for you on the spot!”
“Too bad you came too late, Senior!”
Fang Qi: “…”
Alright.
The heavy mood he’d just built up was shattered by her in a second!
He raised his hand and rubbed his brow hard.
Lin Xiaoyou…
Stop joking around!
You haven’t finished your story yet!
“Continue.”
He lifted his head and looked intently at Lin Xiaoyou, his voice low.
“After that, what exactly happened.”
He leaned forward slightly, his tone growing serious.
“Dawn, Twilight, and…”
His gaze darkened.
“Why did you later forget everything and become my ‘company junior’?”
Lin Xiaoyou’s grin faltered for a moment.
“Hmm…”
She tilted her head, tapped a finger on her lips, fell silent for a few seconds, and then…
“Senior.”
She pressed her lips together, her round face’s smile fading slightly.
Her expression became a little more complicated.
“I’ve already said quite a lot, you know.”
“As for the rest… I can’t talk about it anymore, okay?”
…Huh?
Fang Qi’s brow furrowed immediately.
What did that mean?
Was she asking for trouble?
“You—”
Before he could finish, he saw Lin Xiaoyou’s gaze shift slightly.
Her almond eyes quickly glanced toward the door, at the closed security door.
Then she looked back at him with another grin.
Fang Qi’s eyelid twitched sharply, and he instantly understood!
…Someone else?
He immediately pinched Liguang’s smooth cheek and whispered:
“Liguang, right now…?”
The silver-haired girl turned her head slightly in his arms.
Crimson data streams flickered rapidly through her red right pupil.
Then she shook her head gently.
“Master, Liguang can’t detect anyone.”
Her voice was also very soft, laced with caution.
“If there is someone, it could only be…”
She didn’t finish.
But Fang Qi’s breath grew quieter.
…Only the “eyes.”
Those “ghosts,” those “puppets.”
The ones Liguang’s red eye couldn’t detect—the ones only the original core could see!
It could only be them!
But…
That couldn’t be right?
Weren’t they…?
Fang Qi immediately looked back at Lin Xiaoyou and lowered his voice even further:
“Are you sure? Is it your guess, or… are you really certain?”
Lin Xiaoyou blinked quickly twice, then glanced again at the floor-to-ceiling balcony window.
Then she looked back at Fang Qi and grinned again.
“Senior, what are you talking about?”
“I don’t understand!”
She blinked, her expression so innocent, so naive!
Fang Qi: “…”
Tsk.
He leaned back into the sofa.
Troublesome.
He understood Lin Xiaoyou’s meaning.
She was looking at the building across the way, at Xiaoqing, who was watching them!
Why look at Xiaoqing?
Because Lin Xiaoyou had modified Xiaoqing to detect those “eyes”!
This genius miss was using that to tell him—the eyes were still there!
She wasn’t being paranoid.
She had confirmed it through Xiaoqing’s detection!
Of course…
That was assuming she wasn’t lying.
Fang Qi lowered his head and looked at the silver-haired girl in his arms.
Liguang was tilting her face up to look at him, her red eye still flashing rapidly!
Seeing him look, she pressed her lips together and whispered:
“Master, Liguang can’t detect them… Liguang really can’t…”
Her voice trembled, and she started feeling anxious again.
Hey, hey!
Fang Qi quickly raised his hand and pinched her soft cheek firmly.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
He soothed her gently.
Good grief.
Even though his wife had been accepted by the whole world, she still got so easily insecure!
But in his heart, he was starting to feel tense.
…This wasn’t right, was it?
What was going on with those eyes?
Were the “eyes” watching him? Or were they watching Lin Xiaoyou?
Weren’t they supposed to be…
Are these people who, for the sake of his plan, sacrificed their souls like Gu Xi did?
Aren't they his soul-lost "teammates"?
They are teammates, right?
...Right?
Is that so?
Huh?
Wait.
Fang Qi’s pupils contracted.
...No.
No, no, no!
Wait!
He snapped to attention with a jolt!
After all, the term "undercover" was just Lin Xiaoyou's way of referring to them!
It was Lin Xiaoyou who borrowed the term "undercover" from the notes!
Because of Gu Xi’s existence?
Because of Gu Xi, she called this group of people who were with Gu Xi "undercover" as a collective!
But Gu Xi...
Fang Qi struggled to recall.
Back then, Gu Xi had shown confusion about the term "undercover"!
In the small cabin, when he asked Gu Xi if she was an "undercover," her reaction was a bewildered expression!
He himself had made the assumption that these people were similar to the "undercover" in his notes!
Then he further assumed that they had "sacrificed their souls" for his plan and turned into puppets!
But in reality...
Was that truly the case?
Gu Xi was a police officer!
She and the people around her were all official personnel…!
And come to think of it…
Before she last communicated with him, she seemed to have deliberately ordered…
Liguang to take care of the others first?
…Huh?
"Senior!"
Lin Xiaoyou’s voice suddenly rang out, cutting off Fang Qi’s train of thought!
He snapped back to reality and saw Lin Xiaoyou standing up from the sofa.
Her hands were clasped behind her back, her head tilted, her ponytail swaying.
"This is Senior's home!"
"It wouldn‘t be good to keep bothering you here!"
She blinked her eyes.
"So..."
She raised a hand and lightly pointed at the white access card in Liguang’s hand.
"How about we head over there first?”
A bright grin spread across her chubby little face.
"When we get there, Senior can talk about anything you want!"
"I’ll fulfill all of Senior's wishes!"
"How about it?"
Fang Qi stared at her.
This girl's mind really was all over the place.
But...
The underground research facility, huh.
There were the notes he hadn’t finished reading, the thing that kept Liguang's original core awakening, and that...
Gene door that Gu Xi had warned with her life, "Don't open it."
Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.
Maybe he should swing by the police station before going there?
He needed to see Gu Xi.
He had too many questions he wanted to ask...
"No."
A gentle and obedient voice came from Fang Qi's embrace.
The silver-haired girl stood up from his arms.
She faced Lin Xiaoyou, a smile on her face, her crimson eyes steady and gleaming.
"Master is very tired now."
Her voice was as gentle as ever.
"Today, Master isn't going anywhere."
Fang Qi: "…?"
Wait...?
Lin Xiaoyou blinked.
"Oh dear..."
She didn’t seem surprised, just a hint of helplessness in her smile.
Then she muttered under her breath:
"I knew this would happen, trouble..."
Fang Qi sat on the sofa, utterly bewildered, looking left at Liguang and right at Lin Xiaoyou.
Wait...?
What did you know?
What just happened?
Weren’t we just discussing serious matters? How did it suddenly turn into Liguang refusing to let him go out?
Oh...
He got it!
Liguang was in sync with him, knowing he wanted to see Gu Xi first, so she rejected Lin Xiaoyou...?
"Alright, alright...!"
Lin Xiaoyou stood up from the sofa.
She bent down to rub her still slightly red knees, then straightened up and flashed a grin at Fang Qi.
"Senior, you..."
"Go and comfort your Liguang first!"
She tossed her head, her ponytail swinging behind her.
"Once you’ve calmed her down, feel free to contact me anytime!"
"As for me, I'll go back and play with Xiaoqing! I've been here so long; Xiaoqing must be unhappy now!"
With that, she turned and ran! She left with such decisiveness!
Like a little whirlwind, she dashed toward the door!
Fang Qi: "?”
Leaving all of a sudden?!
"Bye-bye, Senior!"
Lin Xiaoyou yanked the door open, already halfway out.
Right before closing the door, she poked her head back in and winked at Fang Qi, that expression...
—Senior, you’re on your own!
"Wait, you—!"
Fang Qi couldn’t even finish his sentence!
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut heavily.
The living room fell silent.
Fang Qi stared blankly at the closed security door.
...Huh?
She just ran off like that?
Hey...
Why didn’t Wife stop her just now...
And...
What did she mean by "comfort Liguang"?
Liguang was so well-behaved and obedient now, why would she need...
"Click."
A faint sound of metal locking.
He felt a weight around his ankle.
Fang Qi: "?"
He slowly looked down.
At some point, the silver-haired girl was kneeling by his feet.
Her silver hair veiled her profile, hiding her expression.
She, who had been so well-behaved ever since Gu Xi arrived...
Now had her hands gripping a chain!
A very thick metal chain!
It glinted with a cold silver light!
And now...
One end of the chain was already firmly locked around Fang Qi’s left ankle!
And the silver-haired girl, with an incredibly serious expression, took the other end of the chain...
"Click."
Another sound.
Locked it around Fang Qi’s right ankle.
Heavy, icy weight.
Fang Qi: "...?"
Huh?
