Chapter 31: Doomed 07

Chapter 31: Doomed 07

Inside the steadily moving hearse, the child version of Old Man Yuan, with his mouth covered, listened in confusion and fear to the conversation between the two strangers.

It wasn't until the muscular man, who had carried him out of the crowd, inadvertently relaxed his grip upon learning the horrifying news that the driver intended to destroy the world that the boy managed to break free.

He took a deep breath of fresh air and then shouted, "Are you guys crazy? Talking nonsense like that!"

Why would they want to destroy the world?

Was the world something these young people could casually annihilate?

The muscular man jumped in fright at the words, instinctively looking at the blue-eyed man in the passenger seat, then hurriedly reaching to cover the boy's mouth again. "Shh, don't talk nonsense!"

Just as the boy was about to resist, the brown-haired young man driving intervened, halting the muscular man's action.

"Stop covering his mouth; you might send him back to the hospital."

"Exactly!" The boy glared intently at the muscular man, suddenly realizing something. "Hey, wait a minute, why did you say 'again'?"

Despite his frequent visits to the hospital, how could this stranger possibly know? He had never crossed paths with these individuals before!

The brown-haired young man lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, his serious expression reflecting clearly in its glass, as if he were about to reveal an extraordinary secret.

"I've seen you in another timeline," he said. "The day you fainted from all the emotion and were taken to the hospital."

Both the boy in the backseat and the muscular man wore identical expressions of astonishment.

"Uh... what?"

"Another timeline?!"

Then, they were regaled with a fantastical tale that seemed plucked straight from the silver screen.

An endless cycle of time resets, others devoid of memory, and a rebellious orb preserving these timelines...

When the brown-haired man finished speaking, a heavy silence settled over the hearse.

The boy stared at him in a daze, the muscular man's eyes locked on him in a trance, while the blue-eyed man observed him with a complicated expression.

After a moment, the little boy took a deep breath and said weakly, "Maybe you should just take me to the hospital... A mental hospital would work too."

Everything that had happened today was too surreal.

It made him doubt if he had gone insane from excessive grief over his friend's passing.

How could he have turned into a child? And how could there be such a bizarre occurrence as time travel?

"You don't believe me?" The brown-haired young man pondered for a moment, attempting to provide evidence. "I know your surname is Yuan. The deceased… your friend's surname was Zhang."

The little boy was taken aback at first, but quickly connected the dots. "There was Old Zhang's name hanging in the funeral parlor, and those bastards called me Uncle Yuan. It's not strange that you know our surnames!"

Undeterred, the brown-haired man continued, "I know you keep medicine in your shirt pocket and take it when you're agitated."

"Oh, speaking of which, this idiot insisted on forcing pills down my throat just now; I almost choked to death!"

Amidst his frustration, the boy recalled, "But earlier, my clothes were slipping off, and the pills fell out of my pocket. Anyone could have seen them. I even told him to rush back and help me pick them up."

The towering figure beside him immediately protested, "Hey, I was just trying to help you get your pills. Why are you insulting me?"

"..." The brown-haired young man had no choice but to find more evidence. "On that afternoon eight days ago, you were playing Go with Old Zhang at Sun Park, and you should have lost that game."

The little boy was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Eight days ago?" He fell into deep thought, muttering, "Before that day, I played Go with Old Zhang almost every day at Sun Park."

"And," his voice turned barely audible, "I usually lost."

"..."

Indeed, he was a terrible player who loved the game despite his lack of skill.

Yu Bai felt a surge of despair for a moment.

He gave up on convincing the child version of Yuan Lao about the existence of the parallel universe. Instead, he made up his mind to ask the man beside him, "Can you access the stored timelines in the Time Egg?"

Social death be damned; at least Xie Wufang could help validate his claim, and perhaps provide some more compelling evidence than just words.

Feeling like the only one who remembered was utterly overwhelming.

Yet, those apologetic gray-blue eyes conveyed a negative response.

"It's still sealed."

...Damn that rebellious artifact.

After Xie Wufang finished speaking, he gazed at Yu Bai's calm profile and suddenly said, "I'm sorry."

"Why apologize?" Yu Bai, holding the steering wheel, glanced at the red traffic light ahead. "It's sealed and can't be read. That's not your fault."

"It's not about that," Xie Wufang replied. "I thought you'd traveled through many different timelines before."

"I had no idea you were trapped in a repeated loop, and no one else has any memories."

With sincerity laced with regret, he continued, "That must have been an incredibly lonely time for you."

Yu Bai maintained his gaze on the traffic signal.

"No," he said, his expression unchanged, his tone light. "I had a great time."

As a human, he was far more skilled at deception than any non-human.

Yu Bai had indeed reveled in that endless, fantastical summer, filled with countless joyful moments.

But it was a world where only he retained memories, where everything would reset after 22 hours, 57 minutes, and 14 seconds. No one else would recall the joys or surprises experienced during that time.

No matter how much he cherished a particular day or experience, by noon the next day, it would come to an abrupt end, as if it never existed.

Of course, there were also moments of loneliness and discomfort.

On those rare occasions, Yu Bai would dash to the neighborhood, grabbing Xie Wufang, who was about to enter the elevator, and pull him towards the nearby river, declaring fiercely, "To hell with you, Xie Wufang! It's all your fault!"

The man he dragged into the water didn't resist but instead asked, "How do you know my name?"

Yu Bai ignored his question, merely lifting the corners of his lips slightly and repeating the name, "See you tomorrow, Xie Wufang."

In the icy, bone-chilling river, the shade of gray-blue beside him was like a rich gem, sinking together into the tranquil, eternal darkness.

And then...

He'd learned to swim, much like he'd learned to drive.

At this thought, Yu Bai couldn't help but laugh, repeating, "I'm really happy, truly."

The red light up ahead flickered to yellow and then turned green, signaling the way was clear.

The brief pause ended as the car continued its journey forward.

Xie Wufang remained silent.

In the backseat, Yan Jing let out an inexplicable sigh.

"I suddenly feel a bit sad," he said, shooting a glance at the boy beside him. "It's all your fault for not believing Little Bai."

"What did you say? !" The boy was startled. "How could you believe such a ridiculous thing?"

"I do believe it!" Yan Jing replied matter-of-factly. "Little Bai wouldn't lie about something so important. He's been acting strange since last night – now I know why."

Muttering to himself, he couldn't help but criticize the little boy: "Little Bai has told you so much, yet you still don't believe it. You're really suspicious. What will it take for you to trust him?"

The child version of Old Man Yuan, having been scolded, was suddenly at a loss for words: "Huh? What... This this this, huh?"

What was even more absurd was that he actually felt a twinge of guilt from the criticism.

As if he was being unreasonable!

With his emotions in disarray, the little boy simply put his hand to his head as if dizzy, forcefully escaping reality.

"Oh, my head is spinning..."

He sighed in an old-fashioned manner, squinting his eyes as he secretly observed the two people sitting in front of him and the road ahead.

Suddenly, the little boy's expression changed, and he widened his eyes, asking the muscular man beside him, "Didn't you just say that Little Bai... uh, your friend, didn't know how to drive before?"

Yan Jing nodded: "Yeah, Little Bai was too scared to learn to drive before, but now he's quite good at it. I guess the time loop does have its uses..."

"But he doesn't have a driver's license, right?!"

"Of course not. Even if you passed the exam in the time loop, it wouldn't count here, right? Speaking of which, why are there so many—"

The two suddenly exchanged glances, their breathing halting.

Yu Bai, who was concentrating on driving, reacted swiftly, slamming on the brakes and jerking the steering wheel.

The cars ahead were crawling, almost at a standstill.

This was because several traffic police, dressed in bright fluorescent green vests, were stationed at the intersection, conducting random drunk driving checks.

Yan Jing, horrified, cupped his face. "Little Bai, turn around! Quick, let's go! We'll be in trouble if we get caught. You don't have a license!"

The boy also shrieked, "These traffic cops at this intersection are the worst! They even stopped me when I was driving that old man's car and almost fined me! Hurry up and escape, young man!"

"We're running, we're running, calm down!"

The car's tires skidded across the ground, leaving a long trail of brake marks. In this otherwise tranquil and mundane world, Yu Bai strangely relived the sensation of speeding down a mountain road in one of the loops.

The solemn black car drifted around in the spacious and clean road, bolting in the opposite direction, drawing startled gazes from passing vehicles.

In the backseat, Yan Jing couldn't help but curse in admiration, "Damn, that was suave!"

The little boy reached for the medicine bottle with lingering fear. "That U-turn was quite impressive. You've got some skills, young man."

In the passenger seat, Xie Wufang, gazing into the rearview mirror that reflected the traffic officer's figure, asked earnestly, "Should we freeze their time?"

Yu Bai steered the wheel, reversing into a narrow lane, his fair features inadvertently betraying a subtle smile as a medley of voices chirped in his ear.

"No need," he said with conviction. "I can get away."

"Woah, the way you put that," Yan Jing scratched his head, "it sounds like you're quite experienced in saying that."

"What exactly did you do in the time loop? I hope you weren't indulging in reckless behavior?"

All three of them, in unison, turned their gaze towards Yu Bai.

"I'm not being reckless at all."

A faint blush tinged the youth's pale cheeks as he recklessly floored the accelerator, yet his voice remained soft. "...I am a law-abiding citizen, after all."

Almost revealing the new nature I've cultivated within the cycle.

Fortunately, only three people were present.

Today, Qiang was nowhere to be seen; he had sneaked out of the house last night, eluding even their watchful eyes.

Twenty minutes later, the funeral home's black hearse parked inconspicuously around two streets away from the residential area.

Yu Bai led the group down the unmonitored street, traversing a narrow path that led back to the residential complex where he and Xie Wufang lived.

Meanwhile, he was instructing Yan Jing on how to call their parents later.

"…Have someone come and tow the car away," Yu Bai said. "Then, erase the surveillance footage from the funeral home. No one should see or record the moment Uncle Yuan transformed into a child. They'll only witness a child taking his place."

"So, with no concrete evidence of rejuvenation and considering the funeral home's reputation for paranormal rumors, it's plausible that it was an illusion or just utter nonsense, right?"

"Reasonable. I'll make the call later."

Yan Jing swallowed his unspoken remark, "You're really adept at this," and sincerely gave a thumbs up.

Yu Bai added, "By the way, how is Uncle Zhang's remains? Have there been any further attempts at cremation? If there are still issues, we'll figure out a solution. In any case, we need to address Uncle Yuan's situation as well."

"Very well!"

At the entrance of the upcoming residential area, the glistening golden characters "Beautiful Homeland" were shimmering gloriously under the sunlight.

Indeed, this sparsely populated neighborhood, known for its ghostly legends, bears a surprisingly candid and delightful name.

The security guard, an elderly man playing Dou Dizhu on his phone at the post, lifted his head at the sound. Upon seeing the four approaching, he promptly and warmly swung open the gate for them.

In the month since he'd moved in, the brown-haired resident, accompanied by a gang of intimidating friends, had delivered a large watermelon to his door - a kind gesture indeed.

The blue-eyed neighbor, who had been living here for over a week and was always seen alone, politely thanked him each time they crossed paths - another person of good character.

There was also a muscle-bound fellow with a simple-minded air about him, who he recalled was a friend of the first neighbor and had visited a few times.

And then there was a little boy he had yet to meet.

"Ho, bringing a friend over to play, huh?"

The doorman greeted them with a wide smile and even crouched down to address the little boy, "Hello there, young one!"

As he spoke, he turned to the adults and complimented, "This child is truly adorable."

However, upon hearing this, the expressions of the other three adults subtly shifted.

The boy, accustomed to hunching his back, froze for a moment before quickening his pace, rushing inside while holding onto his old waist. He grumbled impatiently, "Hurry up!"

Watching him dash away with his hunched figure, the doorman exclaimed, "At such a young age, he's so anxious. Oh, and he seems to have a bit of a hunchback!"

Yu Bai struggled to hold back his laughter, his voice trembling slightly, "Yes, this little friend... has been like this since he was young."

Yan Jing, with his head lowered, walked and chuckled, his laughter resembling the sound of a boiling kettle.

Confused, the doorman asked, "Hey, why are they laughing?"

The only one not laughing, Xie Wufang, thought for a moment and replied earnestly, "Perhaps it's because you called him a young one."

"Oh!" The doorman didn't quite grasp the reason but nodded anyway, "Then I won't call him that next time! How about 'little handsome guy'?"

Xie Wufang pondered a bit more and uncertainly replied, "I'm not sure, but I think he might not like being called with a 'little' prefix."

"Why's that? He is a kid, isn't he? Why can't we call him 'little'?"

"…" Xie Wufang honestly said, "Sorry, I can't tell you the reason."

The gatekeeper was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly. "Oh, it's alright, it's alright. I was just asking casually. No need to apologize! I won't take up your time anymore. Quickly, go in!"

Listening to their conversation, Yu Bai couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.

He curved his eyebrows and looked into the shimmering blue eyes, illuminated by the early summer sunlight, gently urging, "Hey, stop standing there."

"–Let's go home."