Chapter 035 – Different Time 01

Chapter 035 - Different Time 01

The street sign towering on the sidewalk indicated that Yu Bai and Xie Wufang were approximately two hundred meters away from the Sun Park Police Station.

The officers who had halted in their tracks after noticing the unusual sky phenomenon were roughly twenty meters from the station's entrance.

According to the known standard for a 100-meter sprint in police physical fitness tests, a passing time was around fourteen seconds.

Parentheses, Yu Bai remembered this from a conversation with Detective Captain Li before a school sports exam during his student years, parentheses closed.

Assuming the duo ceased their escape, it would take the officers another twenty-five seconds to sprint from their current position and catch up to the two bold escapees.

Yu Bai had already spent thirteen seconds exchanging secret signals with Xie Wufang and explaining the situation.

That left them with only twelve seconds before being caught.

The two individuals, freshly transported into this timeline, had yet to make any further moves.

Behind them, the uniformed officers grew closer, their footsteps and shouted commands echoing in the wind.

"Little Bai, stop right there! Don't run anymore!"

"Why on earth did you pull someone away like that all of a sudden!"

...He has now come to a stop.

And how is it supposed to be fine?

A non-human was about to be caught for using a fake identity!

With this in mind, Yu Bai seized the remaining twelve seconds to quickly ask the man beside him two questions.

"Can you get us back to the real world right now?"

Xie Wufang, clearly aware of the urgency of the situation, replied succinctly, "No, there would be consequences."

Yu Bai pressed on, "Can you use your abilities freely in this dimension? Like creating an identical ID card as the one in the system?"

Xie Wufang responded, "It's better not to."

Due to the aftermath, right?

...Fantastic. He wasn't surprised at all, truly.

Damn it, this is doomed!

Ten seconds later, footsteps echoed, and the menacing police officers drew near.

Yu Bai could clearly see the mixture of confusion and shock on the face of the Criminal Investigation Team leader who led the pursuit.

In the final two seconds, he whispered to the man beside him, "Don't speak unless I ask you."

Then, Yu Bai stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Xie Wufang.

He was no longer the rookie magazine writer Yu Bai who, back in the initial loop, could only rely on clumsy acting to conceal his unease under the psychiatrist's probing gaze.

Now, he had, in certain loops, masqueraded as Young Master Yu, dealing with the police on occasion.

He had also played the role of an actor before.

Though his learning capacity didn't match Xie Wufang's, diligence could compensate for his lack of natural talent, and practice made perfect.

Amidst the astonished or curious gazes of passersby, the police officers who had hastily rushed out of the station successfully caught up with the two young men who had initially been fleeing but then inexplicably stopped.

The officer in the lead, Little Li, instinctively tried to restrain the suspect closest to him, attempting to pin his hands behind his back to prevent any further escape.

But this brown-haired youth suddenly fixated on the most imposing police officer in the crowd.

"...I'm sorry, Uncle Li," he whispered, "I thought it was doomsday just now."

His quivering voice betrayed palpable panic.

Little Li, who had already grasped Yu Bai's arm and was about to force it behind his back, was immediately intercepted by the Criminal Investigation Team captain standing behind him.

"What are you doing? Be gentle!" Hearing Yu Bai's words, Li Nanxiao swiftly slapped away Little Li's hand, "Little Bai isn't running anymore!"

"Ah? Oh, oh..."

Promptly releasing his grip, Little Li noticed the distinct red marks on the young man's abnormally fair skin and reflexively apologized, "Sorry about that, Little Bai!"

Amidst the swarm of police officers surrounding him, Yu Bai rubbed his slightly sore wrist and said with a dejected tone, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have pulled him out like that."

Yet, a sense of relief flashed through his mind.

Thankfully, he had reacted swiftly, stepping in front of Xie Wufang. If it were the latter's arm that had been grabbed by a human, either an anomalous phenomenon would have reappeared in the sky or the excessively cold temperature from his limb would have startled the police, escalating the situation from a mundane incident to a zombie-like mystery.

His intention was to resolve the crisis at hand, not to exacerbate it further.

Considering that he and Xie Wufang couldn't immediately leave this time and space, who knew how long they'd have to stay, Yu Bai promptly decided to surrender without resistance.

After all, confession was lenient, while resistance was severe.

Five minutes later, Yu Bai and Xie Wufang found themselves seated again amidst the chaos of the police station.

The surroundings were noisy, with Qiang, who had previously been engaged in a scuffle with the young thief, attempting to chase after Yu Bai when he suddenly bolted out. However, the thief seized the opportunity to grab his leg. Amidst his shock and anger, Qiang struggled to shake off the pest, only to see Yu Bai return unscathed in no time.

As a result, Qiang resumed his relentless beating on the now doubly guilty youngster, while other bodyguards and a few police officers were desperately trying to intervene. The cries of pain and roars filled the air, creating a dizzying cacophony.

All of this was strangely...familiar.

Nonsense.

Yu Bai sighed silently.

Aside from the officers maintaining order, the other police personnel in the station had gathered around him and Xie Wufang, their expressions revealing a subtle wariness.

Li Nanxiao poured him a glass of water and asked seriously, "Why did you run just now?"

Yu Bai answered sincerely, "Because I saw through the window that the sky outside looked very strange, like a lake."

He held the cup with both hands, his arms resting on the table's edge, his fair and warm skin pressing against the cold surface.

Upon hearing this, the man beside him, who knew nothing of the previous events, was taken aback. His gaze shifted from Yu Bai's still slightly reddened arm to his cheek.

Li Nanxiao responded calmly, "We saw it too, but what does that have to do with the end of the world?"

"Well... Uncle Li, you might not believe me, but I had a dream last night with a similar scene."

Yu Bai began to fabricate a story without showing any signs of guilt.

"After waking up, I kept pondering over that scene, finding it fascinating. So, I decided to turn it into a story. Conveniently, I was lacking inspiration for the next issue's manuscript, and I thought I could portray the sky turning into a lake as an omen of an apocalypse, thus developing the plot from there."

"Unexpectedly, this scenario actually occurred in reality just now. I momentarily got disoriented and unintentionally immersed myself in my novel's narrative. Hence, my instinct was to escape."

He spoke earnestly, with a hint of apology.

The police officers from the Sun Park Precinct, who had taken his statement as a witness fifty times and were aware of his profession, gradually began to believe him.

"That's quite a coincidence. Honestly, I genuinely thought the Earth was about to end just then. That sight was terrifying."

"Little Bai, how did your dramatic disposition affect the skies now?"

Someone playfully quipped, "Was it because of your dream?"

Yu Bai, with his innocent expression, quietly lowered his head amidst these discussions, not daring to utter a sound.

It had nothing to do with the dream.

But it was indeed his fault.

Li Nanxiao listened to his explanation in silence for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

Then, he patted the shoulder of the young police officer, Little Li, sitting beside him, and handed back the initiative for the interrogation, "Carry on, I won't interfere."

"Sure thing, Captain Li, no need for such formalities."

Little Li was the same young officer who had taken statements from Yu Bai and Xie Wufang regarding the thief and Go incident previously. He still held Xie Wufang's ID card with his picture in a white shirt.

Clearing his throat, Little Li looked at the man now clad in a white shirt and tapped the ID card in his hand against the table, "So, what's the story behind this ID?"

But the man didn't respond.

His unusual gray-blue eyes stared at him emotionlessly, like an icy lake frozen in time.

In the face of that imposing blue gaze, Little Li inexplicably felt a chill down his spine.

...Why did he seem like a different person compared to before he left?

Wasn't his expression different when he looked at Captain Li just now?

Does he have an issue with me?

Without thinking, Little Li turned to the more familiar Yu Bai, "Your friend...?"

Seizing the opportunity, Yu Bai smoothly continued, "He doesn't know that this ID is fake."

"Uh?!" Little Li's attention was instantly diverted as he solemnly confirmed, "You're admitting it's a fake ID?"

"Sure, everyone knows you can't wear white for ID photos in our country," Yu Bai said matter-of-factly. "It has to be fake."

Little Li responded, "Then your friend—"

"He's not a native of this place," Yu Bai explained. "His hukou is registered here, but he doesn't really understand many things about this area. Otherwise, how could he show such an obvious fake ID to the police?"

...That made sense.

No wonder he was eating chips in the police station.

It was a particularly strong tomato scent.

Little Li pressed on, "So where did this fake ID come from?"

Yu Bai replied with utmost seriousness, "I was just about to mention that."

"I have a lead to share with you."

Thirty minutes later, the bewildered forger was hauled into the police station by a swarm of officers.

His wrists were bound in silver shackles, and his feet, in a futile resistance against the tiles of the police station, refused to accept the sudden reality of his arrest. "No, the area I'm from isn't under this station's jurisdiction! On what grounds are you arresting me!"

"Please refrain from disturbance. Others have come to us with leads; naturally, it falls upon us to handle them."

"Which idiot provided the lead! Damn it, $#@%!"

"Watch your language!" the officer rebuked him immediately. "What right do you have to ask? Are you planning to retaliate? With such blatant forgeries, it's sheer luck that you're only getting caught now!"

"Uh...?" The forger's face crumbled. "Someone reported me because the documents I made were fake? How is that possible! Does that even make sense?!"

Yu Bai and Xie Wufang stood by the police station entrance, silently witnessing the forger being escorted in.

Thanks to the authenticity of his tip and the plausible excuse he fabricated about Xie Wufang finding a fake ID after losing his, the police, accustomed to his involvement in dramatic incidents, confiscated the counterfeit ID and allowed the pair to depart.

But how did he know about the forger?

That was a story from another loop.

In that loop, the forger was indeed caught after someone reported the ID as too fake. It even implicated Yu Bai and Yan Jing, who were forced to spend hours at the station.

In any case, this current ordeal had been temporarily resolved.

Li Nanxiao, who had merely dropped by the police station while passing by, had business elsewhere. Assured that nothing serious had transpired, he left first.

As for Qiang and the others, who had engaged in a scuffle with the thief inside the police station, they would indeed be detained for a while and couldn't serve as his bodyguards for the day.

Now, tranquility had returned to the surroundings.

Yu Bai recollected the chaotic scene that had driven him to make the escape decision that day, feeling as if he had overlooked something crucial.

With no time for deep contemplation, he finally had the chance to thoroughly inspect himself after holding back for so long.

Both he and Xie Wufang were dressed in the clothes they wore in this recurring loop. They had also retrieved his backpack from the police, which contained the ceramic angel gift, as well as Xie Wufang's parchment notebook filled with indecipherable scribbles.

The small box containing the ill-fated trinket that Yu Bai had held in the elevator was now absent.

Therefore, logically speaking, their consciousness had entered this timeline that was supposed to have ended.

However...

Yu Bai's movement paused when his fingers encountered the piece of paper in his pocket.

The only addition to his presence in this loop was a neatly folded A4 paper.

It was the piece of paper for the spirit writing game that he had casually slipped into his pocket that morning, intending to use it for an experiment at the funeral parlor.

With Yu Bai's hands spread out, the words belonging to Yuan Yuhang were still visible, each quadrant of the now divided white paper bearing four lines of text.

1. Fulfill Zhang Yunjiang's final wish.

2. Can't stand arrogant jerks.

3. Can't tolerate Comrade Little Xie.

4. No particular reason, just feel like having some fun.

...

Sigh.

Damn damned fate.

Yan Jing, Yuan Yuhang, and He Xi, who were also in the golden elevator - Yu Bai wondered if they had entered this timeline too. Turning to the silent man beside him, he asked, "Do you know if they three made it in?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Wufang responded with a question of his own, "Am I allowed to speak now?"

Yu Bai was taken aback before realizing what he had said earlier: "Don't speak unless I ask you."

...Such obedient words.

"I'm good," he whispered, walking out of the police station alongside Xie Wufang.

Xie Wufang replied simultaneously, "Anyone who sees that time will be drawn into this temporal anomaly."

The moment they stepped out side by side, a figure immediately approached them from a nearby stone bench.

"Hey! Are you two alright?"

A lively-looking elder clasped his hands in front of his chest, concern etched on his face. "I saw you being chased by the police just now and got a fright. I didn't dare go in to cause trouble for you..."

At that instant, Yu Bai finally realized what he had forgotten.

In the midst of the chaos, there had been an old man whom Yuan Yuhang had hastily asked to leave the ambulance to seek out Xie Wufang at the police station, wanting to learn chess from him.

Previously, he only knew the surname and had always addressed the man as Uncle Zhang. Now, based on what Yuan Yuhang had written on the paper, the man's name was Zhang Yunjiang.

The very Zhang Yunjiang, who couldn't be cremated due to his demise in the real world, was now standing right in front of him, very much alive and not yet departed.

Looking at the aged face filled with concern, Yu Bai instinctively glanced at Xie Wufang beside him and whispered, "He's from the —"

He didn't finish his sentence because Xie Wufang's gaze calmly passed over Zhang Yunjiang, showing no surprise at all in encountering this elderly man still alive.

Or perhaps, he was indifferent.

His eyes fell on Yu Bai's arm, which had long lost its flush, and he softly asked, "Does it still hurt?"