Chapter 45: A Gamble of Time: One Person Leaves, One Stays, a Gamble of Life and Death...
"Scared, huh?" Gao Yiyuan said with an "I knew it" expression. "The Bureau's ace agents don't get their reputation for nothing. Let's see if the boss will reveal his true identity."
Wen Yi was still in shock. Try? How? She wasn't even close to Wen Zhiyao.
"Sister?" Gu Yifeng called her softly again, his voice a youthful one, gentle yet tinged with a hint of shyness and distance. It was a stark contrast to the dignified Gu Yifeng of the past. His eyes were no longer the sharp, scathing gaze of a knife; a hint of bookishness now lingered between his brows.
Everyone sat in a circle, as if they were in an interrogation room trying to extract a confession.
"Alright, alright," Guo Qingyu said seriously, pushing up his glasses. "Examining identity information is too basic. We need to ask questions that can truly expose weaknesses."
"Yeah, yeah!" Gao Yiyuan excitedly opened his tablet. "Let's do something challenging!"
Wen Yi also became interested, and the corners of her mouth raised slightly: "Then let's get started."
Gao Yiyuan cleared his throat and searched the internet for a question: "With the advancement of modern technology, traditional astrology has lost its relevance. As a member of the Wen family's astrology psychic, what exactly is your special ability?"
The room suddenly became quiet, and everyone held their breath waiting for his answer.
Gu Yifeng pondered for a moment, then spoke calmly, "Astrology is a way of observing the universe and understanding the laws of nature. The ability to perceive spatial energy, including natural signals like magnetic fields and gravitational waves, is the core of the Wen family's astrological abilities."
Guo Qingyu raised his eyebrows: "That's so mysterious. Can you use your supernatural powers to change my fortune?"
Gu Yifeng didn't even raise his eyelids as he spoke calmly, "Fortune is never determined by a single star, just like destiny, it can't be rewritten by a single divination."
Guo Qingyu snorted coldly: "Are you making this up?"
Gu Yifeng glanced at him, his lips curled up slightly: "I just don't want to be led astray by questions."
Wen Yi couldn't help but cheer for him. This slight sense of pretentiousness perfectly captured the temperament of the Wen family.
For the first time, she realized that Gu Yifeng was far more complex than she'd anticipated. Beneath his near-perfect disguise lay extreme calmness and restraint, layers upon layers of calculation and insight. Gazing at the seemingly immature yet profoundly cunning "Wen Zhiyao," she finally became convinced that Gu Yifeng was not someone who could be easily understood.
The next morning, the sky was slightly bright, the moon was shining through the mountain, and the mountain breeze was cool.
Wen Yi, Gu Yifeng, and their group were ready to depart for the Zero Laboratory in Yunhu City. Wen Yunzhi, his wife Wen Yuran, and others came to see them off, their expressions solemn and filled with reluctance. Wen Yuran choked up several times.
The advice from relatives is nothing more than "do what you can" and "protect yourself". Their voices are not loud, but they are extremely serious.
Wen Yunzhi patted Wen Yi's shoulder and reminded her again: "Yi Yi, remember that using your abilities comes at a price. Don't use them lightly unless necessary." His tone was stern, but his eyes showed unconcealable worry.
Wen Yi quietly clenched her fists and whispered, "I understand."
Gu Yifeng, who was listening at the side, looked calm as usual. Without saying anything, he quietly took Wen Yi's hand and held it tightly.
Wen Zhiyao also came to see him off. The tall and thin young man stood behind the crowd with an indifferent expression. When his eyes swept over Gu Yifeng, he nodded slightly, as if saying goodbye silently.
Before leaving, Wen Zhiyao suddenly walked out of the crowd and came to Wen Yi. His tone was calm but serious: "I was observing the stars at night, and I have something to say to you. When you are lost, look up at the starry sky and follow Vega. You will be reunited with the one you miss."
This vague sentence was like a shooting star falling into the lake of the heart, causing ripples in Wen Yi's heart.
She believed that this sentence was not just something Wen Zhiyao said casually, but was the power of astrology. The astrological law that was said to be able to guide lost people to find their way home was also a prophecy.
She smiled slightly and replied softly, "I will remember it." She wondered if the stars in the sky could guide her to find the node that would truly change her destiny.
Gu Yifeng also glanced at Wen Zhiyao, but didn't say much. He gently reached out and held Wen Yi's shoulders, signaling her to set off.
The mountain breeze blew up the corners of the traveler's clothes, and behind him was the silent outline of Yuexi Mountain. The farewell figure and those unfinished words gradually disappeared in the morning mist.
*
On the edge of the eastern suburbs of Yunhu City, a tall glass-framed building stands quietly under the azure sky.
Zero Lab, affiliated with the National Security Bureau's Fifth Branch, is a top-secret national research facility. The building resembles a perfectly shaped cube, its glass exterior reflecting sunlight like a multicolored Rubik's Cube, engulfing all darkness in light and shadow. The entire area exudes a sense of extreme technology and order, yet lacks a trace of human warmth.
Wen Yi and Gu Yifeng stood quietly in front of the gate. She didn't speak, her fingers curled slightly, yet she instinctively felt a sense of oppression. To her, this wasn't a temple of science, but a gambling table where she challenged fate. Too many people had vanished silently in the pursuit of the experimental plan.
She took a deep breath and walked side by side with Gu Yifeng into the door leading to the unknown.
High-precision quantum computing terminals flanked the entrance, enabling real-time scanning and identification of personnel entering and exiting. Photos of past researchers lined the wall directly in front. The lab's interior was vast, dotted with countless sophisticated instruments. White-coated researchers shuttled between the terminals, their footsteps, conversations, and the hum of instruments interweaving to create a cold yet orderly rhythm.
The identity verification area is located on the left side of the entrance to the hall. The holographic projection automatically scans facial information, and a mechanical voice confirms access rights one by one.
"Ding—Identity confirmed: Wen Yi, File Number: G-09327, Clearance Level A, Pass granted."
Wen Yi passed first, and Gu Yifeng followed.
"Ding—Identity confirmed: Wen Zhiyao, file number X-11459, clearance level C, access permit issued."
His expression remained unchanged and he walked without stopping, and he passed through the gate smoothly.
But just as they were about to enter the core area, a young man's voice suddenly sounded from behind:
"etc!"
Gu Yifeng frowned slightly, as if he didn't hear anything, and continued walking side by side with Wen Yi.
"Hey! I told you to stop!" The voice came again from behind, very close.
Gu Yifeng paused slightly and turned back. A uniformed agent stood behind them. Gu Yifeng instantly recognized him. He was a familiar face from the Third Bureau. They had fought side by side in a joint counter-terrorism mission.
"You..." He looked Gu Yifeng up and down, "You look very familiar."
The air froze instantly.
Wen Yi's pupils shrank, and her fingertips unconsciously grasped the corner of her clothes.
Gu Yifeng looked calm: "Sorry, this is my first time here." His tone was steady, polite and distant.
The next second, the agent suddenly chuckled and shook his head as if he realized something ridiculous.
"I got the wrong person," he said casually. "But you look exactly like someone I know. He's a few years older than me. How could it be you?"
After saying that, the other party waved his hand, indicating that they could pass.
Wen Yi breathed a sigh of relief and continued to move forward with Gu Yifeng. Just as they were about to turn into the depths of the passage, a low but clear voice suddenly came from behind them:
"Gu Yifeng!"
Gu Yifeng's steps almost became slightly stiff at that moment, but he did not look back or stop.
Wen Yi was so nervous that she forgot to breathe and followed Gu Yifeng's footsteps woodenly until they turned the corner. Only then did they slowly exhale.
She turned her head and glanced at his sullen face. Was that man's shout just now a test or a warning?
When the two finally entered the core area of the laboratory, a middle-aged man with a full beard had been waiting for a while. He was in his early forties, wearing thick-bottomed glasses. His expression was solemn, and his every move exuded a strong sense of authority.
"Miss Wen, please come this way." He shook hands with Wen Yi and said, "I'm Cao Mo, the project manager here."
Under his guidance, the two came to the central control console, where a huge device shaped like a spaceship was placed, with blue light flowing on its surface.
"This is the 'Time Anchor,'" he said with pride. "It's not a portal in the traditional sense, but a time folder. Using high-dimensional space compression technology, we've created a stable time channel and used quantum entanglement to achieve data transmission. However, the time range we can currently stabilize the anchor is no more than thirty days."
"If you want to go back further into the past..." He paused, his gaze falling on Wen Yi, "You'll need your strength. You can think of it this way: we provide the car and gasoline, and you're only responsible for driving the car to your destination."
Wen Yi nodded: "I'm ready."
He looked at her seriously. "We must clarify a few things. First, to reduce teleportation energy consumption, you must travel as light as possible and not carry anything that doesn't belong to the target timeline."
"Can."
"Secondly, other than necessary revisions, you cannot alter or influence the original timeline in any way. Even a tiny change could trigger a butterfly effect, causing the timeline to split into unstable branches."
"Understood."
Cao Mo paused for a moment and added, "If you encounter your past self, it could lead to serious consequences, or even self-annihilation."
Wen Yi's breathing paused slightly, and then she nodded seriously.
"Finally," he said in a serious tone, "once you are identified as a 'non-original being' in that time and space, the purge mechanism will be triggered. In other words, the physical laws of that time and space, the course of history, or even an ordinary person, may erase you from this timeline."
Wen Yi's eyes widened: "Is it that serious?"
Cao Mo stared at her. "This is all theory. We don't know how this mechanism determines or executes. The only thing you can do is to keep a low profile and avoid being identified as a 'non-original being' by that time and space."
She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I understand."
"Then please come in, Miss Wen." Cao Mo said before turning to Gu Yifeng, "Just wait outside."
Gu Yifeng's eyes flashed: "What did you say? I must be with her."
Cao Mo shook his head: "The energy reserve of the entire laboratory is only enough to fully transport one person."
Wen Yi suddenly looked at Gu Yifeng, shock and anxiety flashed in her eyes; Gu Yifeng clenched his fists tightly.
They had never imagined that this final step would be the beginning of separation.
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Author's Comment: Gu Yifeng: Director! This script is wrong! Why was I left here?
Director: Don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with the script. The next episode will be given to the young Gu Yifeng. You don’t have any role for the time being.
Wen Yi: Wow, there are more versions that can be developed~~I can!
Director: The male lead in this version may be different from what you imagined, you will find out when you go there. Okay, start shooting!
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