A sleepless night.

While the residents of Star City were enjoying themselves, Feng Qi sat on the balcony all night.

During this time, he received New Year's greetings from the Lord of Mist, Lin Ran, and Wei Wei.

At this time, looking at the red sun gradually rising from the horizon, he stood up and shook off the snow on his body.

With the arrival of the New Year, he will also start a new ideal journey.

Coming into the house, he glanced at the things in the old house for the last time, and walked out of the room.

Putting the key back into the crack of the wall, he went downstairs without looking back.

From then on, the past was gone with the wind, and he would follow the Lord of Mist and fall into darkness completely.

Walking out of the community, it was still snowing outside.

There were not many passers-by on the streets outside the community, only the snow-clearing robots were working overtime, pushing the snow covering the road to both sides of the road.

Exhaling a cloud of white mist, he walked straight along the sidewalk to the bus stop three kilometers away.

The holidays given to staff and researchers at Hupo Research Institute are not unified.

Researchers of some important projects have to go back to work the day after eating the New Year's Eve dinner. Other researchers of

non-important projects can rest for a few more days.

He was obviously not an important person.

But he knew he had to rush back as soon as possible.

The New Year's greetings from the Lord of Mist last night had already indicated that the Tiger Soul Research Institute had been completely taken down.

When he learned the news at that time, he was not surprised.

With his understanding of the Lord of Mist, if he was not almost absolutely sure, he would not take the risk to launch the action.

Before the start of this plan, the Lord of Mist might have deduced this plan countless times in his mind.

Even if unexpected emergencies may occur during the plan, he believes that with the strength of the Lord of Mist, he can get out of it unscathed.

From the description of the Lord of Mist on the phone, he also learned that

the civil war of the Night Shadow Clan that night was very tragic.

In the end, none of the three factions won.

Just when they were all exhausted, the Lord of Mist took action.

The Lord of Mist was seriously injured in this battle, but fortunately, the source of life was not damaged.

It was just that the new body became broken in the battle and could not be used for long.

But for the Lord of Mist, all this was no longer important. He now had complete control of the Tiger Soul Research Institute.

The way to control it was also very simple.

He did not kill all the Night Shadows.

In his opinion, the Night Shadows' mental control ability still had value, which would help him better control the Tiger Soul Research Institute.

So after completely controlling the situation, he chose to enslave the remaining Night Shadows.

To be on the safe side, he forced the remaining dozens of Night Shadows to practice the "Blood and Flesh Sacrifice".

He killed three of them with a trigger switch, so that the other Night Shadows would understand the consequences of betraying him.

He also let them know that after practicing the Blood and Flesh Sacrifice, they would die of exhaustion with only a thought from the Lord of the Mist.

The three Night Shadows who were used to kill chickens to scare monkeys also turned into blood mist and died miserably.

The Night Shadows who practiced the Blood and Flesh Sacrifice were like being marked with death by the shadow behind the Science and Technology Research Institute, and their life and death were no longer under their control.

Just as the Lord of the Mist had originally evaluated the Night Shadows.

The Night Shadows' way of thinking about problems is "weak tribe thinking". Faced with an outcome that they could not resist, the remaining Night Shadows lowered their heads and chose to surrender and live.

At the end of the phone call, the Lord of the Mist said.

Next, he will transfer him and Lin Ran back to the headquarters of Hupo Research Institute, and then start to seize Lin Ran's body.

This is also the reason why Feng Qi wants to rush back to the Hupo branch base as soon as possible.

Thinking about his worries, he came to the platform.

After waiting for a long time, the unmanned bus slowly stopped at the side of the platform.

He got on the bus, but it was still empty.

He sat down by the window and pressed the destination of this trip.

The vehicle started slowly and kept speeding up.

...

A few hours later, Feng Qi returned to the gate of the Hupo Research Institute branch base.

Just as he was about to verify his identity and enter the base, he looked up at the sky.

He saw a helicopter with the words "Hupo" printed on it hovering over the branch base, preparing to land on the helipad inside the base.

After verifying his identity, he stepped into the base.

Turning his head and looking in the direction of the helicopter's helipad, he saw Lin Ran, who was carrying a lot of bags, getting off the helicopter. After

looking at each other from a distance, a smile appeared on Lin Ran's face, and then he ran towards him quickly.

Feng Qi stopped at this time.

"Brother Qi, why did you come back today? Don't you want to take a few days off?"

"How about you? It's rare to go home and get together. How do you feel?"

"I'm praised by my relatives like a star, and now I've become their capital to brag about outside." Lin Ran replied with a smile, and then continued:

"Also, I haven't seen my sister for a year, and suddenly I found that she has grown to my chest..."

Looking at Lin Ran with a happy face, Feng Qi suddenly didn't know how to start.

He can sacrifice himself without hesitation, but sacrificing others is another completely different feeling.

Standing on the moral high ground of justice to ask others is against his wishes.

Even though Lin Ran has made it clear that he is willing to sacrifice himself for justice.

But when he thinks about it carefully, Lin Ran is different from him.

He is alone, with no worries in his heart, and only the flame of desire to run towards the road of ideals is burning in his chest.

But Lin Ran is different, he has relatives and concerns.

Everyone on each timeline is a living being, and Lin Ran is no exception.

Lin Ran's choice to sacrifice himself is undoubtedly cruel to his relatives.

As if noticing the change in Feng Qi's expression, Lin Ran's smile faded, and he suddenly asked:

"Brother Qi, are you coming?"

Looking at Lin Ran, he couldn't help but sigh.

At this time, Lin Ran's face smiled again, and then he reached out and hit his chest:

"You have sacrificed so many timelines, and it's time for me to experience the feeling of being unswerving for my ideal."

"Let's not talk about this outside, let's go to the base first."

Then, he and Lin Ran walked into the base together.

Back in the base, Feng Qi and Lin Ran first returned to their rooms and put down their luggage and other items.

Then they changed into a set of Tiger Soul Researcher uniforms and came to Lin Ran's private laboratory one after another.

When he opened the door, Feng Qi saw Lin Ran already sitting on the sofa waiting.

Sitting down on the sofa, he looked at Lin Ran with a complicated expression and said,

"Ah Ran, the Lord of the Mist has now completely controlled the Hupo Research Institute."

Lin Ran was not surprised to hear this, but nodded calmly and said,

"Well, I have guessed, when will he take over my body?"

"Maybe tonight..." Before

he finished speaking, the door of the private laboratory was knocked.

"Come in."

The door of the room was pushed open at this time, and a man in the uniform of the Hupo staff came to Lin Ran, handed over a document, and then said respectfully,

"Team Leader Lin, this is a document sent by the Hupo headquarters."

After taking the document, Lin Ran nodded immediately and said,

"Thank you."

After the staff left, he lowered his head and scanned the contents of the document.

Feng Qi knew what the content of this document was without thinking.

It was obvious that the Lord of the Mist used the authority of the headquarters to transfer Lin Ran and him back to the headquarters.

After waiting for a while, Lin Ran looked up at him:

"Brother Qi, the headquarters gave us one day to prepare, and you and I will be transferred back to the headquarters tonight."

Hearing this, he felt complicated.

"Don't be so sad, this day will come sooner or later, I'm ready."

"Have you considered your family?"

Hearing this, Lin Ran couldn't help but fall silent, with a little struggle in his eyes.

After a long silence, he looked up at Feng Qi and said:

"Brother Qi, I actually struggled too, wondering why I should sacrifice myself for the future of the main timeline... but in the end I still survived the struggle in my heart."

Taking a deep breath, Lin Ran continued with red eyes:

"During school, I listened to teachers talking about the stories of the martyrs, and I was often excited to the point of boiling blood. I also often imagined that if one day the mission came, I must also shed blood for the ideal future like the martyrs."

"Now the dream of my childhood has come true. After struggling, I understand what I want in my heart, and I have made the choice I think is right."

Looking at Lin Ran with a firm look, Feng Qi couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

At this time, he realized that Lin Ran's heart was as firm as his.

He stood up at this time and patted Lin Ran's shoulder solemnly:

"A Ran, say your final goodbye, you don't have much time left."

After saying that, he walked out of the room without looking back, wanting to give Lin Ran some space alone.

After Feng Qi left, Lin Ran took out his mobile phone.

He opened the album list.

Looking through the photos of his relatives, his eyes couldn't help but redden.

He opened the contact list and scanned the names one by one.

But he still didn't make a call.

He found that he couldn't bear to say goodbye to his relatives, and didn't even know what to say at this time.

...

At this time, Feng Qi walked out of the laboratory and leaned against the wall, with a very complicated mood.

He had already felt the grief in Lin Ran's heart.

He could fully understand Lin Ran's feelings.

Sadness is not indecisiveness, and it has nothing to do with whether one's heart is firm.

The experience of multiple timelines made him understand a truth.

Those heroes in history who are willing to sacrifice for justice are not without tears, but they will continue to run with tears in their eyes when they cry.

The road to the utopia is full of thorns.

If you want to move forward, sacrifice and pain must go hand in hand.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and walked straight to his room.

After a while, he returned to the room.

He reached out from under the bed and pulled out the metal box sent by the Scarlet Research Institute.

After completing the verification, as the ice mist rose, he took out the "memory clearing liquid" stored in the container.

And put the miracle bracelet stored in it on his wrist.

Then he sat on the bed and began to wait.

Lin Ran only had one day left, and the special plane of Hupo headquarters would arrive in the evening.

He felt that Lin Ran needed a little space to be alone.

To think, to recall, to say goodbye...

...

At eight o'clock in the evening.

The special plane of Hupo headquarters landed on the helipad inside the wall of the sub-base.

Feng Qi and Lin Ran packed their luggage and walked out of the gate of the sub-base at this time.

After confirming the situation with the personnel who came to pick them up, they boarded the Hupo special plane.

Without staying for too long, the Hupo special plane flew into the night sky after picking them up.

The Hupo headquarters is located in the southernmost suburbs of Xingcheng. The location is more remote than the branch base, but the relative area is more than ten times that of the branch base.

30 minutes later, Feng Qi and Lin Ran got off the plane.

What appeared in front of them was a small city, with towering Hupo buildings standing in front.

The Hupo headquarters was brightly lit at night. The Hupo

headquarters building in front was the most conspicuous. It was located in the center, and under the lights, it looked like a golden sword piercing the sky.

At this time, there were staff waiting.

Seeing them get off the plane, they immediately came forward enthusiastically.

For Lin Ran, the staff at the headquarters of Hupo Research Institute are no strangers.

Even many staff and researchers are loyal fans of Lin Ran.

Knowing that Lin Ran was transferred back to the headquarters, the official groups of various departments of Hupo had already exploded.

At this time, seeing the idol in person, the staff seemed a little excited.

Following the staff, they came to the front of the Hupo headquarters building.

Along the way, Feng Qi found that the security system of Hupo Research Institute was not at the same level as that of Scarlet Research Institute.

But thinking about it carefully, he could understand the reason.

The defense of Hupo Research Institute is divided into two lines, one is the defense of the entire Star City.

After all, if you want to destroy Hupo Research Institute, you must first face the defense force of Star City.

The second line of defense is the subordinate regiments and garrisons in Hupo Base.

But this part of the force is generally distributed at several entrances and exits of the wall of Hupo Base, and only a small number of them are responsible for internal security in the form of wandering.

This is obviously related to the fact that the top leaders of Hupo are unaware of the hidden dangers inside.

They thought that two lines of defense were enough to protect Hupo Research Institute. If these two lines of defense were broken, no matter how strong the defense force of Hupo Research Institute was, it would be useless.

This defensive arrangement obviously did not expect invisible invasion and infiltration.

Compared with the defense of several checkpoints and instrument detection inside and outside Scarlet Research Institute, the defense of Hupo Research Institute can be said to be very weak.

Following the staff into Hupo Building, they took the elevator to the third underground floor.

They were arranged with new rooms here, and Lin Ran's room was next to Feng Qi.

…

After the staff left, Lin Ran closed the door.

Coming to the suitcase, he took out a container of "memory clearing liquid".

Without hesitation, he unscrewed the cap and decisively poured all the liquid into his mouth in one breath.

He chose to drink it at this time so as not to arouse the suspicion of the Lord of the Mist.

It proved that at least before he entered the Hupo Research Institute, everything was normal. He

glanced at the time. It was already nine o'clock in the evening.

He knew that the Lord of the Mist could come at any time and take his body away.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the past surged in his mind like a slide, and then was torn off page by page.

It was like an eraser chasing memories, erasing everything along the way.

His memories walked ahead of the eraser, and the past was vivid in his mind, constantly surging forward.

"A Ran, you are our pride, we are proud of you."

"I am indeed a genius, this way of casting spells is called... the seal flow."

"The difficult environment is conducive to my growth. I have decided to apply for the Winter Academy!"

"I want to fulfill my grandfather's wish. I want to develop a super practice method that can change the future."

In his memories, his expression gradually became dull.

Many pictures also became blurred.

Finally, the picture of him sitting in the classroom when he was young and swearing with a fist emerged in his mind:

"I, Lin Ran, will also become a hero like the martyrs in the future."

The original intention is like a torch, shining on the ideal path.

Tears slid from the corners of his eyes, and his eyes were completely confused, leaving only a trace of determination before the amnesia flowing and surging in his heart.