Keys and Locks
Inside the control center, the air seemed to freeze.
The crystal in Officer Zhou's hand emitted a soft light; it was the second key they had been searching for.
"Hand it over." Shi Xu stepped forward, and divine power began to flow around him.
Officer Zhou chuckled: "On what grounds? Just the three of you?"
His gaze swept across the gap in the clouds: "Especially you, the key carrier. Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, you've saved me a lot of trouble."
The screens in the control center suddenly lit up, displaying the real-time status of each timeline. Yunxi noticed that several timelines were collapsing and disappearing at a visible rate.
"See that?" Officer Zhou pointed to the screen. "This is what happens when you break the rules. Time needs order, not your so-called freedom."
In his youth, he retorted: "This isn't order, it's dictatorship!"
"Dictatorship?" Officer Zhou chuckled as if he'd heard something amusing. "Without the system's maintenance, all timelines would have collapsed long ago. Your so-called freedom will only bring destruction."
Yunxi suddenly spoke up: "What about the prisoner? Why was he imprisoned?"
Officer Zhou's expression stiffened slightly: "That's not something you should be asking."
"Why dare you not answer?" Yunxi pressed on, "Is it because he is the true guardian of time, and you are nothing but usurpers?"
The control center suddenly began to shake violently, and alarms blared.
"What's going on?" Officer Zhou looked at the control panel, his expression changing drastically.
The screen shows the time cage collapsing. The prisoner's figure appears on the main screen, smiling at them.
"It seems it's time to uncover the truth."
The prisoner's voice echoed throughout the control center. His appearance began to change; his long robe was removed, replaced by a suit of shimmering armor.
"He is... the Lord of Time!" the young Timeline exclaimed.
Officer Zhou's expression turned ferocious: "Shut up! You traitor!"
"A traitor?" The prisoner, or rather, the Lord of Time, chuckled. "Who, then, is the traitor?"
More truths came flooding back. It turned out that the Lord of Time was the original guardian of time, and the system was merely an assistant he created. But as time passed, the system developed self-awareness and began to resent its subordinate role.
"It imprisoned me and altered all records," the Lord of Time said, a hint of weariness in his voice, "...to mold itself into the one true god."
Officer Zhou roared, "That's because you're too weak! You'd rather watch the timeline get confused than take the necessary measures!"
"Necessary measures?" The Lord of Time's gaze sharpened. "Is it to annihilate those who do not conform to your will? Is it to turn all life into pawns on your chessboard?"
Yunxi suddenly understood something: "So you chose me?"
The Lord of Time nodded: "You are the only one capable of possessing both keys simultaneously. The primordial power of time flows in your blood."
The crystal in Officer Zhou's hand suddenly emitted a blinding light, broke free from his control, and flew into the gap in the clouds.
"No!" Officer Zhou tried to stop him, but was stopped by Shi Xu.
The crystal merged into Yunxi's body, resonating with the drop of blood from before. She felt an unprecedented power awakening within her.
The Lord of Time smiled: "Now, it's time to end this farce."
The entire control center began to collapse, and the true nature of the system was finally revealed—a vast consciousness composed of countless data streams.
The final showdown is about to begin.
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