Time gap
The man in the long robe, now to be called "the prisoner," held the blood droplets from the clouds in his palm.
"The second key is hidden within the time rift," he said softly. "It's a place even the system can't fully control."
The entity frowned: "The time rift is extremely unstable; entering it is too risky."
"Risk and opportunity go hand in hand." The prisoner traced a line with his finger, and a twisted crack appeared in the air. "Besides, you're not going alone."
Through the clouds, he looked at the season: "Let's go together."
Younger Shi Xu stepped forward: "I'll go too. I know the rules of time best."
The officer, arms crossed, said, "Someone needs to stay on guard, to watch out for Officer Zhou."
The final decision was that the original timeline and the younger timeline would accompany the Cloud Rift into the rift, while the other timelines would stay in the cabin to maintain the stability of the passage with the prisoners.
The moment he stepped into the rift, Yun Ku felt a dizzying sensation. Countless lights and shadows swept past him, and fragmented memories danced like snowflakes.
"Stay calm." Shi Xu held her hand. "Here, consciousness can easily be torn apart."
They stood in a bizarre and dazzling passageway, surrounded by ever-changing scenery. Some scenes were familiar to Yunxi, while others were completely unfamiliar.
"These are fragments of time," the younger timeline explained. "Everything that has happened leaves its mark here."
Suddenly, a scene caught Yunxi's attention. It was a picture from her childhood, showing a woman in a white coat examining her.
"Is this... a hospital?" she asked, puzzled.
Shi Xu's expression changed slightly: "This memory shouldn't exist."
They approached the scene, and the image gradually came into focus. The instrument in the woman's hand emitted a faint light, and the medical data from Yunxi's examination flickered on the screen.
"The gene sequence is stable, and the key carrier has a 98% fit..." the woman murmured, writing something in her notebook.
Yunxi was stunned: "Key carrier?"
More fragments of memory surfaced. She saw herself in different laboratories, undergoing various tests. After each checkup, her parents would receive a generous payment.
"So that's how it is..." she murmured to herself, "I've never been an ordinary person."
Shi Xu silently tightened her grip on her hand.
As they ventured deeper into the rift, they witnessed even more shocking sights. The true nature of the system gradually became clear—it was a vast consciousness attempting to control all timelines, and Officer Zhou was merely one of its countless executors.
"What the system fears is not chaos, but freedom," the younger timeline said softly. "It wants to bring all timelines under its control."
A portal of light appeared ahead, and powerful energy fluctuations emanated from behind it.
"The second key is inside," Shi Xu said, "but that's also where the system's most heavily monitored area is."
Yunxi took a deep breath: "Now that we're here, there's no turning back."
They stepped through the portal, and the sight before them stunned everyone.
It was a massive control center, with countless screens displaying the status of various timelines. And on the main screen in the center, their live video feed was prominently displayed.
A familiar voice came from behind:
"We've finally waited for you."
Officer Zhou stood in front of the control panel, toying with a glowing crystal in his hand—the second key they were looking for.
"I didn't expect you guys would actually dare to come here." He shook his head slightly. "It seems I underestimated your courage, or rather... your foolishness."
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