Chapter 195 Another Time Travel
"Hmm!"
The violent shaking caused Ning Wanwan to sway, and she barely managed to stay upright by pulling on Qi Lin beside her.
Such a massive commotion is a force that is almost impossible for human beings to resist.
Qi Lin used some of his special abilities to firmly hold Ning Wanwan's waist and steady himself.
Ning Wanwan let out a breath: "Thank you..."
Qi Lin remained calm and focused on resisting the commotion. He settled Ning Wanwan in a temporarily safe place and then met up with Zhou Yanyao, who had arrived.
Ning Wanwan finally had some free time to sort out her chaotic thoughts.
Qi Lin and Zhou Yanyao both believed that such commotion meant something was about to awaken.
Based on the information she had gathered, Ning Wanwan guessed that the thing that was about to awaken was most likely the "Emperor" of the alien beasts that Jeremy had mentioned.
In other words, the final villain in that storyline is about to awaken.
Once awakened, is it possible that the world's transformations can never be reversed?
Is there any way to stop it now?
Ning Wanwan's mind was in turmoil.
[Don't even think about it. His awakening cannot be stopped by any external force.] The system's voice was exceptionally cold in her mind.
What you need to do now is find a safe place and hide properly.
Ning Wanwan's face darkened, and she suddenly asked, "You seem to think highly of the villainous boss because it's very strong?"
"But no matter how strong she was, she was still killed by the male lead in the final episode of the story."
The girl's tone was sarcastic, as if she was deliberately trying to provoke it.
[...]
[That was just...] The system paused, then sneered, [but now it's hard to say.]
Meanwhile, Zhou Yanyao and Qi Lin were also making the most of their time, quickly discussing how to settle Ning Wanwan down first.
"This place is going to become very dangerous." Zhou Yanyao repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, showing a rare hint of anxiety.
"We need to find a safe place to take her there first!"
"Once that guy wakes up, is there any truly safe place in the world?" Qi Lin asked calmly, his face expressionless.
Zhou Yanyao almost punched him: "If you're not worried at all, what else can we do!"
Qi Lin spoke each word with obvious care, and Zhou Yanyao suddenly felt a bad premonition.
"Yaozi, do you remember the time-attribute crystal core I told you about, the one we almost lost our lives to get?"
"Of course, I remember. You said that crystal core would be very useful in the future." Zhou Yanyao was puzzled, but then his eyes lit up as he thought of something.
"Is it time to use it now?"
"right."
"Previously, the crystal core had attributes but not enough energy to be used. But recently, the crystal core has collected enough energy."
Moreover, it's not just about energy.
Qi Lin's eyes were deep and his words were deliberate, as if he had made a firm decision.
"Use that crystal core to send her back to the past."
Although no name was mentioned, it's impossible for there to be a second person in this situation.
Zhou Yanyao's eyes widened: "Are you crazy!"
"Now, is there any place safer than in the past?" Qi Lin asked calmly. "Thirty years ago, no matter what, at least one could live peacefully for thirty years."
"The world is only getting more and more dilapidated and unsuitable for human survival. Perhaps in less than five years, the vast majority of humanity will be wiped out."
The world that belongs to humanity will perish.
Moreover, once the "Emperor" of the alien beasts awakens, the decay and devastation of the world will occur at an unimaginable and terrifying speed.
Zhou Yanyao gritted his teeth, but couldn't utter a single word. He knew very well that Qi Lin was telling the truth.
"This damn world!" Finally, Zhou Yanyao paced around a few times in frustration, slammed his fist on the wall, and cursed out this.
Now that the decision has been made, given the current situation, there is no time to waste.
One of them picked up Ning Wanwan, who was swaying, and helped her steady herself. The other person took out a crystal core and placed it in Ning Wanwan's hand.
The pale blue crystal core lay in Ning Wanwan's palm, shimmering with a mysterious light.
"Wanwan, do you remember this crystal core? I told you it has the attribute of time."
Qi Lin spoke concisely and quickly.
"Not only that, it is also infused with a tremendous amount of power, including the mysterious and elusive concept of 'luck'."
Qi Lin had said that when the black cat went on other missions, it was to take this crystal core to other people and infuse it with power, including the existence of "luck".
This included his own, as well as Zhou Yanyao's, Shen Wu's, Jiang Chengran's, and even Jiang Yuyuan's, Mu Xijue's...
And there is only one reason why they are willing to give up a significant portion of their strength and "luck".
That's for Ning Wanwan's safety.
Everyone knows that Ning Wanwan's personality and abilities are not suited to survive in this terrible era.
Then let's send her back to the peaceful and tranquil past.
This was an idea that Qi Lin had held since the moment he learned about the properties of the crystal core. Surprisingly, many people agreed with this crazy and irrational idea, which involved far more investment than return.
They were all willing to give Ning Wanwan a miracle.
The black cat's innate ability is time, but it's so powerful that improving it is extremely difficult, especially now that the world's upheaval has only just begun. But with this crystal core, things are different.
In the original work, the black cat activated its ability to the highest level when the boss battle was over and the story was nearing its end. At that time, the male protagonist Qi Lin had already become a god, and the past and future of this world were thus fixed.
However, things can still be changed.
Ning Wanwan's mind was in turmoil, but she realized that this was an opportunity that could potentially change things.
This miracle should have been given to someone with the ability.
Is it really a good idea to hand it over to her?
At this moment, Ning Wanwan felt a little timid.
Moreover, despite such a huge and unexpected turn of events, the system remained completely silent in her mind, as if it were dead.
"Going back in time might change the future."
Qi Lin said in a low voice, "Perhaps we can change this terrible future for humanity."
That would result in an ending where no one has any regrets.
“But,” Qi Lin said, his dark eyes fixed on her, and then he suddenly smiled.
"If you really can't change it, don't force yourself."
"Just stay there and don't come back."
...
...
...
A pale blue light completely enveloped her consciousness.
My whole body felt like it was constantly falling, falling, yet also like it was constantly rising.
Throughout the process, Ning Wanwan felt a sharp pain in her head and seemed to hear a faint crackling sound from the system.
Did the system do something...?
When she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself in a space similar to a laboratory, with all sorts of containers, metal tools and other experimental supplies in sight.
...Where is she? Did she successfully travel back in time?
The system in her mind seemed to have disappeared as well; no matter how Ning Wanwan called out to it, it never appeared again.
"Why are you still standing here?" another person in a white lab coat approached and urged, "Hurry up and tidy this up, there are other people coming to do things later."
"Okay... I'll get ready right away."
Ning Wanwan subconsciously tried not to give anything away, and followed the example of the other person, tidying up the experimental equipment that had been used on the operating table.
While suppressing her social anxiety, she used all her acting skills to try and hide her embarrassment and inquire about information as naturally as possible.
Then she learned that this was a seemingly very prestigious research institute, and that her role here was that of a lowly assistant, doing some unimportant odd jobs.
Being inconspicuous is great; it's less likely to be exposed. Ning Wanwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although I don't quite understand how I ended up in this strange research institute when I was supposed to be going back to the past, it doesn't feel like going back to the past, but more like entering some kind of instance.
But right now, the most important thing is to carefully understand the situation.
Ning Wanwan actually suspected that the system had done something to change the current situation.
Otherwise, how could he have inexplicably appeared in this research institute, with a cover identity, and the system had also disappeared?
But no matter what, the research institute I'm in is definitely very important.
Over time, Ning Wanwan gradually became familiar with the environment and became less likely to give away her secrets.
Ning Wanwan learned that this research institute was privately funded and seemed to be conducting some extraordinary experiment. The core content of the experiment was very mysterious and had a high level of secrecy.
Should we investigate this thoroughly?
While Ning Wanwan was hesitating, she suddenly felt something bump into her calf.
She was startled and turned her head to look. There was a little boy wearing only a thin, loose white shirt, blinking his eyes and looking at her pitifully.
"Sister, is that candy you're holding?"
Ning Wanwan glanced down at the potion in her hand, shook her head, and put it out of the little boy's reach.
"It's medicine."
How could a child appear in a research institute?
"Sister, do you have any candy? I just want to try a little bit."
The little boy clung to her leg, his warm body pressed against hers, and said tearfully, "I haven't eaten anything that tastes like this in so long."
Ning Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then found a white vaccine candy: "This is fine, you can eat it like candy."
"Wow, thank you, sister!" the child cheered, thanked her sweetly, put the candy in her mouth, and jumped up and down.
Ning Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief when her legs were finally released, but she still couldn't understand why there would be a child in the research institute.
Surely it's not that some high-ranking researcher is too busy to take care of their child and has brought the child to the workplace, right?
However, a colleague who was also an assistant learned about this and answered her questions.
"They're a new group of kids selected from outside to participate in the experiment. I guess they sneaked out to play."
Ning Wanwan nodded. Some studies require children as subjects. But she had some doubts: "But, can the parents of such young children feel at ease participating in experiments?"
"Who knows?" The colleague shrugged and said vaguely, "...After all, there's money to be made."
Does the money refer to... the parents selling their child?
Ning Wanwan thought she would never see the child again, but she soon met him again. This time, the child gave her a paper airplane.
"Sister, want to play together?" The child ran up to her, holding a toy airplane and making the sound of an airplane engine, and jumped in front of her. "Here you go!"
Ning Wanwan paused, holding the paper airplane, and said, "Uh... thank you."
"You're welcome!" the child replied loudly, looking at her expectantly. "Can I play with you, sister?"
Ning Wanwan: "..." Well, saying he was giving her a paper airplane was a lie; he really just wanted her to play with him.
Ning Wanwan, being a socially anxious person with low energy, doesn't really enjoy playing with children.
But this child was very well-behaved and not annoying at all, and his eyes were just... so expectant.
"Okay, but I can only play with you for a little while."
"Thank you, sister!" The child squinted happily. "Those uncles in white here completely ignore me. I'm so bored. Sister is so kind..."
The child was probably really bored and had a lot of fun playing with simple paper airplanes, even with Ning Wanwan's perfunctory company.
Finally, the child was taken back by the researchers who came looking for him, looking back every few steps.
"Sister, I'll come back to play with you again!"
Ning Wanwan felt both helpless and amused.
She continued to gather information at the research institute, trying to confirm that there might really be something wrong with it. For example, once someone entered, including a lowly assistant like herself, they couldn't leave until the core experiment was completed and had to stay in the institute.
The research institute is very large, and the living areas inside are complete, but there are no entertainment facilities and no contact with the outside world. Over time, people can easily become abnormal from being cooped up like this.
Even Ning Wanwan, a pure and innocent person, felt like she was being suffocated by the oppression.
Fortunately, things have taken a new turn. Ning Wanwan did a good job without making any mistakes, and since there seemed to be a vacancy for an assistant in the core experiment, she was unexpectedly selected for the position.
That day, Ning Wanwan finally saw the true face of the core experiment.
A pool of pure black liquid, resembling both writhing flesh and thick liquid.
It was inside a huge, transparent vessel, wriggling in every detail as if it were breathing.
Seemingly sensing Ning Wanwan's presence, a portion of its liquid condensed into a jet-black, shiny tentacle, which it raised in mid-air and slowly swayed and rotated.
It's as if it's trying to capture a certain scent that it wants.
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