Chapter 58: Shen Baiwei Trapped in the Future
As the images in her mind sank into darkness, Jiang Li slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
It should end here, right?
Regarding the events that followed, aside from the uncertainty of how Shen Baiwei escaped to the outskirts of Bairou Ming Island after fainting, she had learned everything through the investigation results of the members of [Crimson Squirrel].
However, just as Jiang Li had finished reading Shen Baiwei’s memories stored in the crystal, new memories suddenly emerged quietly in her mind.
It seemed that Shen Baiwei’s memories had not yet been fully read.
In a vague state, Shen Baiwei felt as if she was falling endlessly, surrounded by countless unseen figures falling with her, screaming in terror and struggling in vain.
She felt like she was already dead, on her way to hell.
But soon, a familiar, pungent scent startled her awake from the seemingly boundless darkness.
Using the last bit of her strength, Shen Baiwei raised her head and cracked her eyes open, seeing a blurred scene.
For some unknown reason, she found herself on the ruins of the Tethys Laboratory.
Looking around…
In the distance, three spirit energy extraction devices that had once maintained the operation of the Tethys Laboratory were shattered like a blown-up mine, covered in charred markings, with a color resembling bloody bromine, carrying a certain secret and ominous spirit energy fluctuation that continuously surged from the bottomless well. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of crimson.
Nearby, the maze-like, winding corridor, exposed to the gloomy sky due to most of the laboratory’s roof being destroyed, resembled a gutted corpse waiting to be devoured by maggots. The sea breeze whistled through the “abdominal voids,” emitting a sound reminiscent of painful gasping. “How strange, how could the future bring me here?” Shen Baiwei gazed at the night shrouded in dark clouds and murmured, “The spirit energy fluctuation of Ying Huo has also disappeared…”
Retracting her gaze and looking again at the ravaged corridor, her heart skipped a beat.
Before her journey to Yumen Pass, when she had not yet escaped the control of the Snake of Time, she was chased by that terrifying serpent during countless save attempts, fleeing in desperation, ultimately stepping into that room that felt like hell to her. Now, revisiting this familiar place that had once brought her endless fear and pain, she felt a strange, inexplicable call.
The source of the call was deep within the corridor, near the place where she had said goodbye to herself countless times.
Was what the calamity spoke of, something very important to her, really in that cursed place? Did she really have to go there? Shen Baiwei thought anxiously, her small fists tightening until her joints turned slightly white.
She was fearful.
Fearful that the past nightmare would return. Fearful that after pushing open the door at the end of the corridor, she would see countless deceased versions of herself.
But…
If she ran away now, she feared she would never have the courage to face her past again.
The important thing that the calamity mentioned,
would then be impossible for her to obtain.
Thinking of this, Shen Baiwei’s gaze sharpened, and after taking a few deep breaths, she finally stepped forward, supporting herself against the cracked wall, wobbling towards the depths of the Tethys Laboratory.
“Sasa—Sasa—!”
Flames quietly burned, charring the walls black, and the dead experimental subjects lay sprawled in the dim corners; in the empty and dilapidated ruins, the only sound aside from the whistling wind was the echo of Shen Baiwei’s dragging footsteps.
Monotonous, dull, repetitive; like the scales of reptiles scraping against the ground… just like the countless sounds she had heard in those nightmares.
But differently, in the past, when such a sound rang out, she could only fall into numbness and fear; now, her heart felt as if it was walking on the path of pilgrimage and redemption.
As she moved forward, accompanied by the increasingly strong, indescribable call, Shen Baiwei finally halted before the rusty metal door.
She raised her hand to grip the doorknob, then became petrified, unable to move.
After a long time, once Shen Baiwei mustered enough courage to face the terrifying scene, she finally turned the doorknob.
Creeeak!
As the old lock emitted a sound that made one’s teeth ache, the metal door opened.
Seeing the scene behind the door, Shen Baiwei’s eyes widened in disbelief, her pupils trembling.
Like a nightmare, the terrifying images that had tormented her for years did not appear.
No bl**d, no decaying corpses, and no countless “Shen Baiwei” corpses. Behind the door was an empty room, its uneven concrete floor covered with thick dust.
In the center of the room was a simple, rusted desk with a locked wooden box placed on it.
Shen Baiwei stood there dumbfounded, suddenly her eyes reddened, and tears uncontrollably spilled from her eyes, dropping to blend into the dust covering the floor.
So, the thing I’ve always feared didn’t exist in the real world at all?
Why do I feel like crying over something good?
Am I crying tears of joy, or tears of regret for my past foolishness? Shen Baiwei pondered.
After being lost in thought for about five minutes, she finally snapped back and walked over.
Click!
The wooden box had a very ordinary metal lock, and although some sealing spell formulas were laid over it, they couldn’t stop Shen Baiwei. She quickly unraveled it, and with a light sound, opened the lid.
Then, a page from a horizontal striped notebook written in familiar handwriting came into her view.
This page was torn from the little notebook that had already fused with spirit patterns… in an instant, Shen Baiwei made a judgment.
Although the page was already yellowed and brittle, she recognized it immediately.
Carefully picking it up, glancing at the contents on it, Shen Baiwei’s body trembled uncontrollably. [My dearest Weiwei: When you see these words, you might have already started to heal and your condition might have improved, right?
When that foreign professor told me there was hope for your recovery, I was really so happy I jumped up and shouted in the hospital corridor. Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy, but it didn’t matter; they couldn’t understand my joy at that moment…
Finally, take good care of yourself, don’t worry about the medical expenses; Dad will take care of it. Don’t forget, your dad is the most capable man in the world—Daddy Liu.]
As Shen Baiwei finished reading the message her father had left on her little notebook at some unknown time, tears she had never seen before suddenly glowed with a subtle light.
Following that, the gentle, clear light grew brighter and brighter, ultimately transforming into a stream of light that merged into her body from her chest.
In the moment the page from the notebook integrated into Shen Baiwei’s body, Jiang Li’s mind was instantly filled with a pure white world. It was unclear how long it had been, but Jiang Li finally detached from Shen Baiwei’s memories.
With her bloodshot eyes open, she forced herself to sit up straight, her weary body straightening a bit; she pulled out some paper from the desk, calmly wiped away the slowly dripping nosebleed, and glanced at the mirror beside her, looking at her reflection and exhaling a breath of turbid air.
In the mirror’s reflection, a girl with silver hair cascading down like a waterfall and skin color devoid of bl**d appeared. On her exquisite face, her brow was slightly raised, extending a thumb-sized cyan horn.
That was caused by spirit patterns nearing uncontrollability and becoming monster-like.
Before she began reading Shen Baiwei’s memories, Jiang Li had never expected that in just seven days, an A-Class Spiritual Ability User’s experiences, merely by peeking, could disrupt her spirit energy flow, nearly causing her spirit patterns to go out of control.
What was even stranger was that when she read Shen Baiwei’s letter, which she could not clearly see the content of, the spirit patterns momentarily regained control.
Fortunately, it was suppressed for now; as long as she treated it with care, there should be no major issues.
However, it wasn’t time for treatment yet.
Jiang Li thought, enduring the discomfort brought on by the spirit patterns going out of control. She raised her hand to trigger a mechanism on the desk, revealing a mourning owl insignia hidden within, her fingertips infused with spirit energy.
She was prepared to contact Xing Yuan to report the information she retrieved from Shen Baiwei’s memories.
However, before Xing Yuan could respond, she felt a moment of dazedness, and then, like a hallucination, the figure of Shen Baiwei writing appeared in her mind.
Following that, upon clearly seeing the contents Shen Baiwei had written, Jiang Li was taken aback.
[Help me, help me! I’m trapped in the future!
Jiang Li: “??? What does this mean? Is she… writing this to me? That’s absurd, right?]
[I know you’re watching! And my body is in your hands… although I don’t know who you are, but I’m still alive, which means you don’t want me to d*e, so I’ll consider you an ally for now!]
Jiang Li,
[No matter what, please, protect me until December 1st of this year, and I will definitely reward you after the matter is accomplished.]
December 1st? Jiang Li tilted her head, glancing at the electronic calendar on the desk.
The date was November 23rd, 07:02; there was still nearly a week until December 1st.
[Being trapped in the future sounds a bit ridiculous, but I have a way to prove it! In two days, a Cataclysm Grade incident triggered by the New Elders’ Council members will erupt successively in Xiangjiang City and Helsing City.
Before that, you only need to protect me for two days; if I’m right, will you continue to protect me afterward?]
After reading Shen Baiwei’s hastily written text, Jiang Li narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
Could it be true?
Protecting her… that could be possible, but how should she respond to her?
Just as Jiang Li was pondering, Shen Baiwei wrote down more text.
[Not talking? If you’re not talking, I’ll take it as your agreement! Thank you! Thank you!]
Jiang Li: “……” Well, she’s really not polite at all!
