Mist (Web Novel CN)-Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Who Am I

Chapter 55

Zhou Mingxuan didn’t have the will to leave this world and so this world didn’t interfere with him. Everyone in the seventh squad had received an urgent transfer order but it seems that only Zhou Mingxuan had returned to Tianqiong.

There were chaotic sounds of footsteps outside. Tianqiong had dispatched a specialist team and they were currently searching around the nursing home for the cause of the world overlap. Only Zhou Mingxuan knew that the cause was the variable, Chief Wang.

No one in the room moved. Everyone looked at Zhou Mingxuan and Song Qinglan.

Song Qinglan, “Do you think we will let you stay here?”

“Yeah!”

“Old Zhou, are you stupid?”

“This place is just a bubble. I don’t know how to explain it exactly but anyway, Advisor Ji knows. Don’t you believe in Advisor Ji?”

The teammates were all talking in a hurry. They were anxious. It was impossible for them to give up a teammate.

Zhou Mingxuan was silent for a few seconds, “I know.”

He looked at Ji Yushi and asked, “Advisor Ji, Cap Song said in the message that if all of us return to our original reality, this place will restart. It’s like the loop in Ouroboros. Then if I stay, will this reality continue?”

Although Ji Yushi had an artificial face, he was still very easy to distinguish from the rest of the squad.

Despite the face concealing his real expression, he was too empathetic with Zhou Mingxuan’s situation at this moment, so he couldn’t lie.

The teammates all looked at him with hopeful eyes, hoping that he could destroy Zhou Mingxuan’s ridiculous fantasy. Ji Yushi however answered his question truthfully.

He said, “Yes.”

Everyone was speechless.

There was a possibility for this world to continue?

“But,” Ji Yushi spoke calmly and quickly, “if you don’t return, then we will be missing one person when we return to that ‘B’ point. Your friends, comrades, and the rest of the people in your life, everyone would lose you. Tianqiong seventh squad will lose a Zhou Mingxuan and the squad will no longer be complete. This is an even more scary outcome than the team’s scout ‘Old Yu’ getting injured because the guilt from allowing you to stay behind as a result of momentarily feeling soft hearted will follow the rest of the Seventh squad for the rest of their lives.”

Ji Yushi said, “A bubble is just a bubble after all. After that regret of yours is satisfied, it would eventually fade away, but your life won’t. What would you do alone here when the time comes? Unless of course the purpose of your life is just for that one thing.”

Apart from the times when he had to analyse the situation, this was Ji Yushi’s first time speaking so much in front of everyone.

Even Zhou Mingxuan was surprised.

Only Song Qinglan knew where those words came about.

But what Song Qinglan didn’t expect was that the person ‘giving Zhou Mingxuan a hand’ wasn’t him but Ji Yushi.

Ji Yushi had said those words to Zhou Mingxuan but he was in fact also telling himself that. They both had experienced the temptation of this bubble word and he knew how to pull Zhou Mingxuan out.

The sound of the search was getting closer.

Song Qinglan took a step closer and snatched away Zhou Mingxuan’s gun, “Stop those damn useless thoughts of yours. It doesn’t matter whether or not it continues because you don’t belong here. You must go with us, right now, immediately!”

Zhou Mingxuan hesitated, “Cap Song, I….”

Tang Qi walked over, grabbed Zhou Mingxuan’s neck without saying a word, and stuck a small disc behind his ear. A new artificial face covered Zhou Mingxuan’s face and, pushed by the others, Zhou Mingxuan was pushed out the room.

The group of people left in the opposite direction of the people conducting the search. As soon as they left the door, the people conducting the searches called out after them, “What are you doing?! Come and register!”

They didn’t stop. They silently turned down several corridors before reaching an emergency exit. As Song Qinglan pushed the door open, he said, “Old Duan, do you know how to operate an electromagnetic wave simulation program?”

As a technician, Duan Wen answered, “Yes!”

Song Qinglan, “How long will it take?”

Duan Wen received Chief Wang’s transparent panel which had the data he required and replied with confidence, “Just a few minutes.”

Reaching the next floor, they ran into searchers dispatched by Tianqiong coming from downstairs.

Both sides stopped in place.

It turned out to be Guardians from the Third squad in this reality. They happened to all be familiar faces.

The other party saw the gun in Song Qinglan’s hand, and the leader of the squad shouted, “Stop there!”

“Fuck!”

Someone swore. Everyone immediately turned and ran.

The Third squad also weren’t people that could be underestimated, and their skills were not inferior to theirs.

In the not-so-wide emergency staircase, the two sides started a chase. They crashed through doors one after another only to find that every floor had been taken over by the people of Tianqiong within a short period of time.

Fortunately, no one fired their guns. Song Qinglan however knew that the Third squad had already notified all the other squads during the pursuit, intending to catch this group of suspicious people in one fell swoop.

“I fucking knew it. I shouldn’t have made fun of their equipment last time!” Li Chun cursed, “It’s coming back to bite me now!”

“Then spit out your share when you go back!”

“Fuck! No way!”

Duan Wen: “It’s a different reality but why do they always get dispatched out?! It’s too excessive!”

Complaining was just complaining. Everyone knew very well inside that probably everyone in the Jiang City branch had been dispatched. Not only were there people from Tianqiong, but from what they saw outside the window —- Many ordinary people had also been attracted over to this place as a result of the overlapping of the worlds and the ruckus made by Tianqiong. This place was completely surrounded.

It was noisy with the sound of sirens, human voices as well as helicopters flying overhead. It made it difficult for the Seventh squad to do anything.

“Split up?!” Tang Qi asked, “Find a place to gather!”

“Don’t split up.” Song Qinglan pushed open another door, “All of you follow me!”

This was the entertainment room in the nursing home. Except for several motionless figures who looked like the pause button had been pressed for them, there were no living people in this room.

Song Qinglan, “Here!”

The teammates locked the door and Duan Wen immediately took out the transparent panel and placed it onto the table without Song Qinglan’s order. He quickly started up the program.

Only a few minutes. He only needed a few minutes.

Everyone was quiet. In the room there was only the electronic sound of Duan Wen hitting the holographic keyboard — He didn’t even have the chance to mute the system. Everyone knew that as long as Duan Wen is done and makes the call, they would be able to return to their original reality.

The six people surrounded Duan Wen, their expressions tense. Their fates rested on this.

*

“Wait a minute.” Tang Le suddenly spoke up in the silence, “I want to give my little sister a call.”

Everyone’s actions stopped.

Tang Le’s eyes turned red, “Even if I don’t belong here and this is a bubble, I want to give her a call…..After this, we won’t have a little sister.”

Tang Qi stroked Tang Le’s head like he was petting a dog. His eyes were also red, “…….”

Li Chun had already pulled out his phone, “I also….that, it was a relationship after all. Breaking up without saying anything would really make me a scumbag.”

The program was already set up.

Duan Wen typed in the last word and then leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes.

This man in his thirties also couldn’t bear to leave his daughter in this world. After this, he would never see her again.

Even if he had children in the future, it wouldn’t be the same one now.

Zhou Mingxuan sat alone in the distance. It was unknown what he was thinking as he rubbed his phone, his expression gloomy.

Ji Yushi leaned against a table by the window.

Sunlight entered from his side, making his skin appear almost transparent. He didn’t have a phone and there wasn’t anything that tied him down here, so he just lowered his eyes. It was unknown what he was thinking inside.

“Cap Song.” Li Chun asked, “What changes did you have here?”

Everyone raised their heads and looked at Song Qinglan.

With the overlapping of the two realities, everyone had double memories, but they couldn’t remember what changes Song Qinglan had.

Song Qinglan had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

His handsome eyes were deep as he spoke, “Eight in the morning, my father didn’t take the plane to attend a meeting and was instead sitting at home drinking tea. Does that change count?”

Ji Yushi also looked at Song Qinglan.

He didn’t seem to have heard Song Qinglan mention anything about changes.

In other words, Song Qinglan’s life had hardly changed in this reality. He had no regrets and there was nothing he wanted to change. He had controlled his life perfectly.

A person with no desires and no regrets was practically invincible.

Song Qinglan’s strong mentality and strength may have come from this.

A short reminder sounded.

On the holographic projection, the program was ready.

The simulated electromagnetic wave frequency was completely synchronised with the other reality. As long as they connect the phone and dial the number, everything would be over.

Ji Yushi moved away from the window, took the phone from Song Qinglan and got ready to enter the number.

At this moment, there was a loud ‘boom’ outside.

Everyone’s expression changed.

The door to the room shook violently. It was the people in this world trying to break through. Just one more hit and the door would probably collapse!

“Come here! Gather around!”

“Hurry!!”

There was another loud boom. Even the floor shook.

That second felt extremely long. After Duan Wen turned off the projection, Song Qinglan’s ‘don’t move’ seemed to have been spoken at the same time as the loud noise.

The heavy door fell to the ground with a loud clang. A layer of dust scattered through the air.

Dozens of Tianqiong Guardians stood at the door, loaded with guns and live ammunition. They looked around at the still figures inside the entertainment room.

With the nursing home being the starting point of the overlapping of the two realities, the phantoms here could no longer be described as phantoms. All the people from the other reality looked no different from the people here with the exception that they were at a standstill.

To the Guardians, it looked like there were no living people in this room.

“Next room!” Someone said.

They filed in, set up the equipment as required according to the regulations and then quickly glanced around before getting ready to go to the next place.

A voice spoke, “Wait.”

Among the Guardians wearing black combat uniforms, someone walked out.

It was a very young man with the number ‘9’ written on his chest. He was thin, fair-skinned and he had a pair of peach blossom eyes. On his back, he carried a shotgun similar in style to Song Qinglan’s.

The voices of the people outside were loud. The Guardians running in the corridor, the shouts from the crowds outside as well as the sirens blaring all indicated how chaotic this world had become.

This young man stopped in front of Song Qinglan.

His peach blossom eyes stared at the unfamiliar, ordinary face for a while and then a smile appeared, “Tell Chief Qi that our Cap Song is naughty and likes to play hide and seek. Should he be left off lightly?”

In that instant, even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

Three more steps to go.

Ji Yushi pressed the last number key on the phone inside his pocket.

The young main raised his hand and reached towards the small disc concealed behind Song Qinglan’s unfamiliar face.

Two more steps to go.

Ji Yushi, “Cap Song.”

Everyone in the Seventh squad moved at the same time. They held each other’s hands one by one.

The young man stepped back.

“Whoosh!” The Guardians surrounding them immedaitley raised their guns.

One more step to go.

The guns were pointed at them. Ji Yushi pressed the call button.

“Brrring——–”

The Guardians got closer.

“Brrring——–“

While they were surrounded, Chief Qi who wore a combat uniform strode in. The hairs on his temples were white but his appearance was almost unchanged compared to how he looked when they first met in Chaos.

“Brrring——-”

The nursing home began to shake. From the ceiling to the walls, more phantoms appeared. The world was beginning to collapse.

Everyone was shocked. There was however a big gap between realities. All the sounds could no longer be heard.

Everything was set.

“Hello?”

A familiar middle-aged female voice sounded through the phone.

*

【Warning! Warning! You have deviated from the destination coordinates! You have deviated from the destination coordinates!】

As the capsule shook violently, Ji Yushi gripped tightly onto the armrest. Even his lips had become pale. Red light flickered on and off in front of him nonstop. Ji Yushi knew that he had returned to the moment of transition, back to the so-called point ‘B’.

Back to the reality where they belonged.

Back to [1456.05.17 10:00:03], the third second after they set off from the third command centre.

—-And also back to that perfect case of time and space hijacking.

【Illegal transition detected!】

【Illegal transition detected!】

The deafening sounds didn’t elicit any reaction from Ji Yushi. He simply closed his eyes and waited for the dizziness and ringing in his ears to go so that he wouldn’t vomit inside his own capsule.

It was unknown how much time had passed. Perhaps it was only a few seconds, but for Ji Yushi, it felt like several hours.

The landing of the capsule didn’t happen as he had expected. When everything was calm and he opened his eyes again, what greeted him was a clear blue sky.

The sun was just right.

A damp breeze scattered leaves around. There were sounds of laughter.

Ji Yushi sat up and found that he was lying on a sun lounger by a beach with the blue sea about ten metres away from him. The sea was beating against the fine sandy beach. Occasionally seagulls flew over and there were children picking up shells on the beach as well as tourists in swimsuits coming and going.

For a while, he was in a daze.

It was very similar to the beach he had visited alone when he graduated high school.

No, this is that beach.

He lowered his head and saw that he was wearing clothes from that time. There was however a black communicator on his wrist that didn’t belong to that time which helped remind him that this wasn’t a dream.

There was an unread message on the communicator.

Ji Yushi turned on the holographic projection.

[Welcome, Ji Yushi. Welcome back to Tianqiong.]

Without even thinking about it, Ji Yushi knew that this message came from the ‘Tianqiong of all eras’. Only it had the ability to create seemingly realistic things like this.

[Congratulations, you have completed the new A-level mission: 【Chaos】.]

Ji Yushi frowned. So this meant that…….The Chaos mission hadn’t been completed until just now?

[Congratulations, you have triggered a side mission. The rating is: S.]

[Mission mode: 【Who am I】.]

[Mission rules: None.]

[Mission objective: None.]

[Congratulations, you have completed the side mission: 【Who am I】. Now unlocking the next one.]

Ji Yushi: “…………”

Was it taking the bubble world as a side mission and combining it together to settle the accounts?

“Where is this?” Ji Yushi asked.

The voice system was turned on.

Tianqiong’s gentle female voice sounded, “After system upgrade, this is a time and space transfer station tailored for you. You can rest, train and dine here. I have everything you need. I suggest that you make the most of it before proceeding to the next mission.”

Ji Yushi, “Where are the others?”

Tianqiong, “The others are also in a time and space transfer station tailored for them. Do you wish to transition to another person’s transfer station?”

Ji Yushi, “Yes.”

Tianqiong, “Please select the transition target: Song Qinglan, Zhou Mingxuan, Duan Wen, Tang Qi, Tang Le, Li Chun.”

The sea breeze was calming.

Ji Yushi laid back in the chair and thought for a long time before speaking again, “Song Qinglan.”