Chapter 86: The Missed Timeline

Chapter 86: The Missed Timeline

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation

The silence enveloped the room abruptly. Gao Ming hesitated briefly before rising from his seat. He carefully prepared a plate of food for Wan Qiu, suggesting that he take it to his room to enjoy his meal in solitude.

Once Wan Qiu had departed, Gao Ming resettled himself across from Liu Yi. His facial expression remained largely unchanged, yet there was a noticeable shift in the depth and intensity of his gaze.

“Go ahead, speak your mind,” Gao Ming prompted.

Liu Yi began, a note of surprise in her voice. “I was taken aback when I saw you board the bus from Henshan High-Security Prison. I had intended to approach you, but you seemed preoccupied, constantly engaged with your headphones.” As he spoke, Liu Yi retrieved her phone, bringing up a meticulously hand-drawn sketch of a bus and placing it before Gao Ming. “It dawned on me that something was amiss once I boarded the bus. The other passengers, the driver, even the bus itself raised some serious red flags. Then, when the bus was involved in that accident within the tunnel, I was fortunate to escape unharmed and memorized the unique characteristics of the bus.”

“So this picture you drawn is the bus? It appears typical of any other bus after a accident, though its license plate was partially obscured by blood,” Gao Ming observed.

Liu Yi continued with a nod, unlocking a concealed folder on her phone to reveal an old news article. She held the screen towards Gao Ming. “Compare these two images. Notice any striking similarities?”

Gao Ming scrutinized the phone screen. The bus from the news report, which had been in an accident, matched the bus Liu Yi had sketched. Even minute details, such as the pattern of the shattered windows and the extent of the paint scratches, were identical.

“It’s the same bus,” Gao Ming concluded.

“Precisely,” Liu Yi affirmed, scrolling through the article. “Look at the date. This report is from the Ghost Festival a decade ago! The bus we encountered that night was the same one involved in an accident ten years prior, and at the same location!”

Gao Ming’s memories of the bus were vague; his focus had been on his own experiences in the tunnel.

“The bus that’s caught in a temporal loop?” Gao Ming worked quickly, impressed at the classmate’s observation and skills. “Lawyer Liu, your observational skills are remarkable. Despite the danger, you managed to recall so much detail.”

“Don’t be silly Gao Ming, I can’t compare to you,” Liu Yi replied modestly, turning her phone face down on the table. Her tone slowed, more contemplative. “I’ve attempted to visit you thrice, but you were never home.”

“You were looking for me?” Gao Ming reflected on a recent occurrence when he had been confined to his home for three days, missing Liu Yi’s visit and consequently diverging into a different timeline.

In essence, had Gao Ming not retained his memories through the Flesh Immortal and completed the game ahead of schedule, his paths with Liu Yi might never have crossed.

Most of the figures were also in black and white, but five individuals stood out.

There was Gao Ming, positioned in the left corner; Liu Yi, crouched in the front row; Song Xue beside Liu Yi; the huge Zhuo Jun in the back row; and a boy in the center, his face completely scratched off.

As Liu Yi recounted her story, there was a certain calmness in her voice, yet the details she shared were unnerving. “Song Xue was with us on the bus that night. We were heading back from Han Jiang after acting as bridesmaids.” Her tone was steady, but the gravity of her words hung heavily in the air. “The bus flipped over, and Song Xue... she died instantly when her head was crushed. I found this photo with her belongings. It’s baffling why she would have such a photo. What’s more haunting is that after I escaped the tunnel and returned home, I received a text from Song Xue.”

She opened her phone to display the messages. Song Xue, along with a few classmates, had been planning a reunion in Hanhai. Despite their yearly intentions to meet, they never managed to follow through. This year, however, they seemed resolute in their decision.

“Did you get Song Xue’s message as well?” she asked.

Gao Ming, frowning, pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages. Sure enough, there was Song Xue’s invitation, which he had missed while convincing Brother Zhao Xi to choose life over committing suicide.

“The idea of a deceased person organizing a reunion is unsettling. And look at this photo,” Liu Yi said, pointing to the boy in the center whose face was scratched out. “Do you recall who this person is? I can’t seem to remember our class having such a student.”

Gao Ming shook his head in confusion. “I don’t remember either. Are we misremembering, or is reality distorted?”

The thought of this paradox made Gao Ming’s head throb. He muttered to himself, half in jest, “If it gets too confusing, maybe we should just eat the entire class.”

“What was that?” Liu Yi asked, not quite catching his words.

Gao Ming quickly covered, “I said, if it gets too complicated, we might as well treat the whole class to a nice meal.”

He turned the black and white photo over. The back was blank, devoid of any familiar writing or ominous shadows.

As Gao Ming navigated through these events, he felt himself being pulled into the timelines he had previously missed. He was unsure whether he was heading into a trap set by fate or a genuine escape route.

Liu Yi tucked away the memorial photo, her voice tinged with a mix of nostalgia and apprehension. “They’re planning to meet after the rain stops, to see how everyone has changed over the years.” She paused, then suggested, “If you’re not too busy, why don’t we go together? It’s always good to have someone to watch your back.”

Gao Ming, his mind elsewhere, responded, “I’m working on a game for a major client right now. I’ll head over once that’s finished.” His interest in his classmates’ lives and careers was minimal; his current focus was on dealing with the future Eastern District Investigation Bureau Chief before anything else.