Chapter 54 Chapter 54 (1/2)
Who Am I
Chapter 54
When they parted, they didn’t expect that it in fact wasn’t the real end let alone that they would team up again so soon.
The five people from the seventh squad had gathered together. Only Duan Wen and Zhou Mingxuan were missing.
Duan Wen was one step ahead of them and had already reached the nursing home. Song Qinglan asked, “Where’s Old Zhou?”
The five hurried to the nursing home.
Whether it was six degrees of separation or interference as a result of their ‘observation’, as soon as they put on their artificial face, they seemed to have instantly disconnected from this worlds consciousness.
Everyone else on the street was rushing around so they didn’t attract anyone’s attention despite their hasty footsteps.
With Song Qinglan’s question, the other three fell silent.
Ji Yushi sensed that something didn’t seem right.
“What is it?” Song Qinglan’s tone turned a little more serious.
No one in the squad knew Zhou Mingxuan better than Song Qinglan. They had enlisted together, became special forces together and they also became Guardians together. Zhou Mingxuan usually just liked to play around but it could be said that besides Duan Wen, he was someone who could see the whole picture the best.
Striding down the steps, they passed by several phantoms of people.
The group went through a side street. Protesters continued to march onwards and there were police cars patrolling around. Screams could be heard in all directions.
Tang Qi said, “He may not go back.”
Song Qinglan’s footsteps stopped.
Unlike Ji Yushi, they were all ordinary people. Once they have two overlapping memories, it was easy to overlook one of them. Song Qinglan recalled his memory from the bubble world — Zhou Mingxuan’s life here had also changed a lot compared to his original reality and it was also an important change for him: In this world, Zhou Mingxuan’s only relative, his grandmother, was still alive.
Song Qinglan still remembered that in the original reality, due to a Guardian’s training schedule, Zhou Mingxuan would return home at irregular times. After a three-day long training session, he returned to find that his grandmother had already passed away. This was something that had weighed heavily on his mind all this time, but he had been reluctant to talk about it. This world however had given him a new possibility.
In the bubble world, it wasn’t the changes that were scary, and it wasn’t the fact that they had attained things that they originally didn’t have that was scary. For example, Li Chun and his girlfriend, Tang Qi and Tang Le and their younger sister, and Duan Wen with his wife and child.
What was really scary was when a person’s most precious thing was taken away by fate and the bubble world allowed you to experience the feeling of regaining something that had been lost.
The situation Zhou Mingxuan was facing now was like that of Ji Yushi’s.
Even the extraordinarily calm Ji Yushi who had been involved with countless Recorder missions found it difficult to resist the temptation. It would’ve been a very strong temptation for the hot blooded and impulsive Zhou Mingxuan.
“We went to Old Zhou’s place to get him.” Tang Le continued his brother’s words, “His grandmother’s legs aren’t well and needs someone to take care of her.”
“But it’s all fake!” Li Chun was anxious, “Why can’t Old Zhou understand?! Dammit!”
“It’s not that he doesn’t understand.” Song Qinglan suddenly spoke up, “It’s just too difficult to let go. He needs someone to give him a hand.”
Ji Yushi turned his head. He unconsciously clenched his hand.
Song Qinglan wasn’t looking at him but he could still feel the sensation of a strong and powerful hand holding his hand.
He had truly been ‘given a hand’.
Song Qinglan said, “Let’s leave it for now. We can talk about it later after meeting with Old Duan.”
Everyone soon arrived at the nursing home. The situation there was shocking. Patients were running wild around the nursing home, carers were chasing after the patients and family members were also hurrying around picking up their family member. It was a complete mess.
There were phantoms from the other world appearing here as well but compared to the ones outside, the phantoms here were clearer — Those phantoms were still, allowing people to clearly see their facial features and expressions. Some patients had even found their other self and were shouting at them while in a mentally unstable state.
What convinced everyone in the seventh squad even more that everything was related to Chief Wang was that not only were there phantoms in the nursing home, but the small details could also all be clearly distinguished. Rather than a phantom image, it was more like a real existence.
This place was the central starting point of the overlap of the two realities and from here it had spread across the entire world.
Song Qinglan checked his watch and urged, “Let’s go!”
Everyone increased their speed.
Ji Yushi knew why Song Qinglan urged them.
The Tianqiong in this reality must have already discovered that the source of the overlap was this place. Song Qinglan had checked his watch and calculated how long it would take for Tianqiong to reach this place starting from the moment he received the urgent order from Tianqiong.
“Cap Song!” Ji Yushi asked, “How long do we have?”
With no time to wait for the elevator, everyone strode up the stairs taking two or three steps at a time.
Song Qinglan said, “At most ten minutes!”
*
“Bang—-”
The door to the ward was slammed open. Duan Wen who was waiting in the room immediately raised his head, “Cap Song! Advisor Ji!”
Everyone entered the room.
Ji Yushi immediately spotted Chief Wang sitting on the edge of the bed.
The female leader who had always been kind and wise was no longer dressed or made up exquisitely.
Her hair was left unbrushed and she wore a hospital gown as she looked blankly at the phantom in the room. The phantom was of a grey-haired old man drinking tea as he sat on a single person sofa. Because time was at a standstill, the teacup was pressed against his lips and he didn’t move at all.
“Chief Wang!”
Song Qinglan strode over and squatted down in front of Chief Wang. He tried to make her return to her senses.
Chief Wang didn’t respond.
Duan Wen told them, “It’s useless. I have been here for a long time and she has always been like this. Fuck, the so-called treatment for schizophrenia here probably made it worse.”
Song Qinglan pressed his finger behind his ear. The artificial face began to disintegrate, revealing his original handsome appearance, “Can you recognise me?”
Chief Wang finally looked down at him, but her expression remained unchanged.
Having finally reached this point and having arrived before what they thought was the key to everything, apart from confirming that the overlap of the realities was related to her, they didn’t manage to get any other clues.
“Fuck!” Li Chun couldn’t help but curse, “What did the people here do to Chief Wang? She was even a university professor before she came here. What is this?!”
This line reminded Ji Yushi of something.
On the document Song Qinglan had with Chief Wang’s information, it had mentioned that she was a professor of quantum physics in this reality and her research project even involved bubble worlds.
Ji Yushi looked around the room.
As a prestigious university professor, there were many of Chief Wang’s personal belongings as well as some paper books. Ji Yushi’s gaze fell onto a thin transparent panel. It was Chief Wang’s computer. He picked it up, unlocked it with Chief Wang’s face, and then skipped through the private contents to find useful information.