Chapter 90 Chapter 90 (1/2)
Our Reality
Chapter 90
A day later, in the locker room of the third command centre in the Jiang City Tianqiong branch.
Song Qinglan who was done changing left the locker room.
Except for him and Ji Yushi, everyone else from the seventh squad had not yet returned and were still on vacation.
This was Song Qinglan’s first time seeing such a quiet locker room. Even now, everyone on the seventh squad didn’t know that their Cap Song and Advisor Ji will be going back 10+ years for a reason that had nothing to do with any missions.
Song Qinglan checked the communicator on his wrist again. He heard the door open and saw Ji Yushi similarly walk out.
Like Song Qinglan, Ji Yushi also wore an outdated top paired with ripped jeans which were popular at the time as well as a pair of canvas shoes.
“Great, we can now both be stars in a movie.” Song Qinglan said, “Two idiots from remote villages visiting the city for the first time.”
The clothes from more than ten years ago did indeed look quite old-fashioned. It couldn’t even be considered retro. What’s more, in order for them to better integrate with that time period, the people in the command centre made it a little tacky looking as well. This was something Song Qinglan had never worn in his entire life.
Ji Yushi said to him, “This is still okay. I once had to wear tattered clothes.”
Song Qinglan, “Tattered clothes?”
“Yeah, to pretend to be a beggar.” Ji Yushi was uncomfortable just recalling it and spoke very quickly, “They actually got me clothes worn previously by a beggar. The ones that also had fleas.”
Reaching this point, he emphasised, “Can you believe it? Fleas.”
Hearing the cold and aloof Advisor Ji speak with such deep resentment, Song Qinglan had a small urge to laugh, “Then this is actually not bad. I’m grateful.”
Ji Yushi was already very familiar with the routine of travelling to the past.
They had to be extremely careful with something like this to preserve the integrity of time. Those who return to the past were required to minimise their existence as much as possible so that they would not interfere with the timeline in any way.
As an experienced Recorder who had completed 89 missions, Ji Yushi who used his reward after clearing Rubik’s Cube without making any preparations had actually made a very irresponsible and reckless move. The reason why his psychological assessment failed was entirely because of this.
Both completed their disguise and tacitly went towards the command centre.
As soon as they walked out the door, they saw a commotion ahead in the corridor.
This time it wasn’t a mission. Two people traversing didn’t require many people so only Chief Wang and a couple of other people in the know were present to assist them.
But there were currently a lot of people at the end of the corridor. Their colleagues were on high alert and running around busily, and there were also many staff from the medical centre. Carts, fluids and first aid equipment were quickly brought over. This was something they would only see when someone returns from an important mission.
Song Qinglan grabbed a colleague hurrying past, “What happened?”
The colleague was in a rush, “That twelfth squad is back!”
Both of them were shocked.
Song Qinglan still didn’t let the other person go, “Twelfth squad?”
There were dozens of squads in the Jiang City branch and of those there was naturally a squad with the number twelve.
But based on the current situation, especially based on the words ‘that twelfth squad’ used by their colleague and the amount of commotion going on, it was clear that it wasn’t the current twelfth squad they were referring to.
“It’s the twelfth squad that disappeared on their mission fifteen years ago!” The colleague was still in shock. He pulled Song Qinglan’s arm off, “I’ll talk to you about it later Cap Song!”
After that, he also joined the crowd at the end of the corridor.
Song Qinglan looked at Ji Yushi. Ji Yushi also just happened to be looking at him.
The two exchanged a look. Their hearts inside were stormy.
In the crevice of time and space, they had rescued the twelfth squad from fifteen years ago, but because the two timelines from the past and future overlapped and wasn’t consistent, a bubble world was born.
The seventh squad all knew that the twelfth squad’s charges would be cleared after they return and submit their mission reports, but they didn’t expect the twelfth squad to actually return to their current time and space.
Their feet seemed to be nailed in place. They both stood in place, unable to move.
Ji Yushi’s eyesight was excellent. His eyes travelled through the crowd, accurately landing on a face in the crowd.
Time had seemed to have gone backwards for the middle-aged Chief with white hairs on his temples.
The traces of aging were gone.
It overlapped with this young face in the crowd.
In the heavy rain.
The city reflections resembled a kaleidoscope.
As rain rolled down the young captain’s face, he drew his gun and pointed it at the traitor: “Xie Sian, I, as the witness and guardian of time, will give you your sentence.”
Qi Lang wore a black combat uniform with the number 12 on his chest. The teammates beside him were also dressed in a similar uniform.
One of them had his hands handcuffed behind his back. It was Xie Sian.
Fifteen years had passed.
They still retained their appearance from back then.
They walked out of the crowd. Everyone’s heads followed them.
None of the people in the twelfth squad noticed the two people they had encountered in the crevice of time and space.
They went right past them.
After they left, the crowd of onlookers also similarly left, and the corridor was quiet again. Song Qinglan frowned, “How could this be?”
Ji Yushi was in thought. After a moment of silence, he spoke. “It’s the same as what we thought before….”
Song Qinglan’s tense expression relaxed slightly. “You mean the theory of ‘all eras existing at the same time’?”
“Yes. Don’t you think that the situation in the crevice in time and space was somewhat similar to Rubik’s Cube?” Ji Yushi said, “If the theory from that year really did develop successfully, then a situation like today would be very common.”
But it wasn’t something they should worry about right now.
Perhaps they could get more information when they return.
*
The two arrived at the third command centre.
Everything here was the same as usual and the staff were all doing their respective jobs. Perhaps they still had not been made aware of news of the twelfth squad from fifteen years ago suddenly returning.
[1456:06:25 14:23:07]
The current time coordinate was displayed on the large projection.
Chief Wang and the commander-in-chief were both there. After speaking to them briefly, Chief Wang hurriedly left following a phone call. From her expression, she probably received news about the twelfth squad’s return.
Before she left, she looked at Ji Yushi and then said to Song Qinglan, “Come back soon.”