Chapter 76: Who are you?

Translator: Abo Dammen

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Case Five: The Law of Causality 

The SUV was parked by the gate of Binshi University. The sky was overcast with low-hanging clouds, making the roadside railings appear even more desolate.

Occasionally, students hurried past with their heads down, the hoods of their sweatshirts billowing in the wind as if about to be soaked by the rain any second.

A man who looked like a researcher braved the strong wind and came to the SUV, handing a small object composed of magnets and coils through the passenger window. “It’s made according to the drawings you provided.” 

This person was a physics teacher Chen Zhen had found, who had replicated the trigger device Zhen Li used to escape, based on the drawings found in Zhen Li’s computer.

He Yixun thanked him, took the trigger, and drove back to the police station.

The weather forecast predicted rain at 10 AM. He Yixun left home at 9, telling Xu Pei he still had work to handle and would be back by 10 sharp.

But, he was going to break his promise. 

The plan to travel back had never included Xu Pei.

During the two days Xu Pei was unconscious, He Yixun had already begun preparing for the journey. When Xu Pei woke up and saw Zhen Li’s computer on the coffee table, it was because He Yixun was studying the data inside. And the reason he had made the plan sound so simple was precisely because he never intended to carry it out with Xu Pei.

No matter which time point they returned to, it was only a difference in the level of risk. Danger was always present.

He Yixun would not let Xu Pei fall into danger again, so he decided to go alone. 

The weather forecast was uncharacteristically accurate. In the blink of an eye, thunder rumbled loudly, lightning tore a rift in the clouds, and rain poured down, turning the car windows into frosted glass. In the parking lot, people covered their heads with their hands as they ran quickly towards the police station. No one noticed He Yixun sitting alone in his car.

There was still a little time before ten. After running through the plan one more time, He Yixun opened his contacts and dialed Xu Pei’s number.

Soon, Xu Pei’s voice came through the phone, somewhat blurred by the noise of the heavy rain. “Are you back yet?”

It was the first time he had ever lied in his life, and He Yixun had prepared thoroughly. If he just said he had something to do, he wouldn’t be able to fool Xu Pei. The reason had to be as detailed as possible. 

“The deputy bank chief that Zhou Ye named has agreed to be a whistleblower. I can’t get away right now.

“By the time I finish, we probably won’t make it. Let’s wait for the next thunderstorm.

“There have been a lot of rainy days lately. We probably won’t have to wait too long.”

Xu Pei didn’t detect anything unusual and replied quickly, “Okay.” 

Feeling this unconditional trust, He Yixun pressed his lips together very lightly and said, “Wait for me to come back.”

After hanging up, He Yixun sorted through his thoughts again.

His own safety was the first priority, because, objectively speaking, without him, Xu Pei couldn’t survive alone in this world. In the end, if Xu Pei’s physical condition worsened, he would eventually have to return to the other world, where he would face either marrying Zhan Gao or going to prison.

The second priority was to go ‘home’ to get the charger. If possible, it would be best to buy a spare blocker and bring back some basic medication. 

As for Zhen Li, it would be good to capture him if the opportunity arose, but it couldn’t be forced.

In the other world right now, Xu Pei and He Yixun should be in a state of ‘missing after falling from the bridge.’ If both returned simultaneously, events could seamlessly connect. But if only He Yixun returned, the situation became more complicated.

From a timeline perspective, Xu Pei wouldn’t disappear until after the bridge fall incident. If He Yixun traveled back and time reversed to before the bridge fall occurred, what would Xu Pei’s status be?

Since the bridge fall hadn’t happened yet, he should be there; but his physical body was in another world—it wasn’t possible for an extra ‘him’ to just appear in the original world. 

This seemed like it could create a bug.

Or perhaps time would move forward, and He Yixun would appear in the river, thus avoiding the issue of “whether Xu Pei exists or not.”

The possibilities were truly too many. The only certainty was that He Yixun acting alone was far better than bringing Xu Pei along. Firstly, he wouldn’t have to worry about Xu Pei’s safety, making his movements more convenient. Secondly, Xu Pei would not face danger again.

He could bear these matters alone. 

Picking up the small device that looked like a bomb detonator, He Yixun slowly let out a breath and pressed the trigger button on it with his thumb.

The coil lit up with a blue light, exactly like when Zhen Li disappeared. The scene outside the car window grew increasingly blurred, and the familiar thick fog spread around him. Having experienced this twice before, He Yixun’s heart was as calm as still water. When the fog dissipated, he found himself in an open, empty space.

People were coming and going around him. Costumed characters were interacting with tourists. Not far away, a merry-go-round was playing cheerful music. A roller coaster passed overhead, accompanied by the screams of its riders.

It was an amusement park. 

He Yixun raised his hand and looked at it. He could feel the fluctuation of the air wall. As per the usual pattern, this wasn’t the final destination, just a spacetime he was passing through.

The sounds of laughter and joy around him felt both close and distant, as if separated by a curtain of water. Suddenly, the sound of a toy gun hitting a balloon caught his attention. He turned to look and, through the crowd, saw the back of a little boy.

The little boy was holding a gun, shooting at balloons with serious concentration. Two adults stood beside him. He Yixun watched for a while, not quite sure, so he walked behind the trio and realized the two adults and the child were indeed a younger Lin Mei and He Maohu, and his childhood self.

Pop! The toy gun fired a pellet, but the balloon didn’t burst. 

He Maohu took the toy gun from little He Yixun’s hands. Demonstrating for him, he said, “The stock needs to be pressed firmly against your shoulder. Don’t let it move around.”

He pulled the trigger, and a balloon burst accordingly. He Maohu looked quite pleased with himself and added, “Watch Daddy show you how to hit every single one.”

Pop, pop, pop! A string of pellets shot out, but the hit rate was less than half. The onlookers chuckled quietly. Little He Yixun seemed embarrassed and said to Lin Mei, “Mom, you show us.”

Hearing this form of address, He Yixun stiffened slightly. 

“Give me the gun.” Lin Mei held her palm out toward He Maohu.

He Maohu, not seeming embarrassed either, handed over the gun cheerfully. What followed was Lin Mei raising the gun, aiming, and firing, a set of effortless, fluid movements that cleared the entire wall of balloons.

The crowd erupted in cheers. He Maohu proudly said to the people around him, “That’s my wife.”

Little He Yixun also looked up at Lin Mei and said, “Mom, you’re so amazing.”

Lin Mei rubbed little He Yixun’s head, and the family of three went to another amusement park ride with their prize.

Wrong.

He Yixun was absolutely certain he hadn’t lost his memory. There was definitely no such scene in his memories, nor could there have been. 

When did Lin Mei and He Maohu ever take him to an amusement park?

Looking at that prize, a mecha robot, He Yixun didn’t remember ever having that toy either.

Was he dreaming?

But based on past experience, the spaces he passed through were all events that had happened, like the time he returned to his childhood study—that diary was indeed written by He Yixun himself. 

Furthermore, he wouldn’t have such an unrealistic dream.

If the scene here had truly happened, but hadn’t happened to this He Yixun, then there was probably only one possibility—

This was a parallel universe.

He Yixun stood amidst the crowd, watching the family of three from afar, his gaze lingering for a long, long time. 

The fog gathered again, the sounds and images around him disappearing together. He Yixun collected his thoughts and prepared himself for the impact. The next second, just as he had anticipated, the ground beneath his feet began to shake violently, and the noisy roar of an engine sounded around him. He made an estimation that this was probably the second before the car plunged into the river.

Yet when the fog dispersed and all his senses returned to reality, the river surface did not appear, and impact was nowhere to be found. He Yixun was plunged into an eerie silence.

—He was sitting on a toilet.

The space around him was very cramped, with almost no room to stand around the toilet. Next to it was a sink, so small it seemed designed for little people. When He Yixun stood up, his head almost brushed the ceiling. Turning around, his elbows would hit the folding door. 

Although it was quiet in the confined space, he could still hear the constant roar of engines. The trembling underfoot persisted, occasionally giving him a severe sense of weightlessness.

As incredible as it seemed, if He Yixun wasn’t mistaken—

He seemed to be on an airplane.

Right on cue, the onboard announcement sounded, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently passing through a thunderstorm area. The aircraft will experience continuous turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts and refrain from moving around. The lavatories are temporarily suspended. Passengers using the lavatories, please hold onto the handrails. Thank you.” 

He really was on an airplane.

How did this happen?

He Yixun braced one hand against the wall and pulled out his phone from this world with the other. He saw the time was moving normally, indicating he hadn’t traveled to some unfamiliar place. No network connection—that couldn’t be helped, given he was in the air.

Wait. 

The phone showed the date as Month X, Year X. It was exactly the date he and Xu Pei had disappeared last time.

The time was noon. Although he didn’t remember the specifics, on that day, Zhan Gao’s press conference was scheduled for 10 AM. Xu Pei was attacked before 10, then taken to the hospital for emergency treatment, and later fled with He Yixun—it would be about this time.

But at this time, shouldn’t he be in a car? Shouldn’t he be being pursued by the police? How did he end up on a plane?

Before he could figure out the situation, the turbulence had already smoothed out. The announcement sounded again, “Ladies and gentlemen, our aircraft has just experienced severe turbulence. If you feel unwell, please contact a flight attendant promptly. Thank you.” 

He Yixun had to start considering: if he opened the lavatory door, what would he encounter?

Perhaps no one would notice him, and he could just find an empty seat.

Or perhaps, the plane was full, and an air marshal would immediately find him suspicious.

No matter what, He Yixun couldn’t stay in the lavatory forever. After all, during descent, the flight attendants would also check the lavatories for any passengers. 

He gently pulled the folding door, opening a small crack, and discovered that outside the lavatory was actually a staircase leading to the upper level. To the right was a galley, to the left a bar.

This wasn’t an ordinary passenger plane; it was more like a private jet for dignitaries.

No one was in sight. The plane’s engines were loud, masking any other noises. He Yixun temporarily drew his gun, loaded a round, and carefully looked around, hugging the wall. He found several guards in the lounge at the rear of the cabin, boredly reading magazines and chatting.

They must have conducted strict security checks before takeoff since no guard expected someone to appear mid-flight. 

Withdrawing to the lavatory in the midsection of the plane, He Yixun planned to go up to the upper deck to take a look. But just then, footsteps suddenly sounded. Someone was coming down the stairs.

His first instinct was to hide in the nearby galley, but when he caught a glimpse of the newcomer’s face from the corner of his eye, he froze directly, meeting the person’s gaze squarely.

Although he faintly sensed something was wrong, it was too late to hide now that they had met. He Yixun spoke, “You came over too?”

The person coming down from upstairs was none other than Xu Pei, wearing narrow, gold-rimmed glasses, with a metal chain dangling casually over his shoulder. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, his tie impeccably knotted, wearing shiny leather shoes. His entire being exuded an elite aura. 

He Yixun had never seen him like this before.

Seeing He Yixun, Xu Pei was also taken aback for a moment, then frowned and asked, “Who are you?”

Author’s Feed:

Day off tomorrow, need to sort out the outline for the fifth case~