Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 182: Eight
Time: 12:10. The red number: 9.
“Lin Lin, I’m stepping out for a moment.” Kuang Jinxin informed the young girl beside him once again, but this time he added, “You mustn’t go to the storeroom. It’s dangerous there.”
Under normal circumstances, Lin Lin would have suggested he go to the storeroom, but after he said this, the girl didn’t say anything else and just responded blankly, “Oh, okay.”
Kuang Jinxin dragged Chi Yingxue to the stairwell. Along the way, Chi Yingxue was still brooding over revenge, to which Kuang Jinxin was utterly helpless. “What revenge? It’s not a person. It doesn’t know what it should or shouldn’t bite.”
Chi Yingxue felt awkward hearing this. “Why are you speaking for a snake?”
Kuang Jinxin glanced at him. “There’s also someone who took a shovel wanting to fight a snake to the death.”
Chi Yingxue: “……”
Kuang Jinxin: “Besides, that’s a banded krait. It’s extremely venomous. We can’t deal with it.”
Chi Yingxue: “You just covered it with a cardboard box just now.”
Kuang Jinxin: “It was going to bite you. I didn’t think that much.”
Chi Yingxue: “Xiao Sijin.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Hm?”
Chi Yingxue: “Give me your phone number, WeChat ID, and ID card number.”
The two had just entered the stairwell, and their conversation had reached this point.
Kuang Jinxin thought he had misheard and asked again, “What?”
The stairwell was very quiet, so even normal conversation had echoes.
“Phone number, WeChat ID, and ID card number—give them to me.” Chi Yingxue enunciated every word, his voice cool and refreshing like summer shaved ice. “Let’s be friends.”
Kuang Jinxin looked at him warily. “You need an ID card number to make friends?”
“For normal friends, no, but you do,” Chi Yingxue said, blinking as if it were the most natural thing.
Kuang Jinxin found that not only could he not keep up with the other’s train of thought, sometimes he couldn’t even grasp the other’s meaning. This person, trapped in the same time loop as him, was neither anxious nor panicked and always focused on very subtle things. Yet, it wasn’t about being contrary or playing games, but rather… self-centered.
He finally thought of the right word. Yes, “self-centered”. Normally, people consider the environment, events, relationships and combine these to act appropriately. But not this person; he followed his own whims. It was frustrating, yet enviable.
“Brother.” Kuang Jinxin knew the other liked it when he called him that. Usually, starting with this would optimize the success rate of communication. “Can we first get the firefighters here to deal with the snake, then think about how to end the time reversal, and after everything returns to normal, then add each other on WeChat?”
Chi Yingxue: “Phone and ID card number.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Yeah, I’ll give them to you.”
Chi Yingxue didn’t like to wait, but occasionally, exceptions can be made.
When Kuang Jinxin was calling the fire department, he was handed a business card. As the call connected, he saw the words on the card—XX Brand Design Studio, Art Director, Chi Yingxue.
In those five minutes that he was late, not only did he find a shovel but also a business card.
Even with time reversing, he insisted on having a name. Kuang Jinxin didn’t know what to say, but upon further thought, he found it quite endearing.
After calling the fire department, he finally felt a bit more at ease, his thoughts returning to the time reversal. “Why is it just the two of us?”
Chi Yingxue raised an eyebrow, also showing rare curiosity.
Was there any connection between him and Xiao Sijin… Chi Yingxue quite liked this speculation.
“What does the countdown number mean? When it reaches ‘0’, will time no longer reverse?” Kuang Jinxin wasn’t really asking for an answer but hoped they could discuss together and brainstorm.
Chi Yingxue finally said, “Not necessarily. Maybe when it reaches ‘0’, we’ll both be dead, truly dead.”
“What if we live past 4:44 p.m. before ‘0’. Does that mean we can end all this?” Kuang Jinxin always felt that the message in the [Cheat Sheet] was the most crucial clue to this matter.
Just as Chi Yingxue was about to speak again, the footsteps of several people came from upstairs, somewhat chaotic.
He remembered the “accident” from before and immediately pulled Kuang Jinxin over, shielding him behind.
Several security guards were bringing down a person with a fierce look, whose gaze fell on Chi Yingxue.
Chi Yingxue had no interest in this person they had previously encountered, with low combat value and even lower attractiveness. What interested him was the flier in the security guard’s hand—the dog head drawn on it was quite artistic.
The criminal came as expected. Chi Yingxue kicked precisely, retracted his leg very naturally, and swiped the flier from the security guard’s hand.
He was seriously appreciating the “dog head” drawing.
Kuang Jinxin peeked out from behind him, but what he saw was the text, and the next moment, he couldn’t help but grip Chi Yingxue’s clothes tighter.
Chi Yingxue frowned, then saw the content of the flier and immediately asked the security guard, “Where did this flier come from?”
The security guard, just having subdued the criminal again and wary of this building employee who could “make a difference with just one kick”, answered immediately, “There are three lunatics distributing them all over the building. If it wasn’t for being too busy today and lacking manpower, we would have caught them already!”
“Too busy?” Kuang Jinxin’s sixth sense suddenly triggered, making him voice question.
“Yeah.” The security guard was full of complaints and obviously worn out. “There’s someone on the rooftop wanting to jump off, someone downstairs looking for their love rival with a knife, and just now we caught this guy sneaking around.” He glanced at the fierce-looking man, venting all his frustration on him. “Glare at your mom. Keep glaring. You think just because you’re stubborn and tough, you’ll be fine? What are you doing, sneaking in here as an outsider? Obviously, you’re up to no good…”
The security guards, dragging the man, cursed as they went downstairs.
Kuang Jinxin asked, “Brother, do you think these incidents are related to the time reversal?”
“Hard to say.” Chi Yingxue pondered for a moment. “Let’s go to the 10th first.”
Kuang Jinxin: “Okay.”
For now, they would set aside other matters. Knowing about the blood-red number and the owl head, this had to be investigated.
Just as the security guards and the criminal had descended one floor, it seemed they started fighting again. By the sound of it, it wasn’t intense, as the security guards were numerous and could control the situation easily. But the two didn’t want to “cross the battlefield” to avoid more trouble, so they turned back to the corridor and decided to take the elevator instead.
Unexpectedly, just as the elevator descended to the 13th floor, it abruptly stopped. It wasn’t because someone had pressed the elevator button from the outside; it just stopped suddenly without warning, and it might not even be precisely on the 13th floor.
The lights inside the elevator flickered and then went out. Along with the lights, the control panel went dark, leaving only the emergency contact button still faintly glowing red.
“…A power outage?” Kuang Jinxin nervously took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and saw Chi Yingxue standing there in a daze, looking bewildered as if he had lost his soul.
Kuang Jinxin’s heart tightened. For some reason, this made him more anxious than being stuck in the elevator. He almost instinctively hugged the other person, patting his back gently like comforting a child: “It’s okay, it’s okay, it will be over soon.”
Chi Yingxue came back to his senses, confused. He was just startled by the sudden power outage and was sure he hadn’t felt any emotional turbulence, not understanding where Kuang Jinxin got the idea that he needed “comforting”.
However…
Being gently patted like this was quite comfortable.
Chi Yingxue raised his arm to wrap it around the other, gently rubbing his head against Kuang Jinxin’s hair, suddenly wishing that time would stop moving forward or reversing and would stop here, in this elevator, stuck.
Unfortunately, just as he closed his eyes, not even having the chance to continue enjoying the moment, a loud “bang” came from above, and the elevator car shook violently.
It was as if something heavy had fallen into the elevator shaft, landing on top of the shaft. The two instinctively looked up, but in the fully enclosed car, they couldn’t see outside.
The echo quickly faded, but their hearts, in the ever-quieter air, were lifted.
“Xiao Sijin, shine the light here.” Chi Yingxue raised his arm.
Kuang Jinxin immediately directed the light to where Chi Yingxue pointed.
Chi Yingxue rummaged through his [Stationery Box] and eventually activated a [(Defense) See-Through Wall].
About seven or eight seconds later, the ceiling of the elevator car, under Chi Yingxue’s gaze, gradually became transparent.
The more transparent it became, the tighter Kuang Jinxin’s breathing grew, until his throat was so tight he could barely breathe.
A girl with blood all over her face was lying on top of the elevator car. Her body was twisted into strange angles, and her eyes opened unwillingly, with blood slowly oozing out from her mouth and broken limbs, staining her branded clothes red.
Lin Lin.
Kuang Jinxin couldn’t help but tear up, unable to believe that the girl who had been smiling sweetly at him not long ago was now gone.
Chi Yingxue narrowed his eyes, spotting the light from the elevator shaft through the gaps around the body.
The presence of light meant only one thing—the elevator doors were open.
17th floor? 18th floor? Judging by the position of the light coming through, it was possible that the girl had fallen from that level…
No.
Chi Yingxue’s gaze suddenly sharpened—a person was peering down from the place of light.
They were too far away, and the light was insufficient. He couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, yet he could feel that the person wasn’t panicked. If it were an accident or out of curiosity, one would have many reactions, but that person just stared down steadily, without even a slight shake of their head.
The person was checking if their push had definitively killed.
The blood completely turned the elevator car ceiling into a “blood cover”. Suddenly, knocking sounds came from outside. “Is anyone in there—”
Kuang Jinxin dared not respond, and Chi Yingxue also remained silent.
“The elevator is malfunctioning. I am here for maintenance from the building’s property management. I’m going to pry the door open now. If there’s someone inside, please move back. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick—”
As Chi Yingxue’s gaze shifted, the elevator doors slowly became transparent.
Outside, a technician in a gray coat was using tools to open the elevator doors, his face full of worry and urgency.
Kuang Jinxin’s suspended heart finally settled.
The door quickly opened, and the technician, seeing people inside, looked astonished. “There are people here. Why didn’t you say anything when I called for so long.” Despite his complaints, he still helped them out.
Just as Kuang Jinxin was about to thank the technician, Chi Yingxue suddenly pulled him back and asked lightly. “Master, why aren’t you wearing a uniform?”
The man in the gray coat paused for a moment, then smiled and suddenly pulled out a switchblade from his pocket. He pressed it and the blade popped out. He stabbed upwards towards Chi Yingxue in one swift, skillful move that was terrifyingly proficient.
Chi Yingxue narrowly dodged, pushed Kuang Jinxin away, and immediately captured the opponent’s arm.
Unexpectedly, the opponent turned around and managed to break free with a clever twist.
Chi Yingxue frowned, realizing this person was difficult to deal with.
Kuang Jinxin got up from the ground, having figured it out. Chi Yingxue’s words couldn’t even qualify as “suspicion”. If the opponent truly didn’t want to cause trouble, they would have at least exchanged a few words. However, this person drew a knife right from the start, clearly intending to kill them both, regardless of whether they saw through his disguise!
“What are you doing?” A security guard, sweating profusely, ran over. “Can’t you let people have a moment of peace?”
Kuang Jinxin immediately approached him. “He’s trying to kill us! Also, there’s someone in the elevator shaft…”
Before he could finish, Kuang Jinxin lost consciousness amidst the sound of an electric shock.
Chi Yingxue saw the security guard pulling out a stun gun, but it was too late. This moment of distraction gave the man in the gray coat the opportunity to stab him in the chest. He faced intense pain and dizziness.
……
Time: 12:00, with the number 8 outside the window.
This time, it only took Chi Yingxue fifty seconds to catch up with Kuang Jinxin. Without a word, he pulled the person and headed towards the 10th floor.
Kuang Jinxin shared the same thought—if he didn’t find someone knowledgeable to ask something, he would be driven mad by this series of “accidents”.
“Don’t leave the beauty salon. Absolutely do not leave, no matter who asks!” Before leaving, he almost begged Lin Lin.
Lin Lin was confused and watched him leave.
The two rushed to the stairwell—they couldn’t trust the elevators in such a short time—without stopping, they continued running downstairs. However, as they ran, they heard someone else running down from above, even more urgently than them, with heavy footsteps that inexplicably tensed their nerves.
Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin sped up while also lightening their steps, finally reaching the 10th floor and quickly leaving the elevator area.
They thought this would completely avoid the “unknown person” behind them, but as soon as they entered the corridor, that person also followed.
They immediately turned around, fully on guard, and the person also saw them, hurriedly stopping.
“Did you come because of the flier?!” the person asked first, voice trembling, not with malice but seemingly excited.
Chi Yingxue and Kuang Jinxin looked at each other and simultaneously raised their arms, displaying the symbol. One casually lifted, stylish and free, the other obediently raising his hand, as if he was ready to answer a question in class.
Qian Ai was genuinely surprised, not expecting Wu Sheng’s trick to actually work and so quickly too. He also raised his arm, showing an owl. “Classmates. We are classmates!”
Kuang Jinxin: “…Ah?”
Qian Ai approached, enthusiasm closing the distance between them. “Wu Sheng said, we are now in an examination room, taking the same test.”
Kuang Jinxin felt only goodwill and an overwhelming enthusiasm from this person, unconsciously lowering his guard. “Who is Wu Sheng?”
“Someone like us, uh…” Qian Ai hesitated, feeling a bit guilty, and honestly added a condition. “Intellectually speaking, someone like us.”
“And there’s Xu Wang,” he continued. “Also participating in this test.”
Kuang Jinxin was a bit confused. “You keep talking about a test. What exactly is the test?”
“This.” Qian Ai opened his [Cheat Sheet], revealing the message. “This is our test question.”
Kuang Jinxin finally understood.
“How many people in total?” Chi Yingxue suddenly asked.
“Five,” Qian Ai truthfully answered. “Including you and me, plus them two, so far it’s just us five, not excluding the possibility of others.”
“Five…” Chi Yingxue pointed to his arm. “All with the owl symbol?”
Qian Ai nodded. “Yes.”
Chi Yingxue frowned, seriously wondering. “Then why is there a dog’s head on the flier?”
“……” Faced with such a soul-torture question, Qian Ai felt that neither he nor Artist Wu himself could answer, leaving it to Xu Wang.
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