Time Worm

"."

Xiya felt a sudden, intense buzzing in her brain. Although Laika's two actions were the same, they represented completely different meanings.

For the first time, it traveled through time and called out three times to Lu Ban on January 5th.

The second time, it also traveled through time and called out three times to Lu Ban, who was sitting next to the bench on January 6th.

These two actions occurred at the same time.

So, is it January 6th or January 5th now?

Where has time gone?

"That's what's so weird about this Amusement Park. I should have known better."

Lu Ban's speech quickened, as if something was chasing him.

"Laika, if I'm going to ride the same rides I've ridden before, call my name five times."

"Aww!"

Laika called out to indicate that she understood.

Then, Lu Ban looked at Xiya and Feng Yu.

"We have already been subjected to Cognitive Interference, but I don't know the other party's methods or how to circumvent them. I think we will soon be subjected to cognitive obstruction again and forget all of this."

He said, and then asked Feng Yu.

"You said before that there are two ways to make someone travel through time, one is with Hound, and the other is what was it again?"

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Feng Yu suddenly showed a look of realization.

"It is a race that feeds on stealing other people's time. If you are touched by them, a certain amount of time will be stolen, ranging from a few seconds to one to three years."

Before Feng Yu could finish speaking, he felt a Teddy Bear standing next to him, and its unchanging smiling expression suddenly widened.

"Their name is Time Worm."

Which project should we visit first?

Lu Ban asked.

"Merry-go-round?"

Feng Yu looked at the most relaxing option.

Is this a horseback riding simulator?

Xiya looked at the colorful unicorns, horses, vehicles, and other things and found it a little funny.

"Let's go take a look first."

As Lu Ban spoke, he prepared to walk towards the Merry-go-round.

Suddenly, Laika, who was sitting on the ground beside him, called out a few times.

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

It barked five times, causing Lu Ban to stop in his tracks.

"If Laika makes a sound, it means we may have fallen into Cognitive Interference, and something is wrong."

Lu Ban thought of the cognitive Anchor Point that Feng Yu had mentioned before.

He soon noticed the snow on the roof and saw the happy tourists.

"These tourists are all real human beings and have not undergone serious alienation, which means that they have not been seriously polluted, or that their pollution is within a very low range."

"It's supposed to snow tonight, but there's snow on the roof of the Amusement Park. This means it snowed last night. We're experiencing Cognitive Interference, which means today might not be January 5th, but January 6th. However, our perception has been distorted and is still stuck on the 5th."

"But if such a situation had occurred, Laika should have warned us long ago, which means that, for it, our understanding has not been tampered with."

"This means we've spent the whole day without realizing it, Laika. Go find me at 12:15 on January 5th and call my name three times."

Lu Ban immediately gave the order, while observing his surroundings. He saw tourists laughing and chatting, staff in yellow uniforms making and selling ice cream, and Teddy Bear surrounded by children, with balloons being handed out.

The next moment, Laika suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, calling out to Lu Ban three times.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Seeing this, Xiya was surprised and Feng Yu was lost in thought, neither of them spoke.

"I am the same person I am on January 5th, but the date is no longer January 5th, but January 6th. Our perception has not been confused or altered, because from the perspective of our bodies, it is indeed January 5th."

Lu Ban began to explain.

"This is a problem of the observer's coordinate system. When we enter the Amusement Park, we encounter certain events that cause our own time to regress a bit, while time moves normally in the world outside the Amusement Park. This makes our perception remain on the same day."

"These tourists are probably the same. For them, they are always in the state of just entering the Amusement Park, so they don't know what's happening outside. To them, it's just an ordinary day."

"Outside communication cannot reach here because for those in this Amusement Park, external communication is a matter of the 'future.' Those in the 'past' certainly cannot receive it. Furthermore, since the time of these visitors is almost frozen, they have no future, and thus they are weakened or eliminated in the perception of others. This may be the Amusement Park's way of hiding itself."

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Feng Yu suddenly felt something and spoke up.

"What you said reminds me of a creature from another world. Do you remember I told you that in another world, besides Hound, there is another being that can make people travel through time? Its name is the Time Worm."

Feng Yu glanced around and saw that the Teddy Bear had left the children's group and gone to a nearby street lamp.

"The Time Worm steal time from other creatures, causing them to disappear from their current point in time and return to the past, devouring that part of the future. These creatures possess two special survival mechanisms to protect themselves."

"The first is that when they are noticed by other creatures, they become harmless in that creature's perception, replacing such things, and they will not attack other creatures."

The second mechanism is...

Before Feng Yu could finish speaking, Lu Ban patted her on the shoulder.

"Wasn't this thing here just now?"

Lu Ban pointed to the Teddy Bear standing next to Feng Yu.

"This Teddy Bear seems to have been under the streetlight just a moment ago."

Xiya said somewhat nervously.

"You just said this is Teddy Bear Teddy Bear?"

Lu Ban sensed something was wrong.

"This is Teddy Bear!"

Xiya spoke, she also discovered the problem.

"What did you just say? This thing won't attack us if we notice it, right?"

Lu Ban opened his eyes wide and stared intently at the Teddy Bear. His adorable smile turned sinister. It stood quietly beside the three of them, like a good friend.

"Right"

Feng Yu also turned his head and looked at the Teddy Bear.

"Xiya, I have something to tell you. The Teddy Bear in this world don't look like this."

At this moment, Lu Ban's [True Sight] received feedback, and in his eyes, the appearance of the "Teddy Bear" changed.

A humanoid creature, grayish-white in color and with a shell made of mucus, bones, and keratin, and hundreds of eyes on its head, stood beside them. From its mouth, a long, thin tongue extended and was trying to entangle the three of them.

*

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I've been quite busy with work these past few days and haven't had much time to write. Only two chapters today!