Yes, your Uncle Tengshe once had an intimate relationship too

"It already happened, but I didn't realize it?"

Upon hearing "Zhu Ming's" statement, "Tengshe" instinctively thought it was nothing more than the other party's attempt to confuse and deceive.

After all, he had a lot of faith in his judgment—he had spent the whole day, but nothing had actually happened.

Perhaps the so-called "Calamity" Authority is nothing more than that fleeting aura that appeared just now, used to scare oneself.

Ultimately, this is just a part of my own past.

It wasn't entirely unexpected for Tengshe that the members of the "Freedom Alliance" would do something so perverse, using such deceitful words and methods.

"I don't believe your words—after all, this is probably just another ordinary day for me, and I haven't seen any 'signs'," Tengshe said seriously. "I now know a lot about the characteristics of this place... For example, my death and the end of the day will probably cause everything to 'reset,' and your death won't affect anything."

"At the same time, you can't kill me in this illusion—although this cycle is terrifying, I can't die, and you can't do anything about it... This means you can't trap me indefinitely."

"I will find a way to escape—in this endless loop."

Tengshe spoke earnestly, his tone becoming firm.

Lin Yu looked at Tengshe and laughed as well.

The "pity" in his eyes was even more obvious and profound.

"Since that's what you think, then go ahead and give it a try—I never intended to confine you for life."

"Just... remember to pay attention to the 'signs' I mentioned; I'm not lying to you."

As Lin Yu finished speaking, Police Car sped past on the riverbank, their Police Siren blaring and fading into the distance.

Tengshe shook his head at Lin Yu, then turned and climbed up the riverbank to collect his food for the day.

It was still canned food, bread, and Coffee; and the same aimless wandering.

The friend I made during my cynical, homeless days, who always felt his talents were wasted, still hasn't appeared in the underpass.

Tengshe paused again, sighing. He didn't hear the other person's comments about the world being unworthy of his talent or those "Illuminati conspiracy theories," and he even felt a little empty.

Although he hadn't heard it in a long time anyway.

Because he didn't "kill Zhu Ming" this time, his "home" under the bridge didn't need to be abandoned, and he didn't need to find a new "base," so Tengshe had more freedom in his time.

In this underground passage, Tengshe headed towards another fork in the road and began exploring in another direction.

At last...

Still finding nothing, Tengshe fell asleep and woke up again.

Time... has rewound to the very beginning.

This time, Tengshe didn't even bother to talk to Lin Yu, continuing on its original life trajectory and then changing direction to continue its exploration.

The third cycle ended without any major, fundamental changes.

Then the fourth time...

The fifth time...

The sixth time...

The seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh time— Tengshe repeated the "one-day cycle" in the illusion, without showing any sign of collapsing.

Finally, on the twelfth time, Lin Yu couldn't help but speak up to Tengshe, who was about to leave.

"So, your plan is to just live here forever?"

After all these cycles, Lin Yu could see it...

"Tengshe" genuinely enjoys his nomadic life.

Trapping him here might not be a form of "torture".

At least dozens, or even hundreds, of cycles wouldn't be considered torture.

This makes sense, though. In many works involving time loops that Lin Yu has seen, the protagonists usually only start to feel bored and "trapped" after hundreds of loops.

Therefore, Lin Yu couldn't help but question "Tengshe" at this moment.

"I said, shouldn't you be 'anxious'—you're the one who's trapped and trying to escape, aren't you?"

"Outside, the situation is more urgent, and you're the one who needs to leave more urgently, aren't you?"

Lin Yu countered with a series of questions.

"Yes, but there's no use in being anxious," "Tengshe" stopped and looked at Lin Yu, "As long as I'm not in a hurry, it's you who's in a hurry..."

"Because you locked me up here not just to 'buy time.' You, a mortal—not even Divine Rank —Demigod used two 'Authority,' paying a high price and employing such a brilliant move. I don't believe... that you were merely, simply trying to 'buy time,'" Tengshe pointed to his head. "You must have a bigger scheme—I don't know you, but I still have some standards and methods for judging human nature."

"Besides, that's what my gut feeling is too."

Lin Yu looked at Tengshe and asked seriously, "Should we rely on 'intuition' for such an important matter...? What if you guess wrong? Wouldn't that be a complete waste of your precious time?"

"First of all, my time isn't that valuable, and secondly... I guessed right."

"I say with certainty, "Tengshe said.

Lin Yu asked, "Weren't you already planning to give me a hint?"

Lin Yu looked at Tengshe and narrowed his eyes. "Alright... what you said isn't entirely wrong. I was indeed planning to give you a hint."

"However, rather than being 'anxious' or having ulterior motives or seeking personal gain, it's more about 'curiosity'... because I already know the full story of the 'calamity' in your life."

Lin Yu paused for a moment before speaking, "Although I used the power of Authority to construct this illusion, I must admit that at the beginning I didn't know the full picture of this illusion; I could only vaguely outline some contours and general directions—and you guessed it right, my grasp of this illusion was indeed not comprehensive enough."

"But as we went through a dozen or so cycles, while you were exploring, I was also gradually piecing together why the Authority chose to reconstruct this scenario."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Tengshe replied, "You already know the whole story, what are you still curious about?"

"I'm curious about your reaction now that you know the whole Truth," Lin Yu said, a look of sympathy returning to him, "Or rather, your reaction after facing the Truth head-on."

Lin Yu then added, "After all, as I said, you've already subconsciously become aware of these things... That's why even the scenario constructed by 'Authority' isn't entirely 'objective'—the current scene and your Memory both have missing parts."

I expect you'll have to face the reactions that follow.

Lin Yu said sincerely.

This time, after listening to Lin Yu's speech, Tengshe could no longer simply assume that the other party was "bluffing".

No matter what, he could sense the sincerity and genuineness that Lin Yu actually exuded.

He wanted to continue exploring as if nothing had happened, just like he had done in the previous dozen or so cycles and Reversal, just as he had chosen to wander the streets and live such a free and unrestrained life.

However, this time, Tengshe really couldn't ignore the content of Lin Yu's words.

"Stop being so mysterious," Beast Master. "Even if I did overlook something, it wouldn't be anything decisive..."

"If you're going to give me a hint, then show me."

Tengshe looked at Lin Yu and said seriously.

Lin Yu also looked at Tengshe and held up one finger.

"Okay, let me ask you a question first... Why haven't you returned to your school even once in all those dozen or so cycles—even though you were almost there several times, weren't you?"

"What's the point of going back? Some people are just naturally indifferent to school. Even successful people don't want to go back to their alma mater. Besides, I'm just a homeless person who was expelled. Is going back to school something to be proud of?" Tengshe said matter-of-factly. "Let alone the dozen or so cycles in this illusion, I've been wandering this city for several years in reality, and I still haven't set foot back at that school."

Lin Yu nodded slightly. "That makes sense... After all, you still have friends you care about at school, right?"

"When you were in school, you actually received a lot of help from people... those who asked you to cover their classes at the beginning, those who helped you with your shopping later, those who lobbied for you when you were investigated, those who introduced you to roommates—and even someone who helped you get out of prison."

As Lin Yu spoke, Tengshe wasn't surprised that the other party knew these things—after all, they were currently immersed in a part of their own past Memory —it was reasonable for the other party to have such abilities and be able to see more.

But for Tengshe...

As Lin Yu recounted these events, Tengshe still felt a growing unease with each word Lin Yu spoke.

Why are you saying all this?

Tengshe looked at Lin Yu, and although he had a vague feeling that something was wrong, he still asked with some confusion.

"First of all, are these really 'some people,' esteemed Mr. Tengshe...? Are they ultimately a group of classmates and friends who have treated you kindly, or... simply one person?"

Lin Yu looked at Tengshe and asked seriously.

Before Tengshe could explain, Lin Yu interrupted him again and asked.

"Let's assume these are all the same person... So, how much do you remember about this person's name, gender, height, weight, personality...? Can you recall anything?"

"Of course, none of that matters... The important thing is, don't you yourself feel uncomfortable with this, Mr. Tengshe?"

"Even if it's your best friend, isn't it a bit 'exaggerated' and 'unusual' for them to help you this much?"

"And assuming all of this is true, your reaction is actually more exaggerated than that guy's—why would you completely forget someone who helped you so much? Are you really... such a heartless person?"

"You're deliberately avoiding meeting them, even trying to forget them, revising your Memory and perceptions... You're almost there, to be honest."

"However, your mistake lies in the fact that the other party's influence was too great for you, so the more you modified, the more flaws you revealed!"

Lin Yu paused for a moment, and Tengshe felt the panic and unease in his heart had swelled to the extreme, his head was buzzing.

What exactly... are you trying to say?

"Ruan Min, or rather, the international student whose English name is Celine," Lin Yu stared at Tengshe, speaking almost mockingly, "Do you remember... that 'friend' who always helped you, who never abandoned you?"

"Or rather... your 'girlfriend'."