Reversing the Future

As she stepped into the stairway to heaven, Elorie took a deep breath.

"What, nervous?" Chen Xuan pressed the button for the Branch Store.

"Mm... a little." The Angel nodded. Although they had failed to save Mother Body Lucy, she still held on to a sliver of hope. What if the Angel Alliance truly repented? There were still thirty years before the crystals fell. If they devoted themselves to preparing for the coming battle, they could at least build a few more underground cities and let more humans survive.

She dared not place too much trust in the Alliance, yet wanted to believe in them. Those conflicting feelings left her wavering between hope and fear.

Chen Xuan had no such complicated thoughts.

Ultimately, this was someone else's world. As the shopkeeper, he had done everything he could for his customers. If that still wasn't enough, then it was fate.

The elevator stopped after only about five seconds.

With a chime, its doors slowly slid open.

The same small high-rise apartment greeted the three of them, looking just as it had when they left. The building opposite stood very close, with several clothes-drying racks suspended between them. Freshly washed T-shirts fluttered in the breeze, while a tenant leaned lazily against a window, smoking.

"Looks like nothing's changed." As Chen Xuan spoke, he glanced at Elorie and saw unmistakable disappointment on her face.

Their efforts had failed to bear fruit after all.

"Those people in the Alliance... what on earth were they doing?!" Little Angel demanded, frustrated by their failure to live up to her hopes.

"It's too early to say." Lin Qing withheld judgment. "We'll have to check the repair shop to know for sure."

"All right, I'll book a ride. Amy? Amy?" Chen Xuan called into the empty apartment several