Xia Chu

The 744th time: a chance encounter on the top floor of the institute.

The 372nd time: a chance encounter at nine in the evening.

Lin Qi had no idea what Liu Xuan was trying to do. He only felt that these chance encounters had become a necessary part of his commute.

The same time every day, her showing up by chance, and her little sister looking as if she were fit to burst with anger.

Liu Li was already getting tired of this little chance-encounter act, but her older sister, Liu Xuan, seemed to enjoy it immensely.

The encounters never led to anything. They simply exchanged greetings, then each headed for their own Flying Vehicle.

With his hands on the steering wheel, Lin Qi once again sensed that familiar gaze.

The mercenary's gaze.

Sure enough, the morning stare hadn't been directed at him. The mercenary's target was probably the Liu sisters.

Mercenaries who had set their sights on the Liu family in Hongguo City had actually survived until now?

This mercenary team clearly had some ability.

They were at least T3-level, probably around the same rank as the "Highest Level" Mercenary Group.

A mercenary team at this level could potentially threaten the Liu sisters.

As Lin Qi drove, he activated Psychic Vision to observe the suspicious gaze.

"There's only one person watching. The mission is most likely still in the information-gathering stage."

"If they're gathering information about the Red Fruit Weapons Research Institute's buildings, their position should be..."

Based on Lin Qi's years of experience working with the "Highest Level" Mercenary Group, along with the direction of the gaze he had sensed,

Lin Qi roughly narrowed down the suspicious area.

It was right along the route he had to take home.

When he reached the area, Lin Qi exited Psychic Vision and observed with his naked eyes alone.

Beneath the flashing neon lights, a crimson glow flickered and vanished.

Crimson?

Most A-level military reconnaissance eyes looked like that.

Crimson wasn't essential, but in terms of design, it created the strongest sense of intimidation. The glow could be switched off when necessary.

In actual practice, however, large corporations deliberately left certain flaws in the A-level cybernetic bodies they sold, with the exception of their internal supplies.

"As an L-level Researcher at the weapons research institute, I'm studying A-level cybernetic bodies in hopes of earning a promotion. It's perfectly normal for me to be sensitive to the glow of military reconnaissance eyes."

"Besides, I really could see the crimson glow from where I was. It's reasonable, and it makes sense."

Lin Qi sent Liu Xuan a call request.

As always, she answered immediately.

This time Lin Qi didn't hesitate. He went straight to the point: "Someone nearby is using A-level military reconnaissance eyes. The research institute may be their target."

As he spoke, Lin Qi accessed his Brain and found the footage of the red light flickering in his Flying Vehicle's recorder. He sent it to Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan's reply was as calm as ever. "Okay."

After getting her response, Lin Qi ended the call.

Telling Liu Xuan was more efficient than informing the research institute's security department.

Liu Li gave Liu Xuan a strange look. "What's wrong?"

Liu Xuan took a deep breath. Her gaze wandered for a few seconds before she returned to normal. "It seems someone has their eyes on the research institute. Of course, they might be after you."

"After me? How could that be? Why would they be after me?" Liu Li found the idea absurd.

Liu Xuan turned to look at her younger sister. "Why do you think?"

When Lin Qi wasn't affecting her state of mind, Liu Xuan's thinking was exceptionally clear. She looked at Liu Li with bright, clear eyes.

"You mean the Liu Group is being targeted?" Liu Li's eyes widened in shock as she understood what Liu Xuan meant.

Liu Xuan silently agreed. Using her cybernetic left eye to control her Brain, she forwarded the footage Lin Qi had sent her.

"Don't go out until this is resolved. And don't come to the Weapon Research Institute for now." Liu Xuan looked into Liu Li's eyes.

Liu Li heard an unusual note in her sister's words. "What about you?"

Liu Xuan looked away. "You just stay home."

Liu Li stared at Liu Xuan in disbelief. "After something like this happens, you're still thinking about that cybernetic freak?"

Liu Xuan didn't respond. She watched the road ahead, as if there were some remarkable sight in front of them.

Liu Li didn't understand or respect her sister's way of thinking, but she had already decided that she would contact their father as soon as she got home.

At the mid-level employee apartments of Liu Heavy Industries, Lin Qi returned to his room.

He opened the bathroom door and faced the mirror.

Lin Qi held a chip in his left hand and reached behind his neck with his right.

He had installed his external Brain behind his neck.

A metal structure shaped like a spine ran down his body, connecting the Exoskeleton Armor on his arms and legs.

This was the load-bearing structure Lin Qi had designed, and it was also the key to disguising his Exoskeleton Armor as a cybernetic body.

His right hand brushed over the Brain's position, and the chip slot opened.

The exoskeleton wasn't just a disguise. With all his external equipment, Lin Qi had abilities almost indistinguishable from those of a person with cybernetic modifications.

He inserted the chip, and the Brain processed the sword-fighting data.

With the Brain controlling it, Lin Qi could use the exoskeleton to perform sword-fighting techniques at near-master level.

That was almost the best performance the chip could achieve.

Once he'd finished, Lin Qi left the bathroom.

The [Gate] still needed several hours to finish cooling down.

He walked to his workstation and quickly scrolled through the news from Hongguo City.

There had been no major incidents and no new mercenary murders.

There was nothing worth paying attention to, but Lin Qi kept browsing for a long time anyway. It was a way to disguise himself through big data and avoid having algorithms identify what he was truly interested in.

After finishing his browsing, Lin Qi lay on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.

He'd been through a lot since yesterday and felt a little tired.

He meditated with his eyes closed, waiting for the [Gate] to open.

March 1, 2089, 12:55 a.m.

Lin Qi opened his eyes right on time. The [Gate] had finished cooling down.

The [Gate] didn't open automatically. Lin Qi could choose when to open it.

The [Gate] existed deep within Lin Qi's Spiritual Sea, and he reached out to it with his Mental Power.

The [Gate] that could carry Lin Qi between worlds slowly opened.

He once again passed through the darkness.

When Lin Qi opened his eyes, he had arrived in the Doomsday World.

The charred ground proved that, compared to his last journey, his location hadn't changed.

In Psychic Vision, the woman at the entrance was inserting her key into the lock, proving that time hadn't changed either.

"Does time stop on the other side when I pass through the [Gate]?"

As Lin Qi reached his conclusion, the woman turned the key and opened the door a crack.

Through the gap, Lin Qi and the woman looked at each other.

In her eyes, Lin Qi saw joy, relief, and lingering fear.

The woman entered the room and closed the door.

The next moment, she suddenly threw herself at Lin Qi.

According to the Brain's assessment, the woman's actions posed no danger.

The exoskeleton made no attempt to defend itself.

"Lin Qi, thank goodness. You're alive..."

"Thank goodness you didn't turn into a zombie. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."

Lin Qi stood still as the woman embraced him tightly.

The moment she spoke, Lin Qi finally remembered the woman's name.

In his previous life's parallel world, Lin Qi had known her. He remembered her as his high school class monitor.

Lin Qi spoke. "Xia Chu?"