Lin: Storm in a Parallel Universe / Elysia: Past and Future

"The 'truth' about the current situation, why we exist in such a world, why disaster strikes, and the cause of all this."

"Where am I supposed to find these things? Can't you tell me?!"

Qianqi almost screamed; she could even feel that "thing" breathing on her back!

"You're 'inside'! If I tell you this, you'll be 'watched'! Go to him, but don't contact him before you get the truth. But if you want to seek the truth, you must pay attention to him and the people around him!"

Qianqi finally lost control of her body. She ran away like a madwoman, using all her strength to take steps in the darkness where she could hear nothing!

The moment that "thing" left, Qianqi turned around, her eyes wide, and saw the last scene under the night sky—

A woman with long pink hair stood in front of the man, grabbed his neck, and looked at him with a smile.

Then, she twisted her hand.

They ripped the man's head off his body.

"Oh, Lin, I've been looking for you for so long!"

She stuck out her tongue and licked the blood from the corner of her mouth, a charming and sweet smile curving her lips.

Chapter 44 Lin: Storm in a Parallel Universe

Mei saw Kevin enter the school with him at night.

Lin stood on the rooftop, watching the last ray of light being consumed by darkness. The chaos in his mind mingled with the spreading shadows.

Kevin had previously mentioned that he and Kevin went to the hospital to find his other self, but he was clearly playing games at home that night, and Lin didn't even go out yesterday.

Could it be that Kevin has met another version of himself?

I've also been having frequent dreams lately. The sensations in the dreams are so real, but the content becomes blurry after I wake up.

And coincidentally, the thing that the person named Qianqi wanted to talk to him about was also related to another version of himself, which might provide some clues.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Qianqi seemed very anxious, and hurriedly pushed open the rooftop door. After seeing Lin, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"You've come. It seems you trust me, which saves me some trouble."

"It depends on the situation." Lin crossed his arms and waved his wrist. "First, I have two questions to ask."

Without giving Qianqi any reason to refuse, Lin directly asked:

"First, is the person you refer to as MSA-079 someone you believe to be me, or did he tell you that he is me?"

"Second, is Kevin involved in this matter?"

Lin believed that concisely extracting the key information would improve communication efficiency, and these were the two answers he needed at the moment; Qianqi could only offer supplementary information.

Qianqi was clearly surprised by Lin's question. She was speechless for a while before saying somewhat woodenly, "Then... let's do it one by one."

"MSA-079 is the one who told me personally that he is you, and that you look exactly alike."

"Same height?"

"I'm not sure, but even if they are different, the difference isn't so great that you can tell the difference."

They look exactly alike, so they can get plastic surgery.

Although he didn't know what kind of cosmetic surgery could make two people look exactly alike, Lin's thinking wandered, and he wasn't in a hurry to think it was impossible. The last of Clark's three laws states that "any highly advanced technology, at first glance, is no different from magic."

Therefore, even the most unbelievable things can be explained.

Height is difficult to fake, so let's assume it's someone with a similar build.

"And then Kevin... he has nothing to do with what I'm about to say."

Is it okay...?

Lin originally wanted to continue asking questions, but after thinking about it, he decided to listen to what Qianqi had to say first.

"...Alright, go ahead and tell me." Lin leaned against the wire mesh, looking at the gray-haired girl. "He sent you to find me, why?"

"To convey key information to you."

"..."

Qianqi carefully considered her words, and said with a serious expression, "First of all, your memories have been altered."

Have memories been altered?

"You must have realized that your memories contradict some things, which means your memories have been altered."

Lin frowned as he thought about what Kevin and May had said.

Modify memory...

How can something that sounds like something out of a science fiction movie be done?

"How were my memories altered?"

"I have no idea."

"..."

Facing Lin's interrogative gaze, Qianqi gave a helpless bitter smile, "I know this sounds bizarre, but I really don't know how to alter your memories without any surgery or contact."

"Then how did you determine that my memories have been altered?"

"Because my memories were also altered."

The increasingly outrageous claims made Lin frown even more deeply.

"I found out my memories had been altered through some inexplicable method, so I think you must have experienced the same thing." Qianqi took a deep breath and then looked at Lin. "And what I'm about to say is also related to memories."

"The world we live in now is not the world we originally knew."

"...What's the meaning?"

"Our memories of living in this world are false... No, the memories should be real, but they are not the memories of living in this world, but the memories of living in our original world."

Upon hearing this, Lin had a sudden flash of inspiration, as if something was reviving in his mind.

Qianqi calmly explained to Lin: "AB World are two very similar worlds. We were originally from World A, but now we have come to World B for some reason. The replacement may have happened unintentionally, so we did not notice the change in the world."

"Parallel World..."

Lin understood Qianqi's statement, but it required evidence. Of course, all of this could wait until Qianqi finished speaking before asking her to produce the evidence.

"The key lies with you and MSA-079."

"My investigation revealed that he possesses the ability to travel to Parallel World, which is why there are two of you; he is you from another world."

Is this the truth behind the so-called "two selves"?

An unexpected answer.

"So, what is his purpose in having you convey these things to me?" Lin asked the most crucial question.

"He wants us to find out the truth about the current situation and return to our original world, but he won't allow me to contact you until I find this crucial information."

"Why?"

"Because we are all 'insiders'."

"..."

"Now imagine us as a virus in a huge folder. Because the number of files in this folder is so large that it cannot be scanned in batches, the antivirus software has to check each file one by one, which is an extremely slow process."

Qianqi held up two fingers, her expression not particularly pleasant.

"But once we have a certain 'keyword' that can be searched, we will be found immediately. And this 'keyword' has triggering conditions. I don't understand why he made me find the clues myself first, but I'm sure it's one of the conditions for triggering the 'keyword'."

"Moreover, if specific 'words' are uttered, they will be 'watched,' so it's very likely that he also considered that if I tell you the information all at once, it will at least be conveyed to you completely, so that you won't miss key clues and make mistakes in your judgment of the event."

To be honest, this information is indeed very complex, and even Lin couldn't digest it all at once.

In Parallel World, another version of him is being 'watched,' an 'outsider'...

"So, is this 'man-made'?"

Lin raised his head, his tone icy.

"If we are being 'watched,' then there must be a 'watcher,' and what is His/Her purpose?"

"We don't know yet, but one thing is certain... He definitely wants to kill us."

Qianqi clenched her fists, lowered her head, and gritted her teeth.

Chapter 45 Elysia: Past and Future

Where are we going today?

Elysia stepped out of the store and glanced at the sky, which was still not dark. Today, someone else was in charge of closing the store, so she still had some time to go out and play.

Of course, she could go home and sleep, but going out to play was one of the purposes of her trip, especially since she hadn't even explored Changkong City yet.

However, she wasn't familiar with Changkong City, so should she wander around on her own as usual, or should she hire someone as a guide...?

Just as she stood at the crossroads, at a loss, looking up to see how much longer the red light would last, her eyes lit up and she revealed a sly smile.

"Why are you following me?"

Lin took off his headphones and asked the smiling pink-haired girl with a blank expression.

"I just saw you all alone and looking so lonely~" Elysia's smile, whether at work or in her daily life, was as sweet as honey. "A beautiful young woman can't just sit idly by and watch a teenage boy go through puberty."

"..."

Lin stood with his hands in his pockets, his dark eyes reflecting the lovely girl's smile.

"Is this considered maid service? Do I need to pay?"

"Oh, of course..."

Lin turned and left without saying a word.

"Wait a minute! I'll give you the money, okay?"

The girl caught up, glaring at Lin who had stopped and turned back indifferently. She huffed, "You're not giving me money, I'm giving you money, okay, Master!"

Suddenly, everything went quiet. Almost everyone turned to look at the two of them in surprise. Only then did Elysia realize that she had said the wrong thing. Her face turned red, and she lowered her head, grabbed Lin's sleeve, and quickly left.

These days, such a cute girl is actually spending money to find a man. With her looks, what man couldn't she find?

When they noticed the appearance of the dark-haired boy she was holding, their previously conflicted and surprised expressions suddenly cleared up.

After reaching another intersection, Elysia released Lin's sleeve and looked at him resentfully as he remained nonchalant.

"Remember to pay." Lin didn't care at all. He put away his phone and earphones and looked at Elysia leisurely. "So, what do you want from me? If it's about selling yourself, then forget it. I don't sell myself."

"..."

Even Elysia could only shake her head and weakly twitch her lips, saying, "Take me around Changkong City, I don't know the way..."

She looks normal, but she's actually very abnormal. This kind of person will kill her later...

Elysia tilted her head to look at the figure leading the way at a leisurely pace.

That can't be right.

"Ahhh, I really want to do 'beep' with Lin."

Mei stared in horror at the girl with the long, blue-purple hair who was sighing. Suddenly, the girl let out a startling sigh.

None of the time, place, or people made Mei feel that "she should have said that."

"Hmm? Don't mind it~" Noticing Mei's gaze, the girl smiled brightly and waved her hand, "I was just thinking how great it would be if I could hypnotize Lin and do whatever I wanted with him."

"... It's hard to ignore what you say."

"There's nothing I can do. Lin's memories don't include these kinds of feelings, so I can't even experience them myself. It's normal for me to feel some resentment."

"Speaking of which..."

Mei also recalled that the woman covered in bandages had said that Lin never had any offspring until his death.

The girl shook her head and sighed, "It's his fault for not feeling anything."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I won't give away any spoilers, you'll find out as you watch."