A Familiar Sense of Wrongness / The Eternal Night Arrives

Lin was thinking about something else.

"Think about it carefully. Last time, you truly experienced what it felt like to be drained of blood by her at the very end."

What's the difference between the last time you drank blood and this time?

Lin compared the two experiences of being sucked blood. Last time, Theresa had completely lost her mind and only committed suicide after taking some of his blood at the end. This time, Theresa also showed signs of losing her mind, but she was controlled.

Lin was still unsure why he was cycling through these three days, but this time he was able to retain the memories from the previous time, which was probably related to Theresa's "contract" with him.

As Lin carefully recalled the somewhat vague sensations, he seemed to vaguely feel that something had been transferred into his body through the act of drinking blood last time.

Bacterial type Honkai Beast?

This feeling of being trapped in a cycle, and sensing the undercurrents beneath the surface, was both strange and familiar to Lin.

But no matter what, he should maintain the status quo for now. As long as he keeps a close watch on Theresa and Kallen for the next three days, he can wait for the distortion to dissipate.

Where should we go next?

"Sir, we can't let a child ride a roller coaster alone."

"Then let me in."

"Sir, we can't let the wounded ride a roller coaster."

"So you mean we can't ride the roller coaster?"

"Sir, we welcome any visitor to ride our roller coaster."

"Then will you let us in?"

"No."

Lin had little way to deal with the staff member with a professional smile on her face. In the end, he had to persuade her to prove that Theresa was just an adult who looked a little young, with clear self-awareness and logical thinking, which is why she got on the roller coaster.

Then Lin rushed to where Kallen was waiting next to the ice cream shop. He stormed into the ice cream shop and ransacked half a refrigerator of ice cream. Then, together with the smiling Kallen, he ate all the ice cream that could turn a person's stomach into an ice sculpture.

"Thank you, but are you sure it's okay? You've been treating me to food..."

"Absolutely no problem." Lin answered, his teeth chattering, allaying the silver-haired, blue-eyed girl's concerns. "Is there anything you'd like to do? Or would you like to eat something else?"

"Hmm... I'd like to try mountain climbing." Kallen clasped her hands together, her smile brighter than the sun in the sky.

"..."

Lin Mo looked at the only mountain in the water park. This deliberately preserved mountain had a small waterfall and a hot spring at the top. The water park had a wide variety of attractions, including not only land-based amusement park attractions but also mountain climbing.

Kallen suddenly realized that her request seemed a bit excessive, and she waved her hands repeatedly. "Is it not allowed? Or do you want to accompany Theresa..."

"No, wait here for a moment. I'll go get some things ready and come back so we can go hiking together." Lin rushed towards the other end of the water park as if he were flying on land. Just then, he saw Theresa getting off the roller coaster. He and his dog ran over to her as if they had seen a bone.

"Let's go ride the log flume next." Without waiting for a reply, Lin grabbed Theresa's hand and ran towards the next ride. After handing the bewildered Theresa over to the staff, he ran into a nearby shop, bought a backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and rushed back to Kallen's side.

"Let's go, let's go hiking..."

Even Lin was a little out of breath at this moment, not because he was particularly tired, but because he felt like he couldn't be in two places at once. Kallen knew Theresa, but Theresa didn't know Kallen. He had to keep Kallen calm while Kallen knew that Theresa was here, and also prevent Theresa from noticing anything amiss.

It was called a mountain climb, but in reality, everyone on the mountain path stared in disbelief as two figures ran one after the other from the foot of the mountain to the top. For them, the so-called mountain climb was nothing more than a short sprint that didn't even qualify as a warm-up.

"The scenery here is... so beautiful."

Kallen stood on the edge of the blazing sun, yet she didn't find the sun particularly dazzling. She enjoyed the warm and free breeze, a breeze she could never experience in that dark, sunless cage.

The water park is right below you, and only the drop tower and roller coaster can barely reach the part of the mountain that goes down.

"Your name is Lin, right? I..."

"We can talk about it later."

Lin interrupted Kallen with a serious expression, and then, as Kallen's pupils contracted, he leaped off the mountain.

"Hello--"

Kallen's cry hadn't fully formed when it was silenced by the opening parachute behind Lin, forcibly stifling her.

She watched the man walking away towards the foot of the mountain with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and surprisingly, she thought he wasn't bad at all.

He was willing to work hard for Theresa and for himself, but... why does he seem like the kind of person who treats everyone the same?

After landing, Lin rushed to the exit of the whitewater rafting project, then took Theresa back to the rafting area. He then picked up a climbing hook and walked back to the top of the mountain as if on flat ground, chatting with Kallen about the city scenery.

It seemed like two people were talking in Lin's mind: one said, "Lolis are supreme," and the other said, "I have no objection."

Can't you guys have a debate?

In short, Lin Du was constantly busy in the joyful water park until the crucial night fell.

Until the water concert was about to begin.

Lin, however, was unaware that his mission to resolve the distortion through "consciousness mapping" would, from this moment on, undergo earth-shattering changes.

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Familiar Sense of Discomfort

In just one afternoon, Lin was like a celebrity, called out by several old patrons, running back and forth between several rooms in the water park. He estimated that he probably covered the distance of ten laps around the water park in that day.

Fortunately, the effect was remarkable. Theresa did not go berserk, Kallen lowered her guard around him. Everything was moving in a positive direction.

Every night, the water park hosts a concert in its large outdoor swimming pool. In addition to handsome men singing and beautiful women dancing, machines in the pool below the stage simulate ocean waves to bring joy to the audience.

Lin put the rubber duck swimming ring on Theresa, and she said to Lin with a serious expression, "Human, why do other people look at me like that? Is it some kind of strange behavior?"

"No, they're just envious that you have a little yellow duck," Lin Yun replied casually.

The truth is that Theresa can't swim, so he had to buy her a swim ring to prevent her from drowning in the deep water near the stage.

After a busy day, Lin was finally able to rest a little. He glanced at Kallen, who was floating in an inconspicuous spot, holding a bag of jelly candies. After noticing Lin, she nodded slightly to him.

Phew... It's finally over. As long as we get through this night safely, we'll be able to deal with the twisted situation, and then he'll figure out how to settle the two sisters.

"I'm going to buy two bottles of water. You wait here for me and don't go anywhere."

Lin's instructions, which sounded like those given to a child, only displeased Theresa. She frowned slightly but didn't react; she simply sighed and nodded at him.

Finally, I can walk slowly on the road by myself, and it feels pretty good.

At night, apart from the water concert, most of the other attractions at the water park were closed, so there weren't many people around. Most of them were concentrated around the water concert area.

He didn't pay attention to who was passing by; he couldn't possibly care about everyone he saw. But after a casual glance, he froze.

Theresa?

The silver-haired, red-eyed girl dressed in gothic style squatted next to the drop tower, staring blankly at the moon, motionless.

Why... are you here? And why are your clothes...?

"Theresa, what are you doing here?" Lin frowned, walked up to the silver-haired girl who was squatting down, and asked.

"... You're the one who told me to wait for you here."

He?

Lin did tell Theresa to wait by the drop tower for a while, but Theresa came straight to the snack stall to find him. Why is she bringing up herself now...?

Suddenly, Lin stopped talking.

Because he realized something, some terrible "thing" welled up in his mind.

Heart palpitations.

A certain indescribable tremor, originating from the depths of his lost memories, now stimulates his nerves like a tangible neural reaction.

The silver-haired girl's blank face showed no trace of human warmth.

"Who are you?"

The girl's innocent face was reflected in his dark pupils.

"Perhaps in your view, the source of everything is Theresa..."

The white-haired man's voice was still echoing. Lin's vigilance was at its peak. The person in front of her who resembled Theresa could not possibly be Theresa!

The light faded.

The bright moon, like a clear mirror, hangs overhead.

Unbeknownst to them, the moonlight was tinged with a bewitching crimson.

Tell me! Who are you?

Lin shouted sharply, completely disregarding the gazes of those around him, as he questioned the girl before him.

The vampire girl simply yawned, seemingly having no intention of even replying.

Lin seemed to vaguely see thick blood in his open mouth. At that moment, he suddenly wanted to turn around and look at the concert.

"Hmm... you seem confused. What exactly is the other party?"

Time, stop.

A silver-haired man emerged from behind the girl and stood in front of Lin.

"Haven't you realized what she really is yet?" There was a hint of mockery deep in his eyes.

"..."

"You used to deal with them frequently, and you could even say you were one of them." The white-haired man's Prismatic Eyes shone like an eerie sun in the darkness. "But that's normal, considering you haven't encountered them during these months in the Quantum Sea, and your current understanding of them can only be achieved through the data on the Hyperion."

Do you know who 'she' is?

Lin was asking about the "girl" who looked exactly like Theresa, but gave him a completely different feeling and terrified him.

It was just a shell, which she draped over her body like a garment.

"Of course. But... why should I tell you?"

The white-haired man abruptly changed the subject, his cold gaze mirroring Lin's, like the eyes of a venomous snake, fixed on the immobilized Lin in the shadows.

"You refused my help, didn't you? Now you want me to tell you the truth? Lin, you're so much more naive than before, you're not like yourself at all. You can even have the idea that 'the problem can be solved by monitoring Theresa and Kallen for two days' popping into your head. Are you really the person I know? Oh no... are you really me?"

Ignoring the white-haired man's sarcasm, Lin's mind started racing as he recalled the various jarring sensations of these previous cycles.

Why did Theresa lose control? In the second loop, were the vampires that filled the city really created by Theresa?

"It's a pity you don't have your past memories, otherwise you would be very familiar with this phenomenon of 'monsters everywhere that have been transformed'."

The answer... is obvious.

Theresa will have a period of calm after drinking blood. It is impossible for her alone to cause the entire city to fall in just one day. She is not the type to attack continuously. Moreover, the efficiency of drinking blood alone is too low.

Therefore, the real culprit is the person in front of us, who has a delicate face but exudes an inhuman aura...

"It's almost time~"

The white-haired man had his back to Lin, gazing in the direction of the concert. He turned his head slightly, his Prismatic Eyes fixed on Lin's only remaining eye.

"Smack."

He snapped his fingers, and time began to flow again.

Before Lin could continue to press the white-haired girl for answers, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from the direction of the concert.

"Aaaaaah!"

Lin's pupils contracted as he looked at the commotion at the concert. In that brief moment, when he looked down again, the white-haired girl had vanished.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Descent of Eternal Night

Lin had no time to investigate what the girl was. He strode towards the brightest water stage in the night, the distorted feeling from this world acting like a knee-deep pool of water that slowed him down.

The truly terrifying and twisted aspects of this world are slowly unfolding before him.

Every time he lifted his knee, he felt a huge, eyeless eye watching him from behind, observing this tiny, insignificant person struggling like a clown.

As Lin was heading towards the concert, he glanced at the top of the slide in the distance and sensed a gaze upon him.

"..."

In the pitch-black night, the striking golden hair stood out like specks of light casually scattered by a god.

That person...

In the blink of an eye, the person standing at the top of the slide disappeared, as if they had never been there in the first place.

In response, Lin could only lower his body and speed up his run towards the concert venue, which had already devolved into a major riot.

That girl, and that blond man...did he overlook something? Was he as naive as the white-haired man, ignoring some crucial information?