Someone

Compared to the panic before his last crossing, Qing Chen was much calmer this time.

He waited for the world to shatter and reform, as though waiting to wake from a dream.

In the cramped little bedroom, Qing Chen was still sitting on the edge of the bed in the same position he had been in before crossing over. It was nighttime outside, and the boning knife he had been holding... was still in his hand.

Everything seemed as if it had never happened.

Qing Chen frowned and pulled out his phone to check the time.

September 28, 2022, 12:00:01.

One second past midnight.

He clearly remembered that the date of his crossing had also been September 28, at exactly 12:00:00.

In other words, he had spent two days in that world, while only one second had passed here on Earth.

By the same logic, once he went back there, only one second would have passed there as well?

This was probably the rule for all crossers.

For some reason, Qing Chen felt relieved at that thought. This way, he would not need to figure out how to explain why he kept disappearing for stretches of time.

It was an incredibly strange sense of detachment, as though the world he was in no longer felt real.

Qing Chen lowered his head and glanced at his arm. The bruises he had deliberately pinched into it were still there.

The white markings on his other arm had changed as well. The countdown read 47:59:45.

47:59:44.

This countdown was forty-eight hours, or two days. That was right.

Only these things could prove to him that everything he had experienced was real.

He really had gone to a Mechanical Civilization. He really had met someone named Li Shutong, been tested with a nightmare by someone named Lin Xiaoxiao, and encountered a simp named Lu Guangyi.

There was also the steady Ye Wan, and a strange Big Cat.

Just as Qing Chen was lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar landline number.

"Hello," Qing Chen said.

"Hello, this is Wangcheng Road Police Station. Your father has been detained for organizing gambling. Please come over," said a woman on the other end.

Qing Chen froze for a moment. By his calculations, his gambling-addict father had only just been caught. He had not expected the police station to call him so quickly.

"Uh, what am I supposed to go there for?" Qing Chen asked.

"Under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, he needs to be detained and fined. Please come complete the procedures," the young female officer on duty said.

"Sorry, I won't be coming. Please punish him severely. Under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, serious cases are punishable by detention of no less than ten days and no more than fifteen days, plus a fine of no less than five hundred yuan and no more than three thousand yuan. Please give him the maximum penalty. Thank you," Qing Chen said, shaking his head.

The other party paused as well. "Aren't you his son?"

Qing Chen replied, "I'm the one who reported the case. I'm not his son. I'm Mr. Qing, a concerned citizen."

The female officer on duty said, "???"

Qing Chen hung up without further hesitation. His gambling-addict father would be detained for at least ten days, which meant Qing Chen would not have to see him before his next crossing.

For some reason, thinking about that made Qing Chen feel a little happy and relieved.

But for a teenager, having his father detained and loudly berated by others was not a good feeling.

Most teenagers saw their fathers as role models during adolescence. Once you discovered that your father was covered in disgrace and had no dignity left, one of the load-bearing walls in your heart suddenly collapsed.

Qing Chen took a deep breath and slowly lay down on the bed. He opened his phone and checked his call history and WeChat, but there was still no message from his mother.

For some reason, at that moment, he almost wanted to return to that prison early.

Even if it was an unknown and dangerous world.

It was already past one in the morning, but Qing Chen had no desire to sleep.

In the dim room, only the phone screen illuminated his cheeks.

On the screen was the sheet music for Canon that he had just looked up. Every detail had already been committed to memory.

For Li Shutong, this was a lifelong regret, but for Qing Chen, it had fallen into his lap without effort.

Perhaps that was the difference between living in different worlds. Li Shutong possessed things Qing Chen longed for just as much.

But should he give the sheet music to Li Shutong?

If he did, how would he explain where it had come from?

There was risk in this matter. Qing Chen was not afraid of taking risks, but he was afraid that the risk would not be worth it.

So before giving Li Shutong the score, he had to determine whether Li Shutong was worth it!

In the end, he still did not receive a call or message from his mother.

The first day of the countdown, 7:30 in the morning.

Qing Chen changed into his blue-and-white school uniform and headed out, chewing on instant noodles as he walked.

The Luocheng Foreign Language School he attended had been split into three campuses several years ago. Its high school campus was only five minutes from his home; he only needed to cross a small road to get there.

Along Xingshu Road, breakfast stalls selling egg-filled pancakes wafted delicious aromas. Pedestrians sat at the stalls to eat steaming bowls of tofu pudding or pepper soup.

Freshly fried dough sticks were golden and crisp, while peeled tea eggs were smooth and translucent.

But Qing Chen had no money left. His meager savings had all gone toward purchasing supplies in preparation for the countdown.

It still made his teeth ache whenever he thought about it, but he did not regret it. After all, who knew what he would have to face back then?

Class 3 of Year Two. The students on cleaning duty were tidying up the classroom, and the fishy smell of mopping water had not yet dispersed. The mop had probably been moldy for a long time.

Qing Chen sat in the last row. Just then, his deskmate Nan Gengchen hurried into the classroom, his face full of nervousness.

"Teacher Du saw me skipping class yesterday. Did she say anything afterward?" Qing Chen asked quietly.

But Nan Gengchen seemed distracted, as if he had not heard a thing. "Huh? What?"

"Never mind." Qing Chen shook his head. "Why do you look so flustered?"

"Flustered?" Nan Gengchen startled. "No."

Qing Chen said nothing. If the other person did not want to talk about it, there was no need for him to pry.

After a moment of silence between them, Nan Gengchen suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Qing Chen, if you ran into something especially strange, what would you do?"

"Strange?" Qing Chen paused, then carefully studied Nan Gengchen. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"I don't know what it is either. It's just really strange," Nan Gengchen said.

"Then call the police?" Qing Chen's gaze locked tightly onto Nan Gengchen.

Nan Gengchen's eyes lit up. "Right, the police! Qing Chen, do you know anyone at the police station?"

"Yeah." Qing Chen thought for a moment. "My dad was arrested for organizing gambling last night."

Nan Gengchen said, "???"