The Time Between

"Hehe..."

A seductive laugh suddenly came from outside the door.

You Minglan, still wearing a split miniskirt, swayed her hips as she slowly walked into the house.

I eavesdropped outside the door for a while.

"I thought you two grown men would secretly chat about women together."

"Oops."

"How come I never expected you guys to be talking about aliens, Earth invasion, and the Boundless One..."

"How childish!"

Immediately, You Minglan gently rested her hips against Dr. House's shoulder, rubbing against him slightly, and said with a sparkle in her eyes, "You could say I'm quite a chuunibyou, Dr. House. How about we have a private, in-depth talk about... the intrusion?"

Dr. House scratched his head, coughed awkwardly, and shifted slightly.

The boy quickly came to the rescue, saying, "I had a symptom flash before, it's called [Box Syndrome]."

"Oh dear, this disease is quite rare."

Dr. House leaned forward, freeing himself from You Minglan's seduction, still fiddling with the nine-linked rings in his hand.

He had already solved the fifth ring, and for some reason, the sound of the iron rings striking each other was very crisp and pleasant. The boy heard it very clearly and imprinted it firmly in his mind.

Dr. House said seriously, "This illness is related to cognitive impairment. In severe cases, psychological problems can affect physical health, and it also has a slight resemblance to [paranoia]."

People with this condition often have exceptionally heightened sensory abilities.

"Take this room, for example. After observing it, the patient can quickly scan all the data into their mind, including the furnishings, dimensions, details of people, and so on. They are meticulous and don't miss any details, and they form a kind of '3D modeling' effect in their mind."

"Then, the patient's perspective shifts to that of Bystander, slowly rising to observe everything from a 45-degree downward angle in the upper right corner."

"This is what's called a ' Box '."

"Then, in the patient's mind, it's like playing with a sandbox, manipulating all the objects in the room, moving the table, picking up a piece of candy, and so on."

"Of course, the figures in this ' Box ' will also become dolls in his view. The patient only needs to 'move' the joints, and the dolls will stand or sit according to the patient's wishes."

In short, this patient is the God of this ' Box World '.

Dr. House pondered for a moment, then suddenly stared at the boy with a strange expression, "It's like... the Gemini Superbrain from the Metaverse."

Immediately.

Dr. House narrowed his eyes. "You've mentioned [Box Syndrome] before, so what's its actual effect in the Experimental Zone?"

The boy pondered for a moment, "As long as I gather enough information, my combat power in my ' Box World ' Infinity +1!"

"Hiss.."

Dr. House suddenly shrank back, tightening his collar, as if afraid the boy would observe him too much.

Then.

Dr. House covered his mouth with one hand again. "Do you have any other questions?"

The boy frowned slightly. "Last night, a strange phenomenon occurred. In the Experimental Zone, I seemed to flicker, jumping between multiple locations, and I was even talking to someone. But I have absolutely no recollection of how I got back or what I said to them."

As he spoke, the boy looked at Dr. House, "It was as if you hypnotized me during your previous consultation; I drifted through an hour in a daze, unaware of the passage of time."

"Stop."

Dr. House suddenly reached out his hand. "I'll say it again, I have never hypnotized you."

Immediately.

Dr. House and You Minglan exchanged a glance.

Dr. House said, "It seems your No. 6 ailment has finally shown its true colors. It's called—[Time Lag Syndrome]."

"Time Lag Syndrome?"

The boy was puzzled.

But then Dr. House stood up, his expression lost in memories, a faint sadness appearing in his eyes.

"Minglan is so sexy and beautiful, and she's also my personal assistant, why should I keep my distance from her?"

That's because I already have someone I love.

Her name is Song Miao.

"She's youthful and vibrant; she's always smiling whenever I look at her face."

She suffers from [Time Lag Syndrome].

"Four years ago, she accompanied me as I explored the Experimental Zone."

"Initially, she experienced a [Time Lag Syndrome] attack, feeling that everything around her was moving very fast, as if the world was being fast-forwarded. She would often lose track of time and unknowingly spend an entire afternoon. Later, as her condition worsened, she would unknowingly spend a day, a month, or even a year."

"She has no recollection of what I did or how much I loved her during those vanished times."

"But it's okay, I can tell her the story patiently, looking at her smiling face, and slowly recount it, so we can make up for the time we've lost."

"But unexpectedly, three years later, another extreme of [Time Lag Syndrome] emerged."

"She felt the world was moving slowly, while she was moving faster and faster."

Her movements, her smile, have all become blurry in my eyes.

I can't keep up with her pace anymore.

"She's a frail girl, yet she runs at four times the speed of sound, and she gets faster every day."

"She's very lively. When I first met her, she loved to run—running in the city, running in the wasteland, running on the grassland."

"One theory suggests that breaking the Barrier of 'the maximum speed of light' would allow us to access the very essence of time?"

That day.

"Song Miao suddenly told me that she wanted to run, to keep running, to run... to the frontier of time."

Tears welled in Dr. House's eyes. "She... she's gone."

At this moment, the You Minglan also straightened up and sighed softly.

Qin Yiguan was also somewhat stunned. Did Dr. House harbor such an unbelievable yet touching love story in his heart?

It remained silent for a long time.

Dr. House finally spoke again, slowly saying, "[Time Lag Syndrome], you can understand it as -- a difference in time."

"The real-world cause is a physiological memory loss, and during this period of loss, your brain functions normally, your actions are unimpeded, and 'you' will complete the things you once wanted to do."

"And if you suddenly wake up during this process, you'll experience a persistent sense of disorientation—'What time is this?' 'What am I doing?'"

The boy was somewhat stunned; his experience was indeed the same as what Dr. House had described.

"This illness has been lurking in your mind, beyond your control."

"The disease was likely reactivated in the Experimental Zone for some reason."

You always say I hypnotize you.

"Do you remember? I once explained—don't wrongly accuse anyone, performing hypnosis without the patient's consent is illegal!"

"That time, it was just your [Time Lag Syndrome] acting up in real life."

"Moreover, your Child personality quietly emerged during that time and consumed all the sweetness."

"But you've forgotten the whole process."

"Just like Song Miao in the past."

Click.

Dr. House untied the ninth ring, and with a slight squeeze of his palm, the nine-linked rings were deformed.

His eyes welled up with tears as he said, "I have no heart to play the seven-stringed zither, no way to send the eight-line letter, the nine-linked rings have been broken, and I gaze until my eyes are weary from looking at the ten-mile pavilion."

"At this very moment."

"Song Miao, she might be watching me with a smile from the depths of time."

Dr. House's tears finally slid down his cheeks.

"Yiguan and appearance."

"I've been treating you for so long."

"Could you do me a favor?"

The boy looked up. "Dr. House, please speak."

The blond man smiled warmly, "One day, when you meet Song Miao in the river of time, please pass on a message for me."

"Just say it."

"I've been waiting for her."