"You know him?"
John asked very gently.
Lynn looked away.
"... I guess we know each other."
John didn't ask that person's last name or where he lived.
"Then let's go back."
The two of them walked up the mountain path.
Along the way, John was recalling the stories Lynn told him.
John remembered what he had just asked.
What are you afraid of?
He suddenly regretted why he asked so directly.
"Why don't you speak?"
Lynn looked at John who had been distracted and forced a smile.
However, John felt even more uncomfortable after seeing Lynn's smile.
Even though Lynn felt very uncomfortable now, she still faced him with a smile.
"Listening."
"It's already finished."
"Hmm."
The next morning, the fog in the mountains had not yet cleared.
Lynn meditates in the yard.
Without those messy thoughts, his breathing was much calmer than the previous two days.
When you pour out some of the things that are deepest in your heart, even if you just use someone else's shell, it feels like a big stone has been lifted off your whole body.
This time, Lynn slept extremely deeply.
John did not close his eyes.
He sat on the wooden steps of the porch, resting his elbows on his knees, quietly looking at the man in the center of the yard, lost in thought.
The story Lynn told last night is definitely not a story that you have heard. Only the years you have lived through it yourself will leave that kind of subconscious tension in your bones.
But these experiences are completely inconsistent with the Lynn recorded in the Vought file.
John's thoughts jumped to Deadpool.
The madman in red who talks about running trains once said that he has traveled through so many Parallel Universes and has seen all kinds of Homelanders, but he has never seen the second Lynns.
What if Lynn does not belong to this Multiverse at all?
What if he comes from a completely different place, and the story last night was actually the first half of his own life?
The moment this idea took shape in his mind, John's heart felt like it was pinched hard by an invisible hand.
He had no intention of questioning Lynn, let alone telling anyone about this speculation.
A crazy idea came to his mind: go back to the past and bring out the child who was left behind.
But John calmed down quickly.
Even Deadpool can only cut through space and cannot reverse time. Otherwise, he would have traveled directly to his own childhood and wouldn't have had so many troubles.
He has no way of traveling through time.
Wait.
John's movements suddenly paused.
He raised his head and looked at the tall old trees outside the courtyard wall.
This is Huaxia.
It is now the year 2010 (around).
In what Lynn just said, the child who grew up alone gradually went to college and finally became a teacher.
If Lynn came from that world, would the year they are in now be the past for the people who have become teachers in that story?
What if that child also existed in this land at this moment?
John stood up and walked step by step to the middle of the yard.
Lynn just finished his work, opened his eyes and took out a long breath. He looked up and saw John standing in front of him.
"What's wrong?" Lynn grabbed the towel next to him and wiped his sweat, and asked casually.
John sat down on the stone bench next to him, unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it over. "Nothing, I just suddenly remembered the friend you talked about last night."
Lynn paused while taking the water, then smiled and shook his head, "Why are you still thinking about this?"
"I just think it's not easy for him."
John looked at the eaves in the distance and followed the conversation, "He later became a teacher, was he also in his hometown?"
Lynn unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water, his eyes a little wandering.
The memories of the past life have been separated for so long, and when I mention those familiar places, it's not as uncomfortable as it was just now.
"No, I took the exam in another city."
Lynn leaned on the stone table, his tone was very calm, and he still maintained the tone of telling other people's stories.
"His hometown is in a rather remote place, and the school he studies in is on an old street in the old city, not far from the river. It's very cold there in winter, and when the river breeze blows, the classroom windows will leak."
John listened quietly and engraved the name of the old town, the location of the riverside, and the characteristics of the school into his mind word for word.
He didn't ask any further questions to avoid Lynn becoming suspicious. He just stood up and said, "Let's go. Daoist priest Rongshan is probably already waiting for us to have breakfast."
Lynn nodded and followed John out of the courtyard.
After breakfast, Lynn went back to the house to pick up the coat he left yesterday.
John stood in the shadow at the corner of the corridor, took out the mobile phone in his pocket, and dialed Ashley's number.
"Homelander sir?"
Ashley's capable voice came from the other end of the phone, "Caribbean Sea just sent back the news, Reggie they have..."
"I'll report those things to Lynn later."
John lowered his voice and interrupted her,
"Ashley, now help me check a place privately. Use your channels on Huaxia's side, the sooner the better, don't alert anyone, and don't let Lynn know."
The other end of the phone was quiet for two seconds. He was obviously a little surprised, but he quickly responded, "You said it."
John looked at the door of the guest room in the distance and reported the characteristics of the old city and the old street school that he just noted down.
"Help me confirm if this place is still there."
John paused, "If you are still there, send me the detailed address of that area."
Ashley The email came quickly.
It not only has the specific location of the old Linjiang street, but also a list of a nearby public primary school, as well as household registration and kinship relationships verified through local channels.
Age, address, and grandparents who are still alive at home, every one of them closely matches the experience of the "friend" Lynn mentioned.
John stared at the screen for a few seconds and then deleted the email completely.
He didn't mention a word to Lynn until he was 100% sure.
He knew very well that if he put this hope out too early, if he found the wrong person, or if there was no trace of that child in the world, Lynn would only experience another failure.
Now that the address and person matched, John put away the phone, opened the door and walked into the yard.
Lynn was sitting at the stone table drinking hot porridge. When he saw him coming in, he pushed a plate of steamed buns next to him in front of him.
"Why did you stand in the corridor for so long today?" Lynn asked.
John sat down, picked up a bun and took a bite:
"Lynn, let's go out and relax. It's been a few days since I came to Huaxia. Apart from meditating on the mountain, I haven't been to any other place. I want to go out for a walk."
Lynn was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
John has been staying with him in the mountains these past few days, and he is really bored.
He didn't think much and agreed happily, "Okay, where do you want to go?"
"I have my eye on a place, not too far away."
John took a sip of porridge and said, "I'll take you there for a walk later."