Isaac got up, turned on the light, walked to the window, and looked at the Red Maple Street shrouded in the twilight and night.
Although the dream was vague, the feeling lingered, making it impossible for him to ignore it.
In the past, he tried not to think about his past or his lost memories, wanting to maintain a normal life. But now, all sorts of signs remind him that this past cannot be discarded so easily.
Just as Isaac was still lost in thought, he heard a voice coming from the living room:
"Wow--"
Isaac was taken aback. That voice... didn't sound like the boss's.
He walked over in a few steps and pushed open the door.
Li Jiehao never expected to see such a scene when he opened the door.
He was put up in a hotel. Carlo told him to pack his things and come to the office at six o'clock in the evening to have dinner with him at the Joint Investigation Bureau. He also told him to remember to take the dog with him when he went out.
Li Jiehao admired his senior's act of freeloading; it was truly eating the government's food in the literal sense. Although he had heard that the Joint Investigation Bureau's canteen was now dominated by potatoes, it was still better than the food he had been eating for a while.
One afternoon, Li Jiehao packed his things and tried to get closer to Fenri, but he failed.
Fenri kept people at arm's length, making it clear that "we're just colleagues."
Sigh, oh well, if I'm not lucky with dogs, I'm not lucky with dogs. At least my dog brother is protecting me... That's the only way Li Jiehao could console himself.
So, after dawdling until past five o'clock, he took Fenri's hand and headed to the office.
Even with his dog brother protecting him, Li Jiehao still walked with a heavy heart, fearing that a masked bandit would suddenly appear, shoot him, and then the Flower of Hope would bloom...
... Although the image of Carlo and Isaac from that night came to mind whenever he thought of the masked bandits.
Fortunately, I arrived at the firm after scaring myself all the way there, and it was a close call.
Li Jiehao breathed a sigh of relief, took out the key to the firm that had been given to him, and opened the door.
The living room was dimly lit.
Oh no, could it be that they went to the Joint Investigation Bureau without waiting for me? I'm not even late...
Li Jiehao groped his way into the house. Although Carlo's office had electricity and lights, Li Jiehao's original residence did not, and the habit of turning on the lights had almost disappeared.
"Boss? Isaac?"
Li Jiehao called out softly, then took a few more steps, as if he had kicked something.
"It's so dark, this is really troublesome. Do I have a candle?" Li Jiehao thought to himself, taking out a match from his pocket and lighting it with a snap.
By the dim light of the fire, he saw... a person lying on the ground.
"Wow--"
Li Jiehao instinctively cried out, and the match fell to the ground. In his haste, he took a few steps back, tripped over something, and stepped on the match, extinguishing it.
A few seconds later, the sound of a door opening came from one side.
There's an ambush?!
Without thinking twice, Li Jiehao grabbed what looked like a book from the table and threw it over.
As soon as Isaac opened the door, he caught sight of something flying towards him in the dimly lit room.
What's going on?
Isaac reacted quickly and caught it.
... Book?
Isaac glanced at it; it was the " Vista Travel Guide," the same one he'd taken from Carlo's bookshelf earlier. He flipped through it and then casually placed it on the cabinet against the wall.
Isaac looked into the room and saw a figure stumbling around, shouting, "Don't come any closer!"
That sound...
"Lee-- Jacob?"
Upon hearing Isaac's voice, Li Jiehao was shocked. "Damn it, he really came for me!"
Isaac: "...?"
He reached for the light switch on the wall, and with a click, the living room lights up.
Under the lamplight, the two stared at each other, while Fenri sat to one side, her dog-like face utterly speechless.
Li Jiehao froze when he saw who was at the hotel room door. "How is it you?!"
"Uh, you're looking for the boss?" Isaac misunderstood this as Li Jiehao wanting to see someone else at the firm.
Judging from this posture, it feels like they're going to settle accounts with the boss...
"No, I... you..." Li Jiehao's mind went blank for a moment. After a moment, he looked at the person who had fallen earlier, and Isaac followed his gaze.
Yes, naturally it's the head of the firm, Carlo.
Carlo was lying on the ground, face down, left arm at his side, right arm outstretched, index finger pointing forward...
"Holy crap, there really is Flower of Hope?!" Li Jiehao's eyes widened.
"... The Flower of Hope?" Isaac was somewhat, no, utterly bewildered by the situation before him.
"No, no, no, that's not the point." Li Jiehao looked at Carlo, then at Isaac, "You... you did this?"
Oh no, what if I stumbled upon a fight between a time-traveling senior and a senior colleague? Should I pretend I didn't see anything...?
"It wasn't me..." Isaac was actually wondering if it was Li Jiehao who did it, but looking at him, it didn't seem likely.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment, until Isaac finally broke the silence. "Let's see how the boss is doing first."
"Oh right, boss!"
Li Jiehao quickly went over and squatted down, intending to check Carlo's breathing. However, Carlo's face was on the ground, so he didn't dare to touch him. He could only imitate what he had seen on TV and reach for Carlo's neck.
"No pulse...?!" Li Jiehao sat back in shock. "The boss is dead!"
"Dead?" Isaac also squatted down beside Carlo's outstretched right hand, just about to check his pulse, when his gaze swept over Carlo's right hand and he stopped.
Carlo wore that ring on the index finger of his right hand.
... Boss, you didn't let the lucky passerby wear this ring, but you ended up wearing it yourself?
"Is the boss dead?" Li Jiehao stood up, his voice trembling.
Isaac looked around and noticed a piece of paper on the floor, stepped on, probably by Li Jiehao. There was a line of text written on the paper.
"If you see me lying down, take off your ring."
The moment the ring left his finger, Isaac vaguely sensed a subtle fluctuation emanating from it.
But Carlo remained lying on the ground, showing no signs of waking up. He checked his pulse; it was beating, but he still wouldn't wake up.
The note only said to remove the ring, but didn't say what to do after that. Should I call the Joint Investigation Bureau?
Li Jiehao watched anxiously from the side. "Why isn't he awake yet? Should we do CPR, like chest compressions and artificial respiration...?"
Isaac stood up. "Let's go first..."
"Surprise!"
Carlo suddenly raised his head from the ground.
Isaac was startled; his instinct for being ambushed made his body move faster than his mind, and he kicked out.
"Wow--"
This is Li Jiehao.
"Ugh--"
This is Carlo.