The cool breeze hit his face as he walked down the familiar streets of his neighborhood, but it did little to clear the confusion clouding his mind.
Everything looked normal—too normal. The streets were quiet, the sky a dull blue, and people were going about their day like nothing had happened. No one seemed to remember the terrifying events, the red moons, or the earthquake.
His footsteps quickened as he made his way toward the military base, the weight of uncertainty heavy on his shoulders. Would Li Jing be there? Would anyone remember what happened?
Lin Xiao decided to take the bus to the military base. As he stood at the bus stop, he noticed how eerily normal everything was. Too normal.
The sky was clear, with no signs of the strange phenomena he had witnessed just days ago.
People passed by, chatting about mundane things—work, school, weekend plans. It felt like the world had collectively forgotten about the chaos of the blood moons and the earthquake.
The bus pulled up with a smooth hum, and Lin Xiao boarded, taking a seat by the window. He stared outside as the city passed by. Kids were playing in the park, people were walking their dogs, and not a single person seemed to be on edge. No news about any disasters or mysterious events. It was as if the world had hit a reset button, and only Lin Xiao remembered.
The bus ride felt long, his unease growing with every stop. When he finally arrived near the military base, he got off and walked the short distance to the entrance.
The base was as imposing as ever, with tall gates and security cameras watching every movement. Lin Xiao took a deep breath, steadying himself before approaching the guard at the gate.
"Hey," Lin Xiao began, trying to sound casual. "I'm here to see Li Jing."
The guard, a middle-aged man with a stern face, glanced at him with a blank expression. "Li Jing?" He checked a list on his clipboard, then looked up at Lin Xiao with confusion. "Sorry, I don't have anyone by that name here."
Lin Xiao's heart sank. "Are you sure? She's stationed here—Captain Li Jing. Tall, always serious, black hair tied back, she's been here for years."
The guard shook his head, still puzzled. "I've been working this post for a long time, kid. I know everyone who comes in and out of this place, and there's no one named Li Jing on record. Are you sure you have the right base?"
Lin Xiao felt a wave of cold dread wash over him. This wasn't possible. He had talked to her just days ago—or was it?
Now, it felt like even that memory was slipping away, like a dream he couldn't fully grasp. "But..." Lin Xiao trailed off, struggling to find the words. How could she just not exist?
"I'm sorry," the guard added, sensing Lin Xiao's distress. "But I can't let you in without proper clearance. If you need to check, maybe try calling the base headquarters."
Lin Xiao nodded slowly, backing away from the gate. His mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. If Li Jing didn't exist, what else had changed?
Lin Xiao's pulse quickened as a memory jolted through him—S.A.P.I., the Supernatural Association Private Internet, a hidden network where people like him could communicate and share information about unexplained phenomena. If anyone would have answers, it would be the members of S.A.P.I.
He quickly pulled out his phone, his fingers moving swiftly as he typed in the familiar web address. But instead of the usual login page, the screen showed an error: "Page Not Found."
"What the heck?" Lin Xiao muttered under his breath, refreshing the page, then trying different variations of the URL, but every attempt returned the same result—the site didn't exist.
His heart raced. Could it be possible? Does the Supernatural Association not exist anymore? He felt a knot form in his stomach, his thoughts swirling into chaos. It didn't make sense. The association was a global network, hidden from the average person but massive within the supernatural community. It couldn't just vanish. Could it?
Lin Xiao's thoughts raced as he tried to process the situation. First, Li Jing didn't exist, now S.A.P.I. was gone, too. Everything that connected him to the supernatural world seemed to be disappearing, leaving him stranded in an ordinary world that no longer reflected his reality.
Lin Xiao stood frozen, his phone still in his hand, staring at the blank screen as if it could offer him answers. His world was unraveling faster than he could comprehend. How could S.A.P.I. just disappear?
It had been the backbone of his connection to everything supernatural—his research, contacts, even evidence of his past experiences.
It was how he knew he wasn't crazy, that the strange occurrences he'd witnessed were real. Now, with the site gone, it felt as if a vital part of his life had been erased.
His mind spun, replaying the events of the past few days: the twin red moons, the earthquakes, the strange beings he had encountered in alternate realities. And yet, here he was, standing in a world that felt too ordinary, too normal.
No one remembered the chaos, no one recalled the supernatural events. Not even his cats—Xiao Bai and Little Blackie—who had always been his closest companions in navigating the weirdness of his life, seemed to remember anything. They had looked at him like he was imagining things.
Lin Xiao clenched his phone tightly, frustration bubbling up inside him. He tried calling up other supernatural forums, attempting every hidden link and website he could think of, but none of them worked. It was as if the entire supernatural community had been wiped clean from the internet.
"What the hell is going on?" Lin Xiao whispered to himself, pacing back and forth. His mind raced through possibilities. Was this some sort of elaborate trick? A reset? Or had something happened to the timeline itself? The river of time… Could that have caused this? But how?
He could feel the weight of the world pressing down on him, an overwhelming sense of isolation creeping in. No Li Jing, no supernatural community, no sign that anything strange had ever happened. He was left alone, trapped in a mundane version of reality where he had no one to turn to, no one who could understand what he was going through.
Lin Xiao inhaled deeply, trying to regain his composure. "I need to figure this out. There has to be an answer." He was determined not to let this new world—whatever it was—consume him. There had to be a reason for all of this, and if anyone could uncover the truth, it was him.