"Beijing Grand Theater..."
Isn't that the theater where I worked at that time?
Chen Yifei recalled the day he was killed by a hanging lamp and traveled through time, which seemed to be during an earthquake... So did he really come back?
At the same time, a group of pedestrians also stopped and pointed at the screen.
"Red meteor?"
"Speaking of which, I think I saw it in the morning... It just went past in a flash."
"Alas, why didn't it hit the Earth? I really don't want to go to work anymore... I wish the world would end quickly..."
"What's this 'minimal regional earthquake'? I didn't feel any tremors in the morning. Could it really only affect those few buildings?"
"The news said it was caused by magnetic pole changes... Anyway, it didn't affect me."
"..."
As the news break ended, the building's screen switched back to advertisements. The crowd only paused slightly before turning away.
Only Chen Yifei stood alone, deep in thought.
Red meteor...
Could his time travel be related to this meteor?
A bus passed by Chen Yifei, bringing him back from his chaotic thoughts. He saw the red "Route 33" sign on the bus and seemed to remember something. He immediately rushed towards the bus.
A fleeting shadow whistled across the sidewalk. He hurriedly got on the bus before the doors closed.
"You're quite agile, young man." The elderly driver rubbed his eyes. "I didn't even see how you got here... Are you a sprinter?"
Chen Yifei only reacted then, looking down at his hands with a furrowed brow.
[Murderous Dance]... Did I bring it back with me??
"Young man, scan the code."
The driver started the bus and pointed to the QR code payment machine with his chin. "Two yuan."
"I..." Chen Yifei searched his pockets. "I don't have any money."
"Scan the code to pay. You don't need cash."
"...I don't have a phone too."
As he said this, Chen Yifei felt like a savage from primitive society...
"Oh, why are you making things difficult for the kid? I just broke two yuan when buying vegetables. I'll pay for him." From the front seat, a curly-haired auntie took out two coins from her pocket and dropped them into the box with a clang.
"...Thank you, auntie."
Chen Yifei politely thanked her.
"Young man, are you an opera singer? I like watching operas too. Hey, what role do you play?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yifei realized he was still wearing his bright red opera robe, which was particularly eye-catching on the bus.
"I, I just sing casually." Chen Yifei awkwardly replied.
The bus seats were all taken, so he held the handle and swayed slightly with the movement of the bus, chatting intermittently with the auntie.
As each station passed by the window, Chen Yifei's heart gradually lifted. He glanced at the name of the next station and slowly moved towards the back door of the bus. Once the bus stopped, he quickly jumped off.
Opposite the station was a residential area.
Chen Yifei took off his eye-catching opera robe and walked straight into the neighborhood, familiarly traversing the path to a small high-rise building.
Seeing that the building was intact, Chen Yifei finally relaxed... This was his home.
What he was most worried about was that the earthquake had affected this place, and his parents would suffer the same fate as he did... Fortunately, everything was safe.
Chen Yifei entered the unit door but found it hung with white cloth. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately got into the elevator, heading for the ninth floor.
As the elevator door opened, a burst of crying reached his ears.
"Caiyun... don't cry anymore. If you keep crying like this, what will happen to your body..."
"Yes, if Yifei were still alive and saw you like this, how heartbroken he would be?"
"Yifei was a good kid, but his fate was just... alas."
Chen Yifei stood dumbfounded in the elevator, gazing through the half-open door and seeing numerous figures surrounding a middle-aged woman, expressing their condolences and consolations.
Chen Yifei recognized them; they were his relatives from Beijing, aunts and uncles, all here, and the woman in the middle was his mother.
The middle-aged woman held a black-and-white photograph in her arms, already crying inconsolably.
The figure in the photograph... was Chen Yifei.
Two relatives stood in the corner, whispering.
"Where's Chen Yifei's father?"
"He's still at the hospital, discussing Yifei's funeral arrangements... They said to let Caiyun come back first to collect his belongings."
"Did you see Yifei's... body?"
"Yes," the relative nodded. "What a poor kid... His head was crushed with a big hole, supposedly hit by a hanging lamp."
"At the hospital, Caiyun held Yifei's hand and cried for more than an hour. Later, his father had to pull her away..."
"Alas... Fate is blind."
"Let's go and console Caiyun. Anyway, we need to arrange Yifei's funeral first..."
"Yes..."
Chen Yifei stood in the elevator like a sculpture, watching everything.
He wanted to step into the elevator, but he didn't know how to explain himself after seeing his relatives and mother... His mind was in chaos.
Just then, the elevator door closed automatically.
As the metal elevator door gradually closed, the door of Chen Yifei's house was pushed open, and the relatives supported Caiyun, walking outwards.
Thud——
The elevator door closed. Maybe someone pressed the button downstairs, and the elevator car began to slowly descend...
"...Mom." It was only at this moment that Chen Yifei, with pale lips, uttered this word in a hoarse voice.
He looked at his reflection on the metal elevator door and recalled his mother kneeling and crying just now, feeling a heart-wrenching pain...
He took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and frantically pressed the button for the ninth floor.
He wanted to see his mother.
However, the elevator continued to descend.
At the same time, familiar dark green text appeared in the void:
[Number 129439 time limit reached]
[Reading interrupted]
Boom——
The elevator car plunged downward rapidly!
...
"Mom!!!"
In the midst of a heavy snowfall, Chen Yifei suddenly sat up from the ground.
He was breathing heavily, his pupils unconsciously dilated. He looked around and found himself still in the potter's field.
"Damn... What's going on here??" Chen Yifei regained his senses and couldn't help cursing.
Just now, he almost thought he really went back... But when he opened his eyes, he was still in this crappy place!
Chen Yifei's gaze fell on the USB drive in the snow.
["Through it, you may understand us better..."]
What was the organization Chu Muyun belonged to?
Why did they have the USB drive?
And even able to send him back to his past life?
Chen Yifei's hands, which were supporting his body, couldn't help clenching.
He took a deep breath, grabbed the USB drive in his hand, and turned around to run down the mountain...
...
Xiaofang's Grocery Store.
Beside the counter, the woman lazily stretched and looked at the gradually darkening dusk outside, saying,
"He might not come."
"No, he will," Chu Muyun replied confidently while seriously flipping through a book.
"Why so sure? Over the years, many have rejected the Twilight Society's invitation."
"If the Crimson Flame Lord says he will come, he will definitely come."
As Chu Muyun finished speaking, the grocery store's door was forcefully pushed open!
Chen Yifei stood in the heavy snow outside the door, his chest heaving as if he had run all the way from somewhere.
"We need to talk," he said, holding up the USB drive and speaking deliberately.