Lin Yi couldn't shake the immersive feeling of his recent experience. Even though he was back in reality, the images lingered in his mind. The next day, he couldn't resist returning to the ruins, determined to uncover the secrets of the Dream Weaver.
Once again, he stood before the partially collapsed factory. Sunlight streamed through the broken roof, with dust floating silently in the beams. The Dream Weaver lay there quietly, as if it had never been touched.
"What is this thing, really?" Lin Yi murmured, running his hand over the cold metal surface. Suddenly, the voice of the woman from the day before echoed in his mind:
"Every use will take you one step further from reality."
Taking a deep breath, he pressed the machine's activation button. This time, its hum was sharper, almost piercing, and the projected images were far more intricate. He saw countless clock faces interwoven, their hands spinning wildly, as if every moment in time were overlapping.
"Fragments of time?" Lin Yi stared at the projection, trying to discern a pattern. Cautiously, he extended his hand to touch one of the frozen clocks.
In an instant, a tremendous force pulled him into the projection. Everything went dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on an unfamiliar street.
The architecture was peculiar—a mix of ancient cobblestone roads and futuristic floating vehicles. The street buzzed with crowds, yet every person's face was blurred and indistinct.
"Where… am I?" Lin Yi muttered. He tried to ask passersby for help, but no one acknowledged him, as if he were invisible.
Just as confusion gripped him, a figure in a black cloak appeared in his view. The person approached slowly and spoke in a low voice, "Welcome to the Crossroads of Time."
Lin Yi's eyes widened. "The Crossroads of Time?"
The figure didn't answer directly but handed him a softly glowing pocket watch. "This is your time anchor. If you wish to return to reality and uncover the truth, you must protect it."
Lin Yi took the pocket watch and noticed that its hands were moving counterclockwise, slowly yet steadily. He looked up to ask more questions, but the figure had already vanished into the crowd.
The watch radiated a gentle warmth in his hand, as if guiding him forward. Clutching it tightly, Lin Yi made up his mind: no matter what, he would uncover the true secrets of the Dream Weaver and its connection to this Crossroads of Time.
"Perhaps," he whispered to himself, "this is all part of a carefully crafted dream." With that, he stepped forward, venturing into the unknown.