Since there was a version of her in a parallel world, perhaps they shared the same essence.
The noise of people and barking dogs echoed on the nameless slope. Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu locked eyes, either waiting or searching.
The large floodlights set at the foot of the mountain nearly lit up the entire sky, casting beams over the thick forest. Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu tried to move toward the more desolate areas, occasionally glancing up at the lights projecting into the sky.
As long as they left the crowd and the lights from the sky vanished, they should find themselves in the parallel world.
“Tong Yang, are you alright?” Chu Shiyu’s breathing was heavy. She looked at Tong Yang, who was walking silently ahead of her, and asked anxiously.
“Mm,” Tong Yang answered quietly.
As long as she knew that Tong Le was still alive, at least she could still find him again. What scared Tong Yang more than anything was that the other party might take Tong Le to a place where she could never find him.
As long as she could find Tong Le, whether he was alive or dead, no matter how many cycles she had to go through, she would bring him back.
Time slipped away as they walked. They circled around the abandoned reservoir, trying to avoid other people. The other party would never pull the threatening police into the parallel world.
Tong Yang was so focused that she didn’t even feel tired. Chu Shiyu’s condition was worse. After all, she was a pampered young lady, not used to hardship. Yet, despite her exhaustion, she followed closely behind Tong Yang, afraid of accidentally losing her.
Finally, after what seemed like countless circles around the reservoir, the light reflecting on the water gradually faded, leaving only an endless darkness. The distant noises of people and dogs were slowly muted until nothing could be heard.
A cold wind blew from the forest, the chirping of cicadas faded away, and the leaves rustled in the wind, as if someone was whispering. The sky quickly darkened, black clouds loomed, and not a single star was visible.
Tong Yang pulled out her phone, the screen showing exactly 9 PM. The signal bars were empty.
“We’ve arrived,” Tong Yang said in a low voice. No matter how time moved, once they entered the parallel world, even if they were stuck in a cycle, she would find and save Tong Le.
Chu Shiyu stood behind her, nervously scanning the surroundings.
Unlike before, they had come out of the police station without carrying any weapons, and there was nothing useful for self-defense in this deserted area. They had picked up two sturdy branches, but they were practically useless. If the other side had weapons or if there were more than one person, they would have no chance to fight back.
A “crack” sound came from the forest as something stepped on a dead branch. Both of them turned around, alert. In the dappled shadows of the trees, a vague figure stood under a tree, motionless.
“Be careful,” Tong Yang warned, then slowly approached the figure in the forest.
Chu Shiyu followed, turning on her phone’s flashlight. As they drew nearer, the light illuminated floating dust particles, revealing a person standing with their back to them, half of their body hidden behind the tree.
Tong Yang approached cautiously and, without hesitation, swung her branch at the figure’s head. The spot that was hit immediately deflated, and the figure collapsed onto the ground like a discarded, unsupported garment.
“Ah!” Chu Shiyu screamed, hiding behind Tong Yang.
“It was already dead,” Tong Yang said.
She bent down, grabbed the figure’s hair, and lifted it up. It felt light, far too light to be a real person.
“It’s a human skin.”
Tong Yang turned the figure around, revealing that it was merely an empty skin, the body gutted, likely held upright by the branches.
Chu Shiyu’s eyes widened in horror, “H-human skin?”
Tong Yang tossed the skin to the ground and squatted down to examine the wounds on its stomach. The internal organs and subcutaneous tissues had been meticulously cleaned, leaving not a trace of blood. The edges of the cuts were carefully trimmed, showing that the killer had taken great pleasure in the process, skillfully and precisely removing all the tissues under the skin.
Whoever did this was likely a sadistic killer who enjoyed each step of the process, treating the skinned bodies as trophies for display and boasting.
There was probably more than just one.
Tong Yang stepped on the human skin, scanning the surroundings. Sure enough, she soon noticed about ten other skinned bodies propped up in various poses, supported by branches throughout the forest.
“Could they have…” Chu Shiyu’s face was pale, unable to finish her sentence.
Tong Yang shook her head and shouted, “Tong Le?”
“Is anyone here?”
“Yang Lin!”
“Linlin!”
Her voice echoed through the forest, but no response came.
Chu Shiyu looked at the skinned bodies on the ground, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear and disgust despite everything they had already experienced. She couldn’t help but worry. Could children like Tong Le really survive in such a place? Especially Tong Le, who had been taken away on Wednesday—now two days had passed! That meant he had been alone in this place for two whole days!
It would be terrifying for anyone, let alone a child. Even Chu Shiyu herself would have gone insane if she had been left here alone for two days!
Tong Yang thought for a moment. Tong Le’s body was last found drowned in the reservoir. No matter what, he would appear at the reservoir. All she had to do was wait. But Chu Shiyu couldn’t stay with her; anything could happen while they waited. The news reports appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it would be easier to find “Tong Yang’s” hiding place than to sit and wait.
“Let’s search around the reservoir first, then check other places.”
“Okay…”
The two of them circled the abandoned reservoir, calling out for Tong Le and the others, but they didn’t get any answers, nor did they see any signs of people.
Then, they began searching around the reservoir’s entrance.
As they passed a barren tree, Chu Shiyu noticed something strange. Although the tree had no leaves, its branches seemed to bear many “fruits.”
“What’s that?” Chu Shiyu asked in confusion.
Tong Yang, walking ahead, glanced up, “Eyeballs.”
“Huh?” Chu Shiyu was stunned.
Tong Yang raised her branch and knocked against the branches above. Several round objects tumbled down. Instinctively, Chu Shiyu reached out to catch one, only to feel something sticky in her palm. When she looked down, she saw an eyeball, wrapped in a mucous membrane, lying quietly in her hand.
“Ahhh!!!” Chu Shiyu screamed and threw it away. The eyeball rolled to Tong Yang’s feet.
As Chu Shiyu’s scream echoed through the mountain, Tong Yang faintly heard a sobbing sound coming from a corner ahead.
“Someone’s there!”
Tong Yang sprinted forward, stepping on the fallen eyeball, while Chu Shiyu, gagging, hurried after her, not daring to be left behind.
“Who is it!” Tong Yang rushed toward the source of the crying. She saw a dark figure stumble out from behind a rock and try to run away.
“Who are you? Don’t run! Lele? Is it you?”
Upon hearing her voice, the figure ran even faster.
“I said don’t run!” Tong Yang shouted angrily. She climbed the rock and leaped down, blocking the figure’s path.
“Ah! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” the boy screamed.
Tong Yang grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him off the ground.
The boy kicked his legs helplessly, crying at the top of his lungs, “I was wrong… I was wrong… Please, give me another chance!”
Chu Shiyu caught up and shone her phone’s light on the boy. Tong Yang threw him to the ground and recognized him—it was Xu Mimi, Tong Le and Yang Lin’s classmate.
“Sob… I won’t make any noise anymore… Please, give me one more chance… I’ll hide properly…”
“Where’s Tong Le? Where are the others?” Tong Yang bent down and pulled him up in front of her. Xu Mimi’s body was covered in dirt, and his face was streaked with tears, clearly terrified.
“Let me go! Go find them… I want to go home… I don’t want to die… You can kill them, just let me go…”
Tong Yang gritted her teeth, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look into her eyes, “I’m Tong Le’s sister. I didn’t bring you into this. I’ll ask you one more time—where are the others? Why are they trying to kill you?”
“Little guy, don’t cry. We’re here to save you. Where are the others? How many people are chasing you?”
Xu Mimi’s tears fell like a waterfall. He glanced at Tong Yang, then at Chu Shiyu, still trembling with fear, “Please let me go… I’ll hide…”
“Where are they hiding…” Tong Yang hadn’t finished her question when the boy suddenly lowered his head and bit down hard on her hand, then used the opportunity to break free from her grasp.
“You! I’ll kill you! I want to go home!” He grabbed a stone and threw it at Tong Yang.
Tong Yang, with a cold expression, kicked him away, “No noise, right?”
She took a step forward, grabbed Xu Mimi’s arm, and twisted it behind his back. The intense pain made him scream, and immediately, rustling noises came from the slope above. Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu looked up and saw a figure sitting in midair, looking down at them.
“Being so violent to a kid? We’re just playing a game of cat and mouse,” a lazy voice said in the dark.
The forest was so pitch-black that they couldn’t see the girl’s face clearly. But from her voice, she sounded exactly like Tong Yang.
“Hey there, little one, aren’t you going to run?”
When Xu Mimi heard this, he suddenly froze. Using all his strength, he broke free from Tong Yang’s grasp and crawled away on all fours.
“Hey…”
Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu didn’t give chase.
“Where’s Tong Le?” Tong Yang asked coldly, looking at the girl on the slope.
The girl sneered, “Aren’t you going to ask who I am?”
“Is there any point?”
“Hmm… I guess not.”
Chu Shiyu slowly moved her phone’s flashlight toward the girl. She was wearing the exact same clothes as Tong Yang, sitting on the slope with one leg folded, holding a black screwdriver.
When the light hit her face, the girl didn’t even blink. Instead, she smiled lazily, her eyes curving with satisfaction.
That face was exactly like Tong Yang’s!
If the two stood together, it would be like looking into a mirror. It would be impossible to tell them apart.
At the same time, Chu Shiyu noticed something.
Unlike the other people from the parallel world they had met before, this girl was just like an ordinary human. If they hadn’t appeared side by side, there was no way to tell they were two different people. No wonder even someone as close as Tong Le couldn’t distinguish between them.
“Where’s Tong Le?” Tong Yang wasn’t surprised by the girl’s appearance. She repeated her question, gripping her branch tightly, her gaze dark and intense.
“He’s dead,” the girl said lightly.
Tong Yang’s breath hitched, “When?”
The girl shrugged, “Who knows? Why don’t you guess?”
“Oh… It seems like you can enter time loops. Why don’t you try dying once and find out?” the girl teased, narrowing her eyes.
“You know about the time loop?”
“I know a lot of things. Do you want to know?”
Tong Yang asked, “What will it take for you to tell me?”
The girl said cryptically, “If you have the ability.”
“Let’s play a game.” The girl stood up, leaning on the ground, “How about it?”
“What game?”
“The cat-and-mouse game. We’re the cats, and we can use any language to make the mice let down their guard and trust us. Only when they trust us can we make a move on them. Let’s see who gets to them first—me, to kill them, or you, to save them.”
Tong Yang asked, “So, are you saying all of them, including Tong Le, are still alive?”
The girl chuckled, “Who knows? They’re hiding pretty well. I haven’t caught them yet. Maybe they’ll fall and die somewhere, who knows?”
Tong Yang stared at her coldly for a long moment, then said, “Fine. I’ll play your game.”
After experiencing the “cat-and-mouse” game, the children wouldn’t easily trust either of them. Although this would make it harder to gain their trust, it also meant they wouldn’t believe “Tong Yang” either, which would keep them alive for now.
Moreover, from past experience, Tong Yang knew the girl couldn’t easily break the rules once they were set.
“This classmate, you’re also a mouse,” the girl pointed at Chu Shiyu.
Chu Shiyu gritted her teeth and glanced at Tong Yang.
Tong Yang asked, “What happens if I kill you during the game?”
The girl smiled, “We’re the same kind. Killing each other would break the game’s rules. Maybe, compared to that world, you’d prefer it here?”
“Anyway, even though it’s a bit late, Tong Yang, welcome to my world.”
Tong Yang pressed her lips into a tight line, not responding.
“Classmate, turn off your phone’s flashlight. You have ten minutes to escape. Don’t make any noise, and don’t get caught easily.”
Chu Shiyu exchanged a glance with Tong Yang before turning and running in the direction Xu Mimi had gone.
The girl waved her hand after her, “Please follow the game rules strictly. Start the chase only after ten minutes. I’d hate for there to be two of me in the same world—it’s disgusting.”
Tong Yang felt the same.
The girl disappeared into the forest, leaving Tong Yang alone in the dark woods. She exhaled deeply, crouching down and holding her head, “Thank goodness, Tong Le is still alive…”
Although she didn’t know how he had survived the past two days, he was alive now.
She looked at the time on her phone. After ten minutes had passed, Tong Yang set off in the direction Chu Shiyu had gone.
If she could meet up with Chu Shiyu, things would get much easier.
According to the game’s rules, Tong Yang couldn’t use her phone’s flashlight, so she had to fumble through the darkness, calling out from time to time. Of course, there was no response.
As she passed an open area, she noticed something hanging on a nearby rock. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was human organs, neatly cleaned and spread out on the stones.
She gave them a quick glance. They were all adult organs, so the kids likely weren’t hiding nearby.
The nameless slope wasn’t small, and after searching the forest for a long time without hearing any signs of life, Tong Yang decided to return to the reservoir.
When she got back, she walked along the stone bridge, calling out, “Tong Le!”
“Yang Lin!”
“Are you there?”
She thought about using something that only she and Tong Le would know to lure him out. But she didn’t know where the girl was and feared that the information could be used against her.
There was still no sign of life near the reservoir. Tong Yang tightened her lips. The children had already experienced several rounds of the cat-and-mouse game before she and Chu Shiyu entered the parallel world. The girl must have used the same tricks to lure them out before. Their guard must be extremely high now. In such a vast mountain, finding them would be nearly impossible.
But Tong Yang couldn’t just sit idly by the reservoir. The news could change at any moment, and besides, Tong Le’s death didn’t originally happen.
Where could they have gone?
If it were Tong Le, where in the mountains would he most likely go?
Where? Where?
Suddenly, Tong Yang remembered something and looked up sharply.
“The graves!”
Their parents’ graves!
If Tong Le had nowhere else to go, he would most likely head there!
But after so much time had passed, Tong Le might have already visited and then hidden somewhere else. Even so, Tong Yang still wanted to check it out.
She sprinted toward the place where her parents were buried. But wait—wasn’t the murderer in the parallel world supposed to be their mother? Would there even be gravestones for them in the parallel world?
When she reached the familiar slope, she saw two small gravestones standing in the darkness under the night sky.
“Tong Le? Lele?”
“It’s your sister!”
“Are you here?”
“If you can hear me, don’t trust the person who looks exactly like me. Don’t go near the reservoir. Look for Sister Chu Shiyu—you’ve seen her before!”
“If anyone else can hear this, don’t go near the reservoir. If the other sister finds you, stay with her, don’t come out!”
Tong Yang didn’t know if anyone was in the dark listening, but it was the only way she could warn them not to trust her doppelgänger. If Chu Shiyu could find them and bring them together, that would be ideal.
Catching her breath, Tong Yang approached the two gravestones and suddenly noticed that one of the names on the graves was different from what she expected.
The first gravestone bore the name “Tong Jin,” her and Tong Le’s father. But the second gravestone didn’t bear their mother’s name—it was marked “Tong Le.”
Tong Yang’s breath caught, her fingers tracing over the carved letters in disbelief, “Tong Le?”
How could it be Tong Le? In the parallel world, wasn’t it their mother who had died?
Or… could this grave belong to the Tong Le from the real world?
No! Impossible!
The dirt on the grave was compacted, not overgrown with weeds. The grave had likely been there for at least five years.
“I told you, didn’t I? Tong Le is dead.”
A voice suddenly came from behind her. Tong Yang quickly turned around.
The girl slowly emerged from the forest, her expression calm and composed.
Tong Yang pressed her lips together and asked, “When?”
“Two years old.”
“What was the cause?”
The girl smiled wickedly, “I killed him.”
Tong Yang stared at her blankly, making no sound.
“Haven’t you ever thought about killing him?” The girl crouched beside the grave, caressing its edges, “It’s strange. I am you, so we should have gone through the same things.”
“Was the cat-and-mouse game a lie?” Tong Yang asked.
The girl raised an eyebrow, “Who knows.”
“Are the others not here anymore?”
“Maybe.”
“What do you really want?”
“Hmm, fun?”
“I do enjoy watching you get all anxious and desperate, like a confused dog that can’t find its owner. After all, what’s going on? Didn’t you used to hate your brother?”
Tong Yang was almost certain now. Tong Le and the others were no longer in the parallel world. After sending Chu Shiyu away, she probably returned to the real world as well. Although she still didn’t understand the girl’s ultimate goal, as long as they returned to the real world, where the police and rescue workers were searching for them, they should be safe.
Tong Yang asked in return, “What do you know?”
The girl replied, “You always said they were irresponsible parents, and Tong Le didn’t realize what a terrible family he was born into. But weren’t they irresponsible only toward you? At least, Tong Le received all their love, didn’t he?”
Tong Yang silently looked at her, “So what?”
“So? So, you hate Tong Le. You hate him more than you hate your parents. If it weren’t for Tong Le, your life wouldn’t have been so terrible.”
Tong Yang smirked, a hint of mockery in her expression, “So what? Did your life get better without Tong Le? Aren’t you just like me? Even worse, perhaps. Didn’t your mom hate you so much that she even tried to kill the real you?”
The girl let out a bitter laugh, “Yeah, she did. Ever since I was nine, she’s wanted to tear me apart. I should thank you for helping me.”
“Maybe, if I could go back, I would have done the same thing as you.”
“You know, that night, I didn’t take Tong Le to the hospital. He cried for a long, long time. By the time I checked on him, he was almost gone.”
The girl sat down in front of the grave, “What about you? Do you regret taking him to the hospital?”
“Why would I regret it?” Tong Yang asked in return.
“Why?” The girl gave her an odd look, “Don’t you remember why your parents were driving drunk and going the wrong way that night?”
Tong Yang stood still, quietly looking at her.
“It was because you borrowed the neighbor’s phone to call them during their night out, saying that Tong Le had a high fever and needed to go to the hospital immediately.”
“They told you to take your brother and head out first. They’d meet you at the intersection.”
The girl let out a cold laugh, “You were in such a rush, carrying your brother out the door, that you forgot to put a coat on him. So, when they saw you, they cursed at you from the car, didn’t even notice the truck coming at them, and ‘bang’—their car crashed into it. Their bodies were twisted beyond recognition. Even in their last moments, they were glaring at you. And yet, they didn’t notice that you’d lost one of your slippers while running barefoot into the freezing winter night.”
Tong Yang listened calmly, her expression unchanged.
“When you started middle school, wasn’t there a teacher who really liked you? If Tong Le had died back then, she probably would’ve adopted you. She would’ve given you motherly love, taken care of you like a normal mother. Maybe you’d have left this awful place long ago.”
“Because I didn’t take Tong Le to the hospital and didn’t make that call, my dad came home and tried to kill me. But I ended up killing him with an ax.”
The girl toyed with the screwdriver in her hand, “After hearing about your life, I started thinking, if I had taken Tong Le to the hospital that night, my parents would’ve died instead. That would’ve been a blessing.”
Tong Yang scoffed, “So, do you regret it?”
The girl lowered her eyes, lips pressed together, “Yeah, I regret it.”
“He grew up, and you raised him well. He’s obedient, cheerful, thoughtful. He brings you flowers, buys you birthday gifts, doesn’t judge people by their looks, and helps his classmates when they’re bullied.”
“And you? You weren’t killed. You made it through the College Entrance Examination, met lots of friends, earned a lot of money, and now you’re about to leave this place with your brother.”
The girl smiled, “I’ve been wondering, if I had made the same choices as you back then, maybe I would’ve ended up like you. So yes, I regret it.”
“But that’s impossible. This place has already become a lawless wasteland.”
The girl turned to look at her, smiling slightly, “So, I thought, since we’re the same person, if you die, could I take your place here?”
“I could watch over Tong Le as he grows up, have a happy future.”
“Tong Yang, what do you think?”
Tong Yang lowered her gaze, her lashes hiding her emotions, “Then try.”
Her tone was calm, without any detectable emotion or threat, as if she was merely stating a simple fact.
The girl slowly turned her head back toward the grave, staring at the name “Tong Le” on the gravestone, mumbling to herself, “How could I do that…”
“…How could I possibly do that.”
“What do you really want?” Tong Yang asked.
She felt a strange tension in the air. Listening to the parallel world’s “Tong Yang” talk felt like standing in front of a mirror, facing her innermost thoughts.
The girl had asked her if she had ever wanted to kill Tong Le.
Tong Yang didn’t answer, but she had once had that thought.
Not on the night when Tong Le had a fever at two years old, but when he was born.
Back then, she felt that Tong Le’s birth into this family was his misfortune.
She didn’t think of “Tong Yang” as hateful, but rather pitiful, watching coldly as the only person who truly loved her, her younger brother, died.
The girl sat in front of the grave in silence for a few moments before speaking, “We were the first to be discovered.”
Tong Yang was startled, “What?”
“Before they found you, we were the ones discovered first.”
“And then?” Tong Yang’s voice sharpened slightly.
“Not everyone is as mentally strong as you. At first, there was no resistance. By the time we realized what was happening, thirty percent of society had been replaced. To fight for power and resources, there was large-scale slaughter. No one knows whether the survivors came from our world or yours, or if both worlds mixed. But nearly everyone’s hands are stained with blood.”
“As you’ve seen, apart from a small portion of the elite, the rest of the people live in terrible conditions. There’s no law, no rules. It’s survival of the fittest. Kill others, take their resources, and you’ll survive.”
“But so many people have died, and resources are constantly depleting. It can’t last much longer. So, we found your world.”
The girl chuckled, “You’re lucky. The time anchor point landed on you.”
Tong Yang frowned, “Time anchor point?”
“Have you ever played a game? You can think of it as the respawn point for a game character. And your world has a time discrepancy. You’re one of the points.”
A time discrepancy?
Could this be related to her and the [Melon Eating Netizen] group’s time difference?
“People from the parallel world can enter our world through me?”
“No, they can appear anywhere. But because of the time anchor point, their numbers are limited. If the anchor point disappears, they can come in freely. So they’ll do whatever it takes to kill you.”
“Why am I looping?”
“You ask too many questions,” the girl replied impatiently.
“I don’t know. I just know you can loop. But I guess it’s related to the time discrepancy. You’re the anchor point. You should be in a fixed time, but because of the time discrepancy, you exist in two times at once. So you can’t die, and you’ll keep looping until the time discrepancy disappears.”
In other words, until the time discrepancy between her and the [Melon Eating Netizen] group disappears, she could loop indefinitely?
“Why is there a time discrepancy? Why am I the anchor point?” Tong Yang’s frown deepened.
“I don’t know.”
Hearing this, Tong Yang pondered for a moment.
Though she didn’t understand the reasons, the girl’s words seemed truthful.
Because she had somehow become a “time anchor point,” and coincidentally was also a “time discrepancy” subject, she could keep “respawning” in the “two-year time gap.”
Tong Yang nodded, no longer pressing for answers. Instead, she asked, “Did you approach Tong Le and bring the others here just to tell me this?”
The girl snorted, carelessly spinning her screwdriver, “A whim, maybe? Originally, I wanted to see you fall into despair, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Or maybe I just wanted to see if different choices would lead to different outcomes.”
“With just you, even if you can rewind time, what can you change?”
Tong Yang lowered her eyes, smiling faintly, “How would I know unless I try?”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks?”
“Such a half-hearted response.”
“Oh, one more thing—they’re scarier than you think.”
“So, you’re afraid of them?”
The girl smiled softly, “I just don’t have a reason to go against them.”
Tong Yang looked up at the sky. The dark night gradually brightened, and the girl’s figure slowly became translucent. The name on the gravestone also quietly changed.
Even though the situation had taken an unexpected turn and she had learned some clues about the loop and the parallel world, many mysteries remained unsolved. Moreover, it seemed like her task had just gotten even more complicated.
If they couldn’t stop the people from the parallel world soon, their resources would be plundered, and their world would eventually become the same wasteland.
After hours of tension and chase, Tong Yang was mentally and physically exhausted. But she didn’t rest. With slow, heavy steps, she made her way down the mountain.
The nameless slope had grown quiet. Class 4-6’s students had likely been safely led down the mountain by Chu Shiyu.
The return journey felt different from the way up. Tong Yang finally noticed the cuts and scratches on her body from the branches. Her limbs were weak, and her sweat-soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin.
All she wanted now was to take Tong Le home, wash up, and have a good night’s sleep.
The smartwatch she had planned to give him had been lost somewhere. She’d have to buy another one.
But after hearing what the parallel “Tong Yang” said, she began to wonder if she should continue keeping Tong Le by her side. After all, those people would stop at nothing to kill her.
If she took Tong Le with her to university, to a strange city where they had no home, how could she guarantee his safety?
This time, they had narrowly escaped danger. But next time, who knows?
Her phone had long run out of battery. Tong Yang was utterly exhausted, and after nearly an hour of walking, she finally reached the foot of the mountain, where she faintly heard a woman wailing.
Tong Yang stepped out from the shadows, the strong light making her raise her hand to shield her eyes. The wailing grew louder.
A dozen cars were parked at the foot of the mountain, with seven or eight large lights set up on the ground. Countless people were gathered, and amidst the crowd, a woman’s heart-wrenching cries rang out.
In the chaos, Tong Yang staggered forward, pushing her way through the crowd. She saw Mrs. Yang, who she had met before, collapsed on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Chu Shiyu sat nearby, her face pale, streaks of dried tears marking her cheeks.
“What’s going on?” Tong Yang asked in a daze.
Chu Shiyu looked up at her, startled. Tears welled up again as she stammered, “Tong Yang… they’re dead…”
Tong Yang froze, “They’re dead? Who’s dead?”
“Linlin… Tong Le… They’re all…”
“What? How? They came back, didn’t they?”
Chu Shiyu choked on her sobs, “For some reason… they went to the reservoir… The police said it was you, that you…”
Tong Yang’s whole body shook, “Where’s Tong Le? Where is he?!”
“The police are still trying to retrieve his body…”
“Tong Yang?! Arrest her!”
Several police officers rushed up from behind, pinning her to the ground. They were so fast that Tong Yang didn’t have time to resist before her hands were cuffed.
As she struggled, she caught sight of the body bags lined up neatly on the ground, just like the one that had held Sun Ye after he fell from the building. The small shapes inside looked like children.
Suddenly, Tong Yang, unable to move under the weight of the police, slammed her head into a nearby rock, blood gushing from her forehead, warm liquid filling the corners of her eyes as everything became blurry.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” One of the officers shouted in alarm, pulling her up, but Tong Yang pushed back with all her strength, almost slipping from their grip.
“Tong Yang! Calm down!”
Held by two police officers, Tong Yang struggled, her vision blurred by the blood. She looked at the devastated Chu Shiyu, “Chu Shiyu, help me!”
Chu Shiyu stared at her, wide-eyed, shaking her head in disbelief, “No…”
“You know! I can save them!”
Then, Tong Yang mouthed a word to her silently: “Gun.”
Chu Shiyu’s eyes widened as she saw the officers aiming their guns at Tong Yang.
“Hurry!”
Gritting her teeth, Chu Shiyu suddenly lunged at one of the officers holding a gun. Startled, the officer reflexively pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit Tong Yang squarely in the chest.
Tong Yang’s body convulsed, and within seconds, she lost consciousness.
This time, she felt even more familiar with the process. When her consciousness returned, her body swayed, but she quickly steadied herself.
The area around the mountain foot was illuminated by the same bright lights, and the time was not long after she had left the parallel world. Without any hesitation, she started running toward the reservoir.
But the distance was too great for her to reach the reservoir within ten minutes.
As she hurried toward the reservoir, she ran into Chu Shiyu walking through the woods.
“Tong Yang?” Chu Shiyu called out in surprise, “You’re out? I just got a call from the class teacher of Class 4-6. They said Linlin and your brother are already at the foot of the mountain…”
“No,” Tong Yang said, surprised that Chu Shiyu was so close to the reservoir just ten minutes before the incident, “They’re still at the reservoir!”
“What? But the class teacher…”
Tong Yang’s heart sank. She suddenly remembered that she had called Class 4-6 the previous night to ask about Tong Le, but today they had claimed never to have received her call…
She had thought that the mysterious call was another trick by the parallel “Tong Yang,” but now it seemed there was more to it!
There was more than one person from the parallel world! Even the class teacher from Class 4-6!
Tong Yang didn’t explain further. She didn’t want to waste a single second. But the distance from her parents’ grave to the reservoir was too far. The ten minutes she had wouldn’t be enough. By the time she and Chu Shiyu arrived, they found two unconscious children lying by the shore, but Tong Le and Yang Lin were nowhere to be seen. A woman was tying stones to the feet of the unconscious children.
Looking at the still surface of the reservoir, Tong Yang knew she was too late.
Tong Yang took a deep breath and grabbed Chu Shiyu’s clothes, saying, “Chu Shiyu, your cousin and my brother are already dead. This is my first loop. In ten minutes, I won’t make it to the reservoir… I’ll probably loop twice more. Next time, I’ll tell you from the cliff to head straight to the reservoir, then I’ll kill you with a rock and loop again. This time, when the time of your death comes, you’ll regain your memory. From your position, you’ll be able to reach the reservoir in two minutes. If you save them, I’ll come to help you. If you die, I’ll keep looping until I succeed. Is that okay?”
Chu Shiyu, staring into her bloodshot eyes, knew something serious was happening. She nodded blankly, “Okay… I believe you…”
Tong Yang didn’t attack the woman by the reservoir. Instead, she immediately triggered the loop, returning to the beginning of her first cycle.
This time, with a goal in mind, she didn’t head down the mountain but instead ran toward the cliff.
Six minutes later, she reached the cliff edge and, under the dim light, spotted Chu Shiyu passing below.
“Chu Shiyu!”
“Yang Lin and the others are at the reservoir! I’ll come to help you soon!”
“Watch out for their teacher!”
Her voice echoed down, and Chu Shiyu, confused, looked up, “Tong Yang? You’re out…”
Suddenly, she saw a heavy rock tumbling down toward her.
“What the—?! Ahh!”
Tong Yang watched as the rock hit Chu Shiyu. From this height, it was clear that the impact would be fatal. She took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff herself.
And then, she entered her third loop.
Extra 2 releases for the month of Nov complimentary event @ my Discord
