After hastily bidding farewell to the two admissions officers, Tong Yang didn’t return home but went straight to the Experimental Primary School.
Upon arriving at the school gate, she called the homeroom teacher of Class 6, Grade 4, saying she wanted to see Tong Le.
Soon after, the teacher came to the gate to escort her inside.
The two stood outside the classroom window of Class 6, Grade 4. It was already evening self-study time, and the students were seated at their desks doing homework. Tong Le sat in the third row in the middle of the classroom, next to Yang Lin, who had visited their home before. The two were leaning their heads together, seemingly discussing the solution to a math problem in low voices.
"Tong Yang, do you want me to call him out?" the homeroom teacher asked.
Tong Yang’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled when she saw Tong Le safe and sound. Even though there were no reports of missing students or mysterious deaths at the Experimental Primary School in the future, the sudden appearance of her parallel-world self had filled her with intense unease.
But for now, as long as Tong Le was alright, that was enough.
"No need, thank you. I just wanted to see him," she replied.
Tong Le noticed someone outside the window. His serious expression melted into a delighted smile when he saw Tong Yang. Beside him, Yang Lin also glanced over and gave a shy smile.
Tong Yang waved at them before leaving the hallway with the homeroom teacher.
"Teacher, do you remember when I last came to the school?" she tentatively asked once they reached the ground floor.
She was worried that the "Tong Yang" from the phone call might have already visited the school and seen Tong Le.
The teacher thought for a moment. "I believe it was May 29th. You brought some snacks for Tong Le."
Tong Yang exhaled imperceptibly in relief. That had been after she woke up from her struggle with the murderer. Worried about Tong Le’s safety, she had used the excuse of delivering snacks to check on him.
"Thank you, teacher. From now on, if I come to see Tong Le, I’ll make sure to contact you first. If I don’t notify you beforehand, please don’t let me into the school."
This was the only way she could phrase it. If she outright claimed that an identical version of herself from a parallel world might appear, the teacher would likely think she’d lost her mind.
The teacher found the request odd but nodded. "Alright. By the way, you mentioned before that you might transfer Tong Le to another school after the college entrance exams. Have you made a decision?"
Tong Yang replied, "I haven’t decided on a location yet."
The teacher advised, "Tong Yang, the school actually doesn’t recommend transferring Tong Le at this stage. He’s doing well academically and gets along with his classmates. A new environment would require an adjustment period, which could affect his studies."
"Thank you, teacher." Tong Yang hadn’t made up her mind yet, so she responded, "I’ll give it careful thought."
Only after leaving the school and saying goodbye to the teacher did Tong Yang finally relax a little.
On her way back, she asked again in the gossip group chat whether any strange incidents had occurred in the old district of Yaocheng around June 19th. The members replied that they’d scoured the internet but found no news—not even a single report of a fight.
Relieved, Tong Yang then switched to the "1209 Secret Events Archive" group chat.
Studying to Get Rich: [Be careful during this time.]
[???]
[What’s going on?]
[Sis Tong sounds like a school bully warning me not to go home after school lol]
[What’s happening?]
Studying to Get Rich: [A parallel-world version of me has appeared.]
[Huh???]
[Wait, what?!]
[No way! For real? That’s insane!]
[Oh my god, what do we do? Can you tell them apart?]
Studying to Get Rich: [She looks just like me—voice, tone, even her silhouette… In short, don’t trust the me you see in person, and don’t trust the me online either.]
[…Then who should we trust?]
[Can we believe what you’re saying right now?]
[Is this really you?]
Studying to Get Rich: [Yes. She used my phone to call someone. Lately, I’ve been keeping my phone on me during the day. Other than that, you’ll have to figure it out yourselves.]
Studying to Get Rich: [Anyway, don’t contact me unless necessary for now. If you see me on the street, pretend you don’t know me.]
[Are you in danger?]
[I’m worried about you…]
Studying to Get Rich: [If something happens, I can start over. Can she?]
[Damn! Good point!]
[Hurry up and expose her!]
[It’s so creepy having an identical version of yourself walking around in real life.]
[And terrifying.]
After giving a few more warnings, Tong Yang logged out of the social app.
She hadn’t told the gossip group members about this yet because their timelines only intersected with hers. The parallel-world "Tong Yang" likely couldn’t threaten them.
Shortly after returning home, Tong Yang received a call from her homeroom teacher, Teacher Yang.
"Hello, teacher. Is something the matter?" she asked, drying her damp hair.
"Tong Yang, the exam results will be out in a few days. Have you gotten any recruitment calls?"
Tong Yang replied, "Yes, I have. Today, two admissions officers from Peking University even came to see me."
"What?! Peking University admissions officers visited you?! They didn’t contact the school beforehand!"
"They reached out to me directly and arranged the meeting today."
"You should’ve told your teacher! What if they were scammers?"
"I don’t think so. They showed me their official information from Peking University’s admissions website. It was legitimate."
Teacher Yang’s voice brimmed with excitement. "What did they say?"
Tong Yang recounted their conversation in detail. Teacher Yang had supported her throughout high school, and she held great respect for her.
"You didn’t agree immediately, did you?" Teacher Yang sounded even more animated.
"No, I didn’t."
"Tong Yang, listen to me. Don’t make a decision right away. Other schools will likely reach out soon. Take your time to learn about them and choose the one that suits you best."
"Teacher Yang, I understand." Tong Yang paused before adding, "The fact that they came to see me—does that mean they already know my score, and that it’s very high?"
Although the admissions officers hadn’t explicitly stated it, their enthusiasm suggested it wasn’t just because of her mock exam results.
Teacher Yang’s voice was practically giddy as she explained, "While examinees are usually the only ones who can check their scores and rankings, top-tier universities like Peking University have ways to access that information in advance. Based on past recruitment patterns, they contact high-scoring students about a week before the official release—those are the first batch. Students ranking around 150th in the province are usually contacted two days beforehand—that’s the second batch. The third batch consists of students who’ve exceeded the cutoff but are only approached online."
Tong Yang’s breath hitched. "So… my score and ranking are exceptionally good?"
"Tong Yang, they're already promising you a direct Ph.D. opportunity—your ranking is almost certainly within the top three in the province! I guarantee that within two days, admissions officers from Tsinghua and other top universities will reach out to you! If you can't decide by then, you can always come to me for advice!"
Tong Yang couldn’t help but smile. "Thank you, Teacher. But please don’t tell anyone else before the scores are officially released, okay? I don’t want everyone getting excited for nothing."
"Of course, I understand. Just keep your phone close these next couple of days. If any admissions officers contact the school, I’ll let you know immediately."
"Thanks."
Hanging up the call, Tong Yang sat on her bed, gazing out at the pitch-black night outside her window.
If Teacher Yang was right—if she really ranked in the top three—that meant she could secure at least 180,000 yuan in scholarships. If she placed first, it would be 200,000 yuan. Combined with the money she’d earned recently, she’d have enough to save up 200,000! Add to that a full university scholarship covering all tuition and fees, plus a monthly stipend during her graduate studies, and she wouldn’t have to worry about money for the next four years!
No doubt about it—the college entrance exam was the most pivotal turning point in her life. If she seized this opportunity, her future would only get brighter.
And if she could finally resolve the parallel world situation, then she and Tong Le could truly get their lives back on track.
"Maybe I’ll buy Tong Le a smartwatch tomorrow?" she murmured to herself, leaning against the headboard with a faint smile.
The next day, Thursday, Tong Yang skipped her part-time shift at the bubble tea shop and headed to a nearby mall, where she spent 600 yuan on a sleek black children’s smartwatch for Tong Le.
This way, they could stay in touch no matter what happened.
After returning home, she remembered that Children’s Day had fallen on the last Saturday before the exams—the day she’d told Tong Le to stay at school instead of coming home. To make up for it, she bought two amusement park tickets online, planning to take him there this Saturday for a full day of fun.
Over the next two days, she did indeed receive calls from admissions officers at other prestigious universities. Their offers were similar to Peking University’s—campus tours with private transportation, priority dorm selection—but Tong Yang still didn’t give a definitive answer, saying she needed more time to consider.
Tsinghua’s admissions officer suggested an in-person meeting, and Tong Yang scheduled it for Monday, June 24th—the day before scores were officially released.
At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Tong Yang went to the experimental elementary school to pick up Tong Le, bringing the smartwatch she’d bought for him.
As she reached the school gates, she spotted Chu Shiyu sitting in a parked BMW by the curb.
Their eyes met briefly, but remembering Tong Yang’s warning in the group chat, Chu Shiyu quickly looked away without greeting her.
Tong Yang didn’t approach either. As she walked past the car, Chu Shiyu leaned out slightly, eyeing her suspiciously from behind as if trying to confirm whether she was really herself.
Soon, the school bell rang.
Tong Yang glanced back. Chu Shiyu’s car was still parked nearby—probably waiting for a child she knew, though as far as Tong Yang recalled, her family only had one daughter.
Students began streaming out of the school. Leaning against a tree with the watch bag in hand, Tong Yang noticed Chu Shiyu cautiously stepping out of her car and walking toward her.
"Tong Yang?" Chu Shiyu called hesitantly from a few steps away.
Tong Yang glanced at her. "Yeah?"
"You—you’re really you, right?" Chu Shiyu still didn’t dare get too close.
Tong Yang rolled her eyes. "What, should I say I’m not?"
"Good point," Chu Shiyu muttered.
"You’ve got some nerve. What if I wasn’t me?"
Chu Shiyu scoffed. "Do you even know how you usually look? Like everyone around you is already dead. Who else could it be?"
Tong Yang didn’t argue. "What are you doing here?"
"Picking up my cousin. You?"
"My brother."
"Your brother goes here too?"
"Unless I’m here for the scenery."
Chu Shiyu made a face like she’d swallowed a fly. "Could you at least try to sound less hostile?"
Tong Yang shrugged helplessly.
"By the way, have any universities contacted you yet?"
"Yeah."
"Which ones?"
"What, you wanna go to the same one as me?"
"Is that so weird?"
Tong Yang eyed her skeptically. "You’re not into me, are you?"
"Get over yourself," Chu Shiyu snapped. "I just think this whole thing isn’t over. If I go to the same university as you, maybe I’ll get more answers."
"You’re not scared of dying?"
"Terrified. But I’m also insanely curious. I want to figure this out."
Tong Yang shook her head. "Suit yourself."
She’d already warned her. If Chu Shiyu insisted on this path, there was nothing more she could do.
"What grade and class is your brother in?"
"Fourth grade, Class Six."
"Huh? Same as my cousin. They’re classmates."
Tong Yang blinked. "What’s your cousin’s name?"
"Linlin."
Tong Yang: "..."
"His full name."
Chu Shiyu frowned. "I don’t remember. We’ve always just called him that."
"My aunt said Linlin’s been getting bullied at school lately."
Tong Yang understood. "Yang Lin?"
"Maybe? My uncle’s last name is Yang." Chu Shiyu narrowed her eyes. "How’d you know? Don’t tell me your brother’s the one bullying him."
Tong Yang smirked but didn’t answer.
"Though your brother doesn’t seem like the type to pick on others," Chu Shiyu mused.
Tong Yang ignored her, turning back to watch the school gates. More students were pouring out now—she spotted Xu Mimi, who’d bullied Yang Lin before—but there was still no sign of Tong Le or Yang Lin.
A few minutes later, Yang Lin emerged alone, head down as he trudged out with his backpack.
"Linlin!" Chu Shiyu called. He looked up and jogged over.
"Shiyu-jie, why are you here again? I told Mom you guys don’t need to pick me up. No one’s bullying me anymore."
"Your mom’s worried. Besides, I’m on break—got nothing better to do."
Noticing Tong Yang, Yang Lin gasped. "You know Tong Yang-jie?"
Chu Shiyu nodded. "We’re classmates."
"What a coincidence!"
Tong Yang scanned the crowd behind him, but Tong Le was nowhere in sight. Just as she was about to ask, Yang Lin spoke first.
"Tong Yang-jie, where’s Lele?" He adjusted his backpack straps, looking puzzled.
Tong Yang froze, her heart skipping a beat. "Tong Le isn’t in school?"
Yang Lin blinked. "He took the day off."
Tong Yang’s face stiffened as she bent down and grabbed his shoulders. “Leave? When?”
Yang Lin seemed startled by her urgency, trembling slightly as he replied, “W-Wednesday night.”
“Wednesday night…” Tong Yang’s face turned deathly pale. She had been to the school that day—Tong Le had been sitting perfectly fine in the classroom. How could he have taken leave?
“Why did he take leave? Was he feeling unwell? Where is he now?”
Seeing Yang Lin frightened, Chu Shiyu placed a hand on her shoulder and frowned. “Calm down first. Maybe he’s resting in the dorm.”
Yang Lin’s eyes reddened as he mumbled in confusion, “Tong Yang… it was you who took Lele away.”
Tong Yang shuddered, her eyes visibly reddening.
Chu Shiyu, noticing her expression, suddenly recalled what she had once said in the group chat—and the timing matched exactly with Wednesday.
“Tong Yang…”
Tong Yang released her grip, hands trembling as she pulled out her phone and dialed the homeroom teacher of Class 6, Grade 4.
“Teacher, did Tong Le take leave?”
“Tong Yang? Yes. You said you were taking him to the capital to visit a school, so he was excused for two days. He’ll be back next Monday.”
“When? I left directly that night, didn’t I?” Tong Yang fought to steady her voice, but the bag containing the smartwatch slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
“Well, you came back just two minutes after leaving. You said you wanted Tong Le to experience university life in advance.”
“I called you last night. Didn’t you say Tong Le was still at school?”
“What? When did you call me? I didn’t receive any call from you yesterday.”
Tong Yang’s hand holding the phone slowly dropped. The person who answered last night wasn’t Tong Le’s teacher? He hadn’t been at school since Wednesday night?
Two days… a full two days…
“Tong Yang, let’s call the police first. The school must have surveillance footage,” Chu Shiyu said grimly.
Yang Lin glanced between them, his face etched with worry. “Is Lele missing?”
“Call the police…”
Tong Yang’s fingers felt numb, barely able to grip her phone. She misdialed several times before finally reaching emergency services.
She didn’t care about the consequences, didn’t care if she’d be seen as hysterical—Tong Le couldn’t be hurt.
But two days… it had already been two whole days…
She had been careless! Knowing there was someone who looked exactly like her, she should never have left Tong Le alone at school…
After reporting the incident, the police instructed her to wait at the entrance while they checked the school’s surveillance, reassuring her to stay calm.
Chu Shiyu arranged for the driver to take Yang Lin home while she stayed behind with Tong Yang.
The homeroom teacher, sensing something amiss from Tong Yang’s questions, soon found her.
“Tong Yang, what’s really going on?”
“Tong Le is missing. I didn’t take him.”
Tong Yang crouched on the ground, forcing her eyes wide open as she answered mechanically.
“What nonsense are you saying? I saw you take him myself. You even left a leave note.”
“I told you—if I ever came to pick up Tong Le, I’d contact you in advance.”
The teacher faltered. “But you had just left. How was I supposed to know why you came back?”
Tong Yang knew she couldn’t blame the school or the teacher. This was her fault. She should have been more prepared, shouldn’t have let her guard down just because the college entrance exams were over. She knew things wouldn’t end simply, knew danger lurked around her. She should have been more vigilant!
But where would “Tong Yang” take Tong Le? What was her goal? Was Tong Le even… still alive?
Tong Yang’s mind was blank, unable to imagine where he might have been taken.
But why? There had been no news of Tong Le’s disappearance two years later. Why would he suddenly go missing now? Was the future still changing, not set in stone? Was history constantly shifting? Then what was the point of her knowing the future in advance?
Or was this something that wasn’t supposed to happen? Had her survival caused a butterfly effect?
Or perhaps she and the group members were from different parallel worlds?
Tong Yang opened the messaging app and asked the gossip group again if there had been any news of Tong Le’s disappearance on June 24th. But this time, no one replied.
“Tong Yang, the police are here.”
Several officers approached her. “Who is the missing child’s guardian?”
“I am.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Wednesday night, around 7:30.”
The teacher recounted the events of that evening in detail, and the group decided to check the school’s surveillance first.
Throughout, Tong Yang clutched her phone tightly, hoping the gossip group would provide some useful information.
The school staff, understanding the urgency, immediately escorted them to the surveillance room.
The footage was rewound to Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Tong Yang watched as the teacher walked her to the school gate. After she left, the teacher chatted briefly with the security guard—about a minute and twenty-one seconds later, “Tong Yang” reappeared at the entrance.
Even with the blurry footage, Tong Yang could see the identical clothes, the same hair length, the same face.
“Teacher, sorry, but I’d still like to take Tong Le on leave.”
The imposter called out to the teacher, even smiling.
The officers in the surveillance room all turned to look at her, while Chu Shiyu watched with concern.
Tong Yang dug her nails into her palms, a fire burning in her chest. Unlike the anger she’d felt after past threats, this was pure hatred—directed at those from parallel worlds. She wanted to kill every monster who dared invade this world, to wipe out every last one of them so they could never harm anyone again.
The footage showed “Tong Yang” and the teacher re-entering the school. About ten minutes later, she left alone with Tong Le, disappearing completely from the school’s surveillance range.
“Guardian, perhaps you should tell us where you took the student,” the officer said sternly, turning to Tong Yang. “The footage clearly shows you leaving with your brother.”
Tong Yang took a deep breath. “That wasn’t me. The person in the footage isn’t me.”
The officer frowned, studying her for a moment before speaking cautiously. “We’ll check nearby surveillance to see where they went, but you should think carefully. This area has few cameras—we’ll have to rely on shop footage.”
“Understood.”
Tong Yang struggled to maintain her composure. With no leads other than pinning her hopes on surveillance footage, she had no idea where the other party might have taken Tong Le.
After leaving the school, they inquired at nearby shops. Since these places were frequented by students, stationery stores and small convenience shops almost all had surveillance cameras installed. The shop owners cooperated fully when the police arrived, pulling up all the relevant footage. Unfortunately, there were many blind spots in the coverage—even the initial scene of Tong Yang leaving wasn’t captured, let alone the whereabouts of "Tong Yang" and Tong Le afterward.
After visiting several shops in a row, they found no trace of the two, nor any clue about where they might have gone after leaving the school.
Later, they shifted their investigation to the vicinity of Dongyang Residential Area, but the only footage they found was of Tong Yang passing by alone at 8:07.
In the end, they obtained no useful information. The only thing they knew for certain was that the last person to see Tong Le before his disappearance was Tong Yang, so they were taken to the police station for questioning.
"Tong Yang, are you okay?"
In the police car, Chu Shiyu kept casting worried glances her way.
Tong Yang clutched her phone tightly, her entire body tense. She racked her brain, trying to think of places the other party might have taken Tong Le. If they hadn’t been caught on camera, was it possible Tong Le had also been taken into the parallel world?
But what were the conditions or triggers for entering the parallel world? How could she actively enter it?
Tong Yang even considered whether she should trigger another time loop—but she had no idea where Tong Le was or whether he was even still alive. What good would it do to go back just ten minutes?
What should she do? Where could she find Tong Le? If he really had been taken to the parallel world, could he even come back?
No… Compared to being killed by "Tong Yang," she would rather Tong Le had just entered the parallel world. Sooner or later, she would find the entrance and bring him back!
After arriving at the police station and giving their statements, the police reviewed surveillance footage from the old city bus station and several highway exits. But this was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water—utterly futile.
By 7:30 p.m., Chu Shiyu had been accompanying Tong Yang at the police station, waiting for updates.
The homeroom teacher of Class 4-6 had made excuses not to follow them after leaving the school.
After extensive investigation, the only lead they had was that the person who took Tong Le away was "Tong Yang."
The police questioned Tong Yang repeatedly, and by the end, it felt more like an interrogation. Chu Shiyu reiterated countless times that it wasn’t her, and though they even explained the events of the parallel world and the two days of the college entrance exam, no one believed them.
After all, how could those bizarre, fantastical stories—the kind that only belonged in movies—compare to the surveillance footage they had seen with their own eyes?
Tong Yang didn’t bother explaining further. She knew words were useless at this point. Instead, she kept sending messages to the "Melon-Eating Squad" group chat, making countless voice and video calls, placing her last hope of finding Tong Le on them.
"Tong Yang! Even if he is your brother, do you realize your actions could be considered illegal? We’ve discovered that your account recently received a large sum of money. If you can’t provide any leads, we have legitimate grounds to suspect you of human trafficking! This is a criminal case—you could go to prison!"
Tong Yang acted as if she hadn’t heard, staring at her phone and continuously making calls.
"Tong Yang!"
A large hand snatched her phone away just as she saw the call being declined on the screen.
"Tong Yang, this is a serious matter. If you don’t remember any of this, we can arrange for a psychologist to help you—"
"Give it back!"
Seeing the declined call, Tong Yang felt a surge of desperation. She lunged forward to grab her phone back, but she was just a student—how could she overpower a police officer?
Two male officers seized her arms and forced her back into the chair.
"Ding-dong—"
"Ding-dong—"
Group messages kept pouring in. Tong Yang clenched her jaw, her voice hoarse: "Give it back! I can find him! Just give it back!"
"Calm down first!" The older officer frowned at her before glancing at her phone. "There are no new messages."
"No—that’s impossible! You can’t see them! Give it back! I can—I can see them!" The more she struggled, the tighter their grip became.
The older officer studied her grimly. "Tong Yang, we suspect you may be suffering from a psychological issue. A psychologist will be here soon—"
"Please… I’m begging you… There’s no time… I’m afraid it’s too late…" Tong Yang’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice ragged. "Please… just give it back…"
Chu Shiyu had known Tong Yang for three years, and even in the parallel world of Third High School, she had never seen her so distraught. Her own eyes reddened. No matter how much she explained, the surveillance footage was undeniable—how could anyone believe them if they hadn’t experienced it themselves?
"Sir, please give her phone back. We won’t run," Chu Shiyu pleaded, tears clinging to her lashes. "We’ll cooperate fully… Just give it back to her…"
The older officer sighed and motioned for the two officers to release Tong Yang before handing the phone back. "Tong Yang, I handled your parents’ drunk driving case. I know how hard it’s been for you to raise your brother, and I believe you wouldn’t hurt him. Just calm down. Once the psychologist arrives, cooperate with the evaluation. If there’s a psychological issue—like schizophrenia or sleepwalking—it might help us find your brother faster."
The moment she was released, Tong Yang snatched her phone back. The "Melon-Eating Squad 007" group chat had sent several messages.
[What’s going on? It’s only 6 a.m.]
[Damn, I’ve never seen you this frantic before.]
[Tong Le? Let me search—wasn’t there nothing yesterday?]
Tong Yang didn’t register the "6 a.m." comment. She was in a frenzied state, caring about nothing but news of Tong Le.
[Holy shit! Found it!]
[On June 25, 2024, at 3 a.m., police received a report from a citizen who discovered the body of a child while night fishing by the shore. Investigation revealed the child was nine years old, a fourth-grade student at Experimental Primary School, with only one living relative…]
The group sent a long copied news excerpt. Though no names were mentioned, every detail pointed to Tong Le.
"Night fishing… night fishing…"
Tong Yang muttered in a daze. The body would be discovered at 3 a.m. tomorrow—drowned, with the estimated time of death between 9 p.m. and midnight on the 24th. It was now 7:54 p.m. Tong Le wasn’t dead yet—she still had time!
Learning is for Making Money: "Can you find the approximate location?"
[Seems like it’s at an abandoned reservoir.]
[Yeah, an abandoned reservoir. Almost no one goes there.]
"Abandoned reservoir..." Tong Yang murmured softly. The only abandoned reservoir in the old district was located on the mountain where her parents were buried—and that was where Tong Le was...
"Boss, bad news! We've received several more emergency calls. Three children from Class 6, Grade 4 of the Experimental Primary School never returned home after school. Their parents searched all the usual places and couldn’t reach them by phone!"
The seasoned officer stiffened. "All from Class 6, Grade 4?"
At the same time, Chu Shiyu's phone rang. She stepped aside to answer.
"Yang Lin? He’s not with me. I had the driver take him home after school."
"What? He was picked up midway by a classmate? Which classmate?"
"Someone with me? Tong Le’s sister..." Chu Shiyu whirled around to stare at Tong Yang. "Yang Lin’s been taken too!"
"Tong Yang!" In an instant, Tong Yang sprang up from her seat in the break room and bolted out before anyone could react.
By the time Chu Shiyu and the officers in the adjacent room realized what had happened, Tong Yang was already far ahead.
"They’re at Nameless Slope!"
Her voice echoed from the distance. Chu Shiyu immediately understood and called out to the officers about to give chase, "Tong Le, Yang Lin, and the missing kids from Class 6 are all at Nameless Slope. Tong Yang’s gone ahead."
The police station wasn’t far from Nameless Slope, but the path was rugged, full of uneven steps and mountain trails. Tong Yang knew seeking the police’s help would speed up the search, but staying would mean endless questioning—time she couldn’t afford to waste.
Now, by running ahead, even if the police doubted her, they’d follow to apprehend her, leading them straight to Nameless Slope.
The sky darkened, and the road to Nameless Slope was barely lit. Tong Yang sprinted heedless of what lay underfoot, the night wind making her mind hazy. Yet she didn’t dare pause for even a second.
Nameless Slope was a desolate mountain, vast and overgrown. Years ago, seven or eight students had drowned in the reservoir at once, spawning eerie rumors that gradually drove people away—except for the occasional bold angler.
Tong Yang charged into the slope. The mountain was pitch-black, the path invisible. She flicked on her phone’s flashlight, sharp branches scraping her exposed skin, leaving shallow cuts.
"Tong Le!"
"Lele!"
"Yang Lin!"
Her shouts echoed through the silent slope, but the sprawling mountain remained quiet, only the cicadas occasionally answering her calls.
Her clothes were drenched in sweat, beads rolling into her eyes, stinging.
"Tong Le! Lele!"
"Yang Lin!"
She barely blinked, afraid to miss any sound. Her hair clung to her damp skin as she trudged over the rough terrain, every step exhausting.
She was drained—physically, mentally—but stopping wasn’t an option.
"Is anyone here?"
"Tong Yang? Are you here? Come out, let’s talk!"
If Tong Le was here, "Tong Yang" was likely here too. Instead of wandering blindly, finding her might be simpler.
Tong Yang kept calling out as she headed toward the reservoir from memory, but there was no sign of anyone, no response.
"Tong Le!"
Gasping for breath, she stood at the edge of the abandoned reservoir, shouting.
Her phone’s light swept the area—the water was still, the shore empty.
"Yang Lin!"
After circling the shore with no trace of anyone, distant floodlights suddenly lit up the sky, casting beams over Nameless Slope, faintly illuminating the scene through the trees.
"Tong Yang!"
Chu Shiyu’s voice rang out, mingling with others calling.
"Yang Lin!"
"Xu Mimi!"
By now, the police must have alerted the missing students’ parents, all now combing Nameless Slope.
"Tong Yang!" Chu Shiyu emerged from a narrow path, relieved to see her unharmed. "Are you okay? The police and firefighters are here with search dogs. An ambulance is waiting below."
Tong Yang turned to her. In the dim light, her eyes were bloodshot, voice hoarse. "They’ve entered the parallel world."
Chu Shiyu clenched her jaw. "What do we do? How do we get in?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "I don’t know... I don’t know..."
Chu Shiyu said, "My aunt told me the driver saw you on the way home with Yang Lin. Someone claiming to be you said you’d take him to find Tong Le—that I’d join too. So he went with her."
"Besides that, three other students from Class 6 never made it home. Their parents called their kids’ smartwatches, but the calls wouldn’t connect."
Tong Yang’s fists tightened at her sides. No doubt—Tong Le and the others had been pulled into the parallel world. Without finding the entrance, scouring Nameless Slope would be futile.
"What can we do? We barely survived that world ourselves. These kids..."
Tong Yang took a deep breath. "Tong Le will die tonight. The others might not."
Chu Shiyu studied her. "Can we change that?"
Tong Yang met her gaze. "Yes."
"What’s your plan?"
"If the culprit just wanted them dead, they could’ve done it outright. They’re just kids—helpless. But no. They posed as me to take Tong Le and Yang Lin, likely the others too. This elaborate scheme... it’s targeting me."
"Then what’s the goal?"
"To kill me? Replace me? Ruin me?"
Tong Yang scanned the surroundings.
"If I’m the target, they’ll drag me into that world themselves."
