The breeze was warm and gentle, the trees lining both sides of the road lush and verdant.
The phone rang. Tong Yang answered, and a hoarse, childish voice came through: "Sister, why did you leave?"
Tong Yang carried her backpack over one shoulder. The goldfish pendant attached to her phone case swayed back and forth. The morning sun slanted across her, illuminating the fine down on her face.
Her loose hair was lifted by the cool breeze, exuding an air of ease and gentleness.
"I have two tutoring sessions this morning," Tong Yang said.
Tong Le gave an "oh," then asked, "So when will you be back? Let's go pick up Little Black together."
"At 11:30. I'll go directly to the animal hospital then."
"Alright then."
"Mm, I'm hanging up."
"Bye."
Tong Yang ended the call and put her phone away.
Little Black was the stray cat they had found in the park last night. After confirming with the park manager that it had no owner, they sought Dad Yang and Yang's mother's permission, took it to the animal hospital for a check-up, and formally decided to adopt it.
The veterinarian examined Little Black and found its coat very healthy and its weight normal. There shouldn't be any major issues. After some more detailed checks, they could take it home the next day at noon.
Strangely enough, at the animal hospital, Little Black was very frightened, unwilling to let the vet get close. It seemed particularly fond of Tong Le and only allowed the examination after being soothed by him.
Holding onto her backpack strap with one hand, Tong Yang recalled the day she left the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau. She had indeed seen this little black cat by the roadside then, the white fur on its left ear was exactly the same. At the time, she also thought the boy feeding it cat treats looked somewhat familiar.
But nearly a month had passed, and she could no longer remember what the boy looked like. Perhaps because too much had happened recently, she couldn't shake the feeling that Little Black appearing now, having traveled from Shuangbai District to Tianyuan District, wasn't a coincidence.
But if it wasn't a coincidence, then what could be the reason? A little black cat couldn't pose any threat to them.
The tutoring location wasn't far. Tong Yang scanned a shared bike and rode for fifteen minutes to reach her destination—an extremely luxurious residential complex.
The complex had an excellent location, surrounded by several large shopping malls. On one street alone, there were three high schools, all reportedly key schools with fierce competition.
Tong Yang stated her purpose to the security guard and waited for him to confirm with the homeowner.
"Please come in."
After hanging up the phone, the guard opened the side gate.
"Thank you."
The complex was called Half Moon Manor. The homeowners were all wealthy or influential and placed great importance on their children's studies.
The family that hired Tong Yang had only one daughter. She had just finished ninth grade, was fifteen years old, and attended Capital No. 4 High School nearby. Her grades weren't bad, but she had underperformed on the high school entrance exam. In a school filled with top students, she hadn't made it into the advanced class. Her parents had hired several tutors for her, and Tong Yang was just one of them.
The complex had one elevator per household. Stepping out of the elevator brought you right to the front door.
Tong Yang rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door opened from inside.
"Teacher Tong, you're here. Please come in."
The person who opened the door was their live-in housekeeper, a middle-aged woman in her forties.
"Aunt Liu," Tong Yang greeted.
Aunt Liu took out the slippers prepared specifically for her and said in a low voice, "Qingqing is throwing a tantrum. She's locked herself in her room."
The student's name was Yan Qing, and her temper wasn't great. Tong Yang had taught her a few lessons over this period.
"I understand."
Tong Yang changed her shoes and walked towards Yan Qing's bedroom. She stood at the door and knocked.
"Who is it? So annoying! I said don't bother me! Don't you understand human language?" came the girl's furious voice.
Tong Yang's tone was flat: "It's time for the lesson. Please open the door."
Aunt Liu followed behind her, looking nervous.
The room fell silent for two seconds. Then, rapid footsteps sounded, and the door was pulled open.
A girl with messy hair, her body hidden behind the door, poked her head out and said, "I... I don't want a lesson today..."
Tong Yang wasted no words and reached out to push the door open.
Aunt Liu's expression visibly panicked. "Teacher Tong, Teacher Tong! The master said if Qingqing really doesn't want a lesson, it's fine. We'll still pay you for the session. How about letting her rest for a day?"
Yan Qing glanced at Tong Yang, shrinking her neck, and repeated, "I don't want a lesson today."
Aunt Liu chimed in, "Teacher Tong, you see..."
Tong Yang said, "If you didn't want a lesson, why didn't you tell me in advance?"
The implication was clear: she had already wasted time coming here.
"I'll ask one more time. Do you want your lesson today or not?"
Yan Qing puffed out her cheeks, her expression displeased and faintly angry. But when she looked up and met Tong Yang's gaze, she immediately deflated, muttering, "No need to be so fierce. I'll take it, alright?"
Aunt Liu subtly let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Then you two have a good lesson. I'll cut some fruit for you."
"No need, thank you."
Tong Yang walked into the room, and Yan Qing obediently closed the door behind her.
"Did you do the homework I assigned last time?" Tong Yang sat on the chair, placing her backpack to the side.
"I did."
"Bring it here."
"Oh."
Yan Qing obediently took an exercise book from the shelf and handed it to Tong Yang with both hands.
Tong Yang took the book and began flipping through it. Yan Qing stood beside her like a quail, not daring to move a muscle.
Wealthy families often shared some common traits: parents were busy with work, and children lacked affection.
Children growing up in such environments inevitably went through rebellious phases during adolescence. Yan Qing was a classic example.
Her grades weren't poor; she ranked within the top thousand in the capital's high school entrance exam. She was quick-witted and sharp, but also irritable and prone to anger. Her relationships with classmates were strained. She had received two disciplinary records from the school for fighting. If not for her decent grades and her parents' connections, she would have likely been expelled long ago.
Her parents weren't bad to her. On the contrary, apart from academics, they were quite indulgent. Feeling guilty for not being able to spend much time with her, they granted her every wish as long as it wasn't related to studies.
On Tong Yang's first trial lesson, Yan Qing's parents happened to be home. Perhaps to get their attention, Yan Qing kept causing trouble, attempting to provoke Tong Yang with her words and actions. First, she targeted Tong Yang's clothing, then her teaching ability, and later her family background.
The girl had somehow learned some unpleasant things to say. She asked if Tong Yang was tutoring at Half Moon Manor to "catch a rich husband" and "become a phoenix flying up from a branch," and made other crude remarks.
Yan Qing's parents, who were present, were stunned, unable to believe she could say such things.
However, what shocked them even more was that after hearing these words, Tong Yang directly dragged Yan Qing back to her room and locked the door, ignoring the frantic knocking from Yan Qing's parents and Aunt Liu outside.
Just like that, Tong Yang kept them locked in the room for a full five minutes.
Five minutes later, she expressionlessly pulled the door open. Under the reproachful and worried gazes of Yan Qing's parents and Aunt Liu, she said to Yan Qing, "Let's continue the lesson."
Tears welling in her eyes, Yan Qing obediently followed her back to the living room.
Neither of them showed any signs of a physical struggle. It was unclear what exactly had happened.
After the trial lesson ended, Yan Qing's parents were very satisfied with Tong Yang's teaching ability. However, concerned about Yan Qing's feelings, they specifically asked for her opinion on whether to hire Tong Yang as her math tutor. To their surprise, Yan Qing actually agreed!
It's just that after the trial lesson, no matter how defiant Yan Qing acted in front of her parents and Aunt Liu, the moment she saw Tong Yang, she immediately became like a mouse seeing a cat. When asked what happened between the two after they entered the room, Yan Qing would just shake her head and refuse to say anything.
So, on one hand, Yan Qing's parents and Aunt Liu felt that Tong Yang's teaching quality was good and she could keep Yan Qing in line; on the other hand, they worried whether Tong Yang might physically punish Yan Qing or hit her or something.
After one class ended, Tong Yang told her to rest for half an hour before continuing.
Aunt Liu brought in two plates of cut fruit. Seeing the two sitting side by side at the desk, sunlight filtering through the white gauze curtains, Tong Yang was looking down at her phone, while Yan Qing was curiously peeking at the screen. Once discovered, Yan Qing immediately stuck out her tongue and turned her head away.
Aunt Liu's gaze couldn't help but soften. "Teacher Tong, Qingqing, you must be tired. Have some fruit."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
"Thank you."
Aunt Liu looked at them with a smile. Yan Qing's parents weren't often home, and most of the time, it was Aunt Liu who took care of Yan Qing. She was the one who could best sense the changes in her. Since Tong Yang became her tutor, Yan Qing no longer threw tantrums at the drop of a hat like before, wouldn't sneak out with her troublemaking friends, and her relationship with her parents had also improved considerably.
This morning's argument with her parents was still because...
"Sister Tong Yang, your grades in other subjects are clearly very good too, why are you only willing to teach me math?" Yan Qing helpfully speared a piece of apple and offered it to her lips, asking curiously.
Tong Yang glanced at her, bit the apple into her mouth, and said, "Your parents only hired me as your math tutor."
"I'll just ask Mom to fire the other tutors! You can teach me everything by yourself, okay? I think none of them teach as well as you do, and they're always tattling to my parents."
Tong Yang said, "Do I look like I have a lot of free time?"
"But you really need the money!" Yan Qing said matter-of-factly. "You teach well, you teach me, my dad pays you. It's a win-win!"
"I'm not that desperate for money. Besides, I'll be resigning after a few more lessons. There's no need."
"Resigning?" Yan Qing's eyes widened, clear and foolish. "How can you resign?"
"How can I? Do I need your permission to resign?"
Yan Qing suddenly flushed with anger, her eyes reddening. "What about me if you resign? My dad has money, he can have you be my tutor forever!"
Tong Yang gave her a baffled look. "If I resign, you just go to class."
"I'm not going to school! This morning I told Dad I want to drop out and have you teach me alone!"
Tong Yang said in surprise, "You said that to your dad? He didn't hit you?"
"He scolded me! But as long as I throw a fit for a few days like I used to, he'll definitely agree in the end!"
Tong Yang looked at her suspiciously for a long moment, then pressed the back of her hand against Yan Qing's forehead. "Is your brain okay? Did I assign too much homework and tire you out until you're stupid?"
Yan Qing: "..."
"Get out! You get out of here!"
Yan Qing suddenly stood up angrily, pushing Tong Yang out, shoving both her and Aunt Liu out the door, and even threw her backpack out after her.
"I don't want you to tutor me anymore!"
Tong Yang, holding her phone in her right hand and her backpack in her left, exchanged a look with Aunt Liu.
"Is your kid always this rebellious?"
Aunt Liu sighed helplessly. "This child Qingqing... Teacher Tong, please sit and rest for a while. She'll calm down on her own in a bit. I'll go get you a glass of water."
Tong Yang sat on the living room sofa, not taking the matter to heart. Only children from wealthy families like Yan Qing were always self-centered, thinking the whole world should revolve around them. She had no interest in arguing with a little brat. Anyway, it was four lessons a week, and she'd be resigning after a few more.
"Teacher Tong, have some water." Aunt Liu handed the glass to Tong Yang and sat down beside her.
"Thank you."
Tong Yang was indeed a bit thirsty and took a sip after accepting it.
Aunt Liu glanced at Yan Qing's closed door, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Teacher Tong, please don't take it to heart. She's not a bad child. Qingqing's parents aren't often by her side. If she really didn't want to study properly, how could her grades be so good? She causes trouble and gets into mischief all to get her parents' attention, to make them care more about her."
"Is that so." Tong Yang nodded, not quite understanding the point of Aunt Liu telling her all this.
She was just an ordinary math tutor. She'd teach if paid, and not if unpaid. As for whether the student was a good kid or not, it didn't make much difference to her.
"Qingqing genuinely sees you as an older sister, that's why she got angry. Just don't hold it against her. Kids her age are just a bit willful. She likes listening to your lessons, so she doesn't want to go to school anymore."
"I start school in September. I won't have the energy to keep tutoring her."
"I know, of course we can't let tutoring delay your studies... I'm sorry, Teacher Tong. Please don't take it to heart. I'm just getting old and talk too much."
Tong Yang said, "I won't take it to heart. Please go ahead with your work."
It wasn't that Tong Yang couldn't understand what Aunt Liu meant, but she lacked empathy and didn't much care about other people's feelings.
Aunt Liu didn't say anything more, got up, and went to Yan Qing's room to coax her out gently.
Tong Yang looked down at her phone and noticed a missed call from Police Officer Lin a minute ago. She had her phone on silent during class and hadn't noticed.
She took her phone to the window and called back.
"Hello, Police Officer Lin."
"Tong Yang? Are you free now? People from the 749 Bureau are here."
Tong Yang was taken aback, glanced back at Yan Qing's room, and asked, "Can they wait?"
"I'm afraid not. They've been very busy lately. They're only here today because it's on their way. They have to go to another city this afternoon."
Hearing this, Tong Yang was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I understand. I'll come over now. Ye Huai will come too."
"Ye Huai? Why him?"
"I'll explain when we get there. I have to go now."
After hanging up, Tong Yang opened a messaging app and sent a message to Ye Huai, telling him to go to the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau first. He replied with a single "Okay."
Turning off her phone and slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Tong Yang walked to Yan Qing's door and knocked. "Yan Qing, I have something urgent to attend to. I'm leaving now."
Aunt Liu said in surprise, "You're leaving already? But..."
"I'm sorry, it's something important. Since I only taught one lesson today, you can halve the fee, or I can make it up another time."
Aunt Liu sighed. "Well, if that's the case. If you have something to do, Teacher Tong, please go ahead. I'll convey it to Sir and Madam."
"Thank you."
There was still no movement from inside the door. It would take Tong Yang an hour to get from here to Shuangbai District, so there was no time to waste. She knocked on the door and said, "I'm leaving. If you have any questions, you can send a message."
"Aunt Liu, I'm heading out now."
Aunt Liu saw her to the door and nodded. "Take care, Teacher Tong."
Tong Yang left Banyue Manor, rode a shared bike to the nearby subway station, and headed straight for the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when she finally arrived.
"Tong Yang, you're here? Go on in."
The officer on duty at the entrance recognized her and let her right through.
Entering the bureau, Tong Yang met Police Officer Wan, whom she had seen before.
"Let's go. They've already arrived."
They?
Tong Yang was momentarily puzzled but didn't think too much of it. They probably meant the people from the 749 Bureau and Ye Huai.
They walked through several winding corridors, passing interrogation rooms where, through the transparent glass walls, she could see people sitting inside with their hands cuffed.
Tong Yang noticed they all had a strange black tattoo on their arms, resembling a snake entwined with vines and thorns.
Police Officer Wan followed her gaze into the interrogation room and explained, "They're members of 'Snake Vine,' an organization that's been recently spreading and imitating the Haolin International School disappearance case."
Tong Yang frowned. "Copycat crimes?"
"It's said this organization firmly believes in the multiverse theory and defines Ye Wen's disappearance case as a 'mark' from the multiverse. They commit copycat crimes hoping to establish a connection with other universes. The victims are mostly children. It took us nearly a month to capture these seven members of the organization."
Tong Yang fell silent. The very reason the state chose to secretly establish the supernatural research organization, the 749 Bureau, was to prevent such incidents. Once the existence of parallel worlds was confirmed, the problems they would face wouldn't just come from those worlds, but from internal and external threats alike.
Previously, Ye Wen's kidnapping was a signal from Dr. Wu to the upper echelons of society. If things continued like this, no one knew how uncontrollable the situation might become.
Seeing her troubled expression, Police Officer Wan sighed, stopped walking, and said, "Tong Yang, tell them everything you know today. After this, don't get involved in these matters anymore."
Tong Yang lifted her eyes. She didn't explain. It wasn't that she wanted to be involved in these things; it was just that after May 28th, the timeline had changed, and she couldn't avoid it.
"Thank you," Tong Yang said sincerely, knowing both Police Officer Lin and Police Officer Wan had her best interests at heart.
"Go on in," Police Officer Wan said, looking at the closed conference room door in front of them with another sigh.
Tong Yang gripped the door handle, opened it, and walked in.
Everyone sitting in the conference room looked up at her in unison.
Tong Yang's gaze swept over them one by one. Police Officer Lin and a middle-aged policeman sat on one side. Three researchers in white lab coats sat on another. A man in a Taoist robe, looking rather sloppy, sat on another side, next to a girl with pink ear-length hair, legs crossed. Next to her was a boy in a wheelchair, pale-faced, wearing an oxygen tube, with a new-model ventilator beside him.
And then, standing by a seat, looking very guilty, was a certain Chu.
"Hey there, long time no see," Xu Junyue, the one with pink hair, raised a hand in greeting, blinking her hazy gray right eye.
Chu Shiyu looked visibly nervous and called out, "Tong Yang..."
They had both used Tong Yang's name to get in.
Ye Huai sat in the wheelchair, his face as pale as paper, and nodded. "Long time no see."
Tong Yang: "..."
The others were one thing, but Ye Huai looked like he could pass out at any moment.
"You really didn't have to come here," Tong Yang said with a complicated expression.
Ye Huai lowered his eyelids, a faint, fragile smile appearing. "Please don't mind me. My health isn't a major issue. It's just the poor air quality here. The doctors insisted strongly, so I'm appearing before everyone in this sorry state. My apologies."
Tong Yang gave him a meaningful look.
Xu Junyue said, "I bet the doctors were begging and pleading with you not to leave, but you ignored their advice and insisted on coming. So they had to settle for making you bring the ventilator."
Ye Huai glanced at her and said flatly, "Nothing of the sort."
Tong Yang didn't dwell on it. Ye Huai probably knew his own physical condition best.
Police Officer Lin, sitting in his seat, was frantically making eye signals at her. The middle-aged policeman cleared his throat lightly, his gaze shifting towards the three researchers in white coats.
Tong Yang looked over. Two women, one man. The man sitting in the middle looked particularly displeased.
"My apologies for the wait," Tong Yang said politely, nodding towards them. "I'm Tong Yang."
"Miss Tong, do you know how long we've been waiting for you? Our time is far more valuable than you imagine," the man said, arms crossed, his brows furrowed like Zhang Fei's.
Tong Yang remained composed. "My time is equally valuable. Should I have just camped out at the police station, waiting for whenever you might have a free moment to pass by?"
Sensing the man's rudeness, Tong Yang saw no reason to be polite to him either.
The man's face darkened. "I'm now seriously suspecting we've wasted four hours for nothing."
"Then you can leave."
Tong Yang sat down in the empty seat next to Chu Shiyu. "If you don't want to listen, I don't want to tell you."
"Pfft..."
The bespectacled woman next to him laughed. "Sorry about that, Tong Yang. He's just joking with you."
"Police Officer Lin already told us you're not like ordinary kids."
The man snorted. "Arrogant."
Tong Yang shrugged lazily. "I canceled a tutoring session to rush over here."
The woman chuckled. "That's our fault for not arranging a time with you in advance. We'll compensate you for the loss."
Tong Yang actually accepted. "Fair enough."
The atmosphere eased slightly. Police Officer Lin subtly let out a sigh of relief and stood up. "Tong Yang, let me introduce everyone."
"This is the bureau director, Director Zhao."
"This is a researcher from the 749 Bureau, Dr. Luo."
"These two are Dr. Lü and Dr. An, respectively."
Police Officer Lin then looked towards the young man in the gray Taoist robe on the other side. "This is Taoist Master Tang."
"The other three you already know, so I won't introduce them."
Tong Yang glanced with some surprise at the man in the Taoist robe. It sounded like he wasn't part of the 749 Bureau.
Seeming to sense Tong Yang's inquisitive look, the Taoist-robed man looked back at her and said, "Tang Shuyan. External personnel for the 749 Bureau. Just here to see what's going on."
Tong Yang nodded and turned to Chu Shiyu. "How did you two get here?"
Xu Junyue said, "My dad caught wind of something, made a phone call, and I overheard. So I sneaked out and ran into Chu Shiyu on the way, so we came together."
Chu Shiyu nodded. "Right."
Tong Yang didn't mind too much. They were both in the know anyway.
"Let's get down to business. What have you learned about parallel worlds?" Tong Yang said.
She didn't immediately share the information she knew, wanting to see if Bureau 749 had any intel she was unaware of; otherwise, it would be a loss for her.
Dr. Luo adjusted his glasses and said, "We don't know much about parallel worlds. Initially, we only discovered some supernatural phenomena, but our research failed to find any leads. The person who truly confirmed the existence of parallel worlds was actually Dr. Wu. Unfortunately, he died under mysterious circumstances not long after. Then came the incident at Hailin International School."
Tong Yang frowned. "So, you have no understanding of parallel worlds?"
The three researchers exchanged glances. Dr. Lü, sitting in the middle, said, "Of course not. Recently, we've made significant progress."
"What is it?"
Dr. Lü explained, "We captured two individuals from a parallel world in the south. When we dissected the first one, we found that his corpse disappeared within two minutes after death. We speculate he returned to the parallel world. It's possible that people pulled into a parallel world also return to our reality upon death."
After speaking, he looked at Tong Yang and the others. For ordinary people, this was already an incredible revelation, and he hoped to see a different reaction on their faces, especially from the seemingly defiant Tong Yang.
Unexpectedly, the young people's expressions showed no change whatsoever; one could say they weren't surprised at all.
"And then?" Xu Junyue asked.
Dr. Lü pursed his lips, unwillingly continuing, "When dissecting the second individual, we deliberately kept him alive. We discovered his brain had a slight difference from ours—it was missing a very fine nerve, seemingly extracted root and stem, yet it didn't affect bodily functions. Our current medical technology is utterly incapable of such precision. Even given twenty, thirty, or even fifty more years, we might not achieve that level of fineness."
He looked at the young people again. Their expressions remained unchanged.
Tong Yang and the other two had experienced these events and had also learned about the existence of gene serum from He Jingjing (Sister). As for Ye Huai, it was simply his nature; no one had ever seen him display strong emotional fluctuations.
"That's it?" Xu Junyue said, surprised.
Dr. Lü's neck flushed red. "Of course there's more! We just can't tell you everything!"
"Oh." Xu Junyue nodded, always blunt, "I thought you might know less than I do."
Dr. Lü: "..."
Dr. Luo explained, "There are some matters we cannot disclose to you at the moment. Our apologies."
"Understood."
Having gained no useful clues, Tong Yang could only sigh inwardly and began recounting what she knew.
"We are not the first parallel world discovered."
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
Dr. Luo and the other two were stunned.
Tong Yang continued, "Before the parallel world discovered us, they were discovered by someone else first."
Dr. Luo and his colleagues exchanged looks, their expressions turning grave.
"Please, go on."
"Tell us everything you know."
"The reason the parallel world became what it is now is because people from the First Parallel World infiltrated their society. By the time they realized it, it was too late to turn back. The two worlds merged, resources drastically diminished, and all became concentrated in the upper echelons of society."
Dr. An opened his laptop, fingers rapidly typing to record Tong Yang's words.
"The two individuals you captured are called Order Maintainers in the parallel world—people from the lower society there. Some of them have had nerves extracted, turning them into Order Maintainers who only follow orders and consume no resources. Others resort to self-destruction, killing others to obtain resources."
"I haven't had contact with the true upper society, so I don't know their specific situation. But their technology and medicine should be far more advanced than ours. The nerves extracted from Order Maintainers are used by them to create a gene serum that can alter human genetics—for example, allowing a physically weak woman to conceive twins."
Dr. Luo's expression was solemn. "Please continue."
"They have found a method to travel between the two worlds. Their goal is to seize our resources. Ye Wen's disappearance was their doing, aimed at attracting the attention of society's upper class."
Dr. Lü asked, "What is their objective?"
"To cooperate with the upper class, eliminate the ordinary middle and lower classes, and share the resources of both worlds with the upper echelon of the parallel world."
Tong Yang looked at their grave expressions and said, word by word, "That's their more moderate idea."
"What do you mean?"
"Could their true goal be even more terrifying than that?"
Tong Yang stated, "A split has occurred among their leaders. A minority wants to keep useful people and share resources. The majority wants to kill everyone in the real world and monopolize all resources."
"They want to use the same method the First World used to invade the parallel world, to invade our reality."
Upon hearing this, everyone drew a sharp breath.
"Do you know how they enter the real world?"
Tong Yang shook her head. "It's not clear yet. But I do know the method for us to enter and exit the parallel world."
"What method?"
"Do you still have the steps for the elevator game I gave you before?"
Dr. Luo frowned. "We've tried it several times at Hailin International School. It doesn't allow spatial travel."
Tong Yang said, "We can't do it by ourselves alone."
"Then how can it be done?"
"Under the guidance of a human from the parallel world."
"What?!"
Hearing this, Ye Huai looked up at Tong Yang.
Tong Yang explained, "The condition for creating spatial travel is a dark and quiet environment, creating order within chaos or chaos within order. Conversely, if only people from the real world are present, it doesn't meet the condition. So, at least one person from the parallel world is needed to break the pattern and create chaos."
Dr. An's fingers kept tapping the keyboard, afraid of missing any important information.
"Are you sure?"
"I am one hundred percent sure. But this method only applies when we actively enter or exit the parallel world. Sometimes we are passively pulled in, so the parallel world must have other methods for spatial travel. I don't know what those are yet."
"If that's the case, as long as we can find one person from the parallel world, we can..."
"But that's practically a fantasy for us. If those two individuals hadn't had their nerves extracted, we wouldn't have been able to identify them. Also, the nerve extraction seems to affect their voices; they have great difficulty producing correct tones."
Tong Yang added, "It's worth mentioning that there is a person from the parallel world right beside us."
Police Officer Lin and the three doctors were stunned simultaneously. "Who?" they asked, incredulously.
"Do we have people from the parallel world here?"
"Since when?"
Tong Yang said, "Whether he admits it or not, I don't care. Whether he's willing to help you or not, I also don't care. But in the real world, there are at least fifty people who were sent to this parallel world very early on. Their purpose is to lie dormant in the real world; they are very difficult to discover unless they admit it themselves, and once they choose to betray, they are immediately pulled into the parallel world and executed."
"And he is perhaps the only one who can help you travel between spaces without any restrictions."
The information Tong Yang revealed was overwhelming for them. They never expected a seventeen-year-old to know so much.
They had truly underestimated Tong Yang!
"Who? Who is it? Besides Jingjing, who else is from the parallel world?" Xu Junyue asked, full of curiosity.
"Is it Ye Tianlin? Didn't he already die jumping off a building?"
Tong Yang gave her a complicated look. This girl had gone through those events with them and heard Ye Huai's final words. Could she really not have realized by now that Ye Huai is from the parallel world?
That day, when they left the parallel world under He Jingjing's guidance, she had said that only someone from the parallel world could lead them out.
"It's me," Ye Huai said softly.
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence, exclaiming in unison, "It's you??"
"Probably, I am the child of Ye Tianlin from the parallel world. To cure my illness, a deal was made with the Ye Tianlin of the real world."
"Huh?" Xu Junyue looked completely bewildered. "It's you?"
Chu Shiyu said, "But doesn't the parallel world have genetic medicine? That stuff should easily cure your illness."
Tong Yang shook his head. "Creating something like that must be extremely difficult, and it's likely only for the use of a very few at the top. Otherwise, they should be able to seize our resources effortlessly."
"Then you..." Dr. Luo seemed somewhat wary, his gaze turning more alert.
Ye Huai's expression was indifferent. "Do whatever you want. I can help you, and I won't resist."
Dr. Luo was slightly taken aback and couldn't help asking, "Why?"
Ye Huai lifted his pale face and turned to look out the window. His cheeks were thin, his eyelashes long. The sound of the ventilator hissed, making him seem like a snowflake hanging from the eaves, about to melt. "It doesn't matter anyway."
Xu Junyue said, "Hey! If you agree to become their spy for the parallel world, maybe they could use the genetic medicine to cure you!"
Ye Huai frowned slightly, a trace of disgust inadvertently flashing in his eyes. "Unnecessary."
After the events at Hailin International School, Ye Huai's health had been deteriorating day by day. It was unknown how long it would take for him to recuperate and return to his previous state, posing no threat whatsoever to the real world.
Dr. Luo pondered for a moment, then nodded. "We understand. Ye Huai, focus on recovering. We may need to trouble you in the future."
"Alright," Ye Huai gave a slight nod, his demeanor as faint as if veiled in mist.
"Tong Yang, how do you know so much information related to the parallel world?"
Tong Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "Counting the incident at Xili Mall a few days ago, I have entered the parallel world four times now, and I've lost count of how many times I've encountered people from there."
Dr. Lü's eyes widened in surprise. "Then why are you able to appear here safe and sound?"
Tong Yang said, "Due to certain restrictions, after entering the parallel world, if they want to act against me, it can only be under a shared set of rules. As long as you utilize those rules well, you can leave unharmed. However, the rule restrictions do not include voluntarily entering the parallel world. If we go in proactively, they most likely won't be bound by the rules. So, it's best you don't attempt to enter the parallel world lightly. Finding their method of space travel as soon as possible would be better."
Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.
Dr. Luo looked at Chu Shiyu and the other person. "You two also..."
Chu Shiyu said, "We got dragged in once with Tong Yang."
After this matter, they unanimously chose not to tell anyone about Tong Yang's ability to enter time loops.
Perhaps because of Tong Yang's warning, or perhaps because Tong Yang had saved their lives.
Tang Shuyan said, "Come to think of it, these incidents seem to almost always revolve around you."
He shifted his gaze to Tong Yang.
"Is it a coincidence?"
Tong Yang said, "It's not a coincidence."
Ye Huai suddenly spoke, "Mr. Tang, the reason you feel these events revolve around Teacher Tong is primarily because the things that happen to her are all discovered by us."
"In other words, she is one of the very few people who can enter the parallel world and still survive."
Tang Shuyan tucked both hands into his sleeves, seeming convinced, and nodded. "That makes sense."
Tong Yang had originally wanted to say something, but after hearing Ye Huai's words, she didn't continue.
Tong Yang said, "I've killed many people from the parallel world. I'll probably continue encountering such things in the future."
Tong Yang did not mention that she was a temporal anchor point.
Police Officer Lin's expression was serious. "Don't be afraid. We will definitely ensure you are well protected."
"It's no use. I am confident I can survive, but when I need to contact you, you must guarantee you can arrive at the fastest possible speed."
The police bureau director raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course."
"That's enough."
"Now, can you tell us the information you truly understand about the parallel world?" Tong Yang looked at Dr. Luo and the other two.
Dr. Luo sighed deeply. "Tong Yang, the information you know is extremely valuable to us."
"So?"
Dr. Lü said with a complicated expression, "The results of our investigation show the situation is more complex than you imagine."
"Black market industries abroad have already begun transactions with the parallel world."
After leaving the Public Security Bureau, they entered a nearby parking lot with Ye Huai.
The driver placed the ventilator in the car. Ye Huai got up and sat in the back seat, leaning against the window and looking at Tong Yang.
Tong Yang said goodbye to Chu Shiyu and the other person, walked to the car, and asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
Ye Huai nodded. "Yes. I've been thinking. Your existence is always special to both the real world and the parallel world. Dr. Wu's purpose in trying to recruit you is very clear."
Tong Yang said, "So what?"
It seemed Ye Huai had already guessed a little.
"The fact that you've repeatedly experienced these things can no longer be explained by coincidence. However, I advise you, no matter what secret you possess, do not easily tell the people at the 749 Bureau."
A gust of wind blew into the parking lot, making Ye Huai cover his mouth and cough. Tong Yang turned sideways to block the wind and asked, "Are you worried there might be problems within the 749 Bureau?"
That was why he had interrupted Tong Yang's conversation with Dr. Lü earlier, diverting the attention.
Ye Huai thanked her and shook his head. "No. If you possess the one unique thing, you will most likely become an experimental subject sacrificed for humanity."
"I imagine you wouldn't want to give up your own life."
"Of course, this is assuming the current you doesn't temporarily require their help."
Tong Yang stared at him for a moment before saying, "So, you're willing to become their test subject?"
"Yes, because it's meaningless."
"Goodbye."
Ye Huai nodded at her, then rolled up the car window.
Watching the car drive away, Tong Yang felt a complex mix of emotions.
Using the reasoning Ye Huai had tried to persuade her with, did he think his own life was meaningless?
She had thought that after Ye Tianlin's death, both he and Aunt Bai would find some peace.
Why did it feel like he was in an even worse state than before?
Hadn't he already guessed her identity long ago?!
