Eating Melons Until I Saw News of My Own Death Chapter 61

The sound of the wind came intermittently, mixed with a faint electric current, the signal growing weak.

"Hu Ergou?"

"Ergou!"

[Hu Ergou has left the voice call.]

"Oh no! Ergou left!"

"Call the police!"

"Sister Tong, what do we do? Ergou's in danger!"

"Was the person speaking just now Liang Xi?"

"Why would she be on a bus?"

Tong Yang's face was dark. She had guessed beforehand that it was probably connected to the parallel world, but her focus had been on the true identity of the corpse. She hadn't expected that besides her, someone else could enter a time loop to change the past. Apart from her and the people in the gossip chat group, everyone else's memories had been completely overwritten.

This way, everything made sense.

"Call the police," Tong Yang said gravely.

"The people who died on September 27th, 2024, became Liang Xi's parents. Someone used a time loop to go back to the past and changed history."

"What?"

"Time loop??"

"Is it the time loop you mentioned back then?"

"And only we still remember?"

"How could this be? What about Ergou?"

Tong Yang said, "Only a few of us in the world remember what happened in the original timeline. You all pay attention to any future changes. I'm going to find Liang Xi first."

"Okay..."

"We've already called the police!"

"I hope Ergou is okay."

Tong Yang quickly changed her clothes, slung her backpack containing weapons over her shoulder, and left the room.

"Tong Yang? Where are you going?" Chu Shiyu asked in surprise.

"Something's happened. I'll explain later. Keep an eye on Tong Le and the others. Don't go out before I come back. Be careful."

Chu Shiyu nodded blankly. "Okay, be safe."

It was the National Day holiday. Yang Lin's parents had returned to the old city district, so only the four of them were here. To prevent any unforeseen events from involving the two children, Chu Shiyu had to stay and watch them.

Putting on her shoes, Tong Yang rushed out the door.

The social app group voice call was still connected. Tong Yang switched to her contacts list and made a call to Xu Junyue.

"Tong Yang? What did you mean earlier? What's going on?" Xu Junyue fired off questions immediately.

"Drive over and pick me up. We're going to the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau. I'll explain when you get here."

"Whoa! Something happened?! Wait for me! Five minutes to your neighborhood entrance!"

Xu Junyue agreed readily, her voice excited.

After hanging up, the group voice call automatically reconnected.

Tong Yang asked, "Any news about Hu Ergou?"

"Ahhh! Sister Tong, you're finally talking! You suddenly went silent, you scared me!"

"The Langchuan police are already investigating. They told us to wait for news for now."

"Alright. Tell me immediately if there's any news."

While waiting for Xu Junyue by the roadside, Tong Yang opened a browser and searched for the car accident on the Shuangbai District overpass on September 27th. Unlike the situation before the loop, the news wasn't sealed off this time; there were even some photos from the accident scene.

A blue large truck was parked by the roadside, the ground littered with car parts and bloodstains. A silver BMW lay overturned on the ground, its front end crushed. Two people were vaguely visible in the driver and passenger seats, their bodies bent at a ninety-degree angle, covered in blood and gore.

Suddenly, a car horn sounded.

"Boss, get in!" Xu Junyue rolled down the window and shouted.

Tong Yang hurried over in a few quick steps, pulled open the passenger door, and got in.

"Let's go. I'll explain on the way."

"OK."

Xu Junyue started the car and headed towards the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau.

"Okay, spill it: what's going on?" Xu Junyue asked.

Tong Yang said, "After we left the forensic identification agency, do you remember what I told you all in the car?"

"You said you could foresee some future information?" Xu Junyue frowned deeply. "I can't remember the exact words."

Tong Yang pressed her lips together. "The person who should have died in the car accident on September 27th was Liang Xi. But according to the information I know, Liang Xi is still alive in the future, which is why I took you to the forensic identification agency to see her body."

Xu Junyue's frown deepened. "Really? I can't remember why we went to the forensic identification agency."

"If it's as you say, why did the dead become Liang Xi's parents?"

Tong Yang closed her eyes, her breathing heavy. "Someone went back to September 27th and changed the course of events."

Xu Junyue was astonished. "A time loop? Like you?"

"Mhm."

"Who? Who else besides you can enter a loop?"

"I don't know."

Tong Yang looked weary. "It might be different from my loop. It didn't change the fact that Liang Xi was injured."

"During the crash, her upper body was crushed by the truck. In the future, she probably injected some genetic medicine, which saved her life, but the injuries didn't heal completely."

"Holy crap! Her upper body was crushed and she didn't die? If the injuries didn't heal, wouldn't her body be just a pile of mush?"

Remembering what Hu Ergou said, that even drinking water and having a cup touch her cheek could cause a chunk of flesh to fall off... that sounded exactly like a pile of mush.

"Pretty much."

"I wanna see! Are we going to find the pile of mush now? Can she talk? It's practically an art piece!"

"Shut up." Tong Yang shot her a glare. This girl's brain was never normal.

Xu Junyue, growing impatient, stepped on the gas and overtook a car driving normally beside them.

"Sister Tong..."

"Oh no!"

Through the headphones, their terrified voices came through.

Tong Yang paused slightly, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"In Langchuan, a bus rear-ended seven normally driving cars, causing a chain explosion. Countless casualties on the scene..."

"Hu Ergou is on that bus!"

Tong Yang's face changed drastically. "What's the cause of the accident? The bus Hu Ergou was on?"

"The police and fire trucks just arrived at the scene not long ago. The cause is still under investigation."

"The chain collision is already trending. I'm sending you the video."

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Tong Yang's expression turn grim, Xu Junyue asked curiously.

Tong Yang didn't answer. She opened the social app, entered the gossip group, and saw the video they had sent.

A passenger filming the Langchuan nightscape had accidentally captured the scene.

A normally driving bus suddenly went out of control, swerving wildly on the road, hitting seven normally driving cars in succession. With a "boom," flames shot into the sky, and a raging fire instantly engulfed the entire bus.

However, the road was already covered in gasoline. After the initial explosion, a secondary explosion was extremely likely. In the video, a cry of shock was heard, followed by several loud bangs accompanied by flames. The blast force shattered the glass on the doors.

"Ah!!!"

The crowd panicked, survivors scattering in all directions. Vehicles caught in the accident were completely swallowed by the sea of fire, leaving almost no chance of survival.

In the footage, the sharp sirens of fire trucks whirled overhead, and the scene grew increasingly chaotic.

Tong Yang's face was grim. After exiting, she saw they had sent videos of the chain collision from other angles.

In a close-up video, heart-wrenching cat cries could be heard. A black cat darted through a sea of flames, howling towards a car engulfed in fire, its fur already ignited by flying sparks.

"Holy shit! There's a cat! Get it out!"

Never had they heard such a mournful cat's cry, cutting through the chaotic scene like a giant axe in the sea of fire.

A man took off his jacket, covered the burning cat, and quickly carried it away from the fire.

"Meow!!!"

The black cat let out a sound of fury and despair from its throat, struggling to escape the man's arms.

"Oh my god..."

"During the accident, the little owner was holding it in her arms the whole time..."

"How could this happen... sob..."

Bystanders sighed in sorrow. The rescued cat, severely injured, had fainted.

"There's a pet hospital nearby! Hurry!"

As the man passed by the camera holding the cat, Tong Yang saw a silver collar around its neck, identical to the one Tong Le had recently picked out for Xiao Hei.

"Tong Yang... what do we do..."

"Er Gou must have been in that car... Er Gou and the others... they're all dead..."

"If Er Gou hadn't gone to find Liang Xi..."

Tong Yang closed her eyes, her fingers digging painfully into her palms. Extreme negative emotions churned in her chest. She clenched her teeth, her voice hoarse: "For me, it's just the opposite."

"Fortunately, Hu Er Gou went to find Liang Xi."

In one of the chain car accidents, Tong Le and Xiao Hei were sitting in a car, and perhaps Yang Lin and Yang Lin's parents were also there.

Tong Yang would no longer use coincidence to explain the dangers that might befall Tong Le. Even if Hu Er Gou hadn't appeared on the bus, Tong Le would have had an accident two years later.

Tong Yang had warned them before not to search for anything related to Tong Le in 2024, and especially not to meet their past selves from that time. Tong Le would be in a car accident in Langchuan in 2026. If Hu Er Gou hadn't appeared on the bus, they would never have discovered it, and Tong Yang naturally wouldn't have known either.

But she was in 2024, and she knew about it in advance.

Her time was in the past; everything had a chance to be changed.

Who was responsible for the chain car accident? One didn't need to think hard to guess.

Tong Yang took a deep breath and said, "I'll find a way to stop Liang Xi and the parallel world's Yan Qing in 2024. You all be ready to cooperate with me at any time."

"I know."

"Sob... why did this happen..."

"The parallel world is really terrifying, why?!"

"Drive all the people from the parallel world out! We can't let them enter our world!"

“We clearly didn't do anything.”

"Tong Yang, you need to be careful too, they really are no longer human..."

"Who are you talking to?" Xu Junyue asked curiously, "You were doing it before too."

"Just drive."

"Okay, boss." Xu Junyue shrugged and didn't ask further.

Not long after, the two parked their car at the entrance of the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau.

The officer on duty at the entrance saw them and showed a helpless expression, saying, "Why are you here again? Coming to the police station every other day, is this place really that good?"

"Where's Police Officer Lin?"

"She just got back from a field assignment, she's still eating right now."

"Thank you."

"Go on in, go on in. The director won't let us stop you anyway."

They had lost count of how many times they had come to the Shuangbai District Public Security Bureau and were already very familiar with the place. The police officers treated them like colleagues, not even bothering to ask questions.

Tong Yang went straight to Police Officer Lin's office, rushing in without even knocking on the door.

"Tong Yang?" Police Officer Lin was holding a box of stir-fried rice noodles, her mouth shiny with oil. "Why are you here again?"

"Police Officer Lin, were you the one handling the case of Liang Xi's parents?"

Police Officer Lin put down her chopsticks, frowning slightly. "Yes, I handled it. Is there a problem?"

Tong Yang turned around, closed the door, and pulled the curtains tight. "There's a problem with their case. What about Liang Xi? Did she come to the bureau after the incident?"

Police Officer Lin looked suspicious. "No, she's just a student, after all."

"Can we contact her now?"

Police Officer Lin said, "We should be able to, but the case has nothing to do with her. She wasn't at the scene when it happened."

Xu Junyue, acting familiar, picked up the rice noodles, stuffed a couple of bites into her mouth, and said, "Officer Lin, the person who died in the car crash should have been her."

Police Officer Lin's expression froze slightly, her pupils dilating. "What do you mean?"

Xu Junyue said, "Boss, you tell her."

At this point, there was no need to hide the time loop from Police Officer Lin anymore.

Tong Yang said solemnly, "The person who died in the car crash on September 27th should have been Liang Xi. Someone used a time loop to go back to the past and changed the course of events. All of your memories have been tampered with."

Police Officer Lin's face turned serious. "Tong Yang, do you know what you're saying?"

"I know. Police Officer Lin, have you heard of the wormhole effect? A tunnel connecting different times and spaces, enabling time travel. I am one of the time travelers."

Police Officer Lin kept a calm face, saying nothing.

"Only, the time I loop is very short, just ten minutes."

After a long moment, Police Officer Lin lowered her eyes and said earnestly, "Tong Yang, I know you're not talking nonsense, and I believe what you're saying. But even so, what do you want us to do?"

"You are a time traveler, but your loop is only ten minutes. You can't change what happened on September 27th. Handling cases requires evidence, and we have no evidence to present."

"But, we can change what will happen in the future now."

Tong Yang couldn't show them the messages from the gossip group. Except for those with misaligned timestamps, people couldn't see information that didn't belong to this time and space.

“At the end of September 2026, a chain collision will occur in Langchuan, resulting in dozens of deaths. My brother might be one of them. The culprits are Liang Xi and the parallel world's Yan Qing.”

Due to the growing disparity in the flow of time between the two spacetime, 2024 had already reached early October, while time in 2026 was still at the end of September.

Xu Junyue had almost finished the box of rice noodles. She pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth and sighed, "No wonder you looked so awful in the car."

Police Officer Lin fell into deep thought. "You want to stop it in advance? What's the plan? How do we do it?"

There was no need to doubt the truthfulness of Tong Yang's words; she wasn't naive enough to tell such a lie.

"Kill Liang Xi and the parallel world's Yan Qing."

Police Officer Lin said, "Let's not talk about Yan Qing for now; she's a product of the parallel world, we might not need to investigate. But killing Liang Xi would be a crime. Even if I believe you and testify for you, you would ultimately face legal consequences. In medical terms, she is still alive."

"She is already dead, died in the car crash."

"In our memories, the person who died in the crash wasn't her."

Tong Yang said, "The person who used the loop to change the past is different from me. Liang Xi's body retains the injuries from after the crash. Her upper body was crushed into pulp. Gene medication injections kept her alive, but her body is already rotten."

Xu Junyue said, "She can hardly be considered human anymore, more like a monster."

Tong Yang continued, "Although I want to kill them, it's highly unlikely I'll succeed."

"Why?"

"They've been injected with gene serums. They can even come back to life after their hearts are crushed. How could I possibly kill them?"

"That makes sense!" Xu Junyue suddenly understood. "But if we can't kill them, how do we stop what happens in 2026?"

Police Officer Lin frowned deeply. "You want to contain them?"

Tong Yang said, "Yes, but containing them and preventing the future events is very difficult. Moreover, I suspect the person capable of using the time loop is among them."

At this moment, Xu Junyue suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "But the time loop only activates after you die, right? That means they can still be killed!"

Tong Yang was stunned, then clenched her jaw, her voice low and heavy: "No, deep hypnosis can also trigger the loop."

After Sun Ye was pushed off the building, on a whim, she had a psychologist perform deep hypnosis on her. One cannot wake up from it on their own, only through external awakening.

That time, she also entered the loop.

Police Officer Lin said, "Then our only option is to find a way to contain them."

Xu Junyue shrugged. "Since what happened on September 27th can't be changed, and the events of 2026 are still far off, Tong Yang, we don't need to rush, right?"

Police Officer Lin nodded in agreement. "That's true."

She was about to continue eating her stir-fried rice noodles when she looked down and saw only a few strands left in the box.

"You brat! You ate it all!"

"Just buy another one."

Tong Yang was not as optimistic as them. She asked, "I only know about the car accident they caused in 2026. What about the things I don't know?"

"Police Officer Lin, you should understand this better than I do. What floats on the surface is always just the tip of the iceberg."

Hearing this, the two fell into silence.

After a long while, Police Officer Lin sighed. "You're right. When facing potential danger, it's always better to resolve it early."

"I know you've suffered a lot because of the parallel worlds, and you just finished military training. I wanted you to at least enjoy this holiday properly." Police Officer Lin opened a drawer and took out a file. "Even if you hadn't come to me today, I would have contacted you in a few days."

"What is it?"

"Take a look."

Tong Yang took the file, opened the seal, and pulled out several photographs and a stack of documents.

"What is it?" Xu Junyue craned her neck to look.

Tong Yang picked up the photos. They were all scenes from the car accident site, much clearer than the ones circulating online.

In one surveillance image, besides the two people in the front seats, there was also a blurry face of Yan Qing in the back seat.

"When we reviewed the surveillance footage from the accident section, we saw this scene. After investigation, Yan Qing had a solid alibi, so the person in the car couldn't possibly be her," Police Officer Lin explained.

Xu Junyue took the photo and said, "Yan Qing from a parallel world, then? Was the accident related to her?"

Police Officer Lin shook her head. "Unclear. The truck driver said he heard arguing, and then the car crashed into him. Our investigation of the surveillance footage matches his account. The mother of Liang Xi, who was in the driver's seat, suddenly turned on the right signal and then crashed into the truck's undercarriage."

Tong Yang examined the other documents and found a test report related to Liang Xi.

"What is this?"

Police Officer Lin said gravely, "When we cleared the scene, we detected human tissue from a third person on the truck's tire."

"That's bizarre? Let me see."

"Liang Xi's DNA?"

"Correct. However, there was no third body at the scene. Later, we also contacted Liang Xi by phone to confirm her safety."

Tong Yang's frown deepened. What exactly was the trigger and anchor point for their loops? Since they could return to the past to change history, why not simply help Liang Xi avoid the accident and injury? Or perhaps, even though they could return to the past, they couldn't completely avoid it?

Police Officer Lin continued, "We checked almost all the surveillance cameras along the route, including Liang Xi's movements after leaving school. Either she was just blocked by something, or she wasn't captured at all. We couldn't find any useful clues. The only thing we could confirm was that she was indeed not at the accident site."

Not just Police Officer Lin, Tong Yang was also utterly perplexed.

Why could they enter a loop but not avoid the accident?

And besides the human tissue on the tire, no other traces were left.

"At the time of the accident, our investigation placed Liang Xi in a location over ten kilometers away. It's impossible to travel between two places in such a short time. Even though we found her tissue at the scene, we had no evidence to prove her involvement in the accident. In the end, we could only hastily close the case."

Tong Yang silently looked at the photos. Just like the unsolved cases of the bakery owner and Ji Jia'en's deaths, which became cold cases because the perpetrator couldn't be found, left unresolved.

The appearance of Yan Qing from a parallel world in the car was an indisputable fact, but catching her was of no avail.

However, since the accident on September 27th couldn't be changed, the most important task now was to find Liang Xi and the Yan Qing from the parallel world, to prevent the Langchuan serial car accident of 2026 from happening.

"Police Officer Lin, contact Liang Xi. Try to get her address out of her, or find a reason to have her come to the police station."

The Liang Xi of 2024 and the parallel world Yan Qing didn't know yet that Tong Yang had discovered their secret. Finding their whereabouts shouldn't be too difficult.

Police Officer Lin nodded. "Alright."

The police station had contacted Liang Xi after the accident and saved her phone number.

"Tong-jie... The casualty results from the accident are out..."

Sobbing sounds came through the earpiece.

"How bad?"

"Thirty-seven dead, seven injured by the explosion, all vehicles completely burned."

The police are retrieving the surveillance footage from the road section. It's confirmed to be the bus Hu Er'gou was on... Er'gou is dead...

Tong Yang said solemnly, "Mm, I understand. I'll find a way to stop them in 2024."

"Okay..."

Police Officer Lin dialed Liang Xi's number, put it on speakerphone, and placed the phone on the table.

The ringtone sounded for several seconds before the other party finally answered.

"Hello, Police Officer Lin."

Liang Xi's voice came through. She seemed to be in an empty room. Compared to her usual tone, it sounded as if something was pressing on her windpipe, giving it a strange, breathless quality.

The three exchanged glances, each sensing something was off.

"Liang Xi, we found some belongings of the deceased at the accident scene. When would be a convenient time for you to come to the station? Or I can deliver them to you." Police Officer Lin spoke in a strictly business-like tone, nothing out of the ordinary, unlikely to raise suspicion.

"Gurgle, gurgle—"

The sound of water suddenly came from the other end of the phone. It wasn't the sound of boiling water or a running faucet; it seemed more like a sound made by a human throat.

"O- Officer Lin, I can't go out, c- can you..." Liang Xi's words became fragmented and inaudible.

"I happen to be free today, I can bring it over to you," Police Officer Lin said without changing his expression.

"O- okay... I'm at, I'm at..."

"Is this Officer Lin? Sorry about that, Liang Xi's parents passed away, she hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days. Can she come pick it up herself in a while?" Yan Qing's cheerful voice chimed in.

"Yan Qing?"

"Yes, it's me, Officer Lin."

"Well, alright then. You're her friend, take good care of her these next few days."

"I will. Shall I hang up now?"

"Okay."

After hanging up the phone and looking at the now silent screen, the three of them stared at each other.

There was no doubt; the person with Liang Xi was Yan Qing from the parallel world.

To avoid alerting them, Police Officer Lin had simply ended the call as the conversation allowed.

Tong Yang thought for a moment and said, "The time they entered the time loop to change the traffic accident should be today."

"Why do you say that?"

"Before today, the person who died in your memories was still Liang Xi."

Tong Yang paused before continuing, "To be precise, it was probably just a few minutes before I discovered it. After getting up this morning, I discussed this with Chu Shiyu, and at that time she still remembered the person who died in the original timeline."

Xu Junyue was dumbfounded. "So... ( )"

Police Officer Lin was also staring at her motionlessly.

Tong Yang said, "So, that kind of extensive, crushing trauma would take a very long time to heal even after an injection of the gene serum."

"No way? Then the person who was just talking to us..."

"Was a pile of flesh pulp?"

Police Officer Lin covered his mouth, unable to suppress a dry heave.

Even the not-quite-right-in-the-head Xu Junyue couldn't help but change her expression.

A pile of flesh pulp and a pile of talking flesh pulp were two completely different things.

Tong Yang, who had dropped this earth-shattering revelation, remained perfectly calm.

"The most important thing is, the flesh and blood of someone injected with the gene serum can fuse with other things." She pinched a strand of her own golden hair, examining it carefully. "To restore Liang Xi to her former appearance, her body needs to be completely reconstructed bit by bit. Do you understand what I mean?"

Xu Junyue made a disgusted face. "Doesn't that mean piecing her pile of rotten flesh back into its original shape?"

"Exactly."

Police Officer Lin said, "That's no small project."

"Right. And some of Liang Xi's bodily tissues were left on the truck's tires. No matter how you repair it, it won't be complete."

"If Liang Xi was injected with the gene serum after the accident, when her upper body was already pulp, the injection would have to be in her lower body. Only the lower body would have regenerative capabilities. The easiest things to repair are bones and organs, which is why her upper body couldn't be fully restored in the future."

Xu Junyue nodded. "In short, most of the flesh on her upper body is still rotten."

Police Officer Lin said, "Is it highly possible that the Yan Qing from the parallel world is still in the process of repairing her body?"

"If we can find them now, it would achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Xu Junyue asked, "Can we locate them via the phone's GPS?"

Police Officer Lin looked conflicted. "We can, but we need to apply to the higher-level public security authorities. It's usually used for criminal cases. If it's just based on our speculation, the reason isn't strong enough."

Tong Yang lowered her head in silence. To minimize the impact, very few people knew about the parallel world. Besides Police Officer Lin, Police Officer Wan, and Director Zhao, only people from the 749 Bureau were in the know. Tong Yang wasn't clear on the national government's stance regarding this matter; currently, she had only been in contact with the three people from the 749 Bureau: Dr. Luo and his team.

"We'll have to figure it out ourselves," Tong Yang said.

"What can we do?"

"We definitely can't get answers by asking directly. We might even alert them."

Tong Yang looked at Police Officer Lin and asked, "Where was Liang Xi during the last contact?"

Police Officer Lin said, "She said she was near a bookstore."

"Did the police investigate that area?"

"We reviewed the nearby surveillance footage. She was indeed captured on camera a few minutes before the incident, but in most of the footage, she happened to be blocked from view."

"Was she injured at that time?"

"No."

Hearing this, Tong Yang fell silent.

Before the accident, Liang Xi's body was fine.

Their loop could change the course of events, but not the outcome?

Even after looping, if Liang Xi didn't appear at the scene of the accident, she still couldn't avoid being crushed by the truck?

Looking at it this way, the person who entered the loop could only be Yan Qing from the parallel world.

However, September 27th had already passed seven days ago...

Suddenly, Tong Yang thought of something.

There were Liang Xi's bodily tissues at the accident scene, meaning even the loop couldn't avoid the accident. The reason there was no corpse at the scene—was it possible that after "Yan Qing" entered the loop, she brought Liang Xi's corpse to the current timeline?

Liang Xi was captured on surveillance, but memories were just refilled? Because the current Liang Xi isn't dead?

Just like when they were taken to the parallel world during the college entrance exam on June 7th, people in the real world who were unaware all had their memories filled in to ensure no confusion or gaps?

It was possible. But the primary goal was to find the location of Liang Xi and the parallel world's Yan Qing.

After pondering for a moment, Tong Yang called Yan Qing.

"Tong Yang!"

"What was with all those questions earlier? How come you just stopped talking to me mid-conversation?"

Tong Yang said, "After September 27th, did Liang Xi return to school?"

"Return to school?" Yan Qing paused for a few seconds. "We weren't in the same class in high school, I don't remember. But after something like that happened to her family, she probably wouldn't go back to school for a while."

Tong Yang pressed her lips together. "Did you contact her after the accident happened?"

Yan Qing said, "No. My parents told me not to contact her. I sent her a few messages, but never got a reply."

"She's probably not feeling well these past couple of days."

Tong Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "Be careful. Try not to go to remote places alone. If Liang Xi contacts you on her own, tell me immediately."

Yan Qing's voice softened a little. "Why? What's wrong with Liang Xi?"

"Nothing's wrong."

After a pause of several seconds, Tong Yang said, "I suspect the accident is related to the Yan Qing from the parallel world. I want to ask her about it, but I can't get in touch."

Tong Yang didn't want to drag Yan Qing into this again, nor alert their targets. This reason would hold up even if "Yan Qing" and Liang Xi discovered she was looking for them.

"Oh, I see." Yan Qing believed Tong Yang's explanation and didn't press further.

After ending the call, Tong Yang lowered her head thoughtfully. In what capacity was the "Yan Qing" from 2026 staying by Liang Xi's side?

"Can you guys help me check if this girl has any connection to Liang Xi?"

Tong Yang said to the members of the gossip group, sending a photo of Yan Qing.

The news about Yan Qing's fall hadn't revealed her appearance, so the gossip group members might not recognize her.

"Her? I remember, she's in basically all the videos and photos Liang Xi posted."

"Right, the two of them seem to be really good friends. They've known each other since middle school."

"They're the ones traveling the world together."

"What's up, Tong Yang?"

From this perspective, Yan Qing's situation is quite dangerous.

However, this was within Tong Yang's expectations.

"Yan Qing" staying in the real world to accompany Liang Xi naturally required a suitable identity. The real-world Yan Qing, who had a good relationship with Liang Xi, was the most fitting choice.

"Tong-jie, do you know her? I was looking through Liang Xi's social media updates. Both of their parents passed away, they're each other's only remaining tie in the world. A lot of fans ship their friendship as a CP."

"Parents passed away?" Tong Yang frowned tightly.

As expected... Before the 2026 serial bus accident occurred, they had already killed who knows how many people.

"What?"

"Did you find something?"

Xu Junyue and Police Officer Lin looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Tong Yang said, "Yan Qing and her parents might be in danger."

Police Officer Lin asked, "Would Liang Xi and the parallel world's Yan Qing make a move against them?"

"Yes, most likely."

Xu Junyue said, "Then shouldn't we just wait for them to come to us? They're bound to seek out Yan Qing themselves anyway."

Tong Yang looked troubled. Capturing "Yan Qing" and Liang Xi wasn't an immediate urgency. Repairing Liang Xi's body would take some time, during which they wouldn't have the chance to cause trouble. They'd probably move against Yan Qing as soon as they had a free moment. Currently, their exact location was unknown, and the timing for changing the 2026 serial accident was still flexible. Waiting for them to show up was a relatively safe approach.

But...

"What's wrong? Didn't you say the parallel world's Yan Qing is probably repairing Liang Xi's body? She shouldn't have time to cause trouble now, right?" Xu Junyue asked in surprise.

"My school break is almost over," Tong Yang said with a serious expression. "Let's try to resolve this before the holiday ends."

Xu Junyue: "..."

"You know, your studious demeanor really doesn't match your appearance."

Police Officer Lin couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Although we can't directly track their location, investigating road surveillance footage is possible. It's just a massive undertaking and might not yield any useful information in the end."

Tong Yang glanced at Police Officer Lin and asked, "The police can't help us with GPS tracking, but what if someone else can?"

Police Officer Lin said sternly, "That's illegal activity."

"We've already broken the law today! What of it!" Xu Junyue's tone was bold, earning her a glare.

"If we get caught," Police Officer Lin added.

"Don't be so strict, Lin-jie? This is a special case requiring special handling, can't you make an exception just once?"

Police Officer Lin stood up, patted Tong Yang's shoulder, and said, "I'm going to buy some rice noodles. Wait for me here."

"Lin-jie! Don't be so rigid, okay?"

"Stop shouting," Tong Yang shot her a look.

Police Officer Lin also gave her a meaningful look before leaving the room.

Before closing the door, Police Officer Lin suddenly said, "I'll request permission from the Director and bring some people to assist you."

"Okay."

Then she closed the door and left, leaving only Tong Yang and the other in the office.

"What did Lin-jie mean by that?"

"You guess."

Tong Yang sat in Police Officer Lin's chair, greeted the members of the online group, told them to stay calm and pay attention to future developments, then exited the voice call and made a video call to Ye Huai.

After leaving the first district of the parallel world, he should have returned to the sanatorium.

"Why are you calling CEO Ye?"

Tong Yang gave her a sidelong glance; Xu Junyue seemed to really enjoy giving people nicknames.

After a moment, the video call connected. Surprisingly, the person on the other end was wearing a well-tailored suit, his hair meticulously styled.

"Is something the matter?" Ye Huai was sitting in what looked like an office, several stacks of documents in front of him.

He was around the same age as Tong Yang. She hadn't seen him in a suit much before; it gave him a bit of a business elite vibe.

"You're..."

"CEO Ye, are you getting married today? Dressed so formally," Xu Junyue teased.

Ye Huai's slender fingers lightly held a black pen. The grey-toned suit created a somewhat hazy impression. He looked up at the two in the camera, his tone flat: "Earning money to pay off debts."

"Wow! CEO Ye, what are you saying? Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. White Horse Group may have fallen, but plenty of small assets remain. You've been promoted to Little CEO Ye after just a few days apart."

Ye Huai glanced at her, then his gaze settled on Tong Yang. "Are you looking for me for something?"

Tong Yang said, "Yes. Can you help us locate someone?"

She remembered Ye Huai was pretty good with computers.

Ye Huai asked, "Are you sure the phone is with them?"

"Positive."

Ye Huai nodded. "I can't pinpoint the exact location, only a general area. Is that okay?"

"That's enough."

"Alright, wait a moment."

"Didn't Police Officer Lin say it's illegal? Aren't you afraid she'll arrest you?"

"Why do you think she left?"

Xu Junyue suddenly understood. "Oh, I see."

Ye Huai had a computer right beside him. Without hanging up, he asked Tong Yang to send over the phone number of the device to be located.