Chapter 1356: "Ingenious Object"

Zheng Yingxiong lay on the desk and opened his eyes. He touched the hard, cold surface of the desk, realizing he had woken up in the classroom. He let out a quiet sigh. Although he didn't know what had happened, it seemed like everything had started over again. In this place of despair, no matter how hard he tried, everything ultimately turned to nothing. This time, just like every previous one, his desk mate Xu Jiahua would be scolded by the teacher and then become his friend for the day. How utterly... heartbreaking... like a prison? The journey had been so exhausting... Zheng Yingxiong had never felt this tired before. In two days, he would relive the earthquake, get on his bicycle again, leave Yu Cheng—the place that had shattered his heart countless times—and head toward a new land of despair. Was this truly endless? Before even getting up, Zheng Yingxiong lay on the desk and began to sob quietly. A few seconds later, he felt his nose itching, and when he touched it, his fingertip was stained with fresh blood.

"Um...?"

Nosebleed...? He wiped his nose in disbelief and looked at his palm, where a large patch of slightly dried blood was clearly visible. He was back in reality, but his body still bore the wounds from the prison. He froze as if electrocuted, then quickly stood up and scanned his surroundings. He realized that although he was in the classroom, the entire room was eerily quiet, with no one in sight. Something felt off, so he bolted out the door and ran toward home. What on earth was going on...? An empty school...? The heavy footsteps of his sandals echoed through the hallway, flew down the stairs, and landed on the street. Yet, he didn't see a single person.

Zhang Chenze groggily opened her eyes to an empty wedding venue. She was sitting at the main table, where steaming dishes were still laid out. Her expression shifted as she remembered where she was, and she turned abruptly to look for Xiao Sun beside her. But the table, the stage, and the entire hall were all deserted, turning the event into a bizarre, unattended wedding. The background music played emptily in the vast hall, and the screen scrolled with photos of the newlyweds for the day, but the world was void. This place felt like reality... but it wasn't quite? So, everything... had failed again? But she had succeeded... In that room, amid the chaos and confusion, she had calmly and accurately performed the "Hun Qian" of Qinglong onto a small twig. Why hadn't it worked...? The consequences of this failure seemed even more severe, affecting this illusory reality and making people disappear. But if it had failed... why restore all her memories at the last moment? She not only recalled everything from the "Zhong Yan Zhi Di," but also remembered a promise. Someone, before it all began, had promised her a better future. But now...? In this situation, she awoke with even greater despair. Dejected, she turned to the table and noticed a pack of wedding cigarettes. She took one out, stepped outside to the fire escape, lit it out of habit, and then squatted down with a face full of despair. This feeling was truly heartbreaking. If the outcome was still this despair, why offer hope from the beginning?

Officer Li was yanked by a tremendous force to the side of a car, leaving him staggering in shock. He looked around and realized this was the car where he had been staking out Zhang Hua'nan in reality, but what was happening now? Where was Xiao Liu in the car...? Where were the pedestrians nearby...? He opened the car door in confusion and gazed around uncertainly.

Qiao Jiujin stood in front of the prison gate, his "Tian Xing Jian" not fully healing his injuries, leaving him in some pain. He weakly clutched his chest and looked up, as if he had returned to reality. But where was his friend Gun You Liang, who was supposed to pick him up...? Only an unmanned, old car was parked there, with no guards behind him and no brothers in front.

Countless empty worlds appeared, each person lost and bewildered within them. What was going on now? Before anyone could react, a strange sensation, mixed with the earlier force, swept through their minds again. Qiao Jiujin clutched his forehead and looked up, seeing figures emerging in the distant sky. Though he couldn't see clearly, he could make out some people in black leather jackets appearing out of nowhere and then flying off into the distance. Worlds materializing from thin air... even people appearing from nothing...? All the newcomers were scanned for memories, their small worlds constructed instantly and then connected to the larger world. Layer upon layer of scans linked together, crafting one small world after another in the void, followed by a second wave, then a third. Suddenly, the place was filled with noise and activity.

In the blink of an eye, Qiao Jiujin saw Gun You Liang appear before him, leaning against an empty car and waving enthusiastically.

"Gun You Liang, Jiujin bro."

Just as Qiao Jiujin was about to respond, he felt his mind being scanned again. Two extraordinarily powerful forces intertwined, scanning everyone's memories. One force was domineering and wild, recklessly building worlds from their memories. The other was warm and lonely, bringing back to life the people in those memories. Qiao Jiujin clutched his head in disbelief and slowly squatted down, feeling like he was going mad. It seemed someone was borrowing his "belief." But this power was so warm that it was impossible to resist. A few seconds later, the force faded, and Qiao Jiujin lifted his head in a daze, staring at the people in front of him. But now there were two. A long-haired man with tattoos on his arms bent his elbow and casually draped it over Gun You Liang's shoulder for support. He grinned mischievously at Qiao Jiujin and said,

"We're such manly guys, Ah Jin, how did you turn into a weakling after getting out of that tough prison?"

"Jiu... Zai...?" Qiao Jiujin paused, his voice choking up for a moment.

"Ha... Jiu Ge, don't tease Jiujin bro like that." Gun You Liang laughed at Qiao Jiujin as well. "Jiujin bro, it was tough in prison, right? Jiu Ge and I will take you out for some fun."

Qiao Jiujin felt like he was dreaming. Just moments ago, there was only one person... How had it become like this in the blink of an eye? Was this strange place a dream... or reality?