Chapter 2762 - 2757: 13-Day Talks (14)
Chapter 2762: Chapter 2757: 13-Day Talks (14)
Night, twelve days before Judgment Day.
No wonder they say time spent together is fleeting; with just a casual visit, it seems like a whole day has passed.
In the darkness, Fu Qian felt the softness beneath him, naturally reflecting on life.
What followed was an unprecedentedly severe situation, the Star of Death flashing so brightly it hurt one’s eyes.
The usual sense of time was no longer reliable.
It was important to note that the mission began on the 48th, something he had verified with others.
When the hairclip girl asked for the date, she showed no sign of surprise at the answer, "48."
Thus, the boundaries seemed clear, with the hairclip girl advancing time to six o’clock and Lady Trish fast-forwarding directly to the next day.
There were two consecutive examples verifying that terrifying conjecture.
In this special corner, time was no longer supreme, but degraded into an ordinary element shaped by human will.
A rather remarkable experience, but therein lies the problem: time is the core element of this mission.
The 13th day, Judgment Day... with this manipulation, the time window left might not even be 24 hours, let alone thirteen days.
Even considering the most extreme situation, Lady Trish could advance time one day; will there be a more skilled player who jumps directly to the endpoint—the trap?
At a certain moment, Fu Qian thought of the female staff who handed him the note.
When he accepted the suggestion, the core consideration was that the first move had been lost, believing the expected payoff of trial and error was negative.
He truly hadn’t confirmed any shocking trap awaited at the sanatorium’s boundary.
Now thinking back, had he ignored the advice and forcibly crossed the thorn bush, could that seemingly unwatched weak barrier truly have an "ambush?"
For instance, directly jumping to the 13th-day Judgment Day.
Just because it’s a trap beyond common sense, it appears unaffected at a glance.
...
No wonder it’s called "Demon Mountain," this place is far more formidable than it seems.
It’s actually a good habit to consider defeat first before victory, but at that moment, Fu Qian unleashed his imagination, sincerely lamenting the abundance of defeat cutscenes.
So far, he had encountered just a few people, among whom at least two had control over the Time Fruit, casually sending people into the future.
Given these were the ones he conversed with the most, he had every reason to suspect others just hadn’t communicated enough yet.
This sanatorium nestled in the mountains likely harbored a situation where everyone was evil.
Though everything appeared fine on the surface, one might inadvertently step on a mine, falling into a Well of Time, forced closer to Judgment Day.
The legendary mine-type masters would be just like this, this sanatorium was even more exaggerated than an asylum.
"Speaking of which, I’m a bit curious, during this more than one day, you’ve wandered around the sanatorium and yet haven’t been discovered?"
As Fu Qian was lamenting, the person sitting opposite finally couldn’t resist expressing their own thoughts.
It was clear Lady Trish initially decided to keep her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, ignoring this intruder.
Unfortunately, Fu Qian’s thoughtful response to a date made her ultimately break her composure.
"It sounds incredible, but that’s the reality."
Fu Qian didn’t respond with cold violence but nodded, acknowledging the world is indeed marvelous.
"So what about you, what have you been up to since you returned today?"
Naturally, the focus was on what followed, Fu Qian asked in a casual, chatty tone.
"Feels like I’ve done something, yet feels like I’ve done nothing... that’s indeed the case."
Trish seemed taken aback by the counter-question, but then she replied in a tone mimicking Fu Qian’s.
...
Interesting, things seem to be deteriorating further.
Lady Trish’s attitude was almost undeniably unfriendly.
Yet Fu Qian didn’t mind these details and instead reached a more chilling conclusion.
"Feels like I’ve done something, yet feels like I’ve done nothing," confirmed the ominous premonition that had been lingering earlier.
Theoretically, with the help of the locals, more than a day had passed.
However, his own perception felt less than an hour, and the whole process was smooth, lacking any abrupt jumps.
For example, why did Trish doubt that despite wandering here for a day, he hadn’t been caught?
This might be explained by jumping into the future, and what about her male companion? Not yet discovered?
Everything seemed to subtly suggest that the day that supposedly passed wasn’t an ordinary world continuation, nor himself skipping a part of it.
Lady Trish really just returned, albeit reckoning it was waiting for the 49th; thus time genuinely arrived at the 49th.
As for the interim process, it technically hadn’t occurred, the world continued operating within that hour.
Faced with this situation, the initial reaction might be that it’s not too bad, as nothing would be missed.
But for Fu Qian, this meant a more fragile and easily influenced concept of time.
Additionally, his operational space was further confined, like a mouse in a pipe.
"I think I understand why life in the sanatorium would be somewhat monotonous."
For a moment, Fu Qian sighed with an unconventional insight into life.
"By the way, how is the troubling warm flow affecting you now?"
He continued sitting there, showing no intention to cherish time and hasten action, instead concerning himself with Lady Trish’s condition.
"Terrible, I’ve almost lost all sense of it."
Lady Trish appeared to have given up on understanding his behavior, shaking her head lifelessly.
"In that case, according to your perspective, someone should be arriving soon."
Fu Qian was entirely aware of Lady Trish’s internal struggle over this matter.
Recovery might be deemed positive, yet is recovery really beneficial?
Many rely on neurosis for survival.
Unfortunately, Fu Qian had no intentions of offering consolation, saying "He won’t come tonight" or anything, instead eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming events, glancing left and right while speaking.
Hmm...
Trish didn’t respond, merely glanced sideways instinctively.
"So, what time did you first arrive here?"
Fu Qian followed her gaze, looking at the still-functioning clock.
"Quarter past six."
Sure enough, Trish provided an urgent answer.
"So, it’s less than a minute."
Fu Qian nodded, unsurprised.
The silence often indicated hidden concerns, clearly this person anticipated the arrival of the last moment, even hoping her "intuition" was incorrect.
"But have you realized, besides you, someone else already sat inside long ago?"
Unfortunately, this unspoken hope was shattered in an instant by Fu Qian’s comment.