Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
Ren Yi's heart sank. He didn't have time to ponder the source of that sense of dissonance. He immediately sent a message through the Anomaly Web:
【Old Lu, get back to the Alliance now!】
【Get into the rain! Don't worry about anything else!】
Lu Zihan seemed to hesitate for half a second before replying.
【Okay,】 he replied immediately.
Then came another message: 【I'm heading for the Calamity at full speed. What's wrong, Stool? What happened?】
At that moment, Ren Yi's mind was racing, frantically recalling his experiences in the Three Cities World.
On the first day, he had arrived in the Holy City, attended the Three Cities Meeting, and was attacked by the class monitor.
He set out in the early hours of the second day, reached the City of Stars by noon, and performed a miracle. It was then that he had chatted briefly with Lu Zihan.
After that, he spent a night on the move, dealing with "Extinction." By the time he finished clearing the second nest, it was already the morning of the third day.
On the evening of the third day, the third nest was cleared, and only then did Lu Zihan reply to his messages.
In other words, from the noon of the second day to the evening of the third, Lu Zihan had been "out of contact" for over an entire day.
Following that was the conversation with the Pope and the cleanup in the City of Stars. It wasn't until the end of the fourth day that they returned to the Holy City.
Then they prepared for two days until now—the seventh day—to complete the final "performance."
Yet, Lu Zihan had stated with absolute certainty that today was the sixth day.
Was Lu Zihan's time wrong, or was Ren Yi's memory flawed?
If the flow of time itself was the issue, it would be far too abstract. Ren Yi forced himself to stay calm and started deducing from the most straightforward possibilities.
Combined with their previous argument about how long he had been hunted—Ren Yi said half a day, but Lu Zihan insisted it was only two or three hours—the answer was practically staring him in the face: a massive chunk of Lu Zihan's memory was missing.
And the point where those memories vanished was undoubtedly when he had come into contact with the Xin King.
So, Lu Zihan had tripped up when he was with the Xin King?
But why? Why would the Xin King capture Lu Zihan only to let him go intentionally?
Was he playing the long game, using Lu Zihan to draw out all the Anomalies that had entered the Three Cities World and wipe them out in one fell swoop?
That didn't make sense. Days had passed, and Xin City remained calm without a single follow-up action. The silence was abnormal.
Or perhaps his move wasn't then, but right now—in these final moments as the Calamity descended and all Anomalies were about to be forcibly repatriated?
Could it be related to the method of salvation?
Did the Xin King spare Lu Zihan because he wanted to use his status as an Anomaly to exploit a loophole in the Alliance, using the repatriation as a chance to escape the Calamity's judgment?
Ren Yi didn't have time to think further. He hurriedly typed into the Anomaly Web, dumping all his discoveries and suspicions onto Lu Zihan.
【Something is wrong with your memory. Today isn't the sixth day; it's the seventh!】
【The Xin King must have done something to you. He sabotaged you when you met him!】
【Don't worry about what's happening in Xin City. Don't be curious. Just get back to the Alliance!】
【Once you're back in the Alliance, no matter what tricks he's playing, he won't be able to hurt you!】
Whatever the Xin King's plan—whether he wanted to kill Lu Zihan or use him to escape the Calamity—Ren Yi firmly believed that everything would be fine as long as they returned to the Alliance.
If Lu Zihan could make it back safely, even if the enemy's plan was flawless, the "adults" in the Alliance would surely notice and resolve it.
The reply came quickly. It was clear Lu Zihan also sensed the gravity of the situation and stopped wisecracking: 【I've arrived.】
【I didn't run into any resistance on the way. Everyone in Xin City is in the city center. No one is watching me.】
【That's good.】 Ren Yi's heart eased slightly, and he quickly gave one last instruction:
【Once you're back, tell Auntie Lu Qing about this immediately. Explain everything about your contact with the Xin King and your missing memories.】
He was far away in the Holy City with too little information to judge the Xin King's true goal. He could only place his hopes on Lu Zihan's family.
If all else failed, he would use his own connections once he got back. He'd call on the class monitor and her parents, Dr. Lin, and his brother...
Ren Yi visualized the backup, and his heart settled a little.
To cause such a massive stir, that Xin King could certainly be proud of himself.
At that moment, Ren Yi saw Lu Zihan's avatar on the Anomaly Web interface suddenly go dark.
The IP address that originally showed the Three Cities World instantly changed to 【The Alliance】, and the signal bar below the avatar switched to 【Out of Service Area】.
That was the signal for a successful forced repatriation.
Ren Yi stared at that line of text for several seconds. The heart that had been hanging in his throat finally settled back into his chest.
So, in the end, it was a close call but no harm done. Old Lu had returned safely.
...
The mirror surface rippled with fine waves as Lu Zihan stumbled out of it, nearly knocking over a rack of colorful, ornate clothing.
Lu Zihan rubbed his head, realizing he was in his mother's, Lu Qing's, dressing room—the place where they had first entered the 【Lu Family Courtyard】 Instance.
He was back?
Stool's messages earlier had felt like a ghost story, giving Lu Zihan quite a fright.
Yet, as soon as he entered the Calamity's range, the Alliance had teleported him back without any resistance. Everything had gone so smoothly. Was it all just much ado about nothing...
Hmm?
The door swung open, and Lu Qing entered with a smile on her face.
The moment she saw Lu Zihan, her smile faltered slightly.
"You're back, you brat. Xiao Yi hasn't..."
Before she could finish, she saw her son standing there in a daze, his pupils dilated.
Lu Zihan's expression suddenly froze, then slowly crumbled.
He lunged forward, grabbing Lu Qing's arms.
"Mom, this is bad!"
"Stool is in danger!"
...
On the other side, in the Holy City, Ren Yi stood alone at the peak of the mountain.
Behind him, the Azure God Statue, which had stood for countless years, collapsed with a thunderous roar under the pressure of the Calamity.
The massive statue snapped at the neck. Its head and torso shattered into several pieces, tumbling down the mountain amidst a swirl of dust and debris with destructive force.
However, halfway down, they transformed into twisted colors and melted silently into the cold curtain of rain.
At this point, there was nothing left above Ren Yi's head to shield him.
Just moments ago, the moment the rain was about to touch Zhang Qiuqiu, the ripples of the Alliance's repatriation had appeared around her, whisking her away instantly.
It seemed the Alliance's emergency mechanism would do its best to prevent the Cubs from coming into contact with the Calamity.
Ren Yi slowly raised a hand.
Fine droplets of rain fell onto his palm. The cool sensation dampened the stray hairs on his forehead and condensed into round little beads on his fingertips, looking no different from ordinary rain.
He had touched the raindrops, yet he hadn't been teleported away like the class monitor.
Ren Yi stared at his hand.
The rain was just like ordinary rain. Since he was the only one here, the rules within it hadn't taken effect.
But this hand wasn't his own.
This was hardly surprising. Ever since the 【Lu Family Courtyard】 Instance, this hand—or more accurately, this skin—had been with him.
In his perception, a weather-beaten Son of God stood alone on the peak of the Holy City's mountain.
He had a face weathered by wind and sun, which looked somewhat out of place with the magnificent robes he wore.
Before Ren Yi's eyes, a familiar yet strange panel appeared, flickering incessantly.
This wasn't the Anomaly Web panel. Ever since entering the Three Cities World, this panel had never appeared again.
There were only two lines of flickering text on the panel.
【Wel■come■to the "Three Cit■ies Wor■ld"】
【Parti■cipant■"Mr. Mo Ming"】
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