Iteration 38.
Yue Shi finally crossed the top-floor corridor within a minute, pushed open the door, and entered the correct Director's Office.
The office was spacious and bright. Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire room.
On the massive oak desk, several stacks of documents were neatly arranged.
Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged woman. Her shoulder-length hair fell naturally, and she was dressed quite casually. There were traces of time on her face, adding an air of elegant and intellectual beauty.
Tang Zhuhe, Director of the Amber City Investigation Bureau, looked exactly as she did in Yue Shi's memory, just as she had always been.
Tang Zhuhe showed no surprise at the sight of Yue Shi; her gaze remained perfectly calm.
“Sit,” she said, her voice steady and unhurried.
Yue Shi sat in the chair opposite the desk. The chair was just the right height, letting out a slight creak as he sat, as if it were greeting him.
Tang Zhuhe folded her hands over her knees. “I didn't expect you to ever return. I thought we would never see each other again.”
“I didn't expect to be able to return to Amber City either,” Yue Shi said, leaning back against the chair in a relaxed posture.
He didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, “What on earth happened here? Why has it become so strange?”
Tang Zhuhe stared at Yue Shi, glanced at the snow leopard in his arms, and asked in return, “In what capacity are you concerned about these matters now?”
Yue Shi was stunned for a moment, then reacted quickly. He leaned forward slightly, propped his elbows on the desk, and said righteously, “As an investigator of the Amber City Investigation Bureau, of course.”
“As an investigator of this city, it shouldn't be a problem for me to care about its current state of development, right?”
The corners of Tang Zhuhe's mouth curled up as she teased, “You think you're still an investigator here? You left without saying a word back then.”
Yue Shi nodded, his expression serious. “I never went through the resignation process when I left, and my things are still in my office. How am I not an investigator?”
Tang Zhuhe chuckled. “You're just like before—your glib tongue hasn't changed a bit.”
Yue Shi smiled as well. “I'll take that as a compliment from the Director.”
He then withdrew his smile and sat up straight, his eyes becoming solemn. “So, what exactly happened here? Can you tell me now?”
Tang Zhuhe picked up a pen from the desk and spun it between her fingers. “What's in it for me if I tell you?”
Yue Shi: “...”
He let out a soft sigh and leaned back again. “Maybe I can help you change your current predicament.”
“I think the one truly in a predicament is you,” Tang Zhuhe said plainly.
“Aren't you trapped in Amber City, unable to leave? You want to go, so you went through all this trouble to find me in my office to find out what happened.”
Yue Shi immediately put on a calm and indifferent expression. “How could you misinterpret my sincere intentions, Director?”
Tang Zhuhe smiled, a look that suggested she knew exactly what kind of person Yue Shi was. “Based on what I know of you, you're not the type to meddle in other people's business. It's already rare enough that you haven't caused any destruction on purpose; you want to help others? My guess is that you're just trapped and can't get out.”
“That's alarmist talk! I'm very fond of helping people,” Yue Shi emphasized.
Tang Zhuhe waved her hand. “Alright, enough with the nonsense.”
Her expression turned serious, and she tapped her finger lightly on the desk. “If you want to know something, please exchange intelligence with me. If you want my help, it had better involve my direct interests.”
Yue Shi didn't bother beating around the bush any longer. He spoke frankly and gave a general account of his experiences since returning to Amber City.
Starting from the destruction of their original world, he explained how he and some people from headquarters had arrived on the Deep Red Continent and discovered that their original world was just a book within that continent.
Then he spoke of the Bewitching Beauty Painting Workshop, how every room on the boat was a unique world, and how he had been mysteriously traveling through those worlds before accidentally returning to Amber City.
Yue Shi's description was concise and focused, accurately conveying all the key points while glossing over unimportant details.
Of course, he concealed the fact that he possessed the ability to interfere with time and that using such powers would trigger a collapse, leading to him being sucked away by a vortex into a new world.
He simply said he was mysteriously jumping from place to place.
Tang Zhuhe listened intently. Even when Yue Shi mentioned that 'our original world was just a book,' her expression didn't change much. Her mind was constantly processing and integrating the useful information from his words.
After Yue Shi finished, the office fell silent for a few seconds. Sunlight hit the snow leopard, making its silver-grey fur shimmer with a soft luster.
“Your experiences have certainly been colorful,” Tang Zhuhe said, her voice carrying a hint of rare surprise.
Yue Shi tilted his chin slightly, signaling Tang Zhuhe that it was her turn to exchange intelligence.
Tang Zhuhe didn't hesitate. She put down the pen and folded her hands on the desk, her voice becoming even more steady. “Our world was destroyed; you know that.”
“In fact, I knew long ago that the world might be destroyed, and I formulated many salvation plans because of it.”
“But unfortunately, due to certain reasons, the apocalypse arrived early. I hadn't even finished half of my plans, so I had to quickly modify the strategy.”
“The situation was too rushed back then. I couldn't save many people at all; I could only look out for our own first. When the world completely shattered, I turned the entirety of Amber City into something like a secret realm. I stripped it from the original world, sealed it in an independent space, and let it drift through the void.”
“At first, things were fine. The resources in the city were barely enough to be self-sufficient and maintain a self-sustaining cycle. Occasionally, we could capture some energy and matter from the void as supplements. I just needed to wait quietly until I found a complete world to attach to.”
At this point, Tang Zhuhe's voice suddenly dropped. “But an accident occurred quickly during our drifting. Amber City, this small secret realm, was noticed and captured by a certain existence.”
“What kind of existence?” Yue Shi's brow furrowed.
He knew Tang Zhuhe's strength; she was formidable. An Amber City meticulously managed by Director Tang was not something an ordinary person could touch; anyone who dared to covet it would be beaten to death.
What kind of existence could uproot Director Tang's entire territory?
Tang Zhuhe remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking. “Indescribable, impossible to gaze upon, and impossible to understand, lest it invite disaster. In short, it is an existence I cannot contend with.”
Yue Shi opened his mouth, about to ask why that existence wanted to capture Amber City, whether it had anything to do with the Bewitching Beauty Painting Workshop, and if it was the culprit behind the infinite loop in Amber City. He had too many questions...
Suddenly, everything went black.
Shit, loop time's up!
Rate on N.U.
