TYMIMA Chapter 30

Zhan Pingchuan’s gaze changed in an instant, immediately shifting from dark and inscrutable to surprised and tense.

 

He quickly scanned Lance’s reddish, slightly swollen nape, then without a word, grabbed the fingertip poking at the gland and “swoosh” swept the reddish-brown long hair over to cover the reddened area.

 

He also very jealously glanced around, making sure no ill-mannered Alpha was sneaking peeks in this direction, before pinching Lance’s fingertip and saying hoarsely: “Be good, I’ll help you when we get back to the dorm.”

 

Lance’s original intention was to hope Zhan Pingchuan would notice the unusual nature of this regression.

 

Because if it were truly time reversal, then on the day of Boras and Kluova’s assassination, his gland wouldn’t have been swollen.

 

This accidental injury came from the underground city and had returned intact with the ‘regression.’

 

Thinking about the details more carefully, setting the regression point to the classroom was also very subtle, because it was the easiest illusion to construct.

 

Their movements, expressions, and positions in the classroom had all been faithfully recorded by surveillance cameras, so when recreating it, it could be made completely realistic.

 

The human eye can be deceiving. It transmits everything it sees to the brain, sending incorrect signals, and the brain believes them to be true, continuously adjusting logic to make everything seem reasonable.

 

But seeing Zhan Pingchuan narrow his eyes, giving other Alphas a look full of vigilance and rejection, Lance knew that this last-place student truly deserved his rank, without deceiving young or old.

 

He had never encountered such a difficult teammate.

 

In the future, he absolutely couldn’t recruit this little idiot into High Tower Guild, not even through connections!

 

Lance secretly vowed.

 

Zhan Pingchuan, pre-emptively fired by his wife, felt a bit wronged.

 

As the heir trained from childhood by the Ghost Eye Guild chairman and manager, he had the most basic sensitivity to danger.

 

Actually, when time regressed to before Boras’s death, precisely at the moment the principal’s speech was playing, he had already realized what was happening.

 

Although his information chain wasn’t as complete as Lance’s, often, to make a judgment about something, you don’t need too much information.

 

As long as you understand the opponent’s purpose and focus on that purpose, all the bewildering elements in between are just smoke and mirrors.

 

Whether it was the time that kept regressing as the number of survivors increased, or the cameras that couldn’t be removed before but suddenly disappeared now, it was all to make them believe that this regression was real, beyond doubt.

 

Moreover, he understood Si Hongche—a cold-blooded, ruthless person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

 

Si Hongche’s only purpose in personally appearing at the scene wouldn’t be to witness the rising stars of tomorrow, but to capture the killer of Boras and Kluova.

 

So ultimately, cause and effect would circle back to Boras and Kluova.

 

Sure enough.

 

Zhan Pingchuan was somewhat proud of seeing through Si Hongche’s trick.

 

Actually, if Si Hongche knew he was Zhan Qinghe’s son, he probably wouldn’t use this method to test the killer.

 

Because, coincidentally, he knew someone with the ability to create illusions.

 

The reason Zhan Pingchuan was deep in thought was that he was recalling that Federation government-hosted joint meeting of the seven major guilds.

 

Since no irrelevant personnel were allowed during the formal meeting, Zhan Qinghe, being quite careless, had handed him over to a Blue Pivot inspection team member to take him to the shooting range to play with guns.

 

Due to Zhan Qinghe’s status as the Ghost Eye Guild chairman, the inspection team member couldn’t refuse, so he brought him back from Qian Yun to the Blue Pivot building.

 

After playing with blank cartridges for a while and achieving the excellent score of missing all targets, Zhan Pingchuan grew restless.

 

It happened that the inspection team member had an upset stomach that day and frequently ran to the bathroom. Zhan Pingchuan took advantage of his absence and slipped out of the shooting range.

 

He had always been a restless character since childhood, and his hands were quite mischievous. When he encountered a door, he had to push it. If it wouldn’t open, he’d give up; if it did, he would definitely peek in to see what was going on before leaving.

 

Even Zhan Pingchuan himself felt that he was quite annoying as a child.

 

Perhaps because he was only four years old at the time and looked completely harmless, even staff who saw him couldn’t be bothered to intervene.

 

He eventually entered a room with a very distinctive exterior.

 

Actually, “entered” isn’t quite right, because after struggling to open the large door, he found another barrier inside made of rare lead ore.

 

Rare lead ore is an extremely rare crystal ore mined from S-level underground cities.

 

As is well known, lead can resist radiation to a certain extent, and rare lead ore amplifies this function tens of thousands of times.

 

Since human-evolved abilities are themselves a form of radiation from underground cities, rare lead ore can neutralize any ability user’s power.

 

But because S-level underground cities are fraught with risks and rare lead ore production is too scarce, only the Federation government’s power organs can legally use it.

 

And the barrier was a protective net specially made by Blue Pivot using rare lead ore. This net was extremely vicious, with each lead wire covered in microscopic lead fibers.

 

Once a prisoner’s skin touched it, the fibers would viciously pierce into the flesh, and due to the neutralization of abilities, they could only endure the pain. Even recovery system Awakened ones couldn’t accelerate wound healing.

 

At that time, Zhan Pingchuan didn’t recognize the barrier. Just as he was about to reach out and push it, a weak, urgent voice suddenly came from inside: “Don’t touch it!”

 

Zhan Pingchuan had always been very obedient since childhood. He stopped his hand in place and peered inside through the gaps in the protective net.

 

Actually, if he had been able to recognize more words at that time, he would have seen that on the door of this room, written in black font, was—BRIG (solitary confinement room).

 

The entire Blue Pivot building was brightly lit, except for this room. If he hadn’t opened the large door, it would have been pitch black inside.

 

By the faint light from the corridor, he saw a person curled up in the dark, damp corner of the room.

 

Zhan Pingchuan tilted his head to look carefully, but soon, his pupils rapidly dilated, and he even drew in a sharp breath, stumbling back two steps.

 

He was only four years old at the time, so when he saw an Omega with disheveled lower clothing, covered in wounds, with private parts still bleeding from ruptures, he couldn’t suppress the horror in his heart.

 

The other person seemed to know his current embarrassment, but he didn’t have the strength to pick up the tattered clothes to cover his body. In his urgency, his fingertips emitted a faint golden glow.

 

Instantly, the scene before Zhan Pingchuan completely changed.

 

No longer was it a dark, black room, no cold, sharp barrier, and certainly no Omega with horrific wounds.

 

He saw a golden, prince-like palace that might appear in an amusement park.

 

The palace was filled with colorful balloons and various toys—knight teddy bears, long-nosed guards, cabbage maids, and a docile golden curly-haired lion lying on the red carpet.

 

Zhan Pingchuan’s eyes widened in wonder. His retreating footsteps moved forward again, and he couldn’t help but ask curiously: “What is this?”

 

The voice came from the room again, but this time without the embarrassed urgency, instead much gentler and more composed.

 

He said very softly: “It’s ‘The Golden House,’ the cartoon children love to watch the most.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan immediately shook his head. When it came to his area of expertise, he had to argue based on facts: “No, the cartoon children love the most is ‘The Red-Haired Knight Who Kills in All Directions and His Dog.'”

 

That person obviously paused for a moment before apologetically saying: “I’m sorry, I haven’t watched cartoons for a long time. I don’t know how to create what you like.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan fully displayed his spirit of being eager to learn, not at all sensing his own rudeness: “Is this your ability? Are you an Awakened one?”

 

Abilities are extremely private matters for Awakened ones. Probing about someone’s ability is tantamount to testing their weakness.

 

However, that person didn’t hide anything and still told him in a very gentle tone: “It’s my third-tier ability [Virtual Realm].”

 

Zhan Pingchuan was surprised. He had just glanced briefly and thought the person inside didn’t seem very old, yet at such a young age, he had already mastered a third-tier ability.

 

“That’s awesome. Can you create anything? Couldn’t you turn the entire restricted area into an amusement park?”

 

“It’s just an illusion,” the person explained calmly.

 

Zhan Pingchuan was at that age where he didn’t know boundaries and was annoyingly persistent, so he persisted: “Is there a way for normal people to distinguish your illusions?”

 

“Yes, the human eye can be deceiving. If you close your eyes and feel with your heart, you might find clues in the subtle details. No matter how sophisticated an ability is, it won’t be flawless. The fake can never become real.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan obediently closed his eyes as instructed.

 

The golden house disappeared before his eyes, everything around him disappeared. He stood in darkness and void, finally feeling a breeze.

 

The breeze carried a faint smell of blood.

 

It was the bloody smell emanating from that person, a smell tinged with suffering.

 

Zhan Pingchuan suddenly opened his eyes: “Indeed.”

 

That person smiled, but it seemed the smile pulled at his wounds, causing him to involuntarily emit a painful moan.

 

It took him a long time to adapt to the pain. Worried about frightening Zhan Pingchuan again, he hurriedly added many elements to the golden house that he thought children would like.

 

Soccer balls, basketballs, scooters, transforming robots, toy guns…

 

Then he weakly said: “Thank you for coming to talk with me, but you should go home now. I need to sleep well in the palace. Little ones shouldn’t disturb adults when they’re resting.”

 

“You’re lying. You’re injured. They’re abusing you.” Although Zhan Pingchuan was only four years old, under the progressive childhood education of his father and the manager, he was already difficult to deceive.

 

Zhan Pingchuan stretched out his hands, revealing a smile he thought was quite rebellious: “Why don’t I go steal a key for you, open this thing? You’re so powerful. Then we can first stab the people who abused you a few times, send them to the afterlife, then you can ‘whoosh’ turn the restricted area into an amusement park, creating chaos for the Blue Pivot people. Don’t worry, I remember the way I came. Once we’re out of the building, you can transform into my dad. I have my dad’s photo, you can transform based on that. He’s dressed up today, so make yourself look a bit more handsome than the photo. Finally, we’ll escape in broad daylight!”

 

After speaking, Zhan Pingchuan clapped his hands for his flawless plan.

 

Rescuing someone from Blue Pivot—wasn’t that more exciting than venturing into an underground city?

 

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, a cold, deep voice came from the surveillance camera on the corridor ceiling: “Well planned.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan felt a chill down his spine. He turned to look but only saw the black lens of the surveillance camera.

 

Before he could come up with a suitable excuse, a team of inspection officers rushed up the corridor. Without a word, they picked him up and hurriedly took him away from this place.

 

Before being taken to the elevator, Zhan Pingchuan vaguely heard that cold voice mockingly say with hatred: “So you also know how to protect children.”

 

It seemed that after all these years, the ability user who hadn’t had the chance to see his father’s handsome photo was still alive.

 

Unfortunately, Si Hongche hadn’t anticipated that the one who wanted to kill Boras and Kluova wasn’t necessarily someone from the Black Lantern Society, but also this old acquaintance who had plotted a jailbreak.

 

He wondered if the White Pharaoh from the Black Lantern Society, lurking among the freshmen, had seen through the mystery.

 

Hmph, probably not.

 

The other party didn’t have his childhood opportunity, didn’t understand Si Hongche, and didn’t have a clever little red fox beside them who noticed the non-existent person who discovered the iron door.

 

What a pity. Just wait to die.

 

However, these things, he couldn’t tell Lance.

 

The student council president NPC was still roaring at the classroom door: “Everyone back to your dorms! Stop looking! You’re all college students, you should know what to say and what not to say. If anyone posts nonsense online, the school will deal with it severely!”

 

Unlike last time, Lance didn’t run to the bathroom in fear due to the death of a B-level Alpha. This was normal, after all, he had the memories of multiple regressions and was no longer in the same mindset as before.

 

He and Zhan Pingchuan returned to the dormitory.

 

Along the way, Lance secretly observed the changes in the school.

 

Like last time, there was no dancing mascot on the playground.

 

It was actually absurd. When Erdiff died, the Blue Pivot inspection team mobilized several high-level Awakened ones, deployed a large number of personnel, and spared no expense to catch the culprit. But when Deng Zhi died, when Deng Zhi’s mother died, even though public opinion was in an uproar, the Blue Pivot inspection team had no response.

 

So actually, a sentence in the “Black Lantern Society Manifesto” was biased. This wasn’t exploitation of civilians by Awakened ones, but the crushing of all people by power.

 

Deng Zhi died unjustly, Deng Zhi’s mother died pitifully. What the Black Lantern Society did was merely return the judgment that should have come to the victims.

 

Yet because of this, they became an infamous illegal organization.

 

As the director of Blue Pivot’s Second District, would Si Hongche not know the ins and outs of this?

 

Lance inwardly sneered. He was just the most useful knife in the hands of power.

 

However, as soon as they entered the dormitory door, Lance had no mood for random thoughts.

 

He couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

 

This time, it wasn’t to remind Zhan Pingchuan, but because his gland really hurt.

 

Having endured for so long, he was almost at his limit of pain tolerance. His over-depleted gland pulsed, as if transmitting signals of fatigue.

 

Zhan Pingchuan immediately released soothing pheromones to comfort the empty Omega gland.

 

Fortunately, the pheromone compatibility between them was high enough that Lance’s defense system would misjudge, allowing Zhan Pingchuan’s pheromones to penetrate his skin.

 

Zhan Pingchuan carefully lifted his hair, looked at the red, swollen, and hot gland, and couldn’t help but wonder: “Just going through the door a few times, how did it become like this?”

 

He didn’t know about the existence of the Outer God, so he didn’t understand why Lance, in particular, had such a strong reaction to the door.

 

Actually, Lance wasn’t reacting strongly to the door, but to the illusion, to the mental contamination.

 

Being in Oliver’s illusion had triggered his childhood trauma in his subconscious, so each time he entered the door, he felt dizzy and nauseous.

 

“It hurts so much.” Lance had even become somewhat irritable from the swelling pain.

 

He really wanted to rush into the Spirit Realm system again, curse that dog thing, and then throw it out of his brain.

 

However, reason told him that would only make him suffer more.

 

But with the White Pharaoh’s vengeful character, even at a disadvantage, he would never let the other party off easily.

 

Lance pushed his silver-rimmed glasses, and in the moment his fingers concealed his eyes, a cold light swept through them.

 

Then he slowly raised his eyes, as if finding it difficult to speak, his ears gradually turning red. After a while, he finally asked softly and politely: “Classmate Zhan, could you… kiss that spot?”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)