29: Chapter 29 Old Li's Resurrection
Golden light surged out from Chen Mo's body.
It was not in the form of threads, but rather like a tide, spreading outward in waves.
With every wave of light that surged through, he felt his body undergoing changes; those wounds were healing, that exhaustion was fading, and the power hidden deep within was awakening.
γ Receiving complete Night Walker Legacy... γ
γ Ability upgrade complete γ
γ Dark Affinity: +20% to all stats at night γ
γ Invisibility: Duration 5 seconds, cooldown 20 seconds γ
γ Pupil of the Sequence evolving... Complete γ
γ New feature: Time Perception (can detect time anomalies within 10 meters) γ
γ Prediction ability upgraded: 3 seconds β 5 seconds γ
Chen Mo opened his eyes.
The corridor was still there, but it was different.
The boundaries that were originally blurred became clear, and the walls that were originally static began to flow.
It wasn't actually flowing; rather, he could see the traces of time.
How the scratches on the wall deepened bit by bit.
How the wear on the floor accumulated day by day.
He could even see the trajectories of the dust floating in the air.
γ Time Perception: Elementary γ
γ Can detect phenomena such as abnormal time flow, time stasis, and time reversal γ
γ Current range: 10 meters γ
Chen Mo raised his hand and looked at his palm.
Those golden patterns were still there, but they were fainter than before. They had merged into his skin, becoming a part of him.
He stood up and stretched his body.
It was hard to describe the feeling; he seemed to have become more complete.
A door appeared at the end of the corridor.
That was the exit.
Chen Mo walked over and pushed the door open.
Outside the door was Old Li's truck.
But it wasn't the same scene as before.
The truck was parked on the side of the road, surrounded by desolate wilderness. The sky was gray, making it impossible to tell if it was day or dusk.
Old Li was standing next to the truck, with his back to him.
"Old Li?"
The person turned around.
It was Old Li's face, but his eyes were hollow.
"Chen Mo," he said. "You finally came out."
Chen Mo gripped his cleaver tightly.
"You are not Old Li."
"I am," the person said, taking a step forward. "I am the Old Li in your memories."
Chen Mo's Pupil of the Sequence swept over him; the golden lines were thick and active. They were exactly the same as the "Forgotten One" from before.
"Are you trying to copy me?"
"No," the "Old Li" smiled. "I just came to tell you one thing."
"What thing?"
"Old Li is not dead."
Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.
"What?"
"He escaped," the "Old Li" said. "The one you killed was just his Clone. The real him is waiting for you deep in the tunnel."
Chen Mo stared at him.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I hate him too," the "Old Li's" expression became complex. "He threw me away after using me, leaving me here to wait for death."
He raised his hand, and it was becoming transparent.
"I'm about to disappear, but before I die, I want him to die too."
Chen Mo didn't speak.
He was thinking.
Old Li wasn't dead?
That explosion, that big crater, those fragmentsβwere they all fake?
But his Pupil of the Sequence had indeed displayed "Kill? Old Driver" with the status "Unable to confirm" at the time.
Unable to confirm.
It meant he might not be dead.
"Where is he?"
"In the deepest part of the Reversal Tunnel," the "Old Li" said. "There is the power of time reversal there; he is hiding there, repairing his body."
He pointed into the distance.
"Drive twenty kilometers forward, and that is the real entrance."
Chen Mo looked in the direction he pointed; there was nothing there, only an endless road.
He turned back.
The "Old Li" had already disappeared.
Only one sentence remained floating in the air:
"Beware of time."
Chen Mo stood there for a long time.
Then he turned and walked toward his pickup truck.
He started the engine and pressed the gas pedal.
The pickup truck rushed onto the road and drove in that direction.
Twenty kilometers was reached quickly.
But there was nothing there.
Only a road sign, with a few words written on it:
"Reversal Tunnel Β· Entrance"
"Danger Β· Do Not Enter"
"Time Chaos Β· Enter at Your Own Risk"
Chen Mo stopped the car and looked at the road sign.
Time chaos.
The time reversal that "Old Li" mentioned must be this.
He pushed open the car door and got out.
Behind the road sign was a downward-sloping ramp, pitch black, with no bottom in sight.
That was the entrance.
Chen Mo gripped his cleaver and walked inside.
The darkness instantly swallowed him.
Only the golden light of the Pupil of the Sequence flickered slightly in his eyes.
The tunnel was very deep.
He walked for a long time, but hadn't reached the end yet.
Chen Mo stopped and looked back; the way he came was also pitch black, and he couldn't tell how far he had walked.
He continued to walk forward.
Suddenly, light appeared in the darkness ahead.
It was white and very faint, like a lamp about to go out.
Chen Mo quickened his pace.
The light got closer and brighter.
Finally, he saw clearlyβ
It was a person.
Old Li.
He was sitting on a rock, covered in wounds, his face deathly pale.
He was really still alive.
He saw Chen Mo and was stunned for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"You've come."
"You didn't die."
"Almost," Old Li said. "Time here reverses. As long as it reverses to when I wasn't injured, I can live."
He stood up.
"Since you're here, I can't wait anymore."
He raised his hand, and the surrounding darkness suddenly surged, condensing into countless golden threads that coiled toward Chen Mo.
Chen Mo activated Infiltrator, disappearing into the air.
The threads lost their target and hung in mid-air.
Five seconds later, Chen Mo appeared behind Old Li and slashed down with his blade.
Old Li dodged to the side, and at the same time, those threads re-condensed, turning into a wall that blocked Chen Mo's second strike.
"It's useless," Old Li said. "This is my home turf."
He waved his hand, and the surrounding scene suddenly changed.
It was no longer a tunnel, but a road.
Chen Mo's pickup truck was parked on the side of the road, and Old Li's truck was there too.
He was standing between the two vehicles, and Old Li was standing opposite him.
"Do you know what place this is?" Old Li asked.
Chen Mo didn't answer.
"This is where we first met," Old Li said. "At the supermarket entrance."
He took a step forward.
"I knew back then that you were the person I was looking for."
Chen Mo looked at him.
"You were looking for me just to eat me?"
"Eat you?" Old Li laughed. "No, it was to have you help me get the core of the sequence; eating you was just a side benefit."
He took another step.
"Do you know what the core of the sequence is?"
Chen Mo shook his head.
"It is the source of energy for all Chosen Ones," Old Li said. "If you get it, you can control the entire Ghost Realm."
He spread his arms.
"By then, I will be the king of this place."
Chen Mo stared at him.
Those words, every single one sounded true.
But the Pupil of the Sequence told him... it wasn't right.
The golden lines on Old Li's body were fading.
He was stalling for time.
He was waiting for time to reverse.
"You are waiting for time to reverse," Chen Mo said.
Old Li's expression stiffened.
"What?"
"You were injured too severely to beat me," Chen Mo took a step forward. "So you are waiting for time to reverse, to return to when you weren't injured."
Old Li's face changed.
"How did you know?"
Chen Mo didn't answer.
He immediately activated Infiltrator, disappearing into the air.
Five seconds later, he appeared in front of Old Li and slashed at his neck with his blade.
Old Li tried to dodge, but he was too slow.
The blade cut in.
Golden threads surged out from the wound.
But Old Li didn't fall.
He laughed.
The smile was very eerie.
"You cannot kill me," he said. "Because I am already dead."
His body began to disintegrate, turning into countless golden fragments that drifted in the air.
During the process of drifting, those fragments re-condensed, turning into a human shape.
It was actually Chen Mo himself.
"You..."
"I am your future," the fake "Chen Mo" said. "You will eventually become me."
He reached out his hand.
"Come with me."
Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.
But he didn't move.
Because the Pupil of the Sequence told himβthe lines on that "Chen Mo's" body were exactly the same as his own.
Not a copy, but truly... the same source.
"Who are you?"
The "Chen Mo" smiled.
"I am your reflection in the time turbulence," he said. "The moment you entered the Reversal Tunnel, your time began to split, and I am the one that split off."
He took a step forward.
"Come with me, and I will tell you the truth."
Chen Mo looked at him.
He looked for a long time.
Then he spoke.
"No."
The "Chen Mo" was stunned.
"Why?"
"Because you are not me," Chen Mo said. "You are an illusion created by time."
He raised his cleaver.
"And I only believe in my real self."
The blade slashed down.
That "Chen Mo" shattered.
But it wasn't golden threads, but white light.
That light surged into Chen Mo's body, warm and gentle.
γ Killed Time Reflection γ
γ Obtained: Time Perception upgrade γ
γ Current Time Perception range: 10 meters β 20 meters γ
γ Obtained: Prediction ability upgrade γ
γ Current Prediction time: 5 seconds β 7 seconds γ
Chen Mo stood in place, feeling those changes.
The tunnel disappeared.
He was standing by the road, and the pickup truck was right next to him.
The sky was bright.
Everything was normal.
He took a glance at the System time.
γ Time since entering Reversal Tunnel: 24 hours γ
Twenty-four hours.
He had stayed inside for a whole day.
But it felt like only a few hours had passed.
Chen Mo got into the pickup truck and started the engine.
Ahead, the road stretched out under the sunlight.
He pressed the gas pedal and drove forward.
The matter of Old Li was not over yet.
But that was a matter for the future.
Now, he needed to rest.
Get some good rest.
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