49: Chapter 49 Returning to the Core

Three days later, Chen Mo's pickup truck had completely changed.

He pulled out the set of modification blueprints from Old Li's truck and installed them on his vehicle one by one.

For bulletproof armor, he replaced it with thicker steel plates;

The time-anchoring device was forged from the core fragments of a Time-Lag Ghost;

The vehicle-mounted weapon rack was upgraded from a single row to a double row, capable of securing six rifles.

The final item was the engine.

Old Li's truck engine was custom-made, with three times the power of an ordinary pickup truck.

Chen Mo spent a day dismantling that engine and installing it in his own vehicle.

The moment it started, the roar of the engine shook the entire courtyard.

Lin Wei stood nearby, covering her ears.

"Are you planning to take flight?"

Chen Mo didn't say anything.

He stepped on the accelerator, and the pickup truck charged out of the courtyard and did a lap on the highway.

The handling was more than twice as good as before.

It was faster, the steering was more agile, and even the braking distance was shorter.

He drove back to the courtyard and turned off the engine.

"It's about ready," he said.

Lin Wei looked at him.

"Going now?"

Chen Mo nodded.

The two of them packed their supplies and got into the pickup truck.

He started the engine and stepped on the gas.

The pickup truck drove toward the Source of the Sequence.

This time, it was just the two of them.

No convoy, no Iron Bear, no Old Zhou.

Just a modified pickup truck and two living people.

The highway was very quiet.

Those abandoned vehicles were still there, those sculptures were still there, but no one blocked their path.

After driving for three hours, the familiar sandy area appeared ahead.

The outskirts of the Source of the Sequence.

Chen Mo slowed down, his Pupil of the Sequence scanning the surroundings.

In the golden vision, the lines on those ruins were still there, stable and without abnormalities.

But there was a car parked in the distance.

A black off-road vehicle, its body riddled with bullet holes.

Someone was there.

Chen Mo stopped the car fifty meters away and pushed open the door.

Lin Wei followed him out, dual pistols in hand.

The two of them slowly approached the off-road vehicle.

No one was in the car.

There were only some scattered supplies and a blood-stained map.

Chen Mo picked up the map and glanced at it.

It was a map of the outskirts of the Source of the Sequence.

It was similar to the one Old Zhou had given him, but with an extra mark—

The golden door had a large 'X' drawn over it.

Beside it were a few words:

"Death to those who enter."

Chen Mo looked at those words.

It was a warning.

Or a threat?

He tucked the map away and continued forward.

The door was right ahead.

It was still just as tall, just as large, and just as magnificent.

The palm-shaped indentation on the door was still waiting for him.

Chen Mo walked to the door and raised his hand.

Lin Wei stood behind him, silent.

His hand hovered in mid-air, remaining there for a long time.

Then he lowered it.

"What's wrong?" Lin Wei asked.

Chen Mo didn't answer.

He was thinking.

Thinking about what Old Li had said.

Thinking about the small print on the map Old Zhou had given him.

Thinking about the Time-Lag Ghost's final words: "Everyone will return."

Thinking about Zhang Lie's smile before he died.

What exactly was behind this door?

He activated the Eye of Sinister Sight.

The golden vision penetrated the door, revealing what was behind it—

Three paths.

To the left, the Time Corridor, with countless clocks floating in the air.

In the middle, the Abyss of Memory, pitch black and seeing nothing.

To the right, the core of the sequence, a massive ball of golden light pulsing.

On every path, something was waiting for him.

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze.

He turned and looked at Lin Wei.

"Wait for me here."

Lin Wei was stunned for a moment.

"By yourself?"

"By myself."

Lin Wei was silent for a few seconds.

Then she nodded.

"Come back alive."

Chen Mo didn't say anything.

He turned and pressed his hand into the indentation.

The door opened.

Golden light poured out from the crack of the door, swallowing him.

Behind him, the door slowly closed.

Lin Wei stood where she was, staring at the door.

For a long, long time.

Until the golden light on the door completely vanished.

Only then did she turn and walk toward the pickup truck.

She sat in the driver's seat and started the engine.

She would wait.