Chapter 94: How Could Anyone Control Time?

Chapter 94: How Could Anyone Control Time?

"Watch out for Yi Fengchu..."

As the words left his mouth, Zhang Ming noticed the scholar's odd expression and couldn't help but ask, "Uh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the scholar adjusted his goggles awkwardly and shook his head. "Please continue."

"Yes, yes, employer, feel free to share any questions or information with us," Eurus suddenly appeared from somewhere, smiling meaningfully. "I believe we're after the same thing."

Facing the lawyer he had secretly hired, Zhang Ming's brow relaxed, and he seemed to relax.

At this moment, the scholar noticed Zhang Ming clutching the open zipper of his windbreaker with one hand while sneaking a hand inside his coat with the other, as if deliberately hiding something.

Zhang Ming gestured for the two to follow him further away.

Only when the distance widened enough for the camp to look like a tiny model did Zhang Ming exhale deeply and pull out a beat-up notebook from his coat.

"This is my father's notebook," Zhang Ming flipped to a specific page and handed it to Eurus. "It contains some records about Yi Fengchu... Well, you can read for yourselves."

He asserted firmly, "After reading these, no one could possibly consider that weirdo a normal person."

Eurus raised an eyebrow at this and, along with the scholar beside her, turned her gaze to the yellowed pages.

"June 3, 2012, Sunny

When I left the house this morning, I ran into that strange child from next door. Unlike his normal blank face, today he was smiling. But the way his eyes and mouth curved remained unnervingly rigid, making the smile appear creepily fake—like a metal mask stuck under his skin, frozen onto his face...

The child greeted me and said he'd been learning how to smile. If this was the result of his practice, I couldn't exactly cheer him on."

"June 5, 2012, Cloudy

I saw that child again this morning. His smile has become much more natural now, but this only freaks me out even more. It feels like I'm witnessing firsthand how something not human learns, mimics, and disguises himself as a normal person until he blends seamlessly into the crowd, indistinguishable from anyone else.

He told me my luck was terrible today and warned me to be careful... Is this really how his mom teaches him to greet people?"

Two blank lines followed. The next few paragraphs seemed hastily added later, the handwriting slightly messy:

"I was in a car crash on my way to work.

Three cars crashed. The first two got totaled, their drivers injured—only I came out okay, though I needed new headlights.

When they checked the crash, the cop praised my fast reaction and timely braking. But only I knew... At that moment, I seemed to hear the child's warning ringing in my ears, telling me to watch out.

Now I'm pretty sure—that child possesses some crazy power."

"June 24, 2012, Cloudy

The doctor told me my condition isn't optimistic and recommended comfort care to ease the pain.

I've lost count of how many hospitals I've visited, how many doctors I've consulted, how many different medications I've tried... Yet the news keeps being bad.

Finally, I asked—has no one ever beaten this illness and recovered? Perhaps to encourage me, Dr. Liu mentioned a patient with a similar condition who somehow pulled through and remains healthy to this day.

I had to meet this miracle case, to learn how to rid my body of these stubborn, invasive tumors. But Dr. Liu refused to disclose the patient's personal details...

No matter. I'll find that person whatever it takes."

"July 15, 2012, Sunny

I finally have my answer. I couldn't believe... The miracle survivor would be her, living right next door to me...

I couldn't find any more treatment records. I started thinking—what if the so-called effective treatment never existed? What if what saved her wasn't limited medical technology, but something far more advanced, all-powerful... and mysterious?

Could it be connected to her weird-acting son? I'm gonna find out."

"July 15, 2012, Cloudy

To observe the child more closely, I bought a strong telescope. From my second-floor bedroom window, I could clearly see into the neighboring yard where the child often played.

But what scared me was—just as I peered through the telescope, he suddenly turned and looked right at me...

He even smiled politely at me, he seemed to say... 'Hello, uncle.'

This was too strange. His 'normal' reaction almost made me hallucinate for a moment—as if we weren't spying on each other through a lens, but had simply met on a sunny street and exchanged greetings naturally.

Yet in an abnormal context, overly normal behavior becomes just as weird. I must admit, he's starting to scare me."

"July 24, 2012, Cloudy

I feel like I'm going crazy!

No matter how far I observe him, what equipment I use, or from which angle—he always seems to pinpoint my gaze accurately, then smiles and greets me...

I fear him.

I fear his black, empty eyes.

I fear his fake smile.

I fear his not-normal thinking and actions.

I think I need to stop observing him for a while... At the very least, I need him out of my nightmares."

"July 30, 2012, Rainy

After resting for a few days, I feel much better mentally. I plan to create a schedule—perhaps observe for two days, then take a day off—and stick to it strictly.

If anything unusual occurs during observation, I must immediately cut off all contact with that monster. Only then can I make sure I stay sane and normal."

"August 3, 2012, Sunny

Subject acting normal."

"August 4, 2012, Stormy

Rain all day. Subject remained indoors all day. No observable behavior."

"August 6, 2012, Stormy

Subject acting normal.

Planning to visit his school to gather teachers' impressions of him."

"August 8, 2012, Cloudy

The damned rain persisted for days, really slowing me down. Thankfully, it finally cleared today.

The child spent the entire afternoon playing in the yard. Due to the heavy rain, the ground was full of puddles. I noticed him crouching over one for way too long—after adjusting my telescope's focus, I realized there was a tiny fish in it, probably got washed there from a ditch."

The child stared intently at the fry, then used a twig to draw an '∞'-shaped symbol near the water channel... What does this mean? Infinity? A loop? A Möbius strip?"

"August 9, 2012, Sunny

Good heavens, good heavens, this is unbelievable...

Today was clear and sweltering. Normally, those puddles should have evaporated quickly under the summer sun. And indeed, all the other puddles followed this natural law, vanishing without a trace by noon...

Only the puddle where he had drawn the infinity symbol remained glistening under the sunlight, reflecting blinding glare like a silver mirror.

When no one was around, I slipped over the fence to that puddle and witnessed the unbelievable sight with my own eyes—the fry inside was swimming in the same circular path over and over. I timed it: roughly 6.8 seconds per loop, with 5 gill movements, 1 gulp of air, and 4 tail flicks.

I watched helplessly as the fish unconsciously circled once, twice, again and again... endlessly.

As if it was forever reliving the same segment of time, forever trapped in a Garden of Eden built for it by some mysterious force...

Is this the meaning of '∞'? Is this the power he possesses? But how is this possible? How can anyone control time?"

"August 13, 2012, Overcast

If he has the mysterious power to manipulate time, could he restore my physical condition to before my illness—to a younger, healthier state?

Or, I wouldn't dare hope for that much... I just wish he could halt my tumor cells at this point in time, preventing them from worsening or spreading.

Yushan says I’ve been acting strangely lately, locking myself in my room, and that my furtive watching at the neighbors’ yard frightens and unsettles her.

Absurd—she even suspects I might have improper intentions toward the widow and her child next door. She threatened to divorce me and take our child and leave if I keep this up...

But I just want to live! What’s wrong with that?! I just want to live!!

Everyone is like this, pushing me to accept my fate and wait for death, so none of them can be trusted... I can only trust myself, I must seize every possible chance to control my condition. Only I can save myself!"

The further the entries went, the more erratic Mr. Zhang’s handwriting became—every stroke and hook gouged the paper like knife cuts, as if one could feel the descent of a once refined, well-to-do middle-aged man into obsession and madness.

From seeking medical help at first, to privately investigating other patients’ personal information, then escalating to illegal spying and trespassing...

Mr. Zhang’s mental state and moral conduct were like a train completely derailed, plunging him inexorably into terrifying darkness.

After reading these records, Eurus wasn’t at all surprised he had ended up missing in the snowy mountains.

Just as she was about to turn to the next page, Zhang Ming clamped down firmly on the notebook.

He pulled it from Eurus’s hands and smiled apologetically. "The earlier parts are enough. The rest is just insignificant diary entries, along with some family privacy and conflicts. I’m sorry, but I can’t share those."

Eurus was always sweet-talking to those she still found useful.

With a radiant, eager smile, she nodded along, saying, "Understood, understood," while inwardly thinking that this overweight man was definitely hiding crucial information—and it must be something damaging to himself, given how desperately he grabbed the notebook back to prevent them from seeing it.

"You’ve seen it for yourselves," Zhang Ming said carefully, slipping the notebook back into the inner pocket of his coat with a sigh. "Of course, I’m equally shocked by my father’s irrational behavior after his illness. But what struck me more was how bizarre and unsettling my childhood friend turned out to be."

"Yi Fengchu is definitely not normal... No, he might not even fall under the category of 'human.'"

"We hadn’t seen each other for years, yet purely by chance, I ran into him at the foot of the snowy mountains. And then he insisted on joining us for the climb—who knows if he had ulterior motives..."

Zhang Ming mused anxiously, "I’m not sure if this encounter was truly accidental. But I hope he won’t use his uncanny, mysterious power to interfere with our investigation or... do something else to harm us."

Eurus caught his implication and readily agreed, "Don’t worry, Mr. Zhang. We’ll stay alert around him."

"We’re professionals. Since you’ve hired us, we’ll ensure your safety and complete the mission without disappointing you."

"Good, good," Zhang Ming grinned, practically radiating relief. "Hearing that puts my mind at ease!"

Once Zhang Ming left with the notebook, Eurus turned to the silent scholar with a smile. "What do you think? Can we trust our 'employer'?"

The scholar didn’t answer directly, only remarking coolly, "The fact that he didn’t hand over the notebook’s clues immediately tells us all we need to know about where he stands."

—This less than forthcoming employer had never been aligned with them from the start.

His decision to show those notebook pages was merely a bargaining chip to rally them against Yi Fengchu.

"Mr. Zhang was mentally unstable, Zhang Ming is hiding things, and Yi Fengchu’s identity and motives are unclear..."

Eurus sighed deeply, ruffling her hair in frustration. "This scenario is proving quite problematic."