Lin Wu’s time layer world was: Dark 2049.1.03. Each different time layer world had its own set of rules. For example, the rules for obtaining clues and rewards, and the rules for triggering events that lowered sanity.
Lin Wu later realized that his luck always seemed to be a little far from “fortunate.” Compared to the others, the time layer world he was in was likely the hardest one. This was especially evident in the various supernatural events triggered when obtaining clues. When his sanity dropped below 10, his entire consciousness was pulled into the fragmented memories of the event’s owner from that year.
The event’s owner had long passed away in the catastrophe, but their souls had been trapped in the dormitory for some reason. The memory fragment world Lin Wu entered belonged to one of these souls. The diary he found belonged to one of the souls, and it recorded many events that happened before January 3, 2049.
Some of the events had happened before this student even enrolled, so they were recorded as hearsay, much like writing down a rumor they had heard, often accompanied by the recorder’s personal feelings: “It was pretty scary, but thankfully, it wasn’t real…”
The events of February 18, 2048, where Yu Xi was, were recorded in more detail in the diary. At that time, the library situation had worsened, and it was eventually sealed off. The owner of the diary, one of the students trapped in the academy, had witnessed the events at the library firsthand. Every so often, students would die mysteriously, and that feeling of despair and helplessness—Lin Wu could relate to it.
Those with slightly weaker willpower might be completely overwhelmed by this overwhelming sense of despair, getting trapped in the past memories and fragments. The longer they stayed in these memories, the more their sanity would drop until it reached zero, at which point they would lose their eligibility to board the train and remain stuck in the darkness forever.
But if one’s will was strong enough to break free from the illusions within the memory fragments and return to the dark dormitory reality, not only would they gain the information they needed, but they would also receive generous rewards. For example, various items to restore sanity, and puzzle fragments that could allow one to cross time layers.
The reason Lin Wu had been out of contact for so long was that he had entered three different students’ memory fragments. These fragments were all connected by cause and effect. Sometimes, combining two different memory fragments could solve an important puzzle and unlock more valuable rewards. Lin Wu always worked seriously. Either he did something, or he did it to the best of his ability, so he aimed to get as many puzzle fragments as possible in one go to form the “key” he needed.
Lin Wu hadn’t forgotten that their ultimate goal was to find the hidden station. Each station only had one hidden station, and no matter what, all the teammates needed to gather together. This meant they would need to cross multiple time layers, so the more puzzle fragments they gathered, the better.
**
After receiving Lin Wu’s message that he would be waiting for her, Yu Xi relayed the method he had found to cross the time layers to the group and discussed the hidden station with everyone.
The situation was as follows: The hidden station could be located in any of the time layer worlds, but they had no way to judge exactly where it was yet. Crossing time layers wasn’t something that could be done casually. It required obtaining different time layer puzzle fragments, and only after piecing together a complete image could it be achieved. This process was costly, especially since obtaining puzzle fragments came with risks.
Therefore, before determining the hidden station’s location, Yu Xi advised everyone to stay put in their own time layers, continue exploring their current layers, and collect as many puzzle fragments as possible. This way, they wouldn’t waste their “keys” by crossing to a different time layer, only to find that the clues pointed to yet another layer.
Not long after they started discussing, Xi Yuan suddenly began to act pitiful.
“Ugh, Xiao Xi, I can’t receive tasks or rewards. I’m stuck here. Why don’t you go ahead and piece together the ‘key’ for my time layer and come rescue me? My time layer world is ‘Light 2032.5.22.'”
Xi Yuan’s message was seen by Xing Min too, and because the messages were displayed with everyone’s names in the Endless Train world, Xing Min quickly recalled the days in the Seven-level Hell world, staying in the villa in the sky.
He turned to Yu Xi and asked, “Xi Yuan, is that the same Xi Yuan from the human world?”
“Yes, you remember?” She hadn’t expected that he would recognize the name “Xi Yuan” and recall someone from the previous apocalyptic world.
“…” Xing Min lightly pursed his lips. After all, four humans surrounded her during those days. It wasn’t easy to forget.
Yu Xi had puzzle fragments from Xi Yuan’s time layer world. If she found two more pieces, she could form the complete key. Perhaps once Lin Wu arrived, they could combine the puzzle fragments from his world. But Xi Yuan’s words also made her realize something.
Ya Tong also seemed to have remembered something from what Xi Yuan said.
Ya Tong: “Xi Yuan has half a native identity, so he can’t receive tasks or rewards. If he can’t get puzzle fragments and the hidden station isn’t in his time layer world, how will he leave this station? He could stay in one station indefinitely, but there’s a difference between not wanting to leave and being unable to. These stations won’t deliberately trap him, so let’s think about it from the opposite angle. There’s an 80% chance the hidden station is in his time layer world.”
Xi Yuan: “…No, I can get puzzle fragments to leave here. I can rob other travelers!”
Yu Zhenzhen: “Hahaha, so deliberate! But it’s too late now, I agree, the hidden station is most likely in your time layer world. After all, so far, yours is the most normal and relatively safe time layer world.”
Yu Xi: “Exactly, this is an A-level station. Everyone only has one chance to confirm the location, and the hidden station won’t be placed in a small, dark, dangerous layer. We’ll look for the puzzle fragments, but we won’t come over for now. You should go gather information first. Once we’re sure, we’ll talk more.”
Xi Yuan: “Ugh, it’s always like this… What reward do I get, Xiao Xi?”
Yu Xi chuckled softly to herself, not noticing that Xing Min had once again turned his head to look at her. She was about to reply to her phone when she suddenly heard Xing Min speak in a low voice: “They’re here.”
Yu Xi immediately realized and put her phone away. “Where?”
Xing Min sensed the space-time ripples. “First floor.”
The two of them hurried downstairs, and when Yu Xi reached the middle of the staircase between the second and first floors, she also felt some fluctuations.
They rounded the corner of the stairs, and the dark hall on the first floor appeared before them. Xing Min released a few pieces of light, glowing faintly in soft gold, directing them toward the left side of the hall.
With this bit of light, Yu Xi quickly noticed a black vortex on the wall to the left of the hall. She wasn’t sure if it was being attracted by other time layer worlds, but from the darkness above the vortex, she heard faint rustling noises, as though many things that had been hidden deep within the dark were now crawling out.
“Be careful.” Xing Min pulled Yu Xi aside, placing a light shield around her before releasing her to step forward.
A dagger appeared in her hand, and Xing Min stood by her side, gently placing a thin layer of gold on her weapon. His energy could resist and fight against these creatures, so her dagger was now empowered with that ability.
A dry, withered, and iron-blue hand reached out from the darkness above the vortex. Yu Xi didn’t know if it was trying to destroy the forming vortex or trying to pass through it to another layer. But either way, she wouldn’t let it succeed.
Yu Xi was quick on her feet. With a swipe of her dagger, the hand let out a piercing scream, black liquid pouring from it as it quickly withdrew into the darkness.
This time, thanks to the light shield, her sanity didn’t drop.
After a brief moment, she heard movement above her head. In an instant, a clump of long, dense black hair fell in front of her. She quickly stepped back, then found the right angle and swung her dagger again.
This time, there was a clear sound of bones cracking, followed by the creature’s distorted, shrill scream.
But the scream stopped abruptly after Yu Xi’s third swing of her blade, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground with a dull thud. The air was filled with a putrid smell.
That thud seemed like a signal. Several creatures that had been lurking in the dark corners of the wall moved at once—some rushing toward the vortex, while others headed straight for Yu Xi and Xing Min.
Yu Xi swung her dagger again, clearing the obstacles on the wall for Lin Wu.
Xing Min stood back to back with her, sending several pieces of shallow golden light out from his hands, heading toward different directions in the darkness. The eerie, screeching sounds around them continued.
When Lin Wu stepped out from the vortex, struggling to pull himself out of the passage, this was the scene he encountered—the vast library hall, intermittently lit by golden light, illuminating the two figures fighting nearby. He froze for a moment. How could there be two people!?
The surrounding area was extremely cold, and something sensed his presence, swiftly crawling toward him along the wall. He immediately activated a newly obtained item, applying it to the iron rod in his hand, and struck at the enemy in the darkness.
The three of them moved together, quickly repelling the violent outbreak.
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