Chapter Seventy-Three: Time Reversed

Standing within the walls, the moonlight stretched my solitary figure, and in that moment, I felt an overwhelming loneliness and desolation. Yet, I did not regret my decision.

Step by step, I walked toward the office building, letting the cold night wind pierce through the black leather jacket I wore, biting into my body little by little—yet I felt no chill at all.

Thinking back to a month ago, I had come here alone as well, facing unknown dangers by myself. Back then, I was just a rash youngster, never considering the consequences of anything I did. In such a short span, I had grown so much more mature. Perhaps it was due to all I’d experienced, or maybe I was simply growing up.

Entering the familiar hallway, I tried my best not to make a sound with my footsteps. I had thought I would never return to this place, yet here I was once again. Fate has its own plans; the unexpected always finds a way. As the elders so often say, even a road you swear you’ll never walk, you might tread thrice in your life. I wondered if I’d get the chance for a third time.

Before I knew it, I had reached the second floor, just a step away from the mysterious and eerie third floor. From the photos Su Wanyi had shown me, I knew for certain that my cousin and those people had been on the third floor. I knew I still had time to leave, but I couldn’t do that—I would live with guilt for the rest of my life.

I quickly ascended to the third floor and stood at the entrance of the production workshop, slowly placing my hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, I became nervous, staring at the silvery double doors before me—they looked as though they were the very gates of hell. Once I opened them, there would be no turning back.

My hand began to tremble. I knew I was afraid, yet I forced myself to swallow my fear and gradually pulled the door open.

At that very moment, all the lights in the workshop flickered on. I stood frozen, staring at everything inside. Everyone was at their posts, working as usual, all familiar faces, just as it was during night shifts before.

What was going on? Was I hallucinating?

Just then, someone patted my shoulder from behind. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively turned around.

There stood Sun Wenwen. Seeing her, I was puzzled—hadn’t she already gone back to her hometown?

Suddenly, Sun Wenwen said to me, “Why are you just standing there? Why are you late today?”

Her question left me dazed. I rubbed my eyes hard, desperate to see if what was before me was just an illusion.

But no matter how I looked, everything was real. Every person in the workshop felt undeniably present.

Sun Wenwen shot me a glare as if I were mad. “Hurry back to your station and get to work. Why are you standing around?” she scolded before turning away to help on the line, leaving me standing there.

Everyone in the workshop was busy as usual, with no difference from any ordinary night. Glancing around, I soon spotted my cousin, also busy with her tasks.

No, something was wrong. I distinctly remembered that I had come here to save my cousin.

This had to be an illusion, it must be.

Then I saw those who had previously died suddenly—they, too, were working as if nothing had happened. I remembered clearly that they were already dead, so how could they be alive?

Could everything that happened before have been a dream?

My mind was in chaos, unable to distinguish what was real: now, or before. I remembered going through so much, making so many friends—Lin Weiyan, Feng Zimo, Xiaoling, Black Jiao, Fatty, Wu Xin, and the others.

Were those all just dreams?

Instinctively, I looked at my pinky finger, searching for the Azure Dragon tattoo, but it was gone. I patted myself for the Cosmos Mirror I always carried—also gone.

Could all those incredible things I’d experienced have been nothing but a long dream?

I slapped myself hard across the face, the sting radiating through my body, more painful than ever. It seemed that this was reality, and all that came before was just a prolonged dream.

Returning to my station, I began assembling ballpoint pens. Beside me, Zhang Kai was still sneaking glances at his phone, working as he did before. Night shifts always passed quickly, and soon I had fully shaken off the remnants of my dream, completely absorbed in my work.

It was time for the midnight meal, and as usual, my cousin called me to eat with her. On the way to the cafeteria, I casually asked her what day it was. I hadn’t thought much about it.

She looked at me, puzzled. “September thirteenth. Did you run out of money again?”

September thirteenth?

That couldn’t be right.

I distinctly remembered that it was already December. What was happening?

I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the calendar. December ninth, according to the solar calendar.

Just to be sure, I asked my cousin for her phone as an excuse. Her phone also showed December ninth.

With that confirmed, a huge question mark formed in my mind. Why did my cousin say it was September thirteenth? Did she get it wrong?

I got a meal and sat in the cafeteria. Zhang Kai came to sit with us, so I asked him the same question. He gave the same answer as my cousin.

In that instant, a chill ran down my spine, my scalp tingling with dread.

It was clearly December, yet they both insisted it was September. Something was definitely wrong.

But I couldn’t figure out what. Was time itself out of joint?

I sat at the table, staring blankly, unable to eat a single bite. My cousin and Zhang Kai kept asking if something was wrong, if I wasn’t feeling well.

I shook my head and told them I wasn’t hungry.

After they finished eating, I grew more and more uneasy. Everyone here felt strange—though they didn’t seem much different from before, the topics of their conversations hinted at something off. They discussed the news, and where they would travel during the National Day holiday. Most importantly, my cousin mentioned that she would soon go home for a blind date.

All these hinted at things yet to happen, including the sudden deaths among staff that were yet to come.

Had I traveled back in time? Returned to September?

Was that even possible?

I dismissed the thought. If I had truly traveled back, why would their phones show December instead of September?

But if I hadn’t gone back, what was going on? And if all of this was an illusion, then where was my Cosmos Mirror? Where was the Azure Dragon tattoo on my finger?