Chapter 1 Severed Head?

Hearing this incredibly vivid phrase, Lin Xian recalled the battle in the abandoned factory half a month ago between the real and fake Yu Xi.

The fight between these two Terminators was rapid and exciting. Every thrust of their blades was potentially fatal, but despite the intricate back and forth, neither could land a decisive blow. Ultimately, Lin Yu Xi proved more skilled. Seizing the opportunity while the fake Yu Xi tried to snatch the stun gun, she took a half step, precisely positioned, and with a backhand grip, swung her dagger in a crescent arc, decapitating the fake Yu Xi!

At that moment... the fake Yu Xi's wide-eyed head flew crookedly into the air, her pupils seemingly still moving, her brain not yet comprehending its separation from her body.

Furthermore, blood from the severed carotid artery spurted out like a fountain.

This scene.

Was worthy of a world-famous painting.

It was deeply imprinted in Lin Xian's mind. But according to Angelica... it seemed that in just 40 days, he himself would become part of a similar masterpiece.

Who killed him?

Who was the murderer?

Lin Xian's first thought was Lin Yu Xi!

The real world isn't a movie. It's not easy to sever someone's neck with brute force.

Only future humans like Lin Yu Xi and the fake Yu Xi, with their enhanced bodies, possess such exaggerated strength.

They could easily tear apart car doors, their hand strength incredibly powerful, naturally capable of severing someone's neck with a sharp knife or dagger.

Moreover, decapitation is an excessively violent method of killing.

Those familiar with killing know that stabbing is a more efficient way to kill someone. Decapitation, with its high difficulty, potential for error, possibility of being evaded, and difficulty in applying force, is generally not considered.

But for a reinforced human like Lin Yu Xi, such concerns are irrelevant.

Direct decapitation is fast, precise, eliminates resistance.

Aside from her.

Lin Xian couldn't imagine anyone else using such a brutal and arrogant method to kill him. "So that's how it is..." "Lin Yu Xi may still be in this space-time, not having disappeared into blue stardust at all!"

At this moment.

Lin Xian roughly realized that both he and Jask had been wrong.

They had optimistically assumed that Lin Yu Xi would likely disappear into blue stardust, like the future USB drive.

After all, the entangled space-time particle was destroyed, and Copernicus's space-time loop was broken. There was no reason for Lin Yu Xi to continue existing, right?

Lin Xian understood the logic of time-travelers not disappearing due to worldline shifts, like the Oriole.

Although he didn't know which space-time, which worldline, or which space-time coordinates she came from, the future world had undergone three complete transformations from her appearance to her disappearance. The Oriole never disappeared due to worldline shifts. Space-time changes didn't affect the Oriole's existence.

This was something Lin Xian had realized long ago – that time-travelers who travel back to the past are disconnected from their original space-time and won't disappear with worldline shifts. The Oriole was the best proof.

Multiple changes in worldlines and space-time curvature didn't make her disappear like the USB drive.

Therefore.

Theoretically, neither Lin Yu Xi nor the fake Yu Xi should have disappeared due to changes in worldlines and space-time curvature.

There were only two ways to make a time-traveler disappear: 1. Kill the time-traveler.

2. In the current space-time, destroy the space-time particle used by the time-traveler.

Lin Xian had always thought that way.

Jask thought so too. But now it seemed there was an error in their reasoning.

Whether it was a theoretical problem or whether Fiske's entangled space-time particle was truly special, the result was that... Lin Xian reached out.

Touching his neck.

He seemed to feel a chill.

"Was the murderer caught?"

Lin Xian looked at Angelica: "I died so horribly, and it was just left unresolved? Did the police catch the murderer?"

Angelica shook her head: "I don't know the details. My notebook only stated the fact of your death. But I suspect that even if the direct perpetrator was caught, the mastermind wasn't."

"Otherwise, why would my notebook mention avenging you? Given my personality, I believe neither the direct perpetrator nor the mastermind were caught, so I would have thought about avenging you."

Lin Xian nodded.

Actually, that question wasn't important. Whether it was the direct perpetrator or the mastermind, they were all his enemies, and he naturally had to be wary of them, and eliminate them.

Mercy towards enemies is cruelty towards oneself. He understood that very well.

He just didn't expect that the battle between him and Lin Yu Xi didn't seem to be over, and would erupt in 40 days, ending with his head being chopped off.

"A persistent ghost."

He muttered softly.

He would put that problem aside for now. There was another question to consider.

Who was the murderer who killed Jask in the fifth dream?

As the Chief of Mars, there weren't many people capable of killing him.

Since he was already at the pinnacle of human civilization, was it an internal traitor?

Or an enemy from beyond humanity?

Lin Xian could only guess at these two possibilities. But guessing was useless.

Now, the matter was impossible to prove. In the mouths of Zheng Xiangyue, Wei Shengjin, and Grandpa Jin, Jask died of old age, a natural death. Undoubtedly, the entire Mars would have mourned on the day of his passing, with long lines of people sending him off. Perhaps the murderer was hiding among the mourners, pretending to wipe away tears.

As for Angelica.

She knew even less of the correct answer.

From the moment she left Mars, she had completely lost contact with that side.

Lin Xian raised his head.

He asked again: "Did Jask reveal anything to you about his death?"

Angelica shook her head again: "He didn't say. I repeatedly asked, but he wouldn't tell me. Perhaps he was being kind, or maybe, I couldn't have helped him at the time, so telling me would have been pointless."

"But I've always suspected something..." Angelica narrowed her eyes: "I only realized this after arriving on Earth. You may have heard that prolonged hibernation has side effects like memory loss, with a safe period of 10 years."

"That is, as long as you wake up within 10 years, there's basically no risk of memory loss. If you absolutely don't want to lose your memory and still want to hibernate for a long time, there's only one method... that is, wake up every 10 years, then live a normal life, consolidate half a year of memories, and then continue hibernating."

"This intermittent hibernation method is very damaging to the body. It causes incurable nerve pain and may even cause the body to develop hibernation resistance, leading to severe hibernation sickness, even death in the hibernation pod." "Generally speaking, no one uses this method long-term. It's no different from slow suicide. But... Jask used this method to ensure his memories weren't lost. It's explicitly stated in Mars' history education that all Martians know the reason why Jask didn't lose his memory over hundreds of years."

Lin Xian listened to Angelica's account without feeling particularly strange.

He had encountered similar things before and didn't quite understand what she was trying to express: "What are you trying to say? I don't quite understand."

He wondered: "If Jask really woke up every 10 years, consolidated his memories, checked the results of Mars's terraforming, and issued new instructions and planned the next decade... that logic makes perfect sense, right?"

"Let's roughly calculate. A time span of nearly 600 years, let's say 600 years. Waking up 60 times, each for half a year, that's a total of 30 years."

"Although you say it will cause incurable pain to the body, the fact that Jask hasn't lost his memory after hundreds of years can be completely explained scientifically." "No..." Angelica interrupted Lin Xian: "It's not like that, Lin Xian. You didn't hear what I wanted to say."

She blinked and continued: "According to your statement, there's absolutely no problem. In the extreme case, arriving in the future, Jask would only be over 80 years old."

"But... the Jask I saw was very young, very healthy, definitely no more than 60 years old!"

"The official story on Mars is that Jask has always been very concerned about beauty, health, and skincare, and has used high-tech medical beauty, which is why he looks so young."

Lin Xian rested his chin on his hand.

He thought for a moment.

Shaking his head: "How should I put it? I heard that Mars doesn't have this kind of high-tech medical beauty. Even if it did... is it necessary for someone like Jask to care about beauty and skincare? It feels like an excuse?"

"It's as if Jask is deliberately concealing his excessively young appearance. What is his purpose? Moreover, he is the most respected public figure. His hibernation time and activity track are completely public. I have other Martian human friends who have a very high opinion of Jask. They all say that Jask has always been very active in history, participating in many important projects."

"Then how did he do it? How did he ensure that his memory wasn't lost, waking up at least every 10 years, while still being very active in history, participating in many important Martian projects and plans, and... ultimately, still looking so young?"

"This itself is a series of contradictory propositions. Unless..."

She paused.

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes: "Fake Jask."

Lin Xian thought of Fiske's doppelganger that was so convincing he immediately understood the hidden meaning in Angelica's words: "I understand, you're trying to say that... in these hundreds of years of history, there were two Jasks, or even three or four Jasks."

"They appeared on Mars at different times, organized, disciplined, and purposefully playing the role of the real Jask."

"And where is the real Jask? He may have been sleeping in some corner, possibly still not awake. All the Jasks that humans have seen are fake! Then naturally, the Jask who died... might also be fake."

Angelica nodded: "That's right, Lin Xian, that's the possibility I thought of."

"This is also the idea that has supported me all these years on Earth, without giving up hope."

"He's Jask... he's such a smart person. In this notebook I wrote, it mentions him using 'fake Jasks' to lure enemies into a trap. So, by the same token... wouldn't Jask also use doubles in the course of these hundreds of years? Wouldn't he also use a double in the so-called final attempt? Even the one who died in the end might still be a double... and the real Jask is still alive somewhere in the universe?"

"That's possible."

Lin Xian replied: "I also think that Jask, a man with multiple escape routes, since he tasted the sweetness of having a double hundreds of years ago, how could he only use such a beautiful trick once?"

Lin Xian recalled the "fake Jask" he almost killed.

Later, when reviewing the situation with Jask, Jask himself said... a double is a good thing. If it weren't for this double being so convincingly real, Lin Xian's modified stun gun would have sent Fiske to his grave.

Such a smart genius might really have left some backup plan.

Therefore.

It made sense that Angelica thought this way. She might still be waiting for Fiske to appear and fulfill his promise.

But... now, worrying about whether Fiske is dead or alive is meaningless to Lin Xian.

First of all.

The white light would destroy this world at 00:42. Even if Fiske was really still alive, he wouldn't have enough time to meet him, which was worthless to him at the moment. Secondly.

Forget about Jask's life or death 600 years later. Now, he himself was already in danger 600 years ago! Today is May 18, 2024.

In about 40 days, on July 7, he would be decapitated, his head severed.

So, the question of real Jask or fake Jask should be considered later. Right now, the most urgent thing.

Was to save his own head, save his own life.

"Difficult."

Lin Xian muttered to himself.

July 7 was too close. Unlike the future world hundreds of years later, it wouldn't be so easy to change. The closer the future was, the harder it was to change.

This was also a manifestation of the space-time butterfly effect. Only a sufficiently long time span could achieve the effect of moving a thousand pounds with four ounces of force.

The shorter the time span, the weaker the effect of the space-time butterfly effect.

With a time span as short as 40 days, even if the future world was changed dramatically, it might not affect the lurking space-time assassin Lin Yu Xi from killing him.

Moreover, this matter wasn't the same as bringing Zhao Yingjun back to life. Zhao Yingjun's death was entirely due to an accident. So, all he had to do was avoid the accident.

After all, accidents only happen on that day, at that moment. Avoiding it once means avoiding it forever. But a space-time assassin is different!

She was determined to kill him. Even if he hid in the National Security Agency on July 7, it wouldn't prevent Lin Yu Xi from continuing to hunt him down on July 8, and then there would be July 9, July 10... and so on... Lin Xian had a headache.

"But the entangled space-time particle has already been destroyed by Jask... The space-time assassin Lin Yu Xi can't be completely unaffected, right?"

Lin Xian couldn't understand this logic. Lin Yu Xi was truly a monster.

The laws of space-time were ineffective against her. Even after destroying the space-time particle, she still existed. Was she really outside the Three Realms, not within the Five Elements? It was too buggy.

Was there no justice?

Was there no one who could control this guy!

It was said that every object has a counter... what exactly could subdue Lin Yu Xi? After a long silence.

Lin Xian calmed down and felt that the situation shouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"If destroying the entangled space-time particle really had no effect on Lin Yu Xi at all, then why did she run away so quickly in the first place?"

Yes.

This was a very crucial point.

This was enough to infer that Lin Yu Xi must have been injured, and the damage caused by destroying the space-time particle to her shouldn't be small. Secondly.

There was another point.

Why wait until July 7 to decapitate him?

For so long before that, he had been in a completely unprepared state, even relaxing to the point of going shopping and catching dolls with Yan Qiaoqiao. If she really wanted to kill him, why didn't she kill him earlier?

This inferred the second point: The current Lin Yu Xi must be subject to some restrictions, so she couldn't act, or couldn't attack him. Only when July 7 arrived could she lift the restrictions and begin her second pursuit of him. That is to say.

The next 40 days.

For him.

Were absolutely safe!

What he did in these 40 days was the key to reversing the situation, defying fate, and even turning defeat into victory!

40 days.

This was the countdown to his life, and also the safe period for final development.

At this time.

Standing by the bed, listening to the two people's conversation, she also understood a lot of things, and put away the Mars technology multi-functional military knife in her hand.

She walked to Lin Xian's side: "It seems that this trip to Queenstown was in vain."

She pointed to the elderly Angelica, and then pointed to Lin Xian: "You two are so familiar... if there was a safe deposit box with your name here, she would have noticed it long ago."

"Indeed."

Lin Xian looked at Angelica: "I heard that there are more than a dozen hafnium alloy safe deposit boxes in Queenstown. You should know the names, right? Is there one with my name? Number 66."

Angelica shook her head: "There definitely isn't one with your name. I have such a deep impression of your name. Just like this little girl said, I would have told you just now if there was one with your name."

"Can you take us to see them?"

Lin Xian suggested: "I want to see the other safe deposit boxes."

Although he was a little disappointed that he couldn't find his own safe deposit box here, at least he could look at the numbers and try his luck.

As long as he could find one among the numbers 1-266, then he could match the safe deposit box in the Tem Bank in 2024.

Then the following things would be easy.

He could just swap that rice cooker for a safe deposit box.

He would go to exchange it tomorrow morning, and then come back here with her tomorrow night to open it together.

"No problem."

Angelica agreed in one breath: "You wait for me to change my clothes."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the dressing room next door. Before long, Angelica, dressed in full attire, led Lin Xian and her downstairs, walking towards a warehouse-type building not far away.

Lin Xian held up the glass oil lamp, following Angelica: "The people in the village outside say that you opened several hafnium alloy safe deposit boxes, so you obtained weapons and powerful strength, and thus established Queenstown."

"Heh."

Angelica smiled blandly: "That's just the story I put out, just to cover my tracks. You should know that safe deposit boxes like this, similar to space-time capsules, couldn't possibly contain weapons, powerful strength, engineering books, or anything like that, right?"

"I did open a few safe deposit boxes, it's true, and it took me many years, but they were all filled with boring things. Diaries, souvenirs, all kinds of junk... almost all garbage."

"So, after opening a few using brute force, I threw them all in the warehouse and never bothered with them again. As for why the story released to the outside world says that we obtained weapons and strength from the safe deposit boxes... obviously, it's to conceal my identity as someone from Mars, and not expose my origins."

"Although Jask said that Earth is absolutely safe, how can there be such a thing as absolute safety? It's better to avoid trouble. Queenstown was able to develop because of those few subject books Jask gave me back then. Even in Queenstown, only I know the truth about this."

"We're here, it's this warehouse."

Angelica had the guards open the door, and then led Lin Xian and her inside.

Because of the building level, the warehouse wasn't very big, only slightly larger than a regular house.

Eight safe deposit boxes were stacked against the wall, covered in spider webs and dust. Six safe deposit boxes had already been opened and placed against the other wall, filled with clutter.

Placed against the other wall, filled with clutter. Lin Xian first looked at the six safe deposit boxes that had already been opened. Good lord, their numbers were all above 1000, worthless.

Then he looked at the eight that hadn't been opened.

Their numbers were also very large, ranging from 400 to over 1000, with none below 400.

Recalling the one dug up underground, and the one in Face Village, neither had a number below 400. What was going on?

Could it be that... Tem Bank later opened a branch to expand its business and expand the warehouse?

Don't say it.

It was really possible.

The place where Brother Wang is operating Tem Bank now has a really good location, in the downtown business district, very prosperous, but it's also worth its weight in gold, so the warehouse was already packed with 266 safe deposit boxes.

If they wanted to continue adding safe deposit boxes and expand the warehouse, they would either have to buy the storefront next door together, or choose another location to open a branch and place the safe deposit boxes that were added later. If that was really the case... then this nearby area should be the site of the Tem Bank branch, so the numbers on the safe deposit boxes dug up are all very late.

"Lin Xian! Look quickly!"

She squatted down and pointed to the safe deposit box in the corner of the wall, wiping the nameplate clean with a piece of coarse cloth next to her. Number: 724 Name: Wei Shengjin "Teacher Wei's safe deposit box!"

Lin Xian was surprised by this discovery.

Just now, he was only focused on looking at the hundreds digit of these safe deposit box numbers and hadn't looked closely, but he didn't expect... that he would unexpectedly find Grandpa Wei Shengjin's safe deposit box here. Lin Xian walked forward.

He took a closer look.

That's right... it was the genuine Wei Shengjin!

He had seen the photos in Grandpa Wei Shengjin's backpack, so he naturally knew the password for the safe deposit box. So he directly reached out.

Turning the crisp password dials, he turned the eight dials into the numbers in the photo, 23730907. This was the password Grandpa Wei Shengjin set before hibernating, and he himself didn't know what the password meant.

Lin Xian's hand reached for the lock, and was about to press it down... but stopped in mid-air.

He felt the heaviness of the years, memories, and cognitive self.

After thinking about it.

He retracted his finger and looked at her and Angelica: "Anyway, Grandpa Wei Shengjin is just outside the wall. This safe deposit box... let's have him open it himself. That will be more meaningful to him."

The Queen is the Queen, and her majesty is absolute. At Angelica's command, several batches of sturdy horses galloped away, the city gates opened, and Grandpa Wei Shengjin was politely invited in, sitting on horseback.

Arriving at the warehouse.

Seeing the white-haired Queen, Lin Xian, and her inside, Grandpa Wei Shengjin was overwhelmed with surprise: "You... you two?"

He didn't know if he should say more. He was really shocked that Lin Xian and her had so easily taken care of Queenstown. "Okay, Old Marshal Wei, don't just stand there staring."

Lin Xian smiled and waved, asking Grandpa Wei Shengjin to come over, pointing to the hafnium alloy safe deposit box in front of him and saying: "Look, isn't this the safe deposit box you've been searching for so hard?"

Wei Shengjin's eyes widened.

He directly knelt on both knees, constantly stroking and wiping the nameplate with his name written on it. It was still so silvery and bright, without any trace of the years. It's just that the person who closed the door of this safe deposit box back then was a twelve-year-old boy: but now, the person who has come from afar to open it is an old man in his twilight years... If the spring breeze has a heart to pity the flowers, may it allow me to be young again.

Wei Shengjin tightened his lips.

He couldn't imagine that this time capsule that spanned the ages had actually made a big circle at this moment and finally returned to his face.

He didn't remember ever coming here.

But he had indeed been here. He didn't remember what he had put inside.

But he had indeed put something inside.

His index finger trembled a little, slowly pressing on the lock, hesitating several times, but still failing to press it down... "I understand that feeling."

Behind him, Angelica, with white hair, deep eyes, and no longer youthful, said softly: "When I first woke up from the hibernation pod, my brain was also a blank slate, and I didn't know anything, and I didn't know who I was. Only after the doctor next to me examined me did he tell me that my name was Angelica." "A few days later, Jask found me, and didn't give me those notebooks and videotapes right away, but said..." She cleared her throat, imitating Fiske's tone: "Angelica, your past life, although there have been glorious moments, the underlying tone is tragic and heartbreaking. Especially the content in your notebook now is mostly about parting and regret... You can choose not to look at these memories, just forget them completely, as if they never happened. Wouldn't that be great too?"

"You are still Angelica, but you are Angelica who is heading towards a new, happy, painless, stress-free, and without parting and regret."

"This is what many people dream of. In this world, there are too many people who are tormented by painful memories, unable to accept them, and unable to get out."

"No matter what era it is, there are people who cannot bear the pain and commit suicide. For them, amnesia is a rare and unattainable antidote. If there was a drug that could make people completely forget and start over, the sales would definitely be good."

"So... are you really sure you want to accept your former self, once again fall into regret, pain, and torment, miss those people you are destined not to see, and pursue those dreams that are destined not to be realized?"

Angelica crossed her arms and looked at Lin Xian: "That's what Jask told me back then."

"At that time, Fiske must have already known his defeat and end, so he was advising me not to look at these notes, not to try to find my former self, and to forget everything and accept a new life."

Hearing this.

Lin Xian turned his head to take a look.

He had communicated similar things with her in Rhein Village. At that time, Zheng Xiangyue wanted Lin Xian to tell her about his true past, but Lin Xian hesitated... his concerns were the same as Jask's.

The past was all pain and regret for Zheng Xiangyue, without a single moment of happiness in such a memory.

Why bother trying to find it again?

But she said at the time: "Even if it's a bad and sad thing, memories are memories. Only complete memories can make up a complete person. How can anyone's memories always be happy? People have joys and sorrows, moons have waxing and waning... Doesn't a half-moon count as a moon?"

The Ship of Theseus.

The person of Theseus.

Does this question have a truly correct answer?

In fact, Grandpa Wei Shengjin also said that there were plenty of humans who had woken up from hibernation on Mars who chose to give up their original memories and started a completely new life, living happily ever after.

Some people stubbornly accepted their previous memories, but as a result, they became painful, depressed, and eventually chose to commit suicide, or went down the road of revenge on society.

In the final judgment seat of the court.

These people were often regretful, crying and wailing: "I shouldn't have accepted the original memories... I really can't get out, I should have forgotten those memories!"

Therefore.

Does this question have a truly correct answer?

The three turned their heads and looked at the hesitant Grandpa Wei Shengjin.

What would he choose?

Grandpa Wei Shengjin took a deep breath, put his finger on the lock again, and said softly: "Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty."

"But... you must have also chosen to accept your former self in the end, right?"

"I often worry, what if the notebooks they gave us when I woke up from hibernation are wrong? What if... these notebooks aren't mine, but belong to someone else named Wei Shengjin?"

"Is it possible that my name isn't Wei Shengjin in the first place, but I just live as someone named Wei Shengjin according to the memories recorded in those notes?"

"This... is my purpose for coming to Earth." Grandpa Wei Shengjin opened his eyes, his gaze firm: "I want to know the answer, to know... who I really am!" His right hand finally exerted force!

With a muffled sound.

The safe deposit box that had been sealed for hundreds of years opened in response.