Chapter 1 Lin Xuan

Lin Xuan looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, familiar yet strange.

She didn't recognize him.

He didn't recognize her either.

But…

In countless spaces, times, and nights, they had already met countless times at the beginning and end of the world.

And their most recent encounter was in Brooklyn in 1952.

Ten large pickup trucks worth of fireworks failed to make the original Zhuang CC look back even once before she transformed into blue stardust next to the clock tower on the top floor of the bank and dissipated.

That girl from that scene.

Was exactly the same as Qin Xi, who had just finished her street performance.

It was as if time was rewinding, and the sun and moon were traveling east, pulling the bustling city of Chengdu back to the ancient and poor Brooklyn… the girl sitting on a wooden box at the pier, gazing at the Manhattan skyscrapers.

Lin Xuan didn't know what the talkative VV was thinking at this moment.

But roughly.

She was also thinking about memories similar to his.

He had never seen VV so quiet, so sad.

No.

Strictly speaking, there was one time.

It was at the end of the Third Dream when Lin Xuan told the dilapidated trash can robot VV that the farthest distance in the world was when people never meet in life.

At that time, the clumsy and foolish old robot suddenly seemed to have a heartbeat, emotions, and a human heart.

The lights of the entire Rhein Sky City dimmed as if tears were falling, just like VV at this moment.

…

The girl in the tunnel tilted her head.

Blinked her eyes.

Looking at the strange combination in front of her.

It was already close to one o'clock in the morning, the public transportation station was no longer open, and the surrounding crowd had gradually dispersed. In the blink of an eye, the tunnel was empty.

However, the young man who was panting heavily was standing there, looking at her silently; next to him was a trash can robot trembling all over, about to fall apart… also staring at her without saying a word, which made Qin Xi feel inexplicably terrified.

Could it be…

That she had encountered a crazy person?

Suddenly.

She had a flash of inspiration and understood:

"You… you didn't come all the way here on purpose, did you?"

The panting man.

That seemed to be the only possibility.

That was too embarrassing. They had worked so hard to run over, but her performance was over.

But!

In this day and age, there were still people who liked classical music so much that they specially ran over to watch the performance in the middle of the night, and she couldn't help but feel a little surprised and gratified.

She smiled slightly, put her hands behind her back, and looked at Lin Xuan:

"Do you like classical music too?"

This question really stunned Lin Xuan.

Classical music…

He hadn't really been exposed to it yet, so he couldn't say whether he liked it or hated it.

But then again.

For Qin Xi in 2504, what exactly was classical music?

It seemed that, in terms of time span, music from decades or a hundred years ago could be considered classical music; music from hundreds of years ago… should be called antique music, right?

But at least.

For an old zombie like him from the old era, he already had some difficulty understanding the music forms of 2234. It was the kind that would make you kneel as soon as you heard it.

Not to mention now in 2504, he probably wouldn't be able to accept the music of the new era.

Unexpectedly.

The trendy person who used to be at the forefront of the times had now become a stubborn conservative due to the span of hibernation time.

No wonder British science fiction writer Douglas Adams once jokingly summarized the *Three Laws of Science*:

1. Everything that's already in the world when you're born is just normal and ordinary and is a natural part of the way the world works.

2. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.

"I quite like it."

Lin Xuan looked at the girl in front of him who looked exactly like Chu Anqing, Zhang Yuqian, the original Zhuang CC, and CC 600 years later, and replied:

"I prefer things from the old era."

*Pfft*—

The girl was instantly amused, and the fluffy ponytail behind her head bounced magically:

"I could tell at a glance! Because… you're originally from the old era!"

?

Lin Xuan was a little strange.

He looked at the clothes he was wearing, which were no different from the students at Rhein University. Gao Wen had prepared them for him, and they were very ordinary clothes for this era.

His hairstyle was also fine. On the way here, Lin Xuan didn't think his hairstyle was too alternative.

Under these circumstances…

How could the other party tell that he was a human from the old era?

Seeming to see Lin Xuan's question, Qin Xi explained with a smile:

"Hehe, it's the [expression and eyes]!"

"Don't you think it's amazing? Why is it that even though the clothes are the same, you can easily tell which people are from the old era?"

"The reason lies in the expression and eyes. People who have hibernated from the old era always have a feeling of unhappiness, joylessness, sadness, melancholy, loneliness, and resistance."

"You see, people in the new era are all energetic and full of hope for the future; but many hibernators from the old era, perhaps because they don't have a sense of belonging after waking up, and don't have relatives and friends, always give people a feeling of being a walking corpse, unable to integrate into the new era… Ah!"

Qin Xi suddenly realized that saying this was a bit offensive and impolite, and quickly covered her mouth!

Really.

They were obviously strangers meeting for the first time, how could she have no sense of caution and suddenly chat so frankly like a good friend?

The other party was from the old era, so saying that they were walking corpses was really inappropriate.

"Sorry, sorry, I, I'm also just speaking my mind, don't mind it."

Qin Xi sincerely apologized:

"But I really don't have any prejudice against the old era… on the contrary, I really like the old era! Whether it's the people of the old era, the romantic atmosphere, or classical music, I really like it!"

"Hehe, in that case, I'll give you an extra performance!"

As she said that.

Qin Xi bent down, opened the guitar case that had already been closed, took out a wooden guitar from inside, and hung it around her neck:

"How should I put it, I can't let you run over here for nothing, so I'll sing an extra song just for you~"

She plucked the six strings one by one, tuned them, and looked up at Lin Xuan:

"Since you also hibernated from the old era, is there any particular song you like? But, if you want to request a song, it must be the kind that was particularly popular and classic back then, I can't sing every song."

"Anything is fine."

Lin Xuan said softly:

"Thank you for the extra performance, sing whatever you want."

After all…

[This is Qin Xi's last song in her life.]

Qin Xi touched her chin with her index finger and thought for a while:

"In that case, I'll sing a song that I just learned."

Her eyes curved into crescents, and two small dimples appeared playfully on the corners of her mouth:

"This is a song that I just learned this afternoon, but because I'm not very proficient and haven't memorized the sheet music yet, I definitely wouldn't dare to sing it when so many people were watching tonight."

"But it doesn't matter now, anyway, there are only two of us here, oh… and a Mr. Trash Can. If I don't sing well, don't laugh at me."

As soon as she finished speaking.

A cool night breeze blew.

Rolling up the brown hair around Qin Xi's ears, sweeping it across her fair face, she entered a musical state, her left hand holding down the strings on the fretboard, and her right hand plucking the strings.

The notes were long and crisp, slow and elegant, but the melody was filled with a desolate and regretful feeling.

This prelude melody…

Lin Xuan used to be a guitarist in a band in college, so his musical sense was good.

VV was even a super artificial intelligence, so the two of them immediately heard the name of this "classical song" that Qin Xi was going to sing—

*Alaskan Sea*.

As the aftersound of the vibrating strings weakened, Qin Xi took a deep breath, and her ethereal and clean voice instantly emerged:

"Heaven… can't you see that I love her so much."

"Why do you want to separate two people who clearly love each other?"

"Heaven… please don't secretly tell her."

"That in countless quiet nights, there is someone thinking of her."

…

Qin Xi's a cappella was clear and bright, without any worldly dust. This pure feeling instantly pulled Lin Xuan's thoughts back to 1952.

The girl who smiled brightly after taking a bite of a hot dog;

The girl who embraced the world while sitting on a carousel;

The girl who stood up on the back seat of a motorcycle, shouting and crying as she crossed the Brooklyn Bridge;

The girl who stood on top of the Empire State Building, with snowflakes swirling into angel wings, holding his hand tightly and wishing him to become a true savior.

It was so pure and sacred.

The appearance of an angel, the kindness of an angel, the voice of an angel.

"In the days to come, you must take good care of her."

"I'm not by her side, you can't bully her."

"Don't let anyone else walk into her heart, only to leave her again."

"Because I don't want to see her cry anymore…"

…

The singing was gentle and intoxicating, but the lyrics were like needles, piercing Lin Xuan's heart.

In the Manhattan movie theater, CC looked at him with tears in her eyes, asking him if he would wake up one day and find that it was just a dream.

In the sky plane, 20,000 meters high, Chu Anqing, who had touched the space-time particle, cried out loudly, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Xuan clenched his fists.

Every Millennium Zhuang girl brought him help, gentleness, and dedication.

And what he gave them in return…

Was full of regret, sadness, and farewell.

Qin Xi's fingertips danced, playing a solo that was both rhythmically soothing and heart-wrenching during the song's interlude, then took a deep breath, and this song *Alaskan Sea* also reached its climax:

"Heaven… are you secretly watching the joke?"

"Knowing that I don't have the ability to protect her yet, you let us meet?"

"Heaven… has she not been sleepless lately?"

"May the warmth of the world turn into a breeze, and embrace her in my place."

…

Lin Xuan had danced with every Millennium Zhuang girl he knew, but this was the first time he had heard them sing.

His vision was a little blurry.

How could he not want to save these Millennium Zhuang girls, catch the mastermind behind the scenes, and tear apart their plan to lock down history?

But again and again, he could only do as Liu Feng said, being powerless and watching them inevitably dissipate.

On the bank clock tower in 1952, the original Zhuang CC turned into stardust in the wind, scattering all over Brooklyn, but Lin Xuan couldn't catch a single piece.

In 2024, Chu Anqing jumped from a height of 20,000 meters, and he followed without hesitation. He clearly caught up, clearly grabbed her hand, but in the end… after opening the spacesuit, there was nothing.

In 2624, he and CC became friends and trusted partners, accumulating memories from dream to dream and from being bank robbers. He had promised to put on the most beautiful fireworks for CC on her 20th birthday, but he still couldn't fulfill it, and he couldn't even find CC in the dream.

Just as Qin Xi sang.

In order to fulfill his promise, save the future of the world, save the fate of mankind, and save Chu Anqing, who had captured the first precious space-time particle for him, he had hibernated twice from 2025, coming to the strange space-time of 2504.

Although he found Cheng Qian, saved VV, and was about to find Newton and Galileo… but facing the Millennium Zhuang girl who was about to dissipate in front of him, it was still too late for anything.

This song *Alaskan Sea* had already reached its end.

Qin Xi, like Chu Anqing, was very artistically talented. They could easily immerse themselves in the performance, as if they were there in person.

In the silent tunnel with only two people and one trash can, the lingering sound of Qin Xi's thin guitar accompaniment echoed, making the already regrettable song even more heartbreaking.

After a few short notes were played, the song came to its final ending. The guitar accompaniment became more and more numerous, replaced by Qin Xi's clear voice, which gradually became a little sad and hoarse.

Her voice was very soft, very soft.

Like a narration, like a memory, like a past that could not be returned to, like a distant place that could not be reached.

"Heaven… these words I said to you at night…"

Qin Xi's voice became lighter and lighter, but it became more and more pious, just like CC praying with her eyes closed in the church; also like the angel who made a wish with her life on the snowy rooftop of the Empire State Building.

"Don't accidentally let it slip and tell her, I'm afraid it will wake her up."

"Heaven… please don't secretly tell her."

"That in countless quiet nights…"

The last light strum of the strings.

Qin Xi raised her head, looked at Lin Xuan, who was close at hand, and said with tearful eyes:

"[I still… am thinking of him.]"

…

*Whirr*—

*Whirr*—

*Whirr*—

The sad girl's body turned blue, then became transparent, as thin as a cicada's wing, so that even the moonlight could shine through it.

In an instant, her body turned into large clusters of blue stardust, shattering like sand, brushed by the night wind, fluttering into a starry sky…

Flying through the streets of Chengdu and dissipating into the night.

June 18, 2504, 00:42.

The city center's nightlife was filled with singing and dancing, and colorful neon lights flashed across the sky.

No one noticed.

In this unnoticed transportation station tunnel, a young girl in the prime of her life left this world in song, locking down another piece of history, but leaving nothing behind.

*Thud*.

A muffled sound.

The pure wooden guitar fell from the sky, smashing on the hard ground, denting the neck of the guitar, and two strings broke in response, turning into the last trembling notes of this story.

In the tunnel…

Lingering for a long time.