Chapter 426: Blue Snow

Chapter 426: Blue Snow

“Qiao Qiao! Let’s get out of here, now!” Lin Xian shouted.

After two confrontations, Lin Xian already understood that Lin Yu Xi was no match for the blue-eyed girl. Their strength was worlds apart—an unfair battle. Even if Lin Yu Xi fought with all her might, her opponent barely had to move a muscle to send her flying.

This girl, whom Lin Yu Xi called “Number 17,” was like a fully realized “Terminator.” She was as powerful as the Yu Xi who had once killed the imposter Yu Xi—far stronger than this current Yu Xi, who had lost all her future abilities.

Clang!

Another clash sent sparks flying. The blue-eyed Number 17, who stood a head taller than Lin Yu Xi, forced her down with the blade. The petite Yu Xi, crushed under the pressure, looked like a small, defenseless creature. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

“Run! We need to get out of here!” Lin Xian urged again. Fighting was impossible, but escape was still an option.

Especially now, with Zhao Ying Jun bringing the Ferrari closer. If they found the right moment, the three of them could use the car to flee. This trick had worked many times in the States. The time travelers were strong and fast, but no human could outrun a supercar.

By now, Lin Xian had pieced some things together. Yu Xi had indeed regained all her memories, which was why she recognized Number 17. At the same time, she hadn’t lost her memories as Yan Qiao Qiao, which made her choose not to harm Lin Xian but instead protect him.

It meant Lin Xian’s assumptions had been wrong all along. He had thought his head had been cut off by Yu Xi after her memories returned. But the truth was the opposite. She’d protect him. The one who would behead him was... someone else.

And that someone else was this blue-eyed girl—Number 17—the sleeping girl from the Sixth Dream, and the village head from the Seventh Dream.

All the clues matched.

If Yu Xi knew Number 17, then they must have come from the same organization. And if they were from the same group, their purpose was also aligned—to capture him or, in extreme cases, execute him.

Number 17 held a strong jealousy toward Yu Xi. She didn’t have a name, just a number, and seemed to resent Yu Xi for it, wanting to take everything from her. Lin Xian could see this as well.

Number 17 wanted to kill Yu Xi, take her name Yan Qiao Qiao, and even take the Disney family portrait. That’s why, in the Sixth and Seventh Dreams, Number 17 called herself Yan Qiao Qiao. She wasn’t Qiao Qiao, but she longed for a name—something of her own.

She stole Qiao Qiao’s name, claiming it as hers.

All of this, Lin Xian finally understood. Unbelievable... the four options he had once listed, the one he thought was most ridiculous, the one he eliminated first—Option A—had turned out to be correct.

Yu Xi and Yan Qiao Qiao were the same person. The one who beheaded him, the sleeping girl in the pod, the village head—that was someone else entirely.

Once the logic was clear, another question followed—one he couldn’t explain. How did Number 17 travel here using the “entangled time-space particles”?

Elon Musk’s entangled particle had been destroyed. Its lifeless remains were still in Liu Feng’s lab. Liu Feng had just confirmed it—no energy, no changes. It was unusable.

So how did Number 17 cross over?

The logic didn’t make sense... unless...

Lin Xian thought of two possibilities:

At some point in the future, Copernicus, who led the Time-Space Bureau, captured another entangled particle and used it for Number 17.

The particle Number 17 used was Liu Feng’s—now powerless, but in the future, it regained its energy and was stolen by Copernicus for Number 17.

Considering how rare and precious these particles were... It seemed likely that there could be only one in human history.

Thus, the most plausible scenario was the second: that Lin Xian and Liu Feng eventually failed to guard the particle, and after recharging, it was stolen by Copernicus.

Ughh...

Thinking of this, Lin Xian clenched his teeth, letting out a long sigh.

These entangled particles were nothing but trouble. No wonder Elon Musk had destroyed it outright, knowing he couldn’t protect it.

In hindsight, that had been a smart move. If it couldn’t be kept, if it would eventually be stolen, better to destroy it so no one could use it.

But... Lin Xian and Elon Musk overlooked one crucial thing: the particle could recharge. And that meant even in a powerless state, it was still valuable.

Elon Musk likely didn’t know this. If he had, he wouldn’t have given the particle’s remains to Lin Xian, or he’d have made sure to destroy it more thoroughly—or thrown it into space, making it impossible for Copernicus to steal.

But it was too late now.

Another time-traveling killer was here, and they needed to survive.

Vroom—

On the other side of the road, Zhao Ying Jun spun the Ferrari, drifting it to face Number 17 and speeding toward her.

Of course, it wouldn’t hit Number 17—she could easily dodge. But she didn’t trigger the forced avoidance either.

Number 17 could have stood her ground. But that was her blind spot—proof that this was the only entangled particle. Neither Yu Xi before nor Number 17 now knew about forced avoidance. There had never been any prior experiments.

Lin Xian had learned about it the hard way—the only test subject. It was an information gap they could use. While Number 17 dodged, he planned to grab Yu Xi and escape in the Ferrari.

“The Ferrari’s coming! Move!” Lin Xian shouted to Yu Xi. “We need to get in the car and go!”

Yu Xi understood. She gave her all in one final clash with Number 17 before swiftly retreating to Lin Xian’s side.

Number 17 turned just in time to see the roaring Ferrari closing in. She narrowed her crystal blue eyes like a hawk eyeing prey.

Then—

She leaped.

Instead of dodging, she jumped right onto the Ferrari!

Thud.

Landing on the roof, she ran to the back, over the engine compartment, and with her gloved right hand, smashed down on it.

Riiip—

The wrenching sound of tearing metal filled the air.

To Lin Xian’s shock, the V12 engine was torn right out, the red-hot cylinders steaming. Wires and fuel lines ripped apart.

The raging beast was silenced. The car lost power and rolled to a stop by the roadside.

Number 17 casually tossed the engine aside and sneered. “Run? Where to?”

She stepped forward, slowly closing the distance.

“That car... it’s your coffin.”

Yu Xi, brandishing her knife, charged forward, but—

Thud!

She was kicked back with immense force, rolling to the ground.

Lin Xian rushed to help her up. “Qiao Qiao!”

Yu Xi coughed, blood splattering out, staining Lin Xian’s clothes. Both realized it—that kick had been Number 17 getting serious. Before, she’d toyed with Yu Xi like she was venting years of pent-up anger. Now she was done playing.

Yu Xi stood no chance against the full might of the perfect time-space assassin.

Number 17 twirled her blade, her eyes glinting with excitement. “Who should I kill first?”

...

At the same time, in Texas, Boca Chica, a luxurious villa—

A female secretary turned the key, opening the door. She adjusted her red-rimmed glasses, pushing the door open.

In the brightly lit living room, a man sat on the sofa, looking almost identical to Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. He quickly hid a VR headset behind a cushion.

“Oh, shit!” he cursed, complaining, “Miss Secretary! Could you at least knock before coming into someone’s house? It’s giving me no sense of privacy!”

The secretary scoffed. “Fakester, do you really think this place is yours? This is company property. Just because you live here doesn’t mean it’s yours. Also...”

But none of that mattered now.

Yu Xi watched as Number 17 approached, her blade spinning.

She turned and hugged Lin Xian, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her face to his chest.

“Daddy,” she whispered.

Lin Xian froze, eyes widening. This was the first time Yu Xi had ever called him that. He knew she’d regained her memories, but... how did she know?

There was no time to think. Yu Xi stood, a sad smile on her face, tears in her eyes.

“This time... don’t leave me again,” she said, before turning to charge at Number 17.

“Yu Xi!” Lin Xian shouted, but it was too late.

In that moment, her eyes blazed blue, and her entire body turned into sparkling blue particles—a brilliant, crystalline glow.

Number 17’s eyes widened. “No! You can’t—”

Boom.

The blue explosion was silent, covering all of Donghai City in glimmering blue dust.

Huangfu, Xuhui, Changning, Jing’an, Putuo, Baoshan—every part of the city was covered.

The Oriental Pearl, the banks of the Huangpu River, Disneyland, the Peace Hotel, MMX Company, parks—each landmark blanketed in shimmering blue.

These falling blue specks didn’t belong to this world. They sank into buildings, the earth, the flowing traffic.

People looked up, puzzled by the spectacle.

“Is it... snowing?”

They reached out, trying to catch the flakes, only for them to vanish.

On July 1st, 2024, at the height of summer, Donghai City saw snowfall. A miraculous, four-second snowfall—brief, beautiful.

In the Donghai University lab—

Liu Feng stood, stunned, watching as blue specks filled the room.

He looked out the window. It was like the world’s fireflies had gathered in one place.

And then, just as suddenly, the blue was gone.

Liu Feng turned to the time clock—

[0.0000168]

Beep, beep—

A hopeful sound. He turned to see the white mini-fridge in the lab, its screen lighting up for the first time in months.

Something had changed. Something inside.

He hurried over, opened the door—

Inside, bright blue light burst forth, taking his breath away. Two swirling blue energy balls—as if awakening from a long sleep—glowed brightly, full of energy.

...

Back at Lin Xian’s neighborhood entrance—

The blue explosion faded, leaving both Yu Xi and Number 17 gone.

Lin Xian looked around, breathing heavily, watching the blue specks fall. He tried to grab them—nothing. He reached to embrace—only emptiness.

“Qiao Qiao?”

Zhao Ying Jun pushed open the Ferrari door, rushing over. Her eyes widened, her voice trembling.

“Qiao Qiao? Where is she?”

She ran to Lin Xian, her voice rising in panic.

“Where’s my child?!”

Lin Xian stepped forward, embracing Zhao Ying Jun tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Zhao Ying Jun held her breath. She’d never seen Lin Xian like this, never heard him sound like this...

She was his child too. His heart hurt just as much as hers—maybe even more.

No matter how strong or confident a man was, he had moments of vulnerability.

“I’m sorry,” Zhao Ying Jun held Lin Xian, patting his back. “I was too anxious... But what happened? Where did Qiao Qiao go?”

Lin Xian sighed deeply, pulling away slightly, holding her shoulders.

“She went home.”

“Home?” Zhao Ying Jun shook her head. “This is her home! Donghai is her home. Don’t lie to me, Lin Xian. I can take anything, but not lies.”

“I’m not lying,” Lin Xian said. “She belongs here and doesn’t belong here. She’s from the future, but not our future. Her name isn’t Yan Qiao Qiao—it’s Lin Yu Xi.”

“Lin Xian... Yu Xi...” Zhao Ying Jun repeated, remembering the name from their past conversations, remembering the DNA mix-up with the girl in sunglasses.

It made sense now. That’s why she loved that name—she had chosen it for herself.

“Can we...” Zhao Ying Jun’s voice shook, her eyes searching Lin Xian’s face. “Can we bring Yu Xi back?”

Ring, ring—

Lin Xian’s phone rang. It was Liu Feng. At this moment... there had to be changes to the time clock, the worldline—

Lin Xian answered, “Hello?”

“Lin Xian! Something big has happened!” Liu Feng yelled. “The time clock readings changed again, but that’s not the big news. The entangled particle... it’s fully recharged!”

Lin Xian narrowed his eyes. So... it was connected, after all, to Yu Xi’s transformation into blue particles. That particle was her core, her energy source for the journey here. Or maybe it had something to do with Number 17’s disappearance.

The particle had recharged.

Was it a curse, destined to be stolen by Copernicus, or was it... an opportunity?

“Wait for me at the lab,” Lin Xian said, hanging up.

He looked at Zhao Ying Jun, speaking with resolve.

“Listen to me, Ying Jun. First, I swear I’ll get justice for Yu Xi. As her father, I can’t let those who hurt her get away with it. I’ll show it through my actions.

“Second, my promise to you—I failed to protect our daughter, but I’ll make it right.”

He bent down, picking up the family photo, placing it in Zhao Ying Jun’s hand, holding her hand firmly.

“Don’t leave Yu Xi,” he whispered. “This time, I finally understand.”