Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Mad Decision

Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Mad Decision

Like the Chen family, this place had been established to avoid scrutiny. However, his underground laboratory had existed for much longer—it had been built more than a decade ago. After years of research, he had finally learned to communicate with the entity within. Yet, that communication came with a price: it demanded blood. Xu Tianming had used a great deal of blood to make contact. As for the source of that blood—

Clang, clang, clang!

A heavy alloy door swung open ahead. Inside were rows of experimental chambers, and numerous researchers moved about, busy with their tasks.

…

The weather was splendid today. The supermarket’s pavement dried quickly, and Chen Zhizhong returned to his energetic self. Today was extraordinarily busy for Future Group. Amidst the bustle, Shen An found a moment to reach out to He Zhouzhou.

“Where are you?”

He Zhouzhou replied, “Busy as always. You, the big boss, look pretty leisurely.”

Shen An answered, “Haha, I’m slacking off.”

He Zhouzhou was at work. The company’s manager was now the female supervisor who had previously helped her. Thanks to her connection with Shen An, He Zhouzhou had been promoted to supervisor, bypassing the usual requirements—a meteoric rise. Others envied her, but said nothing. Soon, people noticed something odd: nearly every day, someone was summoned for questioning. The visitors were of high rank—even the manager bowed and scraped before them.

By the third day, the rest of the staff could no longer sit still.

“Why? I’m doing just fine here—why am I being summoned? I haven’t done anything wrong! And I demand to know where those people went!”

An old employee shouted in panic. Those who had been summoned hadn’t returned, and the staff numbers remained unchanged—any missing person was immediately replaced. The newcomers seemed well-prepared, thoroughly familiar with the company’s affairs and tasks, as if every position had been tailored for them.

The employee was thoroughly alarmed.

He Zhouzhou said, “I can’t talk now, someone’s making trouble here.”

Shen An sent a few more messages, but received no reply. Checking the time, he saw it was still early, so he decided to visit the branch office.

Ding!

A sudden chime rang in Shen An’s mind. He started, then broke into a delighted smile.

“Future, you’re awake?”

He had sensed its presence and quickly asked.

Future Shen An replied with a smile, “Yes, but my energy is insufficient now—I can’t help you as often as before.”

Damn.

Shen An immediately felt uneasy.

“What’s going on? It was fine before, wasn’t it?”

Sensing something amiss, he pressed for answers.

“I’m not sure myself. The upheaval in the world is happening much later than I anticipated, and your own trajectory has changed.”

“I don’t know whether this is good or bad for us. In any case, you must be careful. What I say may not come to pass—many paths are shifting, and even I can no longer read them.”

Future Shen An sounded troubled.

“Also, with the scarcity of primordial oxygen, my energy is dwindling and no longer sufficient for use.”

Shen An was at a loss. He had thought the awakening of Future would be a boon—but now, it seemed uncertain. The root of the problem was the lack of primordial oxygen; energy was simply insufficient.

“How much time do you have left? Will you have to sleep all the time from now on?”

Shen An was worried.

“Not quite. But each time I emerge, I must rest for a while. Still, I’ll warn you in advance, so you can avoid trouble. This time, I’ll tell you what changes are coming, and what you must do.”

Future continued, “But first, tell me what you’ve been up to lately, so I can judge.”

Shen An hurriedly recounted the recent events.

Future listened in silence.

Shen An began to panic.

“Don’t scare me—say something!”

Future finally spoke. “That place on Phoenix Mountain—I cannot predict it. In my last life, I never heard of such a thing.”

“Perhaps my abilities then were lacking, or some matters were beyond my knowledge.”

Future was solemn; clearly, the situation was not simple.

He went on, “You’ve likely encountered a sealed space, and Phoenix Mountain, at a specific time and place, might be a node that allows entry.”

Those inside had not emerged—perhaps they couldn’t, or perhaps a condition had yet to be met.

Shen An asked, “Is it like the seal beneath the Chen family estate?”

He’d long suspected as much. Since obtaining the black jade, he’d possessed the ability to break the seal. Now that the Sun family had pledged loyalty, he had all the necessary materials. Yet he hadn’t undone the seal, uneasy about what might happen. He’d waited for Future to awaken, hoping to resolve his doubts.

Now was the time for answers.

“It’s not the same space. But judging by their attitude toward you, it’s unwise to open it now. You must wait until your strength is sufficient to suppress whatever lies within.”

Future’s tone was grave. “Xu Tianming’s Zhicheng Group rivals the four great families in power, and it’s very likely that a sealed force is involved. Be careful.”

He went on, “From what I know, Silver City once suffered a catastrophe: countless ordinary people died, many disappeared, and Xu Tianming produced many experts.”

Future’s words were vague, spoken with the perspective of someone who’d lived through it. He finally revealed a secret that shocked Shen An.

“My memory may not be complete—I seem to have forgotten many things.”

“No way,” Shen An murmured, suddenly understanding. Much of what Future had said had been conjecture. Apart from recognizing people and making accurate statements early on, most of his judgments were guesses, approximations, unfamiliar assessments.

Shen An finally saw where the problem lay.

“Perhaps the passage of time and the scarcity of primordial oxygen have made my memories fade. I’ve only recently realized this, as the thought lingered during my sleep—I seem to have forgotten something vital.”

Future’s words sent chills down Shen An’s spine, but he had no remedy.

He wanted to ask more, but could no longer hear from Future.

He felt disappointed—perhaps Future had fallen asleep again. It seemed he would have to wait for the world’s great upheaval to practice further. With energy so lacking, there was little he could do.

At this moment, Shen An arrived at the branch office. Wearing a hat to avoid recognition, he walked in with his head lowered.

Inside, a man was desperately trying to argue his case.