My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

"That will do." Yang Keshe raised his left hand.

The host of bodyguards in black behind him froze, bowed slightly, and then all withdrew. The last one to leave shut the main door on his way out.

Only three people remained in the room.

"Who is he?" Qi Heng asked evenly. He sized up Chu Bamboo, his gaze finally landing on the fox mask. ’I can’t recall any core member of the All-Powerful whose symbolic mask is a fox.’

"He is..." Yang Keshe had just managed to get two words out when Chu Bamboo cut him off. "You have a short memory for someone so important. Three years ago, when you had an ’exchange’ with the Eleventh Apostle and nearly died, who was it that put in a good word for you?"

"...?" Qi Heng was stunned for a moment, his mind reeling. "Could it be... So it was you!"

Chu Bamboo smiled silently and leaned back on the sofa, as if letting the silence speak for itself.

’Of course, the truth was... it wasn’t me.’

’Or rather, on one of the reset timelines... I did speak up for Qi Heng when he was dealing with the Eleventh Apostle, making him owe me a favor... but the problem is, that timeline has already been reset...’

’Of course, it’s not really a big deal. Even if I hadn’t spoken up for Qi Heng back then, someone else would have... To put it bluntly, it was just the Eleventh Apostle’s way of putting Qi Heng in his place! So naturally, I can claim that favor as my own...’

’As for how I know all this... back when I was undercover in the All-Powerful Lineage, I reset over a thousand times in the span of three days!’

’It was a situation where one wrong move meant instant, violent death. One wrong word, and my head would be gone... If not for the unlimited resets back then, combined with me getting provoked and my stubborn streak flaring up, I would’ve abandoned that Hell-difficulty run long ago.’

’But the price I paid was that after clearing that Hell-difficulty run... I learned everything that was happening within the All-Powerful Lineage at the time. I gained a profound understanding of the nature of every person I came into contact with!’

’That’s right. On this current, primary timeline, neither Qi Heng nor the Eleventh Apostle knows me—’

’Or rather, if the Eleventh Apostle *did* know me, it would be one thing if we weren’t close. But if we were, who knows? The Eleventh Apostle might get a sudden whim one day, a flash of inspiration, and decide to come kill me—’

’I’ve genuinely run into that kind of ridiculous bullshit before.’

’That’s why, after clearing the run, I completely severed all ties with the Apostles, maintaining a relationship of strangers on the primary timeline.’

’But even as a stranger, I can use the vast amount of intel I’ve gathered... to find a fulcrum, apply leverage, and easily shift the situation in my favor... Of course, that’s assuming I don’t run into that bunch of psychopathic Apostles.’

Just as he predicted, Qi Heng immediately stopped questioning Chu Bamboo’s identity and even deliberately changed the subject. After all, the identity Chu Bamboo had assumed belonged to someone who had done Qi Heng a favor—a favor Qi Heng had completely forgotten and disregarded.

Now, faced with the man himself... even though Chu Bamboo was merely impersonating him, the unknowing Qi Heng still felt a pang of guilt. He naturally wouldn’t dare to probe any deeper.

"Yang, although Mr. Xue is dead, the contract between us is not over!" Qi Heng’s voice was ice-cold. "According to the terms of our contract, now that I’ve been screwed over by you people, you must provide me with a new identity in another city, and enough funds to go with it. Otherwise..."

In the next instant, Qi Heng appeared in front of Yang Keshe, his fingers pressed against his throat.

His meaning was perfectly clear.

Disagree, and he’d kill him.

’This is awful!’ Yang Keshe cursed inwardly. ’If Xue the Third were still alive, even though his fighting strength was considerably less than Qi Heng’s, he’d have had the confidence to face him down. But I’m just one of Xue the Third’s subordinates...’

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but Yang Keshe forced himself to stay calm. He chose his words carefully, speaking with a deferential smile, "Captain Qi, regarding this matter, I have no objections. But... since you’ve already decided to leave, wouldn’t you like to get revenge on the one who put you in this position before you go?"

Qi Heng’s brow furrowed, his gaze sharpening. The fingers against Yang Keshe’s throat pressed in deeper. "Stop playing games. If you want to use me to kill someone for you, just say so... But you have a grudge against him, too? Makes sense. With that stubborn ox, Li Kang, you people could never corrupt him. It’s only natural you’d want him dead."

"No, not Mr. Li Kang!" Yang Keshe swallowed hard. "It’s... the one from the shantytown redevelopment district... Mr. Zhu!"

Chu Bamboo: "..."

Chu Bamboo crossed his arms and watched silently. It was quite the coincidence to walk right into a plot against himself, but he only felt a flicker of bemusement. He wasn’t particularly surprised.

’After all, I came here precisely because I calculated that the All-Powerful Lineage was about to make a move. It all comes back to that run three years ago. I reset a thousand times just focusing on Eleven and the All-Powerful Lineage forces he contacted across the four major districts of Jinghai City.’

’And that’s not to mention the countless other resets at different times, targeting the other scattered Apostles... The only thing I don’t know is the intel from the last two years. My number of resets has been dwindling, so I haven’t dared to brute-force my way through mysteries like I used to.’

’But everything before that, I know it all... and the All-Powerful Lineage’s way of doing things isn’t something that’s likely to change in just two years.’

Qi Heng pursed his lips. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Give me a reason."

"Because he refuses to submit to us," Yang Keshe said quietly. "The All-Powerful Lineage’s influence was completely driven out of the redevelopment district five years ago... though, back then, our operations weren’t focused on that rundown place anyway."

"But now, that great personage has issued a directive..."

At the mention of "that great personage," the cold sweat on Yang Keshe’s forehead became visibly more pronounced, and fear bled onto his features. "We are to infiltrate and take control of the redevelopment district. We sent a test batch of missionaries in before, but they were all swept out... So, we’ve decided that the people who are really in charge there must either be subjugated... or eliminated..."

Yang Keshe’s expression was conflicted. ’I don’t get it. Why did that great personage suddenly contact an unremarkable person like me from so far away, using a Divine Revelation? Logically, shouldn’t he have contacted the new celebrant of the Mass standing right next to me, the one he appointed?’

’But I don’t dare ask. Who knows if a single question would get me killed? I can only say that with the way those great personages think... any decision they make, no matter how strange, is to be expected.’

’The problem is, the difficulty of this mission is just absurd...’

’Me, take on that Mr. from the redevelopment district? Are you serious? Could I even win? Given his current dealings with the Captain’s Office, even Xue the Third might not have come out on top if he were here...’

’Especially since I heard recently that the redevelopment district’s union has somehow pulled some strings and even become an official, legitimate organization. The implications are truly terrifying—’

Yang Keshe had no idea that a Third Realm Shadow Killer had already met their end there. If he had, he would have been even more terrified.

"...Are you an idiot?" Qi Heng stared, then almost laughed in exasperation. "Have you spent so much time with your Eleventh Apostle that your brain has short-circuited just like his? I asked why *I* should go after this Mr. Zhu! Who gives a damn why *you* want him dead?"

’What good does any of that do me? I’m not the curious type!’

"?" Chu Bamboo watched Yang Keshe’s expression freeze. The corner of his own eye twitched, but a flicker of satisfaction appeared in his heart. He had finally confirmed a piece of the puzzle. ’The All-Powerful Lineage, or more specifically, the Eleventh Apostle, has targeted the redevelopment district.’

’Well, this was one of the possibilities I had already considered. Now, it’s just been confirmed.’

The brief moment of relief passed, and Chu Bamboo’s mood grew heavy again. The Eleventh Apostle... ’I know all too well what a ruthless bastard he is.’

’And based on everything I know... he’s most likely a being beyond the Third Realm. The only question is, how far beyond.’

’Most importantly, I’m still not sure why they’ve suddenly decided to infiltrate and take control of the redevelopment district...’

’As I was thinking, the Eleventh Apostle—and the entire All-Powerful Lineage, for that matter—used to be completely indifferent to the redevelopment district.’

’It’s just like how the locals in Jinghai City always considered the First and Second Districts to be the *real* Jinghai. The Eleventh Apostle, and many other Apostles, thought the same way. That’s why they’ve always been entrenched in Zone One and Zone Two—’

’Strictly speaking, even my current location is within Zone Two’s sphere of influence.’

’This sudden, sharp change in direction... no matter how you look at it, it means they’re planning to seize the redevelopment district and use it as a foothold to execute some larger plan.’

’What could the plan be? I can’t be sure yet, but based on my understanding of how the All-Powerful Lineage operates—it’s definitely not going to be anything good.’

’In the end, people will die. A great many people will die.’

Meanwhile, Yang Keshe choked. His expression shifted rapidly; he actually thought Qi Heng had a point. Sweat poured down his face as he stammered, "I... I’ll add more money! On top of the hundred thousand Qian Coins I promised to help you get settled elsewhere, I’ll add another fifty thousand!"

"Are you trying to shoo away a beggar?" Qi Heng scoffed, his tone icy. "Triple it. Three hundred thousand Qian Coins. All in cash. And in the future, if I run out... and come to you for a loan, you’ll give me one."

"That’s..." A pained expression crossed Yang Keshe’s face. After a long moment of internal struggle, he finally nodded. ’Three hundred thousand Qian Coins might be a small sum for the casino... but for me personally, it’s a massive fortune. After all, the casino isn’t all mine...’