Chapter 274 - 226: Drastic Change

Chu Bamboo had been reserved. The cause and even the time of his own death were secrets that could not be revealed. ’But these two don’t seem to be Transcendents, do they? There shouldn’t be a need to hide this...’

"Lin Xia... Time of death: August 1, 2077! Cause of death: Unknown."

"Zhao Shao... Time of death: August 1, 2077! Cause of death: Unknown."

"...Exactly the same!" Chu Bamboo was stunned for a moment. ’No, no, no! It’s more like they died for the same reason!’

Chu Bamboo stared at the word "Unknown" for a long while before shaking his head. "But now I’m a little curious... when was Lin Xin Bamboo born?"

’Based on the fact that she became the head of Jinling Academy in ’79... she must have been at least in her thirties by then, right?’

’That should be the right range!’

Chu Bamboo sank into deep thought.

’After all, Lin Xin Bamboo’s birth date was redacted, which must mean she was born after ’43...’

That was because in ’43, C Company had been the first to land on and develop a permanent base, which "triggered" Mars! That’s what led to the information pollution problem.

"What a headache..." Chu Bamboo muttered.

After a moment of silence, as if possessed by a strange impulse, he asked, "Nuwa No. 17, do you know about... Golden Dawn, or the Time Club?"

In the next instant, the Little Mushroom Head projected a few words before quickly retracting them as if it had crashed. It then shook its head repeatedly.

Chu Bamboo: "..."

’This is the one area where you never fail to disappoint,’ he thought.

Sighing, Chu Bamboo started walking out again. As he walked, he keenly sensed that something was off. He gradually slowed to a stop and turned his head. Unable to pinpoint the issue, he took two more steps before it finally dawned on him. He stared intently at the Little Mushroom Head bouncing along behind him. "Wait, why are you still following me... Nuwa No. 17, are you planning to come outside with me?"

"You are the Authority!" the Little Mushroom Head replied, not answering his question. "Even if it means sacrificing this sub-unit, your safety must be guaranteed!"

"..."

"Fine." Since it had put it that way, Chu Bamboo had no reason to refuse for the time being. But after taking two more steps, he realized... he was lost.

This underground Ecological Garden was just too massive! It was far, far larger than the previous Nuwa Base.

With no other choice, Chu Bamboo had the Little Mushroom Head lead the way, and they finally reached the base’s exit.

After leaving, Chu Bamboo found his feet on the familiar floor of the women’s restroom and instinctively glanced at the time on his phone.

"Hm, it’s this late already? Time to get something to eat. I just wonder..."

Chu Bamboo was conflicted. He had realized that the Little Mushroom Head might hold a rather special status in the current timeline.

After all, even a drone could be regarded as a Divine Envoy!

And the Little Mushroom Head was the real deal... an extension of Nuwa’s own will.

’No matter how high its status, it would be completely normal!’

"Screw it. If things go wrong, I’ll just kill myself!" Chu Bamboo headed to the cafeteria, relieved. ’A reset is a reset! I can use the extra time to memorize more of the aerospace plans, or maybe the schematics for the nuclear fusion reactor...’

’No matter how he pinched, calculated, or reset time... it would never be enough, at least not before he finished memorizing everything!’

...

Just as Chu Bamboo had expected, most of the regular officers inside the Police Chief Bureau were utterly shocked to see the Little Mushroom Head. But when they asked him about it, he simply called it an "Ancient Relic," and they all accepted that explanation!

Halfway through his meal, Chu Bamboo’s phone suddenly rang. He frowned slightly, picked it up, and saw it was an unknown number. After a moment’s thought, he answered.

"Ch-Ch-Chief!" Chu Bamboo instantly recognized Li Xuan’s voice, which was filled with terror. "Something’s happened... Please! Help me... No, are you in the First District now? Run... run! Get out of the redevelopment zone..."

The voice on the other end didn’t even finish before the line went dead.

"?"

Chu Bamboo’s brow furrowed. Before he could even sort out his thoughts, a piercing alarm began to blare.

The expressions of the surrounding patrol officers, who had been eating and casting curious glances at the Little Mushroom Head, all changed in an instant.

They looked at each other, and once the reality of the situation sank in, a mixture of disbelief, fear, apprehension, and worry washed over their faces...

The atmosphere in the entire cafeteria instantly became incredibly grim.

Even the old man who worked as the cook walked out of the kitchen, gripping a ladle. Seeing the crimson alarm light flashing on the wall, he unhesitatingly tore off his outer clothes.

With no one giving orders, the patrol officers all rose to their feet at the same time and streamed out in an orderly fashion.

A thousand thoughts raced through Chu Bamboo’s mind as he instinctively dialed Li Kang’s number.

However...

"The number you have dialed is not in the service area. Please try again later."

The familiar Mandarin!

But the information it revealed was terrifying.

’With the technology Daqian inherited from the previous civilization, you’d have to be all the way on the Moon to be outside the service area, right?’

’So the only logical explanation was...’

With a grim expression, Chu Bamboo rushed outside while frantically dialing the numbers for Ning Linglong, Wall Announcements, Guan Fei, and the others...

As expected, none of the calls went through!

"Did something happen to all of them? I wonder... is it the same situation that happened to Li Xuan..." Chu Bamboo murmured, a faint gloom clouding his eyes.

Finally...

When Chu Bamboo dialed Lu Jin’s number, the call connected.

"Mr. Chu... I think I know what you want to ask! But at the moment... I’ve only just been notified myself! You... how about you wait until I’m out of this meeting, and I’ll give you a detailed explanation then."

Lu Jin’s voice was also rushed, and heavy footsteps could be heard in the background. Was he walking, or even running?

"..." This time, however, Chu Bamboo didn’t answer.

He just stood there, stunned, at the entrance of the Police Chief Bureau, staring into the distance.

In the distance, thick plumes of black smoke were rising, spreading at an incredible speed.

It looked as if a factory had exploded!

But the problem was... there were too many.

One, two, three, four, five... A quick glance revealed dozens of them, blanketing the sky in every direction!

As the thick black smoke spread, it didn’t seem to dilute in the slightest... It was like an insatiable behemoth, greedily devouring the people and buildings of the redevelopment zone.

And then...

In less than a minute, the black smoke crossed the wealthy district and arrived right in front of Chu Bamboo... it was terrifyingly fast!

"...Why aren’t you saying anything? What’s happening?" Lu Jin realized something was wrong, his voice growing urgent.

In response, Chu Bamboo remained silent as his body was gradually enveloped by the black smoke.

"...I’ve found you." A gentle voice suddenly spoke, filled with both relief and a pleasant surprise.

Chu Bamboo felt as if he had fallen into a warm embrace.

And then...

Time began to reverse.