I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 296 [I told you, this won't fool him]

【come over】

The video keeps playing in reverse.

On the dark screen, the two words rippled like a reflection on the surface of water.

It's like looking at advertisements on a speeding subway.

Don't be afraid.

【come over】

The font above has changed again.

The video was playing in reverse, but in Lin Xing'an's eyes, the order in which the words appeared was still in the forward sequence.

"Huh? Lin Xing'an, is someone calling you? Asking you to come over?"

Si Que blinked, as if she was just realizing what was happening.

"Yes……"

"They're calling me over."

Lin Xing'an frowned deeply!

Wow! Let's go over there right away!

"Don't keep them waiting!"

Si Que's eyes lit up instantly, and he rubbed his hands together impatiently!

She'd wanted to go in for ages!
But Lin Xing'an just wouldn't let her stop!
"Don't worry."

Lin Xing'an was also somewhat excited.

He naturally wanted to try entering the "if" scenario, but he was afraid of causing some irreversible consequences...

But if Peach Blossom Spring lets him in...

"Oh no, it's urgent! What are you waiting for?!"

"If we go in, we can just come back!"

Si Que, on the other hand, seemed unusually excited.

It's as if they're really treating these "what if" scenarios like an animated film, and now the characters in the film are beckoning her in...

"Lin Xing'an! Go go go!"

"Don't make a sound, something's not right."

Lin Xing'an and Si Que stood a little further away.

To avoid being impulsively pulled in by Si Que.

The feel of this screen and pixelated fonts is definitely idyllic...

Assuming the other side really is Peach Blossom Spring...

Did Taoyuan foresee that he would save Si Que? Will there be a synergy between their abilities and Si Que's?

Did they even calculate precisely when he would see Peach Blossom Spring?
"How could this possibly be calculated..."

The more Lin Xing'an thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

First, the scenes Si Que sees are random; second, the time Si Que is allowed to use his abilities is also uncertain...

Not to mention the countless small probabilities in between...

Even if it could be calculated, how would Taoyuan in this "if" scenario know about Lin Xing'an's current state?

But the most important thing is...

"What 'what if' scenario is this, where Taoyuan hasn't entered hibernation yet?"

"...Is that even possible...?"

Lin Xing'an began to think quickly.

Although the destruction of the South City mainframe led to Taoyuan's radical decision-making, Lin Xing'an had Taoyuan go into hibernation ahead of schedule.

But it was only a week earlier.

Even if you destroy the mainframe he hides in the North City Coordination Department, Peach Blossom Spring will still go into hibernation.

"Peach Blossom Spring's dormancy was inevitable; it was its own decision..."

Lin Xing'an looked at Si Que.

Si Que's ability is not to see the past or the future.

Rather, it is an If line generated based on a different decision he made in the past.

"But... none of my decisions can create an 'if' scenario that would keep Peach Blossom Spring alive."

Lin Xing'an's doubts and vigilance deepened.

“Unless it was when Taoyuan made this decision back then that I chose to refuse and not accept it.”

"Unless I could have come up with a better plan back then, a better plan than 'killing Taoyuan' that would have allowed me to gain a foothold in the committee..."

He pursed his lips slightly.

Despite the many suspicious points surrounding this "Peach Blossom Spring".

But this is, after all, a paradise...

Given this identity, Lin Xing'an had to think about it very carefully!
Blindly believing or outright disbelief, if the wrong choice is made, will have consequences at this stage...

These are probably all unbearable...

"Lin Xing'an! Look, look!"

"It's changed again!"

The magpie pointed ahead.

The phrase "come here" slowly changed...

You convinced me.

Taoyuan spoke as if she had guessed what Lin Xing'an was thinking.

Come here quickly!

In your timeline, humanity has lost all hope.

No matter what you do, the future holds only despair and death.

It seems like the time is almost up.

The words on the screen changed rapidly.

Si Que's eyes widened, staring intently!

A feeling of tension made her interlace her fingers and place them under her lips.

Everyone in your timeline will die!

Even the Magpie couldn't find its own people!

Humanity will be re-washed!

【quick!!!】

This is the only chance!

This is your only chance to see my perfect timeline!

The scene in the picture looks like it has been hit by an earthquake!
It began to tremble violently!

The text also became distorted and wavy! It varied in size!

Especially those exclamation marks!
It felt as if it had struck the hearts of Lin Xing'an and Si Que!
【quick!!!!!】

Finally, all the words suddenly condensed into a single mass!
It transformed into a twisted and ever-expanding character for "fast"!
Countless exclamation marks are like a net!

It seemed as if it could reach directly out of the screen and trap Lin Xing'an and Si Que in its net!

"Lin Xing'an! Hurry up!"

When Si Que realized that he couldn't save his loved ones, he panicked!

Add to that the silent urging of these words!
Si Que wished he could jump in right now!

I calculated tens of millions of possibilities.

[This is the only option!]

Come in quickly!

【quick!!!!!】

"Hey Lin Xing'an, what are you hesitating for!"

Si Que could no longer hold back!
The flames flickered and danced in his fingertips and pupils, reaching out to grab Lin Xing'an!
But Lin Xing'an used a cunning move to stop Si Que!

They bound her tightly to the spot once again!

"Lin Xing'an! Why are you still hesitating! What are you doing!"

"I already told you there's no hope here!"

"There are no humans left! There are no humans left!"

"This is our last hope!"

Si Que struggled and shouted!

"No, no..."

Lin Xing'an's brows remained furrowed.

He shook his head faster and faster.

"What's wrong? What's wrong, Lin Xing'an!"

Si Que's anxiety was written all over his face.

Lin Xing'an narrowed his eyes, looking at the scene before him.

“You said this place is the timeline of my ‘successfully persuading Taoyuan’.”

"But... I never made the decision to 'persuade Taoyuan' back then."

"I haven't even made this decision... so how can there be success or failure?"

"Si Que's ability can only show the scene on the other side of a fork in the road, and will not create a 'fork in the road' out of thin air."

He ignored Si Que, who was still struggling and shouting, and who hadn't heard a word he was saying.

"who are you?"

A dark aura gathered in Lin Xing'an's hand.

To be able to use this reversed format, employing a sequential approach, and to create a tone reminiscent of a utopia...

"..."

Lin Xing'an's expression was more serious than ever before.

The blue text that was constantly trembling and twisting in the image, along with the black screen behind it, slowly disappeared.

Or……

It turned into gloom and was slowly withdrawn.

"……what?"

Seeing this, Si Que finally stopped struggling and stood there stunned.

"...I didn't fool you at all."

After the rolling gloom, a figure that Lin Xing'an knew all too well appeared.

It was him. Or rather...

It's his own version of the gluttonous ghost.

It is filled with bloodlust, indifference, evil, arrogance... and other feelings that only a gluttonous ghost would have.

but now……

Lin Xing'an's pupils trembled.

Through the image, he saw the environment in which this gluttonous version of himself was located...

Unlike last time, this time it was located in a place resembling a shrine, with the angel Yu Yu present in the background.

This time, the room he was in actually had a large screen...

The screen flickers with tiny, scarlet pixels.

I told you, this won't fool him.

【Don’t rush】

The time is not yet right.

It seemed as if they had noticed Lin Xing'an's gaze.

On the large screen in the video, a line of text slowly emerged accompanied by a mechanical voice that Lin Xing'an was all too familiar with.

"Si Que, collect."

Lin Xing'an released Si Que from his restraints.

"..."

Although I was still a little confused, I still didn't understand what had happened.

But after Lin Xing'an's reminder, Si Que swallowed and nodded.

This time, however, the gluttonous ghost Lin Xing'an showed no intention of stopping or crossing over to Lin Xing'an's side.

"what!"

Before Si Que could even touch the flames spreading across the silver timeline, she suddenly cried out in surprise and jumped away.

Because a girl who looks exactly like Si Que suddenly appeared in the scene!

"This, this, this, this..."

Si Que gasped!
The girl's appearance is exactly like a mirror image of her!
There is absolutely no difference!

However, her hair wasn't fiery red, but rather a... eerie green, like the color of the underworld.

Instead of flickering flames in its pupils, there were eerie will-o'-the-wisps, flashing intermittently...

She also saw Si Que.

After staring at him for a while, he revealed a chilling smile.

"I want to hang out with them next time!"

In the scene, Si Que is seen pulling on the hand of the gluttonous Lin Xing'an.

"Si Que!"

Lin Xing'an reminded him again, "Stop! Stop looking!"

"oh oh!"

Si Que, panting heavily, quickly put away the flames!
The image disappeared, and the river of time once again turned from orange-red to silver-white.

But neither of them spoke.

"What the heck is going on...?"

"My God..."

After a long silence, Si Que shivered twice!

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat and strength.

My mind was also a complete mess!
Because just as Si Que withdrew the flames...

He saw in the image that the door behind the gluttonous ghost Lin Xing'an was pushed open.

And the person who pushed open the door...

It is Yu Shi.

It was Yu Shi, the same indifferent and bloodthirsty glutton who possessed the innate arrogance of a gluttonous demon towards humanity…

Even if it's only for a moment, even if it's just a single glance, or even just a single frame.

But Lin Xing'an was absolutely certain he wasn't mistaken...

"Holy crap... Ouch!"

"Then...then what they just said!"

"Those things about how we're going to fail here! This is our chance..."

"They've all been lying to us! They've all been deceiving us about the past!"

Si Que's eyes widened, and he gasped for breath as if he had just realized what was happening!

"...Yes, they were lying to us about the past."

Lin Xing'an nodded.

"Holy crap! That's so despicable! So treacherous and cunning!"

"hateful!"

Si Que quickly slurped up a couple of mouthfuls of timeline to calm himself down.

"Lin Xing'an, what would have happened if we had accidentally gone over there?"

She turned her head and asked again.

"They'll eat us."

"You're so small and your flesh is so tender, people will tear off pieces of your flesh and dip them in sauce to eat."

Lin Xing'an glanced at Si Que and said.

"Hiss... Thank goodness you stopped me..."

"But Lin Xing'an, they... they won't attack, will they?"

"Can we win?"

Si Que shook Lin Xing'an's arm.

He said this with a hint of fear in his voice.

"……have no idea……"

Lin Xing'an frowned and slowly shook his head.

"Or rather...it could happen at any time."

He paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.

A month ago, Si Que used his ability for the first time and saw the gluttonous ghost Lin Xing'an. Lin Xing'an had already become wary of him.

But what he was always wary of was that he would let Si Que use his ability again and encounter this line.

He felt that as long as they didn't actively open it, his current timeline and the timeline of the gluttonous ghost Lin Xing'an would be parallel lines that would never intersect.

But now it seems...

There is also a "Magpie Master" over there.

A magpie that can actively open channels.

There's even "Peach Blossom Spring" and Yu Shi...

Including the angel Yu Yu that Lin Xing'an saw last time...

"This isn't a parallel world anymore..."

"This is essentially a mirror image..."

"But how exactly did it appear..."

If Si Que's abilities are 100% based on the if-if scenarios that arise from his choices.

So what choice did he make to bring this storyline to life?

If it wasn't based on his choice.

What exactly are Si Que's abilities?
"Si Que, don't use your abilities for the time being."

"Then, I'll give you another task."

“You’re not Si Que anymore, you’re the river guardian of the River of Time. Keep an eye on this river for me.”

"Remind me immediately if anything seems amiss."

Lin Xing'an patted Si Que on the shoulder and said.

"Does 'abnormal' mean...they attacked?"

"Correct."

"Holy crap! Am I really that responsible?!"

"Yes, whether we can save the world depends on you, Si Que. I believe in you."

Lin Xing'an looked into Si Que's eyes and said.

Si Que straightened his chest, raised his head, rubbed his nose, and nodded heavily.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Si Que."

"Okay! From now on, I won't blink!"

Si Que plopped down on the spot, crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and swung her little feet while staring at the silvery-white silk thread in front of her.

Seeing this, Lin Xing'an nodded with satisfaction.

After first using the gloomy atmosphere to ascertain the situation outside, he withdrew from the river of time.

"call!"

Feeling the cold wind blowing at 10,000 meters altitude, Lin Xing'an calmed down considerably.

"Since they're trying to lure us to that paradise over there, it proves they don't have any plans or confidence in coming here right now..."

"In any case, let's resolve the matter from June first!"

"We can't delay any longer. If we wait another five days, another round, we must kill Sixteen Months."

"If this drags on any longer, Zhang Guang won't be able to hold on, and those committee members and the Shrine will have to make their move..."

A glint flashed in Lin Xing'an's eyes.

As of midnight tonight, the death toll of the gluttonous ghost is 1,605.

The committee has 782 gluttons.

So……

"It is estimated that this epidemic will cause the deaths of at least two thousand gluttons."

Lin Xing'an closed his eyes.

Although I have never seen the sixteenth month.

But she still spoke to Sixteen in her heart.

Meanwhile, in the riverside district, the sixteenth month is spent dormant in the cottages...

A slight curve seemed to appear at the corner of her mouth.

(End of this chapter)