Did the world end today?

Chapter 271 Invasion
What will I be like in the future?
Lin Xu's gaze instantly turned to Qin Feng, and then he asked:

"What does 'my future self' mean? What did he see?"

"literal meaning."

Qin Feng replied:
"What he sees is the future you, and by then, you will be known to everyone in the world."

"Just like I said before, you're going to step into the spotlight sooner or later."

"The you he saw was the you who stepped onto the stage."

Me, stepping onto the stage?
Lin Xu could never accept, or rather, could not imagine, stepping into the spotlight.

In his mind, from this moment until the end of the world, he should be hiding behind the scenes, silently guiding the world.

But obviously
That's not the case.
-
and many more.

Was what that man named Ivan saw really his future self?
Or was what he saw simply another version of himself from another world?

In any case, I must go and see him first.

Where is Ivan?

Lin Xu asked:
"Can we see him now?"

Qin Feng glanced at his watch and replied:
"Okay, I'll see him in two hours."

"Two hours later?"

Lin Xu frowned.

"Why not now?"

"Brother, he just fell asleep. We don't know when you'll wake up. Setting the time at 8:30 in the morning is actually quite inhumane."

“He’s not a criminal, nor is he our enemy; he’s just a witness.”

"We can't possibly go so far as to use that kind of fatigue interrogation on him, can we?"

indeed.

That’s it for now, let’s eat first.

Lin Xu had no choice but to sit down at the dining table, while Qin Feng called to order breakfast.

At the same time, a paper document was also delivered to Lin Xu.

That was the transcript of the conversation between the "advisory group" and Ivan while he was asleep.

The records are very detailed, but they are filled with a lot of irrelevant information.

It was clear that Ivan was quite nervous during the conversation.

However, since he had made it clear at the very beginning of the conversation that he had met a person named Lin Xu in the "Fragments of Time," the consulting team did not dare to miss any details and sent them up completely without any omissions.

Lin Xu ate breakfast while reading through the book from the beginning.

The conversation began with a simple greeting.

Interrogator:
"Hello, Mr. Ivan, welcome to China."

"How was your trip? I heard you didn't sleep on the plane?"

Ivan:

"No, no, no, I did sleep, just not well. The thought of coming to China and seeing the hometowns of my lovely tourist friends fills me with immense excitement. I'm so looking forward to it!"

Interrogator:
"Hahaha, Mr. Ivan, don't we need to be so polite?"

"However, I think it's getting late. Why don't we get straight to the point, ask a few simple questions first, and then I'll take you to rest?"

Ivan:

"Of course, of course, I'll follow your arrangements."

Interrogator:
"So let's start with the most important question—what did you see when you came into contact with that fragment of time?"

Ivan:

"Mammoths! Ancient ice fields! Hunters! Howling hunters! They charged at the mammoths, slinging them away with slingshots. Oh, and I even saw a futuristic city!"

"I didn't realize what that was at first, but now I know, it's a city of the future!"

"Lots of strange flying machines, and cities floating in the air! Oh, and there's someone who seems to be the leader of that world!"

"He's called... Order Zero?"

Interrogator:
"ZEROTH, is that the name?"

Ivan:

"That's right, that's right! This is it! His image is everywhere, but strangely, there isn't a single real front-facing photo of him!"

"He seems to be some kind of fictional character? A superhero like Batman? That's strange, how can there be superheroes in our world?"

Interrogator:
"There might be other reasons. Anyway, let's talk about this 'Order Zero'."

"Is there anything else you saw about him?"

The ensuing conversation revolved entirely around "Order Zero," and it was clear that the interrogator had by then realized the critical nature of the issue.

Unfortunately, no matter how he guided or helped Ivan recall, he could only remember very little information.

There are only three pieces of valid information.

First, Order Zero, also known as Lin Xu, is a well-known figure in the future world, but he seems to be merely a "character" or an "image," rather than a living, breathing person.

Second, Order Zero should wield considerable decision-making power and be able to have a real impact on the world, because he vaguely heard the explanations of the policies formulated by Order Zero emanating from the holographic projections promoting Order Zero.

Third, Order Zero should be quite powerful; at least from his vague impression, Order Zero is a figure closer to a leader from his own country, born into the KGB.

These three points are crucial, but they also confuse Lin Xu.

what?
I?
Great Emperor?

Even if I were to step into the spotlight, how could I possibly present such an image?
Lin Xu subconsciously flipped back a few pages of the record, trying to find any inconsistencies.

But the fact that this record was delivered to him proves that the record itself has undergone rigorous review, and there can be no problem with its authenticity and logic.

That would be strange.

Lin Xu turned to look at Qin Feng and asked:
Have you seen this thing before?

"seen it already."

Qin Feng tilted his head back, stuffed an egg into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times like an osprey, and then swallowed it whole. "My problem is probably the same as yours—knowing you as I do, it's unlikely you'd develop into this kind of person."

"That's why I think you should talk to him in person."

"Perhaps we will have some misunderstandings in the process of obtaining information."

"Of course, there is another problem."

"He was the only one of the three who came into contact with the time fragments to survive."

“We believe that he may possess some kind of high-dimensional adaptability similar to yours, which may become a breakthrough for your investigation of Zhang Liming in another world.”

"clear."

Lin Xu put down the soy milk he had half-drunk.

He slept for eighteen hours, but still felt no appetite.

Seeing that it was almost 7 o'clock, Lin Xu got up and picked up the document that was still open on the table.

But in that instant, he noticed a key word.

A city suspended in the air.

Why would a city need to be suspended in the air?
He had actually thought about this problem a long time ago.

It was right when he first entered the world of the bracelet.

At that time, he felt that if a city were to truly float in the air, it would only bring greater traffic pressure and less efficient management.

If it really has to levitate, then it must have a special, powerful, and overwhelming reason.

At the time, I considered this information as an important clue.

However, during his second crossing, the more complex situation completely overwhelmed his initial judgment.

The chaotic time travel forced him to constantly search for the truth, causing him to overlook the most illogical clue he had initially discovered.

Thinking of this, Lin Xu sat down again.

He carefully read through Ivan's description of that future world, and the more he read, the more he felt something was wrong.

Although Ivan didn't provide many details about the city, judging from his description, it must have been quite large.

Large scale implies extremely high importance.

Just like the floating Nanjing in the world of the bracelet.

Several conflicting threads suddenly converged at this moment.

When the butterflies stopped interfering, the floating city appeared.

After the butterfly interference, the floating city disappeared.

The appearance and disappearance of this floating city were clearly influenced by "technological development".

But from another perspective, does it also represent...?
In a certain direction?

Under what circumstances would we build a floating city?

Lin Xu looked at Qin Feng and asked:
From your perspective, do you think building a floating city makes sense?

"what?"

Qin Feng was stunned for a moment.

"You mean those floating cities in movies or cartoons?"

"Yes."

Lin Xu picked up the half-cup of soy milk on the table and drank it in one gulp, then continued:

"It's that kind of floating city, or you could say it's the kind of floating city that's stereotypical."

"What's the point of that?"

Qin Feng said, puzzled:
"If it weren't for the extreme scarcity of land resources, the only value I can think of in creating a floating city would be its tourism value."

“Man-made wonders might actually generate revenue.”

"But isn't the payback period too long?"

"Yes."

Lin Xu looked solemn.

"So at least from the perspective of our world right now, it is impossible for us to build floating cities."

"Instead of wasting so many resources on this kind of thing, it would be more practical to migrate to other stars."

“But Ivan did see such a world in the spacetime fragment, and in that world, ZEROTH was dominant.”

"I'm wondering, is that ZEROTH really me?"

"Or is it really just an image?"

"Or, did someone use the ZEROTH information to achieve their own goals?"

"To achieve one's own goals?"

Qin Feng's eyes instantly turned wary.

He pondered for a moment, then said:
"Based on the intelligence you submitted earlier."

"Although we don't know why yet, the only thing that could possibly drive the construction of this floating city is the Error Correctors organization."

So you mean...

"ZEROTH isn't you, it's Zhang Liming??"

Lin Xu let out a heavy sigh.

"Probably."

"I had made a judgment before."

"Ayana's characteristics are very likely to be strongly related to the characteristics of 'butterflies,' or even some kind of precursor technology for pollen and butterflies."

"If Zhang Liming could infiltrate Ayana..."

"Then why can't he hack into 'The Butterfly'?"

(End of this chapter)