Chapter 227: Memory Fragments

Xuanyuan Qing raised the silver bell and shook it gently. The crisp bell sound echoed in the empty observatory, carrying an indescribable rhythm.

Lin Yu felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was about to break through the soil.

Xuanyuan Qing closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the silver bell and making a faint sound.

Lin Yu's heart tightened along with it.

Night fell, and Xuanyuan Qing left the observatory.

Only then did Lin Yu emerge from behind the tree and enter the observatory.

On the ground, a few undried tear stains remained, shimmering with a faint light in the moonlight.

On the way home, Lin Yu's mood was exceptionally heavy.

Suddenly, a harsh screech of brakes came from behind him.

Before Lin Yu could react, an out-of-control truck rushed toward him.

Just at this critical moment, Lin Yu felt an inexplicable power surge within his body.

The truck hit him, the massive impact sending him flying.

He fell heavily to the ground, yet miraculously, he did not lose consciousness.

Lin Yu struggled to sit up, feeling only pain all over, but it seemed he hadn't suffered any serious injuries.

The surrounding crowd gasped, and someone had already called for an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived with a wail, and Lin Yu was lifted onto a stretcher.

In the hospital, the smell of disinfectant irritated Lin Yu's nasal cavity.

The doctor was examining him, and as he looked through the report, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "Strange, how is this possible..."

Lin Yu looked up abruptly, seeing the doctor's face clearly.

"Qin Tianluo?" He nearly jumped off the bed.

Qin Tianluo adjusted his glasses, and the look in his eyes behind the lenses made Lin Yu feel an inexplicable panic.

"Do you... know me?" Lin Yu asked tentatively.

"Your body data is very special, completely exceeding the normal range." Qin Tianluo didn't answer his question but spoke to himself.

Lin Yu feigned calmness: "Maybe... I'm naturally gifted?"

Qin Tianluo stared at him, seemingly trying to see something in his face.

"Have you had any... strange dreams lately?" Qin Tianluo asked suddenly, his voice very low.

"For example?" Lin Yu countered.

"Dreaming that you possess superpowers, or dreaming of the end of the world." Qin Tianluo said slowly.

"No, I'm the type who falls asleep the moment my head hits the pillow; I never dream." Lin Yu denied it flatly.

Qin Tianluo was silent for a moment, then took a business card out of his white coat pocket and handed it to Lin Yu:

"If you remember anything, you can call this number."

"I have some things I want to ask about your silver bell."

At the school gate, people were coming and going; it was just after school, the busiest time, yet Lin Yu felt a chill in his heart. He walked a few steps quickly and intercepted Xuanyuan Qing, who was about to say goodbye to her classmates.

Xuanyuan Qing was a bit puzzled, looking him up and down.

"Classmate, do you need something?"

"Let's talk somewhere else." Lin Yu gave her a look and walked toward the outside of the school on his own.

Xuanyuan Qing hesitated, but followed anyway; she wanted to see what this inexplicable guy was up to.

The two walked one after the other into a small alley near the school.

It was usually empty here, very quiet, with only a few stray cats occasionally making a sound.

Lin Yu took the brass rune out of his pocket and handed it to Xuanyuan Qing.

Xuanyuan Qing's face changed; she subconsciously took a step back, her hand clenching into a fist.

She lowered her voice, carrying a trace of trembling: "You... how did you..."

"Last night, at the abandoned observatory, I saw you." Lin Yu stared at her and spoke slowly.

Xuanyuan Qing's body swayed, as if she couldn't stand steadily.

She turned abruptly, wanting to flee, but Lin Yu grabbed her wrist.

"I know you have something on your mind, going there every night."

"I saw you shaking that silver bell."

"Don't go! I have no ill intentions, I just..." Lin Yu explained urgently, fearing she would misunderstand.

Xuanyuan Qing stopped, her back to him, her shoulders twitching slightly.

"Who exactly are you?" Her voice was very soft, carrying a cry.

Lin Yu took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone calm:

"Someone... who remembers everything."

——

Lin Yu stood in front of the dilapidated Taoist temple in the northern suburbs, his heart in his throat.

He didn't know why he had come here, just feeling that this place might give him answers.

The temple gate was ajar, the courtyard covered in fallen leaves, and an old Taoist priest was bent over, sweeping the ground stroke by stroke. The sound of the broom sweeping across the ground seemed exceptionally clear in the quiet environment.

Lin Yu walked up, and before he could speak, the old Taoist spoke first: "You've come."

The voice was hoarse and aged, yet carried an indescribable power.

Lin Yu was stunned; this old Taoist... was definitely Xuan Qingzi!

Although he had never seen Xuan Qingzi at this age, that face, that feeling—it couldn't be wrong!

"Are you... Xuan Qingzi?" he asked tentatively.

The old Taoist stopped his movements, slowly looked up, glanced at him, and then turned to walk toward the backyard:

"Follow me."

In the backyard was an ancient well, the well rim covered in moss, the well water pitch-black, bottomless.

The old Taoist fished a copper coin out of his sleeve and "clattered" it gently into the well.

The sound of the copper coin hitting the water echoed crisply.

Immediately after, an incredible thing happened.

The well water was no longer water, but had turned into a mirror.

In the mirror was the pyramid on the ice sheet, the massive fissures in the sky, those hideous Void creatures, and... that war.

Lin Yu's heart pounded; he remembered that it was the world from his memory, the Void war that had nearly destroyed everything.

"Why am I the only one who remembers?"

The old Taoist didn't answer directly, only gazing at the reflection in the well:

"You are the Fusionist, the executor of the restart program; the memory seal is ineffective against you."

"What about the others? Xuanyuan Qing, Yan Nanshan, Xu Jianhua..."

"They are all alive, just forgotten." The old Taoist sighed long.

"The price of restarting the world is everyone's memories. No one remembers the Void war; no one knows who they once were or what they did."

Lin Yu's fists clenched, "creaking."

"What kind of bullshit solution is this?"

"A temporary balance." The old Taoist took an embroidered cloth bag from his bosom, and upon opening it, there were nine copper runes shimmering with a faint light.

"The Zero-Returner hasn't disappeared; it was only temporarily sealed. But the seal is loosening; if it breaks free completely, everything will repeat."

"Then what do we do?"

"Find these nine people and awaken their memories." The old Taoist pointed to the nine faces appearing in the well.

"Xuanyuan Qing is the first; the Bell Clan bloodline within her is the core of the seal."

Lin Yu took the runes; he recognized seven of the nine faces.

Xuanyuan Qing, Yan Nanshan, Xu Jianhua, Qin Tianluo, Xiao Chengzhou, Yan Xiao, and the high school student "himself."

But he had never seen the other two.

"Who are these two?" ===== CHAPTER 228 =====