Chapter 228: Undercurrent

"When the time comes, you will naturally know." After the old Taoist finished speaking, he tapped the well rim lightly, the well water returned to calm, and the reflection disappeared.

"How do I awaken their memories?"

"Everyone has a trigger point." The old Taoist pointed to the first rune.

"Xuanyuan Qing's trigger point is her silver bell."

Lin Yu nodded and turned to leave the Taoist temple.

"Remember," the old Taoist's voice came from behind.

"Awakening memories has a price. Once they remember, they will become targets."

"What targets?"

The old Taoist didn't answer, walking straight back into the inner hall.

When leaving the temple, Lin Yu always felt something was wrong.

He stopped, pretending to tie his shoelaces, but his peripheral vision caught the bushes behind him swaying slightly.

Someone was following him!

Lin Yu remained calm and continued walking forward.

At a corner, he suddenly slipped behind a wall.

The footsteps grew closer, and a man in black walked cautiously around the corner.

Lin Yu jumped out and grabbed the man by the collar.

The man in black reacted extremely quickly, his wrist flipping, and a dagger stabbed over.

The dagger, gleaming with an eerie blue light, went straight for Lin Yu's heart.

Just at this critical moment, a familiar golden energy surged within Lin Yu's body, forming a barrier in front of his chest.

The dagger stabbed into the barrier, making a harsh friction sound.

The man in black retreated a few steps, looking at Lin Yu, his face full of disbelief:

"Void Golden Body? Impossible... how could you..."

Lin Yu wouldn't give him a chance to catch his breath, throwing a punch.

The man in black sidestepped and countered with another knife strike.

The two fought back and forth in the narrow alley.

The more they fought, the more shocked Lin Yu became; he was too familiar with the opponent's moves.

Because that was his own style!

He kicked the man in black away, and the man's mask loosened during the fight and fell to the ground.

Lin Yu was stunned.

The face under the mask was exactly the same as his!

No, not exactly the same.

Although the contours were the same, faint blue patterns were flowing under the skin.

"Who exactly are you?" Lin Yu questioned.

"Rule Enforcer." The other sneered.

"Memory Awakened ones must die; this is the rule."

After speaking, he leaped up and disappeared onto the roof.

Lin Yu picked up the mask from the ground and held it tightly in his hand.

This world was far more complex than he had imagined.

——

At dusk, at the abandoned observatory.

The setting sun stretched the shadows of the two people very long.

Lin Yu placed the rune in front of Xuanyuan Qing.

"Ring the silver bell, touch the rune, and you will remember."

Xuanyuan Qing hesitantly took out the silver bell and shook it gently.

The crisp bell sound echoed in the empty observatory.

She reached out a trembling hand and touched the rune.

"Ah!"

Xuanyuan Qing screamed, covering her head and falling to her knees.

Countless images, like a burst dam, flooded into her mind.

The Void war, the Land of Origin, the eyes of the Zero-Returner, the ritual at the top of the pyramid...

"Lin Shu..." she looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"I remember..."

Before the words were out, a "whoosh" sound suddenly came from outside the window.

Lin Yu lunged toward Xuanyuan Qing, and a blue light arrow grazed his shoulder, embedding itself into the wall.

"They are here." Lin Yu pulled Xuanyuan Qing up.

"Do you remember what I just said?"

"They are here." Lin Yu pulled Xuanyuan Qing up. "Memory Awakened ones must die; this is the rule."

Several black shadows leaped in from outside the window. The silver bell in Xuanyuan Qing's hand vibrated, emitting a sharp resonance that made the invaders pause. Lin Yu seized the opportunity, pulling her and rushing out the side door.

"The sewer!" Xuanyuan Qing pointed to the iron cover on the ground; having recovered her memories, she was agile, a completely different person from the ignorant schoolgirl.

The two dived underground, groping forward in the pitch-black pipes. Footsteps echoed behind them, and the pursuers were relentless.

"Lin Shu, I remember everything." Xuanyuan Qing panted, her voice bitter. "We messed up. The fusion ritual was supposed to completely seal the Zero-Returner, but it was too powerful."

Lin Yu felt a stinging pain in his chest; that golden energy was stirring again. "What exactly happened?"

"The Zero-Returner was divided into nine parts and sealed deep within the memories of nine people. As long as we don't remember the past, the Zero-Returner cannot reorganize itself through memory." She stroked the silver bell in her hand. "This silver bell is a sensor that can detect the location of memory fragments."

A faint light appeared at the end of the pipe. The two climbed out of the sewer; they were in an abandoned factory area. The moonlight shone on the rusty factory buildings, appearing exceptionally desolate.

Xuanyuan Qing shook the silver bell, pointing to the southeast: "Qin Tianluo, the closest one. He is at the city center hospital."

The two stole a bicycle and sped along the small path. Xuanyuan Qing recounted fragments from her memory, each sentence piecing together the broken truth for Lin Yu.

"The nine people each sealed a part of the Zero-Returner. We originally hoped to return the world to peace through a restart, but this was only temporary. The Zero-Returner still exists and is becoming stronger, infiltrating this world through dreams."

Lin Yu was full of questions: "Who are those people hunting us?"

"Memory Guardians." Xuanyuan Qing gritted her teeth. "They believe maintaining the status quo is the only way to survive, preferring to kill anyone who attempts to awaken memories rather than face the truth."

The city center hospital was brightly lit. The two blended into the crowd of visitors, following the silver bell's sensing to find Qin Tianluo.

Outside the operating room on the third floor, guards were strict. Through the window, they saw Qin Tianluo buried in a bizarre surgery—blue-black energy was flowing within the patient, and Qin Tianluo was carefully extracting it with special equipment.

"That's Void energy residue!" Xuanyuan Qing whispered in surprise. "He still remembers how to handle these things subconsciously!"

Lin Yu was about to approach when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Instinct made him pull Xuanyuan Qing and hide in the corridor corner.

"Get down!"

Before the words were out, the window glass shattered, and over a dozen men in black leaped down, quickly surrounding the hospital. The leader was that "other self," his cold eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Qing-girl, use the silver bell to clear the way, I'll cover the rear!" Lin Yu whispered, taking out the surgical scalpel he carried. Although it was an ordinary weapon, it was better than being empty-handed.

"Lin Shu, you must take Qin Tianluo away. He is the second key; we can't afford to lose even one!" Xuanyuan Qing handed over a rune and rushed toward the operating room.

Lin Yu met the men in black, the scalpel drawing a cold light. The men in black dodged easily, their counterattacks swift. Lin Yu took a few punches, and the golden energy within his body automatically flowed to the injured areas.

"You can't beat all of us." The black-clad leader sneered as he walked over.

Suddenly, the hospital alarm went off. In the chaos, Lin Yu broke through the blockade and rushed into the operating room. Qin Tianluo was being pulled toward the emergency exit by Xuanyuan Qing.

"Run!" Lin Yu caught up, and the three rushed to the rooftop.

"Jump!" Xuanyuan Qing pointed to the platform of the adjacent building, at least four meters away.

Lin Yu didn't say a word, picked up the still-dazed Qin Tianluo, took a few steps, and leaped. At that moment, the golden energy within his body erupted, allowing him to clear the seemingly impossible distance.

Xuanyuan Qing followed closely, the silver bell drawing a silver trajectory in the air.

After the three landed, they quickly hid in an abandoned office in the building. Qin Tianluo was still shaken: "Who exactly are you people? What just happened?"

"Awaken him." Lin Yu handed the rune to Xuanyuan Qing.

Xuanyuan Qing shook the silver bell, and a peculiar rhythm emerged within the crisp sound. The rune stuck to Qin Tianluo's forehead, instantly merging into his skin. ===== CHAPTER 229 =====