Chapter 63: Can't Go Back (Revised)

Yang Yichen took the elevator down, the scarlet numbers jumping, especially clear against the black background.

He took a deep breath of the cool night wind, straightened his loungewear jacket, then stepped toward the lurking black sedan.

The car door slid open silently as he approached, the luxurious yet austere interior faintly visible in the dim light.

He hesitated not, walked straight up, bent down, and got in.

The cabin was spacious, the interior understated dark leather, the door closed silently, completely shutting out the outside clamor and light.

On the driver's seat sat a man of extraordinarily sturdy build.

He wore a short-sleeve shirt, yet could not fully conceal the bulging muscle lines beneath.

A ferocious scar slashed from his left temple down across the brow to the cheek, adding a few touches of dreadful ferocity to his already stern visage.

Yet when he turned his head to look at Yang Yichen, his eyes revealed a complex emotion at odds with his appearance—concern, guilt, and... scrutiny.

"Here." The burly man's voice was low and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing.

Yang Yichen nodded, a response; his movement carried a steadiness beyond his years.

The sedan started silently, smoothly merging into the sparse early-morning traffic, shutting the bustling yet indifferent city nightscape outside the window.

The burly man glanced at Yang Yichen's clearly defined profile in the rearview mirror, fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his tone carrying a sentiment that transcended time.

"The last time we saw each other... you had just started high school, right? You were still a half-grown kid."

Yang Yichen's gaze fell on the swiftly receding neon lights outside the window; his voice was calm and unruffled.

"Yeah, after Father passed away, Mother took me and Xiao Xie back to our hometown."

Afterward I took the college entrance exam and came to Shoudu; after graduating I stayed here to work.

He didn't elaborate, but the information contained in his words was heavy enough.

Choosing to stay in the high-cost Shoudu was simply because wages here far exceeded those of his hometown; he needed this income to prop up that tottering family.

Although... his brother had consistently opposed his decision.

The burly man's fingers on the steering wheel tightened slightly, veins faintly showing on the back of his hand, and the scar on his face grew more pronounced in the alternating light outside the window.

"... It's our oversight." His voice carried a heavy guilt.

"After Old Yang passed, I should have paid more attention to your mother and son trio, but after that incident back then, I too..."

Yang Yichen lightly shook his head, cutting him off; his tone held no blame, only a resigned serenity.

"Uncle Liu, you needn't blame yourself; even if you had come then, Mother would probably not have accepted it."

He slightly relaxed his tense body, leaned against the seatback, his gaze growing distant, as if sinking into memory.

"My father used to say you were his best partner."

That statement was a declaration, not a question.

"During that operation to encircle and suppress the cross-regional armed smuggling syndicate, he stayed behind to cover his teammates' retreat and never returned."

Yang Yichen's voice remained steady, but upon close listening one could detect a faint tremor he struggled to suppress.

"When the news came back, Mother nearly collapsed; she wasn't just grieving, she was mostly afraid that those Father had offended years ago would take their revenge on me and Xiao Xie."

"So after Father's funeral was over, she immediately sold off the household belongings, took us two brothers and left this city, cutting ties with most of our past contacts."

He paused, then continued.

"Perhaps from overthinking, compounded by her already frail health, after returning home Mother's condition deteriorated day by day, various ailments surfaced, requiring long-term medication and regular check-ups."

He gave a wry smile, "To keep her from worrying again, I chose a finance major on my college entrance exam, and now I have a stable job."

"And your brother? I remember that kid was pretty mischievous when he was little."

Liu Shu listened to his words, his face turning somewhat bitter.

When mentioning his brother, Yang Yichen's expression softened a little, yet that softness also carried complexity.

"Xiao Xie... don't look at how he often caused trouble before; he's actually quite responsible. When Father passed, he was still young, he knew Mother's health was poor, and from childhood onward he hardly ever caused us worry, handling his studies and daily life quite well on his own."

"Now he does game streaming; his income may be unstable, but it's enough for his own expenses, and occasionally he can chip in for the family."

His voice sank low, carrying a hint of ineffable fatigue and self-mockery.

"Speaking of which, as his older brother I've actually not put his mind at ease; nowadays it's even more..."

He didn't utter the rest, but the two in the car understood the unspoken meaning.

Now he has been drawn into this beyond-normal strange event; the future is uncertain, and it will likely cause his family even more worry.

Liu Shu listened to Yang Yichen's calm narration, his heart a mix of emotions.

Through the rearview mirror he watched this youngster, whom he had seen grow up, now forced to bear the family's burden, possibly even treading his father's path ahead, and could only let out a heavy sigh.

"Ah..."

This sigh contained too many inexpressible emotions, yet he himself was no different—swept along by the torrent of fate.

"Because of that operation back then, this arm of mine is practically ruined." As Liu Shu said this, he instinctively touched his left arm with his right hand.

"The nerve damage is severe; being able to recover enough not to affect basic life is already a blessing. After healing the injury in the hospital, the superiors, considering my situation, transferred me to a desk post."

His gaze grew distant, tinged with bitterness.

"Back then I already couldn't get in touch with your family; your sister-in-law was very decisive."

Who would have thought that after years apart, our reunion would occur in such a bizarre, perilous otherworld?

When he, in that strange and perilous corridor of the Celestial Dome Foreign Ministry, locked eyes with Yang Yichen who was processing documents, both were filled with incredulous shock.

After a brief probing, they confirmed each other's identities; the complex emotion of meeting an old acquaintance in dire straits is hard to put into words.

There, Yang Yichen had already managed to secure a clerk position in the Celestial Dome Foreign Ministry, a decent foothold.

And he was a security guard in the Foreign Ministry, relying on his past experience and still formidable physique; they looked out for each other, cautiously concealing the secret of their origin from another world, barely managing to keep their footing in that dog-eat-dog environment.

They almost thought they could never return to this familiar world.

"I thought we'd never come back," Liu Shu's voice pulled Yang Yichen from his brief reverie.

"But after we spent seven days in that world, we returned here."

But the problem is, those drawn into that world were clearly more than just the two of them.

"The first thing I did after coming back was to find a way to contact my former old superior," Liu Shu's tone grew solemn.

"At first, he even scolded me, asking if I was half‑asleep and talking nonsense, but after I briefly described some... inexplicable situations over there, he fell silent and even told me to see a psychiatrist."

"Not long after, he returned the call, and his tone changed completely, becoming very serious."

He looked at Yang Yichen in the rearview mirror and said each word carefully.

"It seems that someone of higher rank, or who holds key information, has also been drawn in. The order we have received now is to head immediately to a designated location to assemble."

"But after we go there..." he paused, his voice dropping low, tinged with obvious uncertainty and a hint of worry.

"I don't know what will happen either; the higher‑ups didn't specify, they only stressed that it's top priority and must be obeyed absolutely."

He finally voiced the harshest reality, his gaze fixed tightly on Yang Yichen.

"But one thing is certain, Xiaochen, in the short term you won't be able to go home, nor can you live and work normally as before."