Chapter 1014: Begin

Chapter 1014: The Beginning

Yi Donglai, back pressed against the wall, tremblingly lifted a cigarette to his lips, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep, jagged drag.

Perhaps because he was not a regular smoker, the smoke choked him, sending him into a fit of violent coughing.

After several seconds, his face pale and strained, he wiped the tears from his eyes with his hand and looked up at Li Huowang standing before him.

"No, I still cannot believe what you are saying. It defies logic—not just the logic of this place, but the logic of that world you speak of!"

"The time loops you describe are merely your own conjectures; perhaps the reality is not as you imagine!"

Exhausted from the futile debate, Li Huowang sighed. "Is logic really so important? Not every world is governed by materialism."

"Besides, what does it matter if it is real? I only want to end this trouble now! Do you want to be poisoned to death by Qing Wanglai again? Eh?"

Hearing this, Yi Donglai seemed to recall the agony of the past; his expression twisted, and he clutched his head with both hands. "Why is it like this... why is it like this!"

Li Huowang sighed, walked to the door, checked carefully to ensure no one was eavesdropping, locked it again, and returned to Yi Donglai. "Dr. Yi, you don't need to overthink it. If you find my world hard to grasp, that is fine. Follow your own path."

"In my world, you are the Great Nuo, and in yours, whether I am Ji Zai or not is irrelevant. What matters most is that our enemy is now the same."

Yi Donglai raised the cigarette to his lips again and inhaled deeply. This time he did not choke, exhaling a cloud of gray smoke that veiled his face, making his features appear flickering and indistinct.

He began to seriously consider Li Huowang's question. After a moment, he asked, "Have you experienced this time loop many times before?"

"Haven't you read my medical records? You even wrote my thesis. I thought you understood my condition."

"But now it is different! In the past, you were sick! But now... I don't even know what you are!"

"I was never sick! It is you who fail to understand my world!" Li Huowang’s voice rose sharply.

Seeing Li Huowang losing control, Yi Donglai’s medical instincts kicked in, and he began to soothe him. "Calm down, please. I didn't say I wouldn't help you. I am trying to understand you; I do not want to be like you, trapped in an endless cycle of time."

Li Huowang laughed. "You think the time loop is suffering? You are wrong! Every loop is the result of my resistance. If we let time run its course, we would have been killed by Qing Wanglai long ago, and he would have fully absorbed the Heavenly Dao!"

"I... I... I need more... I need more evidence..." With the cigarette dangling from his lips, Yi Donglai gripped his hair tightly, pacing the room in a paranoid, repetitive circle.

Li Huowang grabbed him. "Fine! Go find your evidence! I never said you couldn't, but first, we must act immediately! Don't forget, Fusheng Tian is still closing in! We are running out of time!"

Yi Donglai fell silent for a while, then lowered his hands and said with great difficulty, "Find Zhao Shuangdian. Bring her here first!"

Since he had said this, Li Huowang knew that regardless of his doubts, the man had essentially agreed to help deal with Qing Wanglai.

"I already called her on the way; she is on her way here. To deal with Qing Wanglai, the Heavenly Dao she controls is the key. We must not let him know in advance; we must blow his head off from a distance! We cannot let him poison the Heavenly Dao!"

Having experienced the previous loops, Li Huowang knew not only Qing Wanglai’s goals but also the vast array of his methods.

"Does she believe you?" Yi Donglai asked.

"She doesn't believe me yet, but I have ways to make her! I haven't lived through so many cycles for nothing!"

Li Huowang then turned to Yang Na. "Nana, you are the Wusheng Laomu who controls the Heavenly Dao of Death. Your Dao is vital. No matter what happens, I need your help!"

"Okay!" Now composed, Yang Na nodded firmly, her eyes shining with a strange light.

Though he hadn't explained much, Li Huowang trusted her—not for any reason other than that she was Yang Na.

After speaking with her, Li Huowang turned back to Yi Donglai, waiting for his stance. He had been listening silently until now.

Yi Donglai looked up at him. "If I am the Great Nuo in your eyes, then what should the Great Nuo do next?"

Li Huowang smiled. "Come with me, and find a way to cure me."

The two stood up and walked out with Yang Na. As they emerged, they saw the others going about their business, the atmosphere calm and undisturbed.

Li Huowang did nothing unusual; he sat down in the lobby with Yi Donglai and Yang Na to watch television, just as he had in previous loops.

As the episode ended, the weather forecast music began to play.

"Good afternoon, viewers. This is the midday weather report. A typhoon named Agate is about to make landfall from the southeast. Residents along the coast, please take precautions. Here is the projected path of the typhoon..."

"Crunch, crunch." Chen Hongyu stuffed a handful of reddish potato chips into her mouth, muttering, "The typhoon is passing right through here..."

She noticed Yang Na, who had returned to her normal self, and offered her a handful of chips. "You need to eat more to recover quickly."

Yang Na glanced at Li Huowang, who was staring fixedly at the door, took a chip, and nibbled it. Her eyes lit up. "Wow, these tomato-flavored chips are delicious."

She sat beside Chen Hongyu and began to eat, chip after chip, unable to stop.

"It's not that the chips are good; you haven't eaten properly for days. You're almost malnourished," Wu Qi said, emerging from the kitchen with a helpless expression.

"Hey, you—aren't you her boyfriend? Your girlfriend is starving, aren't you going to do something?" Li Huowang ignored the comment, his gaze sweeping slowly across the room. "Where is Qing Wanglai?"

"Cooking. Why? Are you going to help in the kitchen?"