Chapter 989: Intertwined

Chapter 989: Intersection

[Shield capacitor energy remaining 0%...]

"Boom——!"

With an earth-shattering roar, Ye Shi felt his consciousness flung away like by a truck, dazed and hazy as if watching slides through frosted glass.

The research vessel seemed to have collided with something, and then he saw boiling flames and an anxious face.

And then—

The cockpit suddenly went dark.

An impenetrable darkness swallowed everything, like a black hole devouring all light.

Following that, his consciousness also plunged into a bottomless abyss.

It was hard to tell which happened first, or perhaps both occurred at the same time.

Not disconnecting but falling unconscious in the game—after playing for so long, this was probably the first time Ye Shi encountered such a bizarre situation.

Moreover, the feeling of unconsciousness was strange; his consciousness wasn't cut off, just disconnected from the five senses.

Could it be that the unconsciousness function hadn't been implemented yet?

Ye Shi tried to analyze in his mind, but knowing A Guang, this possibility was very slim.

That left only one possibility—

He had triggered a plot!

Thinking this, facing the "black hole," Ye Shi felt no fear, but rather a faint glimmer of anticipation.

However, before long, that glimmer turned into anxiety during the long wait.

Even panic.

He remembered that he wasn't alone on the research vessel.

There was that guy...

A tremor surged in his heart, and Ye Shi couldn't help but curse.

"Damn... what the hell happened?"

Of course, he couldn't make a sound.

Pure consciousness echoed in the void emptier than vacuum, and all he could hear was silent stillness.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound finally reached his "ears."

"Thump, thump..."

It seemed to be his heartbeat.

That faint sound, like rain after a long drought, brought a surge of ecstasy to the restless Ye Shi.

He used all his strength to reach out with a hand that didn't exist, grabbed the straw floating on the water, and with every ounce of effort, chased after that elusive sound.

Wake the hell—

Up!

He shouted silently in his heart.

Even though he wasn't sure if his efforts meant anything.

Perhaps he was just pushing against a wall—

Perhaps he was already dead.

His persistent efforts seemed to finally bear fruit. The pitch-black darkness appeared less dark, replaced by a blurry gray.

The lost senses seemed to be returning, and more and more sounds penetrated the invisible mist.

First, hearing.

Then, touch.

But what he hadn't expected was that a bone-chilling cold enveloped his entire body the moment he regained touch, making him shiver all over.

So cold...

It felt like falling into an ice cave.

At that moment, Ye Shi had only one thought. Just as he was about to blurt out "Freezing my ass off," he heard fragmented voices blowing through the gray mist.

The voice came from right beside him.

To hear more clearly, he unconsciously held his breath, but still only caught fragments.

"Ye Shi..."

"It's so cold here."

"Achoo—"

"I..."

I... what?

Before Ye Shi could make out what the voice was saying, a blinding white light flashed onto his retina.

The dazzling light nearly blinded him, making him instinctively raise his arm to shield his eyes.

As he raised his hand, fine ice shards were swept away by his sleeve, clattering onto his face, causing him to let out a low groan.

"Ah..."

The icy touch sent another shiver through him, and the chaotic sounds instantly amplified, becoming crystal clear as they poured into his ears.

"He's awake."

"What kind of clothes is this guy wearing..."

"Never seen them."

"Who gets into a cryopod like that... what a mess."

Whispers surrounded him.

They were speaking the Common Tongue of the Human Union, but with a slightly different accent from the Wastelanders—more precise and articulate.

Ye Shi slowly moved his arm away from his face and looked around.

He was lying in a cryopod, its lid open, and around him was a spacious hall.

Soft white light fell on the silver-gray alloy floor tiles. The walls and ceiling seemed to be made of alloy as well, but they didn't feel cold or lacking in atmosphere.

With no windows directly to the outside, Ye Shi couldn't confirm where he was.

But really, there was no need to confirm...

Without a doubt, this was the Orion-class missile cruiser.

What puzzled him, though, was the crowd standing before him.

A sea of heads blocked the doorway, at least fifty or sixty people by a rough count.

Those pairs of eyes fixed on him unblinkingly, some filled with worry, others with curiosity, and still others with sympathy or some inexplicable emotion.

At that moment, a man in a military exoskeleton pushed through the crowd and stepped before him, his sharp eyes staring straight into his own.

“Who are you?”

Ye Shi did not answer, only silently lowered his head to glance at his chest.

He wore only a blue jacket; the “Xia Guang” power armor was gone.

Then he looked up and surveyed the people before him, seeing them clad in silver-gray clothing, similar to the Academy’s but not quite the same, with the armband of the Human Union Aerospace Force printed on their sleeves.

For a moment, Ye Shi felt his imagination fall short, frozen in place.

But soon, the man standing before him roused him, repeating in a stern tone.

“Tell me your name, identity, and purpose.”

As if finding his tone too harsh, the other crew members nearby turned to rebuke him.

“Hey, don’t scare the kid.”

“Look at him, he clearly doesn’t know why he’s here himself.”

Just then, a pretty older sister knelt before him, looking at him with concern.

“Are you okay?”

Her jet-black hair swayed not far from his face; beneath the thin bangs was a face with soft lines yet a spirited grace.

Ye Shi was a bit dazed.

Though he was indeed young, he was hardly a child.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke.

“I’m… not sure.”

That was the truth.

He truly had no idea what was happening.

The slightly older woman did not give up, her bright eyes fixed on his as she spoke patiently.

“My name is Lin Youyou, I’m the on-duty doctor from the Seventh Division… that is, the Medical and Life Support Division. We mean no harm. Can you tell me your name?”

“Ye Shi…”

Hearing this name, the man standing with arms crossed let out a teasing whistle.

“Sounds like a code name.”

Another crew member chimed in with a laugh.

“Hey, this kid doesn’t look like a civilian. What if he’s a spy from the Slime Protection Organization?”

“Sounds far-fetched, but we can’t rule it out.”

The man in the exoskeleton clearly thought so too, his eyes fixed on Ye Shi, his hand not on his gun but close to his weapon.

“Shut up.”

Lin Youyou turned back to glare at the two, warning them to be quiet, then looked at Ye Shi again.

“Tell me, is that your name?”

Ye Shi’s face flushed, but he stubbornly insisted.

“That is my name… Of course, the name my parents gave me is Ye Wei.”

There was no need to say the full nickname; no one ever used such a long name, and it would only cause unnecessary confusion and communication costs.

He had been generous enough.

He had even revealed his real name.

To Ye Shi’s surprise, when he said he had two names, the people around him relaxed their guard a little.

Then it struck him: the background introduction of *Wasteland OL* had mentioned in an obscure passage—

In the Human Union era, it was popular to give oneself a new name upon reaching adulthood.

This was somewhat like the nicknames of niche cultural circles in reality; many people used online names daily, barely using their real names except for receiving packages, to the point that saying their own name felt strange.

Seeming to believe him, Lin Youyou looked into his eyes and continued.

“Are you injured?”

“Maybe… I’m not sure,” Ye Shi muttered vaguely, sitting up from the hibernation pod. “My mind is a mess… I’m not in good shape… It’s cold here. Can I get out first? I don’t want to talk lying down.”

“We were about to do that, but I need to make sure you’re not injured first… Here, let me help you.”

Seeing Ye Shi straighten up, Lin Youyou stood up from the ground and reached out to help him out of the pod.

“Thanks.”

Stepping out of the bits of ice, Ye Shi stood on the ground and politely thanked her, then looked down at his feet and around, his expression gradually turning bewildered.

“Are we… on Earth?”

Hearing this, the crew members around exchanged glances, and even Lin Youyou’s eyes grew a bit strange.

But her gentle voice did not change; she still looked at Ye Shi with sincere eyes and asked softly.

“Why do you think we’re on Earth?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ye Shi stomped the ice off his shoes and replied without thinking. “There’s gravity here… and it feels no different from being on the ground, doesn’t it?”

Lin Youyou was stunned.

The others nearby were stunned too.

As if hearing something very funny, a snicker came from the crowd.

“I bet this kid is traveling far for the first time and has never heard of artificial gravity.”

Seeing Ye Shi look at him, the man with short blond hair and a long face smiled and greeted him.

“Koala, Engineering Supervisor of the Fourth Division… cough, I mean the Engineering and Maintenance Division.”

His cheerful smile showed no malice.

These guys seemed even more fond of joking than players, and Ye Shi suddenly felt that he, as a player, was the one being reserved.

“Koala… like the animal?”

The man laughed.

“Haha, yeah! That guy is my mascot, saved my life when I was a kid.”

Ye Shi suddenly grew curious about how this guy had been saved by a koala as a child.

But before he could ask, the man in the exoskeleton coughed to interrupt their banter.

“This is a military area, after all. An unknown person with no identity has appeared. I think we should be a bit more serious.”

With that, the man stared sternly at Ye Shi and continued.

“How did you get in here?”

"How would I know?" Ye Shi slapped his own head and couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Damn... is this a bug?"

Had he stumbled into a map that A-Guang hadn't finished building?

Or perhaps—

Was it just his own end lagging?

He smacked his head again, harder this time, trying to jolt himself awake from this bizarre dream.

The doctor named Lin Youyou watched him with concern, reaching out to stop his actions, but he shoved her hand away.

The man in the exoskeleton furrowed his brow, glaring at this fool playing crazy.

"You don't know? Don't know how you got here?"

Ye Shi grumbled in reply.

"That's right! I don't know anything! I was on a research ship—the kind you could barely squeeze thirty people into—and then I opened my eyes and found myself in a hibernation pod, with all of you standing around me like I was a koala in a zoo!"

The guy called Koala rubbed his nose sheepishly, muttering a self-reflective "Was I?" before scratching his head and adding, "Sorry."

The others exchanged glances with varied expressions, whispering among themselves.

Only the man in the exoskeleton kept his sharp eyes fixed on him.

That gaze was like a razor-sharp blade, its edge peeking out from a restrained sheath.

"You'd better tell the truth."

Ye Shi wasn't someone easily intimidated, and he shot back without holding back.

"I am telling the truth! You're the ones not being honest! What Seventh Division, Fourth Division... I haven't got a clue! Spit it out—are you guys from the Celestials or the Enlightenment Society?"

She was still on that research ship.

He was sure of it—the voice he'd just heard was hers!

He had to go back and save her!

The man in the exoskeleton paused, softening the edge in his gaze.

"Celestials? Enlightenment Society? What are those..."

He had never heard those terms before.

The Human Union's only sworn enemy was Gaia.

And those who had betrayed humanity, the radical groups trying to hand over the prosperous world to Gaia.

Ye Shi's chest heaved violently as he stared at the exoskeleton-clad man, panting.

Suddenly, the man seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen him.

Lin Youyou stared blankly at the suddenly agitated young man, then shot a stern glare at the exoskeleton-clad man.

"Enough. He's my patient. I know you have your difficulties, but at least let me cure him first—"

"I'm not your damn patient! I'm not sick!"

"...And I'm not crazy!"

Cutting her off mid-sentence, Ye Shi fixed his gaze on the exoskeleton-clad man and spoke slowly, word by word.

"I'm Ye Shi! Ye Shi of the Alliance! Ye Shi of the Burning Legion! Stop playing riddles with me—I've told you who I am. Now, right now, tell me! Who the hell are you?!"

The air around them fell silent.

Completely silent.

But the silence didn't last long; whispers soon spread again.

"...The Alliance?"

"The Burning Legion?"

"What are those?"

"Does the Human Union have such a unit?"

"Come on, how could it?"

"This kid must have fried his brain playing games."

"Wait, his clothes... they look like something from a shelter brochure."

"Really?"

"Even if it's true, it's nothing strange. Just a blue temperature-adjustable jacket—I could probably dig two out of my closet."

The whispers left Ye Shi frozen in place, his mind struck like lightning.

The Alliance...

Never heard of it?

A terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Had he... time-traveled?

No—

That sounded too absurd.

He'd rather believe he was trapped in some virtual space like *The Matrix*, with the goal of extracting his memories.

If that deduction was correct, at least it meant Jiang Xuezhou was still alive.

In the crowd, a tall, thin man with plain glasses on his nose rubbed his chin with his index finger, staring at the young man in the center as if seeing a ghost.

His name was Wu Xinghuan, head of the Space Science Group of the Fifth Division—Science and Technology—on the Orion-class missile cruiser, and also a PhD in physics.

To cope with the ever-changing cosmic environment, every Human Union starship carried at least one theoretical physicist, responsible for scientifically assessing risks in strategic deployments and navigational maneuvers.

Simply put, it was like the shipboard chaplains of the early Age of Sail.

After all, if something beyond human comprehension occurred, a mere theoretical physicist could do little more than comfort the crew.

He hadn't said a word until now, but at that moment, he was muttering to himself.

"This guy... could he be..."

No—

This was too unbelievable.

At that moment, the shock to his mind was no less than that of the confused young man before him, shaking his cognition, knowledge, and even his faith...

A "time traveler" stood before him, boldly telling him about future events.

It was absurd!

All his education and research had repeatedly drilled into him an iron law, one never disproven—

The passage of time might be uneven across different spaces, but it was always irreversible!

There was no why.

Because time wasn't an objective entity in the universe; it was merely a man-defined scalar, a measure to record the sequence of material motion and change.

If time were reversible, and "what happens later" occurs before "what happens first," then the very concepts of before and after lose their meaning.

In other words, if time could be reversed, then time itself would cease to exist...

Extending a trembling index finger, Wu Xinghuan removed the plain-glass spectacles from his nose, pulled out a cloth, wiped them vigorously, and put them back on, trying to see more clearly.

He wished he could return to Earth immediately and announce this astonishing discovery to everyone!

At this moment, Dr. Wu was the only one contemplating the possibility of "time travel."

The vast majority of those present, including perhaps the "time traveler" himself, had no idea what was happening.

Watching that feigning-madness fellow, the man in the exoskeleton decided to end this charade, staring into his eyes without blinking as he spoke.

"This is the Orion-class missile cruiser. My name is Luo Yi, a non-commissioned officer of the Space Combat Team under the Weapons and Defense Department, rank Sergeant."

"You said I told you nothing. Now I'm telling you who we are and where this is. I advise you to honestly confess your own issues—tell me how you got here. If you come clean now, you might get lenient treatment."

Luo Yi...

Hearing that name, Ye Shi felt as if struck by lightning, and a murderous intent burst forth from him in an instant.

He had been wondering why this guy seemed familiar.

It turned out to be in the memory fragment of that Enlightened disciple named Flynn.

The Enlightened disciple who had hijacked the research vessel.

And also the one who had fired the neutron torpedo at them!

Clearly sensing that murderous intent, Luo Yi's expression flickered with surprise as his right hand fell to his stun gun.

But before his hand could touch the stun gun, a whistling fist came flying straight at his face.

"Fuck you!!!"

The speed was so fast that no one could react, but Luo Yi was an active-duty soldier, a warrior who had undergone genetic and cybernetic modifications, and wore military exoskeleton armor—naturally, he couldn't be knocked down with one punch.

The fist slammed into his exoskeleton, and the incredible impact forced him to take half a step back instinctively.

A sharp glint flashed in Luo Yi's eyes.

"You're definitely not a civilian—"

"I'm your father!"

Ye Shi roared, and a crackling arc of electricity pierced the air, lashing toward him like a whip.

Gasps of surprise erupted around them as everyone stepped back.

"No! Both of you, calm down!" Lin Youyou cried out, trying to pull them apart, but a colleague held her back.

Ye Shi paid no attention to the shouts around him.

He had already avoided the bystanders; the only one he wanted to kill was this bastard in front of him!

But what he hadn't expected was that his opponent seemed to have predicted his attack and effortlessly raised a hand to block the crackling arc.

The exoskeleton seemed to have the ability to absorb static electricity, and Ye Shi's heart sank.

Having blocked that fierce, lethal strike, Luo Yi, with his arm still raised, unhesitatingly drove a knee forward, striking at Ye Shi's chest with lightning speed.

Though he had anticipated the attack, Ye Shi had just woken from unconsciousness, and his body couldn't keep up with his mind; the blow landed squarely on his chest.

The immense force sent him flying backward, crashing sideways into the open hibernation pod, nearly knocking him offline.

Yet what astonished him was precisely this—

He hadn't been disconnected.

Wait.

Could it be...

Realizing something, Ye Shi's face changed dramatically, and at that moment, a gun muzzle was already aimed at his head.

"Cybernetic modification, bionic model, and equipped with offensive plugins. I admit it's cool—snap your fingers and discharge electricity—but you've broken the law, kid." Luo Yi held the pistol, looking down at him. "I was hoping to have a nice chat with you, or do you prefer this kind of conversation?"

"@#%#!"

Ye Shi cursed with a real-world expletive, then closed his eyes and silently commanded to log off.

Actually, he didn't need to silently command.

Having played Wasteland OL for so long, he had long mastered the trick of logging in and out—just a single thought would return him to the real world.

But then something unexpected happened.

And it was exactly what he had feared most.

The heavy sensation did not appear on his head; instead, it surged from between his brows and spread throughout his body.

He was still online, but his body felt as heavy as lead, just like before waking from the hibernation pod.

Having never experienced this before, Ye Shi was completely panicked, nearly kneeling to the damn game devs.

"Fuck! Brother Guang, don't screw me over!"

This joke wasn't funny at all.

He couldn't log off!