Sixteen Years

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Fu Yan’s identity had some usefulness to it, to some extent. After confirming his identity, the other party quickly dispelled their suspicion of Fu Yan, assuring that they would coordinate the arrival of police personnel at the scene.

After discussing with Liu Ruosong, Fu Yan ultimately decided to take the risk and stay at the scene. This way, they could prevent the group of people from returning to destroy the evidence. They didn’t want their trip to be in vain.

Instead of moving Shao Xuefan’s body on the ground, they covered his face with a coat and retreated to a corner of the room away from the windows.

During the time they waited for the police to arrive, Liu Ruosong attempted to contact the student he had previously connected with through text to inquire about Fang Sining’s situation.

Unfortunately, there was no response from the other side. Liu Ruosong wondered if Fang Sining might have also fallen victim to the situation.

Liu Ruosong couldn’t understand how he, involved in what should have been a very ordinary business collaboration, had stumbled upon such an incident. He was getting impatient, locking and unlocking his phone, staring blankly at the chat interface.

Fu Yan glanced at him. For a brief moment, he thought about revealing everything to Liu Ruosong – including what would happen next and his “previous life.” However, this thought lasted only a second before he suppressed it.

Even though he knew that no matter what he said, Liu Ruosong would believe him, there were two reasons he didn’t share the information: one, the events were too bizarre; two, starting from Shao Xuefan, things had already deviated from what he remembered, and he himself was faced with a pile of mysteries. He couldn’t clarify anything for Liu Ruosong at the moment.

Fu Yan wasn’t much of a talker to begin with, and in Liu Ruosong’s silence, he seemed uncharacteristically quiet.

The two of them remained silently in thought for a good ten minutes. Finally, Liu Ruosong slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

“Fu Yan, what’s our plan now?” Liu Ruosong raised one leg, rubbed his forehead, and asked, “Shao Xuefan was a significant figure in his field. His death might cause problems later.”

“We wait for news, and then we go find Fang Sining,” Fu Yan said. “Among all of Shao Xuefan’s students, he mentioned Fang Sining specifically. Maybe he knows something.”

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Liu Ruosong looked at Fu Yan, and there was something he had wanted to ask since earlier but had been sidetracked by the aituation at hand. Now, he finally asked.

“Why do you seem completely unsurprised?” Liu Ruosong tilted his head and looked at Fu Yan with curiosity. “How… is he related to your ‘butterfly’?”

Fu Yan met Liu Ruosong’s gaze.

It made him want to laugh and feel emotional at the same time. Liu Ruosong understood him so well that even though he knew nothing, he could still connect two unrelated matters from his unusual behavior.

Fu Yan couldn’t find the right words to explain, so he just glanced at Liu Ruosong and then extended his hand, which was hanging by his side, to him.

“Who said I’m not surprised?” Fu Yan said, “My hands are freezing.”

Fu Yan said it in a serious tone, but Liu Ruosong found his seriousness oddly amusing. He pursed his lips, smiled, and reached out to hold Fu Yan’s fingertips.

The two of them continued to wait. Fu Yan had been listening to the sounds outside, afraid that the group of people might return. But Liu Ruosong began to feel that something was wrong.

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“Why haven’t the police arrived yet, it’s been too long?” Liu Ruosong furrowed his brows and said, “Isn’t their response time supposed to be quicker? It’s a murder case. Shouldn’t they have arrived within half an hour?”

As he spoke, Fu Yan also realized the issue. After a moment’s thought, he suggested, “Try calling again.”

As Fu Yan spoke, Liu Ruosong had already dialed the emergency number. However, strangely, this time the call also ended up being directed to the medical emergency line, just as before. It took two full tries before they finally got through.

On the other end of the line, a new operator spoke, his voice fast-paced and hoarse.

“Is this about the incident on Huainan Road? We have already—”

“What incident on Huainan Road?” Liu Ruosong interrupted, puzzled. “We reported a murder case with eyewitnesses half an hour ago. Aren’t you sending the police?”

There was a pause on the other side, followed by a silence that lasted for more than ten seconds. Liu Ruosong waited patiently for a response and then heard the operator’s voice again.

“I apologize, but at the moment… we’re short-handed.” The person said, “A severe incident has occurred on Huainan Road, and the situation is urgent. Please wait for a while.”

Liu Ruosong couldn’t believe his ears. He hung up the call, feeling that the situation was beyond his imagination.

In a city as large as S City, let alone emergency services, there were numerous police stations. How severe must an incident be to cause a “short-handed” situation?

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Fu Yan, watching his distressed expression, sensed that something was wrong.

Watching the scene, Fu Yan realized that the apocalypse’s outbreak in this lifetime might have occurred about ten days earlier than in his previous life.

Is it because of my return? Fu Yan wondered, or…

Fu Yan’s thoughts shifted suddenly, and he realized that he was staring at Shao Xuefan’s body nearby. He was deep in thought, and his expression became increasingly grave.

Is it because I’ve already “changed” the original course of events in this lifetime? Fu Yan thought.

In his previous life, Shao Xuefan’s death had been fabricated as an accident before the apocalypse, and no one knew about it until after the apocalypse. But this time, he stumbled upon the murder and then the “apocalypse” occurred prematurely.

Liu Ruosong explained the situation, and Fu Yan’s face turned serious. He quickly formed a plan and said, “Let’s not wait. We need to take action.”

They decided to visit Huainan Road, although from a distance, to assess the situation firsthand.