Time control seemed impossible to Han Fei, but it happened in Gao Xing’s altar world. This enemy would be very tough to deal with. After escaping from the caretaker, a light wrinkle appeared on the corner of Han Fei’s eyes. “If these Pure Hatreds became Unmentionables, they would be the scariest Unmentionables.”
Han Fei adjusted his conditions and came to his destination, the security room. Perhaps to not disturb the elders, the security room was built at the most secluded corner. The nearby corridors were dark and sealed. They were marked with time as well.
“I should be at the right place.” When Han Fei passed by the sealed rooms, he could hear footsteps. ‘They’ appeared to be following him. Han Fei felt like he was lost in the maze of time. When he turned around, the room doors were covered in a layer of dust. The home was aging. Only darkness was permanent. “The temperature is dropping. Is that caretaker following me?”
Han Fei felt both physically and mentally tired. He didn’t dare to touch anything near him. Han Fei looked through the service window. Even though the security room was located in a secluded room, it was large. It was the size of three wards. It had many professional tools and resources. However, these were not Han Fei’s focus. He noticed that in the room, there was a man, in the Immortal Pharma uniform, pacing around. His expression was fearful, and his pupils trembled. He kept mumbling something.
“Ah Nian?” Han Fei was surprised that he found the mission target so quickly. He held the doorknob but didn’t dare to open it. The mission wouldn’t be so simple. “The clock inside the security room is still ticking. However, the minute finger only moves between zero and one. The person inside is trapped inside that one minute!” Han Fei tried to call Ah Nian from outside the room. The man couldn’t hear him. “It looks like I have to bring him out. The problem is can I come out after I enter the room?”
Han Fei didn’t want to give up just like that. He turned the doorknob and eased open the door.
“Ah Nian?”
Han Fei was hit by the smell of rot. The room was dark. Everyone was covered in dust. There was no one inside the room. “How is this possible?” Han Fei moved back out the door. He looked through the window, and there Ah Nian was, walking around. The window showcased a different scene from what was happening behind the door. They were from two different timelines. “How am I supposed to save him?”
Han Fei studied Ah Nian carefully. He tried to analyze what had happened to Ah Nian from his expression. As a masterful actor, Han Fei could derive many things from someone’s expressions.
“He appears to have encountered something beyond his comprehension in that one minute. He’s very scary. There’s also hesitation. He should know the solution, but there’s a heavy price to pay.” Han Fei memorized Ah Nian’s expression. He entered the room and stood at Ah Nian’s position, and started to pace around.
“I got the mission after I obtained the rescue bottles. A normal person wouldn’t be able to obtain the two pictures inside the bottle. Someone from the inside stole it. But what are they trying to say with the two pictures?”
Han Fei perfectly copied Ah Nian’s every move. He was like Ah Nian from another timeline. Han Fei was so immersed in the past that time lost meaning. When Han Fei raised his head, he heard the sound of the clock ticking. The clock in the room paused, but the ticking did come from the clock. Han Fei slowly moved his eyes to the room window. The reflection didn’t show Han Fei but Ah Nian. The man stood there dumbly. He appeared to see Han Fei through the window as well. Both of them stood inside the room and saw each other in the window reflection.
“Ah Nian?” Han Fei called out softly. He wanted to get close to the window, but when he tried to get closer, Ah Nian disappeared. “He should have seen me.”
Han Fei rushed out of the room. He observed Ah Nian through the window. Ah Nian’s expression shifted. He was shocked by Han Fei’s appearance. However, one minute later, he was back to normal again.
“How am I supposed to communicate with him? Voice can’t travel through…”
Han Fei reentered the security room. He cut open the greed abyss and poured Longevity’s blood on his body. Longevity’s blood could lower the effect of the ghost territory, and Han Fei wanted to test something. He mimicked Ah Nian again. When the ticking reappeared in Han Fei’s ears, Han Fei and Ah Nian looked up at the window at the same time. They saw each other in the window again. Even though Ah Nian was stunned by Han Fei’s bloody appearance, he soon realized something and walked towards the window. Han Fei did something similar. They reached the window at the same time. They couldn’t hear each other. Ah Nian was the first to write on the dusty window—Who are you?
Han Fei replied in writing—I found your rescue bottle. I’m here to save you.
Ah Nian was trapped in the past. Han Fei could see his writing but not the other way around. However, that didn’t affect Ah Nian. He already realized something. He continued to write on the window—there’s a book in the drawer. It records the order of the flower blooming. Find the flowers in the garden. Pick them and place them in the book.
Han Fei frowned. He had a feeling Ah Nian was not talking about actual flowers.
Han Fei cracked open the locked drawer and found an almost blank book. The pages were marked with time.
“Time? Flower order?”
Han Fei turned to the window. Ah Nian, in the window, took out a picture album from the drawer. The album was filled with pictures of family and friends. He held the album with one hand and wrote on the window with his other.
“Hops blooms at 3 am; Briar and dandelion bloom at 5 am; Nightshade blooms at 6 am; Citronella blooms at 7 am; Half flower blooms at 10 am; sunflowers blooms at noon…
“Marigold blooms at 3 pm; Mirabilis and primrose bloom at sunset; Moonflower blooms at 10 pm.”
Han Fei was immediately reminded of the black rooms in the corridor. All the rooms had a time carved on the door.
“Are these flowers hidden in the sealed black rooms?”
Han Fei exited the room with the blank book. He stopped before a black room and saw the time carved on it.
“3 am. That is when hops will bloom.” Han Fei used Rest in Peace to break open the lock.
A strange smell wafted out of the room. The racks were filled with pots the size of a human head, but there was no flower. Han Fei scanned around and noticed that every pot was carved with human names.
“Gao Xing deems himself as the garden owner. On his altar, flowers might represent souls. These pots probably once carry the memories of these people.”
Han Fei thought back to Ah Nian’s message. Han Fei closed the door and ran down the other corridor. He had noted the location of the garden when he examined the map. The garden was built in the middle of a few buildings. It was the center of the home. Wrinkles appeared on his face. Han Fei felt like he needed to exhaust more energy with each stop. Han Fei finally reached the door that led to the center, and a sea of flowers appeared before his eyes.
“How big is this place?”
It was hard to imagine such a complicated place was hidden inside the home. The timelines overlapped with each other. Normal investigation methods wouldn’t work here. No wonder it was a Strange Building.
“After I find the flowers, I need to leave.” Han Fei entered the sea of flowers. When his body brushed against the flowers, many unfamiliar memories entered his mind. Every flower represented a soul. The starlight shone on the flowers. Han Fei tried his best to console the souls. He took a long time before he found the briar and dandelion.
He reached out to touch the stem. Han Fei heard two children crying.
Ah Nian, in casual clothes, was playing with his two kids. The room was well-lit, and the television broadcasted the news. Delicious dishes were served on the table. Everything looked so warm. However, there was a knock on the door. Ah Nian’s two children stood outside the door. Their eyes bled, and a test number was sewn on their heart. Their skin was dry as bark.
“Dad, didn’t you say you can give us immortality?”
“Didn’t you say those uncles and aunties can treat our illnesses? Why do I feel so painful?”
The children cried harder. Ah Nian couldn’t tell which was true and which was fake. He knelt on the ground.
