Chapter Eight: Shatter! The God of Strength! (Part Two)

Ye Ling was so furious she could barely contain herself. Though the school did not forbid girls from entering the boys’ dormitory, following the Five Scoundrels into their room in full view of everyone was unbearable. The curious glances and whispered conversations of the many boys nearly drove Ye Ling mad. Especially at this hour, between eight and nine in the evening, it was impossible not to suspect something.

“This is the place.” Gong Hou unlocked the door, and Ye Ling glanced up at the dormitory number.

“414? Hmm? Four-one-four? Dead—to die?” A wicked smile curled at Ye Ling’s lips as she stepped into the room.

Vladimir was already inside, standing by the window, checking his watch, a book cradled in his other hand. When he saw them enter, he spoke quietly, “Close the door.”

Lin Yang latched the door, locking it firmly. A sudden chill ran through Ye Ling; she felt as if she had entered somewhere she should not.

The room appeared utterly ordinary, the handiwork of untidy boys, but with the door closed, the atmosphere shifted. Vladimir turned to Ye Ling. “This is your first time here. In future, I’ll install a teleportation device for you on your side. You won’t have to come here again.”

Ye Ling let out a silent sigh of relief, then said, “Let’s set aside the fact that our mission was scheduled for three this afternoon, and now it’s eight-thirty at night. Our task is in City B, seven hundred kilometers away. How are we supposed to reach the destination in negative five hours? Unless you expect us to shout ‘pineapple, pineapple, honey’ and magically get there?”

“There are no five hours.” Vladimir snapped his book shut and shot Ye Ling a glance. “You still don’t understand the value of time. Seven hundred kilometers—must be reached within thirty minutes.” He turned toward the window behind him. “Oh, and perhaps we do have a certain something. The kind that doesn’t require shouting ‘pineapple, pineapple, honey’.”

“It’s now eight forty-one in the evening. I’ll rewind you six and a half hours, to two eleven. The mission time is two fifty-eight. Can you reach the destination and seal the time-space within the allotted time?”

“Forty-seven minutes? That’s plenty.” Gong Hou replied, then reached into his jacket, pulled out a tiny vial, and swallowed a white pill. In Ye Ling’s astonished gaze, Gong Hou rapidly slimmed down, transforming into a figure of Stallone’s stature. His greasy pompadour collapsed into shoulder-length hair, a long fringe covering one eye, exuding an aura of pure strength.

“Let’s go.” Gong Hou said. Vladimir nodded, then pushed open the window, climbed up, and leapt out!

“Ah!” Ye Ling shrieked, only to see Gong Hou leap after him. Her legs went weak; she nearly collapsed. Then Lin Yang jumped out too.

“Madness, madness, everyone’s gone mad!” Ye Ling could not believe her eyes. One after another, they jumped out the window. It felt like a dream. Soon, Xu Xiong and Li Shizhu followed suit; only Xie Liu remained. He turned to Ye Ling, smiling. “Don’t be surprised. I’m not fond of this window-jumping exercise myself, but once you’ve done it enough, you get used to it.” Then he took Ye Ling’s hand. “All right, you’re next. Jump!”

“You—you—you… What are you doing? I don’t want to die! You lunatics! This is the fourth floor! The fourth floor!” Ye Ling nearly burst into tears.

Xie Liu pinched his chin, hesitating. “Fourth floor, huh? Jumped so many times, I hardly feel anything now.” He looked at Ye Ling, who had collapsed to the floor, and rubbed his forehead in resignation, then swallowed a pill and transformed into the familiar form.

“What are you doing?” Ye Ling’s face was a mask of terror.

Xie Liu said, “You don’t look like you’re going to jump. I suppose I’ll have to help you.” With that, he hoisted Ye Ling onto his shoulder.

“You! Ah! What are you—” Ye Ling was frantic, but Xie Liu carried her and leapt out the window.

“Help—!” Her desperate cry echoed into the night, but as if unheard, it vanished without a trace.

…

“Get lost, you perverts, lunatics, may you all die horribly…” Ye Ling curled up in the corner, muttering curses from head to toe about the Five Scoundrels. The boys clearly had no interest in responding. After a while, Ye Ling calmed down and looked around.

They hadn’t crashed to the ground, but had entered a strange room.

Countless electronic devices lined the walls, odd metallic veins tracing throughout, all converging on a small platform at the center of the room.

“What is this?” Ye Ling stood, though her legs were still shaky.

“This is the time-space reversal device,” Xie Liu explained, watching Vladimir operate the platform. “It’s the pinnacle of technological achievement for our organization.”

“Time-space reversal?” Ye Ling was baffled.

Xie Liu elaborated, “Have you seen the third Harry Potter movie? It’s like the time-turner the heroine uses; this machine can send you back into the past.”

“Back to the past? Does that mean everything starts over?” Ye Ling recalled the film and suddenly exclaimed, “I get it! So only I go back, right? And now, the me who’s returned from the future will replace my position?”

“Very clever.” Xie Liu snapped his fingers, smiling. “But precisely because of that, we always feel our friends are someone else. Though we’re all ourselves, we’re from different timelines—it never feels right. So the five of us made a pact: we must always come from the same timeline together. We all reverse time together. That way, no matter when, none of us is truly alone.”

Ye Ling fell silent, a strange discomfort stirring in her heart.

“But this time, all six of us will reverse together.” Xie Liu and the other four stood on the platform. Vladimir signaled Ye Ling to join them; she hesitated, then stepped up.

“Farewell, everyone,” Vladimir said with a smile.

Xie Liu nodded, “Farewell to this era’s you.”

Ye Ling was unsure what to feel—mockery or sadness. She couldn’t fathom what memories these five carried.

A white light gradually engulfed her vision; Ye Ling closed her eyes. Moments later, the light faded. She opened her eyes to find the six of them had left the school and were now outside the inpatient wing of the clinic where Lin Yang had fought that day.

She squinted; it was clearly midday.

“It’s now two fourteen in the afternoon. Hurry, we don’t have much time.” Xie Liu checked his watch, which automatically calibrated the time. With that, the five turned and ran.

“Hey! What are you five doing—” Ye Ling shouted, but they were already gone. She huffed in annoyance, then raced after them.

…

In the dormitory, Vladimir’s face was pale. Listening to the recently received report, he sat on the edge of the bed, dazedly staring at the new document in his hands.

Six members of the Misfortune Team—lost without trace during the time-space reversal operation!

…

“What’s this?” Ye Ling examined the object before her. It looked like a plane, but nothing like any she’d seen.

“It’s a Mach Three Flyer,” Gong Hou said, opening the hatch. “With this, we can reach our destination in half an hour.” He led the way in, and the others followed, clearly familiar with the procedure.

Ye Ling resigned herself, entering after them, only to hear Reiko Tongchuan’s voice. “Oh my, another mission? Where are you headed this time?”

Gong Hou named the destination.

Reiko replied, “Got it. Get ready. The flyer will start in two minutes. You veterans, look after the rookie.”

Before Ye Ling could react, Xie Liu pressed her into a seat and fastened her belt, flashing a mischievous smile with a lollipop between his lips. “Bon voyage.”

“Why do I get such a bad feeling?” Ye Ling shivered. As Reiko’s countdown began, Ye Ling felt herself gently rising. Reiko spoke, “Ye Ling, right? This is a Mach Three Flyer, capable of accelerating to three times the speed of sound in ten seconds. The acceleration is one hundred meters per second squared, so…” Reiko paused, seemingly searching for the right words, then said gently, “Good luck.”

“Huh?” Ye Ling blinked, suddenly realizing, and screamed.

“Help—!”

“Oh dear, Ye Ling hasn’t undergone physical enhancement yet, has she? Erm, she won’t die, right?” Reiko scratched her chin, looking adorably confused.

…

“Ugh—” Ye Ling retched. Thanks to the advanced cushioning system, she survived, but her face was pale. At takeoff, she felt as if she were being crushed, her stomach compressed, making her nauseous.

Though it lasted only ten seconds, it felt like a century. Once she settled, Xie Liu stood before her. “We’re almost there. Strap this on your back.” He handed Ye Ling something resembling a backpack. She saw that the others already wore theirs, so she undid her seatbelt and put it on. The bag was covered with straps, binding her tightly.

“What’s this?” Ye Ling picked up a strap hanging from the side, which ended in a small metal ring. Xie Liu took the ring, hooked it onto his finger, and smiled, “It’s the activation device.”

“Activation device? For what?” Ye Ling asked.

Xie Liu pursed his lips. “Parachute. We’re heading out. Scream all you like.” At that, the side of the flyer suddenly opened—

“Huh? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—” Ye Ling’s slender figure vanished into the sky, swept away by the wind.

“Let’s go!” Gong Hou laughed, swept away by the powerful airflow, disappearing instantly, followed by the remaining four.