Chapter 4

But ... ...

The lighthouse assistant was unmoved: "I am sorry, but I cannot discern the rationale behind your statement. In any given space, every second, countless younger beings perish for various reasons, and they may not necessarily be only children. As long as there is life, there is no being that cannot die"

"You are still you, just another version of you," Mingguang said to her. "However, there may be some differences. Although you seem like the same person and even share the same DNA, your identity and personality could be completely different. You might need to adapt for a while, but that's alright. Your ultimate goal is still to return to your own space, right? That is just a role. Remember, do not become too immersed in the role within the parallel space."

This sentence almost brought tears to Jiang Xiaoyuan's eyes again, but having already broken down shamelessly once, she now realized this and refused to let herself fall apart again. Instead, she struggled to pick up her self-respect, quickly tidying her disheveled long hair with material, and said softly: "Thank you"

You are very emotional right now, and I can understand that. I fear that even if I explain some temporal and spatial laws to you, you may not be able to take it in, so I will be brief. Mingguang smiled generously, as if performing a magic trick, pulled a small comb from his coat pocket, and handed it to Jiang Xiaoyuan, saying, "Your hair is messy, why not tidy it up"

The subtle pain shattered Jiang Xiaoyuan's last shred of fantasy—this is real, not a joke; that pervert dressed like a coffin really intends to stuff her into a car that has just crashed into a tree

At the moment of death, whether one possesses immense wealth, unparalleled beauty, or overwhelming power, all of it dissipates into nothingness. She becomes the lowest of the low in the world, willing to do anything just to live for another minute.

Of course, the laws of space and time are exceedingly complex," Mingguang looked at her with those incredibly beautiful eyes, "otherwise it would all fall into chaos, wouldn't you agree?"

As she pressed down, Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt an inexplicable "thud" in her heart. In the next moment, the transparent screen in front of her displayed the word "Completed," lit up for a moment, and then vanished.

Beauty is a captivating force, possessing an incredible influence over people

Jiang Xiaoyuan was taken aback

Jiang Xiaoyuan was suddenly left hanging in mid-air, crawling on the ground like an octopus, wishing that her ten fingers could grow suction cups to merge with the heavens and the earth.

However, if she is willing to engage with more people who harbor ill intentions, she should understand that a large piece of pie falling from the sky may very well contain undesirable fillings

We can create a passage before your time point... This explanation may not be clear to you, Mingguang said, Simply put, this passage can freeze your time for five seconds, giving you enough leeway to sit in that cockpit, fasten your seatbelt. Injuries are still unavoidable, but there should be no life-threatening danger. Can you accept this?

Mingguang raised his hand to interrupt him, his lowered eyes appearing somewhat indifferent, yet his tone remained gentle: "Assistant, for the parties involved, time and space are fundamentally unimportant; what matters is only the feeling of the present moment. You made her linger for such a long time in the second before death. If it were you, how would you feel?"

Mingguang: "You only need to know that we are going to send you into another parallel universe, where you will stay for a period of time. Only when you have established sufficient connection with that world can we safely send you back."

Ming Guang's lips curled slightly, but he remained silent

Jiang Xiaoyuan resembled a startled bird, slow in her movements, hesitantly standing up and taking a step forward, pausing twice for every step as she ascended the platform

Mingguang patted her back understandingly and turned to the lighthouse assistant, saying: "The experience of a person dying suddenly is completely different from the inner feeling of knowing one's impending death in a healthy state but being unable to prevent it. We have no right to impose such immense suffering on others"

Jiang Xiaoyuan: "How long do I need to stay there?"

The lighthouse assistant defended himself without changing color: "I did not murder you; it was not I who hit you."

"She is already dead," Mingguang squinted at her, a smile both beautiful and cunning on her face, "Don't worry, no one will know."

The lighthouse assistant gazed deeply at the person named Mingguang, his extremely humanoid eyes reflecting a tumultuous mix of emotions.

Jiang Xiaoyuan trembled back from the brink of death, her entire being still in a daze, feeling dizzy and disoriented from the other party's sudden appearance.

Her hat flew to one side, her long hair stuck to her face, and her heart and lungs felt completely cold. Jiang Xiaoyuan shivered from the cold while following the gaze of the lighthouse assistant and looked up, seeing another person with a glowing button walking slowly towards her from not far away

Seeing Jiang Xiaoyuan was truly terrifying, and the lighthouse assistant even attempted to comfort her with a few words

Mingguang raised a finger and gently placed it by his lips: "If you become too immersed, another space-time will exert too great a gravitational pull on you, and you may be defaulted to being a person in that space-time. At that point, you will not be able to return, do you understand"

Following his words, Jiang Xiaoyuan instinctively turned to glance at the perilous platform behind her. She could not tell if it was her imagination, but she always felt as if a shadow of the cockpit had reappeared on that platform, faint and ominous.

Remember what I told you. Mingguang stood up, "I will bring you back in a month or two, now go."

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from the platform: "Pause the transmission program, pause."

Jiang Xiaoyuan was utterly despaired; the luck she had just experienced was now matched by her intense hatred for the so-called "temporal accident." Had it not been for this incident, she would have merely faced an unexpected accident, perhaps meeting Michelangelo in a matter of seconds without pain or suffering—far better than watching herself inch closer to death.

The lighthouse assistant quietly asked, "Mingguang, what are you doing?"

The person did not respond to him, but walked directly in front of Jiang Xiaoyuan, scrutinizing her for a moment. He smiled gracefully, bent down, and extended a hand towards her: "Miss, are you alright?"

At that moment, her heel struck a hard object, and Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly turned around, discovering that the high platform was unexpectedly close at hand

My colleague here, "Mingguang pointed to his own head, "is missing a segment of the program, which causes some communication issues. I sincerely apologize.

However, when her life was at stake, Jiang Xiaoyuan still forced herself to read the convoluted terms slowly. Unexpectedly, Mingguang beside her suddenly said: "Actually, it doesn't matter if you read it or not; this is just a formality. Would you really want to go back directly to the car that just crashed into the tree?"

His rhythmic footsteps gradually faded away

Jiang Xiaoyuan : `` ... ... ''

Suddenly, she remembered something and turned around to ask: "Wait, I just realized, if I go, won't the original 'me' in that other timeline be replaced by me? What will happen to her?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaoyuan felt wronged, realizing that she had almost been killed by a person with a mental deficiency. She immediately began to cry, struggling to catch her breath, and clutched Mingguang's sleeve as if it were a lifeline, saying: "I... I..."

Jiang Xiaoyuan had never felt any guilt about not studying hard before. At this moment, she finally realized this issue. After hesitating for a while, she softly said: "I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand."

Finally, there is someone who can speak human language, and Jiang Xiaoyuan was momentarily overwhelmed with emotion. However, the assistant of the lighthouse furrowed his brows—this action was indeed very human-like

Jiang Xiaoyuan took it hesitantly, and her ears surprisingly turned a bit red

"About one or two months," Mingguang said, "there's no need to worry too much. After all, you have lived in your original time and space for so many years, and generally speaking, unfamiliar time and space will not have a significant impact on you. Just go with the flow—alright, the assistant has prepared the contract, take a look, and if there are no issues, just sign it."

Mingguang turned to Jiang Xiaoyuan and said, "Alright, stop crying. I will request the activation of the special provisions for the error correction program on your behalf."

Mingguang: "You should hurry, this wave of temporal storms is about to pass. By then, the gravitational pull of your own time and space may be..."

Jiang Xiaoyuan screamed hysterically: "This is murder! Murder! Ah—"

Jiang Xiaoyuan's already muddled mind became even more chaotic after he spoke to her

Through authorization, the lighthouse assistant said

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and another scene appeared on the high platform, resembling an intersection on a narrow road

The construction of this channel is not simple, as your spacetime will exert a tremendous attraction on you, " Mingguang said, " As you approach, it will draw you in, so we need to utilize another parallel space. We will temporarily place you in another parallel space, allowing you to establish a certain connection with that space. By employing the principle of non-intersection between the two spaces and the forces of mutual cancellation, like two repelling magnets, we can maintain a brief stability of the channel. Although it is short, it will certainly be sufficient for you.

She panicked on the spot: "I will sign immediately, tell me how to sign, hurry!"

The lighthouse assistant glanced down at her, his glassy eyes fixated on her for a moment. In that instant, his expression was remarkably human, seemingly imbued with a compassion and mockery that were on the verge of being expressed.

Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Oh... you want to send me to another world, then I... I..."

When Mingguang said this, his gaze towards her was as if she were the only person left in the world. His eyes were focused and filled with warmth, nothing like the cold demeanor of a lighthouse assistant. Jiang Xiaoyuan was not an ignorant girl who had never seen handsome men, yet she was still nearly enchanted.

Oh, this matter is very easy to resolve, Mingguang said, his tone carrying a natural ease and joy, as if it were no big deal even if the sky were to fall—of course, it really is no big deal if the sky falls, as long as it is not his sky that falls

This person's face also resembles a computer-generated image, yet it is synthesized with such skill that every aspect is beautiful, to the point of being nearly indistinguishable in terms of gender, exuding an indescribable sense of falseness.

Mingguang gently lifted the hem of her pants, squatted down, and focused on wiping away the tears that streaked across Jiang Xiaoyuan's face.

The lighthouse assistant's face went blank for a moment, resembling a frozen robot. After a while, his gaze finally stirred slightly, as if he had just completed a lengthy program

The assistant's hands gently opened, and a transparent screen appeared before Jiang Xiaoyuan

Isn't it better than death?

Twenty minutes ago, Jiang Xiaoyuan still felt immensely powerful. She held a significant leverage over Feng Ruixue, which allowed her to easily poke and prod at her. She even believed that as long as she wished, there was nothing in this world that she could not buy. However, at this moment, Jiang Xiaoyuan felt like a tiny ant, easily toppled by a gentle breeze, crushed by a single leaf. The despicable elements of this world—the wind, snow, rain, and dew—held the power of life and death over her.

Jiang Xiaoyuan did not expect this risk, but soon she felt at ease again—what does it matter if there is a risk? After all, if she were to be shoved back into that terrifying car, it would surely be a dead end for her

The dense blocks of text are overwhelming, giving one a headache. In her lifetime, apart from textbooks, Jiang Xiaoyuan has managed to read a complete book only a handful of times, most of which are comics. She can hardly stay awake after reading three thousand characters—this is still in her native language; if it were in a foreign language, she would need to cut that down to fifteen hundred.

No one will know, except for Jiang Xiaoyuan herself

Jiang Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, feeling as if the blood had once again surged into her almost numb limbs

"Why was she stripped away by the time-space storm?" Mingguang continued, "I reviewed the records of this time storm, and the root cause is still that you miscalculated the path. Don't you think you should bear some responsibility?"

Before Jiang Xiaoyuan could react, the lighthouse assistant averted his gaze: "I will go get the contract"

The silent lighthouse assistant resembled a statue devoid of presence, not a bright light to offer reminders; Jiang Xiaoyuan hardly noticed his existence

Jiang Xiaoyuan, upon hearing this, had no time to contemplate the reasonableness of the statement. She exerted all her strength to prevent herself from bursting into tears of joy on the spot. Besides nodding, what else could she say

Jiang Xiaoyuan: "If I ... ... "

Mingguang seemed to have anticipated her facade of strength concealing her weakness. With a sense of accomplishment, he reached out and swept his hand through the air, extending the lengthy terms all the way to the end. He then gently took Jiang Xiaoyuan's hand, slowly and unyieldingly pressing her fingers onto it.

Jiang Xiaoyuan suddenly withdrew her hand, looking at Ming Guang with a hint of caution

He sincerely said, "Even if you do not die now, you will die eventually"

An invisible hand was pushing her towards the deadly cockpit, and Jiang Xiaoyuan instinctively waved her arms. The shards of glass, which had been suspended motionless in the air, came to life the moment they touched her wrist, flying out along a predetermined parabolic trajectory, leaving a few shallow wounds on her wrist.

"What do you mean by 'what is the reasoning' that you just mentioned?" Jiang Xiaoyuan came to her senses and asked, trying hard to suppress her sobs.

This is the first time in her life that she has encountered such a stubborn fool who is impervious to both soft and hard approaches, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words