14. A Hall Ablaze with Crimson Flames

Lin Doudou darted through the labyrinthine alleys with the man in black. Thanks to Hongzhan’s enhancement, Lu Feng’s speed had reached its absolute peak—so all Lin Doudou glimpsed was a fleeting silhouette ahead of her, and from then on, she could only chase in the general direction he’d gone.

All along the way, anxiety gnawed at her. Lu Feng had just crossed over, and by the classification of Time Walkers, he didn’t even qualify as a novice yet. If he encountered a powerful traveler, he would be in grave danger. Lin Doudou suddenly regretted bringing him out, even if that had been the director’s order.

She finally found Lu Feng in the vacant lot beside a derelict building. The scene was not particularly chaotic: Lu Feng lay sprawled to one side, while a mutilated body with severed limbs rested nearby, its arms and legs scattered about. A cold, curved blade was thrust obliquely into the ground, not far away, its grip still clenched by a blood-soaked forearm.

Moon Shadow of the Wind?

Lin Doudou recognized the weapon—“Moon Shadow of the Wind.” It was the standard sidearm of every Time Walker; she herself possessed one, though seldom carried it. The corpse was familiar too; she recalled it belonged to a “Gatekeeper” from a special operations unit.

She quickly dismissed the notion that the Gatekeeper had tried to kill Lu Feng—too absurd. A Gatekeeper would have no reason to harm him.

But the squad members who followed searched the area thoroughly and found no other traces. What had transpired between Lu Feng and the Gatekeeper?

Lin Doudou pondered long and hard, but could not unravel the mystery. For now, the urgent matter was to get Lu Feng back—his breath was faint, and she feared for his safety. Whatever had happened, she could ask him once he awoke.

Lu Feng, lost in delirium, was oblivious to the world around him. The face that smiled gently at him lingered in his mind; he grinned back, his youthful, handsome features radiant with genuine warmth.

Lin Doudou watched the smile on Lu Feng’s face as she cradled him, her heart bitter. It was the first time she had seen him smile so freely since they met.

Lu Feng vaguely sensed someone wiping his face. When he opened his eyes, a rotund monk was sitting beside him, keeping vigil.

“Monk…” Lu Feng murmured, his earlier resentment at not finding the monk dissipating utterly.

The monk, seeing him awake, dropped his usual teasing and gently helped Lu Feng up from the ground, gazing at him with a soft expression.

They sat in silence for a while.

“Monk, someone sacrificed his life to save me. But I’d only just met him,” Lu Feng said, his voice laden with sorrow. The monk was moved as well.

“His name is Liu Dazhuang. He’s from the Ninth Bureau of Time,” Lu Feng continued, not caring whether the monk responded.

“Monk, do you think he’s a fool? He knew it meant death, but still rushed forward. He made me promise to die after him.”

“He’s not a fool!” Only then did the monk speak, his voice gentle.

Lu Feng’s face darkened; he looked up at the monk.

The monk went on, “Perhaps he wanted to prove he wasn’t a traitor.”

In the alley, Lu Feng had reversed time, watching the whole scene play out like a film. The monk, in Lu Feng’s consciousness, had witnessed it all.

“Is that what you think?” Lu Feng frowned, looking at the monk coldly.

“What I think doesn’t matter. What matters is what you think.”

Lu Feng stared at the monk’s placid face, betraying no emotion.

The monk continued, “Everyone has their own mission. For example, the Ninth Bureau’s mission is to maintain spatial order. His mission was to sacrifice himself for something worthwhile. My mission was to wait here for you to wake up. And you, too, have your own mission…”

“What is my mission?” Lu Feng asked devoutly, realizing he had never considered the question.

“Only you know your mission,” said the monk, gazing into the vastness before him, muttering, “When the Time Tower appears amidst this expanse, you will know your mission. This space is but a floating duckweed. In the future, you’ll encounter many more agonizing trials.”

To wait for someone, guard a tower, and offer a soul—that was his mission.

After a pause, the monk spoke solemnly, “After the battle just now, you’ve awakened many abilities.”

“What good is awakening if I still couldn’t save him?” Lu Feng knew he had grown much stronger; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the man in black so suddenly.

“Perhaps you can,” the monk replied.

“Are you… telling the truth?” Lu Feng was startled, almost unable to believe it.

But thinking again, if he’d succeeded in reversing time, maybe he truly could. It was a tremendous hope.

“What Wang Hao told you before—all true. But he barely scratched the surface. The true depths of time and space are far beyond what he could imagine.”

“Maybe, when you’re truly powerful, you’ll be able to find him in some parallel space—just as you found Miss Dream.”

“But only if you regain your former level.”

As the monk finished, Lu Feng seized on the key word—power. After the recent battle, he knew deeply how important strength was; if he didn’t grow stronger, others could crush him like an ant at any time.

If he couldn’t protect himself, how could he save others?

“How do I become stronger?” Lu Feng asked urgently.

“When you find yourself in this vastness,” the monk replied slowly.

“What does that mean?” Lu Feng was puzzled. Wasn’t he already here?

“I don’t know. You told me,” the monk replied with an infuriatingly smug look.

Lu Feng instantly wanted to punch the monk—or himself.

When he woke in bed, Lin Doudou was sitting at the bedside, watching him.

“You’re awake?” Lin Doudou leaned in.

Lu Feng didn’t respond; his gaze was vacant as he surveyed the surroundings, realizing he was back in his little courtyard.

“Are you feeling better?”

Lu Feng nodded.

“They said… They said Liu Dazhuang was a traitor. What really happened?” Lin Doudou asked, puzzled.

“He wasn’t.”

Lu Feng’s eyes flickered as he looked at Lin Doudou, unable to hide his distaste and anger regarding the topic.

“I don’t think he was either, but his captain said he was. And we found no evidence to the contrary.” Lin Doudou lowered her head.

“If I say he wasn’t, then he wasn’t,” Lu Feng said, word by word.

“The Bureau is announcing the results of the investigation into Liu Dazhuang right now,” Lin Doudou began, but Lu Feng had already grabbed her hand and was rushing out the door.

In the grand meeting hall on the third floor of the Ninth Bureau, over a thousand people were gathered. On stage, Wang Hao sat at the center, with the four other hosts on either side.

Below, two people lay swathed in bandages.

The hall buzzed with whispered discussion.

“So it’s true—Liu Dazhuang really was a traitor.”

“I never would have guessed. He always seemed honest and reliable, and now he’s a traitor.”

“What a disgrace. The Ninth Bureau should be ashamed.”

“Poor family—now they’ll be imprisoned too.”

…

The five hosts on stage seemed unconcerned with the murmuring, making no attempt to intervene. They sat quietly, their eyes occasionally darting toward the entrance.

Just then, Lin Doudou appeared at the doorway.

“Silence!” Wang Hao shouted, and the hall fell utterly still.

“Now, we announce the results of the investigation and the decision regarding Liu Dazhuang,” Wang Hao paused, glanced at the crowd, and continued, “Upon investigation, Liu Dazhuang assisted in the killing of teammates. The nature of his actions is heinous and universally condemned. The decision is to strip Liu Dazhuang of his Time Walker status and detain his family as an example.”

With this, the hall grew even quieter. No one seemed surprised, for everyone knew the rules governing travelers: a traitor’s actions would implicate his family.

“He is not a traitor!”

“I will never accept this!”

A deep voice echoed from the doorway across the silent hall.

“Oh? Who is speaking?” Wang Hao glanced at the entrance, feigning ignorance.

“He is not a traitor!”

“I will never accept this!”

Lu Feng strode into the hall, repeating his words as he advanced. All eyes turned to him—curious, astonished.

“Who are you?” Wang Hao asked. Lu Feng halted and stared back at him.

What a joke—Wang Hao couldn’t possibly not recognize him.

“Lu Feng.”

“Oh. But I don’t believe you have the right to speak here. You’re just an observer.”

Observer—yes, he was just an observer.

After a moment’s reflection, Lu Feng drew a curved blade from behind him and lightly scored his left hand. Pain blossomed, but his expression remained serene.

Blood dripped onto the floor, and instantly a crimson glow surged forth, spreading like wildfire until the hall was engulfed in a sea of red flames.

Lu Feng knelt on one knee.

“I, Lu Feng, swear by my bloodline—Liu Dazhuang is absolutely not a traitor!”

“You say he isn’t, so he isn’t? Who do you think you are?” Wang Hao’s voice suddenly thundered, reverberating through the hall.

His words stunned everyone. They had never seen the director so aggressive.

Lu Feng looked at the stage, at the crowd around him, and slowly closed his eyes. He seemed to see Liu Dazhuang, mumbling as Lu Feng cradled his broken body.

A surge of conviction rose within him.

“I am a traveler of time, a guardian at the edge of order!”

“If darkness descends, I shall tread the stars and plunge into the abyss.”

“From this day forth, his life, I will repay. His enemies, I will destroy. The tasks he left undone, I will complete. What he failed to accomplish, I will finish.”

“And let it be said: he is not a traitor. My words are witnessed by the sun and moon, by heaven and earth.”

The hall rose in solemnity. From this day, Lu Feng was a member of the Ninth Bureau.

“In that case, I believe you! Liu Dazhuang is no traitor—he is a hero of the Ninth Bureau!”

Wang Hao uttered these words, restraining the tumult in his veins.

Yet Lu Feng sensed something was amiss.

In the director’s office, the door was tightly shut. The five hosts looked at each other, each calming their inner stirrings. Then they exchanged smiles, and their eyes hardened once more.

The old man who spent his days studying the star maps could see right through Lu Feng—let alone Liu Dazhuang.

At last, they had persuaded him to stay willingly.

The variables were arriving, the situation urgent. In this moment, the Ninth Bureau had gained Lu Feng.

That thing called conviction, painted in the red of the brave, would ultimately traverse the ancient galaxies, forever undying.

Yet—

The death of Time Walker Liu Dazhuang demanded someone pay the price.

Whoever it may be.