My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

“So, in this Memory Domain… all the Memories living here are…” Chu Bamboo’s voice trailed off, laced with uncertainty.

“That’s not it.” Lin Xia shook his head. He took Chu Bamboo with him, and with a single step, they appeared in an office at Jinling University. Principal Li was at his desk, frowning as he went over some documents.

Lin Xia spoke without reservation, not at all worried about attracting the principal’s attention. “It’s like Principal Li here… he hasn’t undergone memory synchronization! So… he has no Spirituality!”

“To a certain extent, unless people like us who have undergone memory synchronization take control… otherwise, they’ll just act like NPCs. They follow the patterns of behavior you’ve assigned them in your subconscious… living like this, on and on, in a never-ending cycle…”

Lin Xia’s mood dipped for a moment, his tone complex. “This is the Memory Divine Domain you built. A cyclical world where the curtain never falls.”

“I see.” Chu Bamboo pursed his lips.

“Let me add one more thing,” Lin Xia said, patting his cheeks and forcing some energy into his voice. “Everyone who has undergone memory synchronization… is a member of the Time Club. This is to keep the situation as controllable as possible!”

Chu Bamboo’s brow furrowed. After thinking it over, he said, “I’m rather curious… In this Memory Domain, is there my other… I mean, another Memory of me?”

“…” Lin Xia suddenly went silent.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Bamboo asked, turning to look at Lin Xia.

“There was, originally,” Lin Xia said, studying Chu Bamboo. His gaze grew impossibly complex, and his voice took on a raspy edge. “He was killed.”

“???” Disbelief flooded Chu Bamboo’s face. ‘This is my Memory Domain, and you’re telling me my other self’s Memory was killed… Wait!’

“Looks like you’ve realized,” Lin Xia said with a shrug, revealing the answer. “Yes… it was a protocol left behind by your other self—the original one. It killed your Memory.”

A hint of sadness and bitterness surfaced in Lin Xia’s eyes. He said softly, “And the trigger for this protocol… was that the original you detected… your Memory no longer wanted to just be your cheat code, your wise old mentor… He wanted to possess you! Possess the you that exists now! He wanted to change everything with his own hands…”

Lin Xia was in agony. At the end of the day, he was a Memory too. His feelings for the Chu Bamboo Memory were identical to his feelings for the original Chu Bamboo… But in this situation, he couldn’t even get revenge.

“…” Chu Bamboo was silent. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand. It was just…

A thousand words could only be expressed in a single sigh. “My other self is really something else… Alright, if the Memory thought that way, then my original self must have, too.”

‘The reason his original self killed the Memory… was perhaps simply because the original couldn’t perform a possession himself. He knew his own nature so well that he set this up in advance, scheming against his own Memory and ensuring its demise.’

‘Unbelievable…’

‘But it made perfect sense.’

‘After all, they were the same person. Watching his friends and family die drove his other self to the point of wanting to create a domain of memory and soul just to preserve their spirits… How could someone like that be willing to simply hand everything over to the next version of himself?’

‘If he had just accepted his fate, he wouldn’t be Chu Bamboo.’

“Although Z once said that from beginning to end, there has only ever been one Chu Bamboo!” A strange glint appeared in Chu Bamboo’s eyes. ‘But what’s the real truth? Who could possibly know… If I were in my other self’s shoes, I’d have the same thoughts.’

Of course, that didn’t mean his other self couldn’t be trusted.

‘If my other self had actually survived until now, and two Chu Bamboos existed simultaneously, it would prove Z was full of it. The “only one” theory would be a lie… and they would almost certainly end up fighting, probably to the death… ‘

But it was basically impossible for the other Chu Bamboo to have survived this long. Because he was needed to contain the threat on Mars. That, too, was for the continuation of civilization… His other self would have willingly sacrificed his own life for that cause—

Under those circumstances, his other self was, of course, trustworthy. Chu Bamboo trusted the other him precisely because he understood himself.

…

「Back in the bar.」

Chu Bamboo scanned the room and raised an eyebrow. “By the way… how come it’s just the few of you? Or are these all the members of the Time Club?”

“How should I put this?” Kevin said, scratching his head. “If you count everyone who ever joined the Time Club… the total is probably over fifty!”

“Closer to a hundred, to be exact,” Lin Xia added. Meeting Chu Bamboo’s confused gaze, he whispered, “Some people joined after Kevin died… but you were already dead by then, too. So there was no way to put them into the Memory Domain.”

“…However, some people were already dead when you constructed this great domain. As for the others…” Kevin hesitated.

“They just don’t want to see you, what else?” Huo Yuan said matter-of-factly. “Take my foolish father, for example. He’s always thinking that if he had just been a little faster… worked a little harder… maybe everything would have turned out differently. So he just shut himself away. Even knowing you’re here… he’s still holed up.”

“Some of them are just being rational,” Lin Xia said softly. “They feel that… in the real-world timeline, they probably haven’t even met you yet. And… of course, some are just in deep seclusion, so deep their brains have turned to mush. They have no idea that now is the right time.”

“That’s basically the gist of it… But if you’re really that curious!” Lin Xia looked like he was itching for a chance to do something, rubbing his hands together.

“…I’m not that curious, actually,” Chu Bamboo said, waving his hands dismissively. The thought of meeting a group of strangers and having to pretend he knew them well… it was enough to make his teeth ache. ‘Besides, if I want information, I can just ask the people who are here. There’s no need for all that!’

“Oh, right! Perfect timing, Brother Zhu!” Huo Yuan said with casual familiarity, waving a hand. A screen of light suddenly materialized in the air. “I was just checking and I’ve detected some abnormal data from Mars! If I’m not mistaken…”

“…Have they really made their move?” Lin Xia’s demeanor shifted. His eyes became cold and sharp, glinting with a faint killing intent.

Compared to the version of himself he’d shown Chu Bamboo just moments ago—the one identical to the Lin Xia in Chu Bamboo’s memories—the current Lin Xia was more like a ruthless, decisive leader.

A guess formed in Chu Bamboo’s mind. His expression soured, and he stared intently at the screen.

Gradually…

On the screen, the crimson surface of Mars was stained with an inky light. It spread and spread until… the entire planet turned pitch-black.

Finally, the massive, pitch-black Mars began to pulse like a heart. With every beat, waves of inky black halos radiated outward from the planet.

In an instant.

The surfaces of the numerous asteroids and fragments in the Asteroid Belt between Earth and Mars were stained a faint black.

Then…

The Moon… Earth… Venus…

The only saving grace was…

A special barrier of some kind flickered to life in Earth’s atmosphere, powerfully and resolutely blocking the dark sheen, keeping it from penetrating.

Chu Bamboo watched the screen and had just let out a sigh of relief when his expression froze again.

He saw…

On the virtual map of Earth, at the location of the Imperial Capital—no… there were other places, too! It looked like they were on the other side of the planet… somewhere in Europe and America!

Darkness was erupting and spreading there as well.