Chapter 58:

‘Yunnan Ham’ and ‘Shuanghui Fresh Meat’ deluxe package

After the initial shock wore off, everyone quickly regained their composure.

“Something feels off.” Jing Qizhen frowned.

Manman nodded in agreement. “He’s looking at us like we’re strangers.”

Si Jiayang added, “And his expression seems… wrong.”

The last time they encountered Yun Shuanghua in the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store, the first thing they heard was his voice. At that time, he was being chased by the female ghost Miss Li, jumping and dodging like a rabbit, and showcasing remarkable stamina.

During that chase, Yun Shuanghua hadn’t stopped talking and he kept throwing out every term of flattery he could muster like ‘big sister,’ ‘beauty,’ ‘lady boss.’

Even before seeing him in person, Jing Qizhen couldn’t help but think that guy must be a born joker.

When they finally met him, Jing Qizhen was surprised to find Yun Shuanghua strikingly handsome, with a bright and sunny disposition that perfectly matched his humorous demeanor.

But now, the ‘Yun Shuanghua’ standing in the yard of the nearby villa was staring at them from afar, and while he had the same handsome face, his aura was entirely different. His expression and his demeanor all felt like they belonged to a completely different person.

Joyce tugged at his cousin’s sleeve and whispered, “Cousin, do you know that person?”

“Children should stay quiet. Watch and don’t speak,” Wilcox whispered his reply.

Joyce pouted and rolled his eyes in mild frustration but obediently stayed silent. Despite Wilcox not having the commanding presence of his older brother, the family’s official heir, Joyce still respected the cousin who had come to rescue him after a week of being trapped.

Old Xiao wiped the sweat from his brow, hesitating. “It seems like Yun Shuanghua… doesn’t recognize us.”

Although they had all been strangers before, after spending a day together in the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store and facing danger after danger, they had forged a bond akin to life-and-death camaraderie.

For Yun Shuanghua to forget them so easily didn’t seem realistic.

Lu Lingxi and Gu Leshan, who had only seen video footage of Yun Shuanghua, weren’t as familiar with him and speculated, “Could he have a twin?”

Manman pulled out her phone and brought up a photo of Yun Shuanghua. After comparing it, she shook her head. “Twins who don’t live together tend to develop differences over time. Though their facial features may look nearly identical, their body shape, posture, and mannerisms will diverge.”

She didn’t elaborate further but her implication was clear.

The cold-faced ‘Yun Shuanghua’ bore an uncanny resemblance to the Yun Shuanghua they knew, not only in facial features but in overall appearance. While identical twins who look exactly the same weren’t impossible, Manman leaned toward the belief that he was indeed the same person.

“He doesn’t recognize us anymore,” Jing Qizhen suddenly said with certainty.

Pausing for a moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly and continued, “And the most bizarre thing isn’t just his memory. It’s how Yun Shuanghua ended up here in the first place.”

Before anyone could question him, Jing Qizhen began to explain, “This Boston villa erosion area had already been sealed off by Wilcox and the relatives of the other missing persons. The area has been under strict surveillance.”

Wilcox nodded quickly. “That’s correct!”

Jing Qizhen added, “In other words, the only people who entered this area were us. Unless there was a breach in the containment, no one else could have gotten in.”

“The perimeter is equipped with full-angle surveillance cameras to ensure there are no blind spots,” Wilcox confirmed.

Jing Qizhen hummed in agreement. “That means if Yun Shuanghua had been lingering near the erosion area, Wilcox would have been notified.”

“I haven’t received any such notifications!” Wilcox emphasized.

Manman seemed to understand. “You’re saying Yun Shuanghua could only have appeared in this erosion area during a very narrow time frame—after Joyce and the others were pulled into it, but before the party guests realized something was wrong, called the authorities, and had this area sealed off?”

“Exactly.” Jing Qizhen nodded. “But don’t forget, time flows at a 1:1 ratio inside and outside the erosion area.”

Old Xiao, who had a strong knack for numbers, quickly pieced things together upon hearing this.

Old Xiao: “The Yunhai Wancheng Department Store and the Boston villa erosion zones happened almost simultaneously. Even if not exactly at the same time, they were only separated by a brief interval! But when we exited the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store erosion area, 24 hours had already passed!”

Jing Qizhen curled his lips into a smile, though it wasn’t entirely genuine.

“The Yunhai Wancheng Department Store erosion area ended 24 hours later,” Jing Qizhen continued, ”By that time, the disappearance at the Boston villa had already been discovered, and the initial chaos that allowed people to slip in unnoticed had long passed. Considering the time it takes to fly from China to the U.S., Yun Shuanghua wouldn’t have had the time—or the opportunity—to enter this erosion area.”

Manman calmly added, “When we left the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store, we didn’t see Yun Shuanghua. When we first entered the erosion area, everyone was scattered around the first-floor supermarket but Yun Shuanghua was completely separated from us.”

Old Xiao hesitated before blurting out the truth, “At the time, we thought Yun Shuanghua was dead and hadn’t made it out…” After all, he had been relentlessly pursued by the female ghost Miss Li and accused of being a thief. It was a miserable situation.

“So, what’s the conclusion here?” Gu Leshan rubbed his temples, clearly overwhelmed.

Jing Qizhen’s expression grew serious as he spoke softly, “Yun Shuanghua entered the erosion area through some special means, and both the method and timing were completely different from ours.”

“Damn, I get it now! This guy’s like a smuggler operating outside the government’s jurisdiction!” Still aiming his weapon, Gu Leshan took a sharp breath.

“Smuggler…” Jing Qizhen mulled over the term and then chuckled. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”

After a brief pause, Jing Qizhen mentally reached out. “Babyball, are you there?”

“Here, here! What’s up?” the Earth responded promptly.

Jing Qizhen: “Did you see that Yun Shuanghua over there?”

The Earth: “Yep, and he’s been looking at you too.” O.O

Jing Qizhen: “We’ve been trying to figure out how he entered this erosion area and we can’t make sense of it.”

The Earth was very thoughtful in this regard. “Eh, however he got in doesn’t matter. The more people, the merrier!”

Jing Qizhen: “…”

After a moment of silence, Jing Qizhen asked, “When an erosion area forms, people within a certain range resonate with it and are drawn inside, right?”

The Earth: “Exactly!”

Jing Qizhen: “But at the time the Boston villa erosion area formed, Yun Shuanghua was still with us in the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store erosion area. There’s no way he could’ve entered here.”

The Earth: “Beats me.” O.O

Jing Qizhen: “Could two separate erosion areas somehow become connected?”

The Earth: “Under normal circumstances, absolutely not! There are plenty of those nasty, annoying, good-for-nothing balls around the world, which is why the erosion areas pop up in multiple locations. It’s called ‘multi-point spawning,’ you know what I mean, right?”

Jing Qizhen: “I do. Let’s skip the general case. Just tell me under what special conditions it’s possible.”

The Earth: “An erosion area is essentially a shared area where two worlds intersect or overlap. At the edges of these areas, spatial fissures can exist. Those wispy white mists you humans see are actually those fissures.”

Jing Qizhen immediately understood. “So, it’s possible to move from one erosion area to another, as long as they don’t get torn apart by the spatial fissures in the process?”

The Earth: “Remember the last time you tested it with dried pork? It ended up almost completely pulverized, right?”

Jing Qizhen: “When we exited the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store erosion area, we didn’t see Yun Shuanghua.”

The Earth: “When you guys made it out of the erosion zone, I whacked that idiot ball away, and maybe Yun Shuanghua accidentally ended up on another ball. Honestly, unless you’re there, I don’t know what’s going on inside the erosion areas. You’re asking me now? How should I know?”

Jing Qizhen: “…Fine, never mind. Go amuse yourself elsewhere.”

The Earth: “Okay!”

Although it said so, the Earth found Jing Qizhen’s situation quite entertaining and decided not to leave yet to check out the commotion outside the erosion area where Tang Song was.

Manman softly asked, “You were just talking to the Earth, right? What did it say?”

“Basically, it knows nothing. It just mentioned spatial fissures at the edges of erosion areas and the possibility of special cases,” Jing Qizhen summarized simply.

The Earth protested, “Hey! You’re ruining my reputation again!”

Jing Qizhen completely ignored the Earth.

Manman nodded slowly and suggested, “Should we go take a look?”

Jing Qizhen: “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

He gestured to Gu Leshan nearby. “Keep your sights trained and I’ll try not to block your line of fire.”

With that, Jing Qizhen walked toward Yun Shuanghua. Manman, Si Jiayang, and the more combat-capable Yan Hong followed him.

Seeing them, Wilcox quickly instructed his cousin, Joyce, “I’m going to check things out. Stay here and behave yourself, okay? Do as they say!”

As he spoke, Wilcox gestured toward Jin Guijuan and Old Xiao.

Joyce glanced at the two obviously delicate Eastern faces and was not particularly eager to listen. However, out of respect for his cousin, he grudgingly stayed put.

Meanwhile, Gu Leshan, still aiming at Yun Shuanghua through his scope, whispered to Lu Lingxi, “You know, I just realized that our dear Jing Qizhen has quite a ruthless streak.”

Lu Lingxi, who felt no particular bond with the enigmatic Yun Shuanghua, merely chuckled indifferently.

By that point, Jing Qizhen had reached the villa where Yun Shuanghua stood, separated only by an iron fence.

As they met face-to-face, Yun Shuanghua’s expression remained icy, his gaze radiating a clear sense of unfamiliarity.

“Yun Shuanghua!” Jing Qizhen called out his name directly. “We meet again.”

At those words, Yun Shuanghua froze briefly. His gaze toward Jing Qizhen seemed to lose a bit of its unfamiliarity.

For a moment, he recalled the origin of the name ‘Yun Shuanghua.’

The terrifying bloodstained female ghost Miss Li was relentlessly hunting down a ‘thief’ while the sealed packages of meat labeled with phrases like ‘Yunnan Ham’ and ‘Shuanghui Fresh Meat’ had conveniently fallen into his hands in the misty spatial fissure.