“Whew—”
Sophia exhaled, leaned against Andy’s shoulder, and slowly sat down.
“So tired…”
Under the dim yellow light, the three of them leaned against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, all looking weary.
“What cycle is this?” Li Andy asked.
“It’s the tenth, Brother.”
Youxi shifted her body closer, slightly turning to find a more comfortable position, and nestled into his embrace.
After so many attempts, they could basically draw a conclusion.
The anomaly was probably Meilin.
Meilin and the shadow were the same material, just in different stages.
When a living Meilin died, she would turn into a humanoid shadow, retaining some memories from the previous cycle.
And after the shadow was reset, she would become a new Meilin.
They exchanged places, cycling back and forth, like a container for purifying material.
So, the question was.
How to break the cycle? How to eliminate the anomaly?
He had tried many things, but still had no results.
First, the shadow Meilin, she was unkillable. At least with their current abilities, she was unkillable.
The ordinary Meilin was a trigger. If she died or had a mental breakdown, the world would restart.
So, facing two basically invincible things, how could they break the situation?
Just then, Sophia suddenly asked:
“Hey, why do you think that Meilin keeps looking for her father?”
Li Andy frowned slightly, feeling like a new idea was about to emerge.
That’s right, why did she keep looking for her father?
The missing surviving workers meant her memories could change.
Could her father’s memories be leveraged?
Li Andy’s thoughts ran wild, while the two girls started discussing among themselves.
“Do you think her father really exists?” Sophia posed a bold guess.
Youxi thought for a moment, then retorted:
“But we’ve already explored all the accessible areas of this mine, there’s nothing else.”
“Could we have missed somewhere?”
“Probably not, Brother also searched with his spirit body.”
While the two girls were still discussing, Li Andy, who was in the middle, suddenly straightened up.
Losing their pillow support, they stumbled slightly.
“Brother?” Youxi held his arm, her brows slightly furrowed.
Li Andy was silent for a few seconds, then said:
“I have an idea that needs to be verified.”
The two girls were slightly taken aback.
…
After resting for a while.
Sophia rubbed her eyes and noticed that the scratches on the wall had been repaired again.
Familiar surroundings, familiar feeling, another new cycle.
She finally understood now why Andy disliked this domain.
Even constantly staring at a beautiful scene would eventually become tiresome.
This pitch-black mine made it even easier for one to become depressed.
She couldn't imagine, if she were trapped here alone, when the breakdown would occur…
“Awake?” Andy’s voice came from beside her.
Sophia snapped back to reality, looking at the person in front of her, feeling very reassured:
“Mm.”
“Then let’s go.”
The three of them tidied their clothes and once again went to meet Meilin.
The familiar fork in the road, the familiar figure, the familiar voice.
“Are you rescuers?!”
“Please, save my father!”
Li Andy changed his usual demeanor, stepping forward and embracing Meilin tightly:
“Meilin! It’s so good that you’re alright! Father thought… he’d never see you again…”
Meilin was completely stunned.
“You… my father?”
This person in front of her didn’t seem much older than her, did he?
She felt something was off and tried to recall her father’s face, but her head throbbed with a sharp pain.
“Meilin! Meilin? What’s wrong?”
Li Andy held her shoulders with both hands, his expression urgent,
“You don’t even recognize Father! Did you hit your head? Let me see quickly…”
Meilin looked at the person in front of her, feeling a bit dazed.
Was Father like this?
“Ah, I… I’m fine, I just… feel a little dizzy…”
Meilin shook her head, hesitated for a few seconds, then tentatively called out,
“Fa… Father?”
The young man in front of her smiled brightly:
“Meilin, that’s great!”
Meilin was stunned again, her heartbeat quickening slightly.
Father, he seemed to be like this…
Just as her mind was in a daze, Yuquan Youxi, behind her, raised her gun to the back of her head.
“Bang!”
Splattered blood stuck to “Father’s” face.
Eleventh reset.
…
In the darkness, I woke up.
I… Where am I?
Oh, I remember, my name is Meilin, and I’m trapped in the mine, and I need to find my father…
My father, he seems to be very handsome, very young…
…
“Bang!”
Twelfth reset.
“Bang!”
Thirteenth reset…
…
Sixteenth cycle.
The familiar fork in the road, the familiar figure, the familiar voice.
Meilin looked at the figure holding the lamp, crying tears of joy:
“Father! It’s so good that you’re alright!”
And Li Andy and the other two, looking at Meilin, who had completely changed shape, exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.