Ch 32: Text Messages Across Time

“The previous suspect said he was only imitating the crime and didn’t know the real killer.” On December 15, the day after Luo Xiaorong’s funeral, Wang Manshan came to Lin Wu looking utterly exhausted.

Twenty days earlier, after Lin Wu suspected Luo Xiaorong was being followed, Wang Manshan immediately contacted five trusted coworkers to set up a plan.

In the sixth ending, according to cafeteria staff recollections, Luo Xiaorong had gone missing between five and six o’clock. That was the busiest time in the cafeteria, so everyone assumed she had gone to the restroom. It wasn’t until Wang Manshan finished work and couldn’t find her that they realized she was missing.

After the seventh ending began, Lin Wu specifically emphasized the timing of the tracking. So after contacting his coworkers, Wang Manshan stayed near the cafeteria to watch. Lin Wu was not a cafeteria worker and worried he would stand out too much, so he hid with the others near the factory building, planning to act together when the killer struck.

Wang Manshan began observing from a corner at four o’clock. He saw Luo Xiaorong working as usual. After 4:30, staff from other cafeterias came to collect steamed buns, and the entrance to the second cafeteria grew increasingly crowded.

At six o’clock, the cafeteria closing bell rang. Luo Xiaorong clocked out with the others and went to the shuttle stop. She looked around for Wang Manshan, but seeing no one, boarded the bus alone.

Wang Manshan quickly followed her onto the bus and called Old Zhou at the same time. “Tell Lin Wu and the others they don’t need to wait anymore. Xiaorong got on the bus.”

…

The November 25 stakeout failed. The others were confused, but Lin Wu immediately turned serious. He trusted the space-time messages. If something had gone wrong, then there had to be a mistake somewhere in the process.

Over the following week, Lin Wu paid close attention to Luo Xiaorong’s daily routine, even considering taking a leave from school and leaving with her immediately. Translated on Hololo novels. But while a thief may strike only once, guarding against one is a constant task. On December 5, Luo Xiaorong was killed. The location: another abandoned factory building in the steel plant.

“The factory has already held a safety mobilization meeting. There will be compensation for what happened to your mother,” Wang Manshan said, sighing. After Lin Haiming passed away, he knew Lin Wu and Luo Xiaorong had relied on each other. This blow was far too heavy.

“Uncle Wang, can you go over what happened again?” Lin Wu had spent these days handling Luo Xiaorong’s funeral arrangements. He looked utterly drained.

“After you told me that day, I found Old Zhou and the others. I didn’t say what it was about at first. Only close to four did I explain…” Attendance at the Xuhu Steel Plant was strict, but they were all long-time employees. After informing the workshop supervisor, they left early. What happened afterward, Lin Wu already knew.

“Where exactly did it go wrong…” Lin Wu frowned deeply.

After this, Lin Wu and the police reviewed surveillance footage from both November 25 and December 5. The Xuhu Steel Plant employed nearly thirty thousand people, with constant movement of outsiders in and out. Even after repeated viewing, nothing unusual stood out.

“Why are you so focused on the footage from the 25th?” Luo Xiaorong’s incident happened on December 5, so the police were puzzled by Lin Wu’s request.

“The 25th was a Sunday, right? I remember a lot of trucks came to haul steel pipes that day. We worked until nearly midnight,” said a gate guard named Sun Xiaotao, speaking up enthusiastically.

“You remember that clearly?” Lin Wu asked.

“What’s there to remember? The plant’s been shipping a lot lately. Steel pipes and rebar go out every day.”

“Mm.” The officer continued taking notes, then asked, “Have there been any notable outsiders at the plant recently?”

“The east district is renovating an office building. Aside from the construction crew, nothing particularly unusual. But there’s a lot of foot traffic here. Plenty of outsiders come and go every day.”

“Daming Construction Team?” the police asked, clearly having investigated already.

“That sounds about right.”

Daming Construction was the crew Guo Chengchun belonged to. After Luo Xiaorong’s death, the police immediately reviewed records of outsiders entering the plant. Aside from truck drivers, the most notable group was the Daming team. It was a small crew of twenty-two people, five women and seventeen men. On the day Luo Xiaorong died, the entire team had been eating barbecue by the roadside. Each of them had a solid alibi.

“Any other clues?” the police asked after taking notes.

“No,” the gate guard shook his head.

After returning home, Lin Wu looked at the empty house and began reorganizing everything in his mind—

According to the original timeline, Luo Xiaorong should have died on the 25th. But due to certain changes, she did not go missing then. The elements that could be considered “special variables” in that process were seven: himself, Wang Manshan, and Wang Manshan’s five coworkers.

He had observed those five coworkers. All were long-time employees at the plant, living normal lives, none of them appearing suspicious. Of course, one could not judge a killer by appearance alone.

…

The new memories passed like a blur. After Luo Xiaorong’s death, he tracked other potential victims. But the new ending produced a butterfly effect, and the list of victims changed to different people. He even went to prison to see Guo Chengchun, trying to extract information about the second killer, but Guo spoke casually, saying he didn’t know him.

【A new path, and yet an old one.】

After Luo Xiaorong’s death, Lin Wu felt as though he had reached the end of his path. As he continued forward, both analyzing where things had gone wrong and carrying unease about starting over again, he eventually reached 2024.

September 27, 2024. The memory of the seventh ending finished refreshing. Lin Wu looked at his phone.

【Is there a new ending?】his 2004 self asked.

………

【Is there a new ending?】

In the residential compound in 2004, after sending the message, Lin Wu saw Qin Weidong pick up a piece of jackfruit from the box. “This one’s really sweet. Have another piece.”

“It’ll make me heaty.”

“Just one small piece, it’s really good!”

An hour earlier, after the two arrived at Lin Wu’s home, Qin Weidong ignored Lin Wu’s attempts to stop him and cut up two large plates of fruit. Then he politely knocked on Luo Xiaorong’s door. “Aunt Luo, I bought some durian and jackfruit. Come out and try some, it’s really good!”

Qin Weidong had good social awareness. When he was being polite, he came across as a bright and cheerful boy. Luo Xiaorong had gotten to know him a bit over the past two days and was no longer as wary as before. Hearing him, she curiously opened the door.

“Aunt Luo, try some.” Qin Weidong held the fruit out to her.

Back in 2004, tropical fruits were still relatively rare in the north. It was Luo Xiaorong’s first time seeing such bright yellow fruit. She was very curious and looked toward Lin Wu.

“Mom, you can try it.” Lin Wu felt that letting all that fruit go to waste would be a shame, so he agreed.

Luo Xiaorong took the fruit and quickly shut the door, returning to her room. Qin Weidong brought another plate into Lin Wu’s room. By then, Lin Wu had already started doing his homework. Qin Weidong set the plate on the table. After eating two pieces of jackfruit himself, he noticed Lin Wu had only eaten a small piece of banana.

“Eat, why did you stop?” Qin Weidong liked getting others to eat what he bought. It gave him a sense of satisfaction.

“You go ahead. I’ll eat later.” Lin Wu didn’t like distractions while studying.

“It won’t be fresh later.” Seeing how focused Lin Wu was, Qin Weidong felt a bit defeated in his attempt to feed him. After holding back for a while, he put on a disposable glove, peeled a piece of durian, and held it up to Lin Wu’s mouth. “Try it.”

Lin Wu was working through a math problem when he suddenly saw a pair of hands in front of him. He paused. “I can do it myself.”

“It’s fine. Don’t get your hands dirty. Just eat.”

Lin Wu was the type who responded better to softness than force. Since it was already peeled, refusing outright would feel ungrateful. The atmosphere was good, and he didn’t want to make it awkward. In the end, he said, “Thanks,” and took a bite.

When he was younger, his family had bought durian once. Even a small one cost over eighty, and after trying it, they all felt it wasn’t worth the price, so they never bought it again.

Qin Weidong had already cut the durian into small pieces. It was fleshy and fragrant. After eating, Lin Wu thanked him again. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

With nothing better to do, Qin Weidong seemed to have found something fun. After a while, just as Lin Wu finished a problem, another piece of banana appeared in front of him.

“I’ll get it myself later,” Lin Wu said helplessly.

“It’s fine, just keep working.” Qin Weidong waved him off as if Lin Wu was being fussy.

Lin Wu had no choice but to eat it.

For the rest of the time, every time Lin Wu finished a problem, a small piece of fruit would appear in front of him, sometimes banana, sometimes durian, sometimes jackfruit. All of it was cut into small portions, not filling enough to be a burden, and not interfering with studying.

At first, Lin Wu felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing how enthusiastic Qin Weidong looked, he swallowed his refusals.

Qin Weidong got more and more into it, and the feeding continued all the way until they sent the messages.

“I can’t eat anymore…” Lin Wu looked at the jackfruit in front of him helplessly.

“It’s just one small piece,” Qin Weidong said hopefully.

“…Alright.” Lin Wu gave in and ate it.

【There is a new ending.】The reply finally came.

Lin Wu and Qin Weidong stopped fooling around and focused on the phone.

“On November 25, you and Uncle Wang prepared in advance. The killer didn’t act. On December 5, Luo Xiaorong was killed.” In the Xuhu Hotel, Lin Wu explained everything.

“There was a problem during the ambush?” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu immediately identified the issue.

“There must have been, but we don’t know where,” he said. They had prepared thoroughly this time, so there must have been some overlooked flaw.

“What clues do you have on your side now?” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu asked.

“The Daming construction team, Uncle Wang’s coworkers, cafeteria staff, gate guards, factory patrols, truck drivers, steel plant patrol…” Lin Wu listed everything he could think of.

“Do you think the killer is a steel plant worker?” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu asked.

“Mm.” In the sixth ending, Luo Xiaorong died in Factory Building A. In this newly refreshed ending, it was Factory Building B. That suggested the killer was very familiar with the layout of the Xuhu Steel Plant. Even if not an employee, he must have had close, prolonged contact with it.

“Isn’t Daming Construction where Guo Chengchun works?” After their discussion yesterday, Lin Wu had already memorized Guo Chengchun’s details.

“Daming Construction worked on the artificial lake project from May to September this year. Their workers are quite familiar with the terrain there.” In the third ending, the places where Wang Jiahui and Luo Xiaorong died were both near the artificial lake. Now that the construction team had been involved in the steel plant project, Lin Wu felt the connection between the two was not a coincidence.

“Have the police investigated them?” Lin Wu asked.

“They have. No leads.”

This was a major criminal case. The day after Luo Xiaorong’s death, the steel plant compiled the attendance list for December 5. There were 21,000 workers present that day. Because of the large number of people on site, everyone underwent police questioning, but there was no way to be certain whether anyone had deliberately concealed anything.

“Should we open a new timeline?” Lin Wu thought for a moment before asking. This time, the issue likely lay in the November 25 ambush. If they restarted, he planned not to tell anyone and to handle it alone.

“Not yet.” The thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu thought for a moment before replying. They had already opened three ending lines within five days. The pace was too fast. Translated on Hololo novels. He planned to visit the prison and the steel plant again tomorrow. There might be new clues. After reorganizing everything, they could start a new timeline.

“Alright!”

After discussing a few more details, the space-time connection was about to end.

“How is Lin Wu? Was he injured?” Qin Weidong asked before the connection cut off.

“On November 19, Lin Wu prepared a brick in advance and struck back. He wasn’t injured,” the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu replied.

“What about me? Did I help?” Qin Weidong asked.

In this new ending, Qin Weidong still wasn’t present. Lin Wu felt puzzled and didn’t want to lie about it, so he finally said, “We’ll talk about it later.”

10:27. The space-time connection ended.

“If there is, there is. If there isn’t, there isn’t. Why say ‘we’ll talk about it later’!” Qin Weidong grumbled.

“He probably had something to deal with and didn’t have time to explain,” Lin Wu tried to comfort him, though his own mood was low since the new ending hadn’t improved.

Qin Weidong could tell and stopped dwelling on whether he had helped. Seeing that the fruit plate was empty, he asked, “Hungry? Want me to cut some more?”

“No, I’m not eating anymore. Not at all.” Lin Wu shook his head firmly. The fruit plate Qin Weidong had prepared earlier had been quite large. Lin Wu felt like he had eaten three-quarters of it.

Although Qin Weidong had been feeding him the whole time, he had been controlling the portions carefully, making sure not to upset Lin Wu’s stomach at night. He felt the amount was about right and didn’t insist further. Picking up the plate, he said, “I’ll go wash this.”

“Just leave it. I’ll do it,” Lin Wu said.

“It’s fine, I’m pretty good at washing dishes.”

After saying that, the sound of running water came from outside. As the host, Lin Wu felt awkward letting his guest wash dishes alone, so he followed him out and stood nearby. When Qin Weidong finished, Lin Wu handed him a towel.

10:40. The two returned to the room.

“It’s already 10:40…” Qin Weidong said, glancing at the time.

“Mm.”

“So… I’ll head back?”

“I’ll walk you out.”

“Not sure if there are still cars at this hour…” Qin Weidong slowly put on his jacket, dragging his movements.

Lin Wu was already dressed and waiting.

“I stayed over at your place last night. It didn’t affect your rest, right?” Qin Weidong asked casually as he zipped up his jacket.

“No. I sleep pretty well,” Lin Wu replied.

“Mm. I slept well too. Haven’t slept that comfortably in a long time.”

“Mm.”

Seeing that Lin Wu only responded with a simple “mm,” Qin Weidong shuffled slowly toward the door. “It’s almost eleven. There should still be cars at your compound entrance, right?”

“Probably.” Lin Wu felt that Qin Weidong was acting a bit strangely today. Then he suddenly understood what he meant and asked, somewhat uncertain, “Do you… want to stay here tonight?”

“Would that be inconvenient?”

“No.”

“Alright. Going back every day is kind of a hassle anyway. Tomorrow when I come over, I’ll bring a toothbrush and cup, and some clothes to change into. What time do you usually have dinner? If it’s late, we could just eat after school at 8:30…”

As he spoke, Qin Weidong walked over to Lin Wu’s wardrobe, took out the quilt, and began making the bed. After finishing, he noticed Lin Wu still standing there and asked a bit awkwardly, “I just feel like going back every day is too troublesome. While we’re dealing with the messages, I thought I could stay here for a few days. Is that okay?”

Lin Wu had only been thinking about letting him stay for one night. He didn’t know how it had suddenly turned into several days. But thinking that Qin Weidong had come because of him, he hesitated before answering, “It should be fine…”

It should be fine.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.