Chapter 870: Future Detection
Days passed, one after another. I met with Brother Yang on schedule.
Every morning I went to see him, chatted for a while, then began my daily rounds.
After all, I didn't need to participate in the games—I only needed to expand the influence of the "Path." This wasn't difficult for me, especially with Jiang Ruoxue's "Cause" helping me along.
I had to admit, everything was going more smoothly than I'd imagined. My communication with Brother Yang grew increasingly smooth as well, though he still seemed odd—his gaze was full of bewilderment. And from quite some time ago, he'd stopped asking me about the "Path" altogether, as if he'd handed all decision-making authority over to me.
Later, I gradually realized that recruiting people willing to join the "Path" off the streets was no longer feasible. Most of the strong players now preferred entering the games to hone their abilities.
So, to strengthen the "Path," I began participating in games myself. I had to admit... the "Earth-tier" games seemed to have changed somewhat.
It had been like this since two years ago... the games here had gotten harder.
But for one, I wanted to make connections with strong players, and for another, I needed to train myself—so the "Earth-tier" games were unavoidable. After all, I had a stable "Echo." As long as I didn't gamble with my life, I'd always be safe.
I remained cautious, always disguising myself well. To this day, no one had ever seen my "Echo."
After I started participating in games, I once again began hearing about the various organizations here.
It turned out that a few years ago, after the leader of that massive organization disappeared, the second and third-in-command had taken over. Unfortunately, neither of them was the strategic type. They relied mostly on brute force when playing games, leading to repeated failures. Now, the organization had essentially fallen apart.
There were also rumors that the two leaders had gotten into a physical fight on the street before going their separate ways.
Some said they'd split off to opposite ends of the city to establish their own organizations. Others claimed they'd both become natives and disappeared.
The streets were flooded with gossip, but no one knew which part was true. All I knew was that after those two leaders vanished, a new leader had taken over the organization.
Truly, wherever there are people, there are factions. Even in these small power structures built here, people come and go, staging one power play after another.
Thinking about it this way, the "Path" was remarkably stable. None of the strong players I'd recruited knew who the true leader of the "Path" was. Even if they wanted to seize power, they couldn't.
Roughly two years passed—that is, to a day about five years ago from now.
I remember I was walking down the street when I noticed something strange about the sky. But the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in an unfamiliar building with a man I didn't recognize.
I'd spaced out again... It had been a long time since this happened.
I stared at the unfamiliar man for a long moment, unsure whether to speak.
"Sis... what's wrong with you?" the man asked.
The man before me looked to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight, with a decent face and a thick Northeastern accent.
He suddenly asked me a question, and I had no idea how to respond—I didn't recognize him at all, nor did I remember why I was here. My mind was a complete blank, my thoughts grinding to a halt.
Seeing me stay silent, he asked again, "Why are you still spacing out? Didn't you have something to tell me?"
Within a few seconds, scattered fragments of memory began drifting back into my mind. I remembered who he was.
"You're... Old Sun?" I asked.
"That's me, sis... We just did a pig game together. You forgot me already?" Old Sun looked at me with a puzzled expression. "What's going on, girl? You feeling unwell or something?"
"N-no, nothing." I shook my head, but a question rose unbidden in my heart—
Was I going crazy too?
"Come on, just tell me what's up..." Old Sun stared at me. "You're really worrying me."
"I..." I quickly reached up to rub my forehead. If I wasn't losing my mind, I must be suffering from memory loss.
Either way, I needed to hurry. It seemed anyone who preserved their memories long-term would eventually face a mental crisis—even someone as strong-willed as me couldn't escape it.
If I didn't expand the organization's ranks quickly, I'd be completely lost.
"Old Sun... I called you here because I do have something to tell you."
I lifted my head and repeated the words I'd said countless times before.
"What the...?" Old Sun blinked after hearing me out. "Sis, you're with the 'Path'?"
This was the first time I'd heard that question, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You've heard of the 'Path'?"
"How could I not have heard of it?" Old Sun's expression was exaggerated as he raised an eyebrow. "Plenty of people have come to me already, saying stuff about how this lousy place is going to be destroyed, and how we need to protect it... Well, sis, looks like your organization is pretty big."
"Oh...?"
It was only then that I realized how many of our people were already scattered across this land, persuading others to join the "Path."
When had this organization grown so large?
I recruited one person every day. Even excluding those who didn't believe me because I'd failed to "predict the future," over two years, that was still five or six hundred people, wasn't it?
Now those five or six hundred people were spread out, mobilizing others in turn... If I removed those who couldn't retain their memories long-term...
Would there be a hundred people left?
"It's just... I dunno why, but I never believed them before!" Old Sun let out a simple laugh. "Maybe I just feel a connection with you, sis. When you say it, I kinda believe it..."
Yes, he had to believe it. Because all of this was the truth under "Cause."
"Old Sun, I'm not lying to you." I said. "This place really needs the 'Path' to protect it. We don't just have to protect the 'Participants'—we have to protect the 'Zodiacs' too."
"Ah, sis, so what can we do about it..." Old Sun scratched his head in frustration. "Joining the 'Path' is no big deal, but when does this end? How long do we have to protect this place?"
"Well..."
I knew that in situations like this, it was the perfect time for "future prediction."
"Old Sun, we have to keep protecting this place until someone appears who can change it."
"What? Someone who can change this place?" Old Sun blinked. "So what are we now? The 'advance guard'? Or the 'secret police'?"
"You could call us either." I said. "Do you believe me?"
"How could I not believe you?" Old Sun said. "Everything the 'Path' is doing lines up with what you said. If you call it the 'advance guard' or 'secret police,' that makes perfect sense."
Perfect. He really believed me.
This meant our organization's function was exactly what I'd envisioned... It would play a crucial role for the future ruler.
"But who is this person who can change this place?" Old Sun asked again. "After I join the 'Path,' will I get to meet them?"
I thought for a moment... then made a bold decision before speaking:
"Of course you will. You might even become friends."
"Oh, that's good then." Old Sun nodded with a reassured expression.