Chapter 2083: 9:17 PM
"None of us have any memories related to the time before we realized we had entered this space. Meng Wenguang's records only go up to 9:17 PM. In other words, the period from 9:01 AM to 9:17 PM can be recorded, and those records won't disappear—we just lose our memories."
"However, there's a problem: Meng Wenguang and the others, who have records, haven't seen the Time Tower in the past few days. It's unclear if that's related."
So the contradiction emerges. Meng Wenguang and his group can't see the Time Tower, but their records are preserved. Xu Huo and Wang Ling and the others can see the Time Tower, but neither of them has any relevant records. It's impossible to determine whether seeing the Time Tower would cause both memories and records to be wiped clean together.
"Should we try testing it using Mr. Wang's method?" Yue Rui asked. "If we can come to the Time Tower area ahead of time to find you, whether we find anyone or not, it would prove that our records before 9:17 PM are fine. The main issue lies after 9:17 PM."
These words silenced Lu Miaomiao and the others. What Wang Ling said made sense, but the key was that their memories before arriving here were connected to the outside 011 District. According to Xu Huo, they had already been in this space the whole time, and since time within this space was unified, if they woke up later than Meng Wenguang and the others in the morning, what were they doing during that morning period?
Had they entered another space, or were they in an unconscious state?
If it really was a case of multiple spaces as Xu Huo suggested, that was one thing. But if it was an unconscious state, would they dare let Meng Wenguang and the others come looking for them?
"If the time between 9:01 AM and 12:32 PM isn't blank, then the time between 9:17 PM and 9:01 AM probably isn't either," Xu Huo said.
"So you think it's multiple spaces, and after 9:17 PM, we enter another space." Wang Ling stroked his chin. "Everything in this new space can't be recorded, and it resets to zero the next day."
"Could this be an illusion world?"
Whether it was an illusion was hard to say, since there were no records or evidence. They didn't even know if they had ever entered it.
"Maybe the reason our records have no content after 9:17 PM is entirely because we never discovered the Time Tower. We never entered another space at all—you haven't gone in yet?" Meng Wenguang said. "Now that we've run into each other, maybe new records will be generated."
"If you've never gone in, then you should have complete records after 9:17 PM, unless the period from 9:17 PM to 9:01 AM the next day doesn't exist, or..." Wang Ling paused, glancing at Xu Huo.
Their ability to find the Time Tower was no accident. It was either due to Temporal Super Evolution or because they were wearing Time Items. Anyone who understood a bit about Time Evolution would know that time in different spaces could influence each other. Assuming this space was connected to a space with a different time flow, it wasn't impossible for the time after 9:17 PM to be compressed to an extremely short duration.
But neither Xu Huo nor Wang Ling brought this up, because Meng Wenguang's records followed a normal chronological order. If the time between Xu Huo's 9:01 AM and their arrival was also compressed, then the temporal order within this space would be elevated to targeting individual players. Under such chaotic and disordered conditions, all their previous deductions would become invalid, and it would be very difficult to summarize the rules of this space again.
This was also one of the reasons Xu Huo leaned toward the idea of spatial stacking.
The time after 9:17 PM wasn't nonexistent, nor did it pass in an instant. It most likely occurred in another space, or was simply an illusion world.
"In my opinion, let's just wait until nightfall," Long Jianfeng said. "Everything we've said has been recorded. Whatever changes happen, we'll see the truth after 9:17 PM. At worst, even if we get wiped, we can see these records tomorrow."
"So now we need to find a way to remember the changes in space at 9:17 PM," Xu Huo said.
It wasn't that time didn't exist, nor that time was compressed. The time point of 9:17 PM was very important, but Meng Wenguang and the others had been inside for six days, and Xu Huo himself for three days, without any records after that time point. This indicated that all subsequent records, along with memories, would disappear.
Was there any way to preserve something even after memories and records vanished?
Wang Ling pulled out a short dagger. "Try using our own bodies as records?"
Trying wouldn't hurt, but to be safe, they each placed copies of all relevant records in their Item Slots and Luggage Compartments. Items carried on their persons were easy to lose, so they prepared some more conspicuous ones. The clothes Yue Rui had given them counted as one method, followed by Recorders and small notes.
For extra caution, Xu Huo tied the broken timing tool he had previously destroyed to his wrist and numbered the food stored in his Luggage Compartment.
In fact, if this space wasn't truly rewinding time, just the records and notes would be enough to alert them that something was wrong with their current situation. However, Item Slots and Luggage Compartments were separate from the outside world, so being cautious couldn't hurt.
After doing all this, the group stopped exploring the nearby area to look for other clues or players. Instead, they waited beside the Time Tower.
Everyone's Recorder was left running on the periphery. The players weren't familiar with each other and didn't talk much, only briefly discussing this Random Instance in Cockscomb Flower City.
Meng Wenguang and his two companions had their birthplace nearby, so when using a Return Ticket, they had to come back here first. They could also use a Ticket, but riding wasn't entirely without risk.
"Sometimes, to save a bit of time, you gamble," Meng Wenguang said. "Never expected to be so unlucky this time, getting sucked in."
"Can you be sure you entered the Random Instance of Cockscomb Flower City?" Long Jianfeng asked while oiling his gun-type Item. "Isn't it said that no one has ever come out of this Instance? And since there's no contact inside or out, how can you be sure you entered the same place?"
"Come to think of it, was that even an Instance before?"
"Aside from an Instance, there shouldn't be any other space that can absorb players like this," Meng Wenguang said. "As for why there's no contact with the outside, we can only guess that this Instance is very special. Maybe it's an incomplete Instance, and the entrance portal hasn't been determined yet."
That was certainly a possibility.
"Usually, incomplete or unformed Instances don't last very long." Lu Miaomiao had come to this area seeking medical treatment, and her misfortune was even worse than Meng Wenguang's. She hadn't found a doctor, and instead got pulled into a Random Instance. "Unless the Instance itself has extreme defects, it would generate its own Instance without needing an external Holder."
Of course, there were some ownerless locations in the game that only formed Instances due to player intervention, like the "Seventeenth Hospital." But most Instances were already established before players entered. Those stuck in between for long periods were even rarer.
(Chapter End)