Chapter 345: Manipulating Time and Space
Tu Ran glanced briefly at the top before her gaze returned to his eyes.
“Do you have any news about the fractured pieces of the Order Cube, Commander Xie?”
Xie Zhao paused, a slight expression of surprise appearing on his pale face, barely perceptible. “You’ve read Xie Xie’ao’s memories, haven’t you?”
Since all her abilities were already well known, it wasn’t surprising that he had guessed. Tu Ran wasn’t bothered by it. “For these past few years, you’ve been reporting to Xie Xie’ao that no relevant news had been found. Is that true? Or did you really find nothing?” She was now more concerned with this detail.
“I found a few things.” With Xiao Jiu’s help, Xie Zhao resumed walking and slowly sat on the bed opposite Tu Ran. He raised both hands to adjust the coat that was nearly slipping off his shoulders.
“After the Order Cube was disrupted, it broke into eight pieces, scattered across the corners of the universe. If someone gathers all eight pieces and reassembles the complete Order Cube, the order of the universe will be restored, and the connections between worlds will be severed…”
Xie Zhao coughed lightly twice while covering his mouth, declined the unclear liquid Xiao Jiu handed him, and continued, “The ‘Ruler’ race, in order to prevent someone from gathering the eight pieces and restoring the universe’s order, sent elite troops to collect the fragments and store them on their own planet. They have now collected seven pieces. The remaining one is with Xie Xie’ao.”
In the span of a few sentences, his voice grew weak, his lips slowly losing color. He was forced to stop and take a break.
Xiao Jiu, who had been silently standing by, approached again, holding a bottle of green nutritional liquid. He opened the bottle and handed it to Xie Zhao, who this time did not refuse.
The moment the bottle was opened, a bitter scent filled the small clinic, similar to the aroma of crushed green insects in a summer forest, overpowering the previous smell of disinfectant.
Tu Ran wrinkled her nose, a bit confused.
Xie Zhao looked sickly and frail. What was going on with him? He surely couldn’t be so poor that he couldn’t afford a nutrient pod, right?
Tu Ran turned to Xie Xu for an answer. Xie Xu had been watching his older brother drink the medicine with a neutral expression, but when he sensed her gaze, he turned to face her and didn’t hide anything. “I just brought him out of the Pang family’s secret laboratory.”
Tu Ran understood immediately. “So the Pang family has already reached the final step?”
“Final step? What do you mean?” Xie Xu didn’t understand.
Tu Ran explained, “They’re using clones to replace Xie Zhao in taking control of the Xie family. The clones have already been made, and the last step is to kidnap the real one and quietly swap him out.”
Xie Xu paused for a moment. “Did you read the clone’s memory?”
Tu Ran blinked. “Yes, I did. Is there something you want to know? I can tell you.”
Her ability to read memories was so overpowered that things he had been investigating for a long time didn’t compare to the few seconds it took her to read a memory.
“Not for now.” He looked away.
Xie Zhao had finished the green liquid, and Xiao Jiu handed him a pristine white handkerchief. Xie Zhao used it to wipe the nonexistent stains at the corner of his mouth.
He returned the handkerchief to Xiao Jiu, then lifted his head and looked at Tu Ran, offering a smile that was still polite enough. “Thanks for drawing the Pang family’s attention. It’s because of that distraction that Axu was able to bring me out safely.”
Draw their attention?
Tu Ran’s mind flashed back to the list Xie Xu had given her, and the two clones that had died at her hands—two clones the Pang family had placed great hope in. She crossed her arms and shot a sideways glance at Xie Xu, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “You really know how to kill two birds with one stone.”
Not only had she killed Xie Xie’ao and those two clones, but also, by causing a commotion, she had caught the Pang family off guard and helped Xie Zhao escape.
Xie Xu pressed his lips together, saying nothing, a rare moment of silence as he didn’t counter her. “This inner core, it’s for you.”
He took a small matte box from his clothing pocket and handed it to Tu Ran.
Tu Ran eyed him warily, taking the box from him. She opened it, and in the center, an inner core was revealed—just like the ones she had seen before, no different in appearance.
With just her eyes, Tu Ran couldn’t discern the specific function of the inner core. Only when it was within a living body and exhibited its effects could her [Ability Identification] come into play.
“What does it do? And why give it to me?” Tu Ran absentmindedly rubbed the matte surface of the box as she looked up at Xie Xu.
“Space-type ability, it manipulates time and space, allowing for the ability to switch between worlds at will.”
Tu Ran: “?!”
If she had been feeling a little drowsy before, now it was as though she had been struck by lightning—wide awake.
“Where did this come from?”
“The Pang family’s experimental base. They dug this inner core out of a millennia-old tree inside the Threshold.”
Tu Ran stared at the inner core in the box, her eyes lighting up. It was like the perfect stroke of luck—like falling asleep only to find the perfect pillow, or a needle fitting perfectly into the eye of the thread. This was too fortuitous.
With this inner core, going to the “Ruler” world would be a breeze.
Xie Xu immediately poured some cold water on her excitement. “Traveling to a certain world is random.”
Tu Ran: “…”
Fortunately, she had a good mindset. “It’s fine. I can visit multiple worlds, gather more experience. If I end up in a world with a big boss-level existence, my lack of experience might get me killed, but I’ll learn.”
Xie Xu watched as she didn’t hesitate to consume the inner core, then murmured, “Do you really think you can save the world like this?”
This inner core was the closest thing known to the “Rulers.” Consuming it meant accepting the mission to piece together the Order Cube, a responsibility of immense weight.
Tu Ran had already swallowed the inner core, and the light screen before her detailed its uses. She carefully examined it, and it was similar to what Xie Xu had described.
“Save the world?” Tu Ran raised a finger and shook it slowly in front of Xie Xu, speaking with a calm and serious tone. “I’m saving the universe.”
Xie Xu: “…”
On the opposite side of them, Xie Zhao silently watched the scene, shaking his head with a smile.
“Any other treasures to hand over to me? Or is there anything else you need to tell me?” Tu Ran glanced at Xie Xu, then at Xie Zhao. “If not, I’m leaving.”
Xie Zhao smiled and shook his head, clearly having nothing else to give her. Xie Xu noticed the dark circles under her eyes, pursed his lips, and said, “Other information will be sent to you through Zero. You should… go rest for now.”
“Bye-bye.” Tu Ran waved casually, pushed open the door, and strutted out into the light.
Xie Zhao watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but speak, “She really… is naively optimistic.”
Now, she held the last fragment of the cube and the key to the Ruler world. Any mistake, and the Ruler would take the cube and the key, easily invading other worlds. If the other worlds wanted to resist, they would have to start from scratch.
Xie Xu didn’t respond to him. “You should go and soak in a nutrient pod.”
“I know, I know,” Xie Zhao replied, giving in to his brother’s suggestion.
…
After leaving the black market, Tu Ran went to Xi Chunzhi’s bar.
Once Xi Chunzhi led her into the private room, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep immediately.
Xi Chunzhi looked at the person lying across her bed in a sprawling position, helplessly shaking her head. She threw a blanket over her stomach and quietly slipped out of the room.
Tu Ran slept for eight hours and woke up naturally. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings, took a couple of seconds to process, and then remembered that she was in Xi Chunzhi’s bar.
She got out of bed, opened the door, and made her way down the corridor to the small table in the hall where Xi Chunzhi was drinking alone by the wine cabinet.
The bar seemed empty, with only a few people wandering around, unlike the group she had seen this morning. These individuals didn’t seem like they were here for leisure; their various abilities were apparent, and their faces carried an air of gloom and sharpness. One woman, wearing a fiery red dress, blended in among a few others.
Tu Ran pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Xi Chunzhi.
“Is Huo exchanging information?” she asked.
Xi Chunzhi poured her a glass of orange-colored liquid, pushed it in front of her, and nodded.
