radicalducati Chapter 454 An Encounter in Reverse Time
Chapter 454 An Encounter in Reverse Time
Chapter 454 An Encounter in Reverse Time
In the endless darkness, the steam train seemed to have entered a secluded and deep tunnel, which snaked and coiled like a giant python, giving people a strong sense of suffocation.
Inside the carriage, Tang Zijun stood before the blazing boiler, the two cards in her hands, imbued with divine power, continuously surging forth and converging into the flames of the boiler.
Inside the boiler, the rainbow crystal flower shimmered with dazzling golden light, beating like a heart under Katie's control.
Behind Tang Zijun, Tan Zhixin and the others watched with serious expressions, even holding their breath to avoid disturbing Tang Zijun's concentration.
The carriage was slightly bumpy, but this didn't have much of an impact on the passengers.
After an unknown amount of time, Katie slightly opened her tightly closed eyes.
"How is it?" Tang Zijun asked.
"The marking is complete, brother," Katie said. "Through my connection with you, I have successfully broken free from the constraints of the timeline, and we should now be traveling outside of it."
"So easy?" Qin Nan asked, somewhat surprised. "Why didn't we feel anything at all?"
"It's not that easy." Chang Lei shook his head slightly. "The pull of timelines is something that three-dimensional beings can never escape. We only managed to do this by borrowing Katie's power and using the surface world as a springboard. Most importantly, it was the divine power that Tang Zijun possessed that played a role."
It can only be said that she was lucky. Although neither of the two divine powers that Tang Zijun currently possesses is related to controlling time, the powers of the God of Greed and the God of Shadow can affect the changes in time.
The power of the God of Greed is self-evident; with the power of reversal as its foundation, it can easily pry open a time-reversal tunnel. The power of the God of Shadow, on the other hand, envelops the steam train, allowing it to travel freely through this tunnel without being harmed.
Most importantly, the power of shadow is a perfect harmonizer; it's like the line that balances the two sides of yin and yang, allowing the power of reversal to merge with the power of a magical girl.
It can be said that without any one of these three powers—the God of Greed, the God of Shadows, or the magical girl from the surface world—traveling through time would not be so simple.
Although Lao Chang's deceptive power can barely balance the two like the power of shadow, he would probably have to be prepared to lose half his life if he were to complete this journey.
"You mean, we're already outside the timeline?" Xiaoqing looked out the window curiously, seeing only darkness. "Why can't I see anything?"
"Because this place is inherently invisible darkness," Chang Lei replied.
"Although I have no experience of time travel, I do have some speculations. Just as the gravitational burst of a black hole can distort the surrounding time, when light particles are at rest, everything we see will be dark."
"Our current location is outside the timeline, which means that there is no concept of time around us. With everything still, it is perfectly normal for the surroundings to be completely dark."
"Phew, I see." Qin Nan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Chang Lei. "Not bad, Lao Chang, you know quite a bit."
"It's nothing, nothing at all." Chang Lei waved his hand, then looked at Katie. "Now, shouldn't we turn around?"
"Hmm." Katie nodded. "Entering the timeline in reverse might cause some turbulence, so everyone should be prepared."
"For example?"
"Like fastening your seatbelt," Katie said with a sweet smile.
"Seatbelts?" Qin Nan's lips twitched as she looked at the outdated fixtures in the carriage, dating back to the early 20th century. "Are you sure your carriage will have something like that?"
Back then, trains didn't travel very fast, and people could jump off without dying. In addition, train carriages and seats were different from modern ones, so Katie's train didn't have seat belts.
But Katie blinked. "There will be. Everyone, quickly find a place to sit."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances and then sat back down in their seats.
The next moment, a metal railing suddenly flipped up from the back of the tall wooden chair and flipped in front of them, firmly wedging them into the seats.
"Well..."
Qin Nan looked down at the metal railing, then at Tan Zhixin beside her.
"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is... Isn't this supposed to be a roller coaster safety railing?"
Tan Zhixin smiled slightly. "But it is indeed a kind of insurance measure, isn't it? At least that's how Katie understands it."
Upon hearing this, Qin Nan's lips twitched.
"That's what they say, but I just keep feeling—oh my god!!!"
Before she could finish speaking, the entire carriage suddenly began to shake violently, and a feeling of weightlessness arose, causing everyone sitting in their seats to instinctively lift their legs.
"Get ready, we're about to break into the reverse time flow!"
Tang Zijun's voice came from afar, but the others could no longer hear it clearly.
Everything inside the carriage began to tremble violently, all the parts of the steam train started to groan, and the warm yellow wall lamps in the carriage were replaced with red warning lights.
Tang Zijun stood firmly on the ground, seemingly unaffected, but his constantly swaying hair revealed that he had also been affected.
Kitty was bathed in golden light. She stretched out her hands and controlled the direction of the train, preventing it from collapsing under the impact of the flow of time.
At the same time, the view outside the train windows suddenly became bright, with streaks of light that were hard to describe flashing rapidly. Before anyone could see them clearly, they disappeared into the distance.
"Where...where am I!?"
Despite her physical discomfort, Qin Nan gazed at the dazzling spectacle outside the window and exclaimed in amazement.
"We've officially entered the reverse time flow." Katie's voice echoed in the minds of everyone present except Chang Lei. Looks like the result is pretty good.
"You call this 'not bad'?" Little Grey opened his mouth.
"At least no carriage detached from the main structure, and there were no scenes of train crashes and fatalities, so I think it's pretty good." Katie was optimistic about this.
The bumps continued, but everyone in the carriage had already adapted to the change.
Chang Lei surveyed the scenery outside the window, then turned to Tang Zijun. "We've successfully proven that time travel is feasible. What's next?"
"Find a suitable landing point," Tang Zijun said in a deep voice, then looked at Suolin, who had remained silent. "It's your turn. How's your analysis of the android's internal information coming along?"
"Don't rush me, it's already ready!"
To ensure Suolin's safety, her entire head was embedded in the train's control panel. As a result, she was the most affected by the turbulence, and every word she uttered sounded almost like electronic music.
"Damn it! I almost bit my tongue!"
"Stop messing around, Suolin, give me a place to land."
"I know."
Just as Suolin was about to speak, Little Grey suddenly flew onto Tang Zijun's shoulder. "Uh, excuse me..."
"Little Grey, can't you see we're busy?" Tang Zijun looked at Little Grey, who was probably the only one unaffected. "We can't stay in the reverse time flow for too long. If we can't pinpoint the landing point..."
"I see it, but it seems we don't need a landing spot anymore." Little Gray's voice was a little stiff, and his eyes were looking out the window with a hint of fear.
Tang Zijun: ?
Feeling a little strange, Tang Zijun subconsciously looked in the direction of Xiao Hui's self-illumination.
Immediately afterwards, a sharp whooshing sound pierced the noise—the scraping sound of a train speeding along the timeline tracks—and this sound did not come from Katie's steam train.
In the shimmering light outside the train window, a ghostly blue train weaved through the crowd like a phantom, its body shimmering with a cold blue light, as if it were a spirit that had wandered in from another time and space.
The train windows were dark, obscuring the view inside, with only occasional flashes of dim light that sent chills down one's spine.
"That's!?" Qin Nan was the first to react.
Everyone else noticed this immediately, including Tang Zijun, and they all froze on the spot.
They didn't expect that before they could find the omnics' next target, they would encounter them by chance in the reverse time flow.