The Breakthrough Plan

“Could it be that…”

[It seems I was right.] Liuxia mused. Countless clues suddenly intertwined in her mind, ultimately forming an incredibly clear answer.

She lifted her head, looking at the junior beside her, her voice laced with certainty.

“Chunsheng, in the previous timeline, we… should have had a fully formed plan.”

****

Let’s rewind to the very beginning. It was the moment Liuxia first unleashed her Authority in the park, right after Li Chunsheng’s death.

Just like now, she had been equally stunned by the discovery of her own Authority, and then overwhelmed with ecstasy at seeing Li Chunsheng resurrected.

However, that joy was fleeting, swiftly washed away by the chaotic onslaught of Mi Leng. Fortunately, in that particular timeline, Liuxia had also keenly discerned the opponent’s weakness.

Once Mi Leng launched an attack, it would simultaneously plunge into darkness, rendering it unable to pinpoint the enemy’s location.

Guided by Liuxia’s timely warnings, she and Li Chunsheng barely survived the scorching beam attacks, time and again.

Yet, the enemy’s power was utterly overwhelming. Even with their astonishing cheat-like abilities, both of them seemed utterly vulnerable before such raw destructive force.

Mi Leng’s counterattacks were like thunderbolts, their searing heat capable of melting anything. A mere graze would wound, a direct hit meant certain death.

The two, like brothers in arms, had no option but to flee in disarray.

Mi Leng, the Investigator, cleverly retreated into its black cocoon, only shrinking its range to observe their positions before an attack.

Once a target was locked, the black cocoon would immediately expand, perfectly concealing itself while launching another assault.

“What do we do? We… we can’t defeat this thing!”

Li Chunsheng gasped, shouting the words during the brief lull before the black cocoon fully dispersed and the next wave of attacks descended.

“Wuwu… I’m sorry, Chunsheng, it’s all my fault… I’m holding you back…”

Liuxia, her voice choked with sobs, buried her face into the junior beside her.

As she saw the fresh wounds adorning Chunsheng’s body, the young woman blamed herself for her own powerlessness.

“Sigh… Senior, I’m not blaming you.”

Li Chunsheng sighed, gazing at her with gentle eyes. “Without your Authority, I wouldn’t even have a chance to stand here… But speaking of which, Senior, you truly are one of the few geniuses from our orphanage who managed to get into university.”

[No, Chunsheng, you’re actually the smarter one…]

[I… I just work harder than others, I’ve never… been a genius…]

In this critical moment, Liuxia’s heart was overwhelmed by a tide of self-doubt.

Li Chunsheng immediately sensed her despondency. He carefully cupped the young woman’s face, gently compelling Liuxia to meet his gaze.

His eyes were incredibly earnest. “Senior, I’ve always trusted you, so please, don’t underestimate yourself, okay?”

Those eyes brimmed with pure sincerity and unwavering trust.

“Think again, there must still be a way. There must be a path to survival we’ve overlooked, right?”

Liuxia fell silent.

[I’m supposed to be the Senior, yet I’m the one being comforted by a junior…]

[How pathetic, Liuxia… Have you truly started seeing yourself as a little girl who needs protection?]

She shook her head forcefully, trying to steel her resolve, but a cloud of worry quickly overshadowed her face.

“What’s wrong?” Li Chunsheng asked, concern lacing his voice.

“…We have too little information.”

Liuxia’s voice was a little hoarse. “And, I can feel it, time is running out… My Authority will soon expire.”

Unexpectedly, Li Chunsheng didn’t panic upon hearing this; he remained calm. After a moment of thought, he suddenly spoke.

“If that’s the case, I do have an unverified piece of information here. Perhaps it could be of help to you, Senior?”

“Tell me.”

“I have a feeling this isn’t the first time you’ve used your Authority, Senior.”

“What?” Liuxia was startled. “Why do you think that?”

“I can’t say for sure, it’s just… deep in my mind, there seems to be a memory fragment strikingly similar to this moment.” Li Chunsheng struggled to recall.

“In that memory, I was speeding on a highway, only to find all the surrounding cars driving in the opposite direction. I’d always dismissed it as an absurd dream. Of course, this is just my feeling; there’s no evidence.”

Liuxia listened quietly, falling into deep thought.

Li Chunsheng scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “Ah, I’m sorry… It seems like a pretty useless piece of information.”

“No!” The young woman’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if stars shimmered within them. “This information… is incredibly crucial!”

Seeing Liuxia regain her confidence, Li Chunsheng smiled with relief.

[This is the Senior… This is how she should be.]

“From your words, I’ve deduced three crucial pieces of information!” Liuxia’s words came out rapidly, her logic crystal clear.

“First: After the Authority ends, we will likely lose our memories of this period, but certain strong impressions will linger. I hypothesize that the stronger an individual’s power, the more complete the ‘impressions’ they retain.

“Second: Our actions during the Authority’s duration can indeed influence the ‘past.’ However, we won’t remember it, and the world might even forcefully instill seemingly reasonable false memories to obscure the truth. This point… cannot be verified for now.”

Li Chunsheng rubbed his chin, saying with a hint of regret, “But if that’s the case, even if the conclusion is true, wouldn’t we be unable to change anything? We’ll just forget everything in the end.”

“No, Chunsheng, we can!” A confident arc curved at Liuxia’s lips.

“How so?”

“This is the third and most crucial point: When you experience the Authority’s scenario again, you can independently realize the absurdity in your past memories—this point is our breakthrough!”

“What we once thought were false daydreams are actually hidden truths, and what we believed to be true are, conversely, fabricated memories forced upon us…”

“Senior, you mean to say…” A flicker of realization sparked in Li Chunsheng’s eyes.

“Exactly! Since there’s a possibility for us to detect the falsity of memories in the future, then we can use it!”

Li Chunsheng nodded, his gaze fixed intently on Liuxia. “Senior, tell me, what should we do?”

Suddenly, he glanced back at the black cocoon, which was gradually shrinking in the distance, and gave a wry smile. “It seems the Investigator’s next attack is coming again… Our break time is over.”

“Senior, let’s make this quick.”

Liuxia smiled confidently, her eyes gleaming with intelligence. “Alright. Chunsheng, in the upcoming attack, you need to feign being hit, creating the illusion of death.”

“Then, while the Investigator can’t see us, use your Lancelot transformation to conjure some items that can record information. Since you can create such complex armor, surely some simple objects won’t be a problem, right?”

“However… to maintain the existence of these objects, you’ll need to stay in your transformed state continuously—by the way, do you have enough Blessing power left?”

“Don’t worry, plenty!” Li Chunsheng promised, patting his chest.

“That’s good. Afterward, I’ll take these ‘keys’ containing the recorded information and, before he catches up, bury them in a place most likely to make me eventually realize the deception!”

“After the Authority ends, I might forget all of this.”

“But, as long as I can activate my Authority again, returning to this present situation… my future self will definitely figure out all the crucial details!”

“Finally, I’ll find her again!” Liuxia articulated her plan with calm composure, a subtle yet resolute smile gracing her lips.

Li Chunsheng watched her, a long-lost sense of nostalgia welling up in his heart.

[Though the usually gentle Senior is also very cute…]

[Yet, it’s this calm and resolute Senior that I’ve always known and relied on.]

A brilliant smile blossomed on Li Chunsheng’s face. He abruptly extended his fist, tapping it gently in front of Liuxia.

“Senior, then I’m entrusting my life to you, alright?”

Liuxia paused for a moment, then also smiled, extending her own fist to lightly tap his.

“Good! Then let this world, which deceives us and seeks to put us to death…”

“—experience the taste of being deceived by us! We absolutely must find our way out of this dead end!”