[Longevity Island, County Bank]
The old ceiling fan was still buzzing 'hummm' above, and sunlight streamed through the blades, casting shifting light spots on the bulletproof glass.
The moment Chen Kong stepped into the business hall, he was wrapped in an atmosphere mixed with the smell of ink and mold. Compared to the dampness of the guesthouse, this place inexplicably had a few more degrees of cold metallic feeling.
The staff behind the counter wore faded blue overalls, their collars stiffly starched, and their hair meticulously combed.
He looked up, his foggy pupils sweeping over the three people, his voice rigid, like the static current of an old radio.
"Hello, what business would you like to conduct?"
Similar to when Tendo came to set up a savings account, the staff member at the counter now said almost the exact same words as before.
Facing this question, Chen Kong and Mi Yao instinctively exchanged glances and simultaneously looked at Vivian.
She was the only one of the three who had conducted business here and was familiar with the 'rules.'
Vivian stepped forward, speaking calmly: "Savings deposit and exchange service."
She deliberately emphasized the word 'exchange,' while pulling out a greaseproof paper package from her tactical pocket, exposing the corner of a dark red Core of the Corrupt Vine Corpse inside.
Hearing this, the staff member's vacant eyes instantly lit up.
The curve of his mouth stretched slightly, and he said with a forced smile: "Is that so? Then please fill out the forms first."
With that, he pulled three yellowed application forms from under the counter and handed them out.
"Fill in real information?"
Looking at the content on the application form, Mi Yao frowned.
"Don't worry, look at the text at the very bottom."
Seeing that Mi Yao seemed to have concerns, Vivian immediately offered a reminder.
Upon hearing this, Mi Yao and Chen Kong immediately looked towards the bottom of the application form.
There, a line of almost invisible text was written.
[False information will be treated as invalid equivalent value]
With this annotation, Mi Yao and Chen Kong knew they had virtually no choice and immediately began filling out the forms.
After they finished writing the applications and the staff member confirmed their information was correct.
The person immediately began processing their exchange transaction.
Chen Kong opened the paper package and poured the Cores of the Corrupt Vine Corpse onto the counter.
There were five in total, all of the normal grade, with dried mucus still adhering to the surface, giving off a dull sheen under the light.
"How much can these be exchanged for?"
Although the two of them couldn't take out high-grade life cores like Tendo and Chen Xing, in the thrilling escape that night, they had killed quite a few ordinary Corrupt Vine Corpses and retained some of the life cores.
They wouldn't have to use their lifespan and memories as an equivalent value for exchange.
The staff member took out a copper scale, carefully placed the cores on it, and the 'clatter' of the sliding counterweight was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall.
"Normal Corrupt Vine Corpse cores, one exchanges for 10 small bills. Five cores make 50 small bills. Combined with the existing small bills you want to deposit, the total is 72."
As he spoke, he took out a stack of brand-new small bills from the drawer, each carrying the acrid smell of fresh ink.
"Can we get a guesthouse check-in certificate with that?"
The staff member's hand paused, and he pushed half a stack of small bills back.
"A certificate requires an account balance of two 'Great Unity' bills. 72 small bills... is still far short."
"But the utility room can only be stayed in for one more day. What happens after that?"
Chen Kong frowned. He admitted he didn't have the strength that Tendo, Chen Xing, and others possessed.
Longevity County at night was not a safe place for them.
Without the protection of the guesthouse, they couldn't possibly survive a night on their own.
Vivian looked at Chen Kong, who was still contemplating, and patted his shoulder.
"Don't rush."
Seeing Chen Kong's questioning gaze, Vivian said calmly: "The utility room can be stayed in for one more day. This day is enough for us to figure out how to get enough savings to exchange for a check-in certificate."
At the same time, Vivian quietly winked at Chen Kong.
Receiving this signal, Chen Kong immediately understood.
Longevity County was dangerous at night, but was the Longevity County Bank any less dangerous?
This place was also not suitable for a long stay.
Thinking of this, Chen Kong turned to the staff member and said: "Then please continue processing our savings deposit. We'll deal with other matters later."
Not long after, the staff member finished their deposits and handed them a passbook with a red, wood-like stiff cover.
When Chen Kong took the passbook, his fingers accidentally touched the staff member's hand.
The hand was ice-cold, like it had just been taken out of a freezer, completely lacking the warmth of a living person.
"Let's go."
Chen Kong tucked the passbook into his embrace and walked out with Mi Yao, who had also completed his business.
Vivian followed last. Before exiting, she looked back and saw the staff member putting the five Cores of the Corrupt Vine Corpse into an iron box. The clasp snapped shut with a 'clack,' exactly like when Tendo visited last time.
It felt oddly familiar.
The moment the three walked out of the bank door, they squinted against the glare of the noon sun.
Mi Yao counted the small bills in his hand, frowning: "Two 'Great Unity' bills are 200 small bills. We are still short 128 small bills... We can't possibly go and chop down 13 more Corrupt Vine Corpses, can we?"
Chen Kong didn't reply. He looked at the bank's glass door and said abruptly, "When we were filling out the form just now, did you feel like the light flickered?"
Mi Yao narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "You noticed it too?"
Chen Kong nodded.
If it was just a simple light flicker, Chen Kong wouldn't have thought much of it.
But while inside the bank, Chen Kong always felt a sense of inexplicable discomfort.
"It shouldn't be your imagination."
Just as Chen Kong was pondering the reason, Vivian suddenly spoke up.
"Did you discover something?"
Vivian nodded. As a Mech Star Envoy, she naturally conducted an investigation and information gathering of her surroundings.
However, as there were no further clues yet, Vivian didn't rush to state her speculation but kept them guessing.
"Let's go. The top priority right now is to help you get the guesthouse check-in certificate."
"I suspect that not staying in the guesthouse overnight will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Unnecessary trouble, huh...
Chen Kong pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the time schedule on the bank's front door.
It seemed he wanted to deduce something from it.
[Meanwhile, County Bank Hall]
Liu Ma rubbed his numb wrist, tucking the stack of freshly exchanged small bills into his arms.
Isabelle behind him was tidying her hair in the mirror, her pale blue strands reflecting a cold light under the lamp: "I truly don't understand why we have to use these disgusting cores to exchange for money."
The soles of her boots were still stained with the Corrupt Vine Corpse's mucus, leaving sticky footprints on the floor.
The staff member behind the counter was the same person Chen Kong and his group had encountered, but he now wore a 'kind' smile directed at Liu Ma.
"The grade of your life cores is not low. In addition to the small bills, we can offer you a temporary guesthouse certificate."
"Temporary? How long is it valid?"
Liu Ma frowned.
"Three days."
The staff member handed over a stiff card, on which was a coarsely drawn yet accurate portrait of Liu Ma.
"These three days should be enough for you to find what you are looking for."
Isabelle took the certificate and suddenly noticed a reflection on the counter glass.
The hall was empty, yet the glass reflected three familiar backs. One of the figures, wearing a tactical suit, looked exactly like Chen Kong, whom she had seen upon landing on the island.
She instantly turned around in surprise, but the sight that greeted her left her momentarily stunned.
Outside the hall, there were no acquaintances, only the bright sunlight, not even half a person in sight.
When she turned back, the three familiar backs on the glass were also gone, leaving only her own blurred face.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Isabelle's abnormality, Liu Ma followed her gaze, only seeing the clean glass, and asked curiously.
"Has this place given you hallucinations?"
"Maybe."
Isabelle rubbed her temples, tucking the certificate into her pocket, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.
The three backs just now were too real to be hallucinations.
So, was it a hallucination, or...
Isabelle didn't know which it was, and finally shook her head helplessly, brushing it off.
"It's nothing, I might just be seeing things. Don't worry about it."
"???"
Looking at the frowning Isabelle, Liu Ma felt like she had discovered something, but wasn't certain.
But since she didn't want to say, he didn't need to ask further.
So, the two quickly left the county bank together.
And the two of them, who were only five minutes apart from Chen Kong and his group, did not encounter Chen Kong's party even after leaving the bank.
This strange occurrence was immediately captured by the dimensional viewers with their 'God's-eye view.'
'Strange, why didn't Liu Ma and his group run into Prison Kong (Chen Kong) and the others?'
'Did they just miss each other?'
'Doesn't seem like it. It looks like some kind of special foreshadowing.'
And after the two left, the staff member behind the bank counter picked up a new application form with tweezers and neatly placed it on the desk, as if the two waves of customers had never appeared.
The ceiling fan continued to buzz 'hummm,' the sun still cast the same light spots, and the entire hall returned to its eternal silence.
[Longevity County, Guesthouse]
"Tendo hasn't returned yet?"
Jing Liuli wiped her wet hair, and water droplets from the tips of her hair dripped onto the floor, creating small wet marks.
She looked at Caroline in the living room, who was standing in front of the only calendar in the room, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, not even hearing Jing Liuli's question.
With a touch of curiosity, Jing Liuli walked over and realized that Caroline was circling dates on the calendar with a red pen.
All the dates circled in red were June 15th, and along the edge of the calendar, there were a few faint circle marks, clearly drawn and then erased previously.
"Caroline, what are you looking at? This calendar is so old it's falling apart."
This time, Caroline finally snapped back.
She looked at Jing Liuli, thought for a moment, and said: "Liuli, do you remember the time we landed on the island?"
"July 15th, a Sunday. I remember it."
Jing Liuli pointed to her head, indicating her good memory.
"Look at this."
Caroline pushed the calendar toward her. The month at the bottom of the calendar showed June. Next to the circled June 15th, a small rose symbol was drawn.
Seeing this, Jing Liuli immediately understood.
"You mean, we are a month in the past right now?"
Caroline nodded: "Not only that, and..."
"And what?"
"Do you truly believe that our time is 'advancing'?"
Time advancing...
If they were in a normal place, Jing Liuli would think Caroline's words were very strange.
After all, what else could time do if not advance?
Stop or rewind?
Caroline didn't explain much and stated her judgment.
"If I'm not mistaken, this entire island is like a giant tree trunk, and every day on the island is like a layer of a tree's annual ring."
"Unless we can find a passage to the next layer, we will be trapped in the same day."
"That's also why we've been here for almost two days, and aside from us, we haven't encountered anyone else."
"This isn't because they're lost; it's because they are not in the same timeline as us."
Caroline's words struck Jing Liuli's mind like a thunderbolt.
"How are you sure?"
Caroline thought for a moment and said, "Take a look, and you'll know."
She walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and the outside sunlight shone directly on the street vendor's stall across the street.
The vendor was still the old man with the goatee, serving a bowl of yangchun noodles to a villager in a blue cloth jacket, just as he did yesterday.
After letting Jing Liuli see this, Caroline closed the window and drew the curtain, blocking the dazzling sunlight outside.
"If I'm not wrong, Tendo probably went to look for a passage to break the cycle yesterday."
"And what we need to do now is to confirm the pattern of this cycle..."
Her words were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Jing Liuli rushed to open the door, but there was no one outside, only a triangularly folded note lying on the threshold.
The handwriting on the note was strong and vigorous—Tendo's own script.
[Found the time node. Come to the County Bank.]
Jing Liuli and Caroline exchanged glances, both seeing determination in the other's eyes.
They quickly gathered their things and hurried out of the guesthouse.
Across the street at the food stall, the old man with the goatee was serving a bowl of yangchun noodles to the villager in the blue cloth jacket, his movements exactly as Caroline had seen them yesterday.
Before long, the two arrived at the County Bank they had visited yesterday.
However, to their surprise, they had expected Tendo to be waiting for them at the entrance.
But there was no one at the bank door.
"What should we do?"
Faced with Jing Liuli's question, Caroline thought for a moment and said, "Wait."
"Until when?"
"Night."
"Why?"
"Because if I'm not mistaken, the night is the crucial 'passage.'"
"If I'm not wrong, everything we encounter today, besides ourselves, will surely be... exactly the same as yesterday."
Hearing this, Jing Liuli instantly became alert.
She then remembered Tendo, who hadn't returned since leaving last night, and asked: "Is Tendo's departure last night related to your speculation?"
Caroline nodded.
"It should be. Tendo's eyes are very special. He likely discovered something and went out last night to look for the answer."