Hijacking the Timeline

For the next three days, Feng Qi stayed at the Scarlet Research Institute.

During this time, in addition to discussing the future development of the super virtual game with the institute’s senior executives, he also handed over the game’s detailed source code.

The subsequent game development would be coordinated between Fang Zhiyou and the Scarlet Research Institute.

Feng Qi had high expectations for this groundbreaking virtual game.

The game’s initial framework was now complete. Once the Scarlet Research Institute and Li Xingchen finalized their integration, the game could be launched at any time.

As for the gaps in game content, these could be gradually filled in later.

Once the game officially went live, creative players would also contribute to expanding its content.

Feng Qi had already discovered a timeline that allowed him to contact the Future People. The only remaining obstacle was humanity’s overall lack of strength.

This deficiency meant that every contact with the Future People required enduring the tragic moment of civilization’s demise.

To resolve this issue, humanity’s collective strength needed to be enhanced.

Therefore, the launch of the super virtual game held profound significance.

Once officially released, it could potentially cause the population within the Future Star City Shelter to surge tenfold or even more.

The Future People’s overall strength would also be affected by the Butterfly Effect, leading to unforeseen changes.

Anything was possible.

What Feng Qi urgently wanted to know now was the true nature of the ”Great Tide’s Descent” mentioned by the black shadow.

But to uncover the answer, the Future People first needed sufficient strength to endure until the Great Tide’s Descent occurred.

After discussing the details with the Scarlet Research Institute’s senior executives and leaving behind the technology, Feng Qi returned to Star City Academy.

He stopped by the Principal’s Office to greet Bai Fusheng before heading to Fang Zhiyou’s workshop.

As he entered, he saw Fang Zhiyou, wearing his glasses, staring intently at a screen, completely absorbed in his research.

The other newly recruited members of the workshop were equally focused, their dedication evident.

Hearing the door open, Fang Zhiyou turned and smiled. ”Brother Qi, you’re here!”

Feng Qi nodded and sat down beside him. ”How are you settling in here?”

”Great! I’m really comfortable. My parents are now fully supporting my Virtual Engine development, and since it’s my passion, I’ve never felt so free.”

”Also, the Virtual Engine is nearly complete, but there are still many areas for improvement. I’ve already started working on those issues.”

Seeing Fang Zhiyou’s excitement, Feng Qi smiled.

He then proceeded to explain the details of his collaboration with the Scarlet Research Institute.

Upon hearing that the Scarlet Research Institute would be supporting the project, Fang Zhiyou’s face lit up with joy.

He had always harbored concerns about creating a super virtual game.

His understanding of the field made him acutely aware of the immense challenges involved.

Even with his Virtual Engine, it was only a starting point. The project would require vast amounts of data on spell trajectories and other arcane phenomena.

Even if Feng Qi could solve these problems, the timeline remained uncertain.

At the very least, the initial phase would take twenty years.

Now, with the backing of a prestigious research institution, Fang Zhiyou believed the timeline could be shortened by at least a decade.

This was undoubtedly good news in his eyes.

Feng Qi then provided Fang Zhiyou with the contact information for Director Long, head of the Scarlet Research Institute’s newly established virtual game department, instructing him to coordinate with Director Long on refining the super virtual game.

After explaining the situation in detail, Feng Qi bid farewell to Fang Zhiyou and returned to his dormitory.

Entering his room, he sat down at his desk and opened his notebook.

The aftereffects of the memory overlap hadn’t fully subsided yet, so he decided to wait a few days before entering the Dream Realm again.

Before entering the Dream Realm again, he decided to plan his next Future Line direction in advance.

With the abundance of information he had gathered, the possible paths were numerous.

After a moment’s contemplation, he began to write:

Future Line 1: Dark Line (Joining a Domain Force)

Contact a Domain Assassin and attempt to join the Domain Faction Alliance to gather intelligence from within.

Note 1: If choosing to join the Domain Faction Alliance, first undergo rune modification at the Scarlet Research Institute to appear as a domain creature.

Note 2: Joining a Domain Force might reveal the secrets behind their infiltration of human society.

Note 3: By aligning with domain creatures, and if one’s lifespan is sufficient, one might witness the Great Tide’s Descent prophesied by the black shadow (extremely difficult, requiring survival for over 1,000 years).

Risk: The Domain Assassin might perceive me as an agent of another Domain Powerhouse, backed by a powerful domain clan. Integrating into their alliance of weaker clans won’t be easy. If I suddenly reveal myself as a Domain Wanderer with no powerful backing, it will undoubtedly arouse suspicion and could lead to retaliation even before joining the Wanderer Alliance.

Future Line 2: Dawn Line (Mu Yao’s Path)

Early Stage: Lie low and wait for the opportune moment to join the Dawn Army. Attempt to make contact with Mu Yao to learn the truth and secrets of the world from her.

Note: This future line carries significant risk, with a high probability of early death. However, it’s worth attempting.

Future Line 3: Confronting the Tiger Soul Research Institute (Tentative, Conflicts with Plan)

Unite with known allied forces to confront the Tiger Soul Research Institute, then observe how the future changes.

Note: This future line conflicts with Lin Ran’s plan to seize the Anti-Parasitic Mist Lord. If the Tiger Soul Research Institute’s future schemes fail, Lin Ran will lose his opportunity to claim the Lord of the Mist.

Future Line 4: Allied Intelligence Path

Attempt to contact the Prajna Domain Combat Team and the Victory Domain Battle Group to gather more intelligence about Domain Forces.

Note: The Prajna Domain Combat Team and the Victory Domain Battle Group are currently known to be allied forces. Contacting them might yield unexpected gains.

Future Line 5: All-Humanity War Path

Currently, various Domain Forces mistakenly believe I am a domain creature. I can exploit this misconception by posing as a Domain Force and rallying allied factions to form a ”Domain Alliance” for collaborative development. Once we amass sufficient strength, we will publicly reveal the truth about the Domain Forces lurking within Human Civilization and unite all humanity against them.

Note: This is an extremely radical future timeline. It could expose many Domain Forces hidden within human society in one fell swoop, but it carries significant risks. It could very likely lead to the premature destruction of Human Civilization, and the Dream Realm might not even include the Star City Shelter.

Future Line 6: Technology Research Institute Timeline (Little Black Timeline)

Rejoin the Technology Research Institute, leveraging my existing knowledge to advance to the second-highest authority tier within the Core Circle. Then, find a way to ascend to the top tier and attempt to make contact with Mo, the institute’s most enigmatic figure.

Note: Only by contacting Mo can I uncover the core secrets of the Technology Research Institute and the truth about Little Black.

Note 2: This future timeline offers a slim chance of gaining control over Little Black.

After outlining six Future Lines, Feng Qi set down his pen.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered so far, he could have easily mapped out even more Future Line options.

However, he chose to stick with the six Future Lines in his notebook as his primary reference points for this iteration.

After a moment’s contemplation, he crossed out the Future Line involving conflict with the Tiger Soul Research Institute, which stemmed from Lin Ran’s clash with the Anti-Parasitic Mist Lord.

Five Future Line options now lay before him.

Which path to choose? Feng Qi fell into deep thought.

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to take a risk and select the Future Line where he joins the Dawn Army.

He had been wavering over this Future Line for a long time.

The risks were high, but the potential rewards were even greater.

Gaining access to Mu Yao would allow him to extract a wealth of intelligence.

Moreover, Mu Yao would eventually become his ally, providing support similar to Wei Wei’s.

However, the risk of his premature death remained ever-present, and he had prepared himself for the possibility that this Future Line might yield nothing.

Having made his decision, he ordered a batch of ingredients for brewing Clear Heart Wine online.

After completing the payment, his remaining balance was just over a million, no longer sufficient to purchase materials for his next batch of Clear Heart Wine.

But now, financial constraints were no longer a major concern.

Having confronted the Scarlet Research Institute, he could now secure funding support from them.

The only remaining issue was the lingering effects of memory overlap.

If he were merely accessing message logs, this wouldn’t be a problem.

However, the situation had changed significantly.

Simply reviewing message logs felt inadequate for the current circumstances.

Previously, he had been probing unknown information at a superficial level. Now, he was conducting a deep investigation.

There was a high risk of encountering misleading information planted by enemies, which could trigger a chain reaction of misjudgments.

Although the Narrator had advised against accessing his future memories unless absolutely necessary, doing so remained the most reliable way to ensure the validity of his intelligence and gain a comprehensive understanding of every detail from the Future Dream Timeline.

With this in mind, he immediately asked:

”Narrator, is there a way to mitigate the effects of memory overlap?”

[Yes, I can offer you two solutions.]

”Explain them in detail.”

[The first option is to rest for a few days after each return from the Dream Realm to process the overlapping memories. However, the risk is that the accumulation of negative emotions could severely impact you, leading to mental health issues. The second option is to acquire the Photographic Memory ability, allowing you to instantly digest any memory without any lingering side effects.]

The Photographic Memory ability was something Feng Qi had long yearned for.

But with no clues on how to obtain it, he automatically dismissed the Narrator’s second suggestion.

The first option seemed feasible.

However, the potential risks couldn’t be ignored. If he continued to suppress negative emotions, he might genuinely lose his mind.

With this in mind, he immediately asked:

”Is there a way to resolve the accumulation of negative emotions caused by memory overlap?”

[Yes, there is a solution. You need to acquire a Purification-type Talent Ability that can cleanse your consciousness. With such an ability, you can eliminate the negative emotional buildup after each memory retrieval.]

Realizing that the problem of accumulating negative emotions could be resolved, he pressed further:

”Is obtaining a Purification-type Talent Ability as difficult as acquiring Photographic Memory?”

It is indeed extremely rare, but there’s a ready-made target right now.

”What target?”

Do you remember the Three-Tailed? When you tried to control it with telekinesis, it instantly purified and countered your attempt. This ability clearly possesses mental purification effects.

Upon hearing this, the image of the Three-Tailed immediately surfaced in his mind.

His encounter with the Three-Tailed had been purely accidental.

During his venture into the Dream Realm, after accessing the database at the Star City Shelter, he learned that the Future Line had mysteriously died in his dormitory just hours after his departure.

This revelation made him realize that he would face a life-or-death crisis upon returning to reality.

To strengthen himself, instead of gathering intelligence in the Future Dream Timeline, he chose to hunt domain creatures throughout the Dream Realm, enhancing his power in preparation for confronting the Domain Assassin upon his return.

It was during this hunting expedition that he encountered the Three-Tailed.

At the time, the Narrator had suggested that the creature was relatively weak and could be slaughtered.

And so he went for it.

The Three-Tailed’s combat prowess was indeed weak, but its agility was extraordinary. Even with his Blood Source Ability activated, he couldn’t keep up with its speed.

Being unable to catch it would have been manageable, but the Three-Tailed was relentlessly vengeful.

As a result, he endured mental torment throughout an entire Future Dream Timeline.

Wherever he went, the Three-Tailed followed, its demonic head-tossing, tail-swishing dance still vivid in his memory.

Even worse was the final, face-to-face taunt before death—a true torment.

Now, realizing that killing the Three-Tailed might resolve his accumulating negative emotions, a primal urge to slaughter the creature surged within him.

The problem remained: the Three-Tailed’s extreme agility made it nearly impossible to capture with his current strength.

Before he could harvest its innate ability, he needed a significant power boost.

As he pondered, time slipped away.

His future plans now included two new objectives: strengthening his power and hunting down the Three-Tailed.

Over the next few days, Feng Qi decided to take some time off.

But it wasn’t a complete break.

He primarily needed to process the mental strain from the overlapping memories, but he didn’t neglect teaching his Cultivation Technique Research Approach Course to the academy students.

In recent times, his influence at Star City Academy had grown exponentially.

He had already amassed a large following of devoted fans, and his classes were consistently packed to capacity.

In addition to his own students, students from other classes would also attend as auditors.

The content he taught in class often became one of the hottest topics of discussion on the Star City Academy forum that day.

One afternoon, Feng Qi received a call from Bai Fusheng, who brought him good news.

The Ministry of Education had approved his teacher certification.

He was now the only academy teacher to have obtained his certification before graduating.

Upon hearing this, Feng Qi immediately expressed his gratitude to Bai Fusheng over the phone.

Feng Qi’s approval by the Ministry of Education was due not only to his Human Outstanding Contribution Silver Medal and the second honorary certification following the official recognition of his Fierce Tiger Fist, but also to Bai Fusheng’s tireless efforts behind the scenes.

His exceptional performance, combined with Bai Fusheng’s strong endorsement, finally convinced the Ministry of Education to drop their objections to his teaching abilities.

After a unanimous vote within the Ministry, he was granted a special teacher’s certificate for Star City Academy.

He was no longer a substitute teacher, having completely shed his student status to become a full-fledged faculty member.

In addition to enjoying various benefits, he would now receive a monthly salary of 150,000 credits.

Feng Qi was overjoyed.

That evening, he gathered Lin Ran, Mu Qing, and the other students for a celebratory dinner in the north corner of the Academy Cafeteria.

He announced his official teacher certification and treated them to a lavish meal.

Of course, the meal cost him nothing, as all food in the Academy Cafeteria was free.

(End of the Chapter)

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