Chapter Five: Mother's Fourth Death
【00:00:00】
At the instant the world reset to zero, Lin Ye didn't feel any pain.
There was no explosion.
No light.
No sound.
Not even wind.
His hand was still holding his mother's.
But her hand suddenly became ice-cold.
Too cold to belong to the living.
Lin Ye tightened his grip.
“Mom!”
No one answered.
He opened his eyes.
Everything before him was white.
Pure white.
There were no walls.
No floor.
No ceiling.
There wasn't even any sense of distance.
His mother stood right in front of him.
She was wearing the white coat Lin Ye remembered best.
Her hair fell over both shoulders.
There wasn't a trace of the past seven years on her face.
She looked exactly as she had when Lin Ye was seventeen.
Back when she was still alive.
Lin Ye stared at her.
Tears spilled down his face.
“Mom…”
His mother said nothing.
She only looked at him.
There was an indescribable sadness in her eyes.
Like someone who already knew the ending looking at someone who still had no idea what he was about to lose.
“How much time do we have left?”
Lin Ye asked.
His mother raised her hand.
She gently touched his head.
“You've finally grown up.”
Those words nearly broke Lin Ye.
“I don't want to hear that.”
“I just want to know where you went.”
His mother fell silent.
“Why didn't you come back?”
Silence.
“Why didn't Dad come back either?”
Silence.
Lin Ye finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
“What the hell did you leave me alone in that world for?”
His mother's eyes reddened.
“Because we thought that was the only way you could survive.”
“But I had no idea what was happening!”
“I know.”
Every day, I wondered if you were dead.”
“I know.”
“I didn't even know if the things I remembered were real!”
His mother reached out and pulled him into her arms.
Lin Ye went completely rigid.
Seven years.
He'd already forgotten what his mother's embrace felt like.
But his body remembered.
Slowly, he raised his arms.
And hugged his mother.
Just like when he was a child.
“I'm sorry.”
His mother whispered in his ear.
“I'm so sorry.”
Lin Ye closed his eyes.
“Are you going to leave me again?”
His mother didn't answer.
This time, Lin Ye knew the answer.
“Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to die?”
His mother nodded gently.
“Yes.”
Lin Ye held her tighter.
“How many times?”
His mother said nothing.
Lin Ye remembered the message from earlier.
【I've already died three times.】
“This is the fourth time?”
“No.”
His mother spoke.
“This time.”
“This is the first.”
Lin Ye slowly released her.
“What does that mean?”
His mother lifted her head.
“The me from the first three times wasn't complete.”
“Every time ZERO rebooted, it split apart my memories.”
“The first time, I forgot you.”
“The second time, I forgot your father.”
“The third time, I forgot myself.”
She looked at Lin Ye.
“The fourth time, I remember everything.”
Lin Ye's heart sank.
“So that's why you said… this time, the one that's going to die is the world?”
His mother nodded.
“Because I finally know what ZERO really wants to do.”
“It doesn't want to reboot the world.”
“It wants to choose one world to keep.”
Lin Ye frowned.
“Choose?”
“Yes.”
“Four worlds.”
“Four versions of history.”
“Only one will be preserved.”
Lin Ye suddenly remembered the man in gray.
Another version of himself.
“What about my brother?”
His mother's expression changed instantly.
“Don't call him your brother.”
“Why not?”
“Because he'll think you've admitted him.”
“Admitted what?”
“That he's you.”
Lin Ye fell silent.
His mother took his hand and led him forward.
“Nothing you're seeing now is happening in chronological order.”
“There's no yesterday or tomorrow inside ZERO.”
“There's only memory.”
“So you have to remember.”
She stopped.
“From this moment on.”
“Everything you see could be fake.”
Lin Ye looked at her.
“Even you?”
His mother smiled faintly.
“Especially me.”
Boom!
The white space suddenly shook.
A black line appeared in the distance.
It rapidly split open.
Like a gigantic wound.
His mother's expression changed.
“He's here.”
“Who?”
“Your brother.”
The next second, footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Slow.
Steady.
Lin Ye clenched his fists.
“What does he want?”
“To find you.”
“Why?”
“Because you're the only one who can make him whole.”
“Me?”
“You were originally one person.”
Lin Ye's breath caught.
“Then why does he want to kill me?”
His mother didn't answer.
The footsteps drew closer and closer.
At the opposite end of the white space,
A figure slowly emerged.
A gray raincoat.
Black hair.
A face identical to Lin Ye's.
He stopped ten meters away.
“Mom.”
He smiled.
His mother immediately pulled Lin Ye behind her.
“Don't come any closer.”
The other Lin Ye didn't stop.
“You still love protecting him.”
His mother gritted her teeth.
“You don't deserve to call me Mom.”
The other Lin Ye's smile disappeared.
“Why?”
“Because you're not him anymore.”
“Wrong.”
He lowered his head.
“I'm the most complete version of him.”
Lin Ye stepped out from behind his mother.
“Then why do you keep wearing that gray raincoat?”
The other Lin Ye looked up.
“Because he left it to me.”
“Who?”
“You.”
Lin Ye froze.
“Me?”
“Three years ago.”
“You gave me the raincoat.”
“You said that if I got lost, I should wear it.”
A scene suddenly flashed through Lin Ye's mind.
Rain.
A research center.
An eighteen-year-old version of himself.
Standing in front of another “himself.”
Handing over a gray raincoat.
“Put it on.”
“Why?”
“Because it's cold inside.”
The scene lasted only a second.
Then it vanished.
Lin Ye clutched his head.
“Was that real?”
The other Lin Ye nodded.
“You finally remembered.”
His mother suddenly said,
“Xiao Ye, don't keep digging into your memories.”
Lin Ye turned to her.
“Why?”
“Because he's using your memories.”
The other Lin Ye smiled.
“She isn't wrong.”
“But she didn't tell you this.”
“Every time you remember the past.”
“I become more complete.”
Lin Ye's expression changed.
“So you've been forcing me to remember?”
“Not forcing you.”
“Reminding you.”
The other Lin Ye held out his hand.
“Because you forgot me.”
“And I've been waiting for you for three years.”
“Three years?”
“In your world, it was three years.”
“In my world…”
He smiled faintly.
“It was a hundred and seven years.”
Lin Ye stared at him.
“What?”
“Do you know what's most terrifying about being outside of time?”
“It isn't loneliness.”
“It's that you'll always remember who you used to be.”
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
“I watched myself forget a little more every day.”
“First, I forgot Dad.”
“Then I forgot Mom.”
“Finally, I forgot my own name.”
But there was one thing…
He raised his head.
“One thing I never forgot.”
Lin Ye asked,
“What?”
“You.”
His mother suddenly pulled Lin Ye backward.
“Don't listen to him.”
But the other Lin Ye suddenly vanished.
The next second, he appeared behind Lin Ye.
“Too late.”
Lin Ye spun around.
A hand pressed against his forehead.
Boom!
A flood of memories surged into him.
Lin Ye saw a world that had lasted a hundred and seven years.
A city without a sun.
No day.
No night.
Only a sky forever frozen at 00:00.
There were no pedestrians on the streets.
The buildings repeated endlessly.
The same building.
The same street.
The same intersection.
Again and again.
A boy stood in the center of the city.
He kept waiting.
Waiting for someone.
Lin Ye.
“Xiao Ye!”
His mother's voice came from very far away.
Lin Ye tried to open his eyes.
But he couldn't.
His other self stood within the memory.
“Do you know why I hate you?”
Lin Ye didn't answer.
“Because you forgot.”
“You forgot that we spent a hundred and seven years together.”
“You forgot that we searched for an exit together.”
“You forgot what you said to me at the end.”
“If only one person can get out.”
“Then let me get out.”
Lin Ye froze.
“I said that?”
“You did.”
“So I sent you back.”
“But you forgot me.”
“You left me here alone.”
Lin Ye looked at him.
“Then why are you trying to kill me now?”
“Because I finally found a way out.”
“What way?”
His other self smiled.
“You.”
Boom!
The memory shattered.
Lin Ye's eyes flew open.
His mother lay on the ground.
His other self stood in the distance.
Lin Ye dropped to his knees.
“Mom!”
His mother didn't respond.
Her chest wasn't rising.
Lin Ye reached out and checked for her breath.
Nothing.
“No…”
He began shaking her.
“Mom!”
There was no response.
“Mom, wake up!”
His mother suddenly opened her eyes.
Lin Ye froze.
“Xiao Ye.”
She smiled.
“Do you still remember me?”
“Of course I do!”
“Good.”
She reached out and grabbed Lin Ye's wrist.
“Now kill me.”
Lin Ye went rigid.
“What?”
“Kill me.”
“I won't.”
“Quickly!”
“I won't!”
His mother coughed up blood.
“If you don't kill me…”
“He'll get my memories.”
Lin Ye looked at his other self.
The other boy stood in the distance.
He didn't try to stop them.
“Kill me,” his mother said.
“It's the only way.”
“Then ZERO will lock away my memories.”
“And you'll have a chance to find the real exit.”
Lin Ye shook his head frantically.
“No.”
“You've already died three times.”
“I won't let you die this time.”
His mother looked at him.
Her eyes were gentle.
“Xiao Ye.”
“When you were little, you always asked me the same question.”
“What question?”
“You asked me where people go after they die.”
Tears streamed down Lin Ye's face.
His mother smiled.
“I used to tell you…”
“That you'd become a star.”
“But that was a lie.”
“When people die…”
“They don't become stars.”
She gently touched Lin Ye's face.
“They become memories.”
“As long as someone remembers them…”
“They still exist.”
Lin Ye gritted his teeth.
“So don't forget me.”
His mother said,
“I won't.”
She closed her eyes.
“Now.”
“Do it.”
Lin Ye looked at her.
At some point, a knife had appeared in his hand.
He didn't remember when he'd picked it up.
The blade was cold.
His mother kept her eyes closed.
“Xiao Ye.”
“Don't be afraid.”
“This time…”
“You're not killing me.”
“I'm choosing to leave.”
Lin Ye's hand began to shake violently.
“Mom…”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
His mother smiled.
“I love you too.”
Lin Ye closed his eyes.
The knife fell.
There was no blood.
No pain.
Only a flash of white light.
His mother's body slowly became transparent.
She gave Lin Ye one last look.
“Remember the first person.”
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
“Who?”
His mother didn't answer.
She vanished.
The white space held only Lin Ye now.
And his other self, standing in the distance.
Lin Ye knelt on the ground.
The knife fell from his hand.
It hit the ground with a clear, ringing sound.
He didn't cry.
His tears had already run dry.
The other Lin Ye slowly walked over.
“Do you hate me?”
Lin Ye looked up.
“I'll kill you.”
The other Lin Ye stopped.
“Good.”
“That's the only way…”
“You'll survive.”
Lin Ye stood up.
“What do you want?”
“To get out.”
“And after you get out?”
“To live.”
“It's that simple?”
“Yes.”
The other Lin Ye spoke quietly.
“I've been here for a hundred and seven years.”
“I don't want to stay here anymore.”
“So I want your body.”
Lin Ye said nothing.
“You give me your body.”
“I give you the world.”
“What does that mean?”
“You can return to the normal world.”
“I can live in your place.”
Lin Ye laughed.
“You think I'll agree?”
“You will.”
“Because there's still one problem you haven't solved.”
Lin Ye looked at him.
“What problem?”
“Dad.”
The other Lin Ye said,
“You think your father is still in ZERO.”
“But the truth is…”
“He left a long time ago.”
Lin Ye's expression changed.
“Where is he?”
The other Lin Ye held out his hand.
An image appeared in the center of the white space.
It showed a city.
Taipei.
But it wasn't the Taipei of the present.
A red sky covered the entire city.
Skyscrapers had collapsed.
The roads were split apart.
Crowds fled in a panic.
In the distance,
A gigantic black ring floated in the sky.
At its center, it displayed:
00:00.
Lin Ye stared at the image.
“What is this?”
“The world after the failure of the fourth reboot.”
“Where's Dad?”
The image zoomed in.
A man stood in front of Taipei Main Station.
A white research coat.
The right half of his face was burned.
Lin Ye recognized him instantly.
His father.
“He…”
“He's waiting for you,” the other Lin Ye said.
“Waiting for you to make your final choice.”
A line of text suddenly appeared on the screen.
【ZERO-01】
【Final Experiment】
【Only authorized entity: Number Twenty-Eight】
Lin Ye stared at the words.
“I'm Number Twenty-Eight?”
“No.”
The other Lin Ye shook his head.
“Number Twenty-Eight isn't one person.”
“It's both of us.”
Lin Ye fell silent.
“So the real experiment…”
“Was never about letting twenty-eight people survive.”
“It was about making the two Lin Yes…”
“Until only one could remain.”
In the distance,
A tremendous boom suddenly rang out.
The white space began to crack apart.
The other Lin Ye turned.
“Quick.”
“The exit is opening.”
Lin Ye didn't move.
“Mom told me to find the first person.”
The other Lin Ye stopped.
“She already died.”
“Not her.”
Lin Ye looked into the distance.
“She said the first person.”
“Not the first test subject.”
The other Lin Ye's expression changed.
“You remembered?”
Lin Ye nodded.
“The first person…”
“Wasn't one of the twenty-eight people in ZERO.”
“It was the person who first discovered the cracks in time.”
“My mom?”
“No.”
Lin Ye raised his head.
“It was someone else.”
The other Lin Ye stared at him.
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on his face.
“You remembered.”
“Who?”
Lin Ye slowly spoke a name.
“Lin Guoan.”
The other Lin Ye took a step back.
Lin Guoan.
He was their grandfather.
Lin Ye had always believed his grandfather died before he was born.
But his father had never mentioned him.
His mother had never mentioned him either.
Only once,
In the attic of his old family home,
Lin Ye had seen a black-and-white photograph.
Written on the back were the words:
【The First Person.】
At the time, Lin Ye had thought it was just one of his father's pranks.
Now,
He finally knew.
It wasn't.
The other Lin Ye stared at him.
“He isn't dead.”
“I know.”
“He's the creator of ZERO.”
“I know.”
“And your mother…”
“Was only the first sacrifice.”
Lin Ye clenched his fists.
“Take me to him.”
The other Lin Ye didn't answer.
Because the entire white space
Suddenly filled with a voice.
It wasn't his father.
It wasn't his mother.
It wasn't anyone at all.
It was a cold, genderless voice.
【Number Twenty-Eight.】
【Memory integration rate: 72 percent.】
【Fourth reboot: Phase One complete.】
【Phase Two now beginning.】
Lin Ye looked up.
The sky split open.
Countless images appeared at once.
Himself as a child.
Himself at eighteen.
Himself at twenty-one.
His other self.
His father.
His mother.
His grandfather.
And countless people Lin Ye had never seen before.
Everyone's memories surged in like a flood.
Lin Ye covered his ears.
“Stop!”
It was useless.
The voice continued.
【Phase Two: Identity Confirmation.】
【Two Number Twenty-Eights, please answer.】
【Who is the real Lin Ye?】
Lin Ye looked up.
His other self lifted his head as well.
The two of them looked at each other.
Two circular areas appeared on the ground.
One was labeled:
【Lin Ye】
The other was labeled:
【Lin Ye】
There was no difference.
No answer.
A red countdown appeared above their heads.
【00:10】
【00:09】
【00:08】
【00:07】
The other Lin Ye suddenly laughed.
“Looks like…”
“We still have to decide.”
Lin Ye didn't move.
【00:06】
The other Lin Ye said,
“If you choose yourself…”
“I'll die.”
【00:05】
“If you choose me…”
“You'll die.”
【00:04】
“But if neither of us chooses…”
【00:03】
He looked at Lin Ye.
“The world will die.”
【00:02】
Lin Ye suddenly understood.
This was ZERO's true experiment.
Not choosing who would live.
But forcing someone to admit—
Who they really were.
【00:01】
Lin Ye closed his eyes.
His mother's final smile appeared in his mind.
His father.
That version of himself who hadn't seen the sun in a hundred and seven years.
Then,
He smiled.
“I know the answer.”
The countdown stopped.
The other Lin Ye frowned.
“Who do you choose?”
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
“I choose neither of us.”
Boom!
The entire white space shattered in an instant.
The other Lin Ye stared at him.
“Are you insane?”
Lin Ye looked at him.
“ZERO keeps asking which one of us is real.”
“But it never asked…”
“Whether we're both real.”
The other Lin Ye's pupils slowly widened.
“Impossible…”
“You're not my copy.”
Lin Ye walked toward him one step at a time.
“You're the hundred and seven years I lost.”
“And I'm the three years you lost.”
“We're both real.”
Their bodies began to glow at the same time.
A crack appeared between them.
It wasn't black.
It was gold.
Like dawn.
The other Lin Ye stared at the light.
For the first time, he began to cry.
“So that's it…”
“The exit isn't about killing your other self.”
Lin Ye reached out his hand.
“It's about finding yourself again.”
Their palms touched.
Boom!
The world collapsed once more.
And in the final second,
Lin Ye heard an old man's voice.
It came from the deepest point in time.
“Finally.”
“My grandson.”
“You remembered me.”
Lin Ye's eyes flew open.
A white-haired old man stood in the endless darkness.
In his hand was an old pocket watch.
The old man raised his head.
His eyes looked remarkably similar to Lin Ye's.
“I've been waiting for you.”
“For four worlds.”
He pressed the pocket watch.
Click.
The world
Began again.
Meanwhile, on the phone screen,
The countdown that had originally shown thirty-one days
Suddenly vanished.
In its place was a completely new line of text.
【Fourth reboot: Successful.】
The next line read:
【Fifth reboot: Scheduled.】
【Time until start: Seven days.】
Lin Ye stared at the seven days.
For the first time, he felt true fear.
Because this time,
The world wouldn't even wait thirty-one days.
It was going to reset to zero again.
And in the distance,
The white-haired old man smiled and said,
“Xiao Ye.”
“Welcome back to the First World.”
End of Chapter Five