Chapter 276 - 244: Wrong Key?

Chapter 276: Chapter 244: Wrong Key?

"Don’t have them come to the auditorium. We’ll meet at the milk tea shop out back."

Yu Dong raised his left hand and glanced at his watch. 7:24.

’So much more convenient than a phone.’

Time was crucial!

Yu Dong had to account for every single minute.

"Let’s run!"

Yu Dong took the lead, breaking into a run. Huang Zhiqiang, who had a million questions he couldn’t voice, could only jog along behind him toward the milk tea shop.

At 7:26, the two of them settled into a small private booth at the milk tea shop.

"Four iced Americanos."

The chubby Huang Zhiqiang gasped for breath, staring at Yu Dong in shock.

"Whew... Iced Americanos... this late at night...? Why...?"

"Because we have a lot to do tonight... We need to stay as sharp as possible. Alright, just sit tight for a moment. I’m making a call."

Just as Yu Dong picked up his phone, Xufeng and Zhao Youcai arrived.

If you told Xufeng that Yu Dong was buying everyone milk tea, he’d have to think about it—whether it fit into his cutting phase... But if you told him that Yu Dong had started dating the talented Liu Ye’ye from Yanhai University...

Xufeng had dropped his dumbbell, thrown on a jacket, and rushed right over.

Zhao Youcai’s case was much simpler. He didn’t have much going on, so he was free to go anywhere. He’d just been playing games in a classroom in the back building anyway. Getting called over to watch the drama unfold *and* score a free milk tea? Of course he’d come.

After taking a seat, Zhao Youcai pulled out his phone, opened his cultivation game, and said nonchalantly as he tapped at the screen,

"So, you really got with Liu Ye’ye? If you’re still just pursuing her... I’d suggest giving up now. I don’t think you can handle her... I’ve heard some rumors..."

As he was speaking, Zhao Youcai felt his hand being grasped by a large, calloused hand. He looked up and saw Yu Dong’s red-rimmed eyes.

"Youcai... my good brother."

Yu Dong tightly gripped Zhao Youcai’s hands, feeling his warmth once again. In his past life, he had cried for a long time while holding Zhao Youcai’s cold, lifeless hands.

Zhao Youcai looked utterly bewildered: "???"

He quickly snatched his hand away.

"Dongzi... what are you doing? Can’t you see I’m playing a game..."

Looking at the young and sensitive Zhao Youcai before him, Yu Dong thought of everything that had happened in his past life, and an inexplicable sorrow welled up in his heart.

’He was back, but the brother who had fought alongside him through all of this... had forgotten everything.’

’Of all the epic, sweeping memories from one life to the next, he was the only one who remembered.’

’Everyone else had forgotten.’

Xufeng watched Yu Dong with a concerned expression. His friend’s mood tonight was unusually complex.

"Dongzi, are you okay? If there’s something wrong with you, just tell me... We have money. We can get it treated, so don’t worry."

Yu Dong looked at the vibrant, living Xufeng before him, thought of his own unfinished mission... and his eyes hardened with resolve.

’Even if no one else in the world remembered his past efforts, he had to keep going!’

’He had to save his friends, the woman he loved, and this world that had given him so much warmth.’

’A great guy like Xufeng didn’t deserve to just quietly turn into a zombie.’

If his reincarnation had any meaning at all, Yu Dong felt it was to give him the chance to right these wrongs.

’It was just that... in his last life, he had seen a glimmer of hope. The vaccine... but Qiao Yunliang had destroyed it in the end.’

’Professor Meng’s last three vials of the new vaccine—the world’s greatest hope—were shattered during a fight between soldiers and two mutated zombies. All to save the lives of three scumbags, Jiang Xupeng and his cronies!’

’This life, he would never let that happen again!’

"I’m fine, Xufeng. We’re short on time, so I can’t explain everything to each of you. All you need to know is that I’m a repeat Reincarnator, and... you need to listen carefully to what I do next."

Huang Zhiqiang pointed at Yu Dong and said to the other two, "See! I told you this was something big! He’s talking about reincarnating multiple times! But honestly... Dongzi getting Liu Ye’ye to go out with him is still the more unbelievable part."

Zhao Youcai, who hadn’t been paying much attention, suddenly looked up at Yu Dong. In his skeptical eyes, there was a flicker of impossible hope.

Xufeng didn’t rush to object. Instead, he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table, and watched Yu Dong with keen interest.

’Yu Dong was clearly onto something big. He was curious to see how his friend would explain this whole ’repeat Reincarnator’ business. Was it some kind of thought experiment?’

At this moment, Yu Dong had already dialed Ji Luo’s number and put the call on speakerphone.

"Hello, Lawyer Ji. This is Yu Dong, a classmate of Xufeng’s."

Xufeng: "Huh?"

’Lawyer Ji?’

’Isn’t that the lawyer his dad admires most? His firm is top-notch, and he has a very distinct style. He’s handled a lot of cases for their family.’

Meanwhile, in his office in the provincial capital of Shimen City, Ji Luo was reviewing some documents. Hearing the young voice on the other end and the introduction, he closed the file and asked, ⅇℯ𝚕.

"Is Xufeng in trouble?"

"No, I’m the one calling. We have an agreement... Lawyer Ji, do you believe in Reincarnators?"

"A lawyer who uses that kind of language would be ridiculed by his colleagues. If you wish to retain my services, you must tell the truth."

"Lawyer Ji, in seven days, a zombie virus will break out. The apocalypse will begin, and more than ninety percent of humanity will die instantly. In our last life, we survived the apocalypse together. Because I knew I could be reborn, I arranged a passcode with you—one that only we would know—to prove myself to you in this timeline."

Upon hearing this, Xufeng took out a notebook and started taking notes. What Yu Dong was saying... was remarkably methodical.

’If it were true that he could be reborn, contacting allies from a past life would be a logical and effective strategy.’

’But why would Yu Dong have an agreement like that with Lawyer Ji?’

’How did they even meet? Was it because of my past self? Did the me from the last life believe Yu Dong and recruit the highly capable Lawyer Ji to help?’

Ji Luo: "I’m very busy right now. If your next sentence doesn’t get to the point, I’m hanging up."

"You’re sitting in your office right now. Behind you is a safe. It contains important documents and some cash, but none of that is what’s most important to you. The important thing is a hidden compartment inside that safe. In it, there’s a paternity test report proving that your first love’s child is also yours. Am I right, Lawyer Ji?"

Ji Luo shot up from his chair!

He immediately opened the safe behind him. Everything inside was arranged just as he’d left it, without the slightest sign of being disturbed.

He opened the panel to the hidden compartment and took out the paternity report...

Ji Luo’s mind reeled. This was just too outrageous.

"How... did you do that?"

"Like I said, I’m a Reincarnator."

At this, Ji Luo began to seriously consider every word Yu Dong had said.

He tried to weigh the possibilities, but... this felt too much like a conspiracy. Ji Luo had handled cases so convoluted that people blamed them on the supernatural, but they always turned out to be nothing more than elaborate stories spun by his clients to get off the hook.

’Most importantly... what does he want?’

’If this was blackmail, it would have been far more practical to just take the files and the cash.’

’He was single. At worst, the report would tarnish his reputation and destroy his first love’s family, but it posed no fatal threat to him.’

"So? What do you want?"

"Lawyer Ji, I know you don’t believe me yet... but your future self anticipated this. He gave me a second passcode—a secret, personal habit that only you would know."

"What is it?"

"You often wake with a start around three in the morning and can only go back to sleep after praying for forgiveness for the immoral things you’ve done."

Unless he told someone himself, it would be impossible for anyone else to know about such a deeply private, personal habit.

After hearing this, however, Ji Luo became surprisingly calm.

"Interesting... But that’s incorrect. I don’t do that."

Yu Dong: "!?"

The three friends listening in, who had been completely drawn into the drama, were left stunned by Ji Luo’s sudden denial.

They all turned to stare at Yu Dong in unison.

"What’s going on?"

Even the ever-confident Yu Dong frowned sharply.

"Lawyer Ji, are you sure? You told me this yourself in the last life..."

"But it is, in fact, incorrect. Do you have anything else?"

Hearing Ji Luo say this, Yu Dong was stunned!

’Why?’

’Why would the Ji Luo from the previous life give him false information?’

’Did he do it on purpose?’

’Or... was the Ji Luo of *this* timeline lying?’

’What exactly went wrong?’

’This passcode system, which Ji Luo himself had helped upgrade, failed its verification test with the man himself.’

’He had just been reborn, and already the passcodes for two people had failed verification...’

’Huang was one thing; he had plenty of ways to handle him. But Ji Luo was a crucial part of his plan for this life. He couldn’t afford to lose him.’