Chapter 287 - 250: A Single Spark

Chapter 287: Chapter 250: A Single Spark

After hanging up, Lin Zhixue felt a bit of a headache...

"Did I not explain it clearly enough to them yesterday?"

...

The morning passed in a series of meetings. Once they had finalized their plan, Yu Dong gave them his final instructions:

"In each of your notebooks, you’ll find two of the secret keys for your core members from our past life. The third secret key... is the winning numbers for Tuesday night’s lottery. I wrote them on the last page. Please make sure your people know... they can look, but they can’t touch. Otherwise, the future could be altered."

These few people were all smart, but the same couldn’t necessarily be said for their future teammates...

"Understood. Don’t worry."

"Even if they bought a ticket, it wouldn’t win. Even if it won, they couldn’t cash it out. Even if they cashed it out, there’d be no time to spend the money. A complete waste of effort."

"We’re leaving now. If anything comes up, just give us a call."

Hearing Zhang Yihuai say this, Yu Dong’s expression turned serious. "No. We won’t be contacting each other again before the apocalypse breaks out. This is the last time we’ll meet. From now on, you’re on your own. Be true reborns. My satellite phone number is in the manual. It’ll work after the apocalypse begins. We’ll get in touch then. I wish you... all the best."

"Why?" Zhang Yihuai asked. "If you’re not around... what are we supposed to do when there’s something we don’t understand?"

"Because I’m about to do something very dangerous. I have to sever all ties with you. By the way, once the apocalypse starts, if... if by some chance you can’t reach me, contact Officer Wang. Tell him our entire plan. His number is also written in there."

Yu Dong didn’t explain any further. He said his goodbyes and sent them on their way.

「Authentic Anhui-Style Beef Noodles.」

After finishing the meal he’d been craving most, Yu Dong returned to the tea house, feeling a little tired by this point.

Officer Wang and Lin Mo had arrived.

Normally, Wang Dingbei was a scruffy, jaded veteran beat cop. It was a protective layer he wore, meant to lull his enemies into a false sense of security.

But today, Wang Dingbei was dressed neatly. He had even shaved. His spirits were high, and his gaze was sharp.

He looked at the college student before him, his eyes filled with scrutiny.

Lin Mo was in civilian clothes, her posture a bit stiff as she sat. She had just taken leave from the military.

"My two partners, we meet again. We can finally start from the beginning."

The two of them were silent.

Seeing Yu Dong act so familiar with them, the two couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

Yu Dong shook their hands and gave each of them their own manual.

Wang Dingbei looked over the contents for a moment, then looked back at Yu Dong.

Finally, he shook his head.

"Yu Dong, I can believe that you’re a reborn. But... how can you prove that what you’ve written is true? How do I know you’re not lying to me?"

’Heh... Even after being reborn, Officer Wang’s brain works just as well as it did in our past life.’

He had seen the bug behind the secret keys and the manual in a single glance: the Reborn’s Benevolence Paradox.

The secret keys could be correct, but that didn’t guarantee Yu Dong was telling them the truth... The only exception would be a powerful individual like Ji Luo, who had left a half-finished sentence for his past self as a hint that he could be trusted.

But even so, he couldn’t know how long Yu Dong had actually lived in the previous life. He only knew that his past self considered Yu Dong completely trustworthy.

To be precise, Ji Luo didn’t trust Yu Dong; he trusted himself.

Ji Luo had an intense self-confidence that few people could match.

But for everyone else, the ordinary triple secret key could only prove that Yu Dong was a reborn. It had no bearing on the truth of whatever he said next.

It’s just that most people would never think of that.

The problem was that an ordinary person had no way of knowing Yu Dong’s situation or stance in the previous life—whether he was here to trick them or to help them. This created the paradox.

But once this problem was raised, it was also a dead end for Yu Dong.

Because Yu Dong himself couldn’t prove he wasn’t lying. What could he do if he spun the most incredible tales, and people simply refused to believe him?

"Officer Wang, before, I might not have been able to answer that question. But thankfully, a brilliant mind anticipated this and gave me a solution."

"Who?"

"The you from our past life."

Wang Dingbei gave him a questioning look.

In their past life, while verifying the secret keys with Wang Dingbei, Yu Dong had realized this dead end. So... he could only ask Wang Dingbei himself to help persuade his past self.

In addition to the triple secret key, Wang Dingbei had also given him a strategy.

Yu Dong had already put it to use that morning, and the effect was excellent. Those people had initially suspected he had ulterior motives, but in the end, they all came to believe him.

"Officer Wang, I will only act as a provider of information. I will not direct you to do anything for me. The manual is in your hands. You can choose to believe it or not."

"Inside that manual are all the steps I took to hijack the cruise ship in our past life. If you were the one to do it... I believe you could do an even better job than me."

"In this life, the cruise ship base is yours. You will be its sole leader."

"So, now you have to consider something... Knowing in advance that the apocalypse is coming, are you going to stand by and watch your colleagues, friends, family, and people die, or are you going to do everything in your power to save them?"

"Officer Wang, your conscience... which side will it choose?"