"So, Autumn Ease, what exactly weird things have happened to you?" Ji La said seriously. "You must tell us everything in detail. Only then can we understand why this Anomaly Point formed. Otherwise, we’d have to enter it to investigate, which would be much harder."

Behind him, Water Poem nodded and pulled out a tablet to start recording.

"What weird things happened?" Autumn Ease rubbed his temples and sat down. He needed to sort through recent events and start from the beginning. "It began with a dream. The story felt incredibly real, like I’d lived an entire lifetime. In it, there was another me—a girl—and we fell in love, got married, had children…"

"You’re so narcissistic," Ji Yingying muttered from the side.

"Alright, Yingying, let little Autumn finish," Ji La said with slight displeasure.

"Hmph." Seeing her grandfather seemed upset, Ji Yingying didn’t dare say more. Though unhappy, she turned her head away in a huff and sat farther off.

Autumn Ease looked at the massive Particle Transfer Device. Staff bustled around it, checking who-knows-what. From afar, they resembled a swarm of busy ants.

His thoughts drifted. He organized his words and told Ji La all the strange things he’d witnessed. Truthfully, he sought the doctor’s help. He had no grand dream of saving the world. At the very least, he wanted to save himself—to bring back the girl from his dream.

"When you had the dream, was it at night? At your own home?"

"Uh… no," Autumn Ease shook his head. "That day, I’d had a few drinks. I went to that pedestrian street in the small city—the one slated for demolition. I sat on a bench around afternoon, slightly tipsy, and fell asleep."

"Mm, okay, continue," Water Poem nodded, typing into her tablet.

"Then that night, a friend called me to KTV to sing and drink. I got completely wasted. Early next morning, his call woke me. He said he’d had a similar dream—he’d also seen that girl I mentioned while drunk, named Leaf Grace."

"After that, I went to see him. But in an alley, I was stabbed to death by another man who looked exactly like me." Autumn Ease’s eyes glazed over. "But I didn’t die. When I woke up, I’d turned into a girl—exactly like the girl I became in my dream."

"You mean you came back to life? Or did the stab miss a vital spot?"

"It was definitely resurrection. When I got home, I learned my friend had suddenly fallen into a coma. By then, it was already the next evening. After I slept and woke again, I asked him about it—he didn’t remember anything."

"Then why are you still in your male form now?" Water Poem pressed.

"Because I only turn into a girl after midnight. Then, at 5 AM, I change back," Autumn Ease scratched his head. "That’s about all the important stuff."

"It seems this Anomaly Point’s formation is tied to your dream," Ji La nodded gravely.

"Probably," Autumn Ease gave a bitter smile. "Honestly, I don’t care about saving the world. I just want to use your help… to bring her back to reality."

Water Poem and Ji La exchanged glances and shook their heads. Ji Yingying bit her lip, wanting to speak but holding back—perhaps out of pity, or perhaps she didn’t want to tell Autumn Ease.

Just then, all screens flashed orange-red alarm symbols. An ear-splitting siren blared.

"Director!" a staff member shouted at Ji La. "Anomaly Point #4396 is showing signs of eroding reality and altering history!"

"Quick, Autumn Ease! It’s your first time, but prepare for combat!" Ji La looked at him earnestly and patted his shoulder.

"Huh? What’s going on?"

"Eroding reality means severe impact. If history gets altered, who knows what butterfly effect it’ll cause. You must stop it!"

"No way! I’m not ready!" Autumn Ease shouted, but Ji Yingying grabbed his wrist and dragged him toward a nearby room. "Stop whining! If you’re a man, get ready to fight. Follow me to the changing room to put on your combat suit!"

"Hey, I’m just an ordinary guy! I can’t fight! And how do I even fix an Anomaly Point? Help!" Autumn Ease shouted frantically, but to no avail.

Ji Yingying was surprisingly stronger than Autumn Ease. She forcibly dragged him into the changing room and threw a tight-fitting combat suit at him.

"Put it on quickly! It’s made of special material to protect you during particle transfer!" She tossed him an exquisitely crafted bracelet. "This is a communication device. It can be particle-ized and restored. Take it into the Anomaly Point."

"No way? Is this really happening?"

"Hurry! If you don’t, I’ll dress you myself!"

"No, no, no!" Autumn Ease waved his hands frantically. "I’m afraid you’ll accidentally snap something important off while dressing me."

"Pervert! Thinking such dirty things at a time like this!" Ji Yingying punched him hard in the chest. It was a real punch—Autumn Ease almost couldn’t breathe. This otaku couldn’t possibly match a trained woman!

"Well… can you look away?" Autumn Ease sighed helplessly. He knew running away wouldn’t solve anything. What must be faced must be faced.

"Pervert," Ji Yingying growled through gritted teeth before stepping outside.

The combat suit was highly elastic. Autumn Ease easily put it on, slipped on the bracelet, and stepped out.

Though the alarm still blared, personnel were in position. Large 3D-projection screens rapidly changed displays. Researchers typed furiously on keyboards. For a moment, Autumn Ease felt like he’d stepped into a hive of programmers…

"Autumn Ease, go to that machine," Ji Yingying pointed to the massive horizontal cylinder. "There’s a small door, already open. Enter through there."

"Hey, why are you always the one bossing me around? Can I get someone gentler?" Autumn Ease complained, seemingly unserious. In truth, it was his way of coping with stress.

"I’m the combat commander! Of course I command you!"

"No way?" Autumn Ease looked at her in surprise, sizing her up. She looked like a cute-type girl—totally mismatched with the no-nonsense job of a combat commander!

"Hurry! Enter the chamber!"

"Got it—" Autumn Ease stepped inside. The small door closed behind him. The Particle Transfer Device had many chambers, but others served different purposes. This one was specifically for particle transfer. How many people had died here during experiments?

Thinking this, Autumn Ease felt a bit scared—not about ghosts, but afraid of what if he failed. He was very fond of his life. Nothing beats being alive. Besides… why was this room empty? Only protruding cylindrical objects lined the walls and ceiling.

"Ready?"

"Am I really in the right place?" Autumn Ease questioned via the comms bracelet.

"Absolutely correct!" Ji Yingying took a deep breath and shouted, "Prepare for particle transfer!"

"Activating transfer device. Charging. Preheating. Checking system integrity. Scanning…" A chorus of voices came one after another, giving Autumn Ease a headache.

"Performing backup. Backup complete."

"Verifying system item 4396. Verified. Verifying system item 4397…"

"Charging complete."

"All items verified. No anomalies."

"Target’s heart rate is elevated."

"Autumn Ease, why’s your heart racing like that? Are you really that scared?" Ji Yingying shouted irritably.

"Hell, anyone would be scared! If it fails, I’ll die!"

"Target’s blood pressure is rising."

"Calm down!"

"Huh… I’ll try…" Autumn Ease took deep breaths, telling himself it would be fine. After all, he was the only man who could undergo particle transfer without a machine! "I’m the protagonist! How could the protagonist die so easily?" he kept hypnotizing himself. As for whether he was really the protagonist… who knew? Perhaps everyone is the protagonist of their own life. Some stories are thrilling, some mundane. Some are multi-million-word sagas, while others are mere hundred-thousand-word abandoned novels…

"Emotions stabilizing… Then… particle transfer, begin!"

Particle transfer occurred in an instant. Autumn Ease barely reacted before losing consciousness. Not like falling asleep, but like complete death—as if he no longer existed.

"Arrived at target Anomaly Point. Particle reassembly complete."

"Huh…!" Autumn Ease opened his eyes. It felt like nothing had happened, but he found himself no longer in that empty chamber. He took a deep breath of the crisp air and looked around.

This was an alley, filled with rotting garbage everywhere. Almost no one came here except those taking shortcuts. It was late night. The poorly lit alley was dim. The single streetlight struggled to dispel the endless darkness. This… was indeed the small city. Autumn Ease knew particle transfer had succeeded. He had arrived… in another space.