"Fighting is exhausting... especially when you're fighting for your life..." Autumn Ease sat lazily on the ground, not wanting to get up at all. He almost wished he could fall asleep right there to recover his energy. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Wait, you're pretty strong too. Why didn't you fight those thugs back then?"

"What what what are you talking about! We're on a mission right now!"

"Yeah, yeah... Commander. Speaking of which, what's my military rank anyway?"

"Private."

"Damn, so I'm just cannon fodder?" Autumn Ease burst out laughing.

"Weren't you out of energy? How can you still laugh?"

"Cough... uh..." Autumn Ease played dumb, then suddenly remembered something and scrambled up.

Standing too fast made him dizzy. He steadied himself against the wall, barely avoiding a fall.

*Don't sit or stand too quickly after intense exercise...*

"Hey, hey! If you can't move, don't push yourself!" Ji Yingying's voice crackled through his earpiece. *Wait—how did this thing stay on during that insane fight?*

"Wow, you actually care about me?"

"You're the only combatant. Of course I need to keep you safe."

"Fine... Actually, I remembered something about GuanPeng—my friend. He supposedly passed out while eating breakfast someone brought him. I'm wondering: was it his own issue, or someone else's doing?" Autumn Ease rubbed his temples, trying to stay alert. "I could reach him before he loses consciousness. He might remember something useful."

"Exactly. That's the right move. I've already loaded the map for this small city and can activate navigation for you."

"Why would I need navigation to my friend's house..." Autumn Ease grimaced. "Just get me a car instead."

"Impossible. This is a real spacetime continuum, not a data-driven virtual world."

"Alright, alright." Autumn Ease shook his head and started walking toward GuanPeng's place. His pace was slow, but he should arrive before sunrise. *Or... should I grab my bike?*

He decided to walk back first—to retrieve his alloy dagger. It'd be handy if another fight broke out.

At the scene, Autumn Ease stared at his own corpse lying in a pool of blood. It felt deeply unsettling. His bicycle lay toppled nearby.

A quick check confirmed both tires were flat. Riding it would be like trying to pedal a bike with square wheels.

He glanced at his blood-soaked double and murmured an apology.

Not that he felt particularly sorry—he'd respawn soon anyway.

What troubled him more was the cruel words from that other version of himself.

*What did he mean, "kill or be killed"?*

*What kind of bloody game is this?*

*We're the same person—why can't we trust each other?*

*Why can't we just sit down and talk?*

In the end, Autumn Ease walked.

His body ached with exhaustion, legs trembling, by the time he finally reached GuanPeng's apartment building.

The sun hadn't risen yet. He should still be conscious.

Standing below, Autumn Ease paused briefly. *When was the last time I stood here?*

*Was it... back in high school?*

Since Autumn Ease passed GuanPeng's place on his way to school, he'd often shout up to wake him. Sometimes when Autumn Ease was sick and couldn't call, GuanPeng would oversleep and be late.

*Ten years ago... we were just kids.*

Sometimes it was a hectic morning, nearly time for class. They'd rush out, pedaling furiously.

Other times, it was early dawn—only breakfast stalls open, streetlights still glowing as the sun crept up. They'd bike slowly, chatting and laughing.

Occasionally, at daybreak when the streets were empty and quiet, Autumn Ease would call GuanPeng down. They'd push their bikes leisurely, arriving early enough to sit on the school playground and savor the calm.

And sometimes, in the dead of night, Autumn Ease would sneak-call GuanPeng. They'd slip out to surf the internet, returning home just before dawn to pretend they were heading out normally.

"Man, those were the days..." Memories flooded back as he climbed the stairs.

*Thump thump thump!* "GuanPeng! GuanPeng!" GuanPeng's parents had moved back to their hometown after he started college—running a pig farm, apparently. Hard work, but profitable enough to support their NEET son.

"Coming, coming! What's the damn rush!" GuanPeng's voice answered. After shuffling footsteps, the door opened.

Despite being a shut-in, he looked tidy—just chubbier than in high school. His round face had grown rounder, dimples deepening when he grinned.

"Damn it, I came to talk about something," Autumn Ease said, recalling their pact. "You said you also dreamed about a girl named Leaf Grace?"

"Yeah. Sit down. I'll splash water on my face to wake up." GuanPeng dashed to the bathroom. After splashing sounds, he stumbled out. "That dream felt endless—like a whole lifetime. When I woke up, reality felt like the dream."

"I felt the same." Autumn Ease nodded.

"That girl in the dream... turns out we both liked her."

"Huh? Seriously?" Autumn Ease scratched his head. "I didn't know that?"

He hesitated—should he tell GuanPeng she was actually a female version of himself?

"Later I found out she was you. So I stopped competing... though I never really competed anyway."

"Oh, that's just a crush. Wait—you knew?"

"Duh! You have any idea how I felt realizing she was *you*? Damn, it was so gross—like I'd been into *you*." GuanPeng made a theatrical gagging motion.

"...My deepest apologies," Autumn Ease deadpanned, eyelids drooping.

"Kinda regret it though. In the dream, why didn't I fight you for her? Maybe you'd have fallen for me."

"Dude, why are you so damn gay?" Autumn Ease rolled his eyes. "Even if she and I came from the same person, different experiences and perspectives make us distinct. Eventually, we might become separate individuals."

He said this thinking of today's ruthless double.

"In the dream, she went to high school with us too?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder... some close high school friends would remember her." Autumn Ease nodded.

"Anyone else had the same dream besides us?"

"Feng Yulan and Jin Jiahui. Don't ask about them yet. First—how did *you* know she was me? Others didn't seem to know."

"How should I know? Can't recall... wait—*how* did I know?" GuanPeng scratched his head, still drawing blanks. "Seriously forgot. Only remember you and her vanishing later. I even babysat your kid for you."

"Seriously?"

"Dead serious."

"Then... do you know how to make her appear? Not just me transforming into her?"

"How the hell should I know?" GuanPeng shot him a look. "It was just a dream, right? Maybe our brainwaves synced up by coincidence."

"It's not like that—" Autumn Ease started, but Ji Yingying's voice cut through his earpiece.

"Autumn Ease! Special bio-signatures detected below your apartment. Matching your temporal frequency—another time traveler. Is another you here?"

"What?" Autumn Ease sprinted to the balcony. Below wasn't his double, but a preteen girl staring up expressionlessly.

"Eh?! Another person with your ability? Is she from this world?"

"I doubt it." Autumn Ease shook his head and bolted downstairs, leaving GuanPeng behind.

*She must know more.*

The girl hadn't moved when he reached the street, as if waiting.

"Pant... pant... can you tell me what's happening? Why did I become a girl? Why that dream? No—none of that matters! How do I make *her* appear, not just me turning into her?"

The girl shook her head mutely.

Unclear if she didn't know—or wouldn't say.

"Why?! Why won't you tell me?!"

"You must... remember. Yourself."

"What have I forgotten?!" Autumn Ease yelled, grabbing his hair.

The girl turned and walked away.

When he tried to grab her, an invisible force blocked him.

He followed helplessly as she stopped beside his blood-soaked corpse.

From her pocket, she pulled a small box containing a syringe. She injected its contents into the fallen Autumn Ease, then glanced back at him.

"Wait—that thing! Is that what altered my body?"

Autumn Ease chased after her, but she vanished around the next corner without a trace.