Xiao Feiyang said on the phone, “That car was found at 5:45 PM near a cemetery in the western suburbs. No one was inside.”

“A cemetery?” I asked, incredulous. “What would they take Professor Andre to a cemetery for? Are they planning to bury him alive right there?”

“I’ll wait for you at the TV Tower in the West District; we’ll go together. Otherwise, you won't find the place,” Xiao Feiyang said over the phone.

Knowing the immense danger involved, I absolutely refused to drag him into it, saying, “No, I can’t burden you again this time. Tell me how to get there, and I’ll go by myself.”

But Xiao Feiyang insisted on the phone, “No way. If you don’t let me come, I won’t tell you a thing. It would be a terrible shame to miss something like this; maybe I could even make the newspapers.”

I was completely unable to dissuade him, so I finally conceded, “Fine. But once you drop me off, you need to leave immediately. This business is life-threatening, do you understand?”

“No problem! I’ve even brought my binoculars. After I drop you off, I’ll climb up the opposite hillside to watch you take on a gang of bandits all by yourself,” Xiao Feiyang said excitedly.

I muttered under my breath, “Damn it, do you think I’m Superman?”

The curse was so quiet I barely heard it myself, but Xiao Feiyang caught it clearly and immediately responded, “Yeah, you are Superman! Don’t you know? The wound on my head is completely healed. You must have used your superpowers to fix it, right? I can’t believe Hong Kong police actually have people with special abilities! Can you turn cards into different suits like the Gambler Saint?”

Before I could reply, he continued, “But something feels strange. I don’t remember how I got hurt at all. My memory seems to have paused for a few seconds starting from the moment we flipped the car.”

Hearing this, I realized that when the car overturned, I had subconsciously made a wish—a wish that neither of us would come to harm. That’s why my injuries were healed, and Xiao Feiyang had benefited too.

But turning it over in my mind, another thought struck me as odd. If my cousin could sense the temporal gap before, and now even Xiao Feiyang can sense something is off, perhaps this phenomenon—the time loss—only occurs when they are with me?

I considered it and concluded it was entirely possible. It seemed I possessed some ability that could influence others.

However, this was not something I could explain to Xiao Feiyang, so I changed the subject. “I’ll be right there. Wait for me where you are, and we’ll talk when I arrive.”

Then I hung up and started getting ready to leave.

My cousin had originally been waiting for me to explain her homework, but upon hearing me finish the call and sensing I was about to head out, she asked, “Going out again?”

I nodded. “You start writing first. Your brother will be back to help you out later.”

With that, I threw my backpack on and hurried downstairs.

It was strange; usually, I leave without taking anything, but this time, I compulsively grabbed my backpack.

Perhaps because the destination was a cemetery cluster, I felt the need to prepare thoroughly for a wilderness exploration?

The bag held water, warm clothes, rope, a flashlight, and I even brought the handgun that Xie Yuting had left with me.

Just as I was leaving, my cousin called from behind, “Brother, be careful. Don’t get hurt again.”

I grunted an acknowledgment and left without looking back.

Later, I would learn that my departure that day nearly led to a permanent, agonizing separation from my cousin.

If I had known what was coming, I would have lingered to say a few more words or finished correcting her homework before leaving.

Since the West District TV Tower wasn't too far from my place, I hailed an electric tricycle and headed straight there.

Five minutes later, I spotted Xiao Feiyang leaning against a Hyundai sedan, talking on his phone.

I got off the tricycle and walked toward him.

Xiao Feiyang hastily ended his call and waved at me, saying, “Over here…”

I looked up at the TV Tower, which soared over a hundred meters high. Night was falling, and the tower was a blaze of neon. Five massive searchlights stabbed skyward from the peak, igniting the entire Chengdu nightscape in a display of dazzling darkness.

On such a gaudy, brightly lit night, I was heading to a cemetery, which put a knot of unease in my stomach.

But as soon as he saw me approach, Xiao Feiyang grabbed me and pulled me toward the car. “Stop dawdling! What if those bad guys slip away?”

I said nothing, just nodded.

Xiao Feiyang started the car and headed toward the western suburbs.

Watching the streetlights, pedestrians, and roadside food stalls blur rapidly behind us, I had a distinct feeling that I wouldn't be coming back for a long time.

After a while, the roadside grew deserted, and I snapped back to attention, asking him, “Is this your car? Not bad.”

Xiao Feiyang nodded. “Not bad, right? It’s my older sister’s. I saw she wasn’t home, so I borrowed it.”

I grunted an acknowledgement and fell silent again.

Then Xiao Feiyang launched into a rapid stream of talk.

He asked me, “Hey, Brother Xiao Chuan, why do you switch between that Hong Kong/Taiwan accent and Sichuanese? Are you originally from Sichuan?”

I paused. “Uh, yes, I am. Although I’ve never been to Sichuan, my grandfather was from there, and I learned the dialect from him.”

Xiao Feiyang grunted again. “Then you really have a connection with Sichuan! By the way, weren't you going to tell me about your special abilities? Hurry up and explain.”

I thought for a moment. “Oh, that’s not any special ability. It’s just that after you were injured, I secretly gave you some medicine, which is why you recovered so fast.”

“Secretly gave me medicine? I don’t remember that!” Xiao Feiyang asked, puzzled.

“Of course you don’t remember, because while that medicine can heal injuries rapidly, it has a side effect: it makes the person who takes it lose the memory of that period,” I fabricated.

Xiao Feiyang seemed to have an epiphany. “So that’s how it is! No wonder there are so many things I can’t recall.”

I forced a fake laugh. “Exactly, exactly.”

We then chatted idly about many trivial things on the road.

About an hour later, our car turned onto a narrow road without any streetlights. Usually, such roads lead to small villages or country resorts, but now, the road ahead was pitch black, without a single lit house.

Compounding this, Chengdu’s weather was typically poor, and the sky was so overcast there wasn't even a moon, making the path ahead appear even more eerily grim.

I asked Xiao Feiyang, “How much further?”

Xiao Feiyang replied, “Oh, not far now. This road leads directly to the cemetery. Just keep going straight ahead.”

Sure enough, after driving for another five minutes, we saw two black SUVs parked on the side of the main road.

To avoid alerting anyone, I quickly told Xiao Feiyang to pull over and turn off the headlights.

Xiao Feiyang obeyed and turned off the engine. Then we both got out.

As soon as he was out, Xiao Feiyang hurried toward the back of the car.

I asked what he was doing, and he replied he was getting the binoculars from the trunk.

I was speechless for a moment. “It’s pitch black out here; you won’t see a thing with binoculars. You should just stay in the car. If I’m back in an hour, we leave together. If I’m not back after an hour, you leave on your own.”

Xiao Feiyang didn't seem to hear me; he’d already pulled out a pair of binoculars from the trunk. “You don’t know, these are military-grade infrared binoculars, perfect for nighttime use.”

When I heard that, I thought this kid was even better prepared than me, a Royal Hong Kong Police officer—truly unexpected.

Xiao Feiyang walked over, holding the binoculars.

I snatched them out of his hand. “Stop messing around. Lend these to me, and you wait right here!”

Xiao Feiyang froze, surprised that I had just snatched his property.

I flashed a mischievous grin and was already running far ahead.

Up ahead, not too far away, a small hill appeared, perhaps only fifty or sixty meters high. The entire mound resembled a small burial mound. Dotted across the hill were gravestones of various sizes, interspersed with tall pines and cypress trees that stood nearly as tall as a man. Seen from a distance, they were dark and unspeakably gloomy.

At the base of the small hill was a narrow iron gate, about two meters wide, and next to it stood a small, single-story shack covering only about ten square meters. I figured someone must guard this place during the day, selling incense and joss paper, but they were certainly gone now. Cemeteries generally didn't have caretakers anymore; nobody liked staying in such a grim place after dark, and there wasn't much worth stealing inside a graveyard anyway.

When I reached the iron gate, I saw it wasn't fully shut; it was cracked open slightly.

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