The faces of people he had once known, the changes in physical condition, and the surroundings all reminded Xu Huo that he had entered a false environment.

Before university, he was once deeply obsessed with thrilling activities, underground gambling being one of them, and this game involving hands was also in his memory.

Looking at the watch on the person next to him, at this time, Xu Zhi should already be on his way to find him.

He pushed aside the people around him, ignoring the surrounding shouts, and walked straight toward the exit.

The bodyguards surrounded him, and the person at the gambling table said, "Young Master Xu, if you get on the table, you want to leave just like this? It’s okay if you don’t dare to gamble, just leave your hand!"

Xu Huo didn’t get rough with these people, he turned to the complacent man and said, "Your uncle can only be your backing for half a month at most, the crimes you’ve committed are enough to have you executed two or three times, yet you feel no sense of the impending crisis, rather you think about venting on me. You really are a fool."

The man opposite the table turned red from the accusation and stood up, slapping the table, "Whether I die or not is hard to say, but you’re definitely dead!"

The bodyguards crowded in.

A few minutes later, Xu Huo walked out of the underground casino with injuries. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Everything familiar in his memory came rushing with the unique air of the street, he didn’t hail a taxi to leave but instead squatted by the roadside and waited.

It wasn’t until several cigarette butts had fallen at his feet that Xu Zhi hurriedly arrived, bringing some skilled friends along.

The young Xu Zhi noticeably relaxed upon seeing Xu Huo squatting by the street; he slowed down his pace and came over, "Was it fun?"

"Not fun, not interesting." Xu Huo patted his pants and stood up, looking at Xu Zhi, "I know what I’m doing, don’t worry about me."

Xu Zhi smiled, "How can I not worry about you, we’re brothers."

Xu Huo remained silent.

At this moment, one of Xu Zhi’s friends came over, patted his shoulder, and said, "You’re not a child, and smart, why exhaust your energy on these meaningless things? A momentary thrill is the lowest level of happiness; your happiness lies elsewhere."

Xu Huo looked at the arm in front of him, from the skin to the blood vessels, to the bones, everything seemed to clearly present in his mind without needing dissection.

Being uncontrollable is very dangerous, especially during adolescence.

So he chose some things he could endure to replace it.

With the memory he had now, Xu Huo understood this meaningless impulse was due to something, so he grasped the other’s wrist and said under the other’s slightly puzzled gaze, "Your skin and muscles are beautiful, if used for dissection, it could surely be a textbook example..."

The person instinctively pulled their hand away, then scrutinized him for a moment before pulling Xu Zhi aside, whispering something.

Without extraordinary hearing, Xu Huo couldn’t hear their conversation; however, judging by their expressions, it was probably that person advising Xu Zhi to increase restraint on him, no longer allowing him to be so unchecked.

After a while, Xu Zhi came back alone, sighed and said, "Why scare my friend?"

"I didn’t scare him, that’s my real thoughts," Xu Huo said truthfully: "Ordinary and law-abiding life doesn’t seem to suit me, if I don’t do these things, sooner or later, I’ll find something else to do, I’m also afraid of becoming unmanageable."

Xu Zhi was silent for a long time, "The law and morality are not prepared for everyone; they are references for you. You can adjust appropriately, but not completely abandon them. The two bottom lines that regulate humanity are the crystallization of human wisdom, anyone can benefit from them, even if you step over that line in the future."

"As a beneficiary, it’s an obligation to moderately comply."

"Moreover, simply seeking a thrill doesn’t necessitate breaking the law; the world’s limits aren’t just about challenging authority and the external, better to turn inward, perhaps try challenging yourself."

"Starting tomorrow, don’t come to this kind of place anymore; this is my request of you as an elder brother, and also as an ordinary law-abiding person."

Xu Huo knew he couldn’t persuade him to give up on himself, nodded in agreement.

The two walked toward the car, with Xu Huo following Xu Zhi. Halfway there, he spoke again: "Brother, if someone wants to kill me in the future, would you die for me?"

Xu Zhi turned back with a gentle smile, "What silly talk, how could I stand by and watch someone kill you? The law wouldn’t allow it either."

Xu Huo walked briskly and grabbed his arm, "Don’t save me, let me die. This matter has nothing to do with you."

Xu Zhi was about to say something when a friend nearby suddenly interrupted them, "Friends, if threatened with life, it’s advisable to report it to the police."

Xu Huo found it reasonable, so the car directly went to the police station.

Due to Xu Huo’s "slight fame," this matter quickly received attention, learning that enemies might cross dimensions to come here, specialists were dispatched, and the meeting place was changed to a confidential location.

Among the team that came to see him, there was a familiar face.

"Nie Xuan." Xu Huo called out his name.

The younger Nie Xuan hesitated, looking at him, "We’ve met."

"Met in the future," Xu Huo informed him.

Nie Xuan showed no emotion, he merely nodded slightly, "Today, Group Leader Fan will talk with you, you can tell him everything."

Then began a conversation lasting three hours.

Xu Huo spoke meticulously about Doctor Zhang and The Seventeenth Hospital, the Dimensional Rift game and Initial Trial Train, Player classification and Super Evolution, District Fourteen’s crisis and District Seventeen’s annihilation, even drawing the White Notes used in the game.

Having documented all this and probed some crucial details, Group Leader Fan asked again, "I noticed you avoided talking about domestic changes in your description, is there something major occurring?"

Xu Huo indeed avoided certain content, but they were not what he considered important.

"Most of my time is spent in the game, with few returns." He answered, "It’s easy to verify my words, you all can visit The Seventeenth Hospital, the missing people in the medical staff’s group photo will tell you the answer."

"You, as the Prophet, have returned to the present to inform us about the future; does this mean future technology has reached the level where time travel is possible?" Group Leader Fan asked again.

This was a rather simplistic trap question, so Xu Huo directly chose the crucial part, "Without sufficient power to support large time-travel leaps, short-term is possible."

"It seems you understand it well, could you kindly share how it’s achieved? Is it related to Player Evolution?" Group Leader Fan appeared intrigued.

Xu Huo’s expression turned cold, no longer answering questions.

A month later, he was confined in a specially protected psychiatric hospital.