NOVEL WEB Ch. 2
Chapter 2: Escape from the Past
“Sorry, Mr. Li, Ms. Fang, I still haven’t thought of any clues.”
“You know I was frightened at the time, lost a lot of memories, I didn’t even know my own name.”
“But don’t worry, I’m already seeing a psychologist. I cooperate with hypnosis and the Public Security Bureau’s questioning. If I remember anything, I’ll notify you at once.”
Passing in front of that grieving couple, Han Su could barely force out a few words before quickly leaving.
“Let’s go!”
Xu Ji tugged at his arm, inwardly a bit displeased.
The kidnapping case had passed long ago; surely Old Han should have his own life by now, right?
Even the Public Security Bureau said he was innocent and forbade the victims’ families from disturbing his life. But there were always some who couldn’t let go and came looking for him again and again—this couple was one of them.
“Old Han, if it really doesn’t work, should I have my father talk to them? They’re grieving for their daughter, but they shouldn’t disrupt your life, right?”
“No need. I understand why they’re so sad.”
“Then why the sour face?”
“Understanding doesn’t mean I’m not annoyed!”
“…”
The two spoke as they arrived at the school gate, spotting several sports cars parked outside, and a few young people dressed ostentatiously—showy and somewhat frivolous by ordinary standards—waving at them.
The school gate security guard looked displeased at those cars obstructing students and the flashy youths, but couldn’t drive them off.
Whenever their eyes met, he had to plaster on a forced smile.
In a hyper‑inflated, super city, privilege balloons proportionally.
Amidst endless prosperity, the status and identity of the wealthy had reached frightening heights.
Even a centuries‑old prestigious institution like Qinggang University couldn’t refuse privilege from powerful conglomerate heirs.
Among those gathered were current students of Qinggang, along with some rich dropouts.
Every weekend they’d congregate outside the school gate to have fun—but how could a gathering of wealthy kids exclude the real rich boy Xu Ji?
So, they often mobbed the entrance to pick him up.
Of course, sometimes it wasn’t just Xu Ji being picked up—some female students would, with bashful faces, slip into their cars, skillfully tying their hair at the back.
“Going?”
Seeing them, Xu Ji changed his tone and smiled as he pulled Han Su: “Want to come today and check out my driving skills?”
At Xu Ji’s eager invitation, the rich kids looked slightly awkward.
Every time they went out, Xu Ji would drag Han Su along.
They were supposed to give Xu Ji face and be friendly to Han Su—but this poor student could never quite fit in.
So clueless…
Han Su scanned the rich boys, shook his head and said, “Not going. I’m going to the library.”
Xu Ji was speechless: “What the heck, why so hardworking? It’s pointless, let me tell you, you think my family is this wealthy because of hard work?”
“….”
Han Su just smiled and waved, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked briskly past the school gate.
The rich boys watching thought it was getting ridiculous.
Xu Ji’s status was as high as it got in Qinggang City—a top big shot’s eldest son.
These guys had to bow and flatter him daily, making sure they satisfied the young master without appearing too eager, lest they be mocked by their circle—even picking up girls wasn’t as hard as this.
Yet this wealthy gentleman invited that working‑student kid, and he treated them like this?
Xu Ji watched Han Su’s departing back and said nothing displeased—just muttered mentally, “Old Han’s been acting strange lately.”
“Staring in the mirror and going to the library…”
“Maybe he finally matured, got horny, wants a woman?”
“…”
He didn’t care what attitude Han Su had toward him—after all, they were “brothers.”
If it weren’t for his parents’ disapproval, he would’ve suggested they adopt Han Su—though even if they still refused, he planned to take control soon.
Then he could adopt Han Su himself.
He immediately turned to his friends: “Who here knows a pure, pretty, wealthy, good‑charactered girl who isn’t a lookist but considerate?”
“I want to introduce her to my brother!”
His companions gaped: “Such perfect standards? Only if you changed your gender, Xu Gongzi.”
Xu Ji frowned: “My mom wouldn’t mind, but my dad definitely wouldn’t agree!”
At this, the group slowly drifted apart, expressions weird: “Does he have some dirt on you? Why are you so nice to him?”
Han Su left them alone, walked a few hundred meters, and swiped his card to enter the subway.
He hugged his backpack, silently watching the train glide through the city’s concrete forest, neon lights and ads illuminating the carriage, making everything dreamy.
The world was so quiet it felt unreal.
The display panel showed the current date as June 13, 2724.
Han Su stared at those numbers as if he couldn’t get enough, or as if he feared they’d flicker and revert to 2714.
That lifelong‑altering kidnapping happened back then.
He was only ten at the time.
A routine campus trip suddenly dragged them into a dark, dilapidated castle.
There, these innocent kids saw many mysterious, bizarre creatures that shouldn’t exist in the real world.
They didn’t know why they were kidnapped, nor what those monsters were. But Han Su was the cleverest—seeing those monsters, he instantly knew it wasn’t a good place. Amid riot he slipped through a hole under a rose wall.
He ran—ran hard—lost his shoes.
When he finally reached safety, awaiting him were countless flashing lights, the Public Security Bureau, and countless grieving parents and families.
They pressed him for answers: who kidnapped them, where the others were.
Han Su pointed out the escape path, indicating where the children were imprisoned—but there was nothing there, just an empty industrial zone.
The Bureau turned it upside down, found nothing.
Experts and scholars later interrogated him again and again, even gave him lie detectors and hypnosis, trying to get truth of the kidnapping and locate the other kids.
But ultimately, nothing.
Even the Bureau’s agents could only assume he was scared and mis‑remembered.
They said they’d wait until his memory returned.
Later, he was sent to an orphanage, grew up, studied, and became who he was today.
Over ten years, he had countless dreams recur mid‑night, thinking of that gloomy terror—and felt so lucky to have escaped.
But later he realized, he hadn’t escaped.
For three years, that group of monsters targeted him again.
First, everything around began flickering, then eerie whispers filled his ears.
An invisible force captured him again and dragged him back into that kidnapping event from ten years ago, as a ten‑year‑old facing indescribable monsters.
He didn’t understand it all, but instinctively escaped again—and found himself back in his seventeen‑year‑old bed, crumpled paper nearby.
Fighting continued on the TV, everything else was normal.
He thought it was just a dream.
But less than three months later—damn—it happened again.
That time, when he escaped, he broke a leg.
When he woke again, he was completely stunned—realizing it wasn’t a dream, because in reality he was limping.
Countless new memories flooded his mind—throughout his whole timeline, he had become a cripple.
“Three years, seventeen times…”
Han Su thought of that number and sighed softly.
Time and again, dragged back to ten years ago, then escaped back to now.
Like a nightmare.
Only more terrifying than a nightmare: in nightmares everything vanishes on waking, but his injuries in the castle directly affected his current life.
For instance, this time when he escaped, he injured his eye in the castle—now he had only one functioning eye.
“The dark fortress has been self‑repairing, the loopholes for me to exploit are getting fewer. But to rescue so many people…”
“It’s too hard…”
“…”
His right eye throbbed, pulling him out of memories.
He sat silently for a long time, pulled out his phone, opened a chat with a black rose avatar, and slowly typed:
【So, truly, only if everyone escapes, can I break this curse?】
After a few seconds, the black rose avatar began to flicker with a new message: 【You got kidnapped back to the past again?】
Han Su paused a moment, then replied: 【Yes, I just escaped.】
【To others I was just dozing, but this time I stayed there a full four days.】
【Before I always escaped alone—that was easier—but escaping alone didn’t help, I always got grabbed back. So this time, per your suggestion, I planned to bring others out too.】
【But I still failed.】
【They were obedient, I led them well, found keys, found the door—but before we escaped, they all died at the monsters’ hands, and I lost an eye.】
【…】
The black rose avatar took a long time before replying: 【So for you, the timeline has changed again?】