"Beep beep. Fingerprint match. Retina match. Genetic match. Welcome back, Professor Bai Yufei,"an electronic voice echoed through the room. Slowly, the door began to slide open to the right.
Such an advanced security system—what secrets did this hidden space contain?
Bai Yufei stepped inside.
At once, the entire room lit up, revealing a scene so astonishing it seemed to defy reality.
It was an enormous underground laboratory—vast beyond comprehension. The room was filled with countless instruments and apparatuses of unknown function. But most striking of all was the colossal machine standing at its center.
Massive in size, impossibly intricate in design, it pulsed with blinking lights and quiet hums. It was unlike anything that had ever existed in the world before.
This was Bai Yufei's sanctuary. And that machine—his crowning creation—the Time Shuttle.
For five long years, Bai Yufei had searched desperately for a way to return to the past. He had explored every possibility, even delving into ancient alchemical cultivation methods. Yet each attempt ended in failure—until now. After countless setbacks, his research had finally borne fruit. He had built the world's first time-traveling device.
Cough, cough…
He doubled over, hacking up several mouthfuls of blood. He could feel his life force ebbing away, faster each day. He knew—there was less than a month left.
"I have only one month… I will succeed."He looked up through the overhead skylight. For the first time in years, he saw how breathtaking the stars truly were—twinkling above like an ethereal chorus, as if blessing his journey.
One month later, Bai Yufei lay weakly inside the Time Shuttle.
He didn't know if he would succeed.He didn't know if the machine could truly send him back.
But this… this was his last hope.
"Now, only the final step remains."Bai Yufei reached into his coat and pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary necklace. Its pendant was a beautifully carved piece of ancient jade, and on its polished surface, three delicate Chinese characters were etched: Ye Haitang.
The Time Shuttle's energy had finally reached its peak, humming with restrained power. Yet, in that pivotal moment, Bai Yufei made an unexpected move—he gently placed the jade pendant into a small recess within the machine.
What seemed to be a simple keepsake was, in truth, a miracle of science: a quantum AI core, a hyper-intelligent optical brain born from the fusion of spatial engineering and advanced exo-armor technology—his most personal and powerful creation.
Zheng!At once, every light on the Time Shuttle flared to life, glowing with an almost divine brilliance. The countdown had ended. The gateway was ready.
"If reincarnation truly exists... I will never let you slip away from me again."A faint smile played upon his lips as Bai Yufei closed his eyes.
That day, Bai Yufei vanished from the Earth without a trace.Only when his hidden sanctuary was discovered did the world begin to understand the magnitude of what he had achieved.
And so, a legend was born.A story of time, love, and sacrifice—the hauntingly beautiful tale of the man who defied destiny…and disappeared into the folds of time.
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