Chapter Twenty-Two: Fleeting Years

This is the factory where the Wei Corporation produces time storage devices. Zhao Nan vaguely recalled that this was the company owned by the heroine’s father.

Of course, at present, he found himself in the slums, in a time zone beyond Zone 12, still a long way from the new Greenwich located in Zone 4.

Zhao Nan was assigned to the workshop assembling the storage devices. Eric, a Black man, enthusiastically taught Zhao Nan the methods and techniques of assembly.

“Oh my God! Zhao Nan, you’re the most talented genius I’ve ever seen! How did you manage to assemble it successfully after seeing it just once?” Eric was genuinely astonished at Zhao Nan’s quick mastery.

“It’s not that hard, as long as you pay attention to the details,” Zhao Nan replied with a smile, finding this tall man to have a kind heart.

The truth was, with a spirit stat of 16 and agility of 16, Zhao Nan possessed a memory, focus, and bodily coordination far beyond that of ordinary people. Applying these to learning assembly made it almost effortless.

“Well then, you can stay here. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat and take you to the canteen,” Eric laughed heartily, clapping his hands together. “Let’s all keep our spirits up! If you don’t want to be kicked out of bed by your wife tonight, then go ahead and slack off! I won’t bother collecting your bodies tomorrow!”

Laughter broke out.

The workshop’s atmosphere grew noticeably more lively. Zhao Nan was a little surprised at Eric’s ability to boost morale. Shaking his head, he exhaled softly, then quickly busied his hands with the parts before him.

This factory was still running, which meant the Wei Bank had yet to be attacked by the protagonists. The world’s order was still governed by the system of time management.

“For now, I’ll just observe,” he thought.

Unconsciously, the number of assembled storage devices on Zhao Nan’s table reached an astonishing figure. Oblivious, he kept his head down and continued working.

At lunchtime, Eric came by again. Seeing Zhao Nan’s output, his jaw dropped and words failed him. Throwing an arm around Zhao Nan’s shoulders, he exclaimed, “Trust me, kid! In less than ten years you’ll be out of this hellhole! Of course, you have to keep up this terrifying pace.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

After lunch came the afternoon shift. With more time, Zhao Nan completed even more units. When the day’s work was tallied, he was surprised to receive a daily wage of fifty hours.

Naturally, this caused a stir, as the payroll area was crowded with people.

“Who is that?!”

“Fifty hours in a day—how did he do it?”

“Is he new?”

But Zhao Nan had already slipped away. He keenly caught some unfriendly glances in the crowd.

That evening, Zhao Nan returned to his lodgings. The room was dim, lit only by the flickering glow of the television. Finina was curled tightly under the sofa, frantically switching channels.

Click—

When the light came on, Finina sprang to her feet. Seeing Zhao Nan at the door, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s you.”

“Why didn’t you turn on the light?” Zhao Nan asked as he set some groceries on the table, things he’d picked up on the way home.

“This world is… too strange,” Finina said hesitantly.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Zhao Nan casually grabbed an apple, took a bite, and walked over to Finina. Without warning, he took her right hand. As she startled and tried to pull away, she suddenly felt something and instinctively looked at her left hand.

Time was surging, and in an instant, an extra twenty-five hours appeared.

“Fortunately, we won’t have to die tomorrow,” Zhao Nan said calmly. “If you’re hungry, help yourself to something to eat. There are plenty of appliances here. I hope you’ll learn how to use them soon. We don’t know how long we’ll be staying, so please get familiar with everything as quickly as possible.”

“Zhao Nan… where did all this time come from?” Finina stared at him. “I’ve watched this so-called television. I don’t fully understand this world, but I know time is very scarce here… You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?”

“I found a job.”

After that brief answer, Zhao Nan went straight to his room and closed the door. He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly—after a day of intense labor, his body was exhausted.

Finina quietly opened the door, peeked in, and, seeing that Zhao Nan was already asleep, softly closed it again. She sighed, then went alone to another room.

From that day on, Zhao Nan went out to work every day on schedule and returned before dusk. The first thing he did upon his return was to share half his earned time with Finina. She accepted it silently, never saying much, and Zhao Nan offered no further explanation.

There was little conversation between the two. Day after day, Finina gradually adapted to this life, growing familiar with the modern appliances.

At some point, when Zhao Nan returned in the evenings, dinner was already prepared, and even hot water for bathing was thoughtfully ready.

A month passed quietly. Zhao Nan had grown fully accustomed to Finina’s presence—or perhaps, he had simply ceased to be affected by her unsettling face. Each day was work, then home, then sleep. Finina never once asked to go out.

Perhaps she realized herself that venturing outside with her appearance would only bring trouble. She simply prepared meals, cleaned, and did what she could, quietly and diligently.

Before long, Zhao Nan passed the factory’s probation period. Thanks to his consistent performance, he received a minor promotion. He began to earn a little more time, and after sharing half with Finina, he was even able to save a small amount. But not much.

Sometimes, Zhao Nan wondered if life could always be so simple here—no tasks to complete, just steady, honest work. Compared to the world outside the simulation, these days were much, much better.

Life flowed like a bowl of clear water—plain and unremarkable, yet with a faint, subtle sweetness. Thus, a year slipped by.

There was still no news of the Heart of Time. Their conversations about it grew less and less frequent, until lately, it wasn’t mentioned at all. More often, Zhao Nan would share amusing stories from his day at the dinner table.

His temperament seemed to have subtly changed over this year; the quiet life had washed over his soul like a fresh spring. Finina, too, grew more cheerful.

Gradually, Zhao Nan found that his relationship with Finina was becoming more delicate, more subtle.

He tried taking her out—no more covering her face, no more keeping her head down, but walking openly down the street.

No need to mind the gaze of outsiders, nor to care what others thought. The important thing was that their legs were their own, and they could walk wherever they wished.

The neighbors, at first shocked, then curious, and finally accepting, came around in a surprisingly short time. They never knew exactly what the relationship was between Zhao Nan and Finina—in this world, after all, appearances were already a mess.

Were they husband and wife? Yet they never showed any signs of intimacy.

“I’m heading out!”

“Be careful on your way.”

“You too.”

Every day, these exchanges passed between them, gentle as kin, plain as water, yet enduring.

In this way, two years passed.

Then three.

But on a certain day in the third year, Zhao Nan encountered an unexpected person at work.

“Zhao Nan, this is a new employee, Will—Will Salas. He’ll be working with you from now on; show him around and help him get familiar with the place,” Eric said, leading a handsome young man to Zhao Nan.

“Hello, Mr. Zhao Nan. I’m Will. Please take care of me from now on.”

Zhao Nan looked at Will. In that instant, he had a premonition: those quiet days were about to leave him behind.