Day of Imprisonment

The setting sun in the sky was at its last gasp, the final rays of its afterglow about to sink below the horizon.

Soon, night would fall.

On the roof of the tallest building in the city, several people were watching the last sliver of the setting sun disappear in the wind.

“Night is coming again!”

“Indeed.”

“I’ve seen the same beautiful sunset countless times. Each time it's exactly the same, including the shape of the clouds, the pigeons flying below… I’ve even counted the pigeons, thirty-seven in total, every single time.”

“Lin Yixuan, is there something wrong with those pigeons? I don't think they have anything to do with our mission, so… what exactly is your plan?”

A woman was clearly losing patience.

In fact, all Memory Retrievers have some psychological issues, more or less, the most common being impatience and irritability.

This is related to what they have experienced.

The man called Lin Yixuan didn't turn around. He continued to watch the disappearing afterglow, like a devoted lover seeing their beloved off, unwilling to miss any last glimpse.

“What plan are you referring to?” he finally replied.

“What else could it be? Of course, it's about finding that card numbered 000.” The woman frowned, visibly restraining herself, but her tone had become serious.

The man didn't speak, seemingly unwilling to disturb the scene before him.

Or perhaps, he simply didn't want to respond.

The others present exchanged glances, but considering Lin Yixuan's position as their leader, they didn't dare to say anything at this moment.

“Lin Yixuan, what exactly are you doing?”

Faced with such disregard, the woman finally couldn't help but explode in anger.

On her slender finger, a jade-green card ring emitted a faint, eerie light, and the atmosphere on the rooftop seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

“Xiao An, don't be anxious, let's talk this over calmly. Yixuan might be under a lot of pressure lately, so he's a bit down. But that's normal, after all, during the Day of Imprisonment, no one can guarantee they'll maintain a good mood at all times.” A middle-aged man nearby勸said, trying to persuade her.

“Yes, calm down first, and some things can't be rushed.” A burly woman also勸said, her helplessness evident.

An Zhiyan took a deep breath: “I'm not anxious, it's just that Lin Yixuan's attitude has been too passive lately, his behavior too strange. He's the president of the Awakened Association, the leader, the brain. He's responsible for all our actions, exploring different level scenarios, and collecting cards. I know it's difficult to break the Day of Imprisonment, but no matter how difficult, we can't spend several cycles just eating, drinking, and having fun, or running here to enjoy the scenery. It's been like this for five cycles in a row. Lin Yixuan, if you want to give up, please say so clearly, but I won't give up. I will lead the Awakened Association to continue.”

“Shhh!”

The man called Lin Yixuan still didn't turn around. From the beginning, he had been staring at the setting sun, for more than thirty minutes, and he had been doing similar things for five Days of Imprisonment.

For these five Days of Imprisonment, he would arrive here punctually before sunset, watching the sun go down from the same spot.

No one knew why he did this.

Moreover, he not only came to watch himself, but also dragged three others along.

Seeing the other party's attitude and reaction, An Zhiyan became even more angry.

Something was wrong!

They had to know that this was the fifth day, running to the same location at the same time. It could be said that they knew the situation here like the back of their hand, from sunset to nightfall.

Because it was on a high floor, the wind here never stopped.

Especially after sunset, the wind would increase.

But at this moment, the wind had actually stopped.

There wasn't a single gust of wind, it felt like being indoors.

This was clearly different from the previous four Days of Imprisonment.

In the Day of Imprisonment, this kind of thing often meant that some special 'event' was about to be triggered.

They were all Memory Retrievers, and all veterans. Even the worst of them had survived more than twelve Days of Imprisonment, retaining twelve memories. Therefore, they were very clear about these rules and details.

In the next moment, they saw a scene that made their scalps tingle.

At the instant when the afterglow was about to disappear, the surrounding time seemed to stop. Even a large flock of birds in the distance stood still, as if everything around had become a still painting.

And this strange anomaly only lasted for a few seconds.

Then everything returned to normal.

An Zhiyan was in a daze, and so were the other two. They looked at each other, and saw extreme shock in each other's eyes.

“What happened just now?”

“It seems… time stopped?”

“How is that possible?”

The sky darkened, the afterglow disappeared, and Lin Yixuan, who had been staring into the distance, moved his gaze away for the first time, turning around and walking over. In his previously empty hand, there was now a special card.

In the already dim scene, it emitted a very unique light.

He walked up to the other three, shaking the card in his hand.

“Five cycles of the Day of Imprisonment, the four of us together have spent a total of twenty [Memories]. Finally, we exchanged for this card.”

He displayed the card face.

【Sunset】, card number 007. This is an extremely rare card, immensely valuable, and laden with meaning. For example, the most beautiful scenery often exists in a fleeting, ordinary moment that is easily missed. This world never lacks beautiful scenery, only the eyes to discover it—perhaps you can use it to trade with someone. Trust me, you will get what you want!

Seeing the description of this card, An Zhiyan and the other two were dumbfounded.

"This, this is…"

"Card number 007? How… how do you know?"

"Lin-tou, I admit I had some doubts about you before, but now, I'm convinced, truly convinced. Whatever you say goes from now on… No, you are our eternal leader, you… you are too amazing."

The middle-aged woman was stammering.

This card brought her too much shock.

"So, these past few days, you've been coming here to watch the sunset for this card numbered 007… Speaking of which, this is the first time we've found a card with a number in the top ten. Lin Yixuan, I apologize to you. I was too hasty before. I didn't know you…"

An Zhiyan has a straightforward personality. Although it's embarrassing, she admits her mistakes and apologizes.

"It's okay, An Zhiyan. The reason I didn't tell you before is because obtaining this card required secrecy. It's like a very sensitive bird that must be approached with extreme caution to be captured. Fortunately, I succeeded!" Lin Yixuan waved his hand, seemingly not caring about the other party's previous attitude.

"An Zhiyan, we have experienced twenty-seven Days of Imprisonment together. You should know what kind of person I am. If resisting the Days of Imprisonment is a war, then it is bound to be a difficult and protracted war. Those whose minds are not firm are destined not to reach the end. You are the second leader of the Awakened Association. I hope you will not be so impatient in the future."

"Yes, I understand."

An Zhiyan was proud and arrogant. She joined the Awakened Association and became the second leader because of her own abilities.

She is very strong, not only in her mind but also in her methods and abilities.

This is also the source of her pride and arrogance.

However, this time, her sharpness was blunted. For the first time in front of Lin Yixuan, she felt unable to lift her head.

Lin Yixuan didn't say much.

For an arrogant woman, conquering her is also an interesting challenge and process. For him, this is a rare bit of seasoning in the boring and desperate days of Imprisonment.

Night fell, at the Awakened Association's stronghold, a high-end clubhouse.

An Zhiyan frowned deeply. Today, she was clearly hit hard.

She never thought she was worse than others. Even though Lin Yixuan is indeed very strong, and some even say that he has survived more than two hundred cycles of the Days of Imprisonment and has mastered a lot of information that others don't know, An Zhiyan still believes that she is no worse than him.

But today, she wavered a little.

"How did Lin Yixuan know the method to obtain card number 007? Did he discover it himself, or…"

"An-jie!" A woman walked over beside her. She looked younger than An Zhiyan, more like a female student.

"Xiaoru, you're here!"

"An-jie, I heard about what happened today. I know you are not convinced by Lin Yixuan and have always wanted to compete with him. This time, he obtained card number 007, and his prestige has greatly increased. The Remnants in the association are all proud of it, each one as if they've been injected with chicken blood. However, I know that Lin Yixuan may not have relied on his own ability this time."

Xiaoru said in a low voice, she was clever and had a youthful air unique to a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.

"Do you know something?" An Zhiyan turned her head and asked.

She knew Xiaoru's Card Book characteristic, which could enhance some exploration-type cards, and after collecting this type of card, she would give priority to this girl.

So, in terms of intelligence, Xiaoru is definitely one of the few people in the Awakened Association who knows the most.

"Yes, I know Lin Yixuan has a diary."

Yu Xiaoru's voice was even lower. Her eyes were bright, and at this moment, she looked like a thief squatting at the entrance of the village, ready to steal a chicken.

"Diary?"

"Yes, but it's not an ordinary diary. It seems to be a diary left by a very powerful person. This person may be the only one who has ever escaped the Days of Imprisonment…"

"What?" An Zhiyan was incredibly surprised. She could hardly believe what she heard. She suppressed the shock and said, "Xiaoru, are you saying that someone has escaped the Days of Imprisonment?"

"Yes, I overheard this too. You know my Card Book ability, 'Words on the Wind'. Using the card 【Eavesdropping】, I can enhance the effect by up to 430%. So, I overheard Lin Yixuan's conversation. He mentioned this diary and the person who had already escaped the Days of Imprisonment."

"Do you know who it is?" An Zhiyan looked anxious. She felt her heart beating fast, as if it would jump out of her chest in the next moment. This matter was really important to her.

Everyone in the Awakened Association is working hard for the goal of 'escaping the Days of Imprisonment', but this goal seems very vague and illusory because there is no actual case.

But now she knew that someone had really escaped.

But this raised another question.

Since Lin Yixuan knows, why doesn't he say it?

This is obviously a huge motivation for all members of the association.

"I don't know. Lin Yixuan didn't say, but he was muttering a person's name to himself at the time."

"Name? What name?"

"Luo Xi!"

"Luo Xi?" An Zhiyan also muttered the name and deeply remembered it in her heart.