Yama Reborn-Chapter 440 - 437: [The Missing Two Years]

Chapter 437: The Lost Two Years

The Red Circle looked exactly as Chen Nuo remembered. It was just like when he had entered with that mercenary team on a mission over a year ago. The outline of the modular, cabin-style base was right before his eyes. The bunkers at several defensive positions were also identical to his previous visit.

As Chen Nuo and Xicheng Xun entered the base area, they quickly found the central hall, relying on their memories.

Seeing Chen Nuo navigate with such apparent familiarity, Xicheng Xun couldn’t help but ask, "Boss, are you very familiar with this place?"

"Yeah, didn’t I tell you I’ve been here before?" Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then replied, "Just over a year ago, I took on a task issued by Octopus Monster and infiltrated the client’s team. Then, some things happened here."

"So, what’s here?" Xicheng Xun asked.

Chen Nuo didn’t answer immediately. He walked to the entrance of the central hall, easily opened the door, and peered inside the cabin hall. Then, he tried to activate the lighting system. The base’s power supply system was clearly still operational. Soon, the lights in the hall illuminated the space.

Chen Nuo walked in first.

In the hall, several tables in the center held various blueprints and documents. Of course, no people could be seen—this world was devoid of life.

Chen Nuo’s expression was complex. He strode quickly to a table, picked up the blueprints and documents, and carefully leafed through them. After a moment, a peculiar smile touched his lips, and he slowly placed the stack of papers back on the table.

Gradually, Chen Nuo pulled over a nearby chair and sat down. He interlocked his fingers, rested his elbows on the tabletop, and propped his chin on the backs of his hands, seemingly lost in thought.

Xicheng Xun waited patiently beside him for a while. Finally, unable to contain her curiosity, she called out, "Boss?"

Chen Nuo’s gaze shifted. He turned to Xicheng Xun, his face thoughtful. "Perfect timing. My mind is a bit jumbled right now. Tell me what you think, help me analyze this."

Xicheng Xun nodded immediately, pulled over a chair, and sat down beside Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo mused for a moment. "I told you, I was here last year. In this timeline, that’s 2001."

"Yes, and then?" Xicheng Xun prompted.

"This world..." Chen Nuo smiled. "It’s The Fourth Seed, cut from my cognitive memory. That means if this place was segmented according to my memory... then it should also be in its 2001 state, right?"

"...Right."

Chen Nuo pointed to the stack of blueprints and documents beside them. "Take a look for yourself."

Xicheng Xun frowned and began to flip through them. The blueprints weren’t complicated; they mostly detailed maintenance for some of the base’s equipment and records of ground surveys of the surrounding environment.

But soon, Xicheng Xun’s expression changed dramatically. The maintenance records and the ground survey records all had dates marked on them!

"...This is... 2007?!"

"Yes."

Xicheng Xun’s face paled. "The time is wrong!"

"Yes, the time is wrong," Chen Nuo said with a bitter smile. "If it were segmented according to the world in my memory, then this should be a world from 2001. But this is 2007! Just like..."

"Just like your apartment in Room 504!" Xicheng Xun immediately understood Chen Nuo’s meaning and said quickly, "So, this base in Antarctica..."

"The home in Room 504 was my home in my previous life. It only existed in my experiences from that life, in my memories. So, when The Fourth Seed cut out my cognitive world based on my memory, it brought that along too. And it’s the same here. So, this means I was here in my previous life. In my previous life, in 2007!"

Xicheng Xun didn’t speak. This girl from Neon had an excellent habit: when faced with complex or strange situations, she always managed to stabilize her mindset, not rush to express opinions, and control her emotions well. She would first seek more information and intelligence, conducting a thorough analysis.

Chen Nuo spoke slowly, "In my past life, I must have been here in 2007. In that life, I led you all as we struggled to survive in this world. So, do you remember what I did in 2007, or where I went?"

Xicheng Xun searched her memory carefully for a moment, then replied slowly, "I remember in 2007, Boss, you did leave for a while. You said there was an important commissioned task that required you to handle it personally. You also mentioned it was related to Octopus Monster. But you never told me the specifics. Maybe... if Fox were here, she might know more. After all, she has always been the one coordinating all our affairs. Often, you would leave to handle personal matters or do things you wanted to do yourself, and you wouldn’t tell us. But you would usually tell Fox."

As Xicheng Xun said this, she suddenly recalled something else. "However, later on, you generally told Yu Naitang what you were doing. Fox even complained once that you were becoming more and more trusting of Ox-Head. But... in 2007, Yu Naitang hadn’t joined us yet. So, if you were going to do something and tell someone, it would only have been Fox."

Chen Nuo gave a wry smile. "But Fox... didn’t make it here."

After a moment’s thought, Chen Nuo asked again, "So... do you remember anything else about me from 2007?"

Xicheng Xun didn’t answer immediately, but instead, recalled seriously for a moment. Then, her expression grew somewhat complicated.

"Boss, after 2007, we were actually very dissatisfied privately. We felt that you... had changed!"

"Changed?"

"Yes, you changed."

"How had I changed?"

Xicheng Xun met Chen Nuo’s gaze, hesitating for a moment. "We had an argument about this matter later. It was the only time, after we started following you, that we expressed dissatisfaction with something you did. But your attitude was very firm back then, so the few of us later reached an agreement to never bring it up in front of you again."

Chen Nuo’s heart sank. He forced a smile. "It’s okay. You can tell me now."

"About... your relationship with that woman." Xicheng Xun took a deep breath and uttered a name: "Star Sky Empress, Lu Xixi."

"So, Chen Nuo and Lu Xixi were together? And they even had a daughter?" Li Yingwan looked calmly at Zhang Linsheng and Brother Lei.

Zhang Linsheng had been tied up again and was sitting next to Brother Lei. Brother Haonan’s face was grim, while Brother Lei looked at Li Yingwan with a strange expression. "Wait... Li Yingwan, have you lost your memory too?"

"Brother Lei, stop it... I don’t think she’s Li Yingwan at all!" Zhang Linsheng said coldly.

"Not Li Yingwan? Then who is she?!" Brother Lei looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

Zhang Linsheng shook his head. "Do you remember... Chen Nuo once lost his memory for a while? It was like he became a different person."

Brother Lei’s scalp went numb instantly! How could he possibly forget that incident! *I even pretended to be Boss Nuo’s dad!* Although that incident eventually ended with Boss Nuo recovering his memory, Brother Lei knew in his heart, even if he didn’t say it aloud... It was as if Chen Nuo had been possessed by a ghost. Body Seizing!?

Li Yingwan ignored their confusion and continued to press, "Then, where is Lu Xixi? Is she with Chen Nuo, in Jinling now?"

Seeing that Zhang Linsheng and Brother Lei remained silent, but judging from their expressions... Anger suddenly flared in Li Yingwan’s eyes! She viciously stabbed the dagger in her hand into the wall, then let out a low growl, leaped up, and, gripping the dagger, began to hack and slash at the wall in a frenzy.

She was also screaming furiously, "Idiots! Fools!! Isn’t once enough? Do you have to be heartbroken over that woman again!!!!"

"Tell me what happened after 2007," Chen Nuo said. He sat in his chair, his expression remarkably composed.

"Hmm?"

"It’s fine, just tell me."

Xicheng Xun’s gaze was complicated as she began to speak softly...

"At the end of 2007, you suddenly summoned all of us.

"At that time, I was in Tokyo. You know I rarely leave Neon. But that time, you suddenly convened everyone. I thought perhaps something important had happened or was about to be announced, so I went to see you.

"That time, I, and all of us, gathered on your ship.

"You were in very bad shape then, extremely bad.

"You looked very strange...

"How should I put it? Your strength had suddenly increased somewhat.

"When you met us, you looked very energetic. Your spiritual power could even cover the entire sea area. We all clearly felt that your abilities, Boss, had grown much stronger.

"But for some reason, we all had a strange feeling. You looked very powerful; you were dressed neatly, your hair was combed, and you’d even shaved.

"Yet... we just felt there was an indescribable ’haggardness’ about you.

"We’ve all experienced countless life-and-death situations.

"We discussed it privately; we all felt that your eyes, Boss, seemed to have lost their former sparkle.

"You became quiet, and even when talking to us, you’d often zone out.

"You said you were constantly suppressing your power, and that you hadn’t yet adapted to the speed at which your spiritual power was increasing.

"You also said that once you figured out your situation, you’d summarize a method to enhance power that you could teach us later...

"But honestly, we weren’t very concerned about those things.

"You even took the initiative to drink with us.

"You know, over a year before that, an incident occurred: Li Yingwan tried to take advantage of you when you were drunk, climbing into your bed in the middle of the night. She almost succeeded.

"After that, you never drank with us again.

"So that time, when you actively suggested drinking, we were all very surprised.

"But soon, you announced something—something that instantly made several of us explode."

"What did I say?" Chen Nuo frowned.

Xicheng Xun cautiously avoided Chen Nuo’s gaze, then forced a bitter smile. "Boss... do you really not remember any of it?"

"You tell me first."

"Alright." Xicheng Xun sighed. "You said... you were going to..."

"YOU BASTARD!!!!!" Li Yingwan slammed her fist against the wall. The skin over her knuckles tore, and blood streamed down. The girl clenched her fist tightly, gritting her teeth.

Then, her memory seemed to drift back to a specific moment...

"...I’m going to retire." Chen Nuo raised his wine glass, looking at the group of troubled youths before him.

Silence!

The ship’s dining hall instantly fell into a deathly hush. The smiles on the girls’ faces froze.

A few seconds later... Hummingbird took a deep breath and managed to say, "Boss, what did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly. Are you going on vacation?"

The others also stared intently at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo let out a breath, put down his glass, and his gaze swept over them before he said in a low voice, "No, not a vacation.

"It’s retirement.

"Re! Tire! Ment!"

DING!

Someone’s wine glass slipped from their hand, shattering on the floor.

"...Are you insane!!!" The first to jump up was, as usual, the most paranoid and volatile Li Yingwan.

Hummingbird rushed forward, grabbing Chen Nuo’s clothes, her face contorted as she stared at him. "You... you’re going to..."

"Li Yingwan!" A hand reached out from the side, gripping Li Yingwan’s arm. It was Fox. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her emotions. "First, let the Boss finish speaking."

Though she appeared calm, everyone could hear the tremor in Fox’s voice.

Niveer silently sat back down but grabbed a wine bottle from the table and took a large swig, her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Chen Nuo.

Xicheng Xun narrowed her eyes, her gaze lowered, saying nothing.

Li Yingwan’s hands began to tremble. Finally, bit by bit, she released her grip on Chen Nuo’s clothes. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which then streamed down in large drops. Like a stubborn, wronged child, she bit her lip hard, staring fixedly at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo looked at everyone, sighed, then gently pulled Li Yingwan down into a chair. Then, he glanced at Fox. Seeing the hint of tension and fear in her eyes, he carefully averted his gaze.

"I... fell in love with a woman," Chen Nuo announced. "I plan to spend all my future time with her."

Everyone fell silent, looking at their Boss with complex expressions.

After a long pause, Fox spoke, "Is it... the Star Sky Empress?"

Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow. "You know?"

"I saw your arguments with her on the Octopus Monster website," Fox said, her voice clearly suppressing anger. "I thought you had nothing to do with her!"

"Now I do," Chen Nuo stated, offering no further explanation.

Fox’s expression changed. "...But... but you’ve been constantly arguing with her on Octopus Monster’s website!"

"Just consider it arguing our way into a relationship," Chen Nuo replied, still not elaborating.

"Chen Nuo!" Li Yingwan looked up, her eyes pleading. She had dropped the "Boss," addressing him directly by name, yet her tone was incredibly weak. "You know very well.

"No matter what you want, no matter what you wish to do, just say the word, and we will risk our lives to help you achieve it!

"Even if you wanted to occupy the White House, we could go and take it down tonight!

"If you like a woman, even if she’s unwilling, I’m prepared to kidnap her, wash her, tie her up, and deliver her to your bed!

"But...

"You’re saying you want to retire for a woman?

"You want to leave us for a woman?!"

Chen Nuo sighed, bent down, and gently patted Li Yingwan’s shoulder. "You... you always jump to such wild conclusions.

"The feelings between a man and a woman aren’t like what you imagine.

"This idea of kidnapping any woman I like and bringing her to me...

"You mustn’t think such foolish things anymore.

"Besides...

"Firefly, I gave you that name, remember?

"A firefly can emit its own light.

"So, there’s no such thing as me leaving or abandoning you."

Li Yingwan remained silent, merely biting her lip and shaking her head vehemently, desperately.

"May I say a few words?" Xicheng Xun slowly stood up. With the characteristic politeness of a Japanese girl, she gave a slight bow towards Chen Nuo. "Boss?"

"Go ahead," Chen Nuo sighed.

"Even if you’ve fallen in love with that woman and want to be with her... is retirement truly necessary? Do you intend for your future life to consist only of romance?" Xicheng Xun’s voice was soft but firm. "I don’t believe that’s a reasonable justification.

"And don’t say this is your private affair.

"You are Yama, and we...

"We’ve long been the spirits by your side.

"Without Yama, how could we spirits, how could we possibly..."

Ultimately, she couldn’t control her emotions, and Xicheng Xun’s eyes reddened.

"Yes, even if you love that woman, do you really have to retire?! Do you really have to leave us?" Niveer looked at Chen Nuo, agitated, her voice trembling. "Boss!!"

Chen Nuo was silent for a moment, looking at everyone, then at Fox, and finally at the tearful Li Yingwan beside him. At last, he sighed.

"Because... of a special reason."

"What reason?!" the girls demanded in unison.

Chen Nuo picked up his wine glass from the table, poured himself a drink, and downed it in one gulp. After setting the glass down, Chen Nuo gave his answer: "Because... she’s dying. Right now, I don’t want to do anything else. I just want to devote all my energy to being with her, to find a way to save her! Apart from that, I won’t do anything else!"

The girls fell silent.

Only one doubt remained in their hearts. The Star Sky Empress... was dying?!

"And so, the events of that day came to an end like that," Xicheng Xun said, looking at Chen Nuo, her tone filled with helplessness. "What else could we do?

"You’d fallen in love with the Star Sky Empress and wanted to be with her. You also told us that this woman you loved was dying. You only wanted to be by her side, to care for her, to save her...

"With reasons like that, how could we object? How could we refuse?

"Actually, Firefly told me some things later. That South Korean woman has always been quite extreme.

"She told me that if you had fallen for any other woman and wanted to retire for her, she would have even considered turning against you to kill that woman.

"But when you said she was dying... she could feel the sorrow in your heart at that moment.

"So, she chose to give up.

"Therefore, after that night, we left. Each of us departed reluctantly.

"You said you wanted to retire, and we were powerless to stop you.

"For the next two years, you indeed cut off contact with us and stopped inquiring about anything.

"We only maintained a single line of contact with Fox.

"I don’t know about the others. As for me, I returned to Tokyo, bought a small martial arts dojo, and even opened a little coffee shop.

"For two years, it felt as if I had returned to an ordinary life.

"But only I knew that on many nights, countless times, I wanted to take down the sword from the wall and end my own life.

"I don’t know what others thought.

"I only knew... the one person in this world I cared about most no longer wanted me, had left me."

As Xicheng Xun spoke these words, her eyes reddened again, but her tone hardened. "Do you know why none of us died during that time?

"Because we are all cruel!

"We are cruel to others, and to ourselves!

"We understood perfectly when you said that woman was dying!

"Since she was dying, then perhaps we could wait!

"Perhaps, after she died, your ridiculous love affair would end, and you would come back!

"You would once again become the Yama for us, your legion of spirits!"

At this point, the smile on Xicheng Xun’s face became forced and cold. She slowly raised two fingers.

"Two years! I waited for two years, and so did the others!

"During those two years, we received some news about you from Fox.

"You were with that woman, traveling the world on your ship.

"You didn’t know Fox had placed surveillance on your ship, did you? She even hacked the satellites of several countries multiple times, at great cost, just to find out where you were and what you were doing.

"You took that woman sailing, exploring the world.

"You even went shark fishing with her.

"You celebrated Carnival with her in South America.

"You went with her to the Arctic to see polar bears and the aurora.

"You took her to Africa...

"We knew all of this!

"Then, gradually, we lost track of you. Even Fox couldn’t find you anymore.

"During those months when we completely lost contact with you, we all nearly went mad.

"Li Yingwan took on nine assassination missions in a row and even went to war-torn regions.

"That woman is a madman! When I saw her later, I could smell the stench of blood on her from a distance!

"And Hummingbird became increasingly neurotic. She trusted no one and refused contact with any human. She locked herself in her manor and dismissed all the servants.

"When I saw her later, I thought I was looking at a primitive human! She wasn’t even wearing a complete set of clothes—she was wearing a bearskin, can you believe it?

"Then there was Fox. Determined to find you, she infiltrated the official satellites of several countries at great cost and ended up on the wanted lists of nine nations!

"If that period had lasted any longer, you certainly wouldn’t have seen us again.

"We might all have gone mad and died.

"Fortunately...

"You finally reappeared.

"Just before we all completely lost our minds, you finally showed up.

"Upon receiving your summons again, we rushed to you almost immediately.

"Then, unexpectedly, you brought Yu Naitang.

"Nai Tang... I don’t actually hold any animosity towards her.

"But, you told us she was that woman’s disciple, that the woman had died. And that she would join us...

"We didn’t like her, truly, we didn’t.

"Even though she had no grievance with us. But simply because she was that woman’s disciple—that reason alone was enough.

"However, since you wished for us to accept her, we did.

"Because we understood... at least, you had returned!

"Compared to your return, nothing else in the entire world mattered anymore!"

Chen Nuo listened quietly until Xicheng Xun finished speaking. His expression was slightly moved.

Then, Chen Nuo sighed softly, leaned forward, and firmly patted Xicheng Xun’s slender shoulders.

"Actually... I owe all of you an apology.

"Yes, this is something I owe you.

"But at that time... perhaps I truly had no other choice.

"And... saying sorry now might be too late.

"But, I’ll say it anyway.

"Truly, I am very sorry."

Xicheng Xun’s body trembled. Her expression was complex, yet her eyes held a sorrowful gaze. "Boss?

"You... actually, you said these words to us when you first returned.

"You said you were very sorry, but that you had no other choice, no other options at the time..."

Chen Nuo frowned, scratching his head. "I... said that?"

Then, he stared into Xicheng Xun’s eyes and said something that astonished her.

"Well then... I truly am very sorry.

"Because... all these events you’ve described, all these things you’ve told me...

"Right now, I don’t remember any of them at all.

"To be precise, I seem to have lost the memories of those two years.

"From 2007, when I began my journey to Antarctica and met Lu Xixi during that operation,

"To 2009, after Lu Xixi died, and I returned to your side...

"The memories of that entire two-year period...

"I don’t remember any of it.

"That segment of memory... was erased by someone."