Yama Reborn-Chapter 503 - 500: [Death?]

Chapter Five Hundred [Death?]

"Zero’s whereabouts?" Chen Nuo held the Gray Cat, brought it close, and stared into its eyes. "Are you sure you know where Zero is?"

The Gray Cat looked pitifully at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo, however, shook his head. "No, that’s not right, not right at all! Gray Cat, I remember very clearly, you told me you all couldn’t find Zero, that none of you knew where Zero was!"

The Gray Cat asked, "...Did I say that?"

"You did!"

The Gray Cat sighed. "Alright, I did indeed say that—no no no, don’t look at me like that. What I said last time was also true; I didn’t lie. I really don’t know where Zero is."

"Mm, last time you didn’t lie to me, so you were lying just now, right?"

The Gray Cat hesitated for a moment, speaking cautiously, "To be precise... um... it was just now, suddenly, out of the blue, that I thought of it. Just now, I suddenly came to know where Zero is."

Chen Nuo frowned and asked, "Just now?"

The Gray Cat’s tone suddenly became very strange. "Yes, just, just now."

"Niece, my little niece! Where is she!!"

Having just returned home after school, Chen Xiaoye, carrying a Doraemon-patterned backpack, rushed into the house. Out of breath, she put down her backpack and leaned over the crib in the room, peering at Chen Yiyi lying inside.

"Sister-in-law." Chen Xiaoye turned to Lu Xixi, who was sitting beside her, and hesitated for a moment. "That..."

"What?" Lu Xixi asked, looking at Xiao Yezi with a smile and reaching out to touch the braids on her head. "Are you hungry?"

Chen Xiaoye shook her head and spoke softly, "I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"That... My little niece, is she really called Chen Yiyi? This name... I was chatting with classmates at school today, and they all found it very strange."

Lu Xixi chuckled.

"It is indeed very strange." Chen Xiaoye seemed a bit worried as she sighed. "When my classmates found out I had a little niece, they were all very curious. But as soon as they heard her name was Chen Yiyi, they found it very strange."

The young girl appeared somewhat troubled. "Such a strange name. When she goes to school later, will she be teased and given weird nicknames by her classmates?"

Lu Xixi’s expression remained calm. "Your brother named her... Actually, I don’t really like the name either. Anyway, her residence registration hasn’t been recorded yet. When the time comes, we can change it to a more pleasant name, right?"

"Can the name still be changed?" Chen Xiaoye widened her eyes.

"Of course."

"Then, can my name be changed too?" Chen Xiaoye tilted her head, looking at Lu Xixi.

Lu Xixi smiled, looking at the young girl.

Chen Xiaoye was extremely attractive, bearing some resemblance to her brother in her features, with very delicate eyebrows and eyes—both siblings had inherited high-value beauty genes from Ou Xiuhua.

"What name do you want to change to?"

Chen Xiaoye hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I want to get rid of the ’Xiao’ character. If I get rid of it, will I be able to grow up faster and not be a little kid anymore?"

Lu Xixi was momentarily startled, then she suddenly understood.

It really is... a child’s way of thinking.

Children, when they’re young, always look forward to growing up. But once you’re truly grown-up, you begin to realize that the carefree days of youth might just be the happiest times of your entire life.

With that thought, Lu Xixi smiled gently and stood up, pulling Chen Xiaoye to her feet. "Alright, if you want to hold the baby, you have to wash your hands first. Your brother will be back soon, and then we can have dinner."

After a pause, she added, "No matter what name you want to change to, think it over carefully and then discuss it with your mom and brother. As long as they don’t object, it’s fine."

Chen Xiaoye immediately became happy, but then fell back into a dilemma, seemingly pondering what satisfying and pleasant-sounding name she could choose.

Watching Chen Xiaoye thoughtfully go to wash her hands, Lu Xixi gently caressed her daughter’s belly and glanced at the time. "Chen Nuo has been out for quite a while now, why hasn’t he come back?"

"So, you say you know where Zero is, meaning... you’re guessing? And you just realized your guess just now?" Chen Nuo spoke with a slightly unhappy tone.

The Gray Cat nodded. Seeing Chen Nuo remain silent, it said in a low voice, "But my guess might actually make a lot of sense."

Chen Nuo squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. "Let’s hear it."

The Gray Cat immediately said, "Look here..."

Chen Nuo suddenly laughed. "Change your tone when you talk to me. These tricks were invented by me; I know you’re planning to deceive me the moment you start talking."

The Gray Cat hastily shook its head. "No deceit! No deceit! What I’m saying is all true!"

Seeing that Chen Nuo no longer questioned it, the Gray Cat quickly said, "Although I don’t know why Zero turned... her into her..."

While saying this, the Gray Cat pointed a paw at Yun Yin and continued, "I can’t guess Zero’s intentions for doing things. But... there is one thing that I don’t understand."

"What’s that?"

The Gray Cat let out a wry smile. "Why is it me? I mean, why am I the one who has come to pass the message to this Yun Yin, to tell her what happened... why am I the messenger?"

Chen Nuo was startled for a moment, not quite understanding what the Gray Cat meant.

The Gray Cat sighed and said slowly, "Zero’s identity could change infinitely and could possess any creature as long as the creature’s vital strength is weak enough.

So, theoretically, it didn’t need to specifically leave a message in my mind and then wait for Yun Yin to be activated before having me deliver the message.

If you think about it, with the schemes and maneuvers it did all by itself, when it comes to fruition... wouldn’t it want to come to have a look in person?

Besides, with its means, it doesn’t need to worry about being caught by you.

Firstly, your strength is inferior to it.

Secondly, it can change identities at will, take over any body at will.

So, it could simply possess an ordinary person and come over to deliver a message. Meanwhile, it could take a personal look at the outcome of its own planning.

After seeing it, if it doesn’t want to be entangled by you, it can just leave. You wouldn’t be able to catch it anyway.

Wouldn’t that be better?"

The Gray Cat pointed at its own nose. "Why go through the trouble of implanting this memory in my mind a long time ago, using me to pass on the message?

It’s making something simple complicated."

Chen Nuo’s mind stirred.

That actually... makes some sense.

"In addition, there is another interesting issue," the Gray Cat spoke slowly. "Whether it’s your biological father or Zero’s behind-the-scenes planning... But Zero has never shown up, right?

It has always avoided dealing with you face to face...

Chen Nuo, you surely don’t think it’s afraid of you, do you?"

Afraid?

Of course, Chen Nuo didn’t think so.

How could Zero possibly be afraid of him? Its power was clearly superior to his.

Even if they were face to face...

A thought crossed Chen Nuo’s mind.

Zero indeed wasn’t afraid to face him!

In the 1981 timeline, Zero had appeared right in front of him!

Moreover, at this moment, Chen Nuo realized he had overlooked an important question.

Why... was it Chen Jianshe?

Yes, that’s right. Chen Jianshe was the original Chen Nuo’s biological father, creating a potential connection with my own identity. Therefore, Zero orchestrated its plan through Chen Jianshe, granting him the ability of temporal reversal. Ultimately, Zero’s machinations centered on me. And through the temporal power I obtained from Chen Jianshe, I went back to 1981. I had completed Zero’s scheme and layout.

But...

That seemed unnecessarily convoluted!

With Zero’s capability, did it really need to take such a roundabout way?

With its power, just like in the 1981 timeline, it toyed with me as if I were a baby.

There was absolutely no need to make arrangements through Chen Jianshe!

It could have simply come directly, and then slapped me back to 1981!

Just like now!

Having activated Yun Yin, it could have come in person to take a look, to convey the message itself.

There was no need to speak through the mouth of the Gray Cat!

To say it just wanted to stay behind the scenes... But in 1981, it met me without any hesitation and didn’t seem to intend to stay hidden.

And yet, it refused to show up for these two events and instead utilized others.

Reaching this point in his thoughts, Chen Nuo suddenly had a moment of realization.

It’s the timeline!!

In the 2002 timeline, after my rebirth, Zero never showed up!

It only appeared in the 1981 timeline!

So...

Is it an issue with the timeline?

Zero...only avoids meeting me in the 2002 timeline?

Is it afraid to meet me, or is there some special reason that it cannot meet me in the 2002 timeline?

In 1981, it could stand in the foreground!

But in 2002, it stayed hidden?

Then let’s use the process of elimination!

First, eliminate the possibility that this guy is definitely not afraid of me.

Then, eliminate the possibility that Zero doesn’t intend to lurk behind the scenes because it has already met me.

The only variable then is the timeline.

So...what is the special reason in the 2002 timeline that prevents Zero from facing me head on?

From acting directly?

Instead, it needs to set its plans many years in advance, using the hands of others...

With a wave of Chen Nuo’s hand, a force sent Yun Yin rolling back onto the bed, then a ball of Telekinesis sealed off Yun Yin’s five senses and six consciousnesses!

Turning his head, Chen Nuo’s expression grew solemn as he looked at the Gray Cat. "Tell me, what exactly is your guess?"

The Gray Cat’s tone was hesitant, somewhat uncertain. "Once you eliminate all other possibilities, the one that remains, no matter how absurd or outlandish it seems, is very likely the correct answer, right?

So... have you considered the possibility...

That Zero is no longer in this timespace?

Is there a possibility that it died before the year 2002?

That it only exists in the timespace before 2002?"

Chen Nuo’s eyes widened in shock!!!

Died before 2002...

Only exists in the timespace before 2002?

So...

This...

Does that explain why Zero could appear in front of me in 1981 but all its calculations and layouts for me in 2002 were through the hands of others?

Chen Nuo frowned. "Zero... can die? Can it... its Seed die?"

The Gray Cat shook its head. "The death I’m talking about and what you call death might not mean the same thing. For a life form that controls time like it does, ordinary death isn’t applicable.

For a temporal being, death is just the endpoint of its life coordinate on the timeline.

For instance, if its life coordinate only extends to 2002, then for the world after 2002, it simply doesn’t exist. This is equivalent to being dead.

But it’s not truly dead, because it can live forever in the timespace before 2002."

Chen Nuo’s face showed a dramatic change!