Chapter 44 – Shadows of the Forgotten War
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A Past He Never Knew
The archive flickered, distorting as if resisting further access. Luo Fan clenched his fists, his mind still reeling from the revelation.
He had been here before.
A past version of himself had fought in a war that reshaped the multiverse, and someone had buried the truth.
> "Okay, so, good news—your memories aren't completely deleted! Bad news—it's like trying to read a book that someone set on fire, then threw into a black hole."
Luo Fan let out a slow breath. "And what's the worst news?"
> "Oh, that's easy. Whatever erased your past might notice we're snooping around. No big deal."
Luo Fan's eyebrow twitched. "And when were you planning to tell me this?"
> "Listen, boss, you just unlocked this archive. I'd rather not send a galactic warning flare to whatever erased your history."
Shen Mu, who had been watching, finally spoke. "So you're saying… Luo Fan has been erased before?"
> "Yep! But hey, look at the bright side—you technically survived!"
Luo Fan rubbed his temples. "EchoStar, is there anything useful in this archive?"
> "Well, since you asked so nicely, let's check…"
The screen flickered, data scrolling too fast for Luo Fan to read. Finally, a single phrase remained—
[Access Level Insufficient – Locked by System Authority #000]
Luo Fan's jaw tightened.
"System Authority #000?"
> "Yeah, so, uh… that's not a name. That's the designation for the First System. The one that started everything."
Silence.
Shen Mu crossed his arms. "And let me guess—it's gone now."
> "Bingo. Wiped from existence. And guess who might have played a role in that?"
Luo Fan exhaled sharply. "Me."
> "Ding ding ding! You're a winner! The prize? Existential dread!"
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The Echoing War
The archive shimmered, and a distorted recording played.
Blurry figures clashed across a dying universe, their attacks warping space-time itself.
One voice cut through the chaos—
"If we do not erase him now, the cycle will never end."
A second voice—calm but edged with steel—answered.
"Fools. You think you can erase fate itself?"
The vision ended.
Luo Fan's pulse raced.
That second voice… was his own.
> "Well, that's not ominous at all!"
Shen Mu glanced at Luo Fan. "It sounds like they were trying to erase you."
Luo Fan's mind spun. If his past self had been erased, then—
Why was he here now?
And who had brought him back?
EchoStar hummed.
> "Boss? I have a feeling that if we keep digging, we're gonna find out exactly why you're still alive. And who wanted you to be."
Luo Fan's fingers clenched.
There was no turning back now.
And whatever truth lay ahead—he would face it.
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[Chapter End.]