CHAPTER 474: CHAPTER 471 [THE FIRST PROPHECY]

Chapter 471: The First Prophecy

He had abandoned his wife and child for over ten years!

He had a stroke of luck and achieved something great outside, indulging in all the best food and drinks without ever caring for his relatives back home!

Even more, he returned after more than a decade for the sole purpose of killing his only son, for Body Seizing!

Chen Jianshe, this scum of the earth, was truly worse than an animal.

In his two lifetimes, including his previous experiences, Chen Nuo had encountered many people and things.

But he had rarely encountered someone as beastly as Chen Jianshe.

After Chen Nuo had finished speaking, Chen Jianshe seemed extremely shocked, but suddenly, his ability to speak had once again been sealed by Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo’s hand was already placed on Chen Jianshe’s forehead.

"Do you regret it now, Chen Jianshe?"

"..." Chen Jianshe could not speak and could only desperately throw pleading looks at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo nodded lightly, his tone indifferent. "That’s right, you surely regret it now—because you realize that I’m truly going to kill you. So now, naturally, you regret it, deep down in your heart."

After a pause, Chen Nuo continued with a sneer, "However, even if you were to regret it, you definitely wouldn’t regret abandoning your wife and child back then. You wouldn’t regret harboring evil, murderous thoughts against your own flesh and blood. No, you wouldn’t.

What you regret now is coming to Jinling; that way you wouldn’t have crossed paths with me and gotten killed by me.

What you regret now is not being more careful and vigilant when you faced me earlier, so you wouldn’t have been caught by me.

What you regret now might even be that you should have seized Ou Xiuhua earlier to threaten me, which might have been more effective.

These are the things you regret.

People like you do not regret the crimes they have committed; you only regret not being more careful and smart when committing those crimes when facing Punishment and retribution."

As Chen Nuo’s voice resounded, Chen Jianshe felt his eyelids suddenly grow heavy, and an invisible spiritual power invaded his Consciousness Space.

Layer by layer, bit by bit, it infiltrated, permeated, and consumed!

Chen Nuo dared not relax for a second—Chen Jianshe’s Time Retrospection ability was too bizarre and overpowered. If Chen Nuo relaxed his control over Chen Jianshe’s Consciousness Space for even one ten-thousandth of a moment during the killing process, and allowed this guy even a tenth of a second of freedom, then if he activated his Time Retrospection ability, there would be trouble again.

A golden Rune swiftly emerged in front of Chen Nuo—it came from the Wizard.

This unique technique of the Wizard, specialized in devouring spiritual power and Consciousness Space, was indeed a spectacular exclusive skill.

Chen Nuo used his own spiritual power to follow the operation of the Runes, rapidly absorbing Chen Jianshe’s spiritual power and Consciousness Space. He immediately felt a faint spiritual power traveling down the path of the Runes, returning to the Rune like water, and then slowly being injected into his own Consciousness Space.

Chen Nuo immediately felt his Consciousness Space being nurtured by this external "nutrient," experiencing a slight enhancement.

This enhancement was very subtle.

Firstly, because Chen Nuo himself was already very strong, with a large foundation.

Secondly, because Chen Jianshe was merely a Destroyer, the spiritual power he could offer was not very immense.

And the third reason was that although the Wizard’s Rune, which specialized in devouring other people’s spiritual power, was indeed mystical, the consumption during the absorption process of this Star Absorption Technique in the realm of spiritual power was still significant.

Within just ten seconds, half of Chen Jianshe’s Consciousness Space had been eroded away. At this moment, his face was twisted, his eyes askew as he lay there, having lost the basic consciousness and cognitive abilities of a normal person.

Now, even if Chen Nuo were to relax the seal on his Consciousness Space, Chen Jianshe, who had lost his basic consciousness and cognition, could no longer activate his Time Retrospection ability.

But Chen Nuo still did not dare to relax!

Twenty seconds later, Chen Jianshe’s Consciousness Space was almost completely devoured, and Chen Jianshe finally exhaled his last breath...

As Chen Nuo’s spiritual power swept over the last remaining fragment of Chen Jianshe’s Consciousness Space, he sensed this last shred of Consciousness Space shattering, then being transformed by the power of the Runes into something he could claim as his own, trickling back into his own Consciousness Space...

Suddenly, Chen Nuo felt as if something had been added to his consciousness.

It was as if, in his brain, someone had forcibly inserted a new "cognitive" content without any reason.

As Chen Nuo subconsciously traced it with his spiritual power...

BOOM! An explosion went off in his head!

Countless scattered images rushed toward him, all fragments of Chen Jianshe’s life memories... Then, Chen Nuo felt darkness rush before his eyes!

「 」

When he opened his eyes again, Chen Nuo felt a faint pain in his head.

He did not know how long that instantaneous loss of consciousness, which had turned his vision dark, had lasted.

Looking up at the sky, judging by the light, it seemed not much Time had passed.

But Chen Nuo frowned and looked around, his heart suddenly sinking!

Not far ahead was still the same lake.

This was still amidst the forests of Mount Niushou.

But... Chen Jianshe’s body on the ground had disappeared!

Chen Nuo’s gaze sharpened!

Then, the next instant, after looking intently around him, Chen Nuo’s expression became much uglier!

There are many details in this forest that don’t seem right!

「 」

Not far from the foot of Mount Niushou, a dirt and stone road lay at a close distance from the forest, surrounded by desolation.

Beneath the green mountains, fields could faintly be seen in the distance.

On the dirt and stone road, far in the distance under the dimming evening sky, darkness seemed to have already begun to envelop the approaching night.

Chen Nuo walked out from the woods, squinting at the road ahead, his expression suddenly becoming very odd and complex, his eyes filled with gravity.

He took a deep breath and headed north along the dirt and stone road—that was the direction of the city center.

The surrounding desolation meant he wasn’t worried about being seen. Chen Nuo set off at high speed, and in the blink of an eye, several hundred meters were behind him.

But Chen Nuo’s expression grew uglier and uglier!

This rough and dilapidated dirt and stone road...

The road was no wider than a single lane, and the vegetation was thick and disordered on both sides.

Such a low-level highway, in 2002, was rare even in the suburbs of a big city like Jinling City, let alone in some towns.

Chen Nuo, a native of Jinling through two lifetimes, remembered clearly that he had entered the forest of Mount Niushou from this direction!

When he went in, he followed a broad road that was a dual carriageway with six lanes.

But when he came out, it had turned into a single-lane dirt and gravel road!

It wasn’t an asphalt road, nor was it a concrete one.

It was the kind of road often found in the countryside, flattened out of mud and crushed gravel.

Chen Nuo suddenly slowed his pace and looked up at the sky intently...

From a distance, a PUTT PUTT PUTT sound suddenly emerged.

He looked up and saw a tractor, rocking its way forward from the north side of the road, its trailer filled with earth.

Chen Nuo subconsciously stopped walking and stood by the side of the road, watching as the tractor neared.

Behind the tractor’s seat, there was a red flag raised high.

Emblazoned on the flag was a row of characters: [Youth Shock Troops - Molin Town Gravel Factory].

Youth Shock Troops?

This term, filled with a sense of the era, suddenly gave Chen Nuo a severe sense of disconnection.

The tractor drew closer and then passed by him, but after going forward another ten meters or so, it stopped.

The driver hit the brakes, put his hands on the tractor’s handlebars, turned his head back, and looked at Chen Nuo.

He was wearing a very old-fashioned jacket with its sleeves rolled high, and he had a straw hat hanging behind his head.

"Hey, kid, you’re still walking around this late? It’s going to be dark soon, and you won’t see the road. Don’t wander off blindly."

He spoke in the local dialect of Jinling, which Chen Nuo found strikingly authentic.

But the face of the person in front of him left Chen Nuo stunned on the spot.

Four words! Frozen like a wooden chicken!

"..."

The tractor driver looked at Chen Nuo with a frown, then thought for a moment. "Hey! What are you dazing out for? You! I’m talking to you! Why aren’t you responding? Huh? I’ve never seen you before. Where are you from?"

Seeing that Chen Nuo still wasn’t responding, just standing there dumbfoundedly staring at him, the middle-aged tractor driver grew impatient.

"Is there something wrong with your head?" he muttered impatiently, ready to ignore Chen Nuo.

Suddenly, Chen Nuo reacted.

He quickly walked over and ran up to the side of the tractor.

This move made the tractor driver instinctively cautious, as he shrank back slightly and reached for a short sand shovel hanging on the side.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought," Chen Nuo said intentionally, using the standard Jinling dialect.

This accent made the driver slightly lower his guard, but he didn’t let go of the shovel. "Where are you from?"

After thinking for a bit, Chen Nuo said, "I went to the lake in the mountains to play, wanted to go fishing."

"Fishing? You’re from the city?" The driver assessed Chen Nuo’s outfit.

Odd-looking!

That was the driver’s inner judgment.

"Yeah, I’m from Jinling City," Chen Nuo replied.

"Fishing... where is your fishing rod? Where are the fish?" The driver frowned at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the overwhelming turmoil inside him!

Then, he tried to put on a smiling face. "I don’t know how to fish; I didn’t catch any. My fishing rod fell into the lake while I was playing in the water."

The driver shook his head, unsure whether he didn’t believe Chen Nuo’s words or was lamenting this city boy’s frivolousness.

But indeed, there was a lake in Mount Niushou that locals were familiar with, while outsiders were unaware.

"So, Sir, it’s getting dark. Could you give me a lift for a while?" Chen Nuo asked with a smile.

"Where are you heading to?" The driver thought for a moment, showing a straightforward attitude, "This tractor can’t go all the way to Jinling City. I’m heading to the gravel factory ahead. This is the factory’s vehicle; I can’t just drive it anywhere."

"Just north will do. Can you take me along?" Chen Nuo said, reaching for his pocket.

In his pocket, there was half a pack of Huazi. Chen Nuo took it out, pulled one out, and tossed it to the man.

The driver caught it, first in shock!

Huazi?!

Even the factory director couldn’t afford these!

I hear only top leaders can smoke this kind of cigarette.

"Alright, get on. Just hold on to the trailer and don’t fall off."

Chen Nuo replied as he jumped onto the trailer, sitting down a bit on the edge.

The tractor started up again, and as the driver navigated the road, he struck up a conversation with Chen Nuo.

"Kid, why did you come all the way from the city to fish in this place? There are rivers and lakes in the city, too."

Chen Nuo answered casually, "I heard from a friend about a lake here. I’ve never been, so I came to check it out."

"Oh, by the looks of it, tender and delicate, not dressed for physical labor? You must be the son of an official, right?"

"Uh?"

"It’s obvious, or else who else could afford cigarettes like these!"

The tractor rumbled on for about ten minutes until the rutted dirt and stone road finally gave way to a somewhat more orderly road.

But it was still just a small highway, not even up to the standard of a provincial road.

Chen Nuo noticed there were no streetlights on either side of the road.

Finally, a cluster of houses came into view, all looking dilapidated and covered in dust.

It was a rural area dotted with farmhouses, with an occasional small restaurant and a convenience store faintly visible along the road.

Their signs all looked ancient.

Upon entering the village, the red brick walls and white lime of the houses on both sides were boldly painted with various slogans that felt incredibly fresh to Chen Nuo, brimming with the sense of the era.

"Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to educate a person!"

"If you want to be rich, have fewer children and raise more pigs!"

"Crack down hard on road racketeers and bullies!"

"XX Liquor, excellent at provincial, departmental, and national levels!"

Chen Nuo’s eyes widened, fixed firmly on the buildings before him, those slogans!!

The tractor stopped at the other end of the village.

The driver turned his head, "Kid!"

"Huh?"

"To go back to the city, you need to keep going straight. I’m turning left at the intersection up ahead to go back to the factory."

"Oh, I’ll get off here then," said Chen Nuo, hopping down to the ground.

The driver hesitated for a moment, probably because of that precious Huazi cigarette, and kindly asked, "It’s so late, how are you going to get back to the city? To return to the city, you have to go to the bus station in Molin Town ahead. There are two buses to the city in the morning and two in the evening. At this hour, the last bus is already gone. How will you get back to the city?"

Chen Nuo composed himself, "No worries, I have my ways to get back. I’ll just walk to the town and find a place to make a call; someone will come to pick me up."

The driver nodded, "Alright, then I’ll leave it to you."

After a moment’s thought, the driver added, "You seem quite generous. Next time you come around here, don’t wander off into the mountains or lakeside alone. There are snakes and wild boars in the mountains, and it’s easy to run into trouble if you stray by yourself. If you want to have fun, come find me at the quarry next time. I’ll show you around."

A smile suddenly crossed Chen Nuo’s face, "Sure!"

"Good, remember my name. Next time, just come to the quarry and look for me. My name is..."

"I know who you are. I recognize you."

"Huh?" The driver was taken aback.

"I’ve been here before with friends and saw you once, but there were many of us, so you probably don’t remember me," Chen Nuo made up an excuse. "You’re Xiao, right? Known as Boss Xiao!"

"...Damn, I’m that famous now? Even youngsters like you from the city know my name?"

Before him was a much younger Xiao Guohua, Boss Xiao!

Chen Nuo sighed.

How could I not recognize him? I’ve robbed you twice and even made you do team-building twice...

Watching Xiao Guohua drive the tractor away...

Chen Nuo looked at the sky, observing the nearby village houses.

He quickly walked into the roadside restaurant beside him, approached the counter directly, glanced over, and picked up an old newspaper resting on the counter.

He scanned the masthead.

"You eating? We have stir-fries and beer!" The owner behind the counter lifted his head hospitably.

Chen Nuo paused and patted his pockets...

Then he put his wallet back.

I can’t take out the banknotes in my wallet; they might cause trouble.

"I’m just borrowing the newspaper to use in the bathroom, didn’t bring any paper," he said to the owner.

The owner’s face immediately lost its hospitality but still waved him off impatiently, "Take it, take it."

Clutching the newspaper, Chen Nuo quickly left the restaurant, stood on the roadside, and under the last glimmer of the setting sun, reluctantly scanned the date on the paper...

1981.

"...Damn it!"

Chen Nuo cursed in his heart and then, unable to help himself, looked up at the sky and fiercely flashed a middle finger.

「 」

What did Jinling look like in 1981?

The Jiangning District, where Chen Nuo’s No. 8 Middle School was located, wasn’t even called Jiangning District then.

It was Jiangning County, a county town near Jinling City.

The street where Chen Nuo lived, the neighborhood had just been built less than two years ago.

It hadn’t withstood years of wind and rain, leaving behind the worn remains of Time.

Buildings were brand new, but most of the balconies in every household still lacked the closed fiberglass windows common in later years.

The roads were narrow.

Unlike in the future, where any road was at least a four-lane two-way street.

Buildings next to the road were rarely taller than five stories.

Most of the buildings were no more than two or three stories high.

As Chen Nuo strolled down the streets outside his neighborhood, he looked at unfamiliar buildings...

The tallest structure on the entire street was the state-run guesthouse at the junction.

It had three floors.

Chen Nuo had already visited No. 8 Middle School but didn’t recognize it at all.

Not to mention the international campus he saw later.

Even the old campus of No. 8 Middle School was completely unrecognizable to Chen Nuo.

The teaching building consisted of just two two-story earthen buildings.

The sports field was just a roughly leveled plot of earth.

It looked both shabby and small.

Chen Nuo didn’t go home.

The year 1981...

During this period, there wasn’t a single person in Jinling City who knew him!

It didn’t matter whether it was Chen Yanluo or the original Chen Nuo.

In 1981, neither had been born yet!

Chen Nuo walked along the roadside for over an hour, unable to figure out...

How did I jump from 2002 to 1981 with just one step?!

The only and biggest possibility was related to Chen Jianshe!

I killed Chen Jianshe! I devoured his spiritual power.

Then... everything went dark.

And he was back in 1981!!

An era where he hadn’t even been born yet!!!

Going home was not an option.

The people living in the apartments in that neighborhood were not Ou Xiuhua, and certainly not Lu Xixi and the others.

It was...

Chen Nuo’s grandmother!!!

The old woman in the photograph that had always hung on the wall at home, whom Chen Nuo had never met!

Chen Nuo walked on the street for over an hour, pondering and considering for just as long.

Eventually, he sorted out his thoughts.

The only feasible plan... whether it was useful or not...

Find Chen Jianshe!!!

「 」

Jinling Grain Bureau’s subsidiary flour mill.

Located in the Xiaguan District in the north of Jinling City.

Well, this district was abolished in later years, merged with other districts.

But in 1981, it still existed.

The flour mill was by the river—built there in earlier years because the river allowed the mill to have its own dock, using water transport boats for transporting wheat and the produced flour.

Under the cover of night, standing outside the gates of the flour mill...

The style of the state-owned enterprise from the eighties, with a row of massive slogans at the factory entrance:

"Strive for a hundred days without a production accident!"

"Work hard to achieve the Four Modernizations!"

Next to the factory’s big gate, there was also a line of small red flags.

It was already dark, and at this Time, the factory should have finished work long ago.

But next to the entrance, near the duty room, there were still many people gathered.

Some were holding their lunch boxes, squatting right there, smoking, eating, and chatting casually.

They were deep in discussion.

Chen Nuo walked over quietly, pretending to squat down to tie his shoelaces, then listened in silence for a few moments.

Less than half a minute later, Chen Nuo’s expression changed!

These were workers from the factory, living right by the factory gate in the family quarter, gathering here after work, sharing their meals while chatting about a major event that happened in the factory today!

What they discussed the most was a major event that occurred in the flour mill on that day!

Today, someone had died in the factory!

A production accident: a worker was cleaning the top of the warehouse and fell into the sealed tank storing wheat...

That enormous tank was as tall as a four-story building!

Because there might be hollows beneath the piled wheat, when the person fell in, the wheat collapsed, and he was directly trapped below, buried beneath tons of wheat.

Since it was a sealed tank, the factory staff could only attempt a rescue by opening the bottom to release the wheat.

This process took a very long Time.

By the Time they finally pulled the person out, he had long since suffocated to death.

The people were all talking about this major event that happened at the factory today!!

And upon hearing this, Chen Nuo’s mind was instantly clear!!!

Chen Jianshe had mentioned this incident!!!

The day a production accident occurred in the factory!

Was also the day Chen Jianshe received the first prophecy that he heard in his dreams...

The first prophecy!!