Did You Destroy the World Today?
Chapter 22: The Disaster of the Past

"What was his name?!"

Lin Xu pressed his gun against the hostage's forehead. The man trembled violently like a sieve, stammering in reply:

"I...I don't remember..."

"I really don't remember anymore..."

"Think!" 

Lin Xu interrogated harshly:

"How could you not remember??"

"You saw his name over a decade ago, yet recognized it when it appeared in the news years later!"

"And now you're telling me you don't remember??"

The hostage collapsed to his knees, hands waving aimlessly in the air.

"I can't recall...I truly can't..."

"Open the document I need, then think slowly!"

"You have 32 minutes!"

"Give me the answer within 32 minutes and you can leave!"

At these words, the hostage's eyes immediately lit up.

"I'll try, I'll try..."

This time Lin Xu didn't shoot his knee again. Instead, he quickly detached the drag strap from his tactical gear and swiftly bound the man's hands and feet.

Then he turned to the computer screen, intently memorizing its contents.

He'd already recorded the general framework - now he needed to supplement it with detailed data requirements.

----But this was the hardest part!

Lin Xu became completely absorbed until sudden footsteps outside jolted him awake.

They're here!

This time, the quick reaction force wasn't using drones but launching a standard building assault.

They'd clearly pinpointed his location.

"Don't come any closer!"

"I'm holding two grenades!"

"These are impact-detonated defensive grenades - they'll explode on contact!"

"The pins are already pulled - if I let go, the hostage dies with me!"

"Don't risk an assault!"

"You'll get the hostage killed!"

"Understood, understood!"

A voice responded from outside the door after Lin Xu's warning.

"Stay calm, don't harm the hostage, we'll give you time."

"We can talk this through."

"What do you really want?"

"I just need an answer. Once I have it, I'll surrender! Give me some time!"

"Of course, of course!"

The reply outside made Lin Xu relax slightly. Just then, the hostage suddenly looked up.

"I remember now!"

"Xu Jin! His name was Xu Jin!"

"He was an academician at the Materials Research Institute...yes, I remember now! Nanjing Materials Research Institute!"

"That's right, that's why the institute later confiscated his work. He was a spy...no, not a spy, he must have just made some mistake..."

Xu Jin??

What the hell!

Never heard of him!

Truthfully, before asking the question, Lin Xu had already harbored some expectations.

He'd thought the hostage would most likely say his own name - or Jiang Xingye's.

Only then could the logic between the Bracelet World and reality achieve perfect consistency.

After all, he was about to copy out the industrial production process for the material.

Wouldn't his name deserve to appear on the patent application?

Or was it because the "key node" hadn't been achieved yet, so the Bracelet World hadn't changed accordingly?

Possibly.

But never mind.

This clue was enough.

The hostage didn't just provide a name but also a workplace.

Any questions could be answered by finding Xu Jin directly.

If Jiang Xingye didn't know about the Planetary Reincarnation organization, surely Xu Jin would?

Lin Xu lowered his head again and said:

"Understood."

"Give me a few more minutes."

"Not too long...just 12 minutes."

"Relax, if you stay quiet, I promise you won't get hurt..."

"Bzzz—"

Before Lin Xu could finish, a faint buzzing sound filled the small storage room as the lights suddenly flickered.

Then, without warning, his body began convulsing violently.

Every muscle contracted simultaneously, his fingers clenching into tight fists from the spasms.

Knuckles protruded as if about to burst through the skin.

His ribs creaked from the compression, lungs forcibly emptied of air. Overwhelming dizziness struck - forget fighting back, he couldn't even move.

Holy shit.

What kind of weapon is this?!

Lin Xu's eyes widened uncontrollably. The next second, someone kicked open the storage room door.

"Target acquired."

"No explosives present. Secure."

The approaching man handcuffed Lin Xu with practiced movements behind his back.

Only then did the excruciating pain of maximum muscle contraction begin fading.

"...What weapon was that..."

His voice emerged hoarse from torn throat muscles, sounding like someone had sliced his Adam's apple.

"You don't need to know."

"Get up! Move!"

Lin Xu complied, casually glancing at the tactical watch on the man's wrist.

"Too late now," he said.

"We only have 9 minutes left."

"No point taking me to Maritime Security Bureau's interrogation room."

"If you have questions, ask them here. Easier for everyone."

The man paused, then smiled mockingly.

"You've got nerve."

"But you're in no position to make demands."

"By the way, your accomplices have surrendered. No one's coming to save you."

"So stop wasting time."

"I wasn't trying to stall," Lin Xu said with an innocent expression.

"I just wanted to use our remaining time efficiently."

The man pushed Lin Xu outside, where he finally saw the strange device deployed in the office building, aimed at the storage room.

"What's that? An ultrasonic emitter?"

"Infrasound," the man corrected.

"...I've never heard of infrasound having this effect."

"There's a lot you don't know."

Escorted downstairs, Lin Xu saw the main lobby filled with lined-up casualties. Medics performed emergency treatment, while white sheets already covered several bodies.

"This is what you've done."

"Selfishly harming innocent lives for your own ends."

"What did they do wrong? Even if you wanted to achieve your goals, there were gentler methods."

"But you wouldn't even bother thinking - just resorting to violence..."

"Wait," Lin Xu interrupted.

"First, I'm not a member of the organization you think - Planetary Reincarnation."

The man's face flickered with surprise as Lin Xu continued:

"Second, I know they're innocent and shouldn't have died."

"Precisely because they shouldn't have died is why they had to die here."

"...I don't have time for riddles," the man said coldly.

"Confess now and you'll suffer less in interrogation."

"No time left."

Lin Xu glanced at the holographic display by the main building showing 11:58.

"Only two minutes remain."

"Oh, I have a question for you."

"Do you know Xu Jin?"

The man froze momentarily at the name.

"You're looking for Xu Jin?"

"You're truly not with Planetary Reincarnation?"

"I already said I'm not."

A realization flashed through Lin Xu's mind as he noticed the subtle shift in the man's demeanor.

His attitude was softening.

Had this happened before?

Others had come looking for Xu Jin too?

After a brief silence, the man continued:

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Same reason as the others," Lin Xu answered vaguely.

This frontline commander clearly wasn't a professional interrogator. His eyes showed faint pity at Lin Xu's response.

"You shouldn't do this."

"I understand victims' pain, but the law has punished him appropriately."

"Your revenge harms more innocents, creating greater disasters."

Victim?

What exactly did Xu Jin do?

By now they'd reached the factory exterior. Skull Head and his team lay prone on the ground, shooting Lin Xu looks of resigned resentment when they saw him.

They'd been captured too.

Or perhaps surrendered voluntarily?

No matter.

It was ending anyway.

Lin Xu looked up at the sky.

"Pity you'll never understand we're actually not wrong."

"Because there's no time left."

The man turned to Lin Xu in confusion.

The next instant—

The sky ignited.

As the flash blinded everyone, Lin Xu struggled toward the high wall ahead by memory alone.

"Bang!"