Chapter 5: Ancient... Man-Made Structures?

The scene fell silent for a long moment.

“So…” the Dog-Headed Man hesitated, suddenly realizing that the reason this group had appeared was undoubtedly because of the man before them.

Shaking his head, he pushed the matter aside—not out of lack of indignation, but because he knew discussing it now was pointless.

He held the map up to the sunlight, but his mood was clearly different from before. His hand clenched tighter around the corner of the map.

The Dog-Headed Man wasn’t stupid. He was the leader because he was the smartest among their bank robbery crew... and now he realized the hidden meaning behind Chu Zhu’s earlier words: his father’s death was connected to something extraordinary!

Could it be that his father was also a superpowered individual? Then why had he never known…

“In fact, you might never have encountered a superpowered person before,” Chu Zhu said softly. “It’s just that… your memory might have been erased.”

“...Huh?!” The Dog-Headed Man’s expression changed.

Chu Zhu’s demeanor was casual. He actually knew the few superpowered people from before, and thanks to his constant resets, he had come to understand their family situations and secrets quite thoroughly on this timeline.

In fact, he was close to some of them—possessing the power to reset time and viewing the world as a mere dream, he could easily form relationships, uncover secrets, or eliminate anyone he wished.

Yet even so, he hadn’t discovered the true extent of these superpowered individuals’ abilities. Yes, the fact that there were superpowered people was something he deduced through his powerful reasoning and analysis—not because he’d witnessed their powers firsthand.

For someone with the power to constantly reset, this situation was fascinating.

Eliminating all impossibilities leaves only one certainty.

This group had the ability to erase memories!

He must have seen them use their powers—but those memories had been deleted!

However, their abilities were likely limited to this—they didn’t possess the power to probe and extract all of a person’s secrets, or else the secret of resetting wouldn’t remain safe.

Chu Zhu was actually somewhat certain that his memories had been tampered with. But he didn’t mind—it was only a dream after all. Whether memories were deleted or not, it was just part of the dream’s design.

In fact, this made the puzzle even more intriguing.

After all, the more they tried to keep secrets from him, the more determined he was to uncover the truth.

As always, any questions that arose in his dream had to be pursued to the very end…

---

Superpowers hidden from him? To Chu Zhu, it was like suddenly discovering a hidden side quest or Easter egg in a game he had almost completed.

If he didn’t dig into it, would he still be himself?

Even if it meant resetting over and over, it was worth it. And so until now—

Chu Zhu fiddled with the bronze key, muttering to himself, “Let’s see what kind of puzzle my subconscious has woven into this dream this time. Hopefully it won’t be too dull…”

Even if it was utterly illogical and boring, he could accept it. After all, what’s the point of debating reality with a dream?

“Zhang Kun, we need to speed things up,” Chu Zhu said. They had seen that group demonstrate their superpowers. Based on his previous deductions, they would soon come for them to erase their memories.

Though he wasn’t sure how they managed such a ridiculous feat or by what method… there was no doubt they were capable of it. If simply hiding could preserve memories, he wouldn’t have lost them before.

“Hopefully they won’t just teleport in front of me without any suspense! I want some sort of mystery,” Chu Zhu grumbled, full of anticipation. “It’s best if there’s a sense of pressure, some tension…”

The Dog-Headed Man: “…”

What nonsense is he spouting now?

This fool is daydreaming!

Doing something this dangerous and he’s not even hoping for smooth sailing, but rather thrills?

Brother, this is more dangerous than robbing a bank—it’s not a game.

…

The rusty red sunlight bathed the valley… No, it was more than a valley—it resembled a canyon.

And there, built alongside the canyon, was a man-made structure?

The building happened to fill the canyon’s mouth, making it look like a mountain peak.

Thick vines and branches covered the entire structure. From afar, there was no sign of anything unusual. Even up close, if not for following the map’s directions and careful inspection, one wouldn’t notice a thing.

“…Could this be an ancient ruin?!” the Dog-Headed Man murmured. His palms trembled uncontrollably, emotions flickering across his face—excitement, anxiety, fear, and sudden realization. “Now it all makes sense… this explains everything! No wonder they spent so much money to get this map. Big C!”

“Boss… judging by my years of grave-robbing experience!” The Bear-Headed Man’s posture was completely different from before. He tore away a few vines and touched the surface that looked no different from a mountain wall, his eyes sharp. “It’s at least several thousand years old!”

“Several thousand years? Specifically how many?”

The Bear-Headed Man blinked. You think his eyes can do time appraisal? If he could give an exact number, would he still be robbing banks behind you?

Of course, the Dog-Headed Man didn’t expect an answer.

“What’s inside… cell phones? Or some other ancient relics… we’re about to get rich!” The Dog-Headed Man felt like he was about to have a seizure.

“But boss, the stuff inside should be from Big Brother’s era, right?” The Bear-Headed Man scratched his head, sounding like he was questioning his very soul. “Are we going to rob Big Brother’s stuff?”

The Dog-Headed Man: “…?”

Can you even say that out loud?!

Feeling Chu Zhu’s amused gaze, the Dog-Headed Man shivered. Though he held the gun, he inexplicably felt nervous. His words should have carried more weight now, but somehow he was unsettled.

“What nonsense are you talking about!” the Dog-Headed Man cursed. “I swear, once we help him finish this job, that’s it… he can’t just give me nothing afterward, right? And…”

He fell silent for a moment, biting his lip. Though he craved money, what he desired even more was the truth behind his father’s death.

“So, what’s the next step?” the Dog-Headed Man looked at Chu Zhu again.

“Why are you looking at me? Go find the entrance!” Chu Zhu rolled his eyes. Last time, he hadn’t finished the game!

But he wasn’t worried. If necessary, he’d die a few more times, each time making some progress. Eventually, he would clear it.

What Chu Zhu hated most wasn’t death, but getting stuck—dying repeatedly before a stage without any progress.

“…I really thought you knew everything!” The Dog-Headed Man snorted and stepped forward.

The Bear-Headed Man spat twice on his hand, then began to climb like a monkey, moving swiftly.

Chu Zhu said nothing, methodically searching the cliff face. He reasoned that since it was a building, there must be a door somewhere… feeling along the ground to find the entrance was the way to go.

Why climb up?