Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

A man dressed in a standard foundation employee uniform stood in front of the two, his wide-brimmed hat pulled down low, barely obscuring his eyebrows and eyes. Only the shiny identity badge on his chest was prominently displayed, dangling from his lapel.

That comical roguishness abruptly shattered the faint aura of friendliness that still lingered around him.

The moment Marcus heard the word "arrested," he felt as if an electric current had surged through his body, his fingertips trembled violently, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Tsk!"

Kacania gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, his body almost instinctively stepping forward to shield Marcus behind him.

"How come there are people from your foundation in this remote corner? Did you all pluck your noses off hunting dogs?"

He quickly calculated his escape route in his mind, but it was quiet all around, and there wasn't a single person to sneak in. Running away was obviously the worst option, and the only right thing to do was to grit his teeth and hold on without showing any fear.

She could only pray that the person in front of her hadn't heard her unconscious mutterings.

"I remember the Foundation isn't supposed to be involved in managing street duels, so are you Mr. Carl sent to ask me for a medical license?"

As if suddenly realizing the crux of the problem, Kacania slapped his forehead, his tone full of a mixture of amusement and exasperation:

"But you should at least rest for a couple of days!"

"I swear in the name of my ancestors that what I do is 100% mystical, and has absolutely nothing to do with science or medicine!"

Realizing what was happening, Kacania pushed Marcus in front of her again, blocking the employee's barely concealed gaze. She placed her hands on Marcus's shoulders and whispered something in a low voice, loud enough for the nearby employee to hear:

"Don't you sleep? Don't you have personal lives? This is the tenth time this month. Even God rests for a day after working six days!"

“Look at this young lady, the wrinkles on her face from lack of sleep. How terrible that must be for a woman.”

Kacania seems to be trying to do something about his colleagues to increase the chances of them escaping by a tiny bit.

But the person opposite him just crossed his arms, and although you couldn't see any expression, Kacania couldn't help but feel a gentle smile emanating from him!

"I have a hereditary license to use mystical arts, there's nothing shameful about it, and my fees are very fair. I've never had a customer complain about me..."

She continued to rehearse the lines she already knew by heart, but Marcus, who was pushed in front of her, was filled with fear and anxiety, forcing himself to straighten his back and pretend to be calm.

But before long, her brows furrowed slightly, a layer of confusion clouded her eyes, she twisted the hem of her clothes with two fingers, and suddenly her eyes widened, her pupils contracting:

"Mr. Chen Xi!"

Everything can be read, everything can be a book. There is nothing that cannot be deciphered by Marcus's mystical arts, with only one exception: Chenxi.

Therefore, when a second unreadable object appears, one only needs to overlap and compare the figure in front of them with the figure in memory.

A cheer, almost a mixture of certainty and surprise, burst forth from the excited little seagull's beak.

"Chen Xi?"

It was a name she had never heard of before; at least in Kacania's knowledge, she had no idea when such a "dedicated" and outstanding employee had joined the foundation.

Seeing that her identity had been exposed, Chenxi was too lazy to pretend anymore. She simply raised her hand, took off the ridiculously wide-brimmed hat, and tossed it aside.

He casually flicked his collar with his fingertips, and the slightly stiff foundation uniform he was wearing seemed to come alive, automatically stretching and adjusting with his movements, transforming in the blink of an eye into the neat long gown he usually wore.

This time, not only did Marcus's eyes light up dramatically, but Kacania was also stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead as if he suddenly realized something.

"You are—the doctor who went with me to stop Schwartz! I never expected to see you here."

She circled Chenxi halfway around, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked him over, her surprise barely concealed in her voice:

"But what I didn't expect was that you were also an employee of the foundation."

“I think there must be some small misunderstanding here, Miss Kacania.”

Chenxi's voice was gentle, and apart from not having a mustache, his demeanor was very close to the ideal gentleman in the hearts of Viennese people.

With one hand lightly touching his collar and his waist slightly bent, he performed a standard bow, his brows furrowed with apology for his previous prank.

"Theoretically speaking, I don't belong to the foundation. I'm just temporarily cooperating with them for some reasons. So you can feel free to criticize them in front of me."

"Just like not long ago when I almost took the head off one of Mr. Carl's associates, I think we should have a lot in common when it comes to criticizing their misdeeds."

His tone was warm enough to melt ice and snow, but the words he uttered carried a chilling edge, making the hairs on the back of one's neck stand on end.

Kacania's shoulders jerked violently, as if he had been splashed with ice water, and his pupils contracted sharply.

She composed herself, shook her head, and then steered the conversation back on track, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him: "So, why did you come to me at this time?"

“Well, it’s like this… You call yourself Kacania, but I know your real name is Clara…”

Before Chenxi could finish speaking, Kacania's eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands. The wariness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by pure joy.

"Oh, I never expected you to be my reader—this is truly delightful!"

When her other career was mentioned, her cheeks flushed with excitement. As for Chenxi's shocking words just now, she simply assumed that he was making another nasty joke.

She took two steps forward, her voice filled with excitement.

“Yes, I am Clara! Don’t you think the name is funny? Heinrich—oh, he is a friend of mine, he gave me a book that has benefited me greatly.”

"Our country is just like its name suggests—it is and it is, it has and it is, it is nowhere to be found, yet it is everywhere!"

She suddenly opened her arms wide, as if to embrace the gloomy sky.

“Look at this land! Rows upon rows of golden squares, adorned with beautiful scrollwork patterns, stacked so high and so skillfully…”

"It covered the Bohemian rye fields, blocked the waves on the eastern coast of the Adriatic, and completely blocked the fireworks created by mystical magic!"

"How could there be thick smoke obscuring the sky in the industrial area? How could there be unheated houses? The people in the coffee shop must all love dancing, not be unable to pay for heating."

Her speech quickened, as if she were venting pent-up resentment, and she swung her hand fiercely.

"There are no bureaucrats, no discrimination, no poverty here! Only humanity and freedom."

“'Kakanna'—is it K.K. [of the Empire-Royal], or K.U.K. [of the Empire and the Royal], or—'Shitland'! Hahaha, there is no more accurate summary than this.”

She burst into laughter, but her laughter carried a hint of inexplicable sorrow. Clearly, behind this mocking name lay a deep well of resentment and bitterness towards the country.

Chenxi lowered her eyes and glanced at Marcus beside her without leaving a trace. Marcus understood immediately, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he was about to speak when he clenched his clothes. However, Chenxi raised her eyes first, nodded slightly to Kacania, and spoke with just the right amount of curiosity in her tone.

"My friend and I are very interested. Could you take us to see it?"