Floating life reflects two lotuses

In the central area of ​​the laboratory, the incandescent light flickered intermittently on the pristine metal walls, creating a tense silence. Chu Wanlian stood before a massive energy device, her stylus hovering over the screen, which displayed intricate runic structures and clearly visible energy flow.

"Is this the core of the rune array?" she murmured to herself, her fingertips lightly sliding across the screen, trying to decipher the obscure patterns.

“Yes, this is an experimental device.” A voice came from behind, the lab director adding in a detached tone, “Its purpose is to simulate the resonance of runic energy and explore its effects on matter and consciousness. But so far, the experiment has not made any breakthrough progress.”

Chu Wanlian nodded slightly, her gaze still focused on the rune array. The lines were complex and fluid, like a giant net, weaving together countless possible variations. She vaguely felt that these runes seemed to have some connection to the images that had flashed through her mind.

"Can I try?" Chu Wanlian asked tentatively.

The person in charge hesitated slightly, but finally nodded: "Don't touch the energy center. You can operate the rest as you like. Be careful not to trigger any fluctuations. If the energy device goes out of control, we will all pay the price."

Chu Wanlian didn't answer, but focused intently on reaching for the control panel on the console. She gently entered a set of commands, and the energy array's light immediately became even brighter, as if the entire room was enveloped in a pale blue halo.

"This is exactly the same power as the rune fragments..." She was shocked, and the images of Xiao Jinlian and Li Heng appeared in her mind, as if they had crossed time and space and formed some kind of secret connection with her.

Suddenly, a deep humming sound came from the device, the rune array brightened abruptly, and the data on the screen began to fluctuate rapidly. The person in charge exclaimed, "What did you do?"

"I..." Before Chu Wanlian could react, a blinding blue light burst forth from the center of the formation, enveloping her entirely.

Chu Wanlian felt a wave of dizziness, and the world around her seemed to distort, the familiar laboratory scene gradually blurring. Her consciousness seemed to be dragged into a void, and a low echo reached her ears, like some ancient language whispering softly.

"Is this... the power of the soul?" Her voice seemed to come from a distant place, and even she herself felt unfamiliar with it.

The blue light faded, replaced by a blurry image. She saw a towering palace reaching into the clouds, surrounded by strange runic light. A blurry figure stood before the palace, looking down at a fragment of rune in its hand. The figure seemed familiar, as if…

"Xiao Jinlian?" Chu Wanlian's heart trembled. The figure in the image raised her head and met her gaze across the distance. It was a pair of eyes filled with determination and stubbornness.

"Chu Wanlian?" Xiao Jinlian's voice came from the video, filled with shock and confusion.

In an instant, the blue light burst forth again, the image vanished abruptly, and Chu Wanlian's consciousness was pulled back to reality.

"Shut down the device!" the person in charge shouted as he rushed toward the control panel, but the energy array's light had gone out of control, and the entire room was filled with a piercing buzzing sound.

Chu Wanlian swayed as she steadied herself, feeling a sharp pain in her chest, but she did not back down. She knew that the soul fluctuation she had just experienced was not merely a problem with the device; it had awakened a connection that transcended time and space.

"Hurry!" The person in charge frantically operated the control panel. The energy device finally gradually calmed down, and the light of the runes dimmed little by little. The room returned to silence, with only the heavy breathing of the two people remaining.

"What exactly did you just do?" The person in charge's voice was filled with unease and anger. "The device is almost completely out of control!"

Chu Wanlian did not answer immediately. The scene from earlier was still vivid in her mind, and the deep resonance it evoked made her restless.

“I…I just made the adjustments according to the runes.” She tried to keep her tone calm. “Perhaps there’s a problem with the device’s design, which is why it’s reacting this way.”

The person in charge looked at her with obvious suspicion in his eyes, but in the end he didn't ask any more questions. He just warned her in a low voice, "Be more careful next time."

Chu Wanlian stood alone at the laboratory door, her gaze fixed on the distant lights. The experience she had just gone through left her with complex and unsettled emotions. She knew that this accident was more than just a runaway experiment.

“Xiao Jinlian…” she murmured softly, “The connection between us is far deeper than I imagined.”

She gripped the notebook tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes. Whatever the truth, she had to unravel the secrets of the runes, for it concerned not only her own fate but also that familiar figure from another dimension.

The blue light in the laboratory gradually dimmed, the equipment stopped vibrating, and the room returned to calm. However, Chu Wanlian felt a wave of dizziness, as if the weight of her body had suddenly disappeared, and her consciousness was being dragged away by some invisible force.

Her vision blurred for a moment, and a strange scene flashed in the blue light. Before her was no longer a laboratory, but an antique courtyard, with green tiles and blue bricks, and winding corridors that seemed to lead into the distance. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the scent of ink, a stark contrast to the cold, metallic feel of the laboratory.

Chu Wanlian's consciousness gradually stabilized, and she saw a familiar figure standing in the center of the courtyard. It was Xiao Jinlian, her expression focused, holding a fragment of a rune in her hand, her gaze fixed on an ancient parchment scroll.

"Where is this place?" Chu Wanlian asked in a low voice, as if her voice could be heard on the other side.

Xiao Jinlian paused slightly, her brows furrowing as if she had sensed something. She glanced around and muttered to herself, "Who is it?"

Chu Wanlian held her breath. She felt a strange yet familiar resonance, like a ripple from the depths of their souls flowing between them.

"Xiao Jinlian..." Chu Wanlian called out tentatively in a soft voice.

Xiao Jinlian abruptly raised her head, her gaze fixed straight ahead, as if piercing through the barriers of space to meet Chu Wanlian's gaze across the void. Her voice was low and alert: "Who's here?"

Chu Wanlian was stunned. This brief eye contact gave her a strange connection, as if the two of them had crossed time and space and their souls had briefly intersected.

"It's me," Chu Wanlian replied softly, but before she could finish speaking, the scene in the courtyard suddenly began to blur, like smoke being blown away by the wind.

"Don't go!" Xiao Jinlian's voice rang out in the air, tinged with urgency.

Chu Wanlian tried to grasp this connection, but her consciousness was quickly pulled back to reality.

"Chu Wanlian!" A low shout snapped Chu Wanlian back to her senses.

In the laboratory, Li Chenyao stood beside her, looking at her with a serious expression. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, his tone filled with concern: "What happened to you just now? You stood there like you had lost consciousness."

Chu Wanlian looked up at him and realized that the pen in her hand had fallen to the ground, and the surrounding equipment had returned to normal. The courtyard and Xiao Jinlian's figure just now seemed like a dream, but she knew it was real.

"I..." She tried to calm her breathing and managed a weak smile, "I was probably too focused."

Li Chenyao's gaze remained fixed on him, his eyes filled with suspicion: "Are you sure you're just focused?"

Chu Wanlian didn't answer. Instead, she lowered her head and picked up the pens that had fallen to the ground. Her hands trembled slightly, and Xiao Jinlian's voice still echoed in her mind.

Li Chenyao was silent for a while before finally speaking: "Xiao Jinlian, if you were less wary, I might actually be able to help you in some way."

"I just...feel like they're a key that can unlock some important secrets," Chu Wanlian said slowly, trying to conceal her inner turmoil.

"A key?" Li Chenyao took a step closer and said in a low voice, "But keys can often open dangerous doors. Do you really know what you're doing?"

Chu Wanlian looked up at him and nodded, but she knew in her heart that she had been drawn into this vortex of fate that transcended time and space. The brief perception she had just experienced not only made her feel the existence of another world, but also made her even more certain that the secret of the runes was closely related to her soul swap.

After leaving the laboratory, Chu Wanlian sat alone by the window, the cold night wind gently caressing her face. Looking at the distant lights, Xiao Jinlian's image became increasingly clear in her mind.

“Our connection is no accident,” she murmured, her fingers gently tracing the pattern of a rune. The night outside the window was deep, but her understanding grew ever clearer: she could no longer escape this battle concerning runes, souls, and destiny.