Floating life reflects two lotuses

Chu Wanlian stood in the core area of ​​the laboratory, her gaze fixed on a series of abnormal data on the screen. The energy curve of the rune array fluctuated wildly like an out-of-control electrocardiogram, and the red warning signs flashed continuously, so glaringly unsettling.

"Something's not right," she muttered to herself, her fingertips quickly swiping across the touchscreen to retrieve more detailed records.

The new data that popped up on the screen showed that the energy fluctuation frequency of the rune array was increasing exponentially. At the same time, a familiar power gradually invaded her consciousness—a distorted sense of resonance, as if her soul was being torn apart and existing simultaneously in two different times and spaces.

Chu Wanlian gripped the edge of the lab table, forcing herself to stand firm. Suddenly, Xiao Jinlian's voice appeared in her mind, urgent and anxious: "What's going on? I feel a force pulling us apart."

"There's something wrong with the rune array," Chu Wanlian answered in her mind, her tone calm but tinged with unease.

"Don't play with fire, this power will get out of control." Xiao Jinlian's voice was a few decibels lower, but it clearly carried a warning.

Chu Wanlian took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the screen. She entered commands into the interface, trying to find the specific reason for the rune array's anomaly, but the data was encrypted layer by layer, and she couldn't break through it.

She pursed her lips, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes: "It seems we have no choice but to look for the secret database."

Chu Wanlian strode towards the laboratory's archives room, swiping her identification card on the scanner as the door slowly opened. The archives room was dimly lit, with rows of tall storage cabinets standing before her. She quickly located the terminal device, inserted her access card, and retrieved the hidden files for the rune project.

The filename that popped up on the screen made her palms sweat slightly.

"Soul Stabilization Channel - Application and Development of Runic Energy"

She quickly scanned the document, her heart pounding. The laboratory's true goal wasn't just to study runic energy, but to try and use it to open a soul portal across time and space, completely breaking the temporal and spatial limitations of the soul.

Her gaze swept over a line of keywords, and her breath hitched: "Controlling the rules of soul operation".

“They want to use runic power to control the exchange of souls.” Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, her brows furrowed, her face filled with shock.

Just as Chu Wanlian was engrossed in the contents of the file, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She abruptly turned off the screen and turned around, only to see Li Chenyao standing in the doorway, staring at her with a deep gaze.

“Xiao Jinlian,” his voice was as deep and steady as ever, but with a hint of scrutiny, “what are you doing here?”

Chu Wanlian quickly adjusted her expression and forced a calm smile: "There's a problem with the project data. I came here to check the information and see if I can find a solution."

Li Chenyao slowly approached, his gaze sweeping over the terminal device before settling on her face. His voice held a meaningful undertone: "Is there a problem with the experimental data? Do we need to check the hidden files?"

Chu Wanlian's heart tightened, but she remained calm on the surface: "It was just an attempt. I didn't expect that I didn't have enough permissions and couldn't find anything."

Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Is that so?"

His gaze was deep, as if he could see through her disguise. Chu Wanlian felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but she still remained calm: "President Li, there was a problem with the experiment, and everyone is doing their best to fix it. If you have any instructions, I can carry them out immediately."

Li Chenyao didn't respond immediately. He glanced down at the terminal, seemingly considering her words. After a moment, he looked up, his tone calm but undeniably authoritative: "The core projects in the lab involve classified information. Everyone must adhere to their authorized access, including you."

"Of course." Chu Wanlian nodded slightly, her tone respectful but carrying a hint of resistance.

Li Chenyao's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he looked away and turned to leave. His footsteps faded into the distance, but Chu Wanlian's heart remained uneasy.

"He must suspect me," she murmured to herself, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

"This man is no simpleton," Xiao Jinlian thought to herself, a hint of amusement in her voice. "But he's already so obvious to you, how long are you going to ignore him?"

"Shut up!" Chu Wanlian retorted helplessly, forcing herself to calm down.

A few minutes later, Chu Wanlian returned to the core area of ​​the laboratory, where the fluctuations of the rune array had reached a critical state. A massive energy field enveloped the entire space, and invisible static electricity seemed to permeate the air.

She tried to disable some rune nodes, but every time she entered a command, the system would automatically pop up an error message: "Energy abnormality, unable to respond."

"Oh no." She gritted her teeth, staring at the energy chart on the screen, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

Just then, a deep hum suddenly reached her ears, as if the entire space was trembling. She looked up sharply and saw a dazzling light emanating from the center of the rune array, as if it were about to tear apart space and time.

The next second, a powerful suction force enveloped her, and her consciousness was pulled into a state of chaos.

Chu Wanlian's vision blurred, and a familiar voice reached her ears: "How did you get here!"

She managed to focus and saw Xiao Jinlian's figure appear before her. She was dressed in ancient costume, her brows and eyes filled with surprise and unease.

"This is...your timeline?" Chu Wanlian murmured, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

“Yes!” Xiao Jinlian nodded, her expression complicated. “How did you end up here?”

Chu Wanlian shook her head: "The rune array went out of control, and I don't know what happened."

The two looked at each other for a moment, and saw deep confusion and helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Chu Wanlian, listen." Xiao Jinlian's voice suddenly became urgent, "The curse of the Land of Offering Souls is spreading. If it is not stopped, the entire spacetime will be swallowed up."

"I understand." Chu Wanlian nodded, her eyes showing determination. "The laboratory is also trying to use rune energy to open a soul channel. This crisis is not just yours, but mine as well."

Xiao Jinlian was slightly taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "It seems we have no choice but to join forces."

“That’s right.” Chu Wanlian took a deep breath. “No matter what, we must stop all of this.”

As the light gradually faded, Chu Wanlian suddenly opened her eyes and found herself still standing in the core area of ​​the laboratory, where the light of the rune array had gradually dimmed.

She took a deep breath, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and looked at him with a complicated expression: "Xiao Jinlian...we need to hurry."