Floating life reflects two lotuses

Chu Wanlian, holding a thick research report in her hand, frowned slightly.

The surrounding high-tech equipment hummed, and the light of the rune array flowed with faint energy fluctuations under the scanning of the instruments.

“The energy fluctuation is rising abnormally…” Chu Wanlian stared at the real-time data on the screen, tapping her fingertips lightly on the experimental table, trying to clear her mind.

Suddenly, a dazzling blue light burst forth from the center of the formation, heading straight for Chu Wanlian.

She instinctively raised her hand to cover her eyes, but felt a powerful attraction pulling at her soul.

Her body felt as if it had lost its weight, and her consciousness was quickly dragged into an unfamiliar space and time.

The surrounding scenery changed instantly, and she found herself standing in a dark valley.

Before me stood an ancient stone altar, runes inscribed on every stone, emitting an eerie red glow.

In the center of the stone altar, Xiao Jinlian was kneeling, her clothes disheveled and stained with blood.

"This is..." Chu Wanlian's heart raced. She tried to get closer, but found that her steps were light and airy, as if she were walking on clouds.

Xiao Jinlian raised her head, her face pale, but her eyes held a stubborn coldness.

She gripped a runestone tightly, struggling with all her might to resist the overflowing energy around her.

The runes seemed to come alive, forming a huge vortex around her.

"Princess!" A familiar voice came from afar—it was Li Heng, who was struggling through a blazing inferno towards the stone altar.

Chu Wanlian's breath hitched. She tried to call out, but found that she couldn't make a sound.

She could only watch helplessly as Xiao Jinlian's body was gradually pulled apart in the vortex of runes, while Li Heng's figure continued to struggle on the edge of the storm.

The next second, Chu Wanlian felt a wave of dizziness. She opened her eyes abruptly and found herself still standing in the center of the laboratory. The experimental equipment had stopped working, and a red warning signal was flashing on the display screen.

"Chu Wanlian! How are you!" Li Chenyao rushed to her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her hard.

Chu Wanlian gasped for breath, raised her hand to press her forehead, her voice trembling slightly: "I'm fine... Just now... I think I saw a woman from another time and space, she... she was in danger."

Li Chenyao frowned, released her shoulder, and glanced sharply at the rune device in the laboratory: "You triggered the rune resonance? The experimental data fluctuated too violently just now. I'm afraid there is a risk of it getting out of control."

“It’s not a problem with the data,” Chu Wanlian shook her head, her voice low. “I saw another dimension… she is in danger, the runic energy is devouring her.”

Li Chenyao's gaze darkened, and he lowered his voice: "Are you sure what you're seeing is real, and not an illusion caused by resonance?"

Chu Wanlian raised her head, her gaze clear yet firm: "This is definitely not an illusion."

The vortex of runes around her was very similar to the energy flow of the array here.

"Li Chenyao, this proves our previous hypothesis was correct—the energy resonance between runes can affect different dimensions of spacetime."

Li Chenyao remained silent for a moment, then turned around and opened a data report, calmly saying, "I have always suspected that runes are not merely simple energy carriers, but key hubs connecting spacetime. Your description... may confirm this."

Chu Wanlian frowned: "You know more about it, don't you?"

Li Chenyao slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp: "Xiao Jinlian, there are some things I can't say for now, but I can tell you one thing—the runes weren't discovered by accident. Their existence has had a clear purpose from the very beginning. We've only touched the surface now."

Chu Wanlian was stunned, a complex emotion rising in her heart.

She suddenly realized that the secrets hidden behind the runes might be far more terrifying than she had imagined.

“If these runes get out of control,” Chu Wanlian bit her lip, her voice low and hoarse, “the stability of the entire spacetime will be disrupted… what should we do then?”

Li Chenyao looked at her, his voice low but firm: "Xiao Jinlian, from now on, I will protect you with all my might. No matter what secrets are hidden behind the runes, your safety is my only bottom line."

Chu Wanlian was stunned for a moment, her heart filled with complex emotions, but she quickly composed herself and looked directly at Li Chenyao again: "You don't need to protect me. I hope we can find the answers together and prevent any danger from happening."

Li Chenyao smiled slightly, his eyes filled with appreciation: "Alright, let's go together then."

Just as the two reached a consensus, the rune array in the laboratory flickered slightly, and a faint blue light flowed through the entire device, seemingly silently warning of the danger to come.

Chu Wanlian subconsciously looked at the formation, a faint unease rising in her heart: was the scene she had just seen the past or the future?