Chapter 46: The Future Has Truly Changed

Mr. Sui's face remained calm, serene like water, undisturbed by the turmoil around him. A faint, gentle smile radiated an aura of warmth that put others at ease. It was the kind of warmth that relaxed one's tension and vigilance, making the moment feel blissful, but leaving a lingering sense of fear afterwards.

Who would willingly let themselves lose control? No matter the degree, a loss of self-control is always frightening.

Mr. Sui glanced at the screen in Yuki’s hand, dampened by tears, and read the news displayed there.

"Are you upset because of the space station incident?"

Yuki had not yet decided how to explain his emotional breakdown, but his body responded instinctively; he nodded.

"Why? Would you mind telling me?"

Of course, death is distressing. Humans are social creatures; witnessing the death of fellow humans is naturally painful. That would be the textbook answer, and Yuki thought so. Yet he did not respond with that. Instead, he found himself explaining:

"Because I knew the space station would be destroyed by the Celebration Rocket. Two researchers would die—they’re a married couple, both excellent, long-term residents of the station."

"Later, I looked up the records and found that the station housed not only them, but more than thirty other researchers. So I thought, with so much time, so many people, surely I could save them."

"But in the end, things still turned out like this... Is the future truly unchangeable?"

When he finished speaking, the ward fell silent.

How long did that silence last? Long enough for Yuki to replay his rambling confession several times in his mind, suddenly realizing he might have revealed something deeply secret.

Instantly, chills ran through him.

Mr. Sui pressed his fist to his lips, eyes lowered in thought, before asking, "Do you have the ability to foresee things?"

As expected!

Yuki startled, quickly waved his hand, and scrambled to find words to salvage the situation.

"No, not exactly! Or, well, not entirely..."

He did indeed possess many pieces of "information," things neither he nor Taiga could possibly know from their perspectives. The information concerning events beyond Earth—Yuki might try to attribute it to Taiga, claiming Taiga had told him. But the risk was clear: if they encountered someone familiar with Taiga, who knew Taiga had no access to such information, or that Taiga could never reach those channels, then the lie would be exposed. Even if Yuki then tried to shift blame to someone else, his deception would be undeniable.

Therefore, he needed a more plausible explanation—a credible source for his knowledge.

Making up his mind, Yuki explained, "Sometimes, I dream of... scenes. On Earth, on other planets, or even in parallel universes. Some are things that have happened, some are things that haven't yet happened, fragmented glimpses with no clear cause or effect."

"Ordinary dreams fade upon waking, but these don’t. Though the details blur, the general impression stays with me."

"When I encounter something I saw in those dreams, or meet someone from them, I recall those memories."

As he spoke, Yuki glanced cautiously at his superior, unsure whether this explanation would hold up—it was, after all, his own dreams, granting him ultimate control over the narrative, allowing him to patch or adjust it as needed.

Mr. Sui listened, pondered for a moment, and then nodded in understanding. "So, you know me."

"Ah, yes," Mr. Sui’s thoughts were somewhat erratic. Yuki caught up and nodded, adding, "I saw Captain Sui walking into a field of white light in the ruined Phoenix Base, and then he..."

He stopped, blending details and omissions in a way that matched the chaotic, fragmented nature of dreams.

"That was in the past," Mr. Sui said, his tone tinged with nostalgia. The subtle aura of command he’d exuded earlier softened.

"I see, so this is how you glimpse ‘the past’ or ‘the future’..."

Yuki simply nodded, reluctant to say more, afraid that speaking further might make matters worse.

Noticing that Yuki seemed as uncertain about his own "ability" as anyone else, Mr. Sui did not press further, returning to the previous topic: "You say the future cannot be changed? Not so. The future will eventually become the present, or the past. But what it becomes, there are countless possibilities."

"You may have glimpsed only one path. Where the future collapses to, depends on the actions of the ‘observer’."

Schrödinger’s cat...

"Don't doubt whether your efforts and sacrifices are meaningful. If you ‘do nothing,’ that decision itself is an action, and it will shape the future as well. I believe your efforts do matter."

With that, Mr. Sui handed something to him.

"The future has indeed changed."

Yuki instinctively reached out. Only when it touched his hand did he realize it was a newspaper—today’s evening edition, freshly printed, still fragrant with ink.

On the front page, in bold, dramatic lettering reminiscent of the UC editorial office’s sensational headlines, a title leaped before Yuki’s eyes.

For a moment, his pupils quaked!

"Shocking! A miraculous survival! — Two astronauts previously thought missing have been rescued!"