Colt tried to pull the timeline of Earth 50 again, his subconscious did not issue any further warnings. He randomly selected several more worlds from the historical archives and shifted their timelines; once again, his subconscious remained silent. When he returned to New World 1736 and attempted to pull the timeline back to its very beginning, his subconscious sensed danger at the mere slightest touch.
The guess was correct.
Colt canceled all unconfirmed commands, then discovered that there were two invalid commands within the Earth 50 code.
One was to grant Red Robin memories of a reversed future.
One is to give Joseph and Alisa a child.
Colt checked the surveillance records.
The first command came from Red Robin, the second command came from Joseph; the Earth Simulator showed insufficient permissions and refused to execute their commands.
Colt extracted the two invalid commands, after reviewing them, confirmed their execution.
A slight loss of spiritual power occurred, roughly the same amount that dissipates when losing consciousness. By this standard, given the total amount of his spiritual power, there were many things he could achieve.
Colt temporarily set aside the Earth Simulator and prepared to enter the Virtual Laboratory, but he could not find the Virtual Helmet no matter how hard he looked.
The surveillance showed that Dad had hidden the Virtual Helmet.
Colt had intended to give up, but suddenly his vision blurred, without the guidance of a Virtual Helmet, he entered the Virtual Laboratory directly.
That's right, the core used by the Quantum Superbrain is his power source; it is only natural that he can enter it freely.
Colt used the time difference to review for the ACT Exam. He mainly focused on practicing sample questions to control his problem-solving speed. Getting a perfect score would be fine; he just shouldn't exceed his personal record by too much.
Red Robin was busy until 1 AM before sending Colt a message saying she was going to sleep.
[Three minutes.]
Colt exited the Virtual Laboratory, went upstairs, washed up, lay down on the bed, placed Birdie by his pillow, all in one continuous motion; just as he closed his eyes, he heard a rustling sound.
..
The dreamscape was their secret base, where no one would disturb them, they didn't have to care about anyone's gaze. They possessed the endurance and resilience of gods, without the troubles of being injured, they could vent to their heart's content.
Yes, to vent.
Timothy's gentleness tonight was tinged with a certain ferocity, using his actions to express his worry. Timothy was always like this, never speaking of how much effort he had put in, as if cleaning up after Colt was simply his responsibility. Even if it meant reversing the time of a world by fifteen years, affecting the lives of millions in Metropolis, Timothy could shoulder it all alone, ensuring that Superman and Batman didn't come to talk to Colt.
Colt bit his lip, occasionally letting out a few sounds of extreme suppression, as tears silently flowed from the corners of his eyes.
In his dreams, he was like a creature shedding its shell, becoming soft and sensitive.
Colt didn't need to maintain his daytime rationality and clarity; he began to feel fearful for how his consciousness had almost been overwhelmed by countless thoughts, he felt pained by the necessity of having to leave.
He hugged Timothy even tighter, wanting to merge the two of them into one, ideally never to be separated again.
..
What kind of world do you want?
Colt was not sure if he had made a sound, because Timothy did not answer; he only exerted more force, causing his soul to be tossed about so violently that he could not think.
..
When all emotions are washed away by sweat, time seems to have passed for an eternity.
Timothy gently stroked Colt's back. "Only 49 days left."
Colt murmured in response, "We still have 49 days."
Timothy sucked away the salty tear from the corner of Colt's eye, "Can you completely control your own plan?"
"I can." Colt had to have absolute confidence, because will is also a part of power.
"If the plan fails, what will happen to you?" Timothy asked again.
If the plan fails, this world will remain unchanged, but I will return to my own home, you will forget everything about me even more completely.
Colt did not think he could hide anything from the World's Second Detective, so he did not lie; he simply omitted some details. For instance, if the plan failed, both Colt and Du Zhe would die, only knowledge would be able to return to its homeland.
I won't forget," Timothy said firmly. "Believe me, not even God could make me forget you again.
"I believe you." Colt knew it was impossible, but he was willing to cast aside logic and believe.
"The plan was a success, then?" Timothy asked again.
“All the irrational settings will be corrected, the people you miss can return, we will gain a relatively perfect new world.” Colt paused, “All the regrets of the heroes will be made right; it is what you deserve.”
"And you?" Timothy cupped Colt's face, forcing him to meet his eyes.
Ice-blue eyes could see through one's soul; Colt was unable to lie to those eyes.
I will return to my homeland, carrying the knowledge I have accumulated over these years, to change my world.
Chapter 64
Timothy hoped Colt would stay.
Timothy's eyes said as much, but he did not speak to ask him to stay.
Colt was relieved that Timothy did not ask him to stay, as he wouldn't have to weigh Timothy against his homeland, but Timothy's rationality also left him feeling a sense of loss, his heart grew heavier and heavier.
I've worked hard in my studies all these years just for that day." Colt feigned a relaxed attitude, a smile playing on his lips. "Du Zhe will become an even more dazzling genius than Tony; his inventions alone will make me wealthier than Wayne. Hmm, will Wayne Legal send me a cease and desist letter across worlds?
Timothy was smart enough to understand that this kind of refusal was the most unsolvable.
Making Colt give up his ideals for love would be like clipping a bird's wings; even if he could build a magnificent golden cage, a bird that cannot fly will never be happy.
Silence spread.
Colt's attempt at feigning lightness quickly failed; his heavy heart pulled the corners of his mouth down bit by bit, sadness overflowed in his eyes.
Timothy pressed Colt against his shoulder, gently stroking his hair. "Current laws don't support cross-world patent enforcement, but they will in the future. Once you go back, remember to check your email every day."
Colt bit Timothy's shoulder, even as he tasted the flavor of iron, he did not let go.
Timothy only gently stroked his hair, whispering in his ear, "Do you remember the book Joseph gave me?"
Colt let out a muffled grunt.
A Merfolk is originally a daughter of the sea; walking on land, every step is like walking on sharp blades." Timothy kissed Colt's temple, "If I were your Prince, I would want you to return to the sea, I would go find you wearing a diving suit.
Colt slowly unclenched his clenched teeth.
Timothy's hand moved down from his hair, stroking along his spine one stroke at a time. "Don't be afraid, Colt. Since we can't stop, then keep going forward; I can keep up with you."
Colt licked the bleeding bite mark, disinfecting the wound.
Timothy raised his head and kissed his brow, "Listen, Colt, you just need to plunge your knife into Prince Highness's heart, get your mermaid tail back, then return to the sea and wait for me to come find you."
He always seemed to appear reliable, as if even the greatest troubles were nothing more than a few extra contingency plans to him.
"You found the coordinates for the Dimensional Rift?" Colt's expression was complicated, filled with both joy and worry.
I have a few leads," Timothy nodded. "So the countdown timer isn't a time bomb meant to send you away.
Stabbing a knife into the heart of a Prince is not to kill him, but to create a new Prince," Colt mentioned the old problem. "What kind of Prince do you need?
This is not a question that can be answered with a sudden burst of inspiration.
Timothy needed the data from the 1735 parallel worlds within the Earth Simulator to find the most ideal Earth, extracting its essence while discarding the dross.
"Our world isn't among those 1735 Earths; could it be number 1736?" Timothy asked.
Colt shook his head. "No, our world is Number 0."
The Earth Simulator was merely Colt's power, a power that had been encroaching upon this world since the day Colt was born. It was precisely with this power that Colt reversed five minutes ten years ago, averting the disaster at Gotham Elementary.
..
Colt was awakened by a bird and sat up, clutching his throbbing head.
Lost in a dream where time and date were unknown, he and Timothy studied the history of 1,735 worlds, analyzing their pros and cons from a god's perspective and recording the critical turning points of major crises and upheavals..
Timothy is simply not human.
Even Colt's brain, which could function as a computer, felt like it was running out of memory; yet Timothy actually had the spiritual power to write PPT reports.
PPT！
Colt quickly pulled out the Quantum Terminal and put it on, exporting the information from his brain: analysis reports from various worlds, a summary table of crisis records, the PPT.
Birdie had already finished a round of exercise this morning, bringing back several wildflowers and a gray rabbit several times larger than a bird.
Birdie's strength was indeed somewhat extraordinary.
Joseph was still sleeping.
Colt had never seen Joseph sleep for this long, he couldn't help but check his breathing, listen to his heartbeat, scan his physical condition to confirm he was still alive. The proctoring team arranged by the College Board was scheduled to arrive at 8:00, it was already 7:30. Colt was still considering whether or not to wake Joseph up.
He didn't wake up.
At eighteen, he was already an adult and could sign for himself.
Colt had a simple breakfast, received a good morning message from Timothy, checked his location. After confirming that he had returned to Gotham from the Watchtower, he replied with a video of a holographic avatar seriously eating breakfast.
[139, 0, 255: As long as the ones coming today aren't the World's First and World's Second Detective, they won't be able to realize that the person before them has no physical form.]
[185, 205, 246: Even the World's Second Detective wouldn't be able to tell.]
Although those words might have been just to coax him, Colt was still very happy. He synchronized with the virtual avatar even more actively, playing a game of catch with Birdie using peanuts.
Timothy also has an exam today.
They wished each other good luck on their exams.
The security camera at the foot of the mountain monitored a vehicle coming up the mountain. Colt put on a hat and a mask, then opened the gates early and stood at the entrance waiting.
Two cars arrived, the first being the luxury sports car that Bruce's Baby had only purchased this year, which had once made headlines in the entertainment news.
Colt checked Timothy's location and confirmed that Timothy was heading toward the exam venue and was not in the luxury car.
The sports car came to a halt at the entrance with a drift, Wayne stepped out, wearing a playboy's smile. Leaning against the car door, he waved to Colt.
Hi, Colt, ready for the exam?
I'm ready for the exam, but I'm not ready for you.
Colt pulled his hat brim down, lowering his head in resistance and stepping back slightly, putting on an air of being sick or simply uninterested in socializing.
Bruce's smile remained unchanged as he walked toward the car parked behind him, enthusiastically reaching out to the proctor getting out of the vehicle: "Dr. Reed is my friend, this child is also a friend of my child. His situation is a bit unusual, so please bear with us if he causes any offense."