I can rewind time to prevent death
Chapter 58 Waiting for Rescue

At the scene where the strangenesses claimed lives, everyone formed a circle, holding hands, which is obligatory training for an exorcist.

Huang Chen also understood this.

Where the strangeness ensued, the entity would try to "insert itself" during contact with people—that is to say, it would replace ways to enter the human environment by various means and methods.

Especially at scenes like these, the phenomenon of "inserting itself" was fiercer and more bizarre.

For instance, Granny Ren could split her spirit and become Lv Xin to enter the house, and unless one was a three-star exorcist, it was impossible to sense the true from the false of Lv Xin.

This was a typical "insertion."

By entering Lv Qiang's body and making him vomit a large amount of his own previously fallen grizzled hair, this too was a form of "insertion."

But because Lan Jing was well versed in this area and knew that Granny Ren, being at least a Semi-Sculpting Spirit, could easily catch up with them and insert herself, she did the opposite and immediately threw a "High-Energy Collapse" Hidden Buckle to her companions, sealing off the entire elevator, thereby temporarily preventing Granny Ren from entering.

Although Ren couldn't enter, she still could control the exterior of the elevator.

Now, with everyone holding hands, they formed a circle, giving Granny Ren no opportunity to insert herself.

"What do we do now?" Huang Chen asked Lan Jing.

"Give me all your Hidden Buckles," said Lan Jing. "Don't let go of each other's hands, use your fingertips to pry them out and place them all in the palm of my hand."

Rustling sounds emanated from the elevator as Huang Chen, still holding onto the other's hand, prised off the buttons from his clothing and the Hidden Buckles in his pockets, slowly placing them on Lan Jing's palm.

The elevator was devoid of light; not even the emergency lighting was on, leaving everyone unable to see anything, relying only on touch.

"Mom… Mommy?" Lv Jiayan's voice suddenly rang out.

Wang Qin squeezed the hand of her daughter, offering encouragement: "Don't worry, mommy's here, don't be scared!"

"Mommy…" Lv Jiayan's voice was far from calm, rather it sounded like she was about to cry, "Where are you, Mommy?"

Everyone stiffened abruptly.

At this moment, it was Wang Qin and Lan Jing who were holding Lv Jiayan's hands, with Huang Chen on the other side.

"I'm holding your hand, child; mommy's here," said Wang Qin, agitated.

"Mommy, no one's holding me, I'm over here!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a small hand suddenly touched Wang Qin's waist, then tugged on her clothes, "Mommy, I've been standing in the corner of the elevator the whole time, nobody's holding me."

"Not good!"

Lan Jing let out a cry of alarm, immediately feeling the "Lv Jiayan" she was holding. The hand, which had been tender just a moment ago, was now full of wrinkles, the skin lax and parched.

"Ah!"

At the same time, Wang Qin noticed the anomaly and shrieked, as though she was holding a snake, and in her terror, she almost threw it away.

"Wang Qin, don't let go, hold onto Granny Ren!" Lan Jing shouted, "If you let go, nobody will escape! Huang Chen, hold onto Lv Jiayan!"

Until that moment, even Lan Jing hadn't anticipated that Granny Ren had still managed to insert herself unnoticed.

From the second-floor corridor, one could see the elevator stuck there as it emitted a thunderous bang, the whole structure shaking violently.

About four or five seconds later, the elevator door opened just a crack, enough for a person to slip through sideways.

Lv Jiayan was violently shoved out, tumbling onto the second-floor corridor.

The next second, Huang Chen darted out of the elevator, awkwardly bending over to grab Lv Jiayan, hoisting her up, then dashing into the stairwell and running swiftly towards the first floor.

"Notify the squad headquarters immediately, take Lv Jiayan to Yu Xiaochang's home. Her life and death depend on her staying with him until the headquarters' exorcists arrive!"

Lan Jing's words still echoed in Huang Chen's ears, lingering for a long time.

Meanwhile, at the elevator that had opened, now only wisps of white smoke drifted out, and beyond that, there was no other movement.

…

Shuntian No.3 Middle School.

Yan Junze felt somewhat gloomy; Ke'er had been disappearing and reappearing periodically these past few days, and he had no idea what she was up to.

Moreover, he spent the day under the weight of several half-mocking, half-smiling gazes, which left him with complex emotions.

During the break, after Zhou Dali made suggestive gestures towards him for the 17th time, he said, "How did it feel? Come on, tell your good brother, did it feel fleshy when you held her?"

Yan Junze was at a loss for words and punched him hard on his chunky arm, "I should have collected Jian Tong's soul like capturing a Crawler Monster, and then released it every day to let you taste what flesh feels like."

Zhou Dali chuckled, "Your puny punches don't work on me. But what I wanted to say is that this new video is freaking awesome. It feels even better than the previous ones, you know!"

Following Bao Jie's suggestion, Yan Junze had decided not to delete the last part where he was "dressed as a big shot lady," and simply be his true self, even keeping the section where he vomited and felt sick.

After all, there was a precedent for this.

The new internet sensation, Big-eyed Girl, was sitting at the neighboring desk, and she currently had the highest fan count among them, showing nothing but her true self.

The one with the fewest fans was undoubtedly Zhou Dali. He was even criticized as a "simp," "dramatic," and "how has he not been glared to death in the negative first floor by a dead person's eyes," plunging him into self-doubt and questions these past few days.

He had asked Yan Junze the question "Should I continue to love Bao Jie" 128 times in three days.

Before the afternoon classes, Ke'er had disappeared once again.

Yan Junze, who was already bothered by a headache, took Zhou Dali to the rooftop of the teaching building, speaking with the tone of an elder in a heartfelt manner: "I understand and empathize with your foolish young man's infatuation. But did you notice? Bao Jie doesn't like you. Forget about liking; she even harbors a slight disgust towards you. So, I suggest you let go of Bao Jie.

Turn back while you can. Focus on doing your best, remember, 'where flowers bloom, there butterflies flock.'"

Zhou Dali stared blankly at him, taking a while to snap back to reality, "Why do I suddenly feel like you sound like you're in your thirties?"

"I am mature beyond my years," said Yan Junze with a serious tone, "In these few days, don't think about anything else. Just focus on revising and do well on your exams. Enhance your personal charm and strength. Once you're more capable, you won't have to worry about a lack of women's affection."

Zhou Dali fell silent.

After a short while, he pursed his lips, his eyes glistening with tears, then suddenly hugged Yan Junze. Seemingly crying and laughing at the same time, he loudly declared, "From this moment on, your big brother Dali's first love officially ends. I'll listen to you, focus on my exams, and cast aside everything else!"

"Your sister's first love, have you even been in love?" retorted Yan Junze.

"Hahaha…" Zhou Dali laughed through his tears.

"Which student is that on the roof? Class has started, and yet you're up there making a racket? Hurry up and come down for class!" The voice of their class teacher, Xiang Decai, startled the two of them into running down as if smoke were at their heels.

The rooftop returned to its tranquil state.

After the rooftop door closed, around the corner next to the door, a thin woman with disheveled hair, wearing a white short-sleeve top and shorts, stood quietly facing the wall.