I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Star City Academy.

Nighttime. The moon hung high in the sky, stars faintly twinkling.

By the lake in front of the dormitory building, Mu Qing sat with her knees drawn up under the willow tree. Her lips lightly pressed against the mouthpiece of her harmonica, quietly playing a melody.

The breeze caressed her face, lifting a few strands of her hair.

As she played, Mu Qing's pupils slowly transformed into vertical slits, and the rune crystal embedded in her arm began to glimmer faintly. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to suppress the turmoil within her, but memories kept flooding her mind, threatening to overtake her.

Her eyes gradually turned a deep crimson, and two sharp tiger-like fangs peeked out from the corners of her mouth.

Pain contorted her face as she curled up, her body trembling uncontrollably. She was on the verge of losing control.

At that moment, Feng Qi appeared in the distance, keeping to the promise he had made earlier.

Noticing something was off, he quickly stepped closer to her side.

"Mu Qing, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

As he spoke, he placed his hand on her shoulder. In that instant, an intense suction force erupted from Mu Qing's body. Feng Qi's newly acquired "Nightmare" ability activated automatically due to the extreme instability of Mu Qing's emotions, and countless fragmented memories flooded into his mind.

In the vision, a little girl appeared—a young Mu Qing, around seven or eight years old. She knelt beside a wooden bed, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.

On the bed lay a man with a bloated and blackened body. He weakly reached out to grasp the girl's hand and spoke with difficulty:

"Don't blame us… we had no choice. From now on, you'll have to walk this path alone… I'm sorry. I have to go find your mother first… Remember, you must take care of yourself and live strongly."

The man's words were interrupted by violent coughing, black blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. With great effort, he picked up a harmonica from beside him and handed it to the little girl:

"This is the only thing your mom and I can leave for you…"

"Mu Mu, don't be afraid. As long as you've eaten your fill, you'll find the strength to stand tall."

The memory flickered and shifted, skipping to a new scene.

The little girl was now clutching a stack of documents, standing timidly in the main hall of the Star City Civil Affairs Bureau, quietly waiting.

"Number 024, please proceed to window 3 for service!" The electronic announcement echoed through the hall.

Hearing this, the little girl hurried over to the designated window, struggling to climb onto the chair.

The staff member behind the counter seemed surprised to see such a small child handling official matters and asked kindly, "What can I help you with, little one?"

"I… I'm here to apply for an orphan certificate," the girl replied softly, pursing her lips.

The staff member's astonished expression deepened as Mu Qing pulled out death certificates for her father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and maternal grandparents. She explained in a quiet voice:

"I just got my dad's death certificate issued. Now I have no family left. I need to go to the orphanage, so I'm here to get my certificate."

This scene stunned Feng Qi. He couldn't fathom how Mu Qing had survived such a dark period in her life.

His heart ached for the brave little girl before him.

"Once I have my orphan certificate, I'm an adult, right? I can take care of myself then, can't I?" the girl asked the staff member timidly, her voice trembling.

Hearing this, the staff member's lips trembled slightly, but she forced a smile to reassure the girl.

"Yes, once you have your orphan certificate, you're considered an adult."

The vision flickered and jumped again. This time, Mu Qing was accompanied by a tall woman in a black uniform. The woman crouched down to whisper softly into her ear:

"You carry their blood in your veins. It's the fruit of our experiments. That's why you must come with me to complete the follow-up experiments."

The woman reached out to take Mu Qing's small hand, leading her step by step into the distance.

Feng Qi could feel Mu Qing's inner resistance and struggle in that moment.

Then the vision abruptly ended.

A sharp pain erupted in Feng Qi's chest as his body was hurled backward, skidding several meters before slamming into the ground.

Snapping out of the vision, Feng Qi quickly got to his feet, narrowly avoiding the heavy punch Mu Qing had thrown at him.

"Boom!"

Her fist struck the ground, creating a deep crater where he had just stood.

"Mu Qing!" Feng Qi called out urgently.

Hearing his voice, a flicker of struggle flashed across Mu Qing's face. She stood frozen in place for a moment, before taking a deep breath. The crimson light in her pupils gradually dimmed and faded away.

"I'm sorry…" Mu Qing said in a trembling voice, her tone filled with unease. She avoided meeting his gaze, her body stiff and unsure.

In her time at the academy, Feng Qi was the only person who had ever tried to befriend her. But deep down, she believed that he, like the others, would soon distance himself from her. They all did eventually, some even showing outright disdain.

"I'm fine. Now, how about you teach me how to play the harmonica?" Feng Qi grinned, brushing off the situation with a casual tone.

Mu Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked up at him cautiously, her voice hesitant.

"Aren't… aren't you afraid I'll lose control again?"

Glancing at the deep crater on the ground where her punch had landed, Feng Qi forced a confident smile and said, "Afraid? Do I look that weak? That punch was alright, I guess. Barely hurt."

Mu Qing: …

Seeing the complex emotions in her expression, Feng Qi chuckled and added, "You don't seem to be in great shape today, Mu Qing. You should head back and rest. As for the harmonica lesson, let's save it for next time. Oh, and don't forget, breakfast together tomorrow!" His grin widened as he spoke.

Mu Qing hesitated for a moment, her lips parting slightly as if to say something, but in the end, she just nodded with a conflicted look in her eyes.

"Alright."

After watching her silhouette disappear into the distance, Feng Qi let out a long sigh and clutched his chest. A pained hiss escaped his lips as his expression finally crumpled.

That punch from Mu Qing felt like it carried the force of a prehistoric beast. The impact on his chest had left him seeing stars, and he swore he'd been a breath away from his soul leaving his body.

If not for the enhancements his body had undergone during his time in the future Dream Realm, he'd undoubtedly be lying in a hospital bed—or worse.

Lifting his shirt, Feng Qi examined the damage. As expected, a massive bruise had blossomed across his chest. But to his amazement, the discoloration was fading visibly before his eyes.

This didn't surprise him too much. After all, his "Strong" prefix title in the Dream Realm granted him accelerated self-repair capabilities, which clearly had a lingering effect even in the real world.

After standing still for a moment to collect himself, Feng Qi turned and began walking back toward the dormitory.

As he walked, the fragmented memories he'd seen from Mu Qing's mind resurfaced in his thoughts. His eyes grew cold and sharp.

He needed to find out who the woman in black was.

It was becoming increasingly clear to him that Mu Qing's transformation into a rune-enhanced human likely had everything to do with being treated as an experimental subject by that woman.

More than that, Feng Qi now suspected that the deaths of Mu Qing's parents might have been orchestrated—potentially another cruel consequence of some horrific human experiments.

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. He could feel it.

At the center of this twisted web, one name seemed to loom larger than ever—the "Crimson Research Institute."