Chapter 45 – The Silent Witness
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The Archive's Last Secret
The lingering echoes of the recording faded, leaving Luo Fan in the dimly lit chamber of the ancient archive. Dust floated in the still air, illuminated by the flickering light of EchoStar's fractured display.
Luo Fan exhaled slowly. His own voice—his past self—had defied erasure.
But who had won?
> "Alright, boss, time for the classic question—do we keep poking the cosmic bear, or do we pretend we never saw that?"
Luo Fan gave the floating system interface a flat look. "What do you think?"
> "Ugh. Fine. I guess we keep poking."
Shen Mu crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "If you were truly erased, then someone restored you. That means there's a witness. Someone who remembers."
Luo Fan nodded. "And if they remember me, they might also remember why this happened."
EchoStar hummed, processing the thought.
> "So we're looking for… I don't know, a rogue fragment of history? A lost record? Maybe a ghost of the multiverse?"
Luo Fan considered the options. "If anything survived, where would it be?"
> "Somewhere outside the normal flow of time and reality. A place beyond resets, beyond erasures."
Shen Mu's eyes darkened. "The Dead Layer."
Luo Fan glanced at him. "You know it?"
Shen Mu nodded. "Not many do. It's a plane where time doesn't move. A dumping ground for things the multiverse wants to forget."
EchoStar flickered.
> "Oh. Oh hell no. That place is like the landfill of existence. Full of broken worlds, half-dead systems, and things that should not be alive."
Luo Fan smirked. "Sounds perfect."
> "You say that now—wait until you're being chased by an eldritch tax collector demanding payment for memories you don't even own."
Shen Mu exhaled. "If we go there, we'll be walking into a graveyard of lost possibilities. No laws. No logic. No guarantees of survival."
Luo Fan rolled his shoulders. "So? What's new?"
EchoStar made a noise of pure exasperation.
> "Great. Fantastic. Let's add 'tempting fate' to today's itinerary."
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Descent into the Dead Layer
The path to the Dead Layer wasn't a physical one. It was a concept.
A forgotten gateway hidden between the cracks of existence.
Shen Mu led them through a ruined temple at the very edge of the collapsed realm. Ancient symbols lined the walls, shifting between languages that no longer existed.
Luo Fan placed his hand against the stone. The air vibrated.
> "Oh, this is a bad idea."
A whisper rippled through the ruins.
"Turn back."
The stone melted into shadows.
A vast, empty expanse yawned before them—a place where even light struggled to exist.
Luo Fan inhaled.
Then he stepped forward.
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[Chapter End.]