Star Return Project

The countdown to the "Rejuvenation Experiment" starts, 10, 9, 8... Lin Zhao stared at the red numbers beating on the screen, his palms all sweaty. Lin Zhao didn't know how he was selected, he only knew that this was an opportunity to change his destiny. Three seconds. Lin Zhao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. His face was reflected in the mirror. He was a man in his thirties, with fine lines at the corners of his eyes, dull skin, and thinning hair. He looked older than his actual age. Two seconds. Lin Zhao thought of the mysterious man last night, wearing a black suit and sunglasses, waiting for him at the entrance of the laboratory late at night. The man didn't say much, he just said: "Do you want to go back to being eighteen years old?" One second. "Start." As the mechanical sound sounded, the entire room instantly lit up with a dazzling blue light, as if countless electric currents were running along the spine and up to the brain. Lin Zhao's body shook violently and his consciousness began to blur. Then, the world fell into darkness. --- When Lin Zhao opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a soft bed. The ceiling was pure white, anime posters were posted on the walls, and there were several comic books and game consoles piled in the corner. Lin Zhao sat up suddenly and looked down at his hands - young, white, and slender, with no trace of roughness or aging at all. He rushed into the bathroom and looked at the face in the mirror, his heartbeat almost skipping a beat. That is... My seventeen-year-old self. "I succeeded? Still retain the memory of the next 20 years? Why is it so real? As if I woke up yesterday?" Lin Zhao murmured to himself, his voice clear and energetic. At this moment, there was a knock on the door. "Brother Zhao, are you up? Aren't you going to report to the new university today?" Lin Zhao was stunned. Who is this? Lin Zhao tried hard to remember, and a name came to mind: Chen Hao, his best friend in high school who later died in an accident. But now, he is still alive. Lin Zhao suppressed the shock in his heart and opened the door. Sure enough, he saw Chen Hao standing at the door, wearing a school uniform with a familiar smile on his face. "Why are you dazed? Did you stay up late playing games again last night?" Lin Zhao laughed dryly: "Absolutely." "Hurry up and clean up. Don't be late. I heard that New University is quite strict." After Chen Hao finished speaking, he turned around and ran downstairs. Lin Zhao closed the door and leaned against it, breathing quickly. This is not a dream. Lin Zhao really went back to the past. Moreover, he went from being a middle-aged man in his thirties to a seventeen-year-old boy who had just entered a first-level university. Lin Zhao walked to the mirror and looked at the young face carefully, feeling an indescribable emotion in his heart. In this life, he will live differently. --- The university campus is very large, and the architectural style leans toward modern technology. The playground is lined with ginkgo trees, with golden leaves falling in the wind. The sun shines through the leaves on the ground, making it variegated. Lin Zhao carried a few books and walked on the road with his schoolbag on his back. He heard the sounds of students laughing and playing, and the air was filled with the breath of youth. Lin Zhao couldn't help but smile. He had missed so much. I didn't get into my ideal major in college, and I was overwhelmed by reality after working. I couldn't even see my parents for the last time. But now, everything can be done again. "Brother Zhao!" A familiar voice sounded again. Lin Zhao turned around and saw Chen Hao waving to him. There was a girl beside him, with a ponytail and a white dress, with delicate features and lively eyes. "Let me introduce, this is a new classmate in our class, Su Li." Chen Hao said with a smile, "She has just transferred to another school. She is not familiar with the place. We have to take good care of her." Lin Zhao looked at Su Li and was slightly shocked. He had heard this name in his previous life. She was one of the main persons in charge of the "Rejuvenation Experiment". She later disappeared due to an accident and became one of the biggest mysteries in the scientific community. Now, she is just an ordinary student who has just transferred to another school. "Hello." Su Li took the initiative to extend his hand, "I heard from Chen Hao that you are a very powerful person." Lin Zhao held her hand and smiled: "I'm just an ordinary person." Su Li blinked: "But I don't believe that ordinary people have the ability to 'rewind time'." Lin Zhao's smile froze instantly. What does she know? "You..." Lin Zhao was about to speak, but was interrupted by Su Li shaking his head gently. "Don't be nervous, I don't mean any harm." She whispered, "I just... Also want to know what this experiment means." Lin Zhao was silent for a few seconds, and finally nodded: "Let's talk about it later." The school bell rang, and the three of them walked into the classroom together. Lin Zhao sat on his seat, looking at the sunshine outside the window, but his heart was surging. Lin Zhao thought he was the only one who knew the truth. But now it seems that things are far more complicated than he imagined. --- After school, Lin Zhao came to the rooftop of the school alone. There was no one here, and the wind blew across my cheeks, bringing a bit of coolness. Lin Zhao took out a piece of paper from his pocket with one line written on it: "If you still remember what happened in the future, please come to me." The signature is an address, just in the old town in the south of the city. Lin Zhao frowned and thought, who left it? Lin Zhao had a vague hunch that there was a bigger secret hidden behind this "rejuvenation experiment". And I may be just one of the pawns. But Lin Zhao did not intend to wait passively. Since fate has given me a second chance, this time, I not only want to live a wonderful life, but also uncover all the mysteries. Even if the price is to face an unknown future. "While there is still some time, prepare! Well, let's do it like this." Lin Zhao said to himself and slowly disappeared on the rooftop. The night is getting darker, and the city lights are lighting up one by one. Lin Zhao stood on the rooftop in the abandoned wilderness with a firm gaze. Two years ago, a big event happened here and it turned into ruins. "Brother Zhao, you are indeed here." Lin Zhao turned around and saw Chen Hao leaning against the wall at the entrance to the rooftop, holding a bottle of soda in his hand. "How do you know I'm here?" Lin Zhao frowned. "When you were in high school, you would run to the rooftop whenever you were worried." Chen Hao came over and handed him a bottle of soda. "Now it seems that this has not changed." Lin Zhao took the soda, was silent for a few seconds, and asked in a low voice: "Do you think... You can really start your life over?" Chen Hao was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Are you trying to ask an old-fashioned question like 'if you had it to do over again, would you make a different choice?'" Lin Zhao said nothing. "Brother Zhao, I think so!" Chen Hao looked up at the night sky, "Even if we had to do it over a hundred times, we would still make the same choice, not because we have no choice, but because we are who we are. No matter how many times we meet the same people, make the same mistakes, and fall in love with the same people." Lin Zhao was shocked. Lin Zhao looked at Chen Hao, his best friend who had died in the car accident, now standing in front of him alive. "What if..." Lin Zhao spoke slowly, "What if you had the chance to change the past?" Chen Hao turned his head and looked at Lin Zhao, his eyes suddenly became a little deep: "Then do you still remember what Su Li said today? She said that you are not just an ordinary person, you also have the ability to 'rewind time'." Lin Zhao's fingers tightened slightly. "What do you know?" Lin Zhao asked in a low voice. Chen Hao was silent for a few seconds, and then smiled: "Brother Zhao, do you think that your time travel back is just your secret?" Lin Zhao's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. "What do you mean?" Chen Hao sighed softly: "Do you think you are the only one who 'comes back'?" The night wind blew by, and Lin Zhao felt a chill on his back. The bell tower in the distance struck seven times. "Time is running out." Chen Hao whispered, "If you want to uncover the truth, go to the abandoned science and technology center in the south of the city at 12 o'clock tonight, where the secrets of all the people who have come back are hidden." Lin Zhao was stunned. "You too..." "I came back two years earlier than you." Chen Hao smiled, "And I'm not the only one." Lin Zhao felt his brain roaring. Lin Zhao thought that he was the darling of fate and the only one who got a second life. But now it seems that this is just part of a larger plan. "Who are you...?" Lin Zhao asked in a low voice. "We are the first batch of experimental subjects of the 'Star Return Project'." Chen Hao said softly, "And you are the last one to wake up." Lin Zhao turned around suddenly and looked at Chen Hao. "Star return plan?" "Yes!" Chen Hao nodded and said helplessly, "An experiment about 'time back'. Do you think you are the first? No, there are dozens of people who have already taken a step ahead of you." "Then Su Li..." "She is one of the core members of the experimental team." Chen Hao whispered, "She didn't come back, but she knew everything." Lin Zhao's hands were shaking slightly. "What... What do you want to do?" "Find out the truth." Chen Hao looked at Lin Zhao quietly and said, "Find out the truth behind the 'Rejuvenation Experiment' and... Who is controlling it all." Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go with you." Chen Hao smiled: "I knew you would." Chen Hao turned around and walked downstairs. Lin Zhao stood there, looking at the night sky. Lin Zhao finally understood that he was not the darling of fate, but a pawn chosen by fate. But this time, he had to decide for himself how to make this move. Mission: Urban Technology