C2 Loli(2)

Jiang Feng felt a twinge of fear, worrying that his journey might end in an unexpected tragedy. He gingerly climbed out of bed and touched the little girl's back, relieved to find it warm to the touch; she had likely just fainted.

With great care, Jiang Feng lifted the girl and placed her on the bed, arranging her to lie flat. Upon closer inspection, he realized she wasn't wearing underwear but a flesh-toned gauze that could easily give the impression she was bare.

The girl was an enigma: petite, barely over a meter tall, and seemingly under ten years old, yet her figure was surprisingly well-defined.

As Jiang Feng reached out to her, he felt a rush of heat before even touching her skin—a temperature significantly above normal human warmth. He wondered, could she be something other than human?

The longer he watched her, the more he began to sweat, his mouth twitching and heart racing as if dark thoughts were creeping into his mind.

Torn within, Jiang Feng was unsure of what to do, but his hand seemed to move on its own toward the girl's chest. Just as he was about to make contact, he bit down hard and, with a swift motion, grabbed the blanket and draped it over the girl.

He then rushed to the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water repeatedly. After freshening up, he felt a refreshing chill wash over him.

Back in the room, Jiang Feng sank into a chair, exhaling deeply as if to expel any lingering sinister thoughts. Now, looking at the little girl on the bed, he saw her cuteness and felt a pure, warm sensation.

"A pure feeling is so much better. I'm definitely not a monster," Jiang Feng whispered to himself.

He was relieved he hadn't harmed the girl, realizing he had grown fond of her in a way that resembled familial affection. Yet, he couldn't quite pinpoint the exact nature of his feelings.

Outside, the starlight began to wane, though dawn was still a while away.

Jiang Feng, groggy and disoriented, slumped back into his chair and slowly drifted off to sleep once more.

Unfortunately, he had barely dozed off when a piercing scream jolted him awake.

Bleary-eyed, Jiang Feng saw a little loli perched on top of him, yelling frantically, and the words she was screaming were shocking: "Daddy, daddy, daddy."

Startled, Jiang Feng lost his balance, tumbling off the chair along with the tiny loli.

He quickly righted himself and checked on her, "Are you okay?"

The little loli checked herself over, hands patting down her body, "I'm fine."

"Good to hear," Jiang Feng said, as he helped her to her feet. "Who are you?"

"I'm your daughter, Jiang Wei, 8 years old."

"Nonsense, I'm still single."

"But I really am your daughter, from the future."

Daughter? From the future? Jiang Feng had anticipated something unusual, but he had only considered the possibility of the future world, not that this child could be his daughter.

"That's quite a claim. How can you prove it?"

"Your name is Jiang Feng, mine is Jiang Wei. Our grandparents were police officers but died young, leaving you on your own. The key piece of evidence, though, is the mole on your behind."

"Oh my goodness." Jiang Feng rubbed his head, astonished that this child knew his secret.

"I am your daughter, without a doubt. I'm here to save you, Daddy."

"Save me? What do you mean?"

That's when the loli had an epiphany, pulling out her left hand to reveal an object resembling a USB drive.

Jiang Feng then remembered that she had been clutching one hand tightly, as if safeguarding something, but he hadn't paid it much attention before.

"What's this?" he asked, taking the USB.

"It's the data Daddy collected through hard work," the little loli answered.

"What's it for?"

"To free you from your loser destiny."

Jiang Feng thought to himself, "Crap, I must be a loser in the future too."

"This is no ordinary item. I'm here to save your world, Daddy. All the secrets are stored on this USB," the little loli exclaimed.

Jiang Feng was skeptical, but if time travel was possible, what else couldn't happen?

Jiang Feng was just about to power up his computer to see what was on it when he noticed it was already 8 o'clock. With only half an hour left before he needed to be at work, he had to rush to get ready.

"Little one, I've got to head to work. You stay put in my house today, don't wander off. I'll check on you and that USB during my lunch break. There's plenty of food in the fridge—just don't overdo it," Jiang Feng said, preparing to leave.

But the little girl clutched at Jiang Feng, crying out, "Daddy, daddy, what's the date today?"

"Tomorrow's January 1st, and we're starting a long holiday. Why do you ask?"

"January 1st? Dad, I've got the timing wrong. I arrived too late. I should've known, traveling with a non-living USB and underwear would cause a slight time discrepancy. This is bad, there's only one day left until the end of the world. I was supposed to be here a month ago."

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes, clearly puzzled.

"What in the world are you talking about, kiddo?"

"Never mind that, forget work! We need to check the USB now—it's a matter of utmost urgency," the little girl insisted, pulling Jiang Feng back to the computer.

Taking the situation more seriously, Jiang Feng quickly booted up the computer and plugged in the USB. He found a single text file crammed with words—easily tens of thousands. The first line read: "This is the essence, commit it to memory."

Skimming the document, Jiang Feng was taken aback by its contents. The so-called end of the world was actually the onset of a zombie apocalypse, set to unfold in increasingly complex ways.

If this was all true, the notes in this document were nothing short of a perfect survival guide.

Jiang Feng stood up abruptly, fixing his gaze on the girl. "Alright, show me what you can do. I need to confirm this one last time."

"Ah?" The girl was momentarily taken aback.

"Your abilities, use them to prove all of this is real," Jiang Feng said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Okay, okay," the girl nodded, seeming to grasp Jiang Feng's intent. She concentrated, rubbing her hands together vigorously until, with a whoosh, flames burst forth, dancing in her left hand.

Jiang Feng gazed at the crimson flames, struck dumb with shock. He thought to himself, "It's all true. I never imagined the future would hold such madness."

He swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves, and returned to his computer, his thoughts in disarray. Work was the furthest thing from his mind now as he focused intently on the screen, absorbing every word with grave seriousness.

Sweat beaded on Jiang Feng's brow, dripping continuously. Every so often, his eyes darted to the clock in the screen's bottom right corner. With each minute that ticked by, his heart skipped a beat. He had to finish reading, to analyze everything thoroughly, to make the most impeccable decision.

By 9:15 AM, Jiang Feng had skimmed through all the material and closed his eyes, remaining motionless for a full five minutes. The little loli was well-behaved, careful not to disturb him. She knew all too well that the future Jiang Feng had a terrible temper and would not take kindly to interruptions during his research. So she stayed quiet, as she had learned to do when her father was deep in thought.

Feeling ignored, the little loli grew restless. She left Jiang Feng's room and scampered to the kitchen, where she flung open the fridge and began to indulge herself.

Another ten minutes slipped by before Jiang Feng opened his eyes and made his way to the kitchen. Seeing the little loli eating with such joy, his heart swelled with emotion.

Upon noticing her father, the little loli paused and called out, "Daddy, come and eat with me."

Jiang Feng remained still, his next words bringing a sadness to the little loli, "Do you miss daddy? The daddy of the future?"

Tears welled up in the little loli's eyes, and she couldn't hold them back any longer.

She was painfully aware that her journey through time was a one-way trip; she would never return, never again see the father who had raised her. But the little loli held back her sobs, remembering her promise to be strong and not to cry.

With her head bowed, fists clenched tightly, she made no sound as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Feng's heart broke. He quickly wrapped her in his embrace, comforting her, "Don't cry, don't cry. Daddy's here, and I'll always be here for you."

Initially, Jiang Feng believed that the loli had traveled back in time to alter history and prevent past tragedies from shaping the future, with the goal of returning to a changed tomorrow. But the documents made it clear that each journey through time spawned a parallel universe; altering history would not affect the future—the future of the future world was immutable.

Yet, the future of this current world remained malleable. The loli had come not to change the past but to shape a new destiny in the here and now. Her purpose was to live a fulfilling life in this world, to spend her days alongside her young father, and to embrace a lifetime of happiness together.