"Tick-tock"

In the moment his gaze landed on the pocket watch, Ethan felt a strange light flash before his eyes, and his thoughts were pulled into the watch. Bizarre scenes flashed through his mind, like a dream.

Ethan saw a vast, boundless space, so immense it seemed to be inside a cavern within a mountain. Countless figures kneeled on the ground, apparently engaged in some odd ritual. These beings looked strange, and though Ethan couldn't see clearly, he was certain they were not ordinary humans.

The scene shifted to a gigantic stele floating in mid-air. It was in mid-air, yet the top was obscured by rock, suggesting it was also in a massive cavern. The stele was disc-shaped, emanating a soft golden glow, engraved with countless murals and inscriptions about the heavens and celestial bodies, which Ethan found vaguely familiar.

Ethan tried to focus on the content of the stone slab, but like a dream, the images grew distant and blurred. Just as everything was about to fade into endless darkness, he heard a melodious voice.

This voice was ancient and sorrowful, speaking a language Ethan couldn't understand, yet he miraculously grasped the meaning of the words.

"...and so, we chase the passage of time..."

The scene changed, and Ethan found himself back in reality, overtaken by a profound sense of sadness, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"Am I crying? Why do I feel so sad?" Ethan wiped his tears, still haunted by the experience.

The voice, laden with sighs as if crossing endless eons, infiltrated his mind, its emotions infecting him.

Ethan took deep breaths, trying to suppress his sadness, then sighed deeply, expelling the sorrowful emotions within him.

Then, to his surprise, he found himself deep inside the room, standing before the pocket watch!

"What's happening? I never entered the room!" Ethan had intended to quickly deal with the three pursuing men in black. He instinctively turned around, only to hear a faint "click."

The sound, though soft, was crisp, emanating from the pocket watch. Ethan immediately turned to inspect it.

The ancient, shimmering pocket watch seemed to have restarted, its hands tremblingly moving again, emitting a quiet "tick-tock."

Ethan noticed it was counting down.

"Take it," the mysterious voice in his mind echoed once more.

Just as Ethan was about to smash the glass to take the watch, his vision darkened, and the guiding light reappeared.

But this time, it pointed not to the watch but to something beside it—a book.

"What?" Ethan hesitated.

The pocket watch was undoubtedly an extraordinary artifact, and the book looked ordinary, seemingly not very old.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock." The sound of the watch grew louder, signaling the countdown was ongoing.

"Hurry, you fool, seeing the watch is enough," the impatient voice in his mind urged.

Noise and hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Seize him!!!" Several men in black surged into the room, their approach reminiscent of sharks drawn to blood, charging in frenziedly!

Without further doubt, Ethan reached for the book, and the moment he touched it, the watch's hands pointed to 12.

!

Everything seemed to halt.

It was like the moment Ethan faced Carlos, but this time it was a true cessation.

Only the "tick-tock" sound was heard, though the watch's hands had stopped; where was this sound coming from?

The "tick-tock" grew louder, merging together, filling the room with strange colors.

These colors swirled around Ethan, obscuring his vision.

After the bizarre glow and intense sensation of spinning, Ethan found himself outside the library.

"Ah??" He still held the book, which was indeed in his hands.

Unlike his expectations of chaos, the library's surroundings were eerily quiet, with a few tourists taking photos at the entrance.

"Where are the police?" Ethan was confused. He checked his phone and was shocked to find it was only 11 a.m., around the time he had first entered the library.

Impossible? Ethan had spent at least three hours inside the library. He asked a tourist, confirming it was indeed 11 a.m.

Had time reversed? Was it the pocket watch's power? He recalled the watch's countdown at the end.

"You have me take a book over such a powerful watch?" Disappointed, Ethan grumbled to the air while casually opening the book to see what made it so precious.

It was someone's research notes.

The notes, appearing aged, detailed the person's archaeological findings in the Atlantic and studies on ancient murals.

"Eh??? Isn't that the old mansion's mural?" Ethan recognized it instantly. Flipping through, he discovered notes on the mansion's secret chamber and the decision to build a house over it as camouflage.

Who was the note's author? Was the mansion their creation? What relation did it have to his relative?

Ethan realized the information in the notes might indeed be more helpful to him now.

Further reading revealed research on a mural depicting an ancient ritual concerning the sun's descent.

So, the sun's descent was real? Ethan connected it to the scroll's imagery, now confirmed.

The author delved deeper than Ethan, suggesting the ritual might be for a super-ancient civilization, unclear if it would start in days or decades.

"So, it's all nonsense, then? Is there no solution to the anomaly brought by the scroll?" Ethan muttered, retreating to a corner to continue reading.

The latter pages were filled with smudges and edits, mostly the author's research on the symbols and murals.

Ethan finally found a new lead in a chaotic section, written excitedly by the author.

He could barely make out that through the murals, they had deciphered some symbols, suggesting the sun's descent wasn't simple and required a seven-day progression. The ritual's start would be marked by the sun's unnatural extinguishment.

"What the FK? Wasn't that yesterday?" Ethan was shocked. "Does that mean the world will end in five days?"

"We need to do something." Ethan reviewed the notes for clues or solutions.

Noise and calls from tourists drew his attention; he saw a pair of men in black entering the library.

"They're here. So, the watch controlling time is true; my experience wasn't an illusion." Ethan hid in the library's shadows, watching the group of men in black.

There were about 20, silent and orderly, entering the library without pausing at the front plaza.

"They can't have it this easy," Ethan thought.

He casually approached a lone tourist.

"Hey, friend, my phone's dead. Can I borrow yours to send a text?" Ethan asked.

The tourist looked wary, a common reaction in London where thieves often use various schemes to steal phones. Ethan's request sounded suspicious.

"Don't worry, how about I squat while typing? This is really important to me. Here's a pound for your trouble." Ethan reluctantly pulled out a coin, his breakfast money at stake.

The tourist waved him off, saying, "No need, bro. Just use."

After thanking the tourist, Ethan quickly pretended to fiddle with the phone before urgently sending out an alert message, emphasizing the watch's significance, hoping to draw police attention.

Then he erased the message's trace.

Crouching down, Ethan smirked at the thought of causing trouble for those crazies.

Thanking the tourist again, he mused that yesterday's unnatural sunset was part of the ritual. He couldn't let it proceed and decided to act.

"What should I do? Forget it, let's go over there first." Ethan actually didn't think about how to convince others of what he said, but when he thought that the notes and pocket watch were stored in the safe room of the British Library, he wanted to come to the government...There must be people in the know.

Ethan left the library, moving quickly along familiar yet strange streets towards Downing Street.

The British Library and Museum, located in West London, weren't far from Downing Street—about a 25-minute brisk walk.

Ethan decided to run instead of walking, thinking it would be a faster way to get to his destination.

This also provided a good opportunity to test his physical condition and see how well he could maintain his speed over a distance.

As Ethan ran, he mulled over the contents of the notes in his mind, trying to piece together more clues.

Upon reaching Downing Street, he checked his phone and was surprised to find that less than 10 minutes had passed. Not only did he possess remarkable burst speed, but his stamina was equally impressive.

However, this exertion came at a cost, leaving Ethan feeling incredibly hungry.

Ignoring his hunger, Ethan surveyed the surrounding buildings. The street was dominated by a large white building adorned with intricate reliefs, presumably the government headquarters.

But where was the entrance? Several smaller doors were scattered at the base of the building. Ethan randomly chose one and knocked. Shortly after, a fully armed security officer answered the door.

Ethan explained his purpose to the security officer but was resolutely denied entry.

"So it's like that, huh?" he thought, realizing that insiders were probably scarce, necessitating direct communication with the higher-ups.

After the security officer went back inside, Ethan looked around. The area was quiet, devoid of pedestrians.

Without hesitation, he leaped up, grabbed hold of a second-floor relief, and began to climb upwards.