The Boundary of Parallel Realities

Opening: Disappearance of the Scientist

At 2 a.m., the Tokyo skyline was obscured by flickering neon lights and distant flying vehicles. The city was still alive with activity. However, in a hidden corner of this steel-and-glass giant, something unusual was quietly unfolding.

Inside a high-rise laboratory, Zhang Lin, a quantum physicist, was glued to her computer screen. She was conducting an experiment on parallel realities, trying to explore the connections between parallel universes and find a way to travel between dimensions. Her research had been ongoing for years, and while many of her peers considered her theory risky, Zhang Lin firmly believed that parallel realities could answer the mysteries of the universe and offer humanity a new path.

Suddenly, Zhang Lin noticed an abnormal signal on her screen. Her brow furrowed as the data danced on the screen, seemingly conversing with an unknown entity. She quickly flipped through her research records, finding that all the data was flawless, except for one strange detail—herself. It seemed like she was no longer the person she once knew.

"This can't be," she muttered, her voice tinged with shock and unease.

Then, her hand moved uncontrollably, as if some external force were controlling her body. Within seconds, the lab lights flickered out, and the world fell into silence. Zhang Lin vanished, along with her computer, research, and her very existence.

Chapter 1: Restart and Loss

Three days later, Zhang Lin’s colleagues frantically searched for her, but she had disappeared without a trace. Surveillance footage from the lab showed her last moments—staring at the screen, which was flashing with unfamiliar code, before the footage went black.

"Where did she go?" Zhang Lin’s research partner, Liu Jianyu, asked anxiously.

The police investigation yielded no results, and it was as if Zhang Lin had never existed. However, something strange happened—the research notes she had been working on mysteriously appeared in the lab, as though someone had quietly placed them there.

Liu Jianyu picked up the notebook and flipped to the first page, his heart sinking. The pages were filled with handwritten notes, and some of them were not written in the usual style of Zhang Lin. Especially the last few pages, which read:

"I know I am no longer who I was. They are waiting for me over there, and I must find my way back. Every choice, every decision, takes me further away. Time is no longer linear; it has started to split. I can hear countless versions of myself calling from different dimensions."

Liu Jianyu’s hands trembled. This was not the Zhang Lin they knew. What had she done? What had she discovered that even she couldn't understand?

Chapter 2: Intertwined Dimensions

As the investigation progressed, Liu Jianyu and Zhang Lin’s other colleague, Li Yang, began to piece together her disappearance. They discovered that Zhang Lin had indeed conducted a mysterious experiment in the days leading up to her disappearance, but there was no detailed record. The lab equipment had also malfunctioned, and the core data from the quantum computer had been silently deleted, leaving only blanks.

However, they uncovered a strange signal—a voice recording from Zhang Lin herself. The content of the recording sent chills down their spines:

"If you're hearing this message, I have completed the experiment. The dimensions are intertwining, and reality is no longer the only path. I have seen countless different worlds, and I am only one of them... or rather, I am many of them. Every choice, every decision, splits into new versions of me. At some point, I may return to your world, but I cannot be sure when that moment will be."

This message shattered their understanding. They began to suspect that Zhang Lin’s experiment had broken through the boundaries of space-time, causing her to enter a state where she was part of multiple overlapping realities. Perhaps, she was no longer the "Zhang Lin" they knew, but rather, a convergence of countless versions of her across different dimensions.

Chapter 3: The Many Versions of Herself

Months passed, but Liu Jianyu and Li Yang’s investigation remained stalled, until one day they received an unexpected phone call. On the other end of the line was a voice—familiar yet foreign—Zhang Lin’s voice.

"You’ve finally found me," she said calmly, as if nothing were amiss.

"Zhang Lin? Is it really you? Where are you?" Liu Jianyu could hardly believe his ears.

"You will see me, but the version you see is not the Zhang Lin you know. You have already crossed into another dimension, and I am merely a reflection of that," the voice continued. "I know you don't understand, but you must make a choice. You can stay in this world, accepting its rules, or you can try to break through this barrier and return to the original world. But remember, once you choose, there will be no turning back."

The phone call abruptly ended, and all signals vanished. Liu Jianyu and Li Yang exchanged bewildered glances, their minds racing. Was this a trap, or had Zhang Lin truly found a way to travel between dimensions?

Chapter 4: The Final Choice

As time wore on, Liu Jianyu and Li Yang found themselves facing an impossible dilemma—had they already left their original world, or were they still there?

"If what Zhang Lin said is true, we might never be able to return to the past," Li Yang said gravely. "We can choose to stay in this world and live, maybe it’s just another ‘real’ world. But if we try to cross this barrier, what will happen?"

Liu Jianyu fell silent. He knew that their choice would not only determine their future, but the future of the world itself. Would they dare to cross the boundary of space-time and face an unknown future?

"If it were you, what would you choose?" Li Yang's eyes locked onto Liu Jianyu's.

Ending:

The story ends without a conclusion, because in the infinite, overlapping parallel realities, no decision ever truly ends. Every choice leads to countless new possibilities, and every "you" exists in a different dimension, making different decisions. Would you be willing to cross that invisible boundary and embrace a future that may never allow you to return?