Time is being fractured.
So, I'm sure by now we all know that there's a very popular theory that stemmed from Bridon Arc that we've been shown multiple timelines in the opening scene of Link Click: Bridon Arc. This theory comes from the background details of the opening scene of Bridon Arc Episode 1 and the 2nd half of Episode 2, where details around Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang constantly keep changing in different frames of the same scene. Sapphire Pyro and VIVIDLIE on YouTube have counted there to be around 5 timelines based on these changes.
A small example would be the debris on and surrounding the picture frame. Despite being in the same continuous scene, the details change with each subsequent frames. This is the point where the multiple timelines theory was born.
But what if were to tell you that instead of multiple timelines, what it's actually showing us is time itself being fractured? I remember a theory going around during the airing of Bridon Arc that Lu Guang might've dived so many times that time itself might be starting to unravel. There's evidence of this being the case ever since S1, however, all of them were forgotten by us in favor of the multiple timelines theory. But this IS the one mistake we did. I believe what Haoling has been indicating this whole time is the fact that yes, time itself is being damaged due to the excessive tampering by Lu Guang (and by extension, Shao Yuanyuan and/or Cheng Xiaoshi as well)?
Now that we've established the basis of the theory, let's talk evidence. Starting by going all the way back to Link Click I episode 6, where Xiao Li suddenly finds a whole case file missing. Now if you've seen real life police work or know anything about it, you should know that case files don't disappear out of nowhere. Chen Him even remarks during his phone call with Lu Guang in Episode 9 that's it's weird, but couldn't seem to remember anything about the missing page at all. Now, at the time of Link Click II airing, many of us (myself included) thought that it could've been a change to the timeline due to Cheng Xiaoshi being alive, or due to Emma dying in a different way. But remember. Emma's case file is already there, and Bridon Arc shows that Xiao Li also dies when Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling died in the previous "loop". This means all our running theories back then we're invalid.
(if you notice it, case file 7 is missing even though 6 and 8 are right there. And case file 1 is literally Emma)
Now, let's go to the infamous scene of Liu Lan's death in Link Click II. Now, the first time we see Liu Lan dying was in episode 6, and it wasn't even fully shown to us. We see her actually dying in episode 12, that too, in almost the final moments. However, her death isn't the point this time around. What I need y'all's to look at is the way her abuse by Li Fan and some details regarding how it plays out. In episodes 5-6, we see Li Fan beating both Liu Lan and Li Tianchen, but we don't see him strangling them at any point. However, in episode 12, it is shown that Liu Lan had strangulation marks around her neck that wasn't shown to us before. Now you could argue that some cuts were made and we didn't see the full extent of the abuse in those episodes, but trust me, I've checked. There are literally no other "inconsistencies" other than that one thing. Back then, I thought that this might be cuz there's been changes brought to the timeline by someone diving here once more (this theory was brought forth by the fact that there were glitches similar to Lu Guang's infamous scene of him being shown to be a diver from episode 1). I still stand by my previous theory that we'll definitely revisit Liu Lan's death once more. But this time around, I feel like these small visual changes aren't just Haoling telling us that we'll dive back into them, but rather that time is being damaged. This also ties back to another theory I'm working on that Lu Guang's perception of how time works is fundamentally wrong, and that alternate timelines don't exist and time is instead cyclic and works like a loop in nature. (More on that later)
(shot from episode 5 where Liu Lan does NOT have any strangulation marks)
(shots from episode 12 where Liu Lan has VERY visible strangulation marks)
Now let's get to the very first episode of Link Click III. The first episode begins with Lu Guang collapsing from a fever. But take a good look at the background details. As pointed out by @rafatasniaaa, when he is shown to have collapsed in Episode 1, Qiao Ling is shown to be in the background.
However, when the same scene is shown again in Episode 2, that too from the same angle, Qiao Ling is nowhere to be seen.
Now you COULD say that these could just be some slight animation errors and whatnot. But here's the thing. Animation errors in an anime whose identity is so heavily built around the visual motifs and representations of deeper material? Doesn't seem likely to me at all. Plus, the Xiao Li missing case file detail isn't just a visual change, Xiao Li LITERALLY calls it out and even Chen Bin reacts to it 3 episodes later. What do y'all think of THAT!?
Well, let's get onto some more plot related representation that time really IS being fractured. What did we know of the main duo's Bridon trip from S1? It's that it happened 3 years before the current timeline (which at the time was in October 2021), placing that trip and Dou Dou's kidnapping at around 2018. However, when we see Liu Guang's watch in Bridon Arc, we're shown that it's 2019 when they go to Bridon. There's a whole one year discrepancy, yet nobody questions it.
(Qiao Ling directly mentioning that the Dou Dou kidnapping happened 3 years back, and multiple more mentions that the case happened 3 years back)
(The clock shows 2019 during the convention in Bridon Arc Episode 1, and Lu Guang even remarks that everything is progressing as the past did, not batting an eye to the fact that there's a whole year gap).
There's also the fact that when Xiao Li checks the security cam footage of Li Tianchen taking Wang Juan and Cheng Xiaoshi away from the station, the date and time was shown to be 00/00/0000. As if time itself was glitching. And once more, nobody bats an eye.
Let's also not forget the debate regarding the color scheme of the basketball court that Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang first met in. In LCI, the field is mostly green with less brown. In some shots of Bridon Arc, the court is mostly brown with less green. But in some other shots, it's the same as the one seen in LCI. Guess what? LCIII does the EXACT SAME thing with the basketball court scene towards the end of Episode 1. Here, it's mostly seen in the more green and less brown color scheme, mirroring LCI, although the color scheme of Bridon Arc also appears too.
(The field being mostly brown and less green in the Bridon Arc OP)
(The field being shown to be mostly green and less brown in Bridon Arc and LCI)
(First shot from LCIII Episode 1 has the court with more brown less green, while the second shot has the court with more green and less brown)
Plus, the theme behind the visuals of the ED of Link Click III is literally a Rubik's Cube, with each move not only representing time, but also changes in space. Now why would they bring up something like space alongside time as well? Well, that's cuz I believe the story really IS leaning towards the fact that time being damaged is affecting space and everything around it as well.
Therefore, I believe that there are actually no alternate timelines, time in Link Click had always been cyclic and loop-like in nature, and Lu Guang's understanding of time itself is wrong, and that (along with whatever Shao Yuanyuan is cooking) is destroying the space-time continuum and this will be a important factor in the plot later on.
