Chapter Forty-Five: Preparing for the Journey!

The next morning, yawning, Xie Jing stepped out of his room to find Huang Ling had already bought steamed buns, bread, and porridge, all neatly arranged on the table. She had an important class that day and couldn’t accompany him, which suited Xie Jing just fine.

After handing over the materials to General Zhang the previous night, Xie Jing had returned home without lingering. The rest was up to the country to promote and develop; he could no longer interfere. What he didn’t know was that, after he left, General Zhang had spent nearly an hour on the phone with the highest authority, and then boarded a plane under the protection of two fighter jets, rushing to the capital overnight.

That same night, many leading scientists from the National Academy of Sciences were pulled from their beds by a single phone call. After a series of strict confidentiality measures, they were shown technological wonders they had never even dreamed of. Though they were unsettled by the fact that all the documents were written in Japanese, their scientific acumen remained sharp. After a night’s research, they reached a conclusion: the items in the hard drive could indeed be manufactured.

The hard drive’s secrecy level was immediately raised to the highest grade, and General Zhang was interrogated thoroughly for three hours before leaving, now escorted by four additional guards.

When Xie Jing got up, he noticed that someone seemed to be watching his home. He smiled, unconcerned. “The state moves quickly, I see.” After all, only General Zhang knew what he looked like, so no one would know his identity.

Leisurely, Xie Jing picked up a bag of dog food from the corner and poured it into Singer’s small bowl, whether the dog could eat or not. Ever since watching a nature documentary about wounded birds the previous day, Singer had been listless, and Xie Jing wondered if the dog had understood any of it.

Then, Xie Jing turned on his computer and began a wild binge to catch up on anime—not just anime, but horror films, action movies, sci-fi flicks, and even all the Ultraman series. The system’s unpredictability forced him to take the broadest possible approach, in case he ended up in another world and was completely lost.

Life flowed on in this quiet way. Those scenes he’d once imagined—swaggering, showing off, putting villains in their place—never had a chance in this harmonious society. There was no secret Dragon Group, no criminal gangs, no delinquent youths harassing Huang Ling…

The only change was that the state’s surveillance outside Xie Jing’s apartment grew from two agents to a squad of twelve. General Zhang was put in charge of his surveillance and protection; if not for witnessing Xie Jing’s transformation that day, he would have written him off as nothing more than a hardcore recluse who did nothing all day but watch TV.

Twenty-four hours a day, unless he went out to eat or occasionally strolled through town, this suspected alien never left his apartment.

From children’s cartoons to mature anime, from rural dramas to horror films, Xie Jing watched everything, jotting down notes as he went. Yet, General Zhang was unaware that at certain times, Xie Jing would use the Tiga World Key to return to another world, where he enjoyed sweet moments with a girl.

Time flew by. In a month, only about ten percent of the data on the hard drive had been decrypted. Meanwhile, laboratory research succeeded in creating the high-strength, lightweight material unique to the Feiyan aircraft—a breakthrough in modern material science. This instantly made all Chinese fighter jets thirty percent lighter and fifty percent stronger.

The work on engines continued. For a plane like the Feiyan, which defied all aerodynamic logic, the engine would have to be incredibly powerful. As for laser weapons, the top-secret lab had just initiated a project, and the nation’s laser experts were on the verge of delirium.

Within a month, subtle but significant changes were underway. Television quietly filled with survival shows and science programs about aliens. The locations of air-raid shelters across the country were frequently mentioned on TV, sparking speculation among the public.

Online, especially on military forums, people debated whether a war was brewing with another nation. Only two countries on the Blue Planet could strike at China’s homeland—the Lighthouse Nation and the Bear Nation.

The Bear Nation was now a shadow of its former self and friendly with China, leaving only the Lighthouse Nation. China’s rapid rise had severely impacted the Lighthouse’s global standing, leading to increasing rivalry in recent years, mostly economic. All-out war? Even the notoriously unreliable president of the Lighthouse Nation hadn’t considered it.

A full-scale war between two such powers wasn’t just a question of victory—it would determine whether the next world war would be fought with sticks or stones.

Still, the Lighthouse was closely watching China’s domestic situation. Opening air-raid shelters and promoting survival knowledge were obvious signs of the first phase of war mobilization. What was the Rabbit up to?

The Eagle was utterly baffled and summoned China’s ambassador for questioning. The ambassador was equally puzzled. The hard drive project was top secret, with only a handful of people in the know, and he was not among them.

Both the Lighthouse and Bear Nations were growing frantic, as were the Rooster and Neon Nations. At a loss, they sent spies into China and launched high-profile military exercises.

Even the Chinese military, apart from General Zhang, was unclear about the true situation. Seeing the flurry of drills worldwide, they thought, “Hey, are you threatening us? Well, let’s join in too!”

So, during this period, the people of the world witnessed a bizarre phenomenon: every major country with any strength seemed to be competing in military exercises. Everywhere, banners waved, firecrackers exploded, drums thundered, and crowds gathered.

Outside events did not disturb Xie Jing’s life. As the only superhuman on the planet, he was more than capable of protecting himself and his family. Besides, military exercises were expensive—eventually, the countries would realize something was amiss.

Now, Xie Jing stood in his room, opening the system interface. Before his eyes, a red warning box flashed urgently, dominating his vision.

“Time remaining until the next world transfer: one minute! Please prepare yourself!”

Taking a deep breath, a sense of anticipation welled up in Xie Jing’s heart as he waited for the crossing to begin. After so many uneventful days, the prospect of the unknown journey seemed unusually appealing—even to the habitually lethargic Xie Jing himself, this was surprising.

[5]

[4]

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[1]

[Initiating Transfer]

The light around him twisted and warped. That familiar wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. Even with the power of light, Xie Jing’s vision went dark and he lost consciousness.

When he awoke—

Before him stretched a boundless, emerald-green prairie.

“Where… have I crossed over to now?” Xie Jing stared at the armor on his body and the riding crop at his waist, utterly bewildered.