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The mysterious old man, along with the so-called SpaceTime Police and SpaceTime Court, was gone. This likely meant that the baseless crime Lin Xian had been accused of had also disappeared.

The weight of being a historical criminal had been lifted off his shoulders, and now he was just an innocent citizen again. It was a significant relief.

As Lin Xian analyzed the situation further, it became clear that the mysterious old man in the fourth dream was most likely Copernicus himself. Copernicus had probably been the one who stole the entangled state space-time particle from Elon Musk. This particle had likely enabled him to achieve much more than just sending back a time traveler. Perhaps Copernicus had uncovered even more secrets within that particle, allowing him to control space-time laws and establish his SpaceTime Court and Police.

But when Elon Musk destroyed the entangled state space-time particle, Copernicus’s future vanished along with it. His centuries-long plan crumbled, and the future steered towards the one Elon Musk had envisioned.

“So…” Lin Xian mused to himself, “the 0.0000000 world line must be the future Copernicus wanted to achieve, and the 0.0000042 world line is the future Elon Musk sought.”

But what about the earlier ones? Before the fourth dream, Liu Feng’s space-time clock hadn’t been reset, so it couldn’t measure the space-time curvature of the earlier dreams or world lines. Yet, even if their curvature wasn’t known, it didn’t change the fact that these different world lines existed.

Who wished for and created the futures in the first, second, and third dreams?

“Wait,” Lin Xian suddenly realized. The catalyst for these changing future worlds was himself! Even though he wasn’t the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, these worlds had altered because of his actions.

In the first dream, there were no changes for 23 years until a small invention—the Rhine Cat—began to shift the gears of space-time, ultimately being propelled into another world line by Professor Xu Yun’s hibernation fluid, leading to the second dream’s future. The second dream transitioned to the third dream because of his creation of the Rhine Company. The third dream leaped into the fourth when he handed the cold fusion manuscript to Gao Yan at the Science Institute. The fourth dream transitioned to the fifth when Elon Musk destroyed the entangled state space-time particle. Although Lin Xian didn’t destroy it himself, he was the spark that set off the chain of events.

“It’s just that… I’m only capable of being a catalyst now; I don’t have the ability to actively change the world like Copernicus or Elon Musk.”

Lin Xian realized this was his biggest shortcoming at the moment. Elon Musk had the plan and the power to initiate a Mars colonization project. Copernicus had his SpaceTime Police and Court plan and the ability to accomplish it. As for himself…

First, he had no clear plan. Second, he lacked sufficient power.

So, what’s next?

“I should start from these two points and gradually create the future I want, completing my own loop!”

“Of course, the first step is to join the Genius Club and see what their end goal is. Only then can I devise my own plan and map out my future.”

“And as for building my own influence, that definitely needs to be a priority. I’ll grow the Rhine Company to its full potential!”

Despite his thoughts racing, Lin Xian understood that the current situation in the fifth dream world still held many mysteries he needed to explore thoroughly.

He lowered his gaze, noticing the device in Old Man Wei Sheng Jin’s hand. It looked like a metal detector.

“Is that metal detector in your hand used to find aluminum alloy safes?” Lin Xian asked.

“Yes,” Wei Sheng Jin nodded. “It’s a long story… I began hibernating in my teens and slept for over 200 years. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything. Even though I had a memory notebook and recorded memories, and I believe these memories are real, I just can’t feel anything authentic, any sense of my previous existence.”

“I quickly began my new life on Mars under the guidance of a psychological counselor. I worked, got married, had children, and eventually grandchildren. Step by step, I lived a happy and fulfilling second life.”

“At first, I didn’t think I was missing anything. After all, I was genuinely happy. But… from the moment others told me I was Wei Sheng Jin, I realized that while I was living as Wei Sheng Jin, I wasn’t the same Wei Sheng Jin who had been on Earth as a teenager.”

“I don’t know if you can relate, but as the Earth human Wei Sheng Jin, that teenage boy disappeared the moment I entered the hibernation pod. I often wonder~”

“When I woke up after 200 years, was I really the original Wei Sheng Jin, or was I someone else who had just been told I was Wei Sheng Jin? Am I truly Wei Sheng Jin? Am I still the teenager who entered the hibernation pod?”

At this point, Wei Sheng Jin paused, looking a bit lost.

“It’s hard to put this feeling into words. If you don’t think about it, it doesn’t really matter—after all, we’re not creatures of the past. As long as the present is happy and free, it doesn’t really matter who or what we were before.”

“But once I’m idle and my mind relaxes, I can’t help but ponder this question, and I find it hard to convince myself. Especially now that I’m seventy years old, I’m more confused and desperate for an answer…”

“I don’t want to leave this world without knowing who I am.”

Saying this, Wei Sheng Jin took off the large backpack he was carrying and opened it. Lin Xian noticed it was filled with various outdoor equipment, survival tools, food, notebooks, and what looked like power sources.

Wei Sheng Jin rummaged through the backpack and pulled out a laminated photo, handing it to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian took it and held it up to his eyes.

It was a very new-looking photo, showing no signs of age. But according to what Wei Sheng Jin had said earlier, it should have been taken shortly before his hibernation.

Because…

The photo was of the interior of the Time Bank vault, showing a row of aluminum alloy safes, with three safes placed side by side.

The middle safe had the number 724, with Wei Sheng Jin’s name engraved on the nameplate.

The left safe bore an English name with the number 723, while the right safe was only half visible, labeled 725. The nameplate’s text looked like it might be Russian, but Lin Xian couldn’t be sure.

The focus of the photo was clearly on the combination dial of Wei Sheng Jin’s safe.

The eight-digit combination formed the number: 23730907.

“Mr. Wei, is that your birthday?” Lin Xian asked.

Wei Sheng Jin smiled and shook his head. “No, even as a teenager, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to use my birthday as the combination for such an important safe. That would be too unsafe.”

“Then what is the significance of this date?”

Lin Xian remembered that Wei Sheng Jin had mentioned he was born in the year 2373. Since this wasn’t his birthday, what could it be?

“Is it a date that holds special meaning to you?” Lin Xian continued to ask.

“I don’t know,” Wei Sheng Jin shook his head again. “I don’t know anything… After waking from hibernation, I lost all my childhood memories. My identification documents show that my birthday is January 3, 2373, which is far from September 7, the date on the safe. There’s definitely no connection.”

“But then again, why would the teenage me set the safe’s combination to this? Like you, I think there must be some very special meaning to it. For a teenager about to enter a hibernation pod, heading into an unknown future… What could he have put into that time capsule? What would he want to leave for his future self?”

Wei Sheng Jin chuckled softly, looking down.

“After retiring, my grandson quickly grew up and didn’t need looking after, my son had a happy life, and my wife passed away a few years ago… I was busy for most of my life, but once I finally had some free time, I found myself thinking about that original question all over again.”

“Every night, I would sit in my yard, staring at the stars, holding this photo, and imagining what the younger me might have placed inside that time capsule.”

“I really want to know the answer. I want to enter the combination, unlock the seal of time, and see it with my own eyes. But that dream is destined to remain unfulfilled… The great disaster of 2400 didn’t directly affect Donghai City, but the subsequent earthquakes, wars, and abandonment slowly flattened the city over the years, burying it under layers of earth.”

“Naturally, the aluminum alloy safes from Time Bank were either buried in the rubble during those years of conflict and destruction, stolen, or destroyed. Either way… they’re lost, and Earth has long been abandoned, turned into a large wildlife park.”

“But in the end, I decided to come! I want to find the answer! I want to see what precious memory the teenage me left for the elderly me.”

Wei Sheng Jin smiled, raising the metal detector in his left hand.

“So, here I am. I finally took the step to find myself at the age of seventy. Half a year ago, I boarded the Earth-Mars space shuttle from Mars, heading to Earth. After several months of travel, I finally arrived on Earth, came to what used to be Donghai City—this forest—and began my aimless search.”

“I’ve been searching for over two months, but I haven’t found anything… Let alone finding my number 724 safe, I haven’t even found any other safe.”

Lin Xian spread his hands, helpless. “This is indeed like searching for a needle in a haystack. We don’t even know if those safes are buried under this forest. Plus, the range of your detector isn’t very large, right? If the safe is buried deep, it probably won’t be detected.”

Wei Sheng Jin chuckled, “You’re absolutely right, which is why I hesitated and procrastinated until I was seventy before coming to Earth.”

“I’ve thought about this for so many years, knowing full well how difficult it is and how slim the chances are. But at my age, this is my last dream… To avoid regretting my life, I must at least try!”

“The worst outcome is that I don’t find it. If I don’t find it, I’ll just treat it as a trip to Earth. Anyway, the Earth-Mars space shuttle won’t arrive for another two years. At worst, I’ll just get on the shuttle with a dirty face and return to Mars.”

At this point, Lin Xian finally understood Old Man Wei Sheng Jin’s background. He had come from Mars to Earth specifically to search for his aluminum alloy safe.

And it just so happened that Lin Xian was also curious about what information Chu An Qing had left for him on the “little note” inside his own safe.

Chu An Qing had mentioned that as soon as he read the note’s contents, he would understand the reality of the dream world. Even though the changes in the fifth dream strongly suggested that the dream world was real, Lin Xian still wanted to know what Chu An Qing, who had touched the time-space particle, had written for him in her last moments.

It must be something very important, right? It was a clue she had left with her final breath—perhaps even more crucial than he imagined.

“Let’s search together, Mr. Wei,” Lin Xian suggested. “I’m curious about what’s inside my safe too. Let me join you and try our luck.”

“Of course, no problem,” Wei Sheng Jin replied with a hearty laugh. “Your name is Lin Xian, right? From now on, I’ll call you Lin Xian. No need to be so formal and call me ‘sir,’ especially since you were born much earlier than I was. It’s a common phenomenon these days, so people no longer use such titles… Just call me by my name, Wei Sheng Jin.”

“No, no…” Lin Xian waved his hand, politely declining. “I’d rather call you Mr. Wei. We’re on Earth, after all, and we should respect traditional customs.”

The name Wei Sheng Jin was too famous for Lin Xian to casually address him by his first name.

So, the two of them teamed up, chatting as they followed the path Wei Sheng Jin had already planned out. Lin Xian didn’t expect to find the safe and knew the odds were slim—it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But after finally finding someone to talk to, he couldn’t just let him leave. He needed to extract as much information as possible.

Wei Sheng Jin skillfully maneuvered the metal detector close to the ground, moving it back and forth with great focus. Lin Xian followed like a shadow, asking questions along the way.

“Mr. Wei, you’re in such good shape. Did you undergo some sort of medical enhancement or genetic editing?”

Wei Sheng Jin laughed, “No, nothing like that. That’s just a concept from science fiction. There’s no such thing on Mars.”

Well, it seems the technology has evolved differently, Lin Xian thought with a chuckle.

It couldn’t be that those two blue-eyed assassin girls gave Elon Musk some sort of psychological trauma, making him reject medical enhancements and genetic editing. Naturally, in his Mars, that technology wouldn’t have developed.

Exactly. It was Elon Musk’s Mars, and he called the shots.

“Well then… If you haven’t had any physical enhancements, let me carry your backpack. I’ll help you save your strength and increase your speed in detecting underground metals. I’m younger, so I’m definitely stronger.”

Wei Sheng Jin didn’t refuse and let out a grateful chuckle. “Thank you, Lin Xian. This backpack is really heavy; it’s been weighing down my back.”

He put down the large backpack, and Lin Xian took it up, strapping it onto his own shoulders. It was indeed heavy, but manageable. Lin Xian had good physical strength and had been through intense astronaut training a few months ago, which had pushed his endurance to a higher level.

With the backpack on, Lin Xian continued to inquire about life on Mars—its economy, politics, social structure, and technology. He learned a lot.

Overall, according to Wei Sheng Jin, life on Mars was quite comfortable, with little pressure and no wars.

The main reason was that, despite being a federal system, Mars was still dominated by SpaceX, which controlled everything with its advanced technology rather than weapons and force.

The Mars colonization project had only officially started around 2350 and developed very slowly. At first, there were only a few small bases that relied on supplies from Earth. But in 2400, when the great disaster struck Earth, Mars was unaffected. Under the leadership of Elon Musk and SpaceX, the Martians steadily built and developed their society.

This was no small feat.

Mars, being farther from the Sun than Earth, received much less solar energy. And as they say, all things grow under the Sun, meaning Mars was at a natural disadvantage in harnessing solar power.

However, compared to the other challenges of building on Mars, the issue of sunlight was actually one of the smaller problems.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere that can’t block harmful cosmic radiation and rays, and its low pressure can’t hold onto liquid water. Mars also lacks a magnetic field, which is its weakest point. Life on Earth thrives because the planet’s magnetic field deflects solar storms and cosmic rays, preventing them from reaching the surface.

Additionally, Mars’ low gravity environment poses significant challenges to human adaptability and long-term evolution.

For the next two centuries, Martians had to continuously fight against these external factors. They united, worked together, and overcame countless difficulties, eventually turning Mars into a self-sufficient, moderately prosperous planet.

In other words, by 2350, the standard of living on Mars hadn’t even caught up to Earth’s in 2024. Then, from 2350 to 2550, the Martians were focused on building their homes, with technological development largely stagnating since survival was the top priority.

It wasn’t until after 2550, when food, safety, diet, and living conditions were secured, that Mars truly began to develop its technology.

But this brought about another bottleneck: resources and energy. Even up to the present day in 2624, the standard of living and technological level on Mars could only barely be compared to Earth’s in the year 2200.

Lin Xian didn’t have a clear concept of what this meant, but from his conversations with Wei Sheng Jin, he roughly judged that in this future, Earth’s technological level in 2200 was similar to the second dream’s New Donghai City.

The high-density nuclear batteries had been resolved, but controlled nuclear fusion was still a long way off.

SpaceX held control over everything on Mars, determining its development direction and holding absolute authority among the various federations.

When Elon Musk passed away, Mars had a population of two hundred million, but now, the total population had surpassed five hundred million.

Wei Sheng Jin added, “There’s another important reason why Martians are reluctant to come to Earth… The great disaster of 2400 was too terrifying. No one knows when the next disaster might strike without warning.”

“So, everyone is afraid of Earth. No one wants to visit, let alone live here. The truth is, before the great disaster in 2400, there really were no signs at all. It just suddenly happened.”

Lin Xian, carrying the heavy backpack, followed Wei Sheng Jin, who continued talking about the great disaster of 2400.

He didn’t believe that such a disaster was a natural occurrence.

Because in the previous four dreams, there had been no mention of similar disasters, at least not in the records.

If it were truly a natural disaster, like a solar storm, tectonic activity, or a meteor strike… then the fifth dream would have had it, and so would the previous four dreams.

It’s not possible that the Sun was being considerate and didn’t flare up in the first dream, but suddenly got angry in the fifth dream and unleashed a solar storm.

That’s obviously impossible.

Earth wasn’t important enough to sway the Sun. In the grand scheme of things, Earth was like a speck of dust, insignificant.

So, the reason was clear.

This was something Lin Xian had long suspected:

[The great disaster of 2400 on Earth was very likely man-made. Even though the exact reason is unknown, the so-called “history education” on Mars is likely a lie, not the true history.]

He even wondered…

[Why did humanity abandon Earth so easily? What secrets are hidden behind this? Lin Xian still believes that, no matter what, Earth is better suited for human life than Mars… Could it be that forcing humanity to abandon Earth was a conspiracy in itself?]

Lin Xian pondered this as he followed behind Wei Sheng Jin, not responding to the old man’s remarks.

Wei Sheng Jin walked ahead, metal detector in hand, chuckling as he said, “I think those people are worrying for nothing. A disaster as huge as the one that swept the globe can’t be that easy to encounter. What are the chances of that happening?”

“Don’t you think so, Lin Xian? It’s not like Earth could go over two hundred years without any problems and then suddenly explode the moment we set foot here, right? Hahaha!”

Wei Sheng Jin laughed heartily.

Lin Xian also laughed heartily.

Yes, Mr. Wei, it’s just that coincidental!

Lin Xian glanced down at his watch… 4:41 PM. There were only 8 hours left until the world-ending white light would strike.

He suddenly wondered if the white light that destroyed the world was only meant to obliterate Earth. If so, would the people on Mars survive?

Thinking it over, Lin Xian found that hard to believe.

If the white light were truly a weapon of mass destruction aimed at Earth, the scope and power of such an attack would be immense.

It’s impossible for Earth to be vaporized while Mars and the Sun remain intact.

Most likely, if something is going to be destroyed, it would take out the entire solar system—no one would be able to escape.

But then again…

What was that white light exactly?

Was Earth really destroyed?

Or was Earth still fine, and he was just kicked out of the time loop?

He had no idea when he would find the answer to that question.

Suddenly, the metal detector in Wei Sheng Jin’s hand began beeping loudly and urgently.

“Did you find something?” Lin Xian hurried over in surprise.

Wei Sheng Jin moved the detector slightly, pinpointing the spot where the signal was strongest. The beeping intensified, signaling a find.

“There’s something here,” Wei Sheng Jin confirmed.

Lin Xian had a question.

“Does this detector pick up all metals? This place used to be the ruins of Donghai City, so there must be a lot of metal buried underneath—rebar, car wrecks, metal parts, and so on.”

Wei Sheng Jin shook his head, smiling. “Those kinds of metals would have rusted away long ago. My detector can’t pick up rusty metal. This is a high-end device, not like those airport security machines that detect metal through electromagnetic induction.”

“The principle behind this detector is different, but I won’t bore you with the details. In short, it can only detect smooth, unrusted, structurally intact metal objects.”

“I came prepared for this journey. aluminum alloy is highly resistant to heat and corrosion, so it’ll never rust. With this detector, it’ll definitely be picked up!”

“But what if it’s a stainless steel bowl?” Lin Xian asked cautiously.

Wei Sheng Jin chuckled, “Stainless steel isn’t immune to rust, either. Even the best stainless steel will rust over time in outdoor environments, and after two hundred years, it would have rusted away completely.”

“And if you’re talking about newly produced stainless steel… well, that’s impossible on this abandoned Earth. The industrial capacity here is almost nonexistent, so there’s no way they could manufacture stainless steel. I can confidently say that there’s no stainless steel left on this planet.”

Impressive!

Lin Xian couldn’t help but give Wei Sheng Jin a thumbs-up.

“Well prepared, Mr. Wei. You really came ready!”

“Alright, Lin Xian, take out the folding shovel from the backpack. Let’s dig up the soil and see if there’s a aluminum alloy safe down there!”

After two months of searching, this was the first sign of success. Wei Sheng Jin was visibly excited, rolling up his sleeves and getting ready to dig.

It didn’t matter if the aluminum alloy safe wasn’t his; finding one meant there was hope. If they found the first one, they could find the second and third… Maybe this spot was the former location of Time Bank’s vault. He should be happy.

Lin Xian took out two folding shovels from the backpack. They looked like high-quality tools, sturdy and sharp once unfolded.

Mars tech, living up to its name.

The two quickly got to work, digging one shovelful at a time.

They didn’t expect it to be buried so deep—they had already dug over a meter down and still hadn’t reached it.

Wei Sheng Jin wiped the sweat from his brow. He climbed out of the pit and scanned the area below with the metal detector.

The beeping grew even louder.

“No mistake, Lin Xian. It’s definitely down there, just buried too deep…”

Lin Xian was also drenched in sweat. After all, it was August 28, 2624, the hottest time of summer, and they were doing hard labor.

“We need to widen this pit,” Lin Xian said, taking the water bottle from Wei Sheng Jin and gulping down a few mouthfuls before wiping his mouth. “Otherwise, we won’t have room to stand, and we won’t be able to get the soil out. The aluminum alloy safe is pretty big, so we’ll need enough space to dig it out.”

Wei Sheng Jin nodded in agreement.

So they stopped digging down and began widening the pit.

Luckily, Wei Sheng Jin’s Mars-tech shovels were sharp, cutting through the soil like butter. The two made quick progress.

“It feels like we’re doing archaeology,” Lin Xian remarked as he dug, feeling a bit amused by the situation.

He’d been through so much recently—digging graves, now doing archaeology… His life experience was certainly expanding.

Clang!

Lin Xian’s shovel struck something hard, sparking against the metal.

“I think we found it,” Lin Xian said, peering at the shovel. A small notch had been chipped out, which could only happen from striking something as tough as aluminum alloy.

Sure enough, they soon unearthed a corner of the aluminum alloy safe!

“Mr. Wei, this is it. You really found it,” Lin Xian said, pointing at the corner of the safe.

This thing… After all the struggle, he could recognize it even if it was turned to ash.

Success was within reach.

Both men, too excited to wipe their sweat, doubled their efforts, digging faster and harder until they finally stood the centuries-old, gleaming aluminum alloy safe upright.

They threw aside their shovels and immediately leaned in to check the nameplate on the front.

Number: 1277 Name: Pang Ya

For a moment, both sighed.

“Wow… this safe goes all the way up to number 1277,” Lin Xian remarked, shaking his head. “Time Bank really was something else.”

He turned to look at the exhausted Wei Sheng Jin, who was sitting on the ground.

“Mr. Wei, do you remember how high the numbers went when you stored your safe? Ah… Sorry, I forgot you lost your memory.”

Wei Sheng Jin had mentioned that after hibernation, he lost all memories of his past, so he naturally wouldn’t remember anything about storing the safe. After all, he didn’t even know the significance of the combination 23730907 or why he had set that date.

Lin Xian idly spun the combination dial on the safe, more out of boredom than any real expectation.

To his credit, the safe’s quality was still excellent. Despite the years, the dial turned smoothly.

He tried a few combinations, pressing the lock each time, but the safe didn’t open. Lin Xian gave up and turned to reassure Wei Sheng Jin.

“It’s okay, Mr. Wei. Even though this safe isn’t yours or mine, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Think about it. You’ve been searching here for two months and hadn’t found a single safe. Maybe Time Bank isn’t even in this forest. Donghai City is huge… You might not have a good sense of it, but I don’t know how big your Martian cities are. Donghai City covers over 6,000 square kilometers. At the rate you’re scanning, even in two years, you wouldn’t cover it all.”

“But now, you’ve found the core area. Since we found the first safe, there’s bound to be a second and third one… Maybe we’re standing right on top of the old Time Bank vault. You should be happy.”

Wei Sheng Jin looked puzzled as he turned to Lin Xian. “Are you trying to comfort me, Lin Xian? Hahaha… You’re overthinking it. I’m too old to be discouraged by something like this. Hahaha… But thank you anyway. I was just too tired to speak. After all, I’m seventy years old, and I can’t keep up with you young folks.”

Wei Sheng Jin took a swig from his water bottle, smiling as he offered it to Lin Xian.

Seeing that the seventy-year-old man still had a good attitude, Lin Xian felt relieved and waved off the offer, signaling that he wasn’t thirsty.

Then he stepped forward and sat on the recently unearthed aluminum alloy safe, gazing into the depths of the forest with Wei Sheng Jin.

“Mr. Wei, I have some questions about history that I’d like to ask you.”

“Hey, why are you always so formal, Lin Xian?”

Wei Sheng Jin waved his hand dismissively.

“You still haven’t gotten used to this era. You’re making me feel awkward. You really don’t need to call me ‘sir’… Just call me by my name, like I call you by yours.”

“Uh…”

Lin Xian decided to skip the formalities and get to the point.

“I have two questions. The first is…”

[Why did everyone leave Earth without hesitation when Elon Musk came from Mars to pick them up after the great disaster of 2400? Normally, even if Earth were broken, ruined, and left with nothing but ruins and outdated technology, would so many people really leave their homeland to live on Mars?]

Wei Sheng Jin sighed softly, explaining slowly.

“You see, this is the downside of not receiving history education. I’m really curious how you passed the hibernation awakening general knowledge test. If you don’t pass that test… you have to retake it. If they can’t confirm you can integrate into the current society, you’re not allowed to live freely in the future.”

“The history education tells us that Earth’s situation was dire at the time. It wasn’t just a matter of war or not having enough food. Even after decades, with the world’s population reduced to a fraction of what it once was, the natural environment still didn’t improve… Volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis… Lin Xian, you haven’t experienced such terrifying scenes, so you probably can’t understand why people would want to leave.”

“Think about the scenes from war and disaster movies. When people are faced with that kind of situation, who wouldn’t want to retreat to a safe place? And at that time, between 2400 and 2500, the safest, most comfortable place was definitely Mars.”

“After 2500, Earth’s environment may have improved, but by then, the Earth emigrants had either passed away or settled on Mars… Their children and grandchildren on Mars wouldn’t want to return to a backward Earth. Would they really expect someone like me to come back to Earth to live off the land and hunt, living a primitive life?”

“I definitely wouldn’t want that… Besides, the Earth-Mars space shuttle runs every two years, so anyone who really wants to live on Earth is free to do so. But no one does because the quality of life on Mars is much better. No one would want to come.”

“Unless… one day, Earth’s technology and living standards reach even half or a third of Mars’, then maybe a lot of people would want to live here.”

Lin Xian nodded and continued. “That’s exactly my second question. You mentioned earlier that after 2500, when the last wave of Martian emigrant ships departed, there were still several million, or even tens of millions, of people left on Earth. Now, over a hundred years later, with some knowledge and basic infrastructure, why haven’t they developed industrial civilization?”

Wei Sheng Jin twisted the cap back onto his water bottle, setting it aside before continuing.

“A hundred years is indeed a long time, enough to see significant technological advances. But that’s only if the population is sufficiently concentrated and knowledge and basic infrastructure have been preserved.”

“SpaceX’s space shuttles took decades to transport everyone who wanted to leave Earth to Mars. The people left behind were either stubborn or had physical issues… They couldn’t handle zero-gravity environments or long space journeys.”

“To say that the ones left behind were the old, weak, and sick wouldn’t be an exaggeration. With a population like that, they couldn’t truly band together. Gathering tens of thousands of people would already be considered a large organization.”

“But… what can tens of thousands of people do, especially when many of them are elderly or children? Maintaining an agricultural economy would already be a great achievement. So, after a hundred years of reproduction and survival, the fact that Earth’s population has grown to thirty million and reached a medieval level of living is already a miracle.”

“Civilizations develop quickly when they do, but no civilization can suddenly leap forward without any prior buildup. Every industrial revolution might seem rapid, but they are all the result of hundreds of years of accumulation.”

“This accumulation isn’t just about knowledge and basic infrastructure; it’s about talent, especially geniuses. Only geniuses can truly drive history forward, and with the current population base, after only a few generations, the chances of producing a genius are incredibly low.”

“You might find this hard to believe, but even after nearly a thousand years, the geniuses listed in kids’ textbooks are still the same names—Einstein, Newton, Gauss… The fact is, there was over a hundred years between Newton and Gauss, and over a hundred years between Gauss and Einstein.”

“However, I’m still optimistic about Earth’s future. Give Earth’s population another hundred or two hundred years to grow, and they’ll likely trigger another wave of technological advancements and easily enter the industrial era.”

…

Listening to Wei Sheng Jin’s insights on history, humanity, and civilization, Lin Xian was impressed.

“You seem to know a lot… What did you do for work on Mars?”

“Haha, before I retired, I was a teacher at a university.”

“Oh, wow! That’s impressive!”

Lin Xian complimented.

“Then I’ll call you Professor Wei from now on.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m not a professor, just an ordinary teacher. You can just call me by my name, Wei Sheng Jin.”

“How about I call you Teacher Wei?” Lin Xian tried again.

“Eh, suit yourself.”

With that, Wei Sheng Jin stood up, dusting off the dirt on his clothes.

“Shall we continue? I suspect we can find more aluminum alloy safes in this area. Let’s start by scanning to the east!”

Full of energy, Wei Sheng Jin led Lin Xian, and they continued their archaeological adventure.

Heading east, Wei Sheng Jin handled the metal detector while Lin Xian carried the backpack and tools.

Suddenly, both men stopped in their tracks, lifting their heads to look toward the dense foliage ahead.

In the distance there seemed to be sounds of a chase and shouts coming from the forest.

At first, Lin Xian thought it was wild animals, but as he listened closely, he realized it was people shouting! And it sounded like several of them!

Finally, they had a chance to meet other living people, and it was highly likely they were local Earth inhabitants!

Lin Xian was thrilled.

Wei Sheng Jin had been through “history education” and “brainwashing,” so Lin Xian didn’t fully trust his version of events. He was more interested in hearing what the locals had to say.

Just as he was about to move forward to investigate, Wei Sheng Jin quickly pulled him behind a tree, pressing a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture.

“Shh… Don’t get too excited. Let’s hide first. Earth is very chaotic these days, especially around Donghai. This area is remote and doesn’t have any big cities, just a few scattered villages… Some people are not easy to deal with, so it’s best to stay hidden.”

As they spoke, the sounds of the chase and shouting grew louder.

Hiding behind the tree, Lin Xian and Wei Sheng Jin peeked out.

Swoosh!

A lithe, black figure leaped through the trees, landing in a clearing. She drew a black, gleaming machete from her waist, readying herself for the impending confrontation.

Lin Xian took a deep breath, his eyes widening…

Dark brown hair, furrowed brows with a sharp edge, a tear-shaped beauty mark at the corner of her left eye… The familiar face, the familiar figure!

He was just about to call out when—

“You scoundrels! Kill her for me!”

A rough voice bellowed, and a burly, fierce-looking man with a face full of scars charged out of the underbrush with three lackeys of varying sizes trailing behind. He waved a club forward.

“Get her! Beat her down!”

In an instant, the scene turned chaotic, with the four of them attacking her all at once. The tall and skinny lackey with a wooden spear was particularly troublesome, poking and jabbing from a distance, making it hard to tell who was winning.

Oh no!

Lin Xian couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaped out from behind the tree.

These were all familiar faces, all on the same side—why were they fighting?

“Stop! Stop! Stop fighting!” Lin Xian shouted as he rushed toward the brawl.

“Don’t fight! Stop! Stop! You need to stop fighting!”

But…

No one paid him any attention.

The three lackeys—Ah Zhuang, San Pang, and Er Zhuzi—were all waving their weapons at thin air, while Big Cat was on the sidelines, shouting insults.

CC was using all her energy just to dodge their uncoordinated attacks, too occupied to notice Lin Xian.

“I said stop! Hold your fire!”

Lin Xian had reached Big Cat’s side, giving him a firm slap on the shoulder.

“Big Cat, give me a break! Stop fighting!”

Whoosh—

A cold stick came swinging toward Lin Xian’s head, which he barely dodged.

Big Cat’s face was scrunched up in rage. “Who the hell are you? Give you a break? Who do you think you are?!”

Hearing his outburst, the three lackeys paused and looked over at their boss.

Meanwhile, CC finally looked up, spotting Lin Xian. Her eyes widened in surprise, “Lin Xian… Lin Xian?”