Chapter 2

The universe is diverse.

In the Amazon rainforest, a butterfly flutters its wings unintentionally, which might trigger a tornado in Texas, USA, two weeks later. That is, any minor change could, after being magnified infinitely, produce an impact significant enough to alter the course of the future.

In other words, the future we understand is extremely unstable.

Jiang Chen, male, 23 years old, a college graduate. After graduation, he worked as a salesperson in a clothing store but was soon fired. The shrinking wallet forced him to face a difficult choice: should he continue looking for a job in Shanghai or return to his hometown and give up his rented apartment?

To be honest, he was unwilling to run back in disgrace. Living in a big city like Wanghai had been his lifelong dream, and it was also his parents' expectation for him. How many people who have never seen the world do not yearn to go out and explore it?

Even if he knew that reality might make him look shabby.

That night, he got drunk. It was the first time since graduation that he drank alone until he passed out. After venting his frustrations, he felt as if his head had been hit by something, and he fainted. The mysterious metal object that hit his wrist seemed to merge with him and disappeared.

Then, he acquired an incredible ability—time travel!

Of course, it took several months to discover this unusual ability.

Strange patterns encircled his right wrist like a watch. Even upon close inspection, one could only conclude that it was a peculiar tattoo.

So, the question is, why did Jiang Chen never get a tattoo?

He didn't know why he was chosen, but he knew that the opportunity to reach the peak of his life might have arrived.

Time travel? Dimensional leap?... He lacked the professional knowledge to explain this extraordinary phenomenon. He discovered it after an accidental electric shock left him unharmed. After absorbing about 100 kilowatt-hours of energy, the slot on his wrist, which looked like a tattoo, would fill up, meeting the conditions for "time travel." One time travel would consume about half the energy slot, meaning 100 kilowatt-hours were enough for a round trip. The cost of time travel was only about 50 yuan, which was incredibly cheap.

Additionally, the strange tattoo had functions beyond time travel. Jiang Chen discovered by chance that it also had an independent subspace, roughly a cubic meter in size, for storing items. However, since accessing items from the subspace required energy, he chose to carry items in a backpack during time travel. After all, if he didn't conserve the energy in the slot, he might not be able to return if he couldn't find a way to recharge in the post-apocalyptic world.

Jiang Chen had a hunch that the energy slot could be upgraded, including the storage space, but he hadn't figured out how to do it yet.

As for how to recharge? The method was simple—just insert his right fingers into a socket... Although crude, it was very effective. Jiang Chen discovered this method by accident during an electric shock.

The first time travel was to an abandoned house. The dusty bed and rotten wooden windowsill indicated that no one had visited this house for a long time. After carefully confirming his surroundings, Jiang Chen began to explore the dilapidated house. From the partially damaged radio with storage capabilities and old newspapers, he barely gathered some information about this world.

This was a parallel world similar to Earth, but technology was more advanced than in Jiang Chen's world. Skyscrapers stood tall, but there was no sign of civilization. The streets were filled with zombies and strange creatures, and without a reliable weapon, Jiang Chen dared not leave the house easily.

The year was 2190, and the location was still Wanghai City in the Huaxia Republic. However, this Wanghai City was almost unrecognizable from the one in Jiang Chen's world.

In 2150, global warming and the depletion of resources due to over-exploitation led to a severe economic crisis.

In 2164, the political crisis in Poland ignited the powder keg in Central Europe, and the red regime began to advance westward. This affected global geopolitics, leading to extreme tension. Notably, in this parallel world, the Soviet Union did not dissolve in 1991. The world political landscape was divided into three major powers: NATO, led by the United States and its allies; the red regime in Central Asia, led by the Soviet Union; and the Pan-Asian Cooperation Organization (PCA), comprising Huaxia and South Asian countries, with some peripheral countries remaining neutral.

In 2171, the situation in Central Europe escalated, and the red regime declared war on the blue regime. Both sides accused each other of firing the first shot, marking the beginning of the Third World War.

In the winter of the same year, the South China Sea incident erupted. China and Japan engaged in a naval battle in the South China Sea, and NATO declared war on the Pan-Asian Cooperation Organization, opening the Asian front. The same year, Mongolia experienced a political crisis, leading to military friction between the red regime and Huaxia, forcing a large number of military forces to stand off at the border.

In 2172, the red regime detonated the first nuclear bomb in Paris, signaling the entry of the Third World War into the nuclear phase.

In 2173, the modern war unexpectedly entered a stalemate. The entire world suffered from nuclear radiation, and the ecological environment was almost irreversibly destroyed. The nuclear winter covered 80% of the Earth's land with ice and snow. No one expected that global warming would end due to such an ironic reason. The war, famine, and disease of this modern world war almost drained all the vitality of human civilization in just two years, causing economic losses far exceeding the combined total of World War I and World War II. As a result, peace came without a clear victor, as everyone realized that continuing the war would leave no one alive.

In 2174, the New Year, the peace treaty officially took effect. The "Rebuild the Biosphere" plan was launched, and the decontamination plan was funded by all countries.

In the autumn of 2174, the international organization declared the failure of the "Rebuild the Biosphere" plan. The purification fungi being developed mutated uncontrollably due to radiation and spread widely in the cities after being attacked by unknown armed forces. Infected humans turned into zombies, and a global bio-crisis erupted. All institutions collapsed, and all order disintegrated overnight.

...

In 2176, the World Union launched six colony ships to Kapteyn b in the Centauri system, carrying the hope of human civilization to find a new home. However, this had nothing to do with those still struggling on Earth.

In the same year, the World Union dissolved.

The information in the newspaper only lasted until 2176, and the rest of the information Jiang Chen found in a yellowed diary. From the still functioning electronic watch in the drawer, he concluded that the current time was June 2190.

Coincidentally, it was also June in his world.

In just five years, the human civilization in this timeline had destroyed itself.

-

After a brief stay, Jiang Chen chose to return to the present. There were too many unknown dangers here, and exploring without full preparation was not a wise choice.

Back in the present, Jiang Chen rested for two days and then bought a box of canned food, a box of ham, and a box of instant noodles from a nearby supermarket. Out of caution, even though he didn't plan to spend the night in that dangerous place, he still carried enough food for three days.

During the day, the strength of the zombies seemed to be significantly weakened, which made it easier for Jiang Chen to explore the area. Carefully crossing the street and avoiding areas with more zombies, Jiang Chen found this villa...

The tall walls and iron gates looked very secure, and the withered vegetation inside the courtyard looked desolate. The carvings on the marble columns beside the main door of the villa had been eroded by acid rain, indicating severe pollution in this world.

The stone structure of the building was not particularly futuristic, suggesting that the previous owner of the villa was a wealthy person who enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle.

The reason for choosing to explore this villa was obvious—rich people's homes must contain valuable items, right?

However, what Jiang Chen encountered was not valuable items but a nearly starving beautiful woman.

Perhaps blinded by her beauty, or perhaps because Jiang Chen, coming from a civilized society, didn't think of the danger, he generously took a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and fed it to her, showing great care.

Saving her was important... Hehe, would she repay him with her body? Cough.

Then, Jiang Chen took out a can of curry chicken. The woman, upon smelling the aroma, looked at him with her watery eyes, full of pleading. Being looked at by such a beautiful woman was a delightful experience for Jiang Chen, both mentally and physically.

So, Jiang Chen enthusiastically took out a spoon and fed the beautiful, long-legged woman the delicious contents of the can.

Then... nothing happened.

Then, Jiang Chen regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself.

The woman's actions perfectly illustrated the story of the farmer and the snake.

After eating the can of food and a few buns, the woman pulled out a gun from her waist and pointed it at Jiang Chen's forehead. Before he could react, she had already tied him to a chair and retrieved the villa owner's... well, it should be a sex toy—a whip. She began to interrogate Jiang Chen aggressively.

At this point, Jiang Chen realized what carrying a backpack full of food on the streets meant.

Fortunately, he encountered Miss Sun Jiao, who still had some conscience. If he had met cannibals or slave traders, he might have been tied up and used as food or merchandise.

Of course, Jiang Chen could have activated the tattoo on his wrist to return to the present. But that would mean exposing his biggest secret. If this woman "guarded his body," he would face even greater danger.

He was unwilling to give up this "treasure land."

Moreover, activating the time travel function required time. If this crazy woman noticed something wrong, she might shoot him.

Jiang Chen didn't want to take that risk, and now they had reached a cooperative agreement.

-

"Hey, how do you plan to transport the supplies here?" Sun Jiao asked, reinforcing the weak points of the villa's defenses.

"My companions have a way, don't worry about it," Jiang Chen continued to lie.

The villa did contain a lot of money, but the currency in this world was very different from the one in Jiang Chen's world. He had thought about finding some valuable gold, but the villa's owner had not kept such items at home.

The wall hangings might be valuable, but the great artists who created them probably didn't exist in Jiang Chen's world. Selling these artworks for money was not feasible. Jiang Chen showed great interest in the more advanced home appliances in the villa, but when he found that the holographic TV and automatic cooking devices couldn't be activated, Sun Jiao explained the reason.

"Ah, you mean those things... After the nuclear explosion, most electronic devices are useless. However, the key components can be used as parts to exchange for useful things in many survivor bases."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen sighed and gave up the idea of bringing these devices to the present to sell.

However, since these things existed, it meant that someone could recreate them. Jiang Chen believed that if he offered food in exchange, many "elite individuals" in this world would be eager to work for him. After all, in this post-apocalyptic world, those luxurious civilian technologies were worth very little.

Weak technicians, unless they possessed advanced skills like making weapons, would likely end up struggling in the slums.

Sun Jiao didn't know what Jiang Chen saw in this villa, but since her employer told her to work, she wouldn't refuse.

"To be honest, reinforcing this building is meaningless. As long as we don't make too much noise, those mindless zombies won't come in. There are no powerful mutated creatures in this area, so what you're doing is purely..."

"Enough, I'm not guarding against zombies. I know they won't come if I don't provoke them. I'm guarding against unwelcome guests. Got it? You don't want to be strangled in your sleep, do you? We need to stay in the city for a while, and this will be our supply point." Jiang Chen glared at Sun Jiao fiercely.

"Okay, boss," Sun Jiao rolled her eyes and hammered the last nail into the wooden board. She wanted to argue that no one would enter a clearly looted building for no reason.

As for why she was here... that was her secret.

"Do you have a map of the area?" Sitting on a slightly moldy sofa with his legs crossed, Jiang Chen felt no guilt about making this beautiful woman do the hard work. She had almost subjected him to a brutal interrogation, and being threatened with a gun was not a pleasant experience.

Sun Jiao was clearly very skilled at this kind of work and quickly reinforced the first floor of the villa. The materials were all sourced on-site...

"Your Epaid? I can transfer it directly to you."

"Epaid?" Jiang Chen was puzzled.

"That's this thing," Sun Jiao tapped the wrist computer on her arm and smiled as if she had heard a funny joke, "You don't have one, do you?"

"…I can buy one." Jiang Chen chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his nose. He felt like a primitive man in front of her.

"Hard to imagine... You dared to explore the city without an EP. Aren't you afraid of your radiation levels exceeding the safe limit?" Sun Jiao sighed and pulled out a large electronic watch-like device from her backpack and threw it to Jiang Chen, "Try it on."

"Seems to fit... Where did you get it?" Jiang Chen fiddled with it, marveling at the advanced technology. The EP device was very light and unobtrusive, displaying his various physiological indicators on a pale yellow screen. It seemed to be a health monitoring device.

"From a dead guy's body." Sun Jiao smiled, a bright but chilling smile that made Jiang Chen shiver.

***

Username: Jiang Chen

Physical Condition:

[

Muscle Strength: 12

Bone Strength: 10

Reflexes: 11

Brain Cell Activity: 14

...

Radiation Level: 11 (Safe)

Abnormal Status: None

]

***

Seeing the radiation level, Jiang Chen broke out in a cold sweat. He almost forgot that this world was full of radiation, and staying here for too long would be fatal. He didn't know what a radiation level of 11 meant, but he knew he wouldn't have been exposed to radiation before coming here!

"Oh, all your abilities are below 20... I wonder if you're really a man?" Sun Jiao glanced at Jiang Chen's crotch with a mischievous look.

"Do you want to try?" Jiang Chen said fiercely.

"I'm right here, come and try." Sun Jiao placed one boot on the armrest of the sofa, looking at Jiang Chen with a challenging gaze.

Damn, can he take this? Now or never?

...Or never.

Jiang Chen decided to back down.

Joking aside, regardless of whether he could beat the "barbarian" or not (impossible), he had to be wary of her biting him during... that. Jiang Chen believed she would do it.

That kind of pleasure was safer to enjoy in the present. With money, he wouldn't lack for women.

For some reason, Jiang Chen suddenly thought of someone, the woman who fired him, the one who almost left him without a source of income, the one who made life in Wanghai City almost impossible, the one who always had a cold, sour face...

"What's wrong, my little boss, why are you suddenly quiet?" Sun Jiao emphasized the word "little" and looked at Jiang Chen with a playful expression.

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

Sun Jiao was slightly taken aback. The calm tone made her feel a chill. Although she didn't think this man with abilities below 20 could pose a threat, her survival instincts, honed from years of living on the edge, rarely lied.

Sun Jiao wisely shut up.

There was no need to offend a free meal ticket. Being able to eat well every day was something Miss Sun Jiao had never imagined before. The taste of curry chicken was simply amazing, and she had never discovered such delicious food in this world. In this wasteland, having a bun to eat was already a happy thing. Oh no, most people relied on nutritional supplements to survive. Something that didn't fill you up but kept you from starving.

Additionally, this immature boss seemed to be a good person...

Don't misunderstand, "good person" was a derogatory term in the wasteland. But for some reason, although she said that, she preferred to be with this "good-for-nothing" rather than the "normal" people in the wasteland. At least, she wouldn't wake up tied up.

Thinking of this, Sun Jiao's dry, red lips curved into a faint smile.

"Hey, why are you smiling so creepily..." For some reason, Sun Jiao's beautiful smile made Jiang Chen shiver.

"Am I? Don't you think I look charming when I smile?"

"Should I say yes or no..." Jiang Chen swallowed and muttered softly, looking at her beautiful face.

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