Chapter 1

In 2002, in the city of Jinzhou, Tianan University.

Chen Fan stood on the dormitory balcony, feeling the stifling heat in the air. Under the blazing sun, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the throbbing headache he had seemed to ease slightly.

"Is this Tianan University?"

Chen Fan muttered to himself, somewhat surprised and uncertain.

He didn't know why he was here. Even if he had blacked out from drinking yesterday, it wouldn't have been enough to get him from Beijing to Jinzhou's Tianan University.

Chen Fan was a project director for a multinational company. Last night, he had accompanied a client and drank until the evening, mixing spirits, red wine, and white wine, which led to a blackout. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this place.

Ding-dong-dong-dong!~

At that moment, accompanied by lively music, his pocket started to vibrate.

Chen Fan instinctively took it out and saw it was a phone!

What is this?!

A Motorola A388! A flip phone!

Chen Fan looked at the antique phone in his hand, his thoughts racing. In light of the current scene, a strange idea gradually took root.

He flipped open the phone, pressed the answer button, and put it to his ear.

"Big Demon! Are you up? Today is the day we interns report to Shenglin Technology. The company shuttle will be here in an hour, so hurry up and get ready!"

A voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar came from the phone. Chen Fan's mind raced, and he asked, somewhat disbelievingly,

"Are you... Li Chenggang?!"

"Of course it's me! I told you not to drink so much yesterday. It was just one woman, was it really worth it?! Don't dawdle, get down here quickly, or you'll be late on your first day of the internship, and you'll have a hard time!"

He hung up, and the busy tone followed.

Chen Fan stood there, still holding the phone, the glaring sunlight and the stifling heat unable to calm the turmoil in his heart.

Is this a穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time travel" or "穿越" in English)?

Did I time travel?!

He looked at the flip phone in disbelief, the black and white screen showing the current time.

July 22, 2002, Monday, 9:25 AM!

After confirming the time, he hurried back into the dormitory. As soon as he stepped in, a familiar smell of stinky socks mixed with cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sweat, along with an indescribable foul odor, hit him.

The floor was littered with Tsingtao beer bottles, some empty bottles of Great Wall red wine, sunflower seeds, and peanut shells, and occasionally, a pair of stinky socks.

The mess was so bad that there was hardly any place to step...

Chen Fan smiled bitterly. This scene somewhat eased his turbulent emotions.

July 22, 2002, was a significant day for Chen Fan, a day he remembered vividly.

The day before, Sunday, he had confessed his love to Chen Nanli, whom he had secretly admired for years, but was gently rejected. That night, he drank to drown his sorrows with his roommates. The next day, which was today, was the day he would step into the adult world for the first time.

Chen Fan was a third-year student at Tianan University in Jinzhou, majoring in industrial engineering. Because he had studied Pro/Engineer, a 3D software, in Beijing, his first internship was as a product design apprentice.

In 2002, the domestic industry was still in its mid-stage, so people who could use 3D software were still rare. Therefore, interns like Chen Fan, who had studied 3D software in school, were highly sought after by relevant companies.

Before his rebirth, Chen Fan entered the industrial field from this day forward. For the next twenty years, he worked in a monotonous technical position. Later, after successfully developing a small product that received positive market feedback, he was promoted to a technical management position.

To put it simply, Chen Fan's life before his rebirth was uneventful, just an ordinary life. After working for over ten years, he met a woman who wasn't particularly beautiful but made him feel at ease, and they got married...

His parents were relatively healthy, both had their own jobs, and they had no worries about food and drink. His sister also had a simple and happy family. Everything was so ordinary, and although life was somewhat dull and monotonous, it was real.

He had originally thought that he would work for another ten years, then retire honorably, travel with his wife in his fifties, and enjoy a full life with his grandchildren in old age.

But he never expected that fate would give him another chance, bringing him back to the age of 22!

"Elementary Black Tech Store activated, matching host identity..."

At that moment, a voice deep in his mind interrupted Chen Fan's reminiscence.

Is this... a system?!

His heart, which had just calmed down, became excited again.

To be honest, he wasn't unfamiliar with time travel. Before his rebirth, he was one of the few office workers who didn't read web novels, and he himself was a seasoned bookworm.

Time travel with a system is a common trope!

"Host identity matched successfully, name: Chen Fan."

"Age: 22."

"Height: 175 cm."

"The Black Tech Store was formed due to the destruction of the parallel universe's Blue Star. To ensure that Blue Star's technological civilization would not be lost, it exists in the form of a store."

"Host Chen Fan's primary responsibility is to promote Blue Star's technological civilization. If the task is not completed within the specified time, the system will reset everything and match a new host."

"The Elementary Black Tech Store currently only offers white lower-level technology. If the wealth value is sufficient, any item can be purchased."

"The wealth value of the Black Tech Store must be earned through personal effort. Any gifted or found wealth does not count towards the Black Tech Store's wealth value."

"Any black tech produced must be explained to the public. If the facts about the Black Tech Store are leaked, the system will reset everything and match a new host."

"First task of the Black Tech Store: Release any new product to the market."

"Task duration: 100 days!"

"Task reward 1: Choose any white lower-level technology product."

"Task reward 2: 5 points for the Black Tech Store."

"Note: Black Tech Store points can be used to exchange for VIP status or task duration."

"The basic introduction of the Black Tech Store ends here. Other functions of the store need to be developed and researched by the host."

Chen Fan saw a virtual system panel appear before his eyes, about the size of a palm. The content was simple, with only five options: Task, Store, Wealth Value, Points, and Warehouse.

Focusing on the Task option, the screen changed, and he entered it. It only displayed the task and rewards the system had mentioned.

Using the same method, he entered the Store page and saw a wide variety of items, which made him feel dizzy.

Software: SAP upgraded strategic software, embedded intelligent six-axis联动 system, all-around 4D design software, intelligent driving system...

Chen Fan's heart raced. He didn't look at the others, as they were all marked in gray, meaning they couldn't be exchanged.

The SAP upgraded strategic software, which many people might not have heard of, can be explained with a simple example. Most people understand the importance of electronic chips.

This software is essential for chip design and production. The company that developed this software might not rank highly among the world's top 500 companies, possibly even outside the top 400, but 80% of the world's top 500 companies are its clients.

To put it bluntly, the SAP strategic software is the world's top-ranked ERP software!

To be frank, if SAP were to cut off supply to a country, that country's chip industry would suffer greatly.

Because software is the soul of chips, without it, chips cannot function properly.

Chen Fan finally understood what the Black Tech Store could bring to himself or the world!

Unfortunately, about 90% of the items in the store were gray, and their prices were marked with "???".

The only items with visible prices were those Chen Fan was more familiar with, such as the Android system and touchscreen phones, which would gradually appear over the next ten years.

The lowest wealth value required for purchase was over 100,000!

Chen Fan checked the Wealth Value page and saw that his wealth value was zero!

He sighed but didn't feel disappointed. The road must be taken step by step. He then confirmed the lottery page.

Upon entering, he found an unexpected surprise. The number of lottery draws showed 1, with a note.

"Newbie reward: 1 free lottery draw. The draw range is limited to items in the store with a visible wealth value."

Without much thought, Chen Fan mentally said "lottery draw." The lottery page flickered, and a product package appeared.

"Plastic building toy, Titanic ship, 2888 pieces, worth 8888 wealth value!"