Chapter 2

In the early summer of 2012, on the National Highway 110 leading to Hohhot, seven identical off-road vehicles sped along like the wind. This was an organized self-driving tour by a car club from Beijing, consisting of eighteen people from different parts of the city, forming a grand convoy. The driver of the leading vehicle was Wang Xiaojun, the organizer of this event and a development department manager at a software company. He was chatting idly with his good friend and high school classmate, Zhang Weixin, about why his wife hadn't accompanied him and why he had come alone, a topic that lacked any technical content, to pass the time.

Wang Xiaojun, while keeping an eye on the passing vehicles, said helplessly, "This is really a long story. We had already agreed that Xiaofei would take her annual leave this week and come with me. But just as the day approached, her boss suddenly changed his mind and said there was an urgent matter that required her to go on a business trip to Tianjin. No matter how she pleaded, her boss wouldn't agree to send someone else, saying the client was very important and he couldn't trust anyone else. She's a key member of the company, so her boss felt more at ease sending her. What can we do? We work for others, and even if we're unwilling, we have to go. She's been there for several days now, probably working hard."

Zhang Weixin felt very sympathetic for his old classmate and said, "I feel sorry for you, and I understand your wife. That's how things are these days. Competition is incredibly fierce. If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will. Every year, so many college graduates come out, and there's no shortage of talent. We just got a head start by being born a few years earlier and having some work experience. Otherwise, with our families, we wouldn't stand a chance against those fresh graduates who have no burdens. My wife couldn't come because she has to take care of our child's schooling."

This time, Wang Xiaojun felt sympathetic for Zhang Weixin and said, "I guess I have it a bit easier. After all, we're just a couple without kids." They both smiled bitterly, each family has its own troubles. To avoid the depressing topic, Zhang Weixin said half-jokingly, "If we had been born a bit earlier, say thirty years earlier, our level of education would have been quite rare, and we would have been very valuable. We might have had an even more comfortable life back then."

This piqued Wang Xiaojun's interest, and he waved his hand, saying, "Thirty years earlier is still too recent. By then, the college entrance exam had already been reinstated, and many people had already graduated from university. If we had been born three hundred years earlier, with our level of education, we would probably have been jinshis (high-ranking officials), riding in high office and on fine horses." He said this with a look of longing. "Wake up, man. Three hundred years ago, it was the Qing Dynasty. As Han people, even if you held a high office, you would still be a slave to the Manchus, always inferior," Zhang Weixin, a university history teacher, mercilessly doused him with historical facts.

"Then let's go even further back, to the Ming Dynasty," Wang Xiaojun continued to fantasize, but quickly negated himself, "The Ming Dynasty wasn't good either. The Zhu family was too stingy, and officials earned too little, relying on gray income. And at any moment, an unhappy emperor could have you stripped and beaten."

"Then why not go even further back, to the Song Dynasty? That was the best era for scholars. They had high salaries, and as long as you didn't rebel, even if you said the wrong thing or made a mistake, you wouldn't be beheaded. The safety factor was quite high. But the political struggles were intense, with different factions trying to destroy each other," Zhang Weixin, clearly intrigued by Wang Xiaojun's topic, joined in the unrealistic fantasy.

"Hmm, then let's go even further back..." Before Wang Xiaojun could finish, Zhang Weixin interrupted, "Don't go any further. If you do, you'll end up in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, when scholars had the lowest status. It was a time when the strongest warriors ruled, and scholars had to be cautious and supportive."

"Oh, right, that was a chaotic time when scholars had to rely on others to survive," Wang Xiaojun, though in IT, still had some historical knowledge. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, "We're really bored to the point of discussing this. I guess it's because my wife hasn't been home for a few days, and I've been reading too many穿越 (time-travel) novels." He then cursed his wife's boss fiercely, "That damn boss, completely unreasonable. If the heavens had any sense, they would send that unlucky boss to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to suffer the loneliness of being alone."

"Stop, stop, venting is fine, but you need to choose your target. You can curse your wife's boss, but cursing the heavens is not good. Be careful, or he might come after you," Zhang Weixin, seeing his close friend venting, joked to console him. Wang Xiaojun, who didn't believe in deities, said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? I'm just talking. The heavens exist if you believe in them, and don't if you don't. I'm an atheist, so I'm not afraid." Zhang Weixin just wanted to lighten the mood and didn't continue the topic, instead turning on the CD in the car to play some music.

After a gentle tune, Wang Xiaojun's slightly irritable mood gradually relaxed. He then noticed a vehicle of the same model parked on the side of the road ahead, the car tilted, and the driver crouching beside it, apparently checking something. Another person was standing by the roadside, waving at them. Zhang Weixin clearly saw this and said to Wang Xiaojun, "It looks like the car broke down, and they need our help." Wang Xiaojun nodded, slowed down, and stopped beside the broken-down vehicle. However, he didn't get out, nor did Zhang Weixin. The two people in the second car, Zeng Zhilin and Wang Feng, got out and walked over to ask what was wrong. This was a pre-arranged plan, as they were far from the city, and it was always better to be cautious. Zeng Zhilin, a former special police officer and now a martial arts coach, was very skilled. Wang Feng, Wang Xiaojun's cousin, worked at a bank but had practiced martial arts since childhood, specializing in Jeet Kune Do and holding a fifth-degree black belt, making him quite capable. They were chosen to handle any emergencies on the road.

Zeng and Wang walked over, and the person waving at them approached like he had found a savior, gesturing and explaining the situation. The driver, who was fixing the car, also ran over to add details. After a while, Zeng Zhilin seemed to understand what was going on and waved to Wang Xiaojun, signaling them to come over. Wang and Zhang got out of the car and walked over, and the people in the other cars also got out to stretch their legs.

After Zeng Zhilin explained, Wang Xiaojun learned that the two people had a flat tire and had forgotten to bring a spare. They were stuck in a difficult situation. They wanted to borrow a spare tire from the convoy, promising to return it in the city and offering to leave some money or their ID as collateral. Fortunately, the two were heading to the same destination as the convoy. Liang Ziyue, who was driving the third car, also walked over. He was a detective with several years of experience, and his sharp eyes could usually judge people accurately. He indicated to Wang Xiaojun that the two seemed trustworthy.

After a brief discussion, they decided that it was a small favor, and it was common to face difficulties while traveling. So, Wang Xiaojun called out, and everyone sprang into action. Some carried the spare tire, others brought the jack, and they worked for a while. Once the tire was changed, everyone prepared to get back in their cars. Just then, the music and radio in the cars suddenly stopped, replaced by a static noise. The clear sky suddenly darkened. Wang Xiaojun looked up and saw a thick, dark cloud covering the bright sky. The cloud was very low, as if he could touch it, and it was only a few hundred meters wide. Purple light flickered in the dark cloud, giving it an eerie feel. A bad premonition suddenly came to Wang Xiaojun, and he instinctively shouted, "Everyone, get away from here!" But before he could finish, the cloud exploded with a loud thunder, and purple lightning struck down. Wang Xiaojun saw nothing but purple light, and then he lost consciousness.

...

After an unknown amount of time, when consciousness returned to Wang Xiaojun's mind, he wished he were still unconscious. As his consciousness returned, the only sensation he could feel was pain, intense pain all over his body. He was lying on the ground, and his eyelids felt heavy, unable to open. He tried to lift his hand to open his eyes but couldn't manage it. Eventually, Wang Xiaojun gave up on this futile attempt. Since he couldn't see, he decided to listen. As he focused, his hearing gradually returned. The rustling of leaves in the breeze and the chirping of birds filled his ears. Listening to these beautiful sounds, his consciousness became clearer, and the pain in his body slowly subsided. Finally, he had the strength to open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a sky so blue it was many times bluer than the one he had seen while driving through the Inner Mongolia grassland. It was the kind of clear blue he had only seen during his trip to Tibet. This blue sky made him feel much more relaxed, and the pain in his body almost disappeared. The bird chirping, which had been somewhat muffled, became clearer and more beautiful. He turned his head to look and saw a beautiful gray magpie circling and chirping happily above a dense, green tree. Seeing this, Wang Xiaojun felt even more at ease and turned his head to continue admiring the beautiful sky. But suddenly, he realized something was wrong. Trees! Yes, trees! They had been driving on the Inner Mongolia grassland, and there shouldn't have been any trees.

Thinking about this, Wang Xiaojun couldn't lie still anymore and used all his strength to sit up. At the same time, he heard Wang Feng shout in a strange tone, "Damn, no way!" Wang Xiaojun turned his head and saw Wang Feng also sitting up, along with Zhang Weixin, Zeng Zhilin, and others. They looked at each other for a moment, all seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes and guessing each other's thoughts. "It can't be real, right?" Wang Xiaojun said to Zhang Weixin, unwilling to accept it. "I'm afraid it is as you think," Zhang Weixin's response was not swayed by Wang Xiaojun's hopeful gaze. "Damn, no way!" Wang Xiaojun couldn't help but repeat Wang Feng's words. He then scrambled to his feet, opened the door of his beloved car, and took out the GPS receiver from the dashboard. To his disappointment, no matter which direction he pointed it, the receiver couldn't find any satellites. At this point, the others had also woken up, most of them confused, just staring at their leader as he fiddled with the GPS.

Zhang Weixin walked over and pulled Wang Xiaojun, saying, "Xiaojun, stop. You're the organizer of this group. If you can't stay calm, everyone will be even more panicked. The situation is unclear, and if everyone loses their composure, it will be very dangerous." This calmed Wang Xiaojun's initially anxious mood. Yes, he had organized this group, and everyone trusted his leadership and coordination skills. In the past, no matter what adverse conditions they faced during trips, as long as he said it could be solved, everyone would support him without hesitation. The current situation was much more difficult than before, and if he couldn't stay calm, how could he lead everyone out of this predicament? He composed himself and apologized, "I'm sorry, it was too sudden, and I lost my composure." Zhang Weixin, seeing him recover, felt relieved, said nothing, and just nodded and patted his shoulder. Brothers didn't need words; a look or a gesture was enough. Seeing his friend's trusting and supportive gaze, Wang Xiaojun completely calmed down. He thought for a moment and said, "Call Ah Yuan, Zhilin, and Ziyue over. We need to discuss and unify our thoughts." Zhang Weixin turned to gather the people, but Wang Xiaojun called him back, "Oh, and bring the two people who stopped us. They seem older than us, probably in their forties, and might be helpful." Zhang Weixin nodded and went to call them.

A moment later, the others followed Zhang Weixin over. Wang Xiaojun looked around; the others still seemed in shock. He pointed to his car and said, "Let's talk in the car." The SUV was not small, but it was still crowded with seven people.

"Xiaojun, we can't have time-traveled, right?" Liang Ziyue said as soon as they sat down. Wang Xiaojun really didn't want to admit this. Since he woke up, he had had this thought because no other theory could explain what had happened. Now that Liang Ziyue had said it, he decided to go along with it, nodded at Liang Ziyue, and said seriously, "Based on the current situation, I believe we have indeed time-traveled. There's no other way to explain what's happening. And the only information we can get from the environment is that we are in the north, and it's probably summer."

"What do you mean by time-travel? I don't understand. Can you explain?" The driver who had been fixing the car asked. Clearly, he hadn't read this type of web novel and didn't understand the conversation between Wang and Liang. "Old classmate, you're out of touch. Let me explain," his friend, the one who had stopped the car, began to explain. Fortunately, he was a well-educated person and quickly understood what time-travel meant. He then asked, puzzled, "Old classmate, you don't seem like someone who likes to read these web novels. How do you know so much?" The one who had stopped the car laughed and said, "I have to thank my daughter. She likes to read these and always tells me about them, so I know." Everyone laughed, but soon fell silent again. Yes, if they had indeed time-traveled, it meant they would never return to their original time and place, never see their loved ones, friends, or family again. Thinking about this, everyone felt a deep sense of sadness.

After a moment, Wang Xiaojun recovered and said loudly, "Let's put our emotions aside for now and discuss what to do next. Oh, right, I haven't asked for your names." "I'm Zhou Lei, and this is my old classmate, Yu Wendeh." The one who had stopped the car was more outgoing and introduced himself, "We've been friends for decades. I was visiting his city for a conference, and during the break, he took me out for a drive, but we ended up in this unbelievable situation. Oh, by the way, I work at an arms factory, responsible for the development of light weapons manufacturing equipment, and my old classmate is a metallurgist, both with senior engineer titles." Zhou Lei seemed to have discussed a lot about time-travel novels with his daughter, even mentioning the importance of their professions for time-travelers. Since he was so open, everyone relaxed. Wang Xiaojun introduced the car club members in the car, and after a discussion, they quickly reached a consensus on several points:

First, everyone was young (Zhou Lei and Yu Wendeh, both 48, agreed), and they were familiar with the concept of time-travel. Wang Xiaojun would explain the situation to the others outside and try to keep everyone calm.

Second, given the current situation, all survival supplies they carried would be managed and distributed uniformly, and no one could hide them privately.

Third, they would rest for the day. In the morning, when everyone was fully recovered, they would send three or four physically fit people—tentatively Zhang Weixin, Zeng Zhilin, and Wang Feng—to explore the surroundings. This would help find a way to survive and confirm whether they had indeed time-traveled.

Fourth, if they were indeed time-traveled, everyone must work together to overcome this challenge. Personal interests must yield to the collective interest, and no one should endanger the group for personal gain.