Chapter 73

Dinner was a lively affair, and the kind of meal with wine and meat was something that Xie Tian and his group had not enjoyed for a long time. Therefore, this meal was particularly enjoyable and satisfying. Even Gao Jun, who was not much of a drinker, happily drank a large bowl of wine. After dinner, Fan Wu Cheng and his group were arranged to stay in the thatched cottage where Xie Tian and his three brothers lived, while the three servants who came with them were given other places to sleep by Old Sun.

In Xie Tian's thatched cottage, the穿越者 (穿越者 refers to people who have traveled through time or space, often translated as "time travelers" or "spatial travelers") gathered together. Xie Tian, who was usually very frugal, made an exception today and lit two oil lamps. Xie Tian's thatched cottage had two rooms; Qingchen was assigned to guard the outer room, while the other time travelers gathered in the inner room, waiting for Zhong Tao to set up the radio to contact the "Qing Yuan" base.

Before long, Zhong Tao completed the radio's calibration, pressed the call button, and called into the microphone: "Beach Team calling base, Beach Team calling base. Please respond if you hear, please respond if you hear."

Soon, Wang Feng's voice came through the headphones, indicating that he was on duty at the radio today: "This is the base, this is the base. Please report the situation, please report the situation."

Zhong Tao called: "Team Leader Fan requests to speak with the committee, Team Leader Fan requests to speak with the committee. Please report quickly, please report quickly."

Wang Feng replied: "Understood, understood."

After a while, Wang Xiaojun's voice came through the headphones: "This is Wang Xiaojun, this is Wang Xiaojun. Please report the situation, please report the situation."

Fan Wu Cheng took the microphone and reported the situation they encountered in the small fishing village to Wang Xiaojun, and requested permission for the four time travelers to join their team.

Wang Xiaojun did not immediately respond but asked him to wait a moment while he discussed it with the other committee members and then give him a reply. Fan Wu Cheng knew that this was a significant matter, and it was reasonable that Wang Xiaojun could not make a decision alone, so he did not urge and patiently waited for their decision.

After about ten minutes, Wang Xiaojun's voice came through the headphones again, and he said happily: "The committee has agreed to Fan Wu Cheng's request. Your team can bring the four time travelers back. The committee has agreed to Fan Wu Cheng's request. Your team can bring the four time travelers back."

Hearing this news, Fan Wu Cheng and his group were naturally very happy, and the weight on their minds was lifted. Xie Tian and his group were even more elated, and Gao Jun, the young man, even cried out of joy.

Subsequently, Fan Wu Cheng reported the situation regarding 'Sea Worms' to Wang Xiaojun, who expressed that they had done a good job and would be praised upon their return.

After the call ended, the group, now completely at ease, began to discuss their experiences before and after the time travel.

Fan Wu Cheng and his group learned that Xie Tian and his group had the same time travel period as their own, suggesting that this time travel event was a widespread occurrence. Although they had previously speculated this when the Dongshan and Xigu factions met, they had not encountered other time travelers since then, and the two groups' time travel locations were not far apart, so this speculation was not often mentioned. Today, meeting Xie Tian and his group increased the likelihood of this speculation.

According to Xie Tian and his group, they were on a beach in Dalian before the time travel. Xie Tian was the owner of a seaside restaurant, and the Huang brothers and Gao Jun were customers. To allow customers to better enjoy the sea and the beach, Xie Tian placed some tables and chairs outside the restaurant on the beach. There were eight tables in total, and each table had customers.

At the moment of time travel, Xie Tian, the small boss, was carrying two cases of beer to the Huang brothers' table. Gao Jun was eating ice cream at a nearby table and waving to his girlfriend swimming in the sea. After Xie Tian placed the beer and was about to leave, he felt the sky darken. Looking up, he saw dark clouds rolling above the beach restaurant, with faint purple lightning flashing within. Before anyone could react, they were enveloped by countless dazzling purple lights and lost consciousness.

When they woke up, they found themselves on a small reef less than ten square meters in size, with only the two tables they were at remaining. The other tables and chairs, along with the customers, were gone. After a brief period of panic, Huang Shan, who often read web novels, suggested that they might have time traveled, as described in the novels.

After all four accepted the fact of time travel, they began to fight for their survival. Since they were on a reef surrounded by seawater, they initially survived on the two cases of beer and a few dishes on the table for the first day and night. Later, they pooled their ideas and used the threads from their clothes to make fishing lines and the pins from Huang Hai's military uniform to make fishing hooks, and began to try fishing. After multiple failures, they finally started to catch fish. However, without fuel—since the tables and chairs were made of plastic and could not be burned—they had to force themselves to eat raw food.

At first, the four thought they were unlucky, as there were many people at the beach restaurant and the dark cloud covered a large area, yet only they were time-traveled. However, two days later, when Huang Hai went underwater to search for shellfish around the reef, he discovered that they were not the unluckiest. He found the bodies of other customers from the beach restaurant in the shallow waters around the reef. From the positions of the bodies, it was clear that all eight tables had been transported. However, due to the small size of the reef, everyone except those at their two tables fell into the sea and drowned before they could wake up.

Hearing this tragic news, Yang Xin and Zhong Tao were deeply moved, and Fan Wu Cheng felt a deep sense of empathy. His wife had died due to a slight deviation in her position upon arrival, and the same fate had befallen the Lao Song family. Xie Tian's story brought back memories of his deceased wife, and he could not help but shed tears. After understanding the reason for his sadness, Xie Tian and his group were very sympathetic to him. For Xie Tian and his group, although there were unexpected events during the time travel, the people who lost their lives were strangers to them, and while they felt sorry for them, they did not experience the same deep pain as Fan Wu Cheng.

After a while, with the comfort of Xie Tian, Yang Xin, and others, Fan Wu Cheng stopped his sadness and continued to listen to Xie Tian's story.

Xie Tian said that the hardest days for the four of them were on the fourth day after the time travel. By then, they had long finished the limited food and drinks that were transported with them, and the two cases of beer were almost gone. The biggest problem they faced was not the lack of food but the lack of water. Without food, they could still fish and collect shellfish, but without water, they would die. The youngest, Gao Jun, who was still a high school student, could not bear the pressure and even had thoughts of suicide. If not for the Huang brothers and Xie Tian's desperate efforts to stop him, he would have jumped into the sea.

On the fifth day after the time travel, their luck finally changed. A fishing boat passed by the reef and rescued the four of them. At that time, they only had half a bottle of beer left. Xie Tian still remembered the excitement they felt when they saw the fishing boat. He truly experienced what it meant to be saved from a desperate situation. The four of them shouted and screamed in excitement, throwing all the empty beer bottles into the sea, which almost made the fishermen on the boat think they were wild men and abandon the rescue.

After being rescued, they were brought to this small fishing village. When they first arrived, they had no money and no personal belongings except the clothes they were wearing. The fishermen who rescued them were also poor and could not afford to support them for long. Therefore, under Xie Tian's leadership, the four of them, relying on their strength, began to work for the villagers, going out to sea and fishing to earn a living. This life of hunger and fullness lasted for several months until last October, when they were recognized for their hard work and knowledge and were adopted as foster sons by Old Sun, thus firmly establishing themselves in the village.

Through Xie Tian's detailed account, Fan Wu Cheng and his group gained a clearer understanding of the hardships the four time travelers had endured and admired their courage in facing adversity. They continued to chat for a long time, until around three or four in the morning.

The next day, the group did not wake up until close to noon. After a simple meal, Xie Tian and the other three went to greet Old Sun. Upon returning, they discussed with Fan Wu Cheng and his group when to set off for the city.

According to Fan Wu Cheng's group, the sooner they left, the better. The team's work had just started to get on track, and there were many things to do every day. Staying here for an extra day would affect their work. Xie Tian and the others, except for Gao Jun, were hesitant and did not want to leave immediately. In particular, Xie Tian clearly expressed his disagreement with Fan Wu Cheng's suggestion to leave immediately.

He said firmly: "Brother Fan, I know you are doing this for our good. You think we have suffered so much here and should immediately return to Liangxiang to live a comfortable life. At first, I was very happy and eager to live a life without worrying about meals. However, after thinking about it all night, I decided to stay. I, Xie Tian, am not an ungrateful person.

Although my foster father did not give us wealth or luxury, he extended a helping hand when we were in our most difficult times, providing us with food and clothing. He is like a parent to us, and we should treat him as we would our own father. We cannot leave him here for our own comfort, making him a lonely old man again. Since I have recognized him as my foster father, I must fulfill my filial duty and take care of him until the end of his life.

Brother Fan, I appreciate your and the other brothers' intentions, but I can only say sorry. I hope you can understand me and explain the situation to the committee, asking them to give me some time to take care of my foster father. When the time comes, if you still want me, I will join you without hesitation."

After Xie Tian finished speaking, the Huang brothers also expressed their support for his decision, stating that they would stay and fulfill their filial duty to their foster father. Gao Jun, however, was not as resolute.