Chapter 50

While stirring the pot, Lin Ge heard these words and her hand trembled, nearly dropping the utensil to the ground.

The term "Internet" was something she had only seen in history books.

Tian Tian's sweet eyes also slightly trembled. She looked at Qiao Jiajin with a serious face and asked, "Qiao Jiajin, you said before... which year were you born?"

"I already told you, 1979," Qiao Jiajin said nonchalantly, scratching his nose with one finger. "1979, what's the matter?"

Tian Tian slowly stood up, staring cautiously into Qiao Jiajin's eyes: "Are you joking with me? If you were really born in 1979, you should be in your forties now."

Lin Ge was slightly stunned by these words and turned to look at Tian Tian: "That doesn't seem right..."

Qi Xia ignored the ongoing argument and served herself a bowl of meat.

Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brow, finding Tian Tian's words hard to understand: "What's wrong with you, Tian Tian? Are you hungry and confused? How can a vibrant young man like me look like I'm in my forties?"

Indeed, he didn't look forty.

Given his appearance and physical condition, he couldn't possibly be in his forties.

Xiao Xiao, who was listening to the conversation, remained motionless like Qi Xia.

Lin Ge's mouth moved slightly, asking, "Qiao Jiajin, what year is it now?"

Qiao Jiajin stared at her suspiciously: "2006."

He turned his head and noticed that Tian Tian and Lin Ge were staring at him in disbelief, which made him even more puzzled.

"What are you all staring at me for?"

Lin Ge felt a strange unease about the whole situation. He turned to Tian Tian and asked, "Tian Tian, which year are you from?"

"I'm from 2019..." Tian Tian said, frowning, "What's going on?"

Lin Ge felt weak all over and slowly sat down: "Everyone... I'm from 2068..."

"Ah??" Qiao Jiajin was shocked, "2068??"

Qi Xia nodded silently after hearing this.

Yes, she did indeed seem like someone from the future.

This explained everything.

In her time, people wore masks from a young age, just like ordinary clothing, starting from birth.

So when she didn't wear a mask, she felt as if she wasn't wearing clothes.

With the rapid development of the internet, she didn't need to know what a "leaflet" was; the internet was already overwhelming enough.

Qi Xia shook her head silently, not expecting that everyone would still notice this issue.

"This just makes it even stranger..." Tian Tian's lips trembled slightly as she said to everyone, "We're from different years, yet we've gathered on the same day. Could this really be the work of 'God'...?"

Lin Ge also said in disbelief, "If we're not from the same year, then the 'earthquake' we experienced before coming here must have been different..."

She then looked at Qiao Jiajin: "But in my memory, I've never heard of a large-scale earthquake in your area..."

"What about you?" Tian Tian suddenly asked Qi Xia, "Which year are you from?"

"I'm from 2022," Qi Xia said.

"What's going on?!" Qiao Jiajin felt dizzy, "Smart guy, why is this happening? Have you figured anything out?"

Qi Xia shook her head; no theoretical knowledge she knew could explain the current situation.

Why were they all from different time periods?

Was it random or intentional that 'God' selected these people?

How long was the time span between the participants?

"Regardless, we will only gather here for ten days," Qi Xia looked at the dark red sky outside, her eyes very determined. "Whether this is the work of 'God' or not, I don't care. I just want to fill my stomach and find 'the Way' as soon as possible. Even if you are very concerned about this issue, I don't recommend you seek the truth."

Everyone slowly sat down after hearing Qi Xia's words.

Yes, Qi Xia was right; they needed to get out.

No matter which year they were from, they all had the same goal: to escape this place and return to their original lives.

If they spent a few days investigating the "time period" issue, it would go against their goal. .W.C

The five of them took small bowls from the restaurant, each serving themselves a bowl of meat soup, their expressions still somewhat unnatural.

The mysteries of this place seemed to be layered, and there were many things they wanted to figure out.

But as Qi Xia said, seeking the truth would certainly waste a lot of time.

Was the "truth" more important, or was "escaping" more important?

"Yeah... don't think about it anymore," Tian Tian sighed. "Have we experienced fewer 'inexplicable' things?"

Lin Ge and Qiao Jiajin looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

Tian Tian picked up an old stir-fry spoon and slowly tore the meat from the bear's arm, putting some in each person's bowl.

The bear's arm had been stewed to the point of falling apart, and the meat easily separated from the bone. The aroma of the meat wafted through the air, carrying the rich, hot broth, filling everyone's nostrils.

"Pretty... fragrant," Qiao Jiajin swallowed, taking his bowl.

Qi Xia also held her bowl but didn't move.

She glanced at Xiao Xiao out of the corner of her eye and saw that she had started eating. Qi Xia then waited silently for a moment.

Only after confirming that the food was completely safe did she tear a piece of white meat from the bone.

She brought the bear meat to her nose and smelled it; the aroma was strong. She then put the meat in her mouth and took a light bite, and the hot meat juice exploded in her mouth.

"Phew..." Qi Xia was scalded and quickly exhaled a few breaths of hot air. She then chewed haphazardly and swallowed the white meat.

It was terrible.

She had never thought that bear meat would be so terrible.

The texture in her mouth was fatty and greasy, and after a few chews, it left a strong, gamey taste in her mouth.

Perhaps it was because they had no seasonings, or perhaps bear meat was just that way. In any case, Qi Xia only took one bite and already didn't want to touch the bowl again.

She looked at Lin Ge, who also frowned, her features twisted as if she had eaten a very sour lemon.

Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian, however, didn't seem to mind. They chewed the meat in large bites and looked at the two of them.

"What's wrong? Not good?" Qiao Jiajin asked.

"What do you think?" Qi Xia asked, "Do our taste buds differ because we're from different years?"

"It is pretty terrible," Qiao Jiajin said, his speech slightly muffled, "But we need to survive. Smart guy, did you never eat leftovers from the trash when you were young?"

Qi Xia found Qiao Jiajin's words interesting. He put down his bowl and said with a hint of mockery, "Qiao Jiajin, your diet is quite rich. You've not only eaten bear paws but also trash?"

"Smart guy, you're being a bit too bold..." Qiao Jiajin stuffed another large piece of meat into his mouth and said, "Do you know how much older I am than you? Call me 'Grandpa Qiao' in the future, and I'll protect you. Grandpa Qiao has eaten more trash in his life than you've eaten bear paws."

"I'll say it again, I've never eaten bear paws or trash."

Tian Tian and Lin Ge were amused by the two, and the food in their hands seemed a bit more palatable.

Yes, no matter which year they were from, they were comrades at this moment.

Qi Xia stopped arguing with Qiao Jiajin and picked a few more pieces of meat from her bowl to eat.

No matter what, eating something was better than being hungry. They didn't know what kind of game they would face next, and they needed to maintain their strength.

The bear's paw was right in Qi Xia's bowl. She had thought that the "bear paw" would be different from other parts, but after just one bite, she gagged repeatedly.

This part was even more fatty and greasy, and the texture was like a piece of mucus with a strong, gamey flavor.

"Did the ancients really consider this a delicacy?"