Chapter 2

"Exactly what's going on here?" The terrifying status diagram made Wendesi's scalp tingle, but soon he let out a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, fortunately, the fusion reactor is only slightly damaged..."

Of course, if the fusion reactor had been destroyed, Mr. Wendesi would have already turned into subatomic particles.

He immediately spoke into the microphone beside him: "Fefei, this is Wendesi. Immediately prioritize the repair of the fusion reactor to the highest level, and dispatch all maintenance personnel there. Fix that first, then move on to the rest..."

"Fefei" is the name of the main control computer of this office building, which can control all the facilities inside the building. If we use a more fantastical analogy, it is like the spirit of a wizard's tower.

"Yes, Mr. Wen..."

Then Wendesi began to check the status of other parts. After making the necessary arrangements, he remembered the grim scene of the mine before he lost consciousness and asked the bio-android secretary beside him: "Xiaolv, how is the situation outside? What is the extent of the damage?"

"Ah, this... that..." Gu Xiaolv's expression suddenly became strange, and he stammered for a long time without answering.

"Go ahead, I can take it... After all, no one can prevent such accidents. At worst, I won't go back to Earth for the New Year..." Wendesi took a deep breath, already prepared to accept a result like "the entire mine is destroyed."

"No, Mr. Wen, you are already on Earth..." Gu Xiaolv said with a strange expression.

"What? What did you say? I'm on Earth now?" Wendesi wondered if the bio-android's brain had been damaged.

"Although it's hard to believe, it's the truth. Look for yourself..." Gu Xiaolv walked to the wall, pressed a few keys, and displayed the surrounding scenery.

"..." Wendesi was instantly dumbfounded.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and there was no mistake. The screen showed a vast field with mountains, water, forests, and grasslands. In the distance, he could even see harvested fields and a few scavenging stray dogs.

"Chirp... chirp..." After a few sparrows chirped and flew past the camera, Wendesi plopped down on the ground.

After a few seconds of daze, he immediately shouted at the main control computer: "Fefei, immediately tell me the current planetary coordinates, name, and specific location! Now! Immediately! Hurry!"

The sweet and cold voice of the main control computer immediately responded: "...Stellar system coordinates: 0000001, 0000001, 0000001, system name: Solar System, number: 01... Planetary coordinates: 002, 003, 003, planet name: Earth, number: 03. Location coordinates: 105.018° East Longitude, 29.526° North Latitude, this location is within the jurisdiction of Neijiang City, Sichuan Province..."

"This... this... this is impossible!!!" After being stunned for several seconds, Wendesi shouted and rushed out...

...

"Impossible! This is really Earth, this is not scientific!! Too unscientific! How can this be!!!"

Wearing a spacesuit, Wendesi knelt on a grassy field, weakly loosening his left hand, letting the grass leaves in his palm scatter on the ground.

At this moment, Wendesi's integrated office building was in a mountain hollow. Miraculously, its condition was similar to when it was on the planet Alpha 998877, with the lower half buried in the ground. Around it was a small grassy area, with yellowed grass, and a cypress forest a few dozen meters away. It was clear that this was the wilderness, with no signs of human habitation nearby.

After the atmospheric analyzer confirmed that the air was suitable for human breathing, he threw the helmet of the spacesuit aside. A plump sparrow flew over and perched on the helmet, tilting its head to look at him, seemingly curious about this stranger.

Wendesi stared at the plump sparrow for a while before shouting: "Damn it, I really did return to Earth. What the hell is going on? I was blasted by unknown energy and returned to Earth, a distance of 430 light-years! Even with the most advanced jump ship, it would take at least a week! I think either I'm crazy, or the world is crazy!!!"

The plump sparrow was frightened by his roar and quickly flew away, chirping in alarm.

Although Wendesi was extremely shocked, he was a strong-willed person and quickly regained his composure. "Right, the communication equipment is intact. I should contact the rescue agency immediately and report to the company..."

Back in the control room, he said: "Xiaolv, immediately contact the company headquarters and tell them I'm on Earth. Also, contact the nearby rescue agencies for assistance..."

However, Gu Xiaolv replied: "Mr. Wen, I was just about to tell you... I have already tried to contact the company and the nearby rescue agencies, but I couldn't reach them, and..."

"And what?"

"There are no signals of any kind, no laser, electromagnetic waves, neutrinos, or any other type of signal... The communication equipment is intact, so it's not a problem with the equipment..." Gu Xiaolv said.

"What? No signals, how is that possible?" Wendesi quickly walked to the main control computer and issued several commands.

After more than an hour of testing, adjusting, and trying, Wendesi sat back in his chair with a grim face.

All attempts to contact anyone had failed! It wasn't a problem with the equipment!

"What's going on? Even the satellites are gone? Fefei..."

"Indeed, according to radar detection, there are no operational satellites, space stations, or any artificial objects in the atmosphere..." Fefei's voice was still unhurried.

"Damn it, could it be... This is a big problem!" Wendesi pinched his chin and thought for a long time, suddenly having an idea. He stood up and said: "Fefei, how many unmanned exploration drones are left? Are they operational?"

"Mr. Wen, there are 6 unmanned exploration drones in the hangar, all in perfect condition and ready for use..."

Wendesi said: "Deploy all of them. Use this office building as the center and have them move in a spiral pattern to survey the surrounding area... Wait, this is in Neijiang, right? Send one to the city of Neijiang..."

"Yes, Mr. Wen, the unmanned exploration drones will depart immediately..."

Although the main function of the unmanned exploration drones is to survey mineral deposits, they can also serve as reconnaissance drones without any issues.

A door on the metal shell of the office building opened silently, and six table-sized, soap-shaped drones rushed out. They flew into the clouds at a speed of about 500 kilometers per hour, beginning their survey of the surrounding area. One of them headed straight for the northeast, toward the city of Neijiang...

...

"This is... this is... what kind of Neijiang is this!!!"

The images transmitted by the exploration drones almost made Wendesi crush the cup in his hand.

Because the first thing that appeared in this city was not the skyscrapers that are everywhere, nor the common floating roads, but a city wall!

Yes, a city wall, the kind that can only be seen in films, games, or historical theme parks. And this was definitely not a replica, because what followed was a large area of houses no more than three stories high, with stone-paved roads in between. The entire area inside the city wall was in this style.

The streets were bustling with people, most of whom were dressed in very old and rough clothing, with colors limited to black, white, blue, and gray. A few who were better dressed wore colorful silk and brocade. However, the style of their clothing was extremely outdated.

No, no, no, that's not all. Wendesi saw no trace of anything modern here.

More terrifyingly, the people here had a common feature, or rather, most of the men had a common feature. Their foreheads were shaved, and they had a "pigtail" at the back of their heads.

"Heaven! This is... the Qing Dynasty! I... I have traveled through time???" Wendesi stood up, his mouth wide open.

There was no doubt that the "pigtail" hairstyle, which is only seen in the Qing Dynasty, would not be chosen by any person with normal aesthetic standards.

At this moment, Gu Xiaolv suddenly pointed to the screen and said: "Mr. Wen, it seems to be the late Qing Dynasty. Look, there are a few people in Western suits, and there is a group of soldiers with old rifles..."

"Right, that's correct, this is indeed the late Qing Dynasty..." Wendesi also saw that among the crowd of "pigtails," there were a few people with normal hairstyles, all dressed in Western suits, some holding canes. Compared to the majority of their fellow citizens who looked malnourished, they appeared vibrant and healthy, clearly upper-class individuals.

Next to the city gate, there was a group of soldiers with old rifles.

"There are also people riding old bicycles... Hey, are these bailiffs?" At this moment, Wendesi saw a few people on bicycles. They stopped at a crossroads, pasted a notice on the wall, and then took out a copper gong and beat it vigorously. They then moved to the next crossroads and repeated the process.

Wendesi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately operated the exploration drone to focus the camera on the notice, zooming in to read it.

It was a notice issued by the Neijiang County government, stating that during the period from New Year's Eve to Lantern Festival, the city would be lit up as usual, with no curfew, and people should be cautious about fire and theft. Of course, this wasn't the main point. What caught Wendesi's attention was the date at the bottom of the notice.

"Guangxu 31st year, 12th month, 21st day!"

Wendesi immediately pulled up the perpetual calendar and exclaimed: "Damn it, this date is January 15, 1906!"

The situation was now clear; he had traveled through time.

Wendesi clutched his head and groaned: "My wish to return to Earth for the New Year has come true, but this is the Earth of 376 years ago! What should I do now?"