Chapter 9

It was summer vacation, and while most of the other students were picked up by their parents, Tong Yan was struggling to drag his luggage bag toward the bus station alone.

Just as he was complaining about the scorching sun, a person suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, less than three meters away from him.

He didn't walk over, didn't fly over, and didn't fall from the sky; he just appeared out of nowhere, without any warning or trace of movement.

Tong Yan thought he was seeing things due to the heat, so he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. The person was still there, and even smiled at him.

Tong Yan felt a chill run down his spine, and the heat seemed to vanish, replaced by a wave of cold: "In broad daylight, I can't be seeing a ghost, can I?"

The strangely dressed young man seemed to have heard Tong Yan's thoughts and took two steps closer, "Don't worry, I'm not a ghost, nor an alien. I'm a human from the future."

Tong Yan's scalp tingled with shock, and he managed a forced smile, "Hehe, you're really honest."

The young man looked around and saw that he was the only one on this small road, feeling more at ease, "Since you've already seen me, there's no point in lying. So, I need your help with something."

Tong Yan, who usually had a thick skin, asked, "Ah, what kind of work? Do you pay?"

The young man smiled apologetically, "It's just a survey, and there's no payment. Besides, I only have the sixth series of RMB, which you probably can't use."

The young man was very patient, first introducing himself and then explaining his work. He didn't give his real name, only saying his code name was "Mole." He worked as a research assistant at the National Time-Space Research Institute, which was the first to develop a time machine. This was his first mission, aimed at calibrating the time machine's accuracy by verifying the current time and location against the initial settings.

Next, the assistant with the code name "Mole" asked Tong Yan a few questions.

"What year, month, and day is it now?"

"Please check your watch and tell me the exact time."

"Please accurately state the city and street we are in now."

Tong Yan gave the correct answers, and Mole recorded them on a form, nodding in satisfaction. He then handed the form to Tong Yan, "Please check it. If it's correct, sign your name. Thank you, sir."

Tong Yan signed while asking, "There's really no reward?"

Mole regretfully took the form, "There's really no reward. Nothing from our time can be left in this time. The button on my chest is actually a camera, recording everything we do here. Violating the rules will result in punishment."

After looking at Tong Yan's signature, Mole's previously professional expression changed, and he carefully examined Tong Yan, "You're called Tong Yan?"

"Isn't it written there?"

"Are you from Yangping?"

"Sort of, I'm from a county under Yangping."

"Oh, no wonder you look so familiar. You're the great Wu Ji! I, I really admire you. Can you sign for me? Write it on my clothes, I'll definitely keep it well!" Mole's eyes sparkled, making Tong Yan feel a chill.

"I don't understand what you're saying. Could you explain in more detail?" Tong Yan asked.

"You, real name Tong Yan, pen name Wu Ji, are the most famous online writer in our time. I'm your fan! A hardcore one." Mole used a respectful tone.

Tong Yan immediately showed a pleased expression, "I always knew I could be a writer. I wrote an essay in my childhood called 'My Ideal,' which was about being a writer. I was right! But what does 'online' mean before 'writer'?"

At this time, Tong Yan was still a good student and a role model in his class. In 2005, online novels hadn't yet gained the influence they would have in the future, so Tong Yan hadn't been exposed to them and didn't know the difference between online and traditional writers.

Hearing Tong Yan's confusion, Mole wasn't surprised. He had watched Wu Ji's interviews and read his autobiographical novel, knowing his life story well. Tong Yan started reading online novels in 2007 after college and became famous in 2015 due to a failed career, making him a late bloomer compared to other famous online writers.

Since Tong Yan was so curious, Mole decided to satisfy his curiosity. Fortunately, he was well-informed and managed to explain the origin and development of online literature, from the early days of起点 (Qi Dian) to its acquisition by Shanda, and then its integration into the Tencent system. He talked about the Platinum Gods, the Five White of Central China, the wealth list of online writers, and the value of online novel IPs. He could answer any of Tong Yan's questions, not just about the online writing world but also about social changes over the next decade.

Mole focused on the period after 2015, when Wu Ji, under the pen name "Wu Ji," achieved a high status in the online writing world. This was Mole's active period as a fan, and Wu Ji had many titles: "The Last Supreme God of Online Novels," "Idol Online Writer," "The Most Famous Online Writer in Reality," "The Best Promoter of Online Writers," and "The Super God who Broke the Five White's Monopoly."

Tong Yan was drooling as he listened. The life Mole described was rich and leisurely, exactly what he aspired to. "You know a lot about me. You must be a real fan."

"More real than pearls. I'm a core member of the Tongzi Army, your fan group. I've watched your interviews and read your autobiography. I can say that you don't even know who your future wife is, but I do!" Mole crossed his arms, feeling superior.

"Who is my wife?" Tong Yan blurted out.

"She is... "

"Wait, don't say it. Let's talk about something else. After I became an online writer, I did well. What about before that? Was it bad?" Tong Yan wanted to leave some suspense in his life.

"Not just bad, it was terrible!" Mole enthusiastically described Tong Yan's miserable life before 2015, including his mother's serious illness, his failure in the college entrance exam, his girlfriend being taken by someone else, being mistreated at work, buying fake goods on Taobao, and receiving threatening calls after giving bad reviews. Of course, the exaggerated descriptions were mostly from Tong Yan's self-deprecating autobiography.

"Too terrible!" Tong Yan said indignantly, "I'll definitely be more careful in the future. We've been talking for almost two hours. It's getting late. If I don't leave now, I'll miss the bus home. Goodbye, Mole."

"Wait!"

Tong Yan inwardly cursed, realizing he hadn't fooled the young man.

"Great Wu Ji, you haven't signed for me yet," Mole said seriously.

"Oh, right, right," Tong Yan wiped his sweat, took the pen, and wrote on Mole's clothes, "Wu Ji, is that right? I like this pen name."

Just as Tong Yan finished writing, Mole took out another pen from his pocket, a shiny metallic one with a button on top. He raised his hand and pressed the button toward Tong Yan's eyes.

Fortunately, Tong Yan was quick and not only closed his eyes but also covered his face with his hand, "I've seen 'Men in Black.' You're trying to erase my memory, right?"

"Wu Ji, this is my job. I have to do it. Please open your eyes and don't make it difficult for me," Mole said politely.

Tong Yan, with his eyes closed, started to bargain, "Can you not erase my memory? I've had bad luck for years. Can't you let me prevent it?"

"I really can't. We talked for over an hour, and you asked about your entire life. I even told you about many future events. If I didn't have this memory eraser, would I have said so much?" Mole sighed, "Don't worry, after 2015, you'll have a better life. Just bear with it. My camera is recording everything, and my superiors are watching. Don't make it hard for me. I'll give you a billion in rewards later, okay?"

Tong Yan wasn't unreasonable. He opened his eyes, resigned to his fate, "Alright, come on."

Mole raised the memory eraser pen and pressed the button toward Tong Yan's eyes. Just as he pressed it, Tong Yan closed his eyes again, and Mole said, "Great Wu Ji, don't be naughty."

"Wait, can I ask one last question?"

Mole was very patient, "Sure, what is it?"

"What's my wife's name?"

"You should know her. Her name is XXX."

"Damn, how can it be her?!" Tong Yan was shocked.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not really, she's a good person," Tong Yan recalled their relationship, "She must have a crush on me now. Do we have children?" Tong Yan asked another question.

"A daughter, very cute. People on the internet call you 'father-in-law.'"

Tong Yan chuckled, not quite understanding the joke.

"Any more questions? I really need to do this now."

Tong Yan felt a sense of tragic determination, "Come on!"

Mole pressed the button of the memory eraser pen toward Tong Yan's eyes, but unlike the previous times, there was no red light or "beep" sound.

He tried again, but still no reaction.

Tong Yan was delighted, "What, it's broken? No spare?"

Mole shook the pen, "It's probably out of power."

Tong Yan shouted, "Heaven is on my side!"

Mole ignored Tong Yan, unscrewed one end of the memory eraser pen, and took out two AA batteries. He bit them with his teeth and reinserted them.

Tong Yan was completely stunned, and while he was in shock, Mole pressed the button again. A red light flashed in Tong Yan's eyes, and after a brief moment of blurriness, his vision returned to normal. He now saw Mole as a complete stranger.

Mole nodded in satisfaction. Although the battery was low, it still worked. The mission was complete, and it was time to return. "Great Wu Ji, see you later!" Mole was eager to complete his task and didn't notice that although the red light flashed, there was no "beep" sound...

[PS: I'm back, please vote if you can, or add to your favorites if you can't!]

[Page Break]

[Page Break]