Chapter 3

It was very hot outside, but the dungeon was cold and damp.

When Ren Bāqiān was dragged in, he even saw a few rats scurrying across the floor.

On both sides were iron doors, and he couldn't see what was inside.

Soon, he was thrown into one of the cells, and the person who threw him in said to the guard, "This is the prisoner the Emperor wants. Watch him carefully, don't let him die."

Hearing this, Ren Bāqiān felt his hair stand on end.

If it weren't for these words, would he not be able to leave here alive?

Thinking about this, he felt a wave of anxiety.

With a loud "bang," the iron door was slammed shut, leaving Ren Bāqiān in a cell with only a ventilation window, twenty centimeters high and one meter wide.

Ren Bāqiān collapsed onto a pile of straw on the ground.

The events of the day had been too much for his young heart.

After a while, he began to worry about his current situation.

He hoped the woman would see him soon so he could try to persuade her and get a chance to show his worth.

Ren Bāqiān believed that his knowledge and perspective were completely different from those in this world, which would give him an opportunity to prove himself.

At the very least, he needed to change his current situation where his life was always in danger.

For the next few hours, he lay on the straw, thinking about what he could say to move her when he saw her again.

When he felt cold, he grabbed some straw to cover himself, barely keeping warm.

A squeaking rat emerged from a hole in the corner, startling him.

After scaring the rat away, he sighed, thinking how much better Earth was, and continued to think.

There was a small door at the bottom of the iron door, through which dinner was pushed.

A bowl of salt water and a food item similar to a cornbread, so coarse that it scratched his throat as he swallowed.

After struggling to finish the cornbread, Ren Bāqiān huddled in the straw to keep warm and think. He didn't try to ask the guard outside, knowing it would be useless and better to save his saliva.

The straw was warm enough, and he soon fell into a deep sleep. He had been through too much shock today.

Ren Bāqiān thought the woman would see him soon.

Unexpectedly, he waited for three days without any sign of her.

Ren Bāqiān became anxious. Had she forgotten about him? If so, would he have to spend the rest of his life here?

Thinking about such an outcome, Ren Bāqiān felt that death might be more comfortable.

However, his anxiety was of no use. His life and death were in the hands of others.

He could only comfort himself and continue waiting in the cell.

Another night passed, and even before opening his eyes, he felt the bright light through his eyelids.

After several days in the dungeon, he was already used to the dim light inside. He immediately knew he wasn't in the cell.

Ren Bāqiān opened his eyes wide, then quickly closed them again, dazzled by the surrounding light.

He had been in the cell for days and was not used to the brightness outside.

He touched the ground beneath him; it was still straw, but the cell couldn't be this bright.

He felt around again and touched a smooth floor with a small crack.

"Is this... a tile?" Ren Bāqiān suddenly thought of a possibility and felt around, indeed touching a wooden table leg, his computer desk.

"I'm back?!!" Ren Bāqiān was overjoyed, almost shouting out loud.

Suppressing his excitement, Ren Bāqiān slowly opened his eyes again. Sure enough, he saw a familiar room, the smoke-stained yellow walls, the computer desk, the computer, and the messy bed. Everything was so familiar.

And he was on a pile of straw in front of the computer desk.

"I'm back, I'm alive and back!" Ren Bāqiān jumped up from the ground.

First, he had almost lost his head, then he spent three days in a dark cell, and now he was back in this shabby room. The joy in his heart was indescribable, and he could only vent it by shouting.

He vented for ten minutes until his neighbor knocked on his door, and he finally calmed down a bit.

"Trouble! I've been missing for three days. I wonder how the company will handle it," Ren Bāqiān thought after calming down, suddenly facing a very real problem.

"Well, being alive is a big deal. If I lose my job, I can find another one," Ren Bāqiān comforted himself.

Indeed, after this brush with life and death, he could see many things more calmly. The most important thing now was that he was alive and back, which was more important than anything else.

Although he thought this, he still picked up his phone.

As expected, it was off.

He quickly charged his phone and threw himself onto the bed.

It was really great to be back in this shabby room. Even this broken window felt so comfortable. Ren Bāqiān rolled around in the blanket, sighing.

He was pricked by something after a few rolls.

He then noticed that he still had straw on his body.

"This is straw from another world. I wonder if it carries any bacteria," Ren Bāqiān muttered, taking off his clothes and throwing them aside. Looking in the mirror, he saw a haggard face.

His short hair was also full of straw.

"Knock, knock, knock" came a knock on the door.

Ren Bāqiān quickly put on his shorts and opened the door. Outside was a middle-aged man.

"You're finally back. I've been looking for you for two days. Your phone was off. What were you thinking? If you don't come back, I'll throw your stuff out," the middle-aged man said irritably.

"Isn't it still a week? What's the rush?" Ren Bāqiān, still basking in the joy of his narrow escape, replied casually.

"Are you out of your mind? It's been two days," the middle-aged man said.

"…?" Ren Bāqiān suddenly realized something and asked cautiously, "What's the date today?"

"It's the 17th. You should have paid the rent on the 15th."

Ren Bāqiān calculated in his head. He went to that world on the 8th, and today was the 17th, which meant 10 days had passed. He had spent 3 days in that world and returned at some point.

In other words, one day in that world was at least equivalent to three days on Earth?

"Great, I'm definitely going to lose my job," Ren Bāqiān laughed bitterly. If he had been missing for three days, he could have explained it. But 10 days? He would definitely be fired.

"I'll transfer the rent to you on WeChat later," Ren Bāqiān said to the landlord and closed the door.

Ren Bāqiān turned on his phone and checked the time. It was indeed July 17th.

He then saw a series of missed calls. Several were from his harsh middle-aged female boss, a few from colleagues, and a few from his only friend.

He opened WeChat and saw a series of messages.

"Where are you? Why didn't you come to work?"

"The boss is angry, come quickly."

"Where have you been?"

"You've been fired. Come to the company to settle your salary."

Seeing this message, Ren Bāqiān immediately gave up the idea of calling his harsh boss.

She had always looked at him unfavorably, and now that he had been missing for 10 days, he was definitely out of a job.

Tomorrow, he would go to the company to settle his salary, take a few days off, and then look for a new job.

"But how did I get there? And how did I come back?" Ren Bāqiān thought about this, and a shadow fell over his heart.

If he couldn't find the reason, he was really worried that he might end up in that world again at some unknown time.