Chapter 2

After that, things became simpler. Apart from his regular 8-to-6 job, Zhou Chao devoted all his attention to the strange dream he had. After several days of hard work to interpret it, Zhou Chao roughly understood the meaning of the images in the dream. — It was a real scene that took place in an unknown real world, mainly depicting someone using a magic circle to travel across worlds. However, something went wrong — the explosion at the end of the dream. Then, this dream information appeared inexplicably in Zhou Chao's mind.

As for the two magic circles and a few pieces of information that were deeply etched into his mind along with the dream images, Zhou Chao also basically figured them out after some experiments. One of the magic circles that emitted a pillar of light was used to transport people to another world, a cross-world teleportation magic circle. The other was a cross-world detection magic circle. They were both independent and could be combined into a composite magic circle, allowing people to move across worlds like in the dream. The information included some cautionary notes.

"Be aware that the worlds you traverse are real; treat them seriously."

"Your life is only once; if you die, it's for real. Be cautious with your words and actions."

"Try not to violate the customs of the worlds you traverse," and so on. In short, they were all things that were completely useless to the current Zhou Chao.

After clarifying the information in his mind, Zhou Chao, who was now in a peculiar state of manic excitement, did not hesitate. He immediately withdrew his meager savings from the bank and, through online shopping platforms like Taobao, Alibaba, and eBay, or by asking friends for help, obtained a batch of superconducting materials from a special materials manufacturing plant in Jin City. He then commissioned the factory to create them according to his requirements.

About a month later, after spending nearly 10,000 yuan, Zhou Chao received the required metal magic circle from the factory and hired a truck to transport it to a self-storage facility he had rented on the outskirts of the city. He then connected the magic circle to a gasoline generator he had purchased during the manufacturing period.

With that, the entire creation process was complete!

"Phew. I hope everything goes smoothly!" Zhou Chao, standing next to the gasoline generator, looked at the magic circle quietly placed in the warehouse and said softly.

After speaking, he bent down, pressed the switch, and started the gasoline generator. A "buzz" sounded, and a noise that made one feel uneasy filled the quiet warehouse.

"Zzz." Then, electricity surged into the superconducting magic circle, but nothing unusual happened. The magic circle remained as it was, lying quietly on the ground.

However, Zhou Chao seemed to have expected this. His face showed no disappointment or frustration. Instead, he took a deep breath and, with a mix of trepidation and excitement, moved away from the gasoline generator and approached the magic circle. Like a mine-clearing soldier, he tiptoed carefully, stepping on the spaces between the magic circle, and slowly entered the center, the inner circle where the user of the magic circle was supposed to stand.

According to the knowledge Zhou Chao had found online, this inner circle was a safe area that protected the user from harm by evil spirits and negative energy!

Standing in the inner circle, Zhou Chao clenched his slightly cold fists and stared intently at the magic circle, waiting for something to happen.

Time did not make Zhou Chao wait long. After about three minutes, a faint blue light began to emanate from the superconducting magic circle, illuminating Zhou Chao's body in a blue glow, like an emergency light in the dark.

Seeing the blue light, Zhou Chao's heart tightened. The image of the explosion from his dream involuntarily flashed in his mind. His face turned pale, and his body visibly trembled. Clearly, the deep-seated fear of a failed traversal had completely replaced his initial excitement and anticipation. After all, Zhou Chao did not want to die! He was not like the protagonists in novels, who were orphans, had lost their parents at a young age, or were destined to be alone, with no friends and no expectations for real life. Zhou Chao, though not wealthy, had a happy life, a decent job with some prospects, and even a girl who was flirting with him. He did not want to die here for no reason.

Thinking this, Zhou Chao gritted his teeth and decided to abandon this impending adventure. He took a step to leave the magic circle.

"Just consider this money lost!" Zhou Chao consoled himself.

However, just as his foot was about to touch the edge of the inner circle, the light from the entire superconducting magic circle suddenly brightened, turning into a dazzling blue light. Zhou Chao, caught off guard, quickly closed his eyes and turned his head, stopping his movement.

Then, the light transformed into a blue energy barrier, enveloping the entire magic circle.

"…, sigh." Zhou Chao, after adapting to the current environment, looked at the blue barrier in front of him, opened his mouth, and sighed helplessly.

"I hope everything goes smoothly, otherwise…, sigh."

After that, Zhou Chao did not move, waiting patiently. He waited for over ten minutes, even considering whether to wait until the gasoline in the generator ran out and the energy stopped before escaping. Just as he was about to do so, the light from the magic circle suddenly brightened again and expanded like a shockwave, instantly enveloping Zhou Chao.

"Ah!!!!"

...

"Zzz~"

On the other side, a bright blue energy column suddenly burst open, and Zhou Chao, with a pale face and a look of pain, appeared in a neatly formed circular depression on the ground, falling to the ground with a "thud" and unable to move for a long time. Fortunately, he appeared in a dark alley filled with garbage and discarded items, with a heavy smell in the air and no one around, so he did not have to worry about being mistaken for an alien or a terminator and being taken to the police station.

After about ten more minutes, as Zhou Chao's fingers and arms began to tremble, he gradually regained consciousness.

"Ugh~"

Then, he moved his arms, supporting his body as if doing push-ups. After about ten seconds, he finally managed to crawl out of the ground, leaning against the wall like a drunk, his left hand on the wall, and weakly moving step by step out of the alley.

"Damn, no wonder the guy in the dream had an accident. With this level of protection, even if you manage to cross, if you end up in a wilderness or a place with fierce beasts, you'd be ‘accidentally’ killed, just like the guy who died during the traversal," Zhou Chao muttered, his mouth twitching with each step, feeling a tearing pain in his body.

"I really don't understand what the guy in the dream was thinking, to use this method for traversal. Was he trying to commit suicide?"

Of course, Zhou Chao was just thinking this; he did not really believe the person was trying to die. Since the person dared to use it, it must be a safe and feasible method. But why did it turn out this way for him? Zhou Chao estimated that it had something to do with the energy source he used to drive the magic circle. The dream showed the magic circle taking effect in just a few seconds, but it took Zhou Chao nearly half an hour.

In other words, it was not that the magic circle was ineffective; it was that the energy supply Zhou Chao used was too poor, preventing the magic circle from functioning properly! However, even with this poor energy supply, Zhou Chao managed to complete a traversal — although his body was severely damaged, it still demonstrated the magic circle's strong protective capabilities. Zhou Chao believed that without that protection, he would have ended up like the person in the dream, reduced to a pile of dust.

The passage Zhou Chao was in was not long, only about ten meters. After some effort, he finally managed to walk out of the dark alley filled with the stench of decay and garbage, leaning against the wall at the entrance and looking at the unfamiliar city before him.

What met Zhou Chao's eyes was a bustling modern district. Tall buildings lined the streets, and various shops were open, with well-dressed staff enthusiastically welcoming customers. On both sides of the street, luxury and ordinary private cars were parked, taking up nearly half the road, leaving just enough space for two cars to pass, making the street look crowded, much like the ring roads during rush hour in Kyoto. The large number of black, white, and Asian people, along with the English signs, constantly reminded Zhou Chao that he was in a different place.

"It seems I have indeed crossed, but I don't know if it's to a parallel world or still on the Earth I live on…" Zhou Chao silently took in the scene before him, sighed, and thought to himself.

"Hey, buddy, do you need me to call 999 for you?" At that moment, a rhythmic voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Chao's ear, in English.