In a silver-white interrogation room, the one-way glass reflecting Liu Peiqiang's slightly uneasy face, he subconsciously glanced at his phone, which was displaying the time:

January 24, 2057, 4:32 PM.

—Since the Earth gradually stopped rotating, the United Government changed the familiar 24-hour system to a 60-hour system.

Seven hours have passed since Liu Peiqiang was taken to the garrison headquarters in the shelter.

Liu Peiqiang had received professional training, so he knew that the officials' delay in showing up was a questioning tactic, and he patiently waited.

[Beep—Verification successful, ID 00, welcome, Colonel Wang Jianning.]

As the electronic door slowly opened, Wang Jianning, dressed in military uniform, strode in, followed by two soldiers from the garrison.

One of the young men with baby-like features handed Liu Peiqiang an energy block, smiling as he said:

"I've been waiting for so long, buddy, your physical condition is pretty good. Here, have some freshly arrived earthworm nutritional bars, durian flavor."

"Thanks."

Liu Peiqiang's back remained impeccably straight; he was more concerned with something else than eating.

"You should have taken the food I handed over for testing, right? Can you prove that what I said is true?"

Wang Jianning glanced at Liu Peiqiang, then slowly sat down opposite him and said:

"You seem very concerned about whether we will believe you?"

"Of course! Not to mention how many people across China are lacking food, just look at our Shanghai No. 3 shelter. People are starving to death every day because of insufficient food. If we could trade with Shan Hai Restaurant, it could greatly alleviate the food pressure!"

Liu Peiqiang knew the other party didn't believe him, but he wouldn't believe those words until he stepped into that place:

"If the government doubts the credibility of my statements, I don't care, but please believe me, everything I'm saying is true!"

Seeing that he was somewhat agitated, Wang Jianning's eyes flickered, and he exchanged a glance with the baby-faced man beside him before lowering his head to look through the transcript that Liu Peiqiang had previously signed:

"...So you mean there's a multi-dimensional restaurant in the universe that just happens to be connected to the door of an abandoned residential building, and you just happened to open that door with your pilot's medal? Inside, you can not only buy a lot of supplies, but you can also see sunlight, and you come back unharmed like Alice in Wonderland—what, aliens speak Chinese too?"

"Pfft..."

The guard who had been silent in the corner couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"..."

Liu Peiqiang grew anxious and uneasy, realizing that he had overlooked one point:

No one will believe what he says.

After all, such a place would be a dreamlike fertile land for the current Earth. Compared to the cold and cruel reality, no one would really believe that such a place exists.

Liu Peiqiang took a deep breath and said:

"I stand by my word, Colonel. I was a soldier myself and have been on battlefields far more dangerous than this. I swear on my life that this is true—if you need proof, I can show it to you at the next deal."

The baby-faced man whispered something in Wang Jianning's ear, and his eyes flickered. When he looked at Liu Peiqiang again, there was a clear increase in respect in his eyes.

"You participated in four or four years of fighting?"

Liu Peiqiang nodded, his face calm: "My wife Han Duoduo and I both personally experienced that battle."

The others in the room were immediately filled with respect—those who had participated in the 1944 war were war heroes.

The group stood up and saluted Liu Peiqiang. Then Wang Jianning carefully examined the transcript and solemnly said:

“I will remember what you said, and I will submit this transcript, but that is the only thing I can do within my duties—and thank you for providing us with this important information.”

The baby-faced security guard kindly reminded him:

"Comrade Liu, because your private food transaction violated Article 132, Paragraph 7 of the Administrative Law of Shanghai No. 3 Temporary Shelter, we will charge you a fine of 20%. You can take the remaining 80 steamed buns back with you."

For some reason, Liu Peiqiang felt inexplicably guilty—he had originally planned to hand over everything, but when he thought of his sickly wife, he decided to keep it a secret.

A slight smile appeared on Wang Jianning's serious face. He patted Liu Peiqiang on the shoulder and said earnestly:

"Isn't your wife still sick? Take all these things back and let her eat something good. Chemotherapy patients don't have a good appetite, so make sure she eats nutritious food. Oh, and please keep your phone on. We'll contact you anytime—this is my personal contact number. If you see that door again, please contact me."

Liu Peiqiang knew this was rather perfunctory, but he still nodded and said earnestly:

"good."

...

...

Liu Peiqiang left the garrison with a large bag of steamed buns. The three people behind him watched him leave, and the baby-faced man looked at his retreating figure with a hint of sadness.

"How could such a good combat hero... suddenly go mad?"

A colleague standing nearby couldn't help but shake his head, his face full of regret.

"They couldn't bear the reality, could they? I heard from my master that very few of the pilots who participated in that battle survived. Sigh..."

The two turned around and saw Wang Jianning organizing the notes, and they couldn't help but be taken aback:

"Captain, you're not actually planning to hand this over, are you? What if someone comes looking for it?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!