Bang!

Zhang Fan fell to the ground, and although the tree branches cushioned the fall, it was still quite a hard fall, and he couldn't get up for a while.

Thump, thump, thump—

Two mantises stepped forward, their compound eyes fixed on Zhang Fan on the ground, and raised their transparent scythes.

It's getting cold.

Zhang Fan was sore all over from the fall that he couldn't move at all and could only watch helplessly as the other person raised the sharp sickle...

Click click click—

There was a sound of something breaking.

The two mantises stopped moving instantly, turned their necks 180° to look at the tree canopy, then spread their wings and took off, flying towards the glowing eggs on the tree.

Cracks appeared on the eggshell, and the cracks spread across the eggshell, becoming larger and larger.

Click click click—

Eggshell fragments kept falling down, and two magic flower mantises stood guard on either side of the eggs, waiting for the creature inside to emerge.

Zhang Fan lay on the ground with his eyes wide open. From his angle, he could clearly see the fragments of the egg scattered around his body.

Click!

Something broke through the eggshell and came out.

Zhang Fan's eyes widened as he saw a hand emerging from the eggshell. He was certain it was a "hand" because it had five fingers, not the chelicerae of an insect.

Click!

Another hand emerged from the eggshell, grasping the two sides of the cracked shell, and a figure peered out from within.

Is it a person?

Zhang Fan was so nervous that he dared not move, his eyes fixed on the "person" in the tree.

The "person" in the tree stretched and patted the heads of the two magic mantises before seeing Zhang Fan lying on the ground.

The "person" sat on the back of a mantis, which flew down to land next to Zhang Fan.

After getting off the mantis, the "person" walked to Zhang Fan's side.

"Young man?"

Um?

Zhang Fan stared wide-eyed. Human language? It's human? But it doesn't look like it. Could it be an alien that speaks human language?

Zhang Fan quickly got up from the ground and handed the two potatoes in his hand to the other person.

"No, no, no, I don't need to eat this." The other person waved his hand, then asked, "Young man, could you tell me what year it is?"

Zhang Fan stared wide-eyed. Don't aliens need to eat? Or do they just not like potatoes?

Zhang Fan finally got a clear look at the other person.

It was difficult for him to describe what the "person" opposite him looked like. If he had to say, Zhang Fan thought the other person looked like a "mosquito".

Yes, it's the kind of mosquito you usually think of.

The other person walked upright on two legs like a human, and seemed to be an old man. His limbs were extremely thin, and he had a head of white hair, or rather, white hair? He also had a gray beard on his chin, and his eyes had no pupils, but his irises were compound eyes like Bob's.

With its huge eyes and thin limbs, it really looks like a mosquito.

"Young man, don't be afraid." The other person also noticed Zhang Fan's unusual behavior and said in an old voice, "I am human too."

"Uh... old man?" Zhang Fan finally came to his senses. Since the other party was also human, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"I'll explain that to you later. Could you tell me what year it is now?"

"I'm referring to the calendar on Earth," the old man added, as if afraid the other person wouldn't understand. "What year is it now?"

“2163 AD,” Zhang Fan replied, adding, “I’m not entirely sure, because I’ve been underground for a very long time, but it should be around that year.”

"Really? More than a hundred years have passed." The old man exclaimed.

"Old man, you..." Zhang Fan looked the other person up and down with surprise. Although he knew it was very impolite, he couldn't help it. The other person looked really strange.

"Hehe." The old man seemed to sense the strange look in Zhang Fan's eyes and said with a smile, "Young man, have you heard of DNA gene surgery?"

“I’ve heard of it.” Zhang Fan nodded. “There was once an old doctor on Earth who remotely performed DNA gene surgery on a chimpanzee.”

"Oh?" The old man was somewhat surprised, then nodded happily. "If that's the case, then it can only be 'him'."

"I am the teacher of the old doctor you mentioned."

"Huh?" Zhang Fan was surprised. "That old doctor is over 100 years old. If you are his teacher, then you must be over 150 years old?"

Although the old man in front of us has changed a lot, by human standards he looks to be no more than seventy or eighty years old.

"Indeed, if we calculate my age by time, I should be over 250 years old, after all, I was asleep for more than 100 years in between."

"Old man, why are you sleeping in that?" Zhang Fan pointed to the broken egg.

"Because I already knew that I was going to die soon, but I still have things I want to tell future generations."

"People from the future?"

“Yes.” The old man nodded. “If you know my student, you should know that he was the last person on Earth to undergo a complete DNA gene transplant.”

“I know,” Zhang Fan nodded. “In the lab, he was your assistant, working on the mice…”

"I was that little guinea pig," the old man said, pointing to his nose and laughing.

“Uh…” Zhang Fan stared wide-eyed in horror.

"Hahaha." The old man laughed heartily. "With such a technology, don't you think it would be a shame not to try it out on humans?"

“However, the use of this technology in human experiments is prohibited,” Zhang Fan said.

“I know, because the consequences are unpredictable, just like with cloning technology.” The old man nodded, but I know I only have a few days left to live, so it’s worth the risk.”

"Adventure? Is it about achieving immortality?" Zhang Fan posed a bold question.

"No." The old man shook his head. "No DNA surgery can make people live forever. It can only change the genetic constitution of the subject of the surgery. Unless you can find an immortal organism as a host, there is no possibility of immortality."

"So, old man, what is your parasite?" Zhang Fan felt it was a bit impolite to ask, but he couldn't help asking out of curiosity.

"The dormant midge," the old man answered generously. "This dormant midge, known as an immortal insect, enters a deep dormancy when its surrounding environment becomes extreme and unsuitable for survival. It will wake up again as soon as it encounters water."

"Then why did you wake up, old man?" Zhang Fan asked, puzzled. He hadn't splashed water on the eggs.

“When I was performing the DN gene surgery, I made some changes to the external environmental stress response of the sleepy midge,” the old man pointed to the inside of the dome. “As long as the air content here changes in some way, I will be awakened.”

"And your entry, your breathing, changed the composition of the air here, so I was awakened."

"Oh." Zhang Fan suddenly realized.

"Young man, can you tell me what Earth is like now? How far has humanity's technology advanced?"

Zhang Fan recounted in detail the major events that Earth has experienced over the past 100 years, starting from 100 years ago, especially those since the beginning of the new era.

The old man listened quietly until Zhang Fan explained why he had come here.

"Alas, it's too slow," the old man sighed. "Human progress is still too slow."

"Old man, you don't seem surprised at all about the asteroid hitting Earth?" Zhang Fan was somewhat astonished. Shouldn't this be the most shocking thing for most people?

"There's nothing surprising about it; it was bound to happen."