Chapter 135 Extra 1·14

Along the way, Ji Wang had guessed what Shi Ting's secret was, but even such nonsensical conspiracy theories as "Shi Ting can actually manipulate mutations artificially, and he built a laboratory underground specifically for improving the level of human mutation" or "Shi Ting can actually completely eliminate zombies, but for the sake of his own status and the stability of the situation, he chose to leave the zombie forces behind" had flashed through his mind, but he just didn't guess the truth.

Although Shi Ting did not come to explain anything to him in person, the wreckage of a spaceship that seemed to be from the past already contained enough shocking information.

"Theoretically, this is an antique spacecraft that couldn't possibly exist in this world." Ji Wang's voice was a little hoarse, and he swallowed hard. "When I was working at the Museum of Literature and History in Cato City, I was bored and read a lot of relevant documents and books. So I have a pretty good understanding of this area, so I shouldn't be mistaken."

"Yes." The Doomsday Survival System also agreed with his opinion. "Based on how well-preserved this spaceship is, it can only come directly from the 'ancient times'. In other words, the time of construction of this spaceship is very close to the time when you traveled through time."

"I thought Shi Ting just casually assigned me to work at the Museum of Literature and History. Now I think there must be a deeper meaning behind it, but I just haven't understood it." Ji Wang said, "He gave me a lot of research materials about the past... I should have thought earlier, how could the records of past history be so detailed in this era, and why would Shi Ting be so interested in past history. I initially thought he wanted to understand the ancient Chinese bloodline in his body, but who knew..."

All the contradictory events in the past suddenly flooded into Ji Wang's mind.

For example, why, in the post-interstellar era, could Shi Ting possess the same high concentration of Chinese ancestry as Ji Wang, a time traveler? Why did Shi Ting always seem indifferent to Ji Wang's misbehavior, even expressing great interest? Why was Shi Ting always so tolerant of Ji Wang, always giving him unusual care before falling in love with him? Why did Shi Ting say that Ji Wang always resonated with him and understood some of what he said, when there had never been such a person before, and there might never be again...

All these mysteries seemed to have answers at this moment.

Ji Wang remembered a saying: if you exclude all possibilities, the most unlikely possibility is also the truth.

"Shi Ting, he is also a time traveler, right?"

Ji Wang took a deep breath and spoke softly.

He gently pressed his palm against the well-preserved hull of the spacecraft, feeling the cold metal beneath his palm that had passed through thousands of years.

This is Shi Ting's deepest secret.

"At the moment, it seems very likely, but just in case, we can also look for other evidence." The Doomsday Survival System spoke cautiously, but the implication was that it had already recognized Ji Wang's conclusion.

Ji Wang nodded and said nothing more. He suddenly understood why Shi Ting did not tell him his secret directly, but chose to put the evidence in front of him and let him see it for himself.

Everything in front of him was a kind of unspoken tacit understanding. If Shi Ting and he were both time travelers, then he would naturally know what he wanted to express; if not, he could avoid a misunderstanding.

Shi Ting is also a time traveler from the past. He comes from an era similar to or the same as Ji Wang, or a parallel time and space with a similar level of development. Therefore, he was first wary of Ji Wang, who also possessed powerful ancient Chinese bloodline that could mutate, then curious, and then fell for him step by step. Until what happened today, Shi Ting finally decided to make everything public.

Since Ji Wang did not see any obvious national identification on the spacecraft when he carefully observed the surroundings, he tended to believe the last possibility.

"So this is Shi Ting's secret?" Ji Wang murmured. "This is incredible. I thought he treated me well because I was handsome. Turns out he discovered I was a time traveler so early. What a jerk who can hold back."

"...Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that it's related to appearance," the Doomsday Survival System said. "Shi Ting is subconsciously quite a beauty-obsessed person."

"Nonsense, if a person is not kind, how can he be considered a human being?" Ji Wang said disdainfully, "You AIs don't understand."

Doomsday Survival System: "..."

Okay, that’s enough. I know you’re proud of having a partner, the Doomsday Survival System thought coldly.

"Brother Tong, this door seems to be able to be opened." Ji Wang stroked the hull of the spacecraft with his fingers and suddenly shouted in surprise.

His fingers rested in the gap of the hatch, and with his uninjured hand he pushed the hatch outward, and the interior of the spacecraft was easily revealed in front of Ji Wang.

"This appears to be a modified hatch." Despite the bickering just now, the Doomsday Survival System quickly went into operation, explaining diligently, "Otherwise, in theory, the hatch of an aircraft wouldn't be so easily opened from the outside."

"This shows that Shi Ting is very confident about the confidentiality of this secret room." Ji Wang said, "I think I am even more certain of my previous guess."

"What guess?"

"Shi Ting's secret room can only be opened by those with a certain level of Chinese ancestry. In other words, Shi Ting originally intended to use it to prove his identity when recognizing other possible travelers from the same past," Ji Wang said. "Perhaps after his mutation, Shi Ting learned that ancient Chinese ancestry could produce extremely powerful mutations. He also knew that it would be nearly impossible for ordinary interstellar natives to possess ancient bloodlines of such high purity. Therefore, to avoid cannibalism, he came up with this trick to prove his identity and unite powerful travelers from the past."

"That's well-founded," said the Doomsday Survival System. "And to provide sufficient evidence, he also left behind other things, such as those cans."

Ji looked down and saw that there were indeed some empty cans placed in the living area of the flight cabin, neatly stacked together, as if following some pattern.

In the era when nutritional supplements were widely used, Ji Wang had never seen canned food. The fact that he could produce such an "antique" further proved that Shi Ting was indeed a time traveler.

"After crash-landing on this planet, Shi Ting considered returning," the Doomsday Survival System continued after Fa Ji noticed the canned food. "But it seems he ultimately failed. He finished the last can of space food, carried his rudimentary weapons and backpack, and left the crashed spacecraft, setting off on his own."

"How do you know?" Ji Wang couldn't help but ask curiously.

"It's easy to deduce," the Doomsday Survival System said. "When you were looking for the light switch on the dashboard, you should have noticed that the damaged dashboard showed signs of repair, but it wasn't completely repaired. I noticed that there was also a repaired GPS on it. I think it was this repaired but unusable GPS that made Shi Ting realize that he had entered a restricted area of human civilization."

After that, the Doomsday Survival System added, "Those empty cans you see aren't just randomly placed. Shi Ting placed seven cans together, neatly arranged, clearly to record the date. He let each seven cans represent a week, implying that he didn't want to forget the concept of 'time', which means he wants to go back."

Ji Wang nodded. He had to admit that the reasoning of the doomsday survival system made sense.

"He might have been sucked into a so-called 'black hole' or 'time turbulence,' but that's unimportant. He made an emergency landing on this planet, alone, with nearly all of his instruments damaged," the Doomsday Survival System continued. "Unsure of the external environment, he initially decided to maintain the vacuum inside and not leave the cabin easily. However, food was limited, and the GPS didn't tell Shi Ting where he was. Out of desperation, Shi Ting had no choice but to leave the cabin and find his own way out."

"After several experiments, Shi Ting probably realized there's breathable gas on this planet," the Doomsday Survival System said. "This is fantastic news. At least when the air circulation system runs out of power, he still has a chance of survival. Until then, he'll still need to wear a respirator to protect against toxic gases."

With the help of the Doomsday Survival System, Ji Wang quickly noticed the respirator placed in the corner.

There was a noticeable gap in the respirator, clearly indicating damage.

"After a few small and repeated outward explorations, he may have discovered that there is liquid water on this planet. This is an astonishing discovery, which means that there may be carbon-based life on this planet. Then, not far away, Shi Ting should have seen the large area of weeds that you saw when you crossed over before. This is irrefutable evidence of the existence of life on this planet. He must have been very excited at the time because he brought back some plant specimens." The Doomsday Survival System said, and then directed Ji to look at the vacuum glass bottle on the floor of the cabin, which contained a few dried weeds.

"However, the good times didn't last long. He hadn't taken a few steps when he discovered the zombies roaming outside—perhaps the zombies had damaged his respirator. So he retreated to the spacecraft, attempted to repair the spacecraft, and returned to Blue Planet with the samples he had collected," the Doomsday Survival System said. "However, as I said before, he ultimately failed. With no other options left, Shi Ting had no choice but to leave. It was under those circumstances that he arrived at the city-state he had been in before entering Cato City."

"We don't know what happened in between. Anyway, Shi Ting successfully mutated and brought his own army of mutants to Cato City. Ultimately, through unremitting efforts, he became the city's ruler," the Doomsday Survival System explained. "After becoming the city's ruler, for various reasons, he secretly transported his crashed aircraft. Those accompanying him were either from technologically underdeveloped areas or close associates. No one questioned the secret, perhaps believing it was a secret weapon from the main galaxy."

"Shi Ting has become the city lord, but deep in his memory, perhaps the memory of his collapse still lingers. He doesn't know where he is, or where he's going. No one can talk to him, no life can communicate with him. He's like a lonely little planet, floating on its own in the vastness of outer space."

"Even after he achieved success, he had no one to share that experience with, and he had nowhere to confide his true feelings. Of course, Shi Ting wasn't a fragile flower, and wouldn't be crushed by such things, though he occasionally felt a little emotional. He was calm and composed, with a strong ability to control his emotions. He knew very well that if nothing unexpected happened, his days on Blue Star and his special identity would forever become memories buried deep in his heart."

"He had already accepted this reality, until..."

"Until he met me." Ji Wang suddenly replied.

"Yes, until he met you. In you, he saw infinite possibilities for the future. You were like a beam of blazing light, shining straight into his long-forgotten past." The Doomsday Survival System sighed, "Human love is truly a wonderful thing."

Ji Wang felt his heart tremble suddenly.

It turned out that when he didn't know, Shi Ting had already begun to pay attention to him silently and began to pour his affection and love into him.

This feeling is like a tree seed that falls into a thousand-mile desert, struggling to break through the soil and grow in the sun and rain, and finally becomes a green continent.

Ji Wang suddenly remembered a game he had played before called "Lifeline". The protagonist Taylor was a survivor of a crashed spaceship. He contacted the player with the help of an unstable signal, faithfully implemented the player's suggestions, and finally successfully defeated the alien monster parasitic in outer space and escaped.

The loneliness, helplessness and fear of falling into space alone are enough to crush a person.

Taylor in the game can meet other players from Blue Planet under arrangement, but Shi Ting can only trek alone in the desolate planet, holding on to the last glimmer of hope, constantly sending out SOS signals over and over again, hoping that someone can receive the message from him. But in the end, he is just talking to himself through electromagnetic waves, lonely like a satellite that does not emit light and rotates alone and no one cares about it.

With such experience, Shi Ting is different from ordinary time travelers. No matter how tough he looks on the outside, there is always a gentle corner in his heart for his compatriots.

Until Ji Wang landed in his heart and filled the corner.

"To put it in your human terms, I suddenly have a very romantic idea," the Doomsday Survival System sighed. "Shi Ting traveled through time and space, spanning thousands of years, and was forced to land here, severing his previous life and enduring so much hardship. It seems he was just waiting for you to come out and fill the gap in his heart."

Ji Wang didn't say anything, but just squeezed his palms a little harder with his fingers.

"Is the wound you were stabbed in when you entered the door still bleeding?" The Doomsday Survival System noticed his movements and asked kindly.

"It's almost healed." Ji Wang spread out his palm and looked at the plum blossom-shaped bleeding spot on it. "I have another question. You should remember that when I first crossed over and left the medical cabin, I saw a picture book. It said that Cato City couldn't have two people of Chinese descent, otherwise it would have immeasurable consequences."

"Yes."

"Do you think the contents of that book are true?" Ji Wang asked. "Did the previous priests really make such a prophecy, or is it a 'legend' created by Shi Ting to draw everyone's attention to the Chinese bloodline and ensure that every holder of Chinese bloodline is reported?"

"Good question," said the Doomsday Survival System. "It's amazing that you could even think of this. I really should investigate this when I have time."

Ji Wang rolled his eyes.

"To reward you for your intelligence, I've decided to give you another gift." The Doomsday Survival System said this, and after a long while, it came online again. "Here."

Ji Wang felt his palm suddenly become heavy, and a round metal disc fell into his palm.

"What is this?" Ji Wang asked curiously.

"I heard it's a good thing." The Doomsday Survival System was vague, "It can bring good luck."

"Then can I give it to Shi Ting?" Ji Wang said as he played with it, "I feel like he and Cato City need good luck more than I do."

"No," the Doomsday Survival System said. "Although your feelings are so touching, I still have to say that the moment it landed in your hands, it recognized its master. This thing is called a 'Feng Shui Compass,' and it can guide you to your lucky star for the day, meaning the person who brings you good luck. You can wear it around your neck and feel it."

Ji Wangfa's compass had a built-in string, so he obediently tried to wear it around his neck and tied a knot. "Then how am I going to explain this to Shi Ting later?"

"Just say it's something you brought with you and keep close to you, and you've never taken it out. He probably won't ask any more questions," the Doomsday Survival System said casually. "Try it quickly and see the effect."

Ji Wang had just tied the rope when suddenly, the Feng Shui compass seemed to be guided by some mysterious force. It moved automatically without wind and even gradually floated up.

Ji Wang didn't dare to breathe. He stood stiffly in place, watching the Feng Shui compass float higher and higher.

He changed the direction of his body according to the floating direction of the Feng Shui compass, and finally stood still facing the exit of the secret room.

"This..." Ji Wang looked at the opening at the top, "Is this telling me that my lucky star for the day is outside the secret room?"

"Aren't you talking nonsense?" the Doomsday Survival System cursed. "If you were in a secret room, you'd be scared to death. Is there anyone else here besides you?"

"...That makes sense." Ji Wang scratched his head. "So am I going out?"

"If there's nothing to see, why not just leave?" the Doomsday Survival System asked again, "Do you know how to get out?"

"This is not difficult, isn't it..." Ji Wang walked to the wall at the entrance of the secret room, "Isn't it..."

He was stunned.

Ji Wang fell down the moment the secret room opened. He originally thought that there must be a ladder here, but he had no experience as it was his first time coming down, so he fell directly to the ground. But when he walked closer and took a look, he found that the ladder he imagined did not exist.

In other words, it is impossible to go back the same way.

"What the hell?" Ji Wang was stunned.

"...Why didn't Shi Ting get you a little genius phone watch?" The Doomsday Survival System complained, "Are you missing your phone terribly? Are you really looking forward to calling him and asking what's going on?"

"Stop it." Ji Wang looked up helplessly at the closed entrance above. "Even if I had a cell phone, there's no signal here. I really should get a communicator."

"Since this secret room is designed like this, there is only one possibility - the entrance and exit of the secret room are not together. We should find another exit." After a pause, Ji Wang said, "But..."

"But what?"

"But the direction this compass points to is the entrance directly above." Ji Wang said, "So can we make this guess?"

"There are two possibilities. One is that the exit of the secret room is right above us, but we haven't found the correct path to the outside world."

"The second possibility is that the compass isn't responsible for pointing you in the right direction. It simply indicates the shortest straight-line distance," Ji Wang said. "Then it means my lucky star for the day is in the direction of the secret room's entrance."

The Doomsday Survival System was silent for a moment, then returned to report the correct answer to Ji Wang: "The compass isn't that intelligent. The line segment between two points is the shortest, and the direction it points to is the direction of the straight line connecting you and today's lucky star. You should be able to feel the strength of this connection, right?"

"Yes." Ji Wang swallowed hard. "The connection is strong... and as I get closer... it gets stronger. What does this mean?"

"This means that this 'lucky star of the day' is very close to your location," said the Doomsday Survival System, "and may be getting closer."

Ji Wang was just about to say something when he suddenly heard a deafening explosion right above his head.

The huge shock wave shook the entire secret room, and Ji Wang was knocked to the ground, grimacing.

"My lucky star of the day is an excavator!" He shouted to the Doomsday Survival System, "What is going on? Did Shi Ting's underground laboratory explode?"

"Wait!" The Doomsday Survival System shouted in his mind with extreme alertness.

"Hurry up!" The next second, the Doomsday Survival System urged. Although it was still the same electronic sound as usual, Ji Wang could hear the panic in it, "There is 'something' outside the secret room!"

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-07-23222020-08-0523

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Hongchen Weiyang;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!