'How could this be! The time here isn't right...'
Aside from that strange fluctuation that appeared in the original universe last time, it had been a long time since anything had caused Wu You to experience such intense emotional turmoil.
There's a saying: "The world is so big, there's nothing that can't be found."
There's some truth to that.
There are many people who look alike, but at Wu You's current level, he is no longer simply swayed by appearances.
The moment Wu You saw that thin young man, a feeling from the depths of his soul told him that he was also "Wu You".
This idea was unusually strange, even a bit eerie, but Wu You in the air immediately confirmed it.
In the early stages of establishing the parallel universe, the process was largely under the control of Wu You and Bai Ze. However, in the later stages, it spiraled out of their control; otherwise, given Wu You's personality, he wouldn't have been so keen on the emergence of another "self."
But it's okay if we can't completely control it.
To be honest, Wu You had prepared himself mentally at the beginning and was not unable to accept that there was a similar version of himself in this parallel universe, but the current situation is a bit off.
Based on previous observations from extraterrestrial to Earth's surface, Wu You had already prejudicially categorized this parallel Earth as being located in the old timeline, roughly equivalent to the period shortly after the end of World War II.
Although this doesn't match what was expected, and even doesn't quite align with Best's situation in the same universe, it's not inexplicable.
Because the concept of time in the universe is not uniform, even if this parallel universe is very close to the original universe, it is still not the same one, so it is understandable that there will be some deviations.
But after accepting this relatively "reasonable" interpretation, Wu You suddenly saw another version of himself, which surprised him and gave him a sense of absurdity.
Suddenly, a lot of problems arose.
'No, we need to double-check!'
Between reality and illusion, I silently followed the emaciated version of myself below in the air.
Wu You doesn't have any melancholy tendencies and wouldn't be unable to harm "himself." He had just tried to directly access the young man's memories, but strangely, apart from recent or very important events, the memories were very fragmented.
This situation is very common among normal people. For example, people often only remember some general and relatively profound things from their childhood. Some things they have experienced will fade with time, while the closer or more profound the experience, the clearer the memory becomes.
However, it is strange that this situation occurs when one uses willpower and spirit to observe other people's memories, because although the things are forgotten, they are not really forgotten, but merely sealed away.
Wu You can directly "see" everything, big or small, that even the target himself has forgotten.
The fact that this situation has occurred has further convinced Wu You that the "self" described below is definitely not a simple, similar being.
In addition, there were some images that were even stranger than normal memories, somewhat blurry, and seemed to be educational content about disease prevention and evacuation.
Although it seems that similar education has been given by the village elders from childhood to adulthood more than once, it seems that because they have never actually experienced it and never listened carefully each time, the memory is not deep. As a result, the "outsider Wu You" is not seen as having any value and is simply ignored as "pickled vegetables".
It's worth mentioning that "Wu You" here is illiterate; he can't even write his own name.
...
A thin young man, dressed in a light gray outfit—a thick version of a collarless shirt paired with canvas pants—was jogging toward one of the village's directions.
Smoke could be seen rising from chimneys throughout the village, as if the aroma of food had drawn them in, causing the young men below to run faster.
The village's layout is vastly different from that in the original universe; it's a simple, grid-like structure with houses very close together, unlike anything you'd expect from a rural village.
Those who occasionally bumped into him seemed to have never seen a fat man before; most of them looked pale and sickly.
Of course, compared to "themselves" in this world, those people could be described as having rosy complexions.
The city center was obviously better than the outside, but the people there were still walking around silently, so their lives probably weren't much easier.
As Wu You followed from the sky, a strange emotion arose within him. From his memory, Wu Jianguo and Zhang Guihua were also here, and their names were still the same.
'I'm about to meet my parents in this world...'
With increasingly brisk steps, the thin young man below arrived at a small courtyard in the northwest corner and walked in without stopping.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"
Later, Wu You also saw the "parents" of this world.
With graying hair and a weathered face, he looked much, much older than in the original universe. For some reason, Wu You's eyes felt hot.
Because of their own circumstances, the parents in the original universe received multiple blessings and special care, so it's not surprising that they could live forever. However, the "parents" who saw this still felt sad.
'This is what my parents look like when they get old... No, this is what it looks like when life crushes them...'
Below, a deep laugh rang out, exactly like Wu Jianguo in the original universe's memories, only lacking the spirited feeling.
"Hahaha~~ Good lad, haven't seen you for three months, have you found a girl yet?"
Wu You's gaunt face immediately fell.
"Dad, don't bring up things that are hard to swallow. What girl would want someone like me..."
Wu You, sitting on the rooftop, also had a face full of black lines.
'I'm also constantly being pressured to get married...'
The family members below clearly appeared affectionate because they hadn't been together for a long time.
"Dad, did you get anything out of this 'plate-running' trip?"
When Wu You read the information, the term "running plates" didn't correspond to any profession in the original universe. He only knew it was similar to delivering packages, but there were many people doing it. It was more like a security escort agency, often gathering and hunting along the way during the delivery process. It should be a profession unique to this world.
"It's alright. This trip lasted three months, the farthest I've ever traveled. Luckily, none of our old cars broke down, or we would have been in real trouble. Here, I brought two hundred yuan and three jin of venison."
When the thinner version of Wu You heard the word "meat," his eyes lit up instantly.
'Tch, what a loser...'
Sitting on the rooftop, Wu You couldn't help but complain about this low-budget version of himself.
Wu You, the person in this world, has never left the area around Qiantang, and rarely even goes out to his village. He is not even clear about the country's borders, and his knowledge is limited and his education is shallow (none). Although he is not stupid, he has almost no noteworthy achievements in his memory.
'Yes, those guys absolutely cannot find out about this version of myself... From now on, this part of Earth will be a forbidden zone...'
A short while later, the clattering of pots and pans could be heard from downstairs, indicating that it was time to eat.
A plate of stir-fried venison, not too full, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a large bowl of greens and egg drop soup—that was all the food for a family of three, which was considered quite a feast in the village.
"The rice jar is full today, son, you can eat as much as you want."
"I've been waiting for these words for three months!"
Wu You, sitting on the rooftop, felt a little bored. He wondered if it was too dull for him to just stand there watching his "family" eat. He wanted to leave, but instead, he sat down and continued watching.
"Dad, tell me about this trip to the restaurant. It's been three months, you must have gone quite a distance by now, right?"
During the meal, "Wu You" suddenly asked a question.
"I knew you'd ask. I've never seen you interested when I've been running around the area before, but this time I've really stumbled upon something big!"
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