Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: The Three Short Ones

"Surely it isn’t that bad, like hell or anything…" Ying Zhao murmured quietly next to Luo Yu.

Since the three of them woke up, they had to accept the fact that thirty thousand years ago, a matriarchal society existed, one with technology more advanced than their own time. However, being referred to as coming from "hell" felt unjustified to the three of them.

The assembly hall had around three hundred seats, all quietly listening to the elderly woman speaking: “In the world thirty thousand years from now, regional wars never cease, class oppression is everywhere, and the entire society is tightly controlled by the financial system. The wealth gap is vast, with one percent of the population holding ninety-nine percent of the world’s wealth and resources. Meanwhile, technological development is extremely uneven; innovations are primarily used for war and profit, while ordinary people are caught in a system of social evaluations, engaged in high-intensity, meaningless labor and competition every day to earn an income that maintains their class’s dignity and respect.”

After she finished speaking, whispers erupted in the assembly hall. Luo Yu turned to exchange glances with Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao; the three of them said nothing.

"We also learned that childbirth is extremely difficult for humans thirty thousand years from now, as they are generally short, often malnourished, and typically use inappropriate reclining positions for delivery. The labor process is exceptionally long, averaging six to twelve hours, and many postpartum complications remain unresolved."

“Ah!” With this revelation, the crowd could no longer sit still. Gasps and exclamations filled the air: “Are there really still people having babies?”

“Yes, not only are there, but there are many. In the world thirty thousand years from now, there are eight billion people.”

Eight billion people meant eight billion long and painful deliveries for the small-bodied people of future generations. This single piece of information silenced the entire assembly hall. Gasps ceased; whispers died down, leaving behind a profound silence in the large hall.

“Well… I may have been too bold,” Ying Zhao said softly again. “We do indeed come from hell.”

"Are the three short ones sitting behind you, coming from thirty thousand years later?" After a moment of silence in the hall, someone suddenly asked this question.

Luo Yu and her companions sat beside Mo Chuan, right behind the elderly woman. Before being brought here, they had changed into clothes provided at this location and arrived relatively early, so they were not drawing much attention. However, once this question was posed, everyone turned to look at them. Many people only then recognized that the “otherworldly visitors” who had descended from the spaceship yesterday were also present.

“Short ones…” Luo Yu felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth. She was truly unaccustomed to being referred to this way, but seeing the women in the assembly hall, all of whom radiated strength, none under two meters tall, she silently swallowed her protest.

Suddenly the attention was on them, and the three unconsciously straightened their posture, trying to appear less small, but sadly, it had little effect.

The gazes from the crowd held no hostility; as Luo Yu glanced around, she saw curiosity, confusion, and some… pity?

The elderly woman cleared her throat: “Yes, these three are our guests. We hope to understand more about the future through them to prepare adequately, which is why we invited them here today.”

When she finished speaking, murmurs spread throughout the assembly hall. Everyone was already aware of the spaceship’s emergency landing by the river that occurred early yesterday, so they had all anticipated this impromptu meeting in the assembly hall.

As the murmurs gradually dwindled, a middle-aged woman behind the elderly speaker began to announce the agenda for today’s meeting.

At that moment, Luo Yu realized this meeting primarily concerned the three of them. The goal was to decide on their placement and establish a special investigation team for parallel time.

Sitting next to Mo Chuan, Luo Yu pondered for a moment and quietly asked her, "Will we need to participate in any parts? I want to ask my two teammates to say a few words."

Mo Chuan looked at the agenda displayed on the screen: "In fifteen minutes, they will discuss the relocation of the time capsule by the river. It would be best for you to return then."

Luo Yu nodded, “Okay, we will be back soon.” She then turned to Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao and gave them a signal. The three quietly left the assembly hall through the side door, following the guiding robot.

“Where are you three going?” Once they exited, the robot turned and asked.

Luo Yu looked around; the corridor outside the assembly hall was empty and not suitable for conversation. At this moment, Zhu Huai stepped forward: “Take us to the restroom.”

“Understood,” the robot turned around. “Please follow.”

The three of them followed the robot around a corner and arrived at a tall door, where the robot indicated to “go straight ahead,” then switched to standby mode.

Luo Yu entered first. The restroom corridor was spacious, without any signs indicating gender. According to the directional signs, the left side had a nursery, the right side had a delivery room, and there were cleaning stations lined up in front, with the restrooms at the back.

“Why is there a delivery room outside the restroom?” Ying Zhao looked up at the sign on the door, which showed a “available” status.

“Out of the way, kids.” A voice came from behind them. They quickly stepped aside and turned to see a tall woman pushing open the delivery room door and entering, changing the sign to “occupied.”

“Was that pregnant woman just now?” Zhu Huai asked, puzzled. Luo Yu and Ying Zhao also shook their heads in confusion; the woman moved too quickly, and they did not get a clear look at her, but she seemed quite sturdy, far from their impression of what a pregnant woman should look like.

Luo Yu then glanced at the time displayed outside the delivery room, “We only have fifteen minutes; let’s go in.” The other two also regained their focus and walked in together.

The restroom was very spacious, with all the stalls open and no one inside, except for two cleaning robots busily working back and forth.

Zhu Huai walked over to look at the stalls. "The restroom looks quite similar to the ones in our world… Oh?" She stopped at the entrance of one stall. "Why is there a standing toilet here?" She leaned in to take a look and stepped inside. "I have to try this out."

Luo Yu exchanged glances with Ying Zhao. "Well, since we’re here, why not?" After saying that, both of them went to the stalls as well.

Luo Yu stood in the restroom for a moment, reflecting on everything that had happened over the past two days. First, she needed to find a chance to check the damage to the time capsule. Additionally, she had to figure out where those two trainee members in the tail section had gone. They needed to return quickly, as this unexpected journey had brought them to a parallel time thirty thousand years ago, and it was essential to report back to the Time Bureau.

However, seeing the locals’ attitude, it seemed unlikely they would let them leave easily. With this thought, she sighed; if she didn’t find a way to contact the space station soon to clarify the situation, things could get complicated.

When Luo Yu stepped out of the stall, she heard Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao’s voices not far away.

First, Zhu Huai said, "This simulated sand material is something we can also create, it’s just that the maintenance cost is too high. Using it in restrooms feels a bit extravagant."

Then Ying Zhao’s voice chimed in, "From what I’ve observed, they seem to prioritize cultural care here and don’t seem too concerned about the input-output ratio."

Luo Yu washed her hands and followed the voices to where they were. She found the two of them leaning over the edge of a sitting toilet, seemingly immersed in some research.

"What are you two… turning strange?"

Seeing her come out, Ying Zhao waved her hand. "Luo Yu, did you notice? The inner wall of the restroom automatically absorbs liquid without splashing back!"

"Uh… I didn’t notice that."

"This has great research value." Zhu Huai stood up and brushed off her pants. "Restrooms can quickly gauge the level of civilization. The standing toilet I just used had a swinging arm that could be adjusted freely, and it offered disposable soft silicone interfaces to use! It’s incredibly convenient!"

Zhu Huai was thrilled from her restroom experience. "Look at their user-friendly industrial design! We should take this opportunity to learn while we’re here. When we get back, Ying Zhao and I can work together to publish a paper."

Luo Yu clasped her hands together. "You two scholarly ladies even conduct research in the restroom, I’m impressed! But before we write any papers, shouldn’t we first confirm if the Shan Hai Jing can return home?"

Zhu Huai, who was a graduate of the Space Materials Engineering Department and the chief engineer of the Shan Hai Jing, was more knowledgeable about repairs than Luo Yu. After thinking it over, she replied, "The power compartment and control panel need repairs. If it falls into an ancient time, it will be challenging. However, looking at the technology level here, the required materials should be easy to obtain—of course, that’s if they are willing to cooperate with us."

"I’ll find a way to assess the damage to the time capsule," Luo Yu said, and then she turned to Ying Zhao to ask about the situation with the tail section. "Were those two in the back still alive?"

Ying Zhao recalled, "At least one of them was alive. I felt a breath when I went to release the safety buckle, but I quickly lost consciousness, so I don’t know what happened afterward."

The three of them discussed and agreed that Luo Yu and Zhu Huai should find an opportunity to check the status of the Shan Hai Jing, while Ying Zhao would be responsible for gathering information on the missing team members.

As they finished their discussion and were about to head out, they encountered the tall woman from the delivery room coming out. A newborn swaddled in blankets rested easily in her arms, resembling a large rolled pancake.

With one hand cradling the baby and the other carrying a bag, she rushed past the three of them, leaving a faint scent of blood in the air. Just a short distance behind her, two nursing robots hurried out of the delivery room, flashing their lights and repeatedly announcing, “Mother departing, please yield.”

“That was a quick delivery?” Zhu Huai scratched her head. “Was that even ten minutes?”

Luo Yu looked at the time displayed at the delivery room door—it had just surpassed twelve minutes. Ying Zhao stared at the woman disappearing from view, bewildered. “Earlier, they asked me about my experience in obstetrics. Surprised by their reactions, I asked them how long deliveries take here. They said the average is fifteen minutes, and anything over thirty minutes is considered a difficult labor. I thought they were joking…"

The three were still in shock when footsteps echoed in the distance. From the far end of the corridor, they saw many people heading out. Upon closer inspection, it was everyone who had been present in the assembly hall. Seeing this, the three hurriedly joined the crowd and headed out into the large corridor, where they ran into Mo Chuan as well.

When Mo Chuan turned and saw the three of them, she called out, "Your time capsule, which crashed by the river, has shown anomalies. The meeting has been suspended. Let’s go and take a look."

At that moment, someone in the crowd muttered, "I heard it’s quite serious; there are many onlookers." Luo Yu felt a chill in her heart. She hoped the Shan Hai Jing hadn’t exploded.

The assembly hall was a bit of a distance from the river, so they followed the crowd and boarded the silent aircraft that had incapacitated them yesterday.

They were the second group to arrive by the river. When they disembarked, a sizable crowd had already gathered near the crash site of the Shan Hai Jing. However, despite the large number of people, it was eerily quiet.

Everyone along the shore looked up at the projection in the sky, which live-streamed footage of modern infrastructure technology being showcased to Emperor Qin’s court.

Luo Yu and her companions were stunned to see the canopy they had retrieved during this mission projected there.

Suddenly, the footage began to display thousands of laborers constructing the Qin Zhi Dao, narrated with: "Take a look at our highway from two thousand years ago during the Qin Dynasty. The foundational ideas of infrastructure back then were already remarkably advanced. If only we had our modern technology back then, Emperor Qin could have dominated the world!"

Watching the host lavishly praise modern technology while glancing at the silent aircraft hovering near the projection, Luo Yu pressed her lips together. In other historical time periods, the canopy was often regarded as a miracle by locals. However, now, displayed in the matriarchal society, it had become an eyesore.

For those who had rushed from the assembly hall, the shock was even greater. They thought the world thirty thousand years from now was already unbearable, and now witnessing scenes from a feudal dynasty’s history made them realize there was still at least a two-thousand-year gap of human civilization separating them from the technological backwater of thirty thousand years ahead.

In that moment, everyone gathered by the river, staring at the projection, shared the same question in their minds: What exactly happened in the past thirty thousand years?