Chapter 1
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Chapter 1: Unusual Vision
The dim atmosphere gradually faded into darkness under the descending sun.
Ding Yu wielded an ancient hoe with a dark metallic piece attached to the end, breaking into the ochre soil repeatedly, feeling as though he might lose his mind!
He had been a fourth-year student at a university in Beijing, on the verge of graduating, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a filthy young body clad in tattered garments, wielding primitive tools.
Ding Yu could distinctly sense the overwhelming fatigue and hunger of this fragile form, yet he felt like an observer trapped within a cage, merely able to watch the body’s owner labor endlessly. Each movement of the hoe rendered the body more fatigued, but he could not intervene in any way.
“Tiezhu, bear with it a bit longer. We have only leased this ox team for seven days, and it must be returned by tomorrow. If we can cultivate most of this barren land before dusk, the rental fee won’t go to waste. Tonight, I’ll give you and your brother an extra portion of bean soup,” a coarse voice from a man nearby called out. While the language seemed foreign, he understood it effortlessly.
Just as Ding Yu was absorbed in astonishment, the body’s owner raised his head and replied in the same tongue, “Dad, don’t fret, I can persist.”
Ding Yu then noticed across the desolate land, a middle-aged man with deeply etched lines on his forehead and a tall, slender young man in his twenties were driving an elderly yellow ox back and forth. The older fellow tugged at the ox’s reins while the younger man struggled to push a rudimentary wooden sled behind the ox.
These two were equally in worn-out attire, gasping for breath and appearing as though they could fall at any moment, yet they continued to coax the yellow ox to move gradually, leaving deep, uneven trenches in the rugged ground.
The frail lad ignored his discomfort and maintained swinging the hoe.
Ding Yu could even clearly feel the lad’s heart pounding, with the persistent scent of moist earth in his breath, and the air gradually becoming humid.
Abruptly, a clap of thunder resonated in the sky, the wind roared fiercely, dark clouds amassed, and rain poured down in torrents like peas.
“Oh no! Tiezhu, quickly fetch the oilcloth and shield the ox and the implements!” The middle-aged man exclaimed in panic, releasing the sled and dashing through the intense rain to assist the lanky young man in controlling the startled yellow ox.
The young boy responded and dashed toward a gray bundle by the roadside amid the downpour. “Splash!”
The boy slipped, stepping into the mud and falling hard, getting mired and unable to rise again.
“Tiezhu!”
“Little brother!”
The cries of the middle-aged man and the tall, slender young man sounded terrified and weak in the torrential rain.
***
“Ah”
Ding Yu rose from the wooden bed in his university dormitory, staring directly at the poster of the red-and-white mech game on the opposite wall, still feeling a bit rattled.
That dream felt incredibly vivid!
Even though he was awake, the cries of the middle-aged man and the slender young man still reverberated in his ears!
“Slap, slap”
Ding Yu slapped his cheeks twice with his hands, finally managing to bring himself back to normal.
A dream is merely a dream. No matter how authentic or strange it appears, now that he is awake, he shouldn’t dwell on it anymore.
Ding Yu rubbed his slightly reddened cheeks, gazed at the pictures on the wall once more, and suddenly jumped out of bed.
I almost forgot! In a few days, the first global virtual game ‘Galaxy’ will hold its public testing day, and he needs to collect his pre-ordered game helmet today.
He had participated in the closed beta of this game and had crafted his character beforehand when the test concluded, ready to enjoy himself thoroughly during the public test.
Thinking of this, Ding Yu disregarded last night’s mysterious dream, opened the dormitory door, and intended to find his friend next door to collect the helmet together.
But as he opened the door, he paused in surprise, staring at three tall men in black suits. One of them, standing slightly behind, held a square silver metal box with a small round disk on top resembling a radar, trained at his dormitory door.
“Are you Ding Yu?” the leading man, a man in his forties with a square jaw, inquired after holding up a photograph next to Ding Yu’s face.
“I am… who are you…” Ding Yu looked at the metal box in the other man’s grasp, his face full of curiosity.
“Ding Yu, we require you to accompany us to answer a few questions. Don’t worry, you haven’t violated any laws; the relevant department merely wishes to ask some questions. Here’s my ID.” The square-faced man gave a reassuring smile as he put away the photograph and handed over a green ID bearing a national emblem.
“They intend to take me?” Ding Yu was bewildered. He took the document and glanced at it quickly, only noting the prominent red stamp printed on it with “Special Affairs Office” written in smaller text.
“May I contact my family first to assure them of my safety?” Ding Yu returned the document and, after considering momentarily, asked.
“Once we reach our destination, you’ll be permitted to make a call, but prior to that, for security purposes, we need to temporarily confiscate Ding’s phone and all other electronic devices. Additionally, we’ve already informed your school’s authorities, so you can relax and won’t need to worry,” the man with a square face explained succinctly. Then he gestured, and the other two men stood behind Ding Yu, prompting him to start moving right away.
“But I need to change my clothes; I can’t simply leave like this,” Ding Yu said, feeling a bit uneasy.
“Then you can change quickly; we’re on a tight schedule,” the man with a square face glanced at Ding Yu’s short-sleeved pajamas and nodded reluctantly.
***
Half an hour later, Ding Yu was dressed in a blue casual outfit, sitting in a lengthy black car, gazing blankly out the window at the distant horizon.
Next to the bright red sun in the vast blue sky, a gigantic, glowing star abruptly emerged.
The enormous star appeared to be twice the size of the sun, enveloped in a gentle yellow gleam that made it impossible to comprehend what lay beneath, as if a twin brother of the sun had arisen, albeit not as brilliant and much larger.
“What is this? This thing wasn’t here yesterday,” Ding Yu murmured.
“This phenomenon actually appeared merely last night,” the square-faced man calmly replied. Then, after pressing some controls, a black metal shade emerged over all the car windows, utterly obscuring the views outside.
Ding Yu swallowed and didn’t dare to question further.
He wasn’t certain if it was just his imagination, but he sensed that the square-faced man was observing him peculiarly. Might it be that being taken away was related to this colossal thing in the sky?
He felt a little concerned within.
The vehicle drove for over three hours before finally halting and opening the door on its own.
After Ding Yu exited the car, he glanced around, feeling utterly astounded.