Chapter 14

Translator: Lordbluefire

Nan Gengchen stared blankly at Qing Chen for a long while. “Bro, I was thinking of asking the policeman at the station for help. Something like uncle being arrested is of no help.”

“Then I can’t do anything about it.” Qing Chen shook his head and probed, “Did you encounter something strange? What is it exactly?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Nan Gengchen kept his lips sealed about it.

Hearing this answer, Qing Chen didn’t try to ask anymore.

For such issues, he could only regard it with ignorance if the other party didn’t wish to talk about it.

But he had a vague guess in his mind. The weirdness Nan Gengchen referred to… Could a countdown be appearing on his forearm too?

However, no one else could see the countdown, so Qing Chen could only rely on speculations.

The first time the transmigration countdown had appeared on his forearm was at 6 p.m. the previous evening. After that, he skipped class and didn’t attend the night self-revision. He then transmigrated for the first time at midnight.

If a countdown appeared on Nan Gengchen’s forearm too, then when did it appear?

Qing Chen thought that Nan Gengchen was skinny and petite, looking too weak to even withstand the wind at one glance. If he was to transmigrate to that other world, Qing Chen didn’t know if he could survive.

They had a good relationship but not because they had complementing personalities. It was because both their fathers played cards and gambled, and their family conditions were not great because of it.

After stumbling upon this topic incidentally, the two teenagers became closer because of it.

At this moment, a classmate who was using their phone suddenly exclaimed, “Damn!”

It wasn’t time for class yet, and there were only around 10 students in the entire Sophomore Class 3 room. Hence, everyone turned their attention to the student. “What’s wrong?”

“You guys, quickly check the top searches. Jacob held a press conference and claimed that he has transmigrated to a world of mechanical civilization. The top searches have the full video of his press conference,” said the classmate who exclaimed earlier.

Jacob, an American, was one of the most famous basketball stars in the world and had many fans.

Only Qing Chen froze on the spot because he knew what the so-called transmigration and mechanical civilization were all about!

He hadn’t expected this before. So even the people overseas had experienced stuff like transmigration and countdown.

At this moment, Nan Gengchen was already playing the video, and Qing Chen looked over.

In the video, Jacob was sitting behind a table, facing the media whom he invited at the last minute. The flashing lights were flickering intensively, making it somewhat blinding.

However, anyone watching the video would notice Jacob’s left arm at the first glance, because a mechanical arm had replaced it entirely.

In the video, Jacob stood up and led everyone to the basketball court. Then, with the distance of the entire court, he made a shot using his left arm with ease, and the ball slipped into the hoop. The results were the same for 10 continuous shots.

“Is this some kind of special effect?” Nan Gengchen muttered. “Could it be a filmed commercial with special effects?”

Qing Chen didn’t answer.

Someone from abroad uploaded the video, and they even added Chinese subtitles to it.

In the video, Jacob spoke to the media, “I incidentally discovered a countdown that appeared on my arm last night. When the countdown ended, it suddenly shuttled me to a strange mechanical civilization world. It was Earth there too, and there was the sun and the moon. But it was like a parallel universe. The progress of that civilization was entirely different from the world we are living in.”

Jacob raised his left arm. “I had this arm when I transmigrated. It was as though I replaced someone from that side and became a new me. I don’t understand the theory behind this either, but its strength is far greater than I imagined. It is also very nimble and precise.

“And the reason I hold a press conference isn’t to boast. That world wasn’t as beautiful as I imagined. Instead, it was abnormally dangerous. Now, I am holding a press conference to prevent myself from being secretly taken away for research. I hereby declare that I refuse to be a subject of research. If I disappear one day, please…”

At this point in the video, Qing Chen suddenly realized: Jacob was a public figure, so he wouldn’t be able to hide the mechanical limb on his body at all.

The other party was very clear about that world and that the technology was far beyond the current era. Hence, as he was afraid of being taken away to be a lab rat for research, he chose a more extreme approach.

This might not be a good idea, but perhaps because he was anxious as well, he couldn’t help but make a rash decision.

Qing Chen looked at Nan Gengchen; the petite desk mate was dumbstruck at the moment.

Yet, Qing Chen was thinking. Since he couldn’t bring the boning knife over and couldn’t bring the toothbrush back either, it seemed that the only way to bring anything from the other side would be to transform themselves or maybe to hide it in their body?

He didn’t know where Jacob appeared after he transmigrated either. Was it on the other side of the ocean?

Everyone in class fell into a state of shock and then skepticism. It was difficult for them to judge if this top search was real or special effects.

However, before anyone could return to their senses, several strange articles suddenly rushed into the top search rankings again.

“They found a certain internet executive dead in his house. A sophisticated mechanical structure suddenly appeared on his body, extremely similar to Jacob’s.”

“A certain university student claimed they had transmigrated to another world too. Not only were there mechanical civilizations, but there were also Surpassers that transcended ordinary people.”

“A certain high school student claimed that they didn’t just transmigrate to another world but also received an awakened ability.”

Qing Chen frowned as he read. This series of news came faster than he had expected. Not everyone could be as cautious as he was.

More and more news was declaring one fact to the world: It wasn’t special effects, it wasn’t an advertising copy, but a reality that existed.

There were real people who had transmigrated to that unknown and fantasy world.

And transmigrators were not in the minority.

Nan Gengchen muttered beside him, “Surpassers, mechanical civilization… Then, does that mean there’s a chance of becoming a Surpasser when you transmigrate?”

A classmate asked, “It seems the chance of transmigrating isn’t small. Would there also be students from our school who have transmigrated?”

“Perhaps someone has brought along their mechanical limbs to school…”

“I want to transmigrate too…”

The number of students in the class was increasing, and everyone who entered the classroom swept their gaze across the room, trying to see if there was anyone with mechanical limbs.

One must understand that they were only 17 or 18 years old, at the age where they were inquisitive and had a desire for exploration, when their vanity was at its peak. Adults might have considered whether the dangers and favorable circumstances were equal, but this fantasy world only filled teenagers with hope.

When reading Harry Potter, you would sometimes hope that you could pass through King’s Cross Station as well, and when reading novels, you would also hope that an immortal fairy would welcome you.

But in reality, the people who welcomed you weren’t usually fairies. It was only trickery to lure you in.

Hence, when everyone found out that you could become different from others after transmigration, they would filter out some of the hazardous information. Then, they would hope that they could become one of the transmigrators.

The protagonist of the world, the sound of these words was very tempting.

Qing Chen was hardly an exception.

He was just a little different; Qing Chen had really transmigrated and met those extraordinary people: Lin Xiaoxiao, Li Shutong.

Ye Wan should be one too.

Slowly, Qing Chen realized Nan Gengchen’s flustered expression easing and gradually becoming more energetic instead.

Qing Chen asked carelessly, “Was this that strange thing you were talking about?”

Nan Gengchen lowered his voice. “I can’t tell you yet, but don’t worry, I definitely wouldn’t forget about you if I could get any opportunities, bro.”

Qing Chen nodded. “Uh-huh, don’t forget your friends when you become rich.”

Footnote:

[1] Don’t forget your friends when you become rich: This is a Chinese saying: to not forget those who have suffered through hardships with you when the day comes to enjoy its glory.