Six golden lines suddenly lit up on the ground, forming a perfect hexagon. A black cylindrical pillar rose from its center.
An identical pillar extended down from above. The two quickly joined, and to Zhang Hao, they looked like a single black pillar five meters in diameter.
Go on!
Mi Feng's voice rang out.
Zhang Hao walked up to the pillar. He didn't dare touch it carelessly, so he observed it cautiously.
Even though Zhang Hao had acquired the Nano-machine, gained perfect recall, and even had some skills implanted in him, he still couldn't tell what the black pillar was made of. It didn't look like steel, wood, or stone. Its surface wasn't smooth, but rather matte and slightly rough. Looking closer, he could make out extremely fine lines that were easy to miss.
The lines were so densely packed that they gave the surface its matte appearance.
Unable to resist, he touched it, then pressed his palm against the pillar to feel it. It was ice-cold. When he tried to pull his hand away, he was shocked to find that his palm seemed frozen to the black pillar. Panic seized him.
Just then, Mi Feng's voice sounded beside his ear.
Don't move!
Zhang Hao stopped struggling and looked at the black pillar. The spot where his palm touched it began to glow. A moment later, a spectacular sight unfolded.
Rings of light shimmered out from beneath Zhang Hao's palm and rapidly spread across the pillar, as if it were being switched on. At last, the entire pillar shone brightly.
To his horror, Zhang Hao realized that he could think, but he couldn't move. It was as if his entire body had been completely controlled. He couldn't even make a sound.
Then the black pillar split apart again. One section retracted upward and another sank downward, leaving a gap in the middle. A force lifted Zhang Hao and carried him into the space between them.
Though Zhang Hao couldn't move or speak, his thoughts remained active. Pillars stood above and below him. What if the black pillar closed again? He'd be crushed flat! I have to get out!
Wimp! I don't need to go to all that trouble to kill you. Stop struggling!
Zhang Hao desperately wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn't even move them. At that very moment, a line of text appeared across his retina.
You're the wimp! I can't move, so of course I'm scared. Damn it, you try this and see if you don't freak out!
Zhang Hao realized that these were the words he'd wanted to say.
Mi Feng's reply was cutting.
A wimp's a wimp!
Fuck! You bastard!
Zhang Hao cursed wildly. He was extremely tense, and his whole body felt paralyzed. Anyone would find this unbearable. It was terrifying.
Believe it or not, if you keep spouting nonsense, I'll leave you on the Conversion Platform until you regret it!
Zhang Hao immediately backed down. This time, he was genuinely scared.
He didn't have to wait until he regretted it; he already regretted it immensely. He didn't dare talk back, or even keep thinking, because whatever he thought would show up on his retina. He could only suffer in silence!
Mi Feng tried to reassure him. No matter what, after giving someone a slap, you had to offer them something in return. If he drove Zhang Hao over the edge, that would be a serious problem for him, too.
Rows of text appeared across Zhang Hao's retina:
This is the Conversion Platform. Of course, it has a proper name, but you wouldn't understand it even if I told you, so let's just call it this for now. Don't be scared. The Conversion Platform can only benefit you; it can't harm you. I brought you here so you could understand the bridgehead. There are many things that can't be explained clearly just by talking about them.
Especially to someone like you. It's even harder to explain things to you, but if you experience them for yourself, at least you can form your own understanding.
To the bridgehead, the Conversion Platform is its hub and central control room. It's one of the bridgehead's most important components. Without the Conversion Platform, the bridgehead wouldn't exist.
This time, Mi Feng patiently explained the bridgehead in detail.
Zhang Hao gradually calmed down.
Based on Zhang Hao's modern-day understanding, the bridgehead didn't actually exist inside Yuanshan. Instead, people entered the bridgehead in the river of time through a node in Yuanshan's interior. Even if someone found the golden wall, they couldn't enter the bridgehead. They existed in different dimensions of space, so how could anyone cross over?
The reason Zhang Hao had been brought to the Conversion Platform was to collect data on his entire body. Since he had Nano-machines inside him, it was easy to compile his full-body data. But to reconstruct and copy the data, he had to remain motionless during a certain period. His body couldn't move, but his thoughts could. That was why.
The reconstruction didn't take long. After about half an hour, Zhang Hao was let out. Even though it had only been half an hour, every second had felt like a year. If Mi Feng hadn't been communicating with him, he might really have gone mad.
Zhang Hao climbed down and watched as the black pillar retracted. The entire space was once again spotless.
Regaining control of his body felt wonderful. He'd never imagined how terrifying it could be to lose control of it.
His heart pounded like a drum!
It took a long while for him to calm down. Then Zhang Hao asked, "The space-time bridgehead... Does that mean I can travel through time?"
Mi Feng confirmed it. That's right!
Zhang Hao asked, "So that means time travel?"
That's not quite right. Your idea of time travel is mistaken...
Zhang Hao asked, "What do you mean? Isn't time travel just me going to the past, to a new world?"
I don't know where you got that idea, but as far as the space-time bridgehead is concerned, we can't travel to the past... We can only drift along with the bridgehead.
Zhang Hao froze. "Uh, I don't understand. What do you mean?"
I can't explain it right now. You've had too little exposure to time and space. You'll need time to experience and understand it.
Zhang Hao was almost laughing with exasperation. "Seriously? Could you explain it a little? You have to help me understand at least some of it, or I'm going to be totally lost. What's your state right now?"
A soul!
Zhang Hao was shocked and confused. "What soul? What is a soul?"
That involves life and the soul. Hmm, what a hassle. I'll try to explain it simply, using terms you can understand.
In your world, the body and soul are one. The body is like a jar, and the soul is like the water sealed inside it. When the jar breaks, the water spills out, and the person dies.
Can you understand that?
Zhang Hao rolled his eyes. "Of course I can!"
In the space-time bridgehead, the jar and the water can be separated. As long as you have a suitable jar, you can transfer the water into it. And that jar can be made!
There are two types of jars: lifeless jars and living jars. Both can be made in the bridgehead!
Zhang Hao gaped. He really did understand most of it, but he couldn't make sense of the living and lifeless jars.
After thinking for a while, inspiration struck. "A living jar? Do you mean cloning another me? But what is a lifeless jar?"
That's a pretty good understanding!
That's right, it's cloning. Your body can be cloned to transfer your soul into, and your soul will grow stronger!
The other option is to control a robot—with your soul and a loaded Intelligent program controlling the machine. This involves combining a soul with intelligence. Isn't that interesting?
To control a soul loaded with an Intelligent program, you need a certain substance: a dwelling for the soul. With a dwelling as an intermediary, you can control machines as well as physical bodies. Every time you set out and return, your soul grows stronger.
Before you continue