Space Traveler

They said everyone carried a few stories within them, whether of love and hate, enmity and grudges, sorrow and joy.

But Zhuang Hong believed there was nothing much to his own story.

He had grown up in an orphanage. His only memories were of sitting on the steps in the courtyard, watching the grass and trees flourish and wither, or sitting in a corner flipping through those yellowed, incomplete books.

And so, he had come to enjoy reading. He also liked quietly listening to others tell stories that belonged to them, then carefully recording them in his notebook.

Even if the story was a little absurd, even if the storyteller was rather unusual.

For example, a transmigrator.

Right now, a transmigrator sat across from Zhuang Hong, weeping bitterly as he recounted his own tale of transmigration.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Hong carefully wrote his story into his notebook.

This transmigrator was named Xu Kaidong. He had transmigrated into an era resembling the Song Dynasty and had lived here for twenty years. He was now thirty-five.

When he had first transmigrated here, he had still been a fifteen-year-old youth, high-spirited and sweeping his gaze over the realm. Relying on his advanced ideas and vision, as well as copying, copying, and copying, he had become the most talented man in this world in just twenty years and was revered as a Living Sage.

He was the dream lover of countless young maidens, married women, and old crones. As long as he nodded, countless beauties would swarm toward him, willing to share his bed, warm it for him, and bear his children. Even the Emperor admired his talent and made an exception to grant him the incomparably noble title of King of a Different Surname, ensuring him a lifetime of glory and splendor...

Simply put, he had reached the pinnacle of his life, past and present combined.

Zhuang Hong wore the hollow look of someone long deprived of sleep, and his face appeared somewhat weary. Yet his bright eyes brimmed with curiosity. He listened and wrote at the same time, feeling deeply envious. What a vibrant and colorful life experience.

However, as Xu Kaidong told his story, he reached an emotional point and burst into tears, even clutching Zhuang Hong's hand tightly and refusing to let go.

Zhuang Hong said, "Mister Xu, even if you're happy, there's no need to tug and pull at me. Please let go."

Xu Kaidong wept, "Mister Zhuang, I'm not happy. I'm sad. I've already copied out all the poems I could copy. I've said everything about my advanced ideas. Even the only middle-school mathematics and physics I could remember have been shaken out clean. There's nothing left in my belly now, yet everyone is waiting for my new theories. I'm in danger!"

Zhuang Hong asked in surprise, "You've shaken out so much already?"

Xu Kaidong said awkwardly, "Sometimes I got carried away and said too much. Besides, I overestimated my memory. When I first transmigrated, I didn't write things down in time, and later I gradually forgot them. Mister Zhuang, could you take me back to Earth? Don't worry, after I go back, I won't say a thing."

Zhuang Hong shook his head. "I'm only an ordinary Space Traveler. I happened to pass through here and met you by chance. I don't have the ability to take you back. But if you have any words you want to pass on to the people you care about most, I can help with that—provided I can find them."

"People I care about? Sigh, there's no one I care about anymore, and no one will care about me either..."

As he thought about it, Xu Kaidong's eyes suddenly lit up. "Right, Mister Zhuang, could you bring me a book? And things like a phone or a computer."

"If it's one book, I can. Anything more than that won't work."

Xu Kaidong was overjoyed. "One book is enough. I want... the Mathematics Encyclopedia. Mathematics is the foundation of all science. I want to become the greatest mathematician in this world."

Zhuang Hong stopped writing and closed his notebook. "Fine, but I won't help you for nothing. You'll have to exchange an item on your person for it."

"What item?"

Zhuang Hong pointed at the ivory band on his head. "This Ivory Hairpin will do."

Xu Kaidong readily agreed. "Deal, haha!"

"Then Mister Xu, wait a few days. I'll naturally come find you with the book in a few days."

With that, Zhuang Hong slung his backpack over his shoulders, rose, and left. As he walked, his figure gradually faded until he finally vanished without a trace.

After waiting patiently for a long while and confirming that Zhuang Hong had left, Xu Kaidong could not resist taking the Ivory Hairpin from his head and examining it in his hand.

"What does he want this hairpin for? Could there be some secret to it?"

Then he began a series of operations involving dripping blood to claim it as his master, attempting to uncover its secret.

After bidding farewell to Xu Kaidong, Zhuang Hong slowly stepped across the Space Barrier and arrived in another world.

His steps did not stop. After walking for a while, his figure slowly vanished again and appeared in another space.

And so, he walked at an unhurried pace, passing through one different three-dimensional space after another, traversing one different world after another as he headed toward Earth.

Zhuang Hong was a Space Traveler. Like a Four-Dimensional Being, he could move freely through various different three-dimensional spaces.

He met different people, listened to different stories, evaded natural enemies, and searched for "nutrition."

Yet three years ago, Zhuang Hong had not been a so-called Space Traveler. He had merely been an utterly ordinary person.

He had lived like most people: attending elementary school, middle school, high school, and university, then graduating and looking for work, only to fail to find any work...

Until one day, Zhuang Hong happened upon a monster. It was as enormous as a giant truck, with the front of a crab and the tail of a scorpion. Its entire body was covered in bristle-like fur, and it moved without a sound.

That Giant Crab Monster had suddenly appeared before Zhuang Hong. After walking forward for some distance, it slowly vanished again, never once looking at him throughout the entire encounter.

It was as though it had completely ignored his existence.

Zhuang Hong simply stood there in a daze, his entire body numb and weak, watching fixedly as the Giant Crab Monster departed.

By sheer coincidence, as the Giant Crab Monster left, a strange section of bone fell from its body—and that bone held an immense attraction for Zhuang Hong.

After Zhuang Hong picked up that piece of bone, he could clearly feel a stream of energy entering his body and merging with it. It was as though his body had gained some kind of completion, and a trace of extraordinary power had been born within him.

From that moment on, Zhuang Hong discovered that he had gained the ability to travel through space at will.

He could leave the space where Earth existed and journey into other unknown spaces.

It was also from that time onward that Zhuang Hong's physique underwent some special change. Not only could he traverse space, but he also attracted attacks from all kinds of monstrous natural enemies. On several occasions, he had narrowly escaped death.

And so, Zhuang Hong began his arduous life on the run, wandering through different spaces and evading natural enemies.

He had fled for three years.

Over those three years, he had experienced all manner of inconceivable things. He, too, had changed from that bewildered youth into the calm figure he was now.

Natural enemies was the name Zhuang Hong had given those strange creatures that attacked him.

Like Zhuang Hong, these strange creatures could travel through space at will.

They seemed drawn to some trait that had emerged after Zhuang Hong's evolution. Whenever they encountered him, they would launch a frenzied hunt, as though swallowing him would grant them immense benefits.

They were among the few enemies capable of threatening Zhuang Hong's life. He never knew when they would appear or where their attacks would come from, leaving him deeply wary and endlessly vexed. He could not even sleep peacefully, and often suffered from lack of sleep, with dark circles around his eyes like a panda's.

Thus, Zhuang Hong generally did not remain in one place for long. He could only flee and wander between worlds, lest he draw too many natural enemies and become unable to handle them.

Of course, these natural enemies were not entirely useless either. They could provide Zhuang Hong with abundant "nutrition," allowing him to gain greater power.

Zhuang Hong traveled through different worlds, stopping and going as he admired the scenery along the way. Whenever he encountered beautiful sights, he would take out his notebook and describe them.

No one knew how long had passed before an overwhelming drowsiness swept over him. He let out a huge yawn, leaned against a large tree, covered his face with his notebook, and closed his eyes for a brief rest amid the cicadas' cries of high summer.

Yet not long after lying down, he sensed something and jolted awake. His head snapped to one side, dodging a Deep Red Tentacle that abruptly thrust out from the void.

The tentacle was densely covered in deep-red scales, and the sharp diamond-shaped spike at its tip glimmered faintly.

There was not just one such tentacle, but dozens.

After Zhuang Hong dodged the first strike, he immediately ejected himself upward. A great many more tentacles launched swift, dense attacks from every angle.

"Puff puff puff~"

Zhuang Hong shifted left and right, retreating rapidly and dodging every tentacle attack.

Had he been even a fraction slower, he would likely have been pierced into a honeycomb.

The tentacles pursued him relentlessly, and the body connected to them emerged from the void as well, revealing its full form.

It was a dark-red sphere as large as a truck cab. Four blue compound eyes on its surface stared tightly at Zhuang Hong, while the tentacles extended from all over the sphere like a giant sea urchin.

Zhuang Hong called it the Red Beard Monster.

At the sight of this monster, Zhuang Hong showed not the slightest panic. Instead, a smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"It's not small, but it's only the lowest-grade White Nemesis."