Bear paw

Lin Qin's hand trembled at those words as she stirred the pot, and she nearly dropped the utensil.

She had only ever seen the word "Internet" in history books.

Tiantian's eyes flickered too. She looked at Qiao Jiajin and asked solemnly, "Qiao Jiajin, you said last time... what year were you born?"

"Didn't I tell you? Seventy-nine." Qiao Jiajin scratched his nose with one finger and said casually, "1979. What about it?"

Tiantian slowly stood up, watching Qiao Jiajin's eyes warily. "You weren't joking with me? If you really were born in seventy-nine, you should be in your forties this year."

Lin Qin paused at that and turned toward Tiantian. "That doesn't sound right..."

Qi Xia ignored their argument and ladled himself a bowl of meat instead.

Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brows, finding Tiantian's words utterly baffling. "What's wrong with you, Tiantian? Has hunger fried your brain? How does a strapping young hunk like me look forty-something?"

No, he didn't look forty.

Judging by his appearance and physical condition, there was no way he could be in his forties.

Xiaoxiao listened to their conversation from the side and, like Qi Xia, made no move.

Lin Qin's lips parted slightly. "Qiao Jiajin, what year is it?"

Qiao Jiajin stared at her suspiciously. "2006, obviously."

He turned his head and found Tiantian and Lin Qin staring at him in disbelief, which only baffled him further.

"What are you all staring at me for?"

Lin Qin felt an indescribable eeriness hanging over the whole situation. She turned back to Tiantian and asked, "Tiantian, what year are you from?"

"I'm from 2019..." Tiantian said with a frown. "What's going on?"

Lin Qin felt all the strength drain from her body and slowly sat down. "Everyone... I'm from 2068..."

"What?!" Qiao Jiajin blanched. "2068?!"

Qi Xia gave a silent nod when he heard that.

Yes, she really did seem like someone from the future.

Now everything made sense.

In her era, people had to wear masks from childhood. Masks would be as commonplace as ordinary clothing from birth.

That was why she looked so uncomfortable without a mask, as though she had no clothes on.

With the rapid development of the Internet, she had no need to know what a "flyer" was either. Online advertisements alone were enough to overwhelm anyone.

Qi Xia silently shook his head. He hadn't expected the others to notice this issue after all.

"Doesn't that make this even creepier...?" Tiantian's lips trembled slightly as she addressed the others. "We're not from the same year, yet we've all gathered on the same day. Could this really be the work of a 'god'...?"

Lin Qin also spoke in disbelief. "If we're not from the same day, then the 'earthquakes' we experienced before coming here weren't the same event either..."

Then she looked at Qiao Jiajin again. "But I don't remember ever hearing about major earthquakes in the areas you're from..."

"What about you?" Tiantian suddenly asked Qi Xia. "What year are you from?"

"I'm from 2022," Qi Xia said.

"What the hell is going on?!" Qiao Jiajin felt dizzy. "Liar Boy, why is this happening? You're so smart. Have you figured something out?"

Qi Xia shook his head. None of the theoretical knowledge he possessed could explain the situation before him.

Why were they all from different time periods?

Had the "god" selected these people at random, or was it deliberate?

How broad a span of time did the participants come from?

"Regardless, we'll only be together here for ten days." Qi Xia glanced at the dark red sky outside the window, his gaze resolute. "Whether a 'god' did all this or not, I don't care. Right now, I just want to fill my stomach and get back to looking for 'Dao.' Even if this question matters a lot to you, I wouldn't recommend trying to uncover the truth."

At Qi Xia's words, the others slowly sat down.

Yes, Qi Xia was right. They needed to get out.

No matter what year they came from, they shared the same goal: escaping this hellhole and returning to their original lives.

Spending several days investigating the issue of their "time periods" would run counter to that goal.

The five of them fetched small bowls from the restaurant and each ladled out a bowl of meat broth, their expressions still somewhat uneasy.

The mysteries of this place seemed to lie in layer upon layer. There were so many things they wanted to understand.

But just as Qi Xia had said, seeking the truth would inevitably waste a great deal of time.

Which mattered more: the "truth" or "escape"?

"Yeah... let's stop thinking about it." Tiantian sighed. "Haven't we experienced enough 'impossible' things already?"

Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads helplessly.

Tiantian picked up an old wok ladle, slowly pulled the meat from the bear's arm, and put some into everyone's bowl.

The bear's arm had been stewed until it was falling apart. The meat separated from the bone at the lightest touch. A meaty aroma drifted out with the piping-hot, rich juices, flooding their nostrils.

"It... actually smells pretty good." Qiao Jiajin swallowed and took his bowl.

Qi Xia held his bowl in his hands as well, but did not move.

He glanced at Xiaoxiao out of the corner of his eye. After seeing her start to eat, he silently waited a little longer.

Only once he was certain there was nothing wrong with the food did he tear a strip of pale meat from the bone.

He held the bear meat beneath his nose and sniffed. Its aroma filled his nostrils. Then he tossed it into his mouth and bit down gently, sending scalding juices bursting across his tongue.

"Hah..." Qi Xia burned his mouth and hurriedly blew out a few breaths of hot air. Then he gave the meat a few hasty chews and swallowed it.

Awful.

He had never imagined bear meat could taste so bad.

It felt fatty and greasy in his mouth, and after a few chews, it left his mouth full of a rank, gamey flavor.

Perhaps it was because they had no seasonings, or perhaps bear meat simply tasted like this. Either way, after just one bite, Qi Xia already wanted nothing more to do with the bowl.

He glanced at Lin Qin beside him. She was frowning too, her features scrunched up as though she had eaten an exceptionally sour slice of lemon.

Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian seemed unbothered, however. They chewed great mouthfuls of meat while watching the two of them.

"What's wrong? Doesn't taste good?" Qiao Jiajin asked.

"What do you think?" Qi Xia asked. "We're from different eras. Are our taste buds different too?"

"It really does taste awful," Qiao Jiajin said through a mouthful of meat. "But we've got to stay alive, Liar Boy. I'm guessing you never ate scraps from the trash as a kid?"

Qi Xia found that rather interesting. He set down his bowl and said with a hint of mockery, "Qiao Jiajin, you certainly have a varied diet. You've eaten not just bear paw, but garbage too?"

"You're getting a little cheeky, Liar Boy..." Qiao Jiajin stuffed another large chunk of meat into his mouth. "Do you know how much older I am than you? Call me 'Master Qiao' from now on, and I'll have your back. Master Qiao has eaten more garbage in his life than you've eaten bear paws."

"I'll say it again. I've never eaten bear paw or garbage."

Tiantian and Lin Qin laughed at the pair again, and even the food in their hands seemed to taste a little better.

Yes, no matter what era they came from, they were comrades now.

Qi Xia stopped bickering with Qiao Jiajin and picked a few more pieces of meat from his bowl to eat.

Whatever happened, eating something was far better than going hungry. There was no telling what sort of games awaited them next, so they needed to keep their strength up at all times.

The bear's paw happened to be in Qi Xia's bowl. He had thought the so-called "bear paw" might be different from the other cuts, but just one bite sent him gagging repeatedly.

This part was even fattier and greasier than the rest. In his mouth, it felt like a lump of snot flavored with fat, with an unbearably rank smell.

"Did people in ancient times really consider this stuff a delicacy?"