"Bang, bang, bang."
The moment he crossed the boundary, he could hear hammering in the distance.
Lin Shan retracted his Blood Wing and followed the sound.
Before long, a vast pit appeared before him, densely packed with people.
They were all dressed in rags. Half wore modern clothes, but those were riddled with worn holes, their once-brightly colored fabric washed pale.
They stood in ring after ring around the pit, mining some kind of silvery-white ore with iron tools.
"Brother, why aren't you working?"
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder. Its skin was visibly cracked.
"Ah, if you're really tired, take a break. You haven't been here long, have you?"
Seeing that Lin Shan's clothes were tattered but his skin was unusually fair, the man guessed that he had only recently crossed over.
"Uncle, could you tell me about the current situation?" Rather than answer his question, Lin Shan asked one of his own.
"U-Uncle? What uncle? I'm only eighteen." He wiped his face with his ragged clothes, revealing a youthful face beneath the black grime.
"Sorry." Lin Shan paused in surprise. With all that soot covering his face, it really had been impossible to tell his age.
"Brother, what are you all doing here?" Lin Shan continued.
"What are we doing? Didn't anyone explain things when you first crossed over?" the man asked, puzzled.
"I didn't just cross over. My situation is a little unusual."
"..."
"How many days have you been here?" the man asked.
"A lot."
"You probably didn't cross over in the Clan Hall, then. We've had others like you arrive in different places before..."
"You came running here to work without knowing anything..." After a pause, he continued, "How about this? New people cross over at the Clan Hall every day. I'll take you there. You can learn about the Human Calendar with the newcomers first, then register."
"All right. Thanks, brother," Lin Shan said.
The man waved a hand. "My name's Li Mu. After crossing over into this fucked-up world, we of the Human Race ought to help each other."
"Come with me." Li Mu wiped the dust from his hands and led Lin Shan straight ahead.
Just then, someone shouted from the pit:
"Li Mu, you're slacking off again!"
Li Mu stammered in reply:
"Brother Chen... let me explain. I'm not slacking off. There's a newcomer here who doesn't know about the Human Calendar and hasn't registered. I was just going to take him to the Clan Hall."
The man called Brother Chen came up to them. He was a burly young man.
He first glanced at Lin Shan, who wore a standard Green Silkworm Garment. Demand for those clothes already exceeded supply, so this man must have crossed over fairly early.
As for the Red Lantern and his backpack, Lin Shan had sent both into the sky with his Heart Light.
"You crossed over that early, but you've never registered? And you don't know about the Human Calendar either?" the young man asked Lin Shan, puzzled.
"No," Lin Shan replied. He really did need to hear about this so-called clan calendar. If his guess was right, it should cover the history of this recent period, which was exactly what he needed to know.
"All right." The young man nodded. Too many people had crossed over, and the current administration was extremely primitive. They simply couldn't keep track of everyone, so some were bound to slip through the cracks.
He turned his gaze to Li Mu and said:
"Take him there. Remember to come back quickly, and stop thinking about slacking off all the time. The more iron ore we mine, the better the equipment at the front will be, and the fewer people will die."
"I understand. I'll come back as soon as I drop him off," Li Mu replied, lowering his head.
The front... Having heard it mentioned twice now, Lin Shan's heart sank.
After he followed Li Mu for over an hour, the buildings around them gradually grew more numerous: rows of wooden houses and thatched huts.
There were more people around, too. Most wore numb expressions and hurried along.
Some, however, were full of curiosity about this place. Their faces showed no numbness at all, and even held a trace of anticipation. Their clothes were still brand-new and distinctly modern.
"We're here," Li Mu said, suddenly stopping.
Lin Shan looked ahead, and his expression immediately turned odd. The Clan Hall stood right across from his home...
The so-called Clan Hall wasn't some lavish grand hall, though it was certainly more luxurious than the other houses. Built from bricks and roof tiles, it had two stories and covered a large area of over a thousand square meters.
Directly opposite the Clan Hall stood eleven wooden houses. The one at the very edge could perhaps be called a villa.
"Go in yourself. Just say you're new. This is as far as I'll take you," Li Mu said.
Lin Shan nodded and thanked him again. "Thank you."
"Hey, don't mention it. It's only right." With that, Li Mu started back, but after only a few steps, he turned onto another narrow path. That definitely wasn't the way back to the mine.
Lin Shan watched and shook his head. No wonder that man hadn't trusted him earlier. He was a repeat offender.
He then headed toward the Clan Hall. A man and a woman stood outside, their clothes reasonably neat. They glanced at Lin Shan but didn't stop him.
Continuing forward, he found a long wooden table set across the way. Behind it sat a woman whose looks rivaled those of an A-list celebrity.
A stack of roughly made paper lay before her, densely covered with names. Beneath each name was a brief description of the person's skills.
"What are you here for?"
The woman looked at Lin Shan as she asked.
"To learn about the Human Calendar."
"Oh, just head inside. Wait in the hall. Once today's newcomers cross over, you can learn with them."
"All right," Lin Shan replied, heading inside.
"Wait!" the woman called after him.
Lin Shan looked puzzled. "Is something wrong?"
"Have you registered?" the woman asked.
"No," Lin Shan answered honestly.
The woman pressed a hand to her forehead. "Register first."
"Name, occupation, special skills." She picked up the writing brush beside her and held it above the paper as she asked.
"Lin Shan. An ordinary medical student. No special skills," Lin Shan said, answering truthfully according to his circumstances.
"Hm?" The woman looked up in surprise. "Your name is Lin Shan?"
"That's right," Lin Shan confirmed. "Is there a problem?"
"No." The woman shook her head. "One of the Human Race's pioneers has the same name as you. I hear he's very powerful. Everyone in the clan who's reached Transcendence advanced with his help."
"Where are the clan's Transcendents?" Lin Shan asked curiously. The only members of the Human Race who could have reached Transcendence by now were Zhang Zhonghua and the other six.
"At the front, of course," the woman replied, then continued, "All right, go inside and wait for a while. Today's newcomers should be here soon."
The front? Are we at war?
Lin Shan frowned. Who is the enemy?
But his steps did not stop.
Following the woman's directions, he entered a spacious hall. People came and went inside, most wearing rough hemp clothes, though a very small number wore green clothes made of silk.
Dressed in rags, Lin Shan drew their attention as soon as he entered.
An elderly woman who looked to be in her fifties, wearing reading glasses and a kindly expression, approached Lin Shan and asked:
"Young man, did you cross over somewhere else?"
"Mm..." Lin Shan thought for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. He wanted to see what had changed in the clan's territory. Rather than asking others outright, he might as well see it with his own eyes.
"All right, all right, all right. Wait a little. Today's newcomers should be arriving soon," the elderly woman said in a slightly hoarse voice.
Before you continue