1 Coming Back to Life

"Water…" A weak voice resounded.

"He's alive? This kid is quite lucky, huh."

"Water…" The previous voice persisted, sounding again.

"A miracle, a miracle indeed. It's truly a wonder that he didn't choke to death after breathing in black snow."

"Water…"

After the request for water was repeated thrice, a spoonful of cool liquid was finally poured into his mouth. The fresh water finally let him recover his consciousness, but remained weak, and it wasn't until another three spoonfuls of water entered his throat that Wu Chang finally became fully awake.

'Where is this place?' What was reflected in his eyes, other than a blonde woman of average appearance, was nothing but a silverish-white ceiling.

"Where am I?" Wu Chang's question confused everyone around him.

"Kid, are you stupid? Of course you're at the mine."

"A mine?" Wu Chang still couldn't understand.

"Gosh, Aileen, how did you bring back an idiot with you? Isn't this clearly amnesia? Look at the bandaging on the back of his head, his head is injured too. He must've got into some accident that turned him into a fool."

The onlookers were all talking at once. However, this could be considered as helping Wu Chang out of the predicament. At least no one would ask any more questions. The woman called Aileen looked at Wu Chang in disappointment. She placed the cup of water and some food beside him and turned to leave.

It was obvious that not many people would care about a fool. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving Wu Chang trembling in the corner of the room.

Wu Chang inspected the wound on his left shoulder. He clearly remembered an injury running across it. Furthermore, it clearly reached the bone, and it was quite likely that the whole arm would be done for. However, his left arm was now covered in a protective metal casing, and there was also a distinct cool sensation coming from the wounded area. Judging from its appearance, it was clearly some kind of peculiar medical equipment.

Looking around, this place was a plain hall more than 100 meters square in area, but it wasn't quite similar to a typical building, as the walls, floor, and ceiling were actually all made of metal.

Although Wu Chang didn't know what kind of material this strange metal exactly was, he could see some damaged spots among its mottled color where electric circuit boards were exposed. This let Wu Chang realize that this should be some rather ordinary place.

The entire hall's layout was just like that of a family restaurant, with countless tables and chairs arranged inside. A few people were sparsely scattered in the hall, occupying 10 of those tables and eating. It was impossible to tell for sure without seeing the exact number of seats, but there seemed to be enough room for over 100 people to eat here.

There were only three windows in the metal wall, but Wu Chang needed but a glance to realize the stuff was just for show—one window showed a beach in summer, with a beautiful woman wandering on the sandy shore, while another window unexpectedly showed the beautiful scenery of snow-white mountains.

What was even more amazing was that the scenery outside the third window was actually outer space, currently showing the majestic Horsehead Nebula1.

By this time, Wu Chang was already certain: he had actually transmigrated, and not just anywhere, but into the futuristic era.

Just as Wu Chang thought of this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the middle of his back.

"Ouch." He let out a quiet groan, starting an elderly person sitting nearby. This elder who stank all over mysteriously came over all of a sudden.

"Yo, smelly brat, what's the deal with that tattoo in the middle of your back?" the elder asked, and then fished out a greasy terminal from the clothes on his chest. After he casually pressed a few keys, a picture was projected in the air.

"Take a look, this is exactly what the tattoo on your back looks like. I saw it when I was helping you treat your wound, but why can't I understand what kind of stuff this is?"

Wu Chang didn't respond to the dirty old man's chatter. When he saw this very familiar picture, his eyes suddenly went black as he unexpectedly immediately fainted on his army bunk.

'Good Heavens!' He was very familiar with this picture—wasn't this the incantation disk of the Heroic March Incantation2? The Heroic March Incantation was one of Buddhist spells used to eradicate evil spirits, and was actually the greatest of them all. 'However, why do I feel so familiar with this incantation disk? In the end, just what kind of secret did I have in my past life?' Wu Chang felt greatly confused, and adding his serious injury, he was still quite weak. Losing consciousness was still quite normal.

Wu Chang fainted, and all the memories hidden in his subconsciousness broke into fragments that were simply impossible to piece together. Sarira, Moonlit Night, the Spirit Bone Pagoda after Master's death, and naturally all kinds of chaos, gunshots, and intense pursuit.

'Don't tell me, this incantation disk and sarira are related? I obviously remember that white light drilling into my back behind my heart, don't tell me it turned into that tattoo?'

"I hope my death can completely cut off your karma that exists in this world. Starting today, Master bestows on you a Dharma name: Wu Chang3."

A familiar voice resounded in Wu Chang's consciousness. Then, it was as if a sudden clap of thunder resounded in its wake, and Wu Chang's consciousness completely faded to black.

Since the first time Wu Chang had regained consciousness, it was already clear that his life was no longer in danger. In the next several days after that, Wu Chang, whose mind regained clarity, started to learn more about this world bit by bit.

As it turned out, this region was known as Allocation Center. That woman who was limping slightly was called Aileen, and was the lady boss of this Allocation Center.

The Allocation Center was classified under identification B1313, and was an exhausted mine where people mined so-called "Rainbow Crystals" for a living. There were roughly above 100 people here. The mine's boss was a drunkard with yellow hair and a tall nose, and you could never, ever see him do any work, but you could always see him drink alcohol. People all called him Smith Pann, or just Boss Pann for short.

Wu Chang, pretending to have lost his memory, had been quiet throughout this period of time, observing his surroundings. Having been a robber once, he was well aware of the importance of reconnaissance—when in an alien environment, you could survive and go on if you had sufficient knowledge. Staying low-key was also the most basic of everything.

Slowly, Wu Chang found out that he had been saved by the crippled Aileen when she had been halfway on her way to Huang'e City to replenish supplies, exactly at the time when the black snow had been concentrated. It was then that this woman noticed Wu Changwho had lain there unconscious. Aileen had saved strangers quite a few times already. 12 of the people in this mine had been saved by her.

She easily grabbed Wu Chang and loaded him on her vehicle, and returned with him here, not only helping him tend to his wound, but also giving him food and drink and a place to live. Although this place to stay was merely a small corner with nothing but a primitive bunk, Wu Chang was already very grateful to her.

Having enough to eat and drink and also a place to live like this was already no worse than paradise to Wu Chang. Unfortunately, good things don't last forever. Seven days after he regained consciousness, Aileen, who had never spoken to him, abruptly stood before him.

"Your injury has already more or less recovered, you should go work now. Adding the cost of food and accommodation, you owe me a total of 10 gold coins. Don't think about leaving until you pay back this money," she told him, and then tossed a set of miner's apparel to him before turning around and leaving.

Next to Aileen, there was a robust man covered in muscles all over his body. Wu Chang knew that this man was none else but the captain of the security team in the mine B1313, nicknamed Warlike Bullhead4. This dude's life had also been saved by Aileen, so he was very loyal to her. He stood behind her all this time, his muscles almost screaming "we are powerful" as he stared at Wu Chang carefully, as if ready to teach this stranger a lesson if needed.

Wu Chang wasn't too childish, so he of course knew when to lower his head. In this strange world, he still was pretty clueless about his surroundings. Even if he could defeat the security captain, he was unlikely to be able to get far, right? Anyway, wasn't this just work? Wu Chang had never thought that working was demeaning in any way.

"Let's go, smelly brat. You come with me first to familiarize yourself with work. We'll go filter discarded slag first," said the dirty old man Lion5, who was exactly the same old man who helped Wu Chang tend to his injury. Judging by the look of Bullhead behind him, this person was brought by him, and he definitely had some ideas as to how to handle Wu Chang. If the latter knew his place, he'd listen to Old Man Lion's arrangements. If he didn't, then Bullhead would probably be happy to get some work out.

Wu Chang's meek submission made everyone a bit astonished. The people in this abandoned mine were all criminals, illegal immigrants, thieves, and bandits. As they saw it, a dude who sustained such a terrifying injury shouldn't be such a doormat, right? Yo, just why was he so docile, doing everything he was told?

When Wu Chang followed Lion, the latter didn't turn around, and merely pointed at his own head with his finger. Once he did, everyone on the scene suddenly realized—this was simply some dumbo who'd lost his memory! Maybe this boy only thought of himself as a weak sheep! When the people in the hall thought this far, many of them relaxed.

"Apparently, we might've made a profit with this new laborer."

Wu Chang absolutely hadn't expected that this Delivery Center actually had a two-layered airtight gate. After opening the inner door, there was a very small chamber behind it, and people all had to change their attire there before going outside.

"Stupid boy, quickly put on the mask. Although there isn't any black snow outside, there isn't any good weather, either. Be careful of the polluted air, or you'll choke on it and die.

"I know you've already lost your memory. After we come out, don't say anything and don't do anything. Follow me closely, absolutely don't run all over the place, and be careful of the man-eating clan in the wilderness. If they catch you, they'll eat you…

"Today you've performed well, not trying to rebel. You smelly brat, if you hadn't been so obedient, then Bullhead would have definitely stuffed you inside a cave in the mine, and you would've certainly died for refusing to bow down!"

Dirty old man Lion's chatter went on and on. It not only seemed like this old chap didn't have bad intentions, but he even helped Wu Chang check his equipment thrice patiently. Only then did he open the outermost metal doors.

After seeing this new world in actuality for the first time, Wu Chang was thoroughly scared. 'Ah my Buddha, just what is this world in the end? Don't tell me it's the netherworld?'

What was currently before Wu Chang's eyes was a huge volcano pointing straight to the sky, and it was simply impossible to see its summit, for everything starting from the middle of the volcano was obscured by a layer of dark red clouds. Just how big was this mountain exactly? Wu Chang didn't really have an idea. He had seen Mt. Fuji in Japan, but compared to this volcano, the former was simply like a sparrow compared to a wild goose. There was a big difference in size.

On the black silhouette of the volcano, one could vaguely see an unclear number of lights belonging to buildings. A quick glance was enough to tell that they extended very far into the distance.

"That's Huang'e City, the main city of Huang'e6. You don't need to be afraid of that volcano, scientists have already inspected it. It's an extinct volcano…"

"An extinct volcano?" Wu Chang was pretty speechless. There was clearly the red of lava to be seen on the left side of the volcano, squirting and flowing straight down the slope. And they still called it an "extinct" volcano?

Looking around within his field of view, and also looking to the sides and behind, he finally understood why the scientists made such a claim. There were actually six regions within sight that had six volcanoes erupting violently, spewing red-hot lava and surging heavily with volcanic smoke, with heavy clouds hovering above them.

This also let Wu Chang understand just what was the so-called black snow—it was none other than volcanic ash, wasn't it? The omnipresent volcanic ashes were truly like snowflakes, fluttering and falling everywhere around. The ground was completely covered with an ashen blanket everywhere.

"Aiya, we have good weather today, huh! The two of us have to get busy and work hard to make three day's worth of profit," Lion said, dragging Wu Chang toward a mine shaft that wasn't too far from them.

When Wu Chang truly thought about it, he wanted to cry. 'Screw your momma! This volcanic ash is just like ashen butterflies, and you still say it's good weather? With that thing you guys call black snow, can people even live?'

It was only later that Wu Chang found out that the celestial body he was on right now was actually unusually young, which meant it had considerably intense geological activity, causing the volcanoes to be extraordinarily fierce. Actually, Earth had also experienced this sort of period in its history.

Scientists called that period Archean Eon7.