Volume 1: Entering the Future for the First Time
Shu Xun spent a full three days browsing through the content about the era’s background, gaining a deeper understanding of the time and space he was in. He placed the electronic book recorder back on the shelf and let out a sigh of relief.
Without the learning and adaptive abilities brought by the talent of time-traveling, the abundance of information and knowledge would have been overwhelming for Shu Xun.
Feeling a bit hungry, Shu Xun skillfully climbed down from the shelf and headed towards the location of the fish tank. In these three days, he had made a small fishing rod for himself. Every time he ventured into the fish tank to catch fish, there was a danger of being surrounded by a large school of fish. As for the fishing rod, it was made from a toothpick, a thin line, and a fishhook crafted through much hardship.
After a short while, a little figure sat leisurely at the edge of the fish tank, starting to fish. Luckily, the glass wall was one-sided; otherwise, anyone seeing such a scene might be quite astonished.
During the fishing moment, Shu Xun began to organize the information he had acquired over the past few days, hoping to find a way out. By now, Shu Xun knew that this doorless house was just one of the units in this building. Below the thirtieth floor, there were elevators for access, but above the thirtieth floor, aside from flying or climbing, there was no other method of entry.
In other words, those who purchased units above the thirtieth floor had to either possess a personal flying device or be awakened individuals.
After injecting the gene potion, those who randomly awakened the talents of the other four major races were called Awakened, and those whose physique was strengthened were called Strengthened. Besides them, the majority were ordinary people who did not receive any enhancements but only had their lifespan extended.
The status of Awakened and Strengthened individuals was high, and so were their responsibilities. They carried powerful duties that ordinary people did not have, mostly serving in the military or taking on special roles, while ordinary people continued to engage in various professions, maintaining the basic functioning of society and enjoying the protection of the Awakened and Strengthened individuals for a comfortable life.
Since the gene potion came into existence, conflicts did erupt among the Awakened, Strengthened, and ordinary people. However, with the gradual improvement of laws, society finally stabilized again, and they managed to coexist peacefully.
Shu Xun speculated that the owner of this room, where he currently resided, was likely an Awakened individual. Moreover, it seemed to be an Awakened individual with a high status because Shu Xun couldn’t find any information about the owner of the house in the room. Most items had usage permissions set, indicating the owner’s extreme caution and a high level of secrecy about their identity.
This also became a significant challenge for Shu Xun’s survival. The owner of the house could return at any time, and even if there was enough food to sustain him, the fish in the tank would undoubtedly arouse the suspicion of the Awakened individual. If traces were exposed… Shu Xun looked at his small chubby claws and wondered if his younger self could defeat a powerful Awakened individual. Suddenly, Shu Xun felt that he should dedicate some time each day to sharpen his claws, in preparation for a potential confrontation if a peaceful resolution was not possible.
While contemplating this, the fishing rod twitched. Shu Xun swiftly cast the rod, and a small fish with a wagging tail was pulled out of the water. Holding the little fish, Shu Xun decided to change the flavor today and go for a steamed fish.
Days passed in Shu Xun’s routine of fishing, sharpening claws, reading, fishing, and sharpening claws, for about half a month. One day, Shu Xun stood in front of the fish tank, and sighed softly, looking at the increasingly empty tank. Going on like this would only lead to exhausting all resources. Shu Xun tried various methods, but the room’s permissions were set high, making it nearly impossible to create an opening from the inside.
Shu Xun also attempted to connect his tablet to the network, but evidently, this ancient relic from billions of years ago couldn’t adapt to the present world. Shu Xun had been trying to modify the internal structure of the tablet these days, but the current network and electronic materials were vastly different, making the modification project very challenging.
Just as Shu Xun was in a state of frustration, an unexpected joy could be said to have descended from the sky.
One day, as Shu Xun was sharpening his claws while holding the sofa leg, which was made of a wood-like material, leaving no traces, he felt extremely satisfied. Watching the sunlight gradually dimming outside the window, Shu Xun sighed, realizing that another day had passed.
Suddenly, the sunlight streaming into the living room was blocked by something, creating a massive shadow. At first, Shu Xun didn’t pay much attention because various peculiar things often flew past the window during these days—unusual aircraft, intelligent cleaning devices for the building, winged individuals, and swiftly climbing figures.
However, this time, the shadow on the ground remained stationary for a considerable time. Shu Xun paused his claw-sharpening motion and tilted his little head towards the window. He saw a gigantic aircraft floating outside, and a barcode suddenly appeared on the transparent glass. The aircraft seemed to confirm some information, and then a black cubic box floated out of it.
The black box hovered outside the window, and a red light scanned the box, confirming its safety. Afterward, the box flew straight toward the glass wall. As Shu Xun stared without blinking, the seemingly indestructible glass wall appeared to turn into a layer of water film. The black box seamlessly merged with the glass wall and entered the room without any seams.
Instinctively, Shu Xun moved his small body toward the inner side of the sofa, held his breath, and watched as the large black shadow in the living room rapidly disappeared, leaving only a strange basketball-sized cubic box.
Shu Xun didn’t know what was happening at the moment. Although he had read a lot of books, there was evidently no record of practical life knowledge, such as instructions on how to use the bathroom or specific kitchen utensil operations.
The sudden appearance of the black box made Shu Xun hesitant to make any rash moves. Even until sunset, Shu Xun didn’t emerge from under the sofa but quietly slipped into his blanket, covering himself and falling asleep.
The next morning, the household cleaner began its work promptly, as usual, cleaning every corner of the house, including Shu Xun’s small blanket. However, the household cleaner obviously wouldn’t clean compressed space objects, like the small package Shu Xun had once placed there. It also wouldn’t deal with living organisms, such as Shu Xun himself.
For items that shouldn’t be on the floor, the cleaner would automatically recognize them. For instance, when Shu Xun placed a cup from the coffee table on the ground, the cleaner identified the cup, levitated it, and placed the cleaned cup back on the table. However, for items without a recorded history, it wouldn’t perform such actions. After cleaning Shu Xun’s small blanket, the household cleaner would simply leave it in place.
At this moment, Shu Xun hid under the sofa, watching the cleaner head towards the black box in the living room.
“Galactic Express, no disassembly command, no placement command, package received.” The familiar voice of the circular cleaner echoed. Shu Xun quickly ran the words “Galactic Express” through his mind.
Many advanced residences nowadays have designated points for receiving external items, utilizing spatial transfer technology in daily life. Items purchased externally don’t need a transportation process; they are directly transmitted through spatial transfer channels to the recipient’s designated receiving point. During this process, items undergo automatic scanning at the receiving and sending points to ensure safety before being delivered directly into the buyer’s room. Overall, this spatial transfer technology is very similar to the teleportation arrays Shu Xun inherited knowledge about.
However, some special items cannot be handled by this method. These include storage tools with spatial compression properties, dangerous items, living organisms, oversized items, or items with special requirements that need to go through designated channels. The operation of these items still requires manual control.
Galactic Express refers to items transported within the galaxy, while Intergalactic Express involves items delivered from outside the galaxy.
The household cleaner has already returned automatically. Regarding this unexpectedly airdropped package, Shu Xun, driven by intense curiosity, considered that the homeowner might not return anytime soon. Without finding a stable source of food, he might starve in this place.
After much hesitation, Shu Xun finally stood in front of the square box. He examined it from top to bottom, found a touchpad, and pressed it with one of his claws.
The black box slowly opened, revealing the contents inside. Shu Xun took a few steps back, contemplating the triggered box. It seemed that the items stored in this delivery box were not confidential, as no opening permissions were set. This allowed him to open the box.
The items inside the box looked very familiar. Shu Xun had seen something similar in another room, but the size difference was significant. The one in the room was about three meters long and nearly two meters wide, while the present one was only about ten centimeters.
The item has an elliptical spherical shape, with the upper part made of transparent glass. Through the glass, you can see the soft, blue cotton-like substance inside. Shu Xun once suspected that the item in this elliptical sphere was a bed, but the intricate structure and technology inside indicated that it was not a simple machine.
Author’s Note:
One day, the General was sitting on the sofa dealing with official business when suddenly, there was a loud crash, and the sofa collapsed.
Upon inspection, the General found that one of the legs of the sofa made from his own red rockwood had actually broken!
With a poker face, the General coldly dialed the complaint hotline and ruthlessly complained to the furniture store.
Shrinking secretly in the corner of the sofa, Shu Xun silently wiped his sweat, pondering if it was not quite right to always use a sofa leg for claw sharpening.
Hearing that nutrient solution can be used as glue, Shu Xun, ready to make amends, opened his eyes wide, extending his chubby paw to receive the nutrient solution~~
