Chapter Fifty-Three: The Sudden Appearance of Zhou the Half-Immortal

Sss—

With the hissing sound of the air valve, the massive iron gates of the factory slowly opened.

The second brother shielded Gao Ning as they entered, and lines of chandeliers flickered to life above them, bathing the space in sudden brilliance.

The factory floor wasn’t as expansive as it appeared—merely a 100 by 200 meter workshop. The assembly line was highly automated; from transporting components, assembling and connecting parts, to program installation, there was little need for human intervention.

Workers’ main job was to keep the production line running and drive two symbolic rivets during assembly—a gesture more ceremonial than practical.

The critical process, however, was the carbonization of the completed armor.

The heating chamber, reminiscent of a gigantic microwave oven, rapidly brought its contents to the required temperature, quickly carbonizing the armor and finalizing the mechanical police units.

In the story, the protagonist had foolishly entered the workroom and ended up with acute leukemia from the microwave treatment.

The workshop was vast and silent, the only sounds being the footsteps of Gao Ning and his companion. Gao Ning glanced around, noting the half-assembled mechanical police units dangling from overhead cranes, and suddenly pressed his hand against a colossal assembly machine.

A prompt immediately popped up on the Red Alert interface.

[Plane Relic Discovered. Submit for collection?]

Delighted, Gao Ning quickly tapped yes.

The Red Alert system was quite considerate—recognizing that the relic was far too massive to move, it offered a submission option instead.

A white glow radiated from Gao Ning’s palm, sweeping through the entire workshop in the blink of an eye.

The enormous assembly line appeared to be coated in a transparent, resilient film, shimmering with light.

Suddenly, the white light contracted, and the entire production line vanished. The once-crammed factory floor was now entirely empty.

A mattress fell out of thin air, landing with a thud, and an old man clutching his waist scrambled up, his features wrinkled in pain.

Gao Ning froze in shock.

What on earth? Where did this old man come from?

He signaled for the second brother to capture him, while he himself turned his attention back to the Red Alert interface.

[Task Two: Plane Relic Recovery Complete]

[Reward: Recycling Factory (one-time use)]

On the right-hand list, a recycling plant icon appeared in the building menu, ready to be activated at any time.

Meanwhile, a new green dot had emerged on the minimap.

Hmm? An ally?

Perhaps alerted by the noise, a PLA soldier dashed in, crouching defensively in front of Gao Ning.

Gao Ning waved him off, and the soldier raised his muzzle slightly.

At that moment, the second brother ambled back, as nonchalant as ever, a cigarette dangling from his lips, one hand in his pocket, the other lifting the old man by the scruff of his neck.

The old man squirmed in discomfort, twisting and turning. As soon as he spotted the familiar camouflage uniform, his eyes lit up. “Comrade, please save me! I was kidnapped by thugs! Wait—why do you look just like him? Oh no, you’re twins, aren’t you? You’re in this together!”

His emotions shifted swiftly—from joy upon seeing the soldier, to despair as he recognized Qishan—his expressions changing as dramatically as an actor on stage.

Gao Ning circled the old man, asking, “How did you end up here?”

“Didn’t you people bring me? Hey, don’t hit me, I’ll talk! Just put me down first!”

At Gao Ning’s nod, the second brother tossed the old man to the floor.

He scrambled upright, rubbing his neck and pounding his lower back. “You little brat, you’ve got quite the grip! Nearly choked me to death!”

The second brother was unmoved, squinting as he blew a puff of smoke.

The old man’s eyes gleamed as he took a deep breath. “Good stuff, give me one?”

When nobody responded, he protested, “Even government interrogators let you smoke! Are you really that stingy?”

With a flick, the second brother somehow flicked him a cigarette with no markings.

The old man caught it, only to find it was already lit; he glanced at the second brother, took a contented drag, and grinned. “Finally, I’ve found the organization!”

Gao Ning said, “You’ve got what you wanted. Isn’t it time you answered my question?”

The old man exhaled smoke. “Young man, don’t be so formal. I’m old enough to be your uncle. Just call me Uncle Zhou! If you ask around, the name ‘Zhou the Half-Immortal’ is famous in Beijing and Tianjin—most people would give anything to call me uncle.”

The second brother grinned, slowly raising his hand; the old man quickly backed up, waving his arms. “No need for violence, I’m talking, aren’t I?”

He took another drag, his face turning somber. “Honestly, I still don’t understand what happened. Last night, I was just taking off my shoes to get into bed; when I woke up, I was here in this godforsaken place.

All I could see were robots, busy on the line. I thought I must be dreaming, so I quickly found a place to hide.”

Luckily, it was a factory with few people in the workshop. He hid behind a random piece of equipment and, surprisingly, nobody noticed him.

He stayed hidden for two hours, nearly falling asleep, when hunger finally hit and he realized something was very wrong.

Gao Ning had a hunch and pressed further: “Do you realize this isn’t your original world anymore?”

“How could I not? The news on TV hasn’t stopped all morning!” The old man pointed at a television mounted on the wall; sure enough, when switched on, it jumped straight to the news channel, though it was silent.

Gao Ning nodded, and the old man continued, “So, after I figured out something was off, I grabbed three things and started divining. I cast six fortunes in a row, and every single one was Pure Yang. That’s impossible!”

“You’re a fortune teller?” Gao Ning’s eyes widened.

The old man’s beard bristled. “I am Zhou the Half-Immortal! Don’t insult me. At least let me finish!”

He suddenly grew more imposing, leaving Gao Ning momentarily speechless.

“The Pure Yang hexagram is Qian—primal, prosperous, beneficial, steadfast. The main and hidden hexagrams are both Qian. Qian is Heaven; two Heavens together means the world is indivisible.

Isn’t that a clear sign that I’m in two worlds at once?”

Gao Ning sucked in a breath. Was this really possible?

“Then why did you stay here? When the workers left, you could easily have slipped out. Why starve yourself in here?”

Even as he spoke, Gao Ning could hear the old man’s stomach rumbling for the third time.

“I couldn’t leave. If I did, I’d miss you!”

“You knew we were coming?” Gao Ning was skeptical.

“After I realized something was wrong, I cast another fortune!”

The old man nodded sagely. “This time it was the Dun hexagram. Zhen above, Kan below—Thunder over Water, fraught with peril, but destined to meet a benefactor.

So, I found a place with thunder and water to hide, and waited for you to turn up!”

“Thunder and water?”

“The cooling room!”

“…”