Chapter 74: The Guidebook Machine of the Predecessor Transmigrator

Staring at the mark, Yun Xuan fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth. At worst, he could release Snow White and escape, destroy the cave—Snow White should be capable of that. He pressed the mark with all his strength and stepped back two paces.

A series of clicks sounded as the cave entrance slowly rose; it truly was a mechanism. Yun Xuan waited for a full ten minutes before the mechanism fully opened. After some thought, he released his sister’s weapon, Snow White, placing her by the entrance—just in case he couldn’t get out, she could open the door for him.

Yun Xuan stepped inside, surveying the spacious interior. It was a platform with stone steps at the side leading to the ground below. The ground was ten meters down, and there were structures present. Descending, Yun Xuan examined the buildings: all military items from wartime, with even a number of weapons discarded to the side.

All was deathly silent. Yun Xuan glanced at several skeletons—apparently people who had starved to death.

“Strange, if this was a military shelter, why did these people die here?” Yun Xuan searched for clues. He didn’t bother with the weapons, as they were old models, likely past their prime and possibly dangerous.

He looked around, stopping in front of a room. Peering through the glass window, he saw three incubators.

“There’s still life here!” Yun Xuan’s eyes widened as he spotted blurry human figures in the incubators.

He entered the room, stunned to see the laboratory equipment still operating after all these years. How long had it been?

Turning to the incubators, Yun Xuan was utterly dumbfounded.

The first contained a girl with cat ears, the second with fox ears, and the third had a tail.

“Beast-eared girls?!” Yun Xuan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. How was this even possible?

Looking around, he discovered an old-style safe, half open. Inside were stacks of documents and several syringes.

“Artificial Warrior Project?” Yun Xuan read the files. If the artificial warriors had succeeded, why had these people died here?

He glanced through the journal among the documents, his expression growing stranger with each line.

...

July 2.

Today is a sunny day, I think? I haven’t left my laboratory for ten days. Fortunately, the soldiers discovered an underground river, or I think they’d have lost their minds.

The artificial warrior project is at its final stage, but I’ve realized a major problem: I can’t provide them with memories or knowledge, and control is also a problem.

August 15.

I’m on the verge of starvation. This place is driving me insane. Thankfully, the soldiers aren’t beasts—they had me inject them with the artificial warrior serum, but they all died.

The only good news today is I found a way to control them. Apparently, once they open their eyes and see me, they recognize me as their master.

It’s a pity that knowledge and memory transmission remains a major issue.

September 1.

I’ve started drinking nutrient solution. I’ll probably starve to death, but I succeeded—I finally developed the memory helmet. I must be a genius.

Those children have truly suffered, but if they survive, they’ll be the strongest humans, won’t they?

My mind is starting to blur. How did I end up here? Was I teleported by an angel? What was that angel’s name?

...

The diary ended on September 1. After reading, Yun Xuan’s heart was in turmoil for a long time.

Teleported by an angel? Could this person be a predecessor?

Yun Xuan found the memory helmet in a cabinet, along with a data cable and a super notebook.

“So it really was a predecessor from another world,” Yun Xuan smiled wryly, packing the super notebook into his dimensional backpack.

He examined the memory helmet, connected it via the data cable to his super notebook, and summoned Frost to stand guard at the door. In this stillness, he felt uneasy.

The connection succeeded; it seemed the memory helmet was also an exchanged component.

Yun Xuan opened the program and marveled at the vast resource library. From basic languages to various types of information, everything was included.

After some thought, he added one crucial instruction: “Never betray him; serve Yun Xuan wholeheartedly.”

He disconnected the data cable and organized all the information. This experiment could grant ordinary girls the strength of beasts. Even if he didn’t need it now, it might be useful in the future.

He collected the experimental data and the incubators. The dimensional backpack could store Snow White and Frost, so these sleeping beast-eared girls could fit as well.

That predecessor hadn’t just researched the Artificial Warrior Project, but had also left behind a trove of treasures.

Yun Xuan opened the laboratory floor, retrieving all the gold bars from the room below and storing them in a single slot in his backpack.

He jumped down to the next room, finding a locked case, two mobile phones, a uniquely shaped gun, and a USB drive.

“A Strategy Device…” Yun Xuan stared at one of the phones—it was all too familiar.

He reached out and touched the phone.

“Congratulations, host, for discovering an ownerless Strategy Device. Would you like to integrate it?” the cat-eared girl’s mewling voice prompted.

“What happens if I integrate it?” Yun Xuan asked.

“Integration will grant you the former owner’s main ability and exchange points, and expand your dimensional backpack,” the cat-eared girl explained.

“Wait, besides this person, there must be other Strategy Devices in this world, right? What if someone else finds one…” Yun Xuan shivered. The Strategy Device’s power was self-evident. If someone else found one and became like him—it would be terrifying.

“Ordinary people cannot equip the Strategy Device; they can’t even turn it on. Only a new-generation host can control a Strategy Device,” the cat-eared girl’s reply interrupted Yun Xuan’s thoughts.

“That’s a relief.” Yun Xuan breathed easier.

“Would you like to integrate it?” the cat-eared girl prompted again.

“Integrate.” Yun Xuan took a deep breath and replied.

“Ding—Congratulations, host, you have received 100 exchange points, the shared ability to traverse worlds, and ten additional slots in your dimensional backpack.”

“Shared ability: Traverse Worlds—spend 10,000 exchange points for a single time-space traversal, cooldown 24 hours, same cost to return.”

“Traverse…” Yun Xuan’s eyes widened at the word.

...

Closing the stone door, Yun Xuan was filled with emotion.

The mechanisms inside the stone door were now sealed; no one could enter. The only things of value left were some weapons, which Yun Xuan had frozen with the energy freeze gun.

The uniquely shaped gun and the remaining phone were both products of a technological era, from a higher parallel world, unlike this one.

The basic smart phone possessed intelligence surpassing any basic smart device of this world, and, like the super notebook, was an exchange from the angel.

Unfortunately, this predecessor had spent all their exchange points on research, making return impossible.

Yun Xuan powered on the phone, bound his DNA, and decided to check the contents of the USB drive later.

“I once thought I’d spend my whole life in this world, but I never expected a predecessor would leave behind a Strategy Device. Though we come from different worlds, as fellow travelers, I’m grateful for the treasure you left,” Yun Xuan murmured, bowing deeply before departing.

(P.S. Why did those soldiers starve instead of leaving? Answer: They were not Huaxia soldiers. Please vote for recommendations.)