Alex never imagined he would be the lucky one to win a prize, let alone a brand new car. As he stood in front of the gleaming metal car, his heart was filled with an unbelievable joy. The vehicle was not only stylish in appearance but also exquisitely furnished inside, with every detail revealing the thoughtful efforts of the designer. Just as Alex was about to sit in the driver's seat and enjoy this unexpected stroke of luck, his attention was caught by a small gift box on the passenger seat.
"This must be a complimentary gift from the manufacturer," Alex muttered to himself, a faint smile on his lips. He gently opened the box, and inside lay a uniquely designed, futuristic-looking watch. Alex picked up the watch and examined it closely, though he didn't know its exact function, his intuition told him that this was no ordinary accessory. "It seems today is truly my lucky day!" he thought contentedly, before turning his attention back to the new car.
Alex, who had obtained his driver's license during his university days, was no stranger to driving, but he still handled the new car with excellent performance cautiously, fearing any mishap. All the way home, he kept adjusting the rearview mirror and checking the dashboard, as if exploring a brand new world. It was only after safely arriving home that Alex truly relaxed and began to savor everything that had happened that day.
After dinner, as Alex lay in bed reliving the day's experiences, he suddenly remembered the mysterious watch. He took it out of his pocket and gently touched the screen. Instantly, a dazzling light screen popped out of the watch, filled with various unknown icons and symbols. Alex was startled by the scene, but curiosity quickly overcame his fear, and he began to experiment with the icons.
"What is this? How do I use it?" Alex mumbled in confusion. At that moment, as if the watch understood him, a few clear lines of text appeared on the screen: "The Interstellar Alliance System has been officially activated, language and era information have been automatically synchronized, please choose your binding method." Alex blinked, unable to believe what was happening. He followed the instructions and completed the binding, and the text on the screen instantly became easy to understand.
Alex tentatively clicked on one of the icons, and the screen immediately played a short video. The scene in the video made him feel both curious and confused - it was a huge city connected by transparent tubes, where people wore strange clothes and freely shuttleed through the air. Alex exclaimed, "Where is this place? Is it the future Earth?"
He continued to swipe the screen, and each new video he opened was like a window into an unknown world. Some videos showcased highly intelligent home life, where robotic butlers could automatically adjust the indoor environment according to the preferences of the owner; others recorded the adventures of deep-sea explorers in uncharted waters, who drove advanced submarines and discovered many previously unseen creatures.
"How amazing!" Alex exclaimed sincerely. He was completely immersed in these videos, forgetting the passage of time. It was only when his phone reminded him that it was late at night that Alex realized he had been watching videos for several hours. With reluctance, he turned off the watch and lay in bed, his mind full of thoughts.
On the weekend, Alex's fingers gently swiped across the screen of his watch, his eyes fixed intently on the dancing characters, trying to find a sense of familiarity. However, no matter how hard he tried, the text seemed like a language from another world, both strange and confusing to him.
He recalled the video, the one filled with futuristic beauty dancing wildly. The women in the video wore clothes he had never seen before, moving their bodies as if performing some sort of ritual. Their dance was elegant and powerful, each movement seemed to carry a deeper meaning. Alex was deeply captivated; he had never seen such a moving performance.
However, when he opened the comment section, trying to express his thoughts, he found that he couldn't understand any of the comments. The text was like a string of gibberish, meaningless. He felt confused, even a bit panicked. He began to wonder if this was a prank, or some new kind of internet virus.
He continued to scroll down, hoping to find something he could understand. But no matter how hard he tried, the text remained a chaotic blur to him. He felt as if he were isolated from this world, unable to communicate with others.
His mood grew heavy, and he began to express his confusion in the comment section. He wrote, "I can't understand any of these comments; have I entered some kind of magical world?" His words were quickly lost in the sea of comments, but he did receive some replies. Those replies were filled with mockery and sarcasm, making him feel even more isolated and helpless.
His spirits hit rock bottom, and he turned to the system assistant of the watch for help. He asked, "What are these comments about? Why can't I understand them?" The assistant's response shocked him: "Dear user, hello. Due to the different cultures of the Interstellar Alliance and your region, there may be some special words in the interactive interface that you cannot understand, such as things that do not exist in your region, hence you cannot comprehend these terms."
Alex's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a wave of dizziness. He asked, "And where are these contents from?" The assistant's answer completely overthrow his worldview: "The Interstellar Alliance."
He was stunned, his voice trembling as he asked, "Interstellar, as in the era where the sky is filled with flying cars and spaceships?" The assistant confirmed his guess: "Yes."
He felt his breath quicken, and he continued, "How far away is it? How long from now?" The assistant's answer left him feeling a profound sense of helplessness: "3570 years, I'm sorry, but due to restrictions, this system cannot measure the distance."
Alex sat on the couch, his hand tightly gripping the watch. He felt as if his world was crumbling, everything familiar becoming strange. He began to doubt his own existence, to question the authenticity of this world.
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the world. The sky was still as blue, the sun as warm as ever. He felt a deep contradiction; his reason told him that all of this was real, but his intuition told him that it was all false.