Grass, a kind of plant.
Having finally been given a second chance at life, was he about to die by a Valkyrie's blade?
Yang Ming felt he needed to do something to save himself.
He began to carefully review the recent memories of this body, looking for any useful information that might aid him.
Unfortunately, in Hanton's memories, Yang Ming found the Imperial Martial God Plan and confirmed the existence of the Valkyries.
Luckily, Hanton's life for the past two years had been monotonous, so it didn't take much effort to skim through his memories.
Hanton's recent memories could be simply summarized as:
- One medal;
- Two mistresses;
- Three wishes.
Yang Ming was feeling very tired at the moment and simply fell asleep; when he woke up again, he was able to open his eyes, but he continued to feign sleep.
To survive on this research ship, he had to play the role of Hanton well.
Only by staying alive could Yang Ming figure out why he was in the world of "Abyss" and have the chance to explore the connection between Earth's explosion and this holographic game.
Let's first look at the three wishes of this fool, Hanton:
- One, to be appreciated by Professor Kigrov and get the opportunity to transform himself into a powerful Martial God Warrior.
- Two, to be transferred back to Head Star or another affluent and stable area of the Empire by the age of 30, to retire and become a peace officer in a city with a vibrant nightlife.
- Three, to marry a woman from the Imperial Nobility. Only female nobles.
Regarding these three wishes, Yang Ming, who had taken over this body, could only apologize.
He might help fulfill the second wish if there was a chance.
But as for the first and third wishes, forget it.
Why would he choose to become some bio-membrane freak that's neither human nor ghost by his own volition?
That was not an aesthetic Yang Ming could accept at this stage.
Moreover, when Yang Ming played "Abyss", he spent half his time mingling in the Empire's faction, and the purest Imperial noblewoman NPC had three or four lovers!
Marrying a noblewoman... was he hoping to evolve to the point where he could sustain himself through photosynthesis?
But back to the point.
This world felt so real.
Yang Ming could breathe freely, and when he opened his eyes just now, there was no peripheral distortion inevitable with holographic glasses.
What about the attribute board?
The attribute board that one could click to check their stats?
In the game "Abyss," even the most streamlined interface kept a button for the attribute board, but now there was no trace of it to be found.
Yang Ming felt that he was in a real world.
This realization became clear and firm.
After looking over Hanton's three wishes, now to consider those... two mistresses.
Space travel was so lonely.
In the narrow and labyrinth-like cabins of this research ship, which after departure typically couldn't return to its home port for half a year, men and women driven by biological factors would be drawn to each other, weave beautiful stories, and perform rehearsals of the rites of reproduction... this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Everyone was accustomed to these things, and as long as it didn't interfere with their work, there would be no trouble, no need to be concerned about each other after leaving the ship.
Yang Ming watched the little movie in the memory fragments for a while, soon feeling a reaction in his body.
It was healthy.
That was good.
He quickly sealed away that part of the memory to avoid any uncontrollable physical reactions.
As for 'one medal', that was much simpler.
Because Hanton had worked diligently and outstandingly completed several high-risk operations, he had recently received a 'Thorn Flower' medal, similar to the little red flowers from kindergarten.
At this point, Yang Ming fell into a long silence.
Earth had exploded, and he was revived in the background world of the game "Abyss," at least thirty years before the game's opening, becoming this hardworking and lucky third officer on the research ship.
But the crisis of survival had not been resolved.
The Valkyrie's rebellion loomed over him like a dark cloud.
Should he stop the Valkyrie's rampage?
Or should he look for an opportunity to leave this research ship before that?
Yang Ming racked his brain analyzing the situation.
The primary task now was to determine how much time remained until the Valkyrie insurrection.
If there were still a few years before the rebellion erupted, there wouldn't be too much cause for panic, and he'd have ample opportunity to escape the vortex.
'Time is critical.'
Yang Ming didn't continue to read through Hanton's memory fragments. Instead, he decided to find a calendar himself; this self-imposed minor task would mark the beginning of his new life.
Anyway, he had to figure out a way to integrate into this environment, both familiar and strange.
This space research vessel was engaged in nefarious human experimentation that couldn't stand the light of day. To maintain secrecy, the use of any network-connected terminals was prohibited onboard, and the crew's work uniforms were not allowed to contain any extraneous electronic devices.
'You can find a calendar in your own cabin.'
—Not a bad newbie guide task.
Yang Ming slowly sat up, still feeling a slight dizziness.
The reason this body was injured was that he hit his head while repairing the stabilizer on the tail of the research vessel during an external operation. It must be a concussion now.
Yang Ming looked down at the body that would carry him into the future.
So fit!
Referring to the chest muscles.
The bulging pectorals seemed almost ready to burst through the white tank top, and the two sturdy thighs filled out the light blue military trousers, with a pair of milky blue boots to one side.
In fact, Hanton held a Second Level Battle Mecha pilot certification, having graduated from a formal military academy and participated in more than a dozen minor campaigns.
Yang Ming bent over to put on his boots, taking in the narrow medical office crowded with various instruments and cabinets, feeling the simulated gravity from the floor.
Above was an oval window, outside of which was a dazzling nebula.
He spaced out for a moment.
Until the sound of footsteps came from behind the curtain next to him, Yang Ming snapped back to reality and cleared his eyes of confusion.
A middle-aged female doctor with pale golden hair pulled back the curtain.
She had features that resembled a mix of Eastern and Western ancestry, dignified in her composure with a slender figure, although the crow's feet at the corner of her eyes were becoming hard to conceal.
Hanton was quite familiar with this doctor.
Lina was the on-board physician responsible for the health care of several hundred crew members and soldiers, a very gentle character.
"How are you feeling, Hanton?" Doctor Lina asked.
"Not bad, have I developed any lasting illnesses?"
"You're very healthy, you just need to avoid strenuous activities now, and be careful not to bump into anything when walking."
Doctor Lina handed over a transparent bag containing a dozen yellow capsules.
"Go back to your cabin and continue to rest. You've slept enough here. If you have a headache or dizziness, take one; it will help you recover quickly."
"Thank you,"
Yang Ming whispered.
He remembered something and didn't continue the conversation with Lina.
Suddenly asking someone what year it was according to the Imperial Calendar would seem a bit abrupt.
He successfully left the medical office and walked along the corridor, where at most three people could walk side by side.
The corridor seemed endless, with a narrow door every few meters, each equipped with a bio-identification cat's eye. Inside were the single dormitories of the senior crew members and officers.
Fortunately, though Third Officer was a technical laborer, he was considered a senior crew member.
The medical office was at the edge of the senior crew dormitory area. After taking a couple of turns, Yang Ming arrived in front of his own dormitory door, having already calculated the background time for the opening of "Abyss" in his mind.
Yang Ming was an avid gamer, and the time conversion mechanism of "Abyss" for Galaxy Time had been a hot topic among players.
The game started in the "Imperial New Calendar year 753." Going back thirty years would be the "New Calendar 723."
The background description in the instance was a bit vague, only mentioning that a rebellion occurred thirty years ago, without specifying an exact year, month, or day.
The bio-identification processed smoothly, and the iron door in front of him slowly opened, revealing the real face of the ten square meter dormitory.
Pretty tidy, probably because a woman often stayed overnight.
Yang Ming closed the dormitory door behind him and headed straight to the desk, grabbing the elongated electronic clock and started pressing buttons. He read the language and numbers on it effortlessly.
Yang Ming also realized belatedly that the language he had heard and spoken before was the Galaxy Universal Language, surprisingly without any barriers.
Oh, thank you, Hanton.
Let's see, how long until New Calendar 723...
He had pulled up the calendar and squinted at it, then froze in place.
New Calendar 724, 01, 22.
Damn!
It was last year.