Chapter 328: Li Mingyuan, Your Time Is Running Out

Lines of code appeared on the screen; this was the simple operating system he was currently developing.

In the future, this would be called the prototype of an operating system, but for now, it was just a simple program management tool capable of allowing the Computer to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and providing a basic user interface.

Li Mingyuan tapped the keyboard with focus, lines of code flowing from his fingertips. This was a technology that seemed almost like magic in the current era, but to him, it was merely basic knowledge learned in undergraduate courses.

That is the benefit of time travel; the time gap in knowledge can create miracles.

The programming work lasted for several hours, and Li Mingyuan's eyes were already somewhat sore, but he still persisted. Finally, the last line of code was entered, and he pressed the execute key.

The Computer emitted a faint humming sound, the screen flickered a few times, and then—a miracle appeared. On the screen that had originally displayed only a single command line, a simple interface appeared, with several options to choose from.

"Success." Li Mingyuan let out a sigh of relief, revealing a tired but satisfied smile.

Although this simple operating system was primitive, it was an unprecedented breakthrough in this era. It would transform the Computer from a single-function calculation tool into an information processing platform capable of executing multiple tasks.

Just as he was preparing to shut down the system to rest for a moment, a line of text he had not written suddenly appeared on the screen:

"Li Mingyuan, your time is running out."

Li Mingyuan froze, a chill creeping up his spine.

He stood up abruptly from his chair, nearly knocking over the teacup on the table.

This is impossible!

There is no internet in this era, the Computer is completely independent, it is impossible for anyone to hack in!

What's more, apart from himself, no one knows how to operate this machine!

"Who is it?" Li Mingyuan stared at the screen, his voice slightly hoarse from tension.

The text on the screen did not disappear, nor did any new content appear.

That line of text just lay there quietly, like a warning from an unknown world.

Li Mingyuan's brain raced.

This is not a program error; the text is too explicit, directly naming him.

It also cannot be a prank; no one can enter this room, and even fewer can operate this Computer.

Then, there is only one possibility—

"Are you the one who brought me to this era?" Li Mingyuan asked with a trembling voice.

The text on the screen flickered once, then disappeared, replaced by a new line:

"Time Line Convergence is underway, prepare yourself."

Li Mingyuan felt a wave of dizziness.

Just as he was about to continue questioning, the screen suddenly returned to normal, displaying only the operating system interface he had just written; those mysterious words had vanished without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

Li Mingyuan rubbed his eyes hard, suspecting that he might be hallucinating from working too long.

"Time is running out..." he muttered to himself, cold sweat seeping from his forehead, "What does this mean? Am I going to die? Or... is the time travel coming to an end?"

The room was quiet, with only the faint humming of the Computer running.

Li Mingyuan stared at the screen, his heart filled with unprecedented fear and confusion.

He had traveled to this era, thinking it was a wonderful adventure where he could use future knowledge to change history.

But now, a mysterious warning had shattered all his fantasies.

Li Mingyuan stood where he was, unable to move for a long time.

The text on the Computer screen had vanished without a trace, leaving only the crude operating system interface.

"Time is running out..." This sentence was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart.

His fingers tapped the desk unconsciously, his heartbeat accelerating.

Who is it? Why? More importantly—what does this mean? Is the time travel ending? Is he going back to the future?

Or is it... that he will disappear in this space-time?

A wave of dizziness struck, and Li Mingyuan held onto the table to keep from falling.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his inner doubts.

"Damn it, now is not the time to think about these things." He muttered to himself, his voice sounding exceptionally firm in the empty room,

"Time is Victory, forget about whatever Time Line Convergence, while I'm still here, I must get more done."

Li Mingyuan grabbed the design drafts on the table and strode out of the room.

Passing by the office of his assistant, Lao Liu, he gave brief instructions: "For the next three days, I am going into seclusion; no one is allowed to disturb me, including you."

Lao Liu was just about to ask why, but Li Mingyuan had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.

In the laboratory, Li Mingyuan immediately posted a "Strictly No Entry" note and locked the door.

He looked at his watch—eight-seventeen in the evening.

"Good, there is enough time."

Under the dim light, Li Mingyuan took out a stack of new paper and began frantically drawing sketches and writing formulas.

Time seemed to slow down before his eyes; he seized every second, filling it with knowledge and creation.

"I am going to build the operating system of the future!" he gritted his teeth and muttered to himself,

"Whatever Time Line Convergence, screw it, I am going to leave behind something real!"

The first night, Li Mingyuan focused on the system architecture design.

His pen danced on the paper, filling page after page with complex flowcharts and data structures.

"Memory management... task scheduling... file system..." his muttering mixed with the humming of the Computer, echoing in the Silence of the laboratory.

At three in the morning, when the guard outside the laboratory passed by quietly, he saw through the crack in the door Li Mingyuan's back as he wrote furiously at his desk, with draft paper all over the floor and seven or eight cigarette butts scattered in the ashtray by the table.

The second day, he entered the coding phase directly.

The keyboard clicked and clacked under his hands, lines of code flowing out like a spring.

"This memory allocation algorithm can still be optimized..."

He rubbed his reddened eyes and downed another cup of strong tea that had long since gone cold, "Damn it, if only there were some coffee."

At noon, a knock sounded outside the laboratory.

"Chief Engineer Li, you haven't eaten all day; I've brought you some..." came the concerned voice of Lao Liu.

"Leave it at the door!" Li Mingyuan did not even look up, his voice hoarse and resolute, "I said not to disturb me!"

Outside the door, Lao Liu and several engineers looked at each other.

"What's wrong with him?" a young technician asked in a low voice, "Chief Engineer Li hasn't been this desperate before."

Lao Liu shook his head, "He must have thought of some impressive gadget again; it was the same way last time when he was developing the Lightning Strike-1."

The next evening, Li Mingyuan finally finished writing the input-output interface.

His eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and his lips were cracked from dehydration.

"Almost there..." He looked at the dense code on the screen, revealing a weary yet satisfied smile,

"In another 12 hours, the first true operating system will be born."