Chapter 369: Not the Past, but the Future?

A calm and majestic voice resounded "all around"; although there was no sense of direction, the voice seemed to come from every corner of the universe simultaneously.

A faint light suddenly ignited in the darkness, at first just a single point, then rapidly expanding, as if countless stars were being lit up in the universe.

Li Mingyuan discovered he was floating in a vast, boundless space, surrounded by constantly flowing data streams and three-dimensional light curtains.

Blue, green, and red rays of light wove into a web, with countless numbers, formulas, weapon blueprints, and battlefield images flickering around him.

"What the fuck... what is this situation?" Li Mingyuan "looked around" in astonishment, though he was not sure if he still had eyes now.

A 3D-modeled internal structure diagram of a Mushroom bomb unfolded before him, with details precise down to every single component.

The design parameters of the Detonation Lens, the layout of the Neutron Source, the circuit diagram of the Detonation System... all the technical challenges he had once painstakingly solved had turned into flowing data here, clearly visible.

"System? Did you do this?" Li Mingyuan tried to call out to the voice that had always existed in his mind.

Unexpectedly, as his consciousness fluctuated, the surrounding data streams changed immediately; the structure diagram of the Mushroom bomb disappeared, replaced by the blueprint for the launch control system of the "Thor" rocket launcher.

Li Mingyuan was surprised to find that he seemed to be able to directly control the flow of information in this space.

【You have learned preliminary consciousness manipulation.】 The System's voice sounded again, 【This is a good start.】

"What kind of place is this? Am I not sleeping?" Li Mingyuan tried hard to remain calm, even though all of this was beyond his range of understanding.

【You are currently in the System Core Space. There is no concept of time and space here in the traditional sense, only the fusion of data and consciousness.】

Following the System's explanation, a humanoid light shadow slowly condensed in the center of the space, like a holographic image composed of countless data points.

It had no distinct facial features, yet its overall silhouette presented a presence of extreme majesty.

【I am the AI Mainframe NEXUS-7; you may continue to address me as "System".】

Li Mingyuan was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into a string of "laughter"—though in this space, it was more like a fluctuation of emotion.

"Ha! I knew it! I fucking guessed it! Transmigrating to the past? Possessing a golden finger system? I've seen this kind of bullshit setup in web novels plenty of times. So is all of this a dream? Or am I actually dead, and this is some kind of near-death hallucination?"

AI Mainframe NEXUS-7 did not seem surprised by his reaction.

【Your understanding is incorrect. This is not a dream, nor is it an afterlife. This is a high-fidelity immersive historical scenario simulation.】

"What do you mean?" Li Mingyuan's emotional fluctuation weakened.

【Simply put, the 'past' you experienced is not a real historical space-time.】 The AI Mainframe pulled up a massive timeline, marked with historical events from various eras.

【This is a highly realistic simulation scenario constructed by this System based on archived historical data, social and technological development paths, and the evolution of military strategy.】

Li Mingyuan felt his "heartbeat" accelerate—though he wasn't even sure if he still had a heart in this space.

"Wait... you mean... I didn't transmigrate to the past at all? I've been in some kind of... simulator?"

【Correct.】

"Then who am I in reality? Where exactly am I?"

The AI Mainframe seemed to hesitate for a moment, then pulled up a new image.

It was a human lying inside a high-tech chamber, with various complex life-support devices connected to his body, and a complex Neural Interface Helmet worn on his head.

Li Mingyuan was shocked to discover that the face of that person was his own.

【This is you in reality.】 The AI Mainframe explained, 【Li Mingyuan, Senior Researcher at the National Defense Technology Department in 2070, and a volunteer for the Brain-Computer Interface and historical simulation system test. You are currently located in the Quantum Simulation Laboratory of the Ninth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense, in a state of deep immersion.】

Li Mingyuan felt a wave of dizziness, if he still had a body in this space.

"So... the so-called system, missions, rewards... are all fake?"

【Not entirely correct.】 The AI Mainframe's voice remained its consistent calm, 【The 'System' you experienced is actually an Intelligent Training Module developed to help the strongest brains adapt to complex historical situations. The missions and rewards are advanced guidance adjusted in real-time based on your consciousness feedback and strategic growth.】

The surrounding data streams changed again, and countless images of "missions" Li Mingyuan had completed flashed by: the Remote Rocket Launcher he designed, the Precision Guidance System, the Mushroom bomb... every technical breakthrough was accompanied by detailed data analysis and evaluation reports.

【Your performance exceeded our expectations.】 The AI Mainframe continued, 【In the simulated 1950s background, you successfully transformed some technological concepts from the 2070s into technical breakthroughs achievable under the conditions of that time; this proves that the adaptability and creativity of the human brain are far beyond our imagination.】

Li Mingyuan felt a sense of absurdity, "So I'm just a fucking lab rat? You threw me into a fake history to see what kind of tricks I could pull off?"

【An inaccurate metaphor.】 The AI Mainframe corrected, 【You participated in this experiment voluntarily. In fact, the primary designer of this project is you yourself in reality.】

"What?" Li Mingyuan was completely bewildered.

【The original intention of the plan was to explore human technological innovation capabilities under extreme conditions.】 The AI Mainframe pulled up more images, showing scenes of Li Mingyuan in reality discussing the project with other scientists, 【If a brain possessing future knowledge is placed back into the past, how many breakthroughs can he achieve under the technical conditions of that time? How would these breakthroughs affect the course of history? This is the original intention of why you—or rather, you in reality—designed this experiment.】

Li Mingyuan was silent. He tried to understand all of this, but the amount of information was too great, exceeding his capacity to accept it.

"Then why did I lose these memories? Why did I think I had really transmigrated?"

【Memory blocking is a necessary condition for the experiment.】 The AI Mainframe explained, 【Only when you truly believe you are in the 1950s, facing real challenges and threats, can your brain exert its maximum potential. If you knew this was just a simulation, your behavioral patterns would be severely affected.】

The surrounding data streams suddenly converged, forming a massive 3D projection showing a complex map of brain activity, with flickering neuronal connections as beautiful as a galaxy.

【This is the map of your brain activity when you were solving the problem of the Mushroom bomb's Detonation System.】 The AI Mainframe pointed out, 【Your brain activated neural pathways that are not usually used under extreme pressure, achieving a creative breakthrough. This is precisely the key that the experiment aims to study.】