Chapter 373: Error, 2024

That feeling was indescribable—as if a million books were being forcibly shoved into his brain in an instant, or as if a lifetime of experiences were being compressed into a few seconds of playback. Pain, dizziness, shock, realization... various sensations intertwined, making it almost impossible for him to remain conscious.

He saw his academic career at the Dragon Kingdom Academy of Military Sciences; saw his daily work as a researcher for the Strategic Intelligence Department; saw the launch meeting for the "Phoenix Nirvana" project; saw the moment he volunteered to become a test subject...

More importantly, he saw that terrible war currently destroying the future world—a war of survival between humanity and some force he could not fully comprehend.

【Memory fusion completion: 60%... 70%... 85%...】

Li Mingyuan felt his consciousness being torn apart and then reassembled. The "transmigrator" Li Mingyuan from the simulation and the "researcher" Li Mingyuan from reality, the two identities were merging to become a brand-new existence.

【Warning: System under severe interference, memory fusion process forcibly interrupted!】

The countdown had five seconds left, but the space had already begun to collapse, the surrounding data streams shattering like glass to reveal the dark "Void".

【Emergency! Test subject consciousness transmission channel unstable!】 The AI master brain's voice became extremely chaotic, 【Attempting to relocate consciousness anchor point... Failed! Attempting to back up memory matrix... Failed!】

Li Mingyuan felt a bone-deep fear, "What happened? Am I going to die?"

【Negative.】 The AI master brain responded, its voice growing weaker, 【But you are about to enter an unplanned state of consciousness... I cannot determine the final result...】

Countdown: 3, 2, 1...

At the final moment, the AI master brain sent one last message: 【Remember, no matter where you wake up, you are the hope of the Dragon Country. The 'Phoenix' will find you again...】

Then, everything returned to darkness.

Li Mingyuan opened his eyes abruptly, gasping for air as if he had just been rescued from the water.

"Damn it, what a hell of a dream..."

He looked around and found himself lying on an ordinary bed in a simple bedroom. Outside the window, sunlight was spilling in through the gap in the curtains, casting a golden line on the floor.

"Where is this?" Li Mingyuan rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache as if someone were holding a rock concert inside his brain.

He struggled to sit up and reached for the phone on the nightstand to check the time. The screen lit up, showing the date: Saturday, June 8, 2024.

"2024?" Li Mingyuan was bewildered, "Wasn't I in 2097? Or the 1950s?"

Memories flooded in like a tide, but they were chaotic. He remembered being a "transmigrator" developing the Mushroom in the 1950s; he also remembered being a researcher in 2097 participating in the "Phoenix Nirvana" project; and now he found himself in 2024?

"Who the hell am I?" Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, struggling to sort through the chaotic memories.

The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged man poked his head in: "Yo, you're awake? You were drinking pretty high last night, you collapsed on the bed the moment you walked in."

Li Mingyuan looked at this person blankly, his brain racing as he tried to match this face to any memory.

"Uh... thanks for your concern," he responded vaguely.

The man smiled: "Hurry up and get ready, aren't you meeting a client today? They're a big company, don't delay." After saying this, he closed the door and left.

Li Mingyuan sat on the bed, completely stunned.

A client? A big company? What did he do for a living?

He subconsciously wanted to call the system: "System? Are you there?"

Unexpectedly, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind: 【Master, I am here. Is there anything you need help with?】

Li Mingyuan almost jumped off the bed: "You really exist? I'm not dreaming?"

"System, do you really exist? I'm not dreaming?" He confirmed again, his voice trembling slightly from shock.

"Master, I do exist. You are currently in 2024, June 8th. According to records, you are a software engineer employed at Longteng Technology, and you do indeed have an important client meeting today." The system's voice was as calm as ever.

"Software engineer? Longteng Technology?" Li Mingyuan rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache, "That's not right, I was clearly..."

What exactly was he? A transmigrator? A military industry expert? Or a future military scientist? All the memory fragments felt like they had been thrown into a blender, so chaotic they made him want to vomit.

The mirror in the room reflected a face both strange and familiar—early twenties, obvious eye bags, a face full of fatigue, the typical look of an internet overtime dog.

"Master, I have detected severe chaos in your memories. Analysis shows this may be a temporary disorder caused by the fusion of consciousness from multiple space-times. It is recommended that you first review basic information to re-familiarize yourself with your current identity."

"Fusion of consciousness from multiple space-times?" Li Mingyuan sneered, "Speak human."

"Simply put, you are neither the transmigrator who developed the Mushroom, nor the researcher who participated in the 'Phoenix Nirvana' project. At least, not entirely." The system explained, "Your current identity is Li Mingyuan, 32 years old, an Advanced engineer at Longteng Technology, leading the development of a dual-use artificial intelligence system."

"So those were all dreams?"

"Negative. Those experiences do exist on another space-time line, but they have now intersected and merged with the current space-time."

Li Mingyuan grabbed his phone and quickly searched for "Dragon Country Mushroom test explosion".

The search results made him break out in a cold sweat instantly.

"70th Anniversary of the Dragon Country Mushroom Test Explosion: A Look Back at the Historical Moment That Changed the World Order"

"From the Mushroom to the Sea of Stars: The Rise of Dragon Country Technology"

"Remembering Academician Li Mingyuan: The Father of the Dragon Country Mushroom and His World-Changing Invention"

"Holy crap, holy crap, how is this possible?" Li Mingyuan's fingers trembled as he clicked on the first article, which clearly stated:

"The Dragon Country successfully test-exploded its first Mushroom in the high seas between the Taiji Tiger and Yinghua Guo, shocking the world and becoming the third Mushroom power after Di Guo (Star-Spangled Country) and Beijixiong Guo. This test explosion was completed by a team led by Dragon Country scientist Li Mingyuan, with an explosive yield of 18,000 tons of TNT, far exceeding expectations..."

Below the article was a historical photo—the spectacular sight of a Mushroom cloud rising, and a black-and-white photo of a young scientist clenching his fist in celebration at the command center.

That face was clearly his own!