Chapter 1 The Source of All Mysteries

　　The source of all mysteries stems from the driving of the first Millennium Pile.

　　Lin Xian was already mentally prepared for this before his transmigration.

　　But the problem lies in…

　　He never expected!

　　[That his own dreams would also be part of the Millennium Pile driving process!]

　　This was completely unexpected.

　　“No, it doesn’t seem to be entirely due to the Millennium Pile driving.”

　　Lin Xian said to himself:

　　“If I were originally a normal person, but gained the ability to dream of the future world 600 years later because of the Millennium Pile driving… then as a normal person now, I should be dreaming like a normal person.”

　　“No matter what kind of dream it is, a good dream or a nightmare, a montage or an absurdity, or any other kind of dream, I must be dreaming something.”

　　“But now, those who haven't become Millennium Piles can dream like normal people, yet I can't dream of the future world like before, nor can I dream like a normal person, and am in a state of complete dreamlessness, a 'black dream' state… how can this be explained?”

　　Lin Xian narrowed his eyes.

　　This means that the truth about his dreams is not solely related to the Millennium Pile; there must be other reasons as well.

　　However, the information available is too limited and narrow to analyze it.

　　“Lin… Lin Xian?”

　　Next to him.

　　Holding the blanket, standing there blankly, looking over with a worried expression:

　　“Are… are you okay? Your expression… looks like you’ve seen a ghost? Did you have a nightmare?”

　　Lin Xian came back to his senses.

　　Looking at , he shook his head:

　　“I’m fine, I was just thinking about some things.”

　　“By the way, how did you sleep just now? Did you have any dreams?”

　　She nodded:

　　“I slept very comfortably and felt very safe. I fell asleep quickly in a daze after you came into the room. I’ve never slept so warmly before.”

　　“But I usually sleep lightly, so the cold wave that came in the middle of the night and the sound of the wind hitting the windows woke me up. I was afraid you would be cold sleeping on the floor, so I thought about covering you with the blanket… but I didn’t expect you to be such a light sleeper too, and you woke up right away.”

　　“What did you dream about?” Lin Xian asked.

　　“Ah… my dream.”

　　She smiled embarrassedly:

　　“It was all messed up, dreaming about a lot of funny scenes… probably because of our conversation during the day, so my dream was quite absurd. I first dreamed that we really took a boat to Manhattan, but the boat turned to Coney Island halfway.”

　　“And then, and then… we went to Coney Island to eat hot dogs.”

　　Pfft—

　　Hearing the word “hot dog” again, Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh.

　　The first generation Pile really is a little glutton, especially with an extraordinary obsession with hot dogs. During the day's conversation, she said that she dreamed of eating hot dogs the day before yesterday, and unexpectedly, she dreamed of it again tonight, paying tribute to the classics.

　　“Did you taste the hot dog this time?” Lin Xian smiled:

　　“If I had known, I would have bought you one today. Since we’re staying in a 30-cent room, what’s 3 more cents to buy you a hot dog to try?”

　　“Oh, why are you talking about food so late at night.”

　　She snorted softly:

　　…

　　“Okay, if there’s nothing else, hurry up and go to sleep. We finally have such a luxurious room where we can sleep comfortably for a night. We need to seize the opportunity to sleep a little longer.”

　　“Otherwise… who knows where we’ll be sleeping tomorrow? We must cherish this hard-won opportunity.”

　　“Okay.”

　　Lin Xian pointed to the bed, letting her get on:

　　“Just cover yourself with the blanket. I don’t feel cold. This church robe is really useful, with maximum cold protection. When I go to church for worship and prayer tomorrow morning, I will definitely be 30% more devout than yesterday.”

　　 couldn’t help but chuckle:

　　“It’s ridiculous, your faith can even be quantified and so specific.”

　　“Since you’re not cold, I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going back to sleep.”

　　With that said.

　　She wrapped herself in the blanket again, turned her back to Lin Xian, and fell asleep quickly on the bed.

　　“……”

　　Lin Xian looked at this enviable speed of falling asleep:

　　“She’s not rushing back to her dream to eat hot dogs, is she?”

　　……

　　Back to sleep, Lin Xian slept until he woke up naturally, still without dreaming.

　　The first thing he did when he got up was to go to the front desk on the first floor to look at the clock. The hour and minute hands showed that the time was now 8:23 in the morning.

　　An irregular waking time.

　　It seems that in this unusual 1952, he has become a normal human being through a double negative effect.

　　After washing up together in the public restroom, the two checked out of the small hotel, ending their 30-cent night.

　　After that.

　　The two quickly hurried to the dock church to freeload… no, to attend the service.

　　Although Lin Xian still had some money in his pocket.

　　But before finding a way to make money, it was still good to save as much as possible. Free breakfast was not to be missed.

　　Again, they sang hymns in the church.

　　Lin Xian's voice was much louder, with a 30% increase in faith.

　　Soon, the service ended.

　　Lin Xian and were holding corn chowder and heavy bread that could be used as weapons, sitting on wooden crates to eat.

　　“Today’s bread is so dry.”

　　Lin Xian tapped the iron frame next to him with the bread, making a thumping sound.

　　“That’s why I told you to soak it.”

　　 demonstrated to Lin Xian:

　　“You have to soak it in the corn chowder. It tastes better when it’s soft.”

　　Lin Xian shook his head and stubbornly tore off a piece with his teeth, feeling like he was eating a shoe pad:

　　“Bread soaked in soup always feels weird… By the way, we can’t keep eating this stuff, can we? Corn chowder and bread are indeed filling, but they have no nutrition. Eating like this all the time will inevitably lead to a sallow complexion.”

　　He looked up and down at the slender :

　　“Yes, look, like you, you don’t gain weight from eating this stuff all the time.”

　　“Aren’t you just stating the obvious?”

　　 glared at Lin Xian and continued to eat her bread soaked in soup:

　　“Who doesn’t want to eat good food? Who doesn’t want to eat nutritious things? Grandma used to tell us the story of Louis XVI at the orphanage. When the queen at the time learned that the people couldn’t afford bread, she said… ‘Then why don’t they eat cake?’”

　　“Isn’t that what you’re saying now? You don’t think I don’t want to eat other things, do you? It’s just that I don’t have any money.”

　　Lin Xian reached into his pocket.

　　There were still $1.23, all in a pile of coins of various sizes, but Lin Xian had calculated it many times and could tell the value of each coin just by feeling it.

　　…

　　He thought about it.

　　Recalling last night’s dream and her mysterious obsession with hot dogs…

　　“Let’s go to Coney Island!”

　　He suggested:

　　“Didn’t you want to eat a Coney Island hot dog a long time ago? This money should be enough to go to Coney Island for a day.”

　　Coney Island.

　　Whether in the present 1952 or the future, it is a very famous amusement paradise in New York, USA.

　　It not only has a prosperous amusement park and various amusement projects, but also the first hot dog stand in American history was operated here, making it the birthplace of American hot dogs.

　　“Have you ever been to an amusement park?” Lin Xian asked.

　　Unsurprisingly, she shook her head:

　　“I’ve only heard of carousels and Ferris wheels.”

　　“Then let’s go have some fun.”

　　Lin Xian took out all the coins from his pocket:

　　“This money should be enough for us to take the bus, buy amusement park tickets, and eat hot dogs.”

　　“That’s too wasteful!”

　　 frowned:

　　“You only have so much money in total. Why spend it all on such meaningless things?”

　　“How is it meaningless?”

　　Lin Xian looked at and asked:

　　“Don’t you want to eat a hot dog?”

　　“I do, but…”

　　“Haven’t you been to an amusement park either?” Lin Xian asked immediately.

　　“So what if I haven’t?”

　　She tilted her head:

　　“Whether I’ve eaten a hot dog or been to an amusement park, that’s my own business. You…”

　　“【Why are you being so good to me?】”

　　……

　　One sentence.

　　Left Lin Xian speechless.

　　He didn’t know how to answer this question.

　　It was indeed very strange.

　　The two had only known each other for just over 24 hours, but he was like Aladdin’s lamp, taking her everywhere to Brooklyn Heights, putting her up in a hotel, and planning to use his remaining money to take her to Coney Island for a hot dog.

　　He himself didn’t know how to explain this. He just felt…

　　He hoped to make up for his debt to Chu Anqing on the first generation Pile;

　　Or rather, because he had already regarded the first generation Pile as Anqing, as his old friend from 600 years later, therefore… he didn’t want to see her being wronged.

　　Especially.

　　According to established history, this Millennium Pile girl would one day turn into blue stardust and disappear, beginning a thousand years of helpless reincarnation.

　　Lin Xian knew so much of the truth in his heart.

　　How could he not feel compassion for the current first generation Pile and want to fulfill her every wish?

　　Seeing Lin Xian not speaking, blinked her eyes:

　　“You… you said when you first met me yesterday that you also knew a girl named , who looked very similar to me.”

　　“Could it be that you…”

　　Pursing her lips, she hesitated:

　　“【Could it be that you like that girl… and are treating me as her substitute?】”

　　“Cough, cough…”

　　Lin Xian choked on the corn chowder and coughed several times.

　　Then he wiped his mouth.

　　Turning his head to look at :

　　“Where did you get so many bloody plots and substitute literature in your head? I just thought that since we have money now, we should eat something good and improve our lives.”

　　“Alright, alright, let’s not say so much. Anyway, we have nothing to do now, so why not go to the amusement park on Coney Island to look for opportunities to make money.”

　　…

　　“You’ve seen it too. My shooting skills are very good, and my parkour skills are also very proficient. If there are related competitions in the amusement park… isn’t that a good opportunity to win prize money?”

　　“With prize money, we can live a better life, go to bigger stages, and find bigger opportunities to make money. This is called sustainable development, forming a virtuous cycle.”

　　“Oh.”

　　Listening to these terms made her feel confused:

　　“However, Coney Island is not very peaceful. Although there are amusement parks and resorts, it is also rampant with gangs, and firefights and gun battles are common. It’s very dangerous.”

　　Lin Xian spread his hands:

　　“The danger is for those rich people. We only have a little over a dollar on us, which is not as expensive as the gangs' bullets. The danger won’t reach us.”

　　He finished the bread in his hand and clapped his hands:

　　“Then let’s go, see if there are any opportunities to make money on Coney Island, and by the way…”

　　He smiled slightly:

　　“I’m also very curious about how delicious the hot dogs on Coney Island are.”

　　……

　　Coney Island.

　　Located at the southern end of Brooklyn, New York, it is the earliest large-scale amusement park in the United States.

　　It used to be an offshore island, with a bay separating Coney Island from Brooklyn, and it could only be reached by boat.

　　During World War II, for strategic deployment, the US government filled in the bay, directly connecting Coney Island to the mainland, making it a “man-made peninsula.”

　　But it’s true.

　　Gangs run rampant on Coney Island, and territorial fights and gun battles occur from time to time. The security environment is indeed relatively bad. This situation did not improve until the 1980s and 1990s.

　　“Come on, let’s get on the bus.”

　　The bus arrived.

　　Lin Xian and leaped onto the bus, put in coins to buy tickets, and then sat in the back row, heading to Coney Island.

　　This trip was a bit far.

　　The bus fare was also relatively expensive.

　　Lin Xian spoke with the other passengers in English to learn about the amusement park ticket prices, and then sat back next to :

　　“Fortunately, it’s within our means, including the hot dogs.”

　　It took two hours.

　　This Coney Island special bus went around and around, and finally arrived at the entrance of the amusement park.

　　Lin Xian and got off the bus.

　　Looking up at the prosperity before them—

　　The scene before her eyes stunned . Lin Xian was also stunned.

　　He could hardly believe it.

　　This was an amusement park in 1952!

　　Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and aerial flying projects were all available…

　　“The United States in this era is really too developed.”

　　Lin Xian exclaimed sincerely.

　　“Lin Xian, look there—”

　　grabbed Lin Xian’s arm, pointing to a hot dog shop in the distance with a crowd of people, Nathan’s Famous, which was very popular.

　　“Let’s go buy one and try it.”

　　You can’t come to Coney Island without eating a hot dog. Lin Xian, with the mentality of fulfilling her dream and satisfying his own curiosity, followed behind the crowd and lined up.

　　But just after they stood in line, two men in black suits and sunglasses in front of them started arguing fiercely.

　　Lin Xian couldn’t understand their language.

　　It sounded like Italian, but it wasn’t. It was more like broken English… He didn’t know what the two of them were arguing about.

　t it because of cutting in line?

　　Lin Xian and didn’t take it seriously and stood obediently in line behind.

　　…

　　As a result, the two men in sunglasses and black suits argued more and more fiercely, cursing loudly, and their necks turned red.

　　“Are they going to fight?”

　　Lin Xian felt a little uneasy and pulled , wanting to stand farther away.

　　But who knew!

　　Freedom of America, surprises are everywhere!

　　The man with the hooked nose cursed loudly, then pulled a revolver directly from his coat pocket.

　　“Holy shit!”

　　He didn’t expect to actually encounter a gang. This was too fast.

　　The other arguing man saw the gun, turned and ran, bumping into . At the same time, the hooked-nosed man’s revolver also aimed this way—

　　“!”

　　Lin Xian quickly grabbed and shielded her in his arms, but it was too late! The hooked-nosed man aimed at the man he knocked down, aimed at Lin Xian and , and pulled the trigger hard!

　　……

　　……

　　……

　　There was no sound.

　　There was no gunshot.

　　There was only a thud. The hooked-nosed man was like petrified, his whole body stiffened, and he fell straight to the ground!

　　Thump!

　　With a muffled sound, his face hit the ground, his nose instantly bleeding, and the revolver slid around on the ground twice…

　　The surrounding crowd clamored and scattered.

　　But the armed man still maintained a strange shooting posture, motionless against the ground, his whole body powerless.

　　“Lin Xian! Let’s go!”

　　got up from the ground and pulled Lin Xian to run.

　　But…

　　She found that.

　　Not only did Lin Xian have no intention of running away, but he was standing there laughing foolishly!

　　“Hey!”

　　She nudged him twice:

　　“What are you laughing at! Are you scared silly? Run!”

　　“Run?”

　　Lin Xian showed an unprecedentedly bright smile, full of confidence, and unconcerned:

　　“, I’ll tell you good news.”

　　“Huh?”

　　Lin Xian turned his head, looked at the panicked , and smiled slightly:

　　“I’m officially telling you that our hard days are over.”

　　“What nonsense are you talking about!”

　　really felt that this big fool was incomprehensible!

　　She nervously turned her head, looking at the hooked-nosed armed man lying on the ground, trembling and trying to get up several times but failing to stand up…

　　Although she didn’t know the reason.

　　However, at the moment of shooting, that gang man fell straight down as if suddenly hit by a sledgehammer, and then became like this.

　　It was like… like a witch’s magic!

　　“It’s back.”

　　Lin Xian said softly:

　　“Everything feels back.”

　　At this moment, Lin Xian was unprecedentedly relaxed.

　　One thing he had been worried about, the safety issue he had been concerned about, was perfectly answered at this moment.

　　He was very worried that all the spacetime laws would not take effect in the present before the Millennium Pile was driven.

　　But so far.

　　Entangled state spacetime particles are indeed a bug among bugs, a must-have for military strategists…

　　Lin Xian clenched his fists and looked up at the warm midday sun:

　　“Reverse forced evasion, after being bullied so many times… it’s finally my turn to enjoy it!”

　　(End of this chapter)