Interstellar to 80s: A Scientist's Farming Mission

During exams, An Ning was always the first person to leave the classroom.

The other students in the mathematics department had grown so used to it they didn’t even look up.

After leaving the exam hall, An Ning had nothing else to do. It was her only exam for the day.

She strolled along the edge of the campus lake, tossing pebbles onto the frozen surface. A series of neatly arranged dents appeared on the ice. If you had sharp enough eyesight, you could even see that the dents were arranged according to some mathematical pattern.

"What a coincidence."

The pebble in An Ning’s hand changed direction with a whoosh, shooting toward the person opposite her.

Tao Quan, standing opposite her, didn’t flinch. Not a single nerve twitched, not a muscle jumped. He truly wasn’t afraid.

The pebble flew past Tao Quan’s ear, the force of it lifting his hair. The effect somehow made him look even more beautiful.

"Good force. Even better aim."

After his assessment, Tao Quan bent down, casually picked up a pebble, and mimicked An Ning’s technique, tossing it onto the lake.

"CLINK, CLATTER." The sound of the pebble bouncing off the ice made Tao Quan say with a hint of vexation, "It seems I’m not very good at this. Why don’t you teach me?"

"Teach you? For what? So you can have one more way to kill people?"

The blunt accusation seemed to startle Tao Quan. He held up his hands, which were clad in handsome, almost cute, knit gloves, and waved them at An Ning.

"Where is this coming from? I couldn’t even bring myself to step on an ant."

An Ning suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

"Ants? Why kill ants? There’s no sense of accomplishment in that. At the very least, it should be cats and dogs, right?"

Tao Quan lowered his hands, his smile turning sinister.

"So you do know... I’m very curious, how did you see my face? Do you have some kind of special ability?"

A perverse, bone-deep curiosity appeared in Tao Quan’s alluring eyes, like a demon that fed on human hearts finally revealing its true form.

"I’m curious too. How did you know it was me? You recognized me the first time we met at Beijing University. Could I say that *you* have some kind of special skill?"

An Ning took a step forward, unflinching. "Or perhaps you only know how to hide behind a mask and kill defenseless cats and dogs that can’t fight back."

"Hehehe... They’re just cats and dogs. Why care? Aren’t they just little toys we keep?"

Tao Quan seemed to stop hiding his true self.

His entire aura shifted.

If it had a color, he would be radiating waves of black energy.

"Toys? In that case, is Lin Wanwan just another one of your toys? What, have you upgraded your little game?"

After she spoke, An Ning saw no trace of fear in Tao Quan’s eyes. Instead, she saw an even greater interest.

"You heard me, didn’t you? I knew it was you that day. Your scent... is very special."

As he spoke, Tao Quan took an ecstatic sniff, closing his eyes. It was so disgusting An Ning couldn’t bear to watch.

BAM!

A heavy punch landed squarely on Tao Quan’s nose. The blow made him open his eyes, dazed.

"Didn’t expect that, did you? Realizing that not everything goes according to your plan?"

"I’m not one for talking things out. It’s a waste of time."

BAM!

Another punch. Tao Quan’s left cheek swelled instantly, and the teeth in his mouth felt dislodged.

"You damn pervert!"

BAM!

"Son of a bitch, you dare act so smug with me!"

BAM!

"So what if I don’t have proof? I don’t like your face, and I feel like beating you up!"

BAM, BAM, BAM!

Tao Quan lost count of how many times An Ning hit him. In short, his handsome, demonic face was beaten into a swollen mess.

An Ning dusted off her hands. Without saying another word to Tao Quan, she turned and walked away.

As for being seen? That wouldn’t happen. She had already scouted the area.

Lying by the lake, Tao Quan touched a finger to his swollen face and laughed again.

"How fun. I’m not even angry. This is really fun."

The thoughts of a psychopath are truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

After beating Tao Quan to a pulp, An Ning’s mood wasn’t as good as she’d expected.

’That man is too dangerous. He seems to have no moral compass whatsoever. He’s just playing a game.’

’All of human existence, other people’s lives—in Tao Quan’s eyes, they’re all just tools to be played with.’

’For a moment, I really wanted to kill Tao Quan. Would doing so save more lives?’

’But if I really did that, would I be any different from him?’

’Back in the interstellar age, I wouldn’t have hesitated. But this is Ancient Earth. It has its own laws of survival, its own rules and morals.’

An Ning was conflicted.

Lost in her conflict, An Ning walked on without watching where she was going, in a complete daze.

Her inner quietude and the noisy street merged in an unexpected harmony.

"Watch out!"

Someone grabbed An Ning’s arm from behind. She instinctively tried to break free, but a familiar voice stopped her counterattack.

"Haitang?"

"It’s me. There’s a patch of ice on the ground."

Haitang pointed to the icy patch on the ground. He had already removed his hand from An Ning’s arm, and the two of them maintained a perfectly friendly distance.

"Oh... thanks."

"Something on your mind?"

Haitang gestured for them to move to the side. An Ning wasn’t sure how to respond, so she just said vaguely, "I guess so."

"’I guess so’ means yes."

Haitang walked beside An Ning, looking at her, a rare sight of confusion on her face. "The opera house is just ahead. Care to join me for a cup of tea?"

An Ning looked up and realized she had walked quite a long way.

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Alright. Thank you."

With Haitang subtly leading the way, the two arrived at the opera house without drawing any attention.

Once inside, An Ning discovered the opera house was unusually quiet today.

"Is there no performance today?"

"No."

Haitang answered calmly, leading An Ning to a pavilion at the highest point of the opera house grounds.

"Tea outdoors. It’s a little cold, but the aroma is better, and so is the view."

"It’s nice."

An Ning sat down as she spoke, and Haitang began to prepare the tea.

The pavilion was indeed very high. Sitting there, she could see a lake in the distance, barren trees, gray rooftops, and... people with backpacks.

"Did something happen at the opera house? Why are people packing their bags?"

Haitang didn’t answer immediately, simply pouring An Ning a cup of tea.

"It’s nothing major. We’re disbanding."

"Disbanding?"

An Ning ignored the tea in front of her, waiting for Haitang to continue.

"There’s no need to be surprised or upset. It’s all just the natural course of things. The opera house hasn’t been able to make ends meet for years. I can’t let the people working for me go hungry."

"Coincidentally, someone took an interest in this land and was willing to buy it, so I went ahead and sold it."

From her high vantage point, An Ning surveyed the area before asking, "How much did you sell it for? This land can’t be cheap. It’s a great spot that’s sure to appreciate in value. You can’t have taken a loss."

Haitang was amused by An Ning’s reaction. He asked, even more curious, "Aren’t you going to try and persuade me to keep the opera going?"

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