From Robinson Crusoe

In early spring, the temperature in Moscow remains around 22°C.

The branches have just sprouted new buds, but the flowers have not yet bloomed.

Not long after the ice on Lake Sokolniki in Sokolniki National Park thawed, people were seen playing in the water in small boats, and people often strolled along the shore, walking their dogs and enjoying the warm sunshine after a long winter.

……

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not over yet. Pushkin International Airport, located in the northern exclave of Moscow, remains under martial law, with heavily armed soldiers visible everywhere.

To increase the efficiency of his operation, Chen Zhou intensively studied Russian for three months.

He already had a certain foundation, and due to his physical condition, his memory improved significantly. After three months, he had learned the basics of Russian and could communicate with others without any problem.

After getting off the plane, Chen Zhou went straight to his booked hotel, and then, like a normal tourist, strolled around popular attractions such as Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, and the Kremlin.

After spending three full days in downtown Moscow, he finally bought an electric car from a shop and slowly began exploring the more suburban areas.

Russia is sparsely populated, and once you leave the city, the suburbs are almost entirely covered with green spaces and open parks.

The residential areas here are mostly open-style, without walls or fences. You can cycle past the shopping mall and find yourself in a primeval forest.

Near the forest park, you can often see feeding bottles that people hang for birds or squirrels, and there are even carefully crafted wooden cabins for small animals to live in.

In addition, there are many small pavilions for people to rest, but the roads in the wild are very narrow and no one maintains them year-round. As a result, after riding around, Chen Zhou eventually had to ride through the weeds.

Even though Moscow is Russia's largest city, it is still too large for Russia's relatively small population.

As Chen Zhou gradually approached "Ivan's treasure trove" according to the map, and moved away from the edge of the city, he could hardly see anyone anymore.

Large groves of linden trees grow along both sides of the road. Because Moscow is at a high latitude and close to the Arctic Circle, the sky was still very bright even in the afternoon.

Being in a foreign land, in the wilderness and forest, Chen Zhou felt as if he had returned to a deserted island, and found it much more comfortable than living in a modern city.

Thinking about it carefully, it's probably because they carry too many secrets and are afraid of revealing them in front of others that they love these deserted areas.

……

The electric car drove along the asphalt road, and the closer it got to Ivan's treasure site, the more desolate the surroundings became.

Finally, at the edge of a woodland, Chen Zhou applied the brakes and stopped.

The dark green pine forest acts like a wall, isolating the treasure trove from the outside world. Only a few narrow paths, hidden by wild grass, lead through the dense forest to explore further in.

However, a wide cement road was built in this desolate place, and looking from the beginning of the cement road to the end, a large-scale building complex can be vaguely seen.

From a great distance, Chen Zhou could hear the roars of wild beasts coming from inside the complex, as well as the distinctive bloody smell of fresh meat and the stench of animal excrement.

Although there was no sign on the map, Chen Zhou knew that they had arrived at Ivan's private zoo.

Further ahead, he would enter the monitored area, where his secret trip to Russia would be exposed.

It's easy to see from the history of the Ivan family that they are a behemoth lurking "underwater" throughout Russia, and it's inevitable that trouble will follow if you touch their sensitive nerves.

Although Chen Zhou's physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary people, this is the 21st century. Let alone a human being with slightly stronger physical abilities, even an elephant wouldn't be able to withstand many bullets.

Especially being in a foreign country, he had to be even more careful.

……

After pretending to stop briefly near the zoo, drinking a bottle of water, and eating two waffles he bought at a local store, Chen Zhou rode on for a while longer, finally returning to the city at 7 p.m.

The round trip took a whole day. When Chen Zhou returned to his hotel in the western part of Moscow, not far from the embassy, ​​even in this high-latitude region, the sky was covered with stars.

After charging his electric scooter in the hotel's parking spot, Chen Zhou entered the hotel lobby on the first floor, intending to have dinner in the dining area, when he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure—

Ivan, the Russian man who appeared to have lived for nearly a century, sat on the street-facing side, watching him from afar.

His white hair and jet-black suit stood out conspicuously among the brightly colored decorations.

Moreover, even though he was the only one sitting there, there were two glasses of wine on the table.

Seeing Chen Zhou looking at him, Ivan's thin lips curled up slightly, causing his thick beard to twitch.

He stood up and politely extended his hand, as if inviting Chen Zhou to have dinner together.

……

Chen Zhou's pupils contracted slightly, and he hesitated for less than a second, unsure whether it was a coincidence or if his whereabouts had already been exposed.

He was certain that Ivan was unaware of his true intentions.

After all, he had been browsing the documents in the safe in another world, and he hadn't shown them to anyone else since the challenge ended.

In this situation, Ivan could at most suspect that he had other purposes for coming to Moscow, but he would never have imagined that he was related to the secret past of Unit 10003.

Besides, it might just be a coincidence.

Moscow is Ivan's territory. If he pays attention, it won't be difficult for him to spot his friend, and it will be even easier to stage a "chance encounter."

……

As Chen Zhou walked toward Ivan, many thoughts flashed through his mind.

After confirming that Ivan couldn't possibly know the secrets he knew, Chen Zhou decided to hold back and make up some excuses to get by for now, and then make other plans after returning to China.

"What a coincidence, you're eating here too?"

With a look of delighted surprise at running into a friend, Chen Zhou sat on a bench next to the table and greeted Ivan in broken Russian, pretending not to notice.

Unexpectedly, Ivan's smile vanished upon hearing this.

He shook his head, raised the bright red wine in his hand, and spoke fluent Chinese.

"No, Mr. Chen, I came here specifically to see you."

Ivan's voice was loud, and he didn't seem worried that their conversation would be overheard, which made Chen Zhou subconsciously observe his surroundings.

Only then did he realize that most of the men and women who had been sitting in the dining area when he entered the hotel had left their seats, and the person closest to Ivan's table was now five tables away.

Further away, tall, burly men stood in every corner, either sideways on the edge of the pillars in the lobby or guarding the entrance, looking every bit like thugs.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zhou could even detect the smell of grease and gunpowder in the environment, indicating that a considerable number of the thugs present were armed.

……

"Damn it, I shouldn't have come. Curiosity really killed the cat..."

Seeing himself surrounded by Ivan's men, Chen Zhou couldn't help but regret his rash decision.

However, besides regretting it, he was more curious about how he had been targeted by Ivan before today, when he had only met Ivan once and asked a question that wasn't particularly sensitive.

Even if Ivan is extremely perceptive, it's impossible for him to monitor everyone he's ever been in contact with indefinitely, and to have his men keep an eye on all passengers on flights to Moscow. Or perhaps there's surveillance around the zoo, and anyone showing interest in it is placed under close observation.

But that doesn't make sense either. After all, he was just passing by on a small road outside the zoo. As a tourist visiting Moscow, it's unlikely that he would pass by his zoo, but it's not unreasonable. There's no reason why Ivan would go to such lengths, clearing out the hotel dining area with so many people to block him here.

……

“Your Chinese is very standard, Mr. Ivan.”

But I don't understand, what do you mean by that?

Chen Zhou pointed to the "no man's land" next to his and Ivan's table, praising Ivan's improved Chinese while asking a question.

“Mr. Chen, there’s a saying in your area, ‘Speak frankly and openly.’ We all know the truth, so why are you hiding it from us?”

If Ivan had directly pointed out that Chen Zhou came to Moscow to spy on the secrets behind their family, Chen Zhou might have been able to come up with some excuses.

For example, someone might find a Soviet-era safe at a flea market and discover secret Soviet documents and Ivan's family's treasure poems inside, which leads them to come here to hunt for treasure out of curiosity.

But Chen Zhou was a little confused by what he said.

"Something everyone knows perfectly well?"

Let's speak frankly and openly?
What do you mean? Is there something we both know but don't?

This doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Ivan family at all. Is the old man trying to trick me...?

Fearing that Ivan would trick him into revealing something he shouldn't, Chen Zhou could only continue to play dumb.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Mr. Ivan.”

Seeing that Chen Zhou still wouldn't admit it, Ivan pointed to his ear.

"Mr. Chen, if you can hear my heartbeat, then I can naturally hear yours too."

As far as I know, you don't have congenital heart disease, so is your resting heart rate of less than 25 beats per minute somewhat abnormal?

If you need further reminders…

Ivan unbuttoned his shirt, pulled his tie aside, revealing a tattoo on the side of his collarbone.

Chen Zhou clearly saw that it was a line of Arabic numerals—

10003!

……

"How can this be?

Wasn't Unit 10003 just swindling military funds?
Does he mean that the unit's plan to create 'super soldiers' was successful?
Are there other people in this world with extraordinary physical abilities?

What kind of information did I see? Fake information?
Didn't all the funds for the plan end up in Alexei Savin's pocket? Could this plan have succeeded without funding?

Even Chen Zhou, whose mental age is close to 60, couldn't help but show a shocked expression when he saw the code on Ivan's body.

Then another terrifying but near-truth-like guess popped into his mind—

The mysterious rewards sent to the island by the Time and Space Administration may not have come from this world at all. They may have come from another parallel universe similar to the modern world, like the Robinson Crusoe world that he influenced.

What fails in another timeline does not necessarily fail in this world.

In other words, he stumbled into this significant and mysterious case without even realizing it.

"Damn it, the Time and Space Administration has really messed me up!"

After figuring out the cause and effect of the matter, Chen Zhou finally understood why he had been targeted by Ivan.

It turns out that from the very first meeting, Ivan had noticed the abnormality in his physique and quietly labeled him.

No wonder this old man came knocking on his door not long after he arrived in Moscow.

He thought he was someone hiding in the shadows, but who would have thought that in Ivan's eyes, he was always the brightest light bulb.

Looking back on his feints over the past few days, Chen Zhou felt like a complete clown. Perhaps someone had already planted a tracker on his electric scooter, and there were also listening devices and cameras installed in his hotel room, all while he thought he had hidden himself well.

However, Unit 10003 was a secret Soviet program, and he had no Russian ancestry, nor was he of mixed Chinese and American descent. He was just visiting Moscow. Even if he had a physical abnormality, it shouldn't have made Ivan so nervous.

"To be frank, what exactly does he want to say?"

……

Unable to figure out what Ivan, the riddle-maker, was trying to say, Chen Zhou could only try to regain control of the situation.

He didn't know how much the events in the parallel universe could overlap with the past events of this world, so he could only probe little by little, creating the illusion that he also knew Ivan.

"Well then, Mr. Ivan Andreyevich Bolkonsky, if you want me to tell the truth, you shouldn't lie to me."

Since you were born in 1936, how can you be 65 years old?

Upon hearing this question, a hint of doubt flashed in Ivan's light-colored eyes.

He didn't know why Chen Zhou was so concerned about his age, but out of respect for his "fellow human," he still answered Chen Zhou's question.

“Mr. Chen, I am indeed 65 years old this year. If you say I was born in 1936, then that was probably my father. He passed away a long time ago, and I inherited his name. This is a tradition in our family.”

Ivan's answer provided Chen Zhou with more information.

He had assumed the old man was a monster who had lived for over ninety years, which was why he was so wary.

From this perspective, the modification program Ivan underwent may not have significantly improved his physical fitness; it could only enhance his senses and allow him to maintain the physical condition of a 30-year-old athlete as he ages.

In terms of actual physical function, they are completely incomparable to him.

After all, his changes were influenced by the Time and Space Administration, and in terms of level, they were definitely far beyond the products of these "secret projects".

Moreover, the current world order also proves this point. If it were possible to mass-produce "super soldiers" similar to him, monsters wielding dual heavy machine guns and sweeping across the battlefield, geniuses who have repeatedly broken Olympic records would probably be famous all over the world by now. How could there be no word of it at all?

Moreover, this Ivan was not the same as the other Ivan, which provided him with another potential advantage—

This Ivan is very likely unaware of many of the secrets of Unit 10003, especially those concerning his father's generation.

Ivan probably targeted him mostly because of a misunderstanding, assuming he came from an organization similar to Unit 10003. In reality, his physical abilities had nothing to do with those organizations.

Of course, at this point, no matter how he explains, Ivan probably won't believe him.

Moreover, the whole Time and Space Administration thing is not only absurd, but also far more horrifying than the so-called secret force. If he hadn't said anything, it would have been fine, but telling the truth might have meant he could never go back.

A real super soldier is far more valuable than these fake ones. If the Russian authorities found out about this, they'd tear him apart alive. (End of Chapter)