From Robinson Crusoe

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Ivan traded a large amount of gold for the photograph from Chen Zhou, and after the deal was made, he disappeared without a trace.

Chen Zhou didn't know if he had found the lost experimental base or explored the secrets of the mute or the corroded sacred body; he only knew that his life was becoming increasingly dull.

For him, these two years have been longer than the 28 years he spent on the isolated island.

He tried to find meaning in life through various means.

Downhill skiing, skateboarding, rock climbing, bungee jumping, cross-country running, mountaineering, wingsuit flying, deep-sea diving...

He experienced all the extreme sports that he had never tried before and that he was afraid of.

His exceptional physical abilities gave him a rapid ability to adapt, allowing him to quickly distinguish himself in various extreme sports.

The name "Chen" has quietly begun to spread among wealthy young men and successful young people who have already achieved financial freedom.

Many professional competitions began inviting Chen Zhou to participate, and reporters swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.

However, "Chen" is like a hermit who only pursues the highest realm. Except for the snow-covered mountains or the complex terrain of the ocean caves, almost no one can catch a glimpse of him anywhere else.

"An extreme passion," "a pure extreme sports enthusiast"—that's how the media described Chen Zhou in their profiles.

They unanimously agreed that Chen Zhou is someone who enjoys adventure, wants to maximize his potential, and pursues the "higher, faster, stronger" spirit of sports to surpass himself.

Only Chen Zhou himself knew that the reason he was obsessed with extreme sports was simply because his life was too boring, and all he sought was excitement and novelty, nothing more.

……

When ordinary people acquire enough money in their youth to squander for a lifetime, they often fall into the abyss of pursuing pleasure.

Alcohol, lust, gambling, and even drugs and crime—these behaviors can quickly convert their wealth into another form of stimulation for the mind and senses.

To Chen Zhou's own surprise, he couldn't muster any interest in these relatively low-level stimuli, as if his ability to perceive these simple stimuli had been completely stripped away.

He believes the reason for this might be due to the unusual physical condition he experienced after returning from the challenge.

If the blue-clad "people" at the Time and Space Administration are indeed higher-dimensional beings, then they most likely escaped this kind of low-level interest trillions of years ago.

To think even more boldly, perhaps they never understood or experienced the pleasure that humans create through chemicals and crime.

Therefore, while the evolution of his body enhanced his functions, it also deprived him of certain pursuits and emotions, making it difficult for him to find enjoyment in daily life.

The scary thing is that this monotonous life may continue for another hundred years—

During these two years, Chen Zhou returned to his private hospital for regular check-ups.

The examination results indicate that, based on his current physical condition and rate of aging, he can live to at least 130 years old, and with a bolder estimate, he could even live to the theoretical human lifespan limit of 150 years.

So, what should he do after extreme sports stop providing him with excitement?

Go to the battlefields of the Middle East and experience the true feeling of being on the brink of life and death amidst a hail of bullets?

Or do things that ordinary people simply cannot do: climb Mount Everest alone with light gear, dive deep into the Mariana Trench, and parachute out of the atmosphere...

Chen Zhou had no answer.

He thought that if things continued like this, sooner or later he would do something crazy and gamble away everything he had earned over 28 years.

Countless times, he cursed the Time and Space Administration in the dead of night, hating them for letting him return and adding an invisible shackle to him.

However, no matter how he reacted, the Time and Space Administration seemed to have truly disappeared from this world.

Even that seemingly absurd post on Baidu Tieba has vanished from the internet.

People often say that the internet has a memory, but that post was an exception; it was an "amnesiac internet."

Chen Zhou didn't know how many of the people who followed the trend and left "participate in the challenge" comments on the post actually arrived at the 17th-century island like him, nor did he know whether any of them returned safely.

Sometimes, he desperately seeks a kindred spirit, someone with whom he can share his secrets.

But after more than two years of exploration, he could only get one disappointing result after another.

He might truly be the only oddball in the world, the only special person in the crowd.

……

Chen Zhou thought this kind of life would continue indefinitely, but to his surprise, in early 2029, Ivan, who had disappeared for a long time, called him again and asked to meet him in Mohe.

It was April, and Mohe, located on the northern slope of the Greater Khingan Mountains, was still in the midst of a long winter.

Global warming doesn't seem to be changing the cold here.

When Chen Zhou arrived at the border of Mohe, a village facing the Transbaikal Territory across the river, the heavy snow had already turned the place into a white world.

In a village tavern with a Russian flair, Chen Zhou met Ivan once again.

If Ivan looked quite energetic two years ago, showing no signs of hearing loss or organ failure, he now appears frail and nearing the end of his life.

His hair had changed from completely white to a mixture of black and white, but the strands had no luster and were as dry as firewood sticks.

Her once rosy face was now covered in wrinkles, her eyes were sunken and lifeless, and even her once straight back was bent like a bow.

Sitting opposite Chen Zhou, Ivan looked like a thin and old osprey. If his appearance hadn't changed so much, Chen Zhou probably wouldn't have recognized him at all.

Even if the aftereffects of the transformation plan were to manifest in two years, it would be impossible to torment a soldier who had endured half a century of suffering to this extent.

Watching Ivan tightly hold a full glass of vodka in his skinny, bony hands, his lips trembling as he remains speechless for a long time.

Chen Zhou knew that Ivan might have really found the lost base, but things were developing in the way he had predicted two years ago, and it was not a good thing.

Ivan must have encountered some kind of misfortune at the base to have ended up in this near-death state.

……

The tavern was heated over a large area, and the coal in the boiler had probably been burning for days, making the indoor temperature as high as 25°C, a stark contrast to the ice and snow outside.

Even in such warmth, Ivan still looked chilled, clinging to the scorching radiator, occasionally sipping his drink, as if nothing could dispel the cold he felt.

It wasn't until Chen Zhou grew impatient that he suddenly raised his head, stared intently at Chen Zhou's face with his cloudy eyes, and squeezed out a sentence from deep in his throat.

"Chen, you have to do me a favor, you absolutely have to help me!"

After saying that, he lowered his head, as if he felt that his words were inexplicable and unmoving, and added another sentence.

"Only you can help me, Chen. Name your price, one hundred million, two hundred million, I can give you all my assets. Please, please help me!"

"Calm down, Ivan, I can help you."

But first you need to clearly explain what you need my help with, and also what you've been through these past two years.

After receiving Chen Zhou's vague promise, the emotionally agitated Ivan finally calmed down and slowly recounted what he had experienced over the past two years.

……

After obtaining the photograph, Ivan grasped at it as a lifeline and spared no effort in using all his resources to search for the abandoned factory in Russia, looking for buildings that matched the chimney.

He had assumed that Project 10003, being a top-secret project, might still be under the control of the Russian authorities and perhaps still operating quietly.

Unexpectedly, this renovation base, which cost countless manpower, material resources, and financial resources, was actually abandoned.

And its location is neither in the deep mountains and forests nor in the heart of the vast Siberian plain.

It is located in what is now Pripyat, Ukraine.

Fearing Chen Zhou might be unfamiliar with the place name, Ivan casually mentioned another world-famous building not far from the renovation base—

Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

This giant nuclear power plant, which was built in 1965 and transferred to Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union, once caused a shocking leak due to the release of reflective material, directly and indirectly affecting the lives and property of millions of people.

Now, due to the war, it has fallen into another quagmire.

Whether it's the radiation, heavy metals, and other pollution involved, or the smoke and fire of war, it makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Who would have thought that just 40 kilometers away from this sealed-off and isolated nuclear power plant, another terrifying and mysterious base was lurking?

After obtaining the exact location of the conversion base, Ivan was actually very reluctant to go into danger himself.

He dispatched mercenaries and loyal henchmen to Pripyat under the guise of supporting the war to gather information, locate the exact position of the conversion base, and photograph the ruins of the ground factory before finally arriving in Ukraine with manpower and specialized equipment.

Fortunately, with the changes in the international situation and the easing of the conflict, coupled with the danger of Chernobyl, Pripyat was not particularly valued by either side, and there were not many troops stationed there.

Ivan arrived safely near the modification base. Tests revealed that the radiation levels around the base were not too high and the harm to the human body was within an acceptable range, which put him at ease.

He thought it was a smooth start, but little did he know it was the prelude to a nightmare.

……

At this point, Ivan took a big gulp of wine, and a hint of blood appeared in his cloudy eyes. His expression showed both fear and anticipation.

His Mandarin sounded more fluent than it had been two years ago, though his hoarse voice made it sound somewhat unclear.

While numbing his body with alcohol, Ivan recalled the events and told Chen Zhou in an almost dreamlike state.

"It could be due to radiation, or it could be that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was built specifically to supply energy to the refit site."

In conclusion, based on what I saw, the conversion base was still operating about four or five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The explosion at Reactor No. 4 in 1986 did not interrupt the renovation plan. Researchers at the base gradually withdrew only after the nuclear power plant was completely shut down in 2000.

Eventually, it became completely deserted and abandoned.

Yes, you heard right. Even with the leakage of radioactive materials and the Soviet Union's organization of a large number of soldiers to seal off nuclear waste, research at the base was not interrupted.

Do you know why those researchers were willing to risk radiation exposure to continue their projects?

At this point, Ivan became particularly excited, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and his tone became sharp.

"Because the renovation plan was a success!"

No, you can't say they've succeeded. They're just a tiny bit away from success, a tiny bit that they could reach out and touch!

But damn it!
They ultimately failed to complete the modification, and most of the key experimental data was taken away, leaving behind only instruments whose purpose was unknown.

Ivan's tone calmed down, but his volatile mental state had already made Chen Zhou wary.

It seems that the two years he was missing not only left Ivan with physical trauma, but also greatly damaged his mental health.

Looking at him now, who could possibly connect him with the shrewd, unsmiling oligarch he was two years ago?

Despite still not understanding why only he could help Ivan, Chen Zhou did not interrupt Ivan's story and remained silent as he continued to listen.

……

After blowing up the underground base gate with his men, Ivan, wearing a protective suit, dived into the base.

According to him, the base is very large and its construction standards are clearly at the level of nuclear defense. The exterior is not only covered with thick reinforced concrete walls, but also has thick lead plates sandwiched between the interior areas.

The entrance to the base is directly below the chimney in the photo, and from the outside it looks like a flat area paved with tiles.

If it weren't for the fact that it had been abandoned for many years, with weeds growing out of the cracks in the hidden door, and with the help of the photos, Ivan probably wouldn't have been able to figure out how to get in so quickly. If he were to forcibly blast open the outer wall with explosives, it would take at least two or three "Little Boy" bombs.

Once inside the base, Ivan first searched for experimental data, hoping to find ways to modify brain processing capabilities or enhance the functions of other parts of the body.

However, the base had long been deserted, and a thorough search of the surface revealed virtually no useful information.

Blinded by the appearance of security, he began to explore deeper into the base.

……

Excluding the surface factories used for camouflage, the entire conversion base is divided into approximately four levels.

The basement level is the living area for most ordinary staff members, which is divided into dormitories, a canteen, an office area, a medical room, a psychological counseling room, and a confessional room.

After the elevator was opened up, the second basement level became the area for modifications and human experiments.

However, the modifications on the second basement level are not high. Most of them are modifications to enhance the human body's immunity and resistance to toxins and radiation. It seems that they are designed to cultivate a group of better test subjects, otherwise they would not be able to withstand further modifications.

Ivan obtained some information on the second basement level that seemed to be of some help to him. At that time, he was still somewhat wary and felt that he should take what he could, so he left the modification base with the information.

Following the steps described in the materials, he purchased equipment, hired professionals, and spent six months modifying himself, with results that greatly satisfied him.

The hearing abnormality was brought under control; the annoying buzzing in his ears finally disappeared; the aging of his organs was also brought under control; everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

However, his good fortune didn't last long. Less than two months after the renovation was completed, Ivan's old ailment recurred.

Perhaps because the suppression during the transformation period lowered his body's tolerance, this time his pain was greater than ever before, making it unbearable for him. This led to his second exploration, the hellish journey that resulted in his current state. (End of Chapter)