My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

A banner in Ulanqab City

Inside the archaeological shed, the lights were so bright it was like daytime.

The shed was eerily quiet, except for the humming of the ventilation fan and the occasional "beep" from some kind of sophisticated instrument.

More than a hundred people, all experts whose names are known in their respective fields, are now standing like wooden stakes by the observation platform, their necks stretched out and their eyes almost popping out.

The pit was eight meters deep and fifteen meters square.

That thing at the bottom of the pit has finally been fully exposed.

The moment they saw it clearly, everyone, whether it was an elderly academician with gray hair or a newly graduated doctoral student, gasped in unison.

That sound, hissing and crackling, made my teeth ache just listening to it.

Why?

It's not that they've never seen the world.

This thing... it shouldn't even be here!

It shouldn't have happened in the Han Dynasty!

What is that?

Composite armor with layers upon layers.

The outside is made of rusted steel plates that were once incredibly hard, sandwiched between carbonized material that looks like black leather, and inside there are traces of woven fabric.

Is this supposed to protect against arrows? It'd be more than enough to protect against artillery shells!

Several elderly professors specializing in mechanics and vehicles were pressed against the observation glass, their faces almost squashed, making meaningless "hoarse" sounds.

That connecting rod, the remaining shape of that bearing housing, that overall layout... this is fucking precision machinery!

It was definitely calculated!

It definitely took into account the stress, the steering angle, and the shock absorption!

Han Dynasty?

They probably didn't even have a proper concept of ball bearings in the Han Dynasty!

You told them to make this thing?

The modified "fortress" in the back was alright; it had thickened iron plates and several square holes for shooting arrows.

Although the craftsmanship is outrageous, at least it can be logically explained – let's just say it's a Han Dynasty version of an armored vehicle.

But what about the driver's cab in the front?

That layout!

steering wheel!

Although all that's left is a rusty iron ring, the ring and the connecting rod are definitely for steering.

There are also pedals, instrument panel, accelerator...

The location and quantity are just like modern cars!

"System...this is a system!"

A middle-aged professor wearing thick glasses, specializing in the history of ancient science and technology, pointed below with a trembling voice.

"This whole system...it's exactly the same as a modern internal combustion engine!"

A senior materials expert next to me was holding a newly released preliminary analysis report on the composition, his hands trembling like someone with Parkinson's disease.

"The main alloy...contains trace amounts of unknown elements...its performance is estimated to far exceed that of any steel product of the same period...casting and forging standards...impurity control..."

The more I looked at him, the wider his eyes widened.

"This was forged in a furnace from the mid-Western Han Dynasty?!"

"The discovery of rebar at Zhaoling was outrageous enough, but at least we could try to attribute it to chance or a special process... But this... this thing... this thing..."

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, as if his faith had collapsed.

"Fuck you! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!"

"This is definitely not from the Han Dynasty!"

"Some heartless person must have buried it there on purpose to attract attention!"

"Who the hell is so heartless?"

He would rather believe it was a modern forgery than believe it could have come from the Han Dynasty.

Could the Han Dynasty have produced something like this?

If we calculate it this way?

How did the Xiongnu manage to hold out for so long?

The Battle of Henan, the Battle of Hexi, the Battle of Mobei...

Thinking about it that way, that Xiongnu person was quite a character.

It was able to hold out for so long under Emperor Wu of Han.

This is truly a miracle!

Finally, yet another carbon-14 test report has been released.

The result was still the same—this was the situation during the Han Dynasty more than two thousand years ago.

Combined with the inscription "Han Dynasty Yuan Dynasty Sky Chariot - Records" on the chariot.

This is an artifact from the time of Emperor Wu of Han.

Damn it!

Heavy trucks existed during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han?

If it were a modern forgery, that would be fine, because there wouldn't be so many people here.

"The writing is real! The date is right! But this thing... this thing..."

An expert in ancient writing pointed to the eight clear and cold seal script characters and cried out.

"Could it be that Crown Prince Liu Ju really received some kind of extraterrestrial inheritance? Or has our current history overlooked a terrifying mechanical age?"

"For example, did the Industrial Revolution exist before the Han Dynasty?"

But someone immediately refuted this, though their rebuttal was rather weak.

"Bullshit! If we really had that technology, Emperor Wu of Han would have unified the world long ago! Why would we need to fight the Xiongnu!"

"Exactly! If that were the case, then there wouldn't be any English or French left... everyone would be speaking Chinese!"

"Suppose... I'm just hypothesizing... what if the Han Dynasty really... really produced some kind of rudimentary 'Industrial Revolution' that we don't know about, and might even be more... more unique than later generations?"

"Then what exactly... interrupted it? What made it all disappear without a trace, leaving not even a single word in the history books?"

"Could it be... that Zhang Jiao truly possessed magical powers? Was the Yellow Turban Rebellion actually... a technological purge?"

Following this line of thought, someone muttered half-jokingly.

"Or...did Wang Mang really travel back in time to correct history?"

"Fuck you!!! We're all staunch materialists! How could something like this happen?!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than an old expert flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and roaring, spittle flying everywhere.

"Science! We need to be scientific! Archaeology is based on physical objects and evidence! It's not some science fiction you're fantasizing about!"

"Exactly! Why don't you say that Crown Prince Liu Ju himself traveled to the modern era, learned the technology, and then traveled back in time? That would be even more outrageous!"

"Then how do you explain this?"

The person who was refuted pointed to the enormous creature in the pit.

"Where did this thing come from?"

Everyone fell silent.

If you ask them to explain, they really can't explain it well.

What exactly is this thing?

Finally, someone looked at the thing and pondered for a long time.

"Look...doesn't this thing look like our Grand Canal?"

"Hiss... Don't tell me... You really shouldn't tell me!!!"