I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

"Boom!"

With a thunderous sound, Feng Qi kicked open the iron door labeled 004.

After his physical strength had increased, what previously took multiple kicks to breach now only required a single strike.

As dust swirled in the air, he strode into the room and casually pressed the light switch on the right wall.

The flickering of the lights eventually stabilized, revealing the room in its entirety.

The space was filled with rows of production line machinery, interconnected with each other. Overhead, transport rails stretched across the ceiling, but all the equipment was rusted, a silent testament to time's passage.

Feng Qi climbed up a three-meter-tall metal container at the end of the production line, prying open its lid with considerable effort.

An unpleasant stench wafted up, forcing him to recoil slightly. Peering inside, he saw the bottom was coated with a thick layer of brown, semi-transparent solidified material.

"What the hell is this stuff?"

"This is clearly a food processing facility. The overhead rails connect to residential quarters, delivering daily rations. Compared to your era, where people are spoiled by choice, those living in the apocalypse are lucky just to have enough to eat. Taste and enjoyment are luxuries reserved for special occasions. On regular days, they'd only have nutrient paste like this."

Hearing the explanation, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Memories surfaced of the letters his classmates had written for the time capsule before graduation. They had dreamed of a prosperous future, envious of those who would live in the ages to come.

Even if they wouldn't live to see it, they had chosen to work tirelessly to pave the way for that brighter world.

But if they knew the future they fought for would look like this, how crushingly hopeless would they feel?

"Sometimes, seeing the truth reveals just how flawed the world is and highlights the regrets left behind. But remember, you have the power to rewrite it all, to mend those regrets and make things right."

"Could you be any cheesier? I've got goosebumps now," Feng Qi muttered.

"Bleh bleh bleh."

Feng Qi: …

Shaking his head, he jumped down from the metal ladder and strode out of the room.

Despite his sarcasm, deep down, he agreed with the narrator's words. No matter how imperfect things were, he held onto hope for the future, believing that surprises awaited those willing to fight for them.

He approached the door to room 005, taking a step back before lunging forward with a powerful kick.

Another loud bang echoed as the iron door crashed to the ground.

Stepping inside, Feng Qi flipped on the light switch. What greeted him made his eyes widen in shock.

The room was filled with cold weapons of every kind—blades, swords, spears, staffs, halberds—all neatly arranged against the walls.

Unlike the rusted equipment in the previous room, these weapons remained pristine, their sharp edges gleaming under the light.

This durability didn't surprise Feng Qi.

In the modern world, many domain warriors' weapons were crafted from unique ores extracted from domain fields. These materials possessed incredible resistance to corrosion and remarkable toughness.

He approached a battle axe and gripped its handle. As he lifted it, the axe's surface began to emit a faint red glow.

Seeing the glow, Feng Qi instantly recognized the high quality of the spirit ore used to forge the weapon.

Only a handful of rare ores could naturally absorb ambient spiritual energy.

For cultivators, using such a weapon was akin to gaining an external energy reserve, one that could automatically replenish itself during combat.

Swinging the battle axe a few times, he noted the sharp whistle it made as it cut through the air. Yet, despite its quality, he couldn't help but feel the weapon didn't suit him.

"Your true weapon is the bone club. If you ever forge a weapon in the real world, make it in the shape of a bone club. Nothing else will ever feel right in your hands."

Feng Qi: …

He wanted to argue but realized the narrator might actually have a point.

After growing accustomed to the bone club, other weapons did feel a bit awkward.

Of course, the exception was Suction Cup, his versatile and semi-autonomous combat weapon, which required minimal input beyond throwing her into the fray.

Walking around the room, he tested a few other weapons but found none that matched the ease and comfort of the bone club.

As he prepared to leave, something in the corner of the room caught his eye: a rolled-up scroll.

Curious, he approached and picked it up.

The scroll felt surprisingly well-preserved, its material unaffected by time. Its surface was soft, almost like animal hide, and faintly covered in fine white fur.

He moved to the center of the room and crouched down, carefully unrolling the scroll.

The scroll stretched two and a half meters long and half a meter wide. At first glance, it appeared to be a landscape painting, depicting mountains and rivers. At its center were three gilded characters written in seal script: "Tong Tian Hui" (Path of Ascension).

Looking closer, Feng Qi noticed strange, eerie details hidden within the artwork.

Above a mountain peak on the left side of the scroll, lightning crackled across the sky. Upon closer inspection, a green, fanged face appeared faintly amidst the bolts.

In the lower-left corner, a massive shadow swam beneath the surface of a lake, its movement causing waves to churn violently.

The scroll was littered with similar unsettling elements, each hidden in plain sight. What first appeared to be a serene landscape painting was clearly much more.

His gaze returned to the gilded characters at the center, sparking a memory of something Lü Yue had mentioned: "The Path of Ascension."

"Sidekick, care to explain?"

"I think… the fish in that lake could probably feed Suction Cup for days."

Feng Qi: …

Veins pulsed visibly on Feng Qi's forehead as he asked again, unable to suppress his frustration, "I'm asking if you know the origin of this scroll. Or, can you decipher anything from it?"

"Wrong person to ask. I'm as clueless as you are."

Hearing this unhelpful reply, Feng Qi turned his gaze back to the scroll. As he scrutinized it more closely, he noticed a subtle design in the top-right corner, blending almost imperceptibly into the parchment's background color.

It appeared to be the image of a snake biting its own tail, forming a closed circle.

As for the meaning of this symbol, he was completely in the dark.

"Ever watch martial arts films? When you're stumped, the hero usually burns the mysterious artifact. Who knows, maybe there's a hidden technique inside. Train with it, and you'll become invincible!"

Feng Qi: …

He wasn't sure if the narrator was giving him genuine advice or setting him up for failure.

Determined to find out, he carried the scroll to the neighboring food processing facility.

Sweeping his eyes across the machinery, he stopped at the main control panel and pressed the large red button.

The conveyor belts sprang to life, gears grinding audibly as mechanical arms began their automated processes, grasping at empty air in the absence of raw materials.

At one end of the assembly line, the incinerator roared to life, flames crackling with intense heat.

Feng Qi approached the incinerator and, without hesitation, tossed the scroll into the flames.

Seconds passed, but the scroll remained completely intact, seemingly unscathed by the fire.

He stared at it, expressionless.

"Maybe try a different approach? Spray it with water. If you soak it, maybe some hidden message will emerge."

Feng Qi: …

"Oops, forgot you don't carry a water gun. My bad! Totally not trying to provoke you."

"I believe you... about as much as I believe pigs can fly."

Shutting off the machine, he retrieved the scroll.

Whatever material the scroll was made from, it not only resisted the incinerator's flames but didn't even retain any residual heat.

Frustrated, he tried tearing it apart with all his strength, but even with his enhanced physical capabilities, he couldn't make so much as a dent in it.

After a final, futile attempt, he dropped the scroll and walked out of the room.

Since he couldn't figure it out, there was no point in wasting any more time.

Every trip to the future dream realm had a carefully planned agenda, and his self-imposed rule was to explore three rooms each time, searching for valuable information.

Leaving the previous room, he approached the door labeled 006.

With a powerful kick, the door fell inward, and he stepped into the room, flipping on the light switch as he did.

What greeted him inside gave him a brief shock.

Upon closer inspection, he realized the room was filled with life-sized specimens of domain creatures, meticulously preserved and posed in lifelike stances.

Each specimen was accompanied by a metal plaque at its base, though the text on these plaques had long since eroded, rendering them illegible.

He scanned the room briefly before stepping back out.

This round of "room roulette" had proven largely fruitless, aside from the enigmatic scroll labeled "Tong Tian Hui", which still held potential significance.

Disappointed, Feng Qi turned and headed toward the database control console at the center of the underground plaza.

Above him, muffled sounds of combat rumbled, signaling that Suction Cup and Little Black had taken their fight to the area directly above the shelter.

By the time Feng Qi reached the console, however, the noises had abruptly stopped.

All he could do was silently root for Suction Cup in his mind.

As for helping her in the fight? That was out of the question.

Given his current level of strength, he couldn't last even a single round against Little Black. Charging in would be less "helping" and more "delivering free experience points."

"Correction: delivering free dog experience points."

"Can you ever stop talking?"

Ignoring the narrator's quip, he opened the database and began browsing the cultivation technique library.

After sifting through summaries of more than ten techniques, he finally settled on a two-star body refinement technique titled "Supreme Might and Endurance."

Selecting the technique, the video feed sprang to life, featuring a stern-looking man in a teacher's uniform who began demonstrating the technique's core principles.

Feng Qi immediately immersed himself in learning.

Focused and determined, he tuned out the ongoing battle above him, fully engrossed in the sea of knowledge presented to him.

"Look at you, so disciplined! Freestyle, backstroke, butterfly stroke, breaststroke… oh, don't forget dog paddle!"

"Shut. Up."

Hours passed as he studied the video twice over, committing its teachings to memory.

Glancing around, he noted that Suction Cup and Little Black were still locked in combat somewhere. With time to spare, he opened another instructional video on the research methodology behind cultivation techniques, continuing to absorb as much as he could.

Once he'd completed this as well, the sound of the ongoing fight remained audible, albeit faintly.

This, he realized, was evidence of Suction Cup's increased strength.

A faint hope sparked within him—maybe, just maybe, Suction Cup could defeat Little Black this time.

Though the odds were slim, he couldn't help but nurture the thought.

With time still on his hands, Feng Qi pondered his next move.

After a brief pause, he decided to delve into biological sciences within the database.

If he pursued the future timeline of infiltrating the Crimson Research Institute, a foundation in biology would be crucial for his success.

This knowledge could determine whether he'd rise through the ranks to uncover the institute's most guarded secrets.

As he searched through the biological science archives, a particular headline caught his eye:

"Rune-Enhanced Humans: A Boon or a Curse? A Comprehensive Analysis."

The title immediately reminded him of Mu Qing and her efforts to revive the Rune-Enhanced Human Project when she founded the Dawn Rebel Army.

Curious and woefully uninformed about the subject, Feng Qi clicked on the article and began reading.