Chapter 6: Could This... Could This Be the Wandering Earth?!

Fang Jing reappeared, carrying an official document personally authorized by the leader of the Huaguo from the parallel universe.

This news, once spread, immediately drew the attention of Universe 1.

Soon, a helicopter appeared outside the base of the 710 Research Institute.

An elderly man wearing a Zhongshan suit, with a weathered face and deep, piercing eyes that seemed capable of seeing through one's soul, was slowly helped off the aircraft.

Zhou Weirong supported the old man with great respect.

"Xiao Rong, are you getting used to things at the 710 Institute?"

"Father, I am. How have things been at the United Nations lately?"

Zhou Weirong looked at his aged father, his heart aching. The heavy burden now resting on this old man’s shoulders caused his son deep distress.

"Same as always—endless arguing and incessant chatter."

The old man waved his hand, clearly agitated by the mention of the UN.

"Father, the 'Digitalists' have been very active. Comrades in intelligence have received reports suggesting they may pose a threat to the United Nations. You must..."

Zhou Weirong paused, a flicker of worry crossing his eyes, before continuing with difficulty, "You must take care of your safety over there."

"Enough, let's not dwell on those troublesome matters. Let's talk about this Fang Jing you mentioned."

The old man waved his hand, signaling that Zhou Weirong needn't worry. He chuckled and asked, "According to you, this young man is quite decent?"

"Yes, though the whole situation still feels unbelievable to me."

Thinking of the way Fang Jing had appeared and vanished like a ghost, Zhou Weirong felt a sense of apprehension. He knew nothing of the man's origins or his motives. He knew nothing at all.

"The unknown is the source of human fear. Isn't that why I came here—to eliminate the 'unknown'?"

The old man spoke earnestly to Zhou Weirong, looking toward the old white-and-green buildings of the 710 Institute in the distance. He murmured, "Besides, this isn't the only unexplained event that has occurred here."

"Father, what did you say?"

The old man’s last words were barely audible. Zhou Weirong frowned and asked quickly.

"It's nothing. Take me to meet that young man."

Setting aside the emotion in his eyes, the old man shook his head with a faint smile.

"Yes, Father."

Zhou Weirong felt a pang of sadness. It was that same smile again. He knew that for the sake of this country and this world, the old man had always hidden a secret in his heart. Now, perhaps that secret was about to become two.

...

Inside the interrogation room of the 710 Institute, Fang Jing hadn't eaten a thing.

After Zhou Weirong left, Fang Jing had immediately sat down next to the soldier who had remained behind.

That’s right—the soldier left here was the one wearing the full-body exoskeleton armor!

"Comrade, may I ask your name?"

Fang Jing reached out, wanting to touch the black-painted, sci-fi-looking exoskeleton.

To his surprise, the soldier was quite nervous. Sensing his movement, the soldier stepped back, watching him with vigilance.

"My name is Zou Daoyun. Fang Jing, is it? Please wait patiently for the captain to return."

The young soldier’s expression was tense, and his speech was a bit awkward. He didn't want to offend Fang Jing, but he also didn't want Fang Jing to think he had a bad attitude.

"Hehe, don't be nervous. I was just asking."

Fang Jing didn't mind the details; his eyes were currently fixed on the exoskeleton suit. *Hmm, it uses batteries.*

"Do you wear this exoskeleton all day long?"

"That's right, why?"

Seeing Fang Jing’s burning gaze, Zou Daoyun swallowed hard. *This guy wouldn't happen to have a different sexual orientation, would he?*

Thinking this, he stiffened, and his gaze toward Fang Jing became even more guarded.

"How often do you have to charge it?"

Upon hearing that he wore the exoskeleton all day, Fang Jing’s eyes grew even more intense.

"Once a week. During combat, it’s once a week; usually, it’s once every two weeks."

This information wasn't classified, so Zou Daoyun answered without pressure.

"Two weeks!"

Fang Jing was shocked. He knew that the full-body exoskeletons in his own universe had a battery life of only two hours. Therefore, the battery storage capacity in Universe 1 was... 168 times greater than in his own!

"Hiss—"

Fang Jing drew a sharp breath. Even if he only managed to obtain this battery technology, it would be a massive success for the Huaguo of his own universe. A battery with over 168 times the storage capacity—technology of this level would bring about earth-shattering changes.

"That's right, two weeks. Though, I've heard there's an even more powerful battery used in the hub shaft of the Space Elevator..."

Seeing Fang Jing’s look of ignorant shock, Zou Daoyun wore a proud expression, preparing to grandly introduce this type of battery. But when he looked up, he saw that Fang Jing had frozen in place.

"Space Elevator? A Space Elevator!"

Fang Jing looked up abruptly, as if possessed. He kept repeating the words to himself, then excitedly grabbed Zou Daoyun’s hand, asking with fervent urgency: "You’re saying you have a Space Elevator?!"

"Hey, hey, get away from me!"

Zou Daoyun felt goosebumps at Fang Jing’s touch and quickly struggled to move away. Meanwhile, Fang Jing remained immersed in his pleasant surprise.

*Good grief, I still underestimated the technological prowess of the Huaguo in Universe 1.*

*Damn, they even managed to build a Space Elevator!*

There was no need to say anything more. Once a Space Elevator appears, the technological strength is beyond doubt or dispute. In one word: powerful!

"Click!"

Just then, the door to the interrogation room slowly opened.

Zhou Weirong walked in, accompanied by the old man. As he entered, he looked surprised. *Why is Xiao Zou standing so far away?*

"Officer Zhou, you’re finally back."

Fang Jing set aside his excitement and looked at Zhou Weirong with a burning gaze. After getting a rough idea of the technological strength of Universe 1’s Huaguo, he was even more enthusiastic.

"Yes. Let me introduce you—this is Zhou Zhezhi. He is in charge of your case."

Zhou Weirong gave Zou Daoyun a strange look before grandly introducing the old man behind him.

"Father, this is Fang Jing."

Zhou Zhezhi revealed a gentle smile and reached out to Fang Jing. "I hope you don't mind if I take the liberty of calling you Xiao Fang."

"You brought a document, could I take a look at it?"

Fang Jing was stunned. When he saw Zhou Zhezhi, he froze. Upon hearing his name, his heart felt as if it had been hit by an earthquake.

Zhou Zhezhi. This... isn't he the representative of Huaguo to the United Nations in *The Wandering Earth 2*?!

So, is this the *Wandering Earth* universe?

Contemplating this possibility, Fang Jing immediately licked his dry lips, staring straight at Zhou Zhezhi. The sense of familiarity with this old man in the Zhongshan suit grew stronger and stronger.

"What's wrong, Xiao Fang?"

Seeing that Fang Jing hadn't handed over the document, Zhou Zhezhi’s eyes flickered with confusion. He could see that this man named Fang Jing had been in a state of shock ever since he heard his name.

*He... has heard of my name!*

Squinting his eyes, the old man began to ponder.

"Oh, oh, Elder Zhou, the document is here."

"Please, take a look!"

Fang Jing suppressed the shock in his heart, planning to ask his questions after the other party had reviewed the document.

Could this really be the *Wandering Earth* universe?