Prologue

"I am going to miss it!" Joy exclaimed as he took a bite of his toasted bread, then sprinted down the stairs as if his life depended on it. He only regained his calm once he was safely seated on the moving bus.

Today was an important day for him—maybe not just for him, but for the whole commercial market after the news a few months back about the announcement of Epoch Navigators.

"IT'S HERE!!!" A message buzzed through millions of phones across the nation simultaneously. Below the text was a picture of a machine.

Chronological Harmonic Reality Operator and Navigator of Space-Time (or CHRONOS for short) was now available for commercial use. Typically, the military or the ROM (Resource Obtaining Management) had used these machines to travel through alternate realities to extract resources or study earths that had failed to generate life.However, this was the first time that people, as the older generations would say, could time travel.

The message also included a form:

Notice

Welcome to the Time Travel Experience Lottery! We are excited to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a journey through time with our advanced time machine, CHRONOS. As part of our promotional event, we are offering a select group of individuals a FREE tour through time.Please read the following important information before entering the lottery:

Eligibility: Open to individuals who are at least 18 years old. Employees of Epoch Navigators and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.

Entry Deadline: All entries must be submitted within two days of this announcement. Late entries will not be accepted.

Winner Selection: Winners will be selected randomly from the pool of eligible entries. They will be notified using the contact information provided on the form.

Prize Details: Winners will receive a tour to the time period of their choice (subject to availability and safety restrictions).

Safety Precautions: All participants must adhere to safety guidelines provided by Epoch Navigators during the tour.

Acceptance of Prize: Winners must accept the prize within a week of notification. If a winner does not accept the prize within this timeframe, an alternate winner may be selected.

By entering the lottery, you agree to abide by the terms and conditions set forth by Epoch Navigators.Good luck, and we look forward to taking you on an extraordinary journey through time!

A few minutes later, almost all the servers crashed due to the large number of forms being submitted simultaneously. Epoch Navigators personnel had to publicly announce specific submission days for each region to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

A month later, while Joy was attending class, he received a notification on his phone. It was an email. He waited for the class to end before opening the message.

Subject: Congratulations! You've Won a Time Travel Experience!

Dear Joy Gongsun,

Congratulations! You've been selected as a winner of our Time Travel Experience Lottery! Please keep this win confidential and do not share any details of your prize with others.Your tour is scheduled for the 27th of this month at the Epoch Navigators HQ, Zhong Zun.

Please reply to confirm your attendance and acceptance within 7 days.Thank you for your discretion and cooperation.

We look forward to your journey.Best wishes,

Epoch Navigators

Joy's pupils widened as he read the subject line. His heart raced, and a surge of energy flowed through every vein and capillary in his body. He couldn't contain himself and jumped in excitement.

Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't care. He didn't care if people saw him in this state—whether he cried a river or leaped like a monkey. In his hands was something only a few would be incredibly lucky to glimpse.

As he sat on a nearby bench and read the full letter, he felt a slight unease about the requirement for discretion. If it were up to him, he would grab a microphone and shout to the world, "I won, suckers! Not you—definitely not you—but me!"

He quickly returned to his room, skipping the other classes he was supposed to attend. He initially composed a long, essay-like reply thanking the entire company and expressing his gratitude, with occasional mentions of his life.

However, in the end, he condensed his response to a simple seven-line reply that included a brief thank you, a confirmation of his acceptance, and an affirmation of the requested discretion.

As he boarded the bus to reach the Epoch Navigators headquarters, he reminisced about the day he first heard the announcement of CHRONOS's commercial launch and his success in the lottery. The past few days had been filled with nervousness and excitement.

He had spent sleepless nights planning his approach to the machine, imagining the feel of its surface on his fingers, and getting a good look at it from every possible angle. Even now, his palms were sweating as he thought about it.

Lost in his thoughts, he felt a vibration on his phone. He saw an incoming call from "Dad," and his heart sank. His father rarely called him, especially this early in the day, so something important must have prompted the call.

Answering the call, he heard his father's dry voice.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, hello, I'm here," Joy replied.

"What are you doing?" his father's voice reflected apathy.

"Just going to college." For Joy, lying had become natural when speaking to his father. It wasn't because he was good at lying, but because his father never seemed to care about what he said.

"I see. Anyway, I had something to tell you. Are you free to talk now, or should I call tonight?"

"No, it's fine. I can talk now."

"Okay. So you already know about Shin's interest in getting admission to Greendale University, right?"

"Yeah." How could he forget? It was this decision that had made him compromise his own dream and attend this university, which was barely worthy of his capabilities. Sometimes he even had to correct the professors who had been teaching incorrect information for decades.

"So, recently his performance has been somewhat underwhelming. To help him achieve his goals, I've decided to enroll him in additional cramming classes. What do you think?"

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea." Joy pondered his father's suggestion. He wasn't surprised by his brother's underwhelming results; it was the constant oversight from his father that had led to his success, something Joy longed to experience. Now, with Shin's aspiration to join Greendale (a goal instilled in him by their father), his father had been working overtime and had lost his previous control over him.

"Regarding that, I might need to cut back on some expenses. I may have to reduce your budget slightly; it shouldn't be a significant change, though." This would be a significant change, Joy thought. He was barely managing with his current budget, and even a small reduction might force him to move to a smaller room. "Also, how are your studies going?"

This was unusual—his father rarely asked Joy about his studies, although Joy still sent him his results. "They're going well."

"Are you sure? I've heard in the news that the new syllabus is proving strenuous for new students. How about you take a break?"

Joy fell silent, anticipating what was coming next.

"Think about it," his father continued. "After completing a semester, you could take a year off to relax and maybe even discover yourself."

He couldn't believe it had come to this. He knew there would be no break. After he returned, he would be burdened with chores and menial tasks, and protesting the decision would hardly matter. His father would either persuade him with his talks or compel him with his rage. It had always been this way.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. I might call you tonight. Okay." The line clicked, signaling the end of the call.

He lowered his phone and stared into space. Is it really ending like this? he thought. He remembered times when he was happy, when her smile brightened the room, and how he actually felt safe. But those memories were fading, replaced by disappointment.

"We have reached Zhong Zun." A man tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality. Everyone on the bus was staring at him, as if they expected him to do something. Embarrassed, he got up from his seat and exited the bus.

Upon disembarking, he saw the gigantic skyscrapers that overshadowed the other buildings by a large margin. Even before entering the city, you could already sense the presence of Epoch Navigators Headquarters.

What made the headquarters remarkable was not just their immense size, but the engineering marvel that was once thought unachievable with current technology.

Four cylindrical skyscrapers surrounded a square central skyscraper in a semicircular formation, with the central building being the tallest. All the buildings were interconnected by bridges at various levels, facilitating easy transportation for employees. These bridges converged at the central building, giving the complex the appearance of a singular structure.

Behind the skyscrapers stood a large dome-like building where hands-on work and experiments were conducted, unlike the skyscrapers, which were primarily concerned with bureaucracy and corporate affairs.

As he approached the premises of the headquarters, he had almost forgotten about the whole incident with his dad. Upon reaching the gate, he was questioned with the usual queries that he had practiced answering in case complications arose.

Once they opened the gate, Joy walked through. Behind him, the gatekeeper seemed to be speaking to someone over his radio. The only comprehensible words Joy caught were, "... the fourth one's here."

Joy didn't mind that much; he was more focused on the mesmerizing sights before him. The employees' park was much larger than average, with fountains and a huge statue of a plane that seemed to twist in on itself. He recognized it as a Möbius strip.

He entered the central building's reception area and provided his information. The receptionist's eyes widened as he explained his presence. Once he finished, she called upon someone else to take her place, then stood up from the reception desk and asked him to follow her.

If it weren't for her guidance, he would have struggled to find the room he had been assigned to. With her leading the way, all he had to do was follow her.

He saw many people in professional suits, along with others dressed casually or wearing lab coats. Some floors were filled with employees working in their cubicles, while others were dedicated to individual projects.

After about 15 minutes of walking and changing lifts, she finally stopped in front of a door with a nameplate that read, "Mr. Johnson."

She knocked gently on the door three times and stood still with grace. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a tall, blond American man with parted hair exuding a sense of command.

"He's here, Mr. John," she said, gesturing toward Joy. "Is there anything you'd like me to do?"

"That will be all, Ms. Huang," he replied with a deep voice. She nodded and left immediately, leaving Joy standing in front of him.

Joy stared at the man for a moment, then thought it might be rude, so he lowered his gaze. He tried to find the words to speak but couldn't. There was no context; he didn't even know this man. Was he perhaps a guard assigned to deal with imposters? Joy was scared.

"Mr. Gongsun, right?" the man asked.

Joy nodded.

"Please come in," he said, stepping away from the door to let Joy enter. Joy accepted and walked inside. "And please take a seat; there's some water on the table if you'd like."

Joy sat down as instructed and took a sip from the water bottle on the table. John followed him in and sat across the table from him.

"So, you know what you're here for. But if not, let me briefly explain: Epoch Navigators has decided to make the power of CHRONOS accessible to everyone. We believe that everyone should have the right to experience CHRONOS if they wish. So, we organized a lottery, which you have won, and you will be among the first to experience it."

"But there's one thing I have to ask you: Why did you want us to respect your discretion?"

John smiled and sat up straight. "It's just that we don't want your private life to be affected by this. However, if you want to reveal your identity, you are welcome to do so."

"I still have some ques—" Joy was cut off by John.

"Okay, we're running late. How about we get started on your journey?" John said, standing up from his seat.

Joy found himself once again following someone through a maze of corridors, this time a different guide leading him along.

"So, I can't travel to the future?" Joy asked.

"No, and we have a meter that records your current time to ensure you don't travel beyond that time point," John replied.

"Can I meet my past self?"

"Well, technically, you won't be meeting your original self. As you know, with CHRONOS, each trip to the past creates a new event sequence for the world, beginning with the machine's intrusion into history."

"Isn't that kind of violating ethical principles?"

"Oh, no. We have a team of ethicists who have assured us it is completely fine."

Several questions followed from Joy, which John tried his best to answer, but whenever Joy asked about not sharing the information about his winning with anyone, John always managed to change the subject.

First, Joy underwent a process akin to steam treatment. John explained that if he traveled to the past with his current microorganisms, he would likely start a new plague. Therefore, the treatment cleared him of any threat to past humans.

After several procedures and meetings with people whom Joy assumed held high positions in the company, he finally reached the dome-like building where the machine was housed.

It looked just like the pictures. Joy's eyes were fixed on the machine, and even as he was about to experience it, he still couldn't believe he had been given this chance.

The machine was egg-shaped, with a seat inside it visible through a glass covering constructed only on the front of the machine. This glass partially detached to allow the rider to enter.

Joy mounted the machine and sat comfortably in it. As instructed, he pressed the green button to close the glass shell.

John gave a thumbs up to check if everything was fine. Joy gave a thumbs up in return. Joy turned the dial until 1800 was displayed on the screen, and then he pushed the dial.

In an instant, sparks of blue electricity surrounded the machine. From John's perspective, the machine seemed to be transforming in shape, as though it was collapsing in on itself. The space around it appeared to be affected as well.

For Joy, his surroundings were growing dark. It seemed as if the light was being cut off from the corners of the glass, and darkness began to envelop him. Soon, the small corner of light turned into a circle, and outside the circle, there was only darkness, as if he was being swallowed by a hole, leaving only a small fraction of light to observe the outside world.

The blue electricity now seemed to pass through slowly, and he could follow its path with his eyes. Everything around him began to move slowly.

John saw the machine bending unnaturally, shrinking with each blink, and the intensity of the electric sparks seemed to increase. Suddenly, the sparks discharged a huge bolt of lightning, and every light source turned off.

When the emergency red lights turned on, everyone could see that the machine, which had been standing on the platform just moments before, now seemed to have disappeared, as if it had never existed.

After waiting for five hours in the same place, hoping for Joy's return, John turned to the person working on the computer.

"So, it's a failure then?" John asked.

"We set the time for 3 hours and 45 minutes. If he's still not here, I don't think there's much chance he'll return now," the person responded.

John pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the recipient picked up the call, he made no small talk.

"Experiment 4 failed. I'll send you the data to analyze by tonight."