When I regained consciousness from the dizziness, the surrounding environment had drastically changed.
This was a clearing in the forest, covered with fallen leaves and surrounded by towering ancient trees. When I looked beyond these tall trees, I could only see an increasingly dark forest, and occasionally bits of sunlight that leaked through the gaps in the branches. Looking up, the clear sky formed a beautiful silhouette among the crisscrossing ancient tree branches, sharply contrasting with the eerie darkness of the forest around the clearing.
I had never seen such a pure sky.
"What is this place..." I mumbled to myself, shaking my groggy head.
Pandora's slightly mechanical voice, unique to her when analyzing issues, sounded beside me, "Discover environment parameter change... recalibrating... gravity reloading... atmospheric data reloading... environmental energy analysis... full-spectrum scanning system activated... Brother, it seems a malfunctioning Spirit Beacon Sister Qianqian was carrying caused us to arrive in a new world, and there are no records of it in the existing database..."
So, the legendary traversal finally happened to me?
This was too ridiculous, right?!
I indeed panicked a bit the moment I heard the news, but I quickly calmed down—Pandora could jump directly from the Xyrin Mother Star to Earth, so she must have a way to return from this world.
I had great confidence in the Xyrin Empire's technology.
"Huh? Where are the others?" I looked around and found that only Pandora, an unconscious Lin Xue, and I were here. The others, including Qianqian, were nowhere to be seen.
Pandora closed her eyes. After a while, she reopened them and said, "The distance between this world and Earth is not too far, and contact with Sicaro has been successfully established. Only the three of us were accidentally transported to this planet. Everyone else has safely left the ruins and is returning to the base now. I've already asked Sicaro to report our safety."
"When can we go back?" I asked, having no interest in exploring this unfamiliar world. If we encountered something even Pandora couldn't handle, it would be a huge problem. Although adventuring in other worlds sounded good, going back as soon as possible was better. Dying here wouldn't be responsible to Qianqian and Sis.
Pandora emitted a faint electrical sound and then said, "The space jump system needs to cool down; it requires 72 hours until the next activation."
It seemed we had no choice but to stay in this world for three days—I just hoped the food here was digestible for me.
To safely navigate through the next three days in the Otherworld, I needed to have a preliminary understanding of it. The best way to understand it was to ask the multifunctional loli radar beside me.
At this moment, a faint groan interrupted my thoughts, revealing that Lin Xue had slowly awakened.
"Ugh—Chen Jun?" Lin Xue struggled to sit up; the first person she saw was me standing beside her. Her sharp perception quickly noticed the odd surroundings.
"...What is this place?!" Lin Xue exclaimed in surprise, "Why is the environment so strange? There are many unfamiliar energies in the air."
I reached out to pull Lin Xue up and said, "Welcome to the Otherworld."
"It seems we've traveled due to a small accident."
Lin Xue's face quickly showed a panicked expression, and she asked in a flustered tone, "Chen Jun, what did you say? Traveled?! You're not joking, right?"
Out of a mischievous mood, I decided not to tell Lin Xue that we could return to our original world within three days. Instead, I said matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's no joke. Can't you feel the abnormality of the surroundings? You've never felt this on Earth, right?"
Upon hearing my reply, Lin Xue finally accepted the fact of traveling and asked worriedly, "So what do we do now? If we can't go back, what about everyone on Earth..."
"That's something to consider later. Our most urgent task now is—I'm hungry."
Of course, hungry. Since departing from Exile Town to encountering the danger at the ruins and then traveling, I hadn't eaten anything. Half a day had passed, and my stomach was already growling. At my reminder, Lin Xue's stomach cooperated with a "grumble," making her embarrassed.
"Is there anything here we can eat?" Lin Xue looked around at the unfamiliar plants but didn't find anything that resembled food.
I noticed that in this foreign world, the usually stubborn Lin Xue, who often bickered with me, finally stopped causing trouble and began relying on me. Even the little witch Lin Xue had a gentle side like a girl.
"Warning—detected strong energy reaction, large carbon-based lifeform approaching—" Pandora's voice suddenly echoed in my mind. At the same time, Lin Xue hid behind me with a panicked tone and said, "Chen Jun, I feel something very powerful approaching!"
One of the three laws of traversal: the protagonist encounters an enemy scene...
As I felt powerless to mock the cliché plot, a low growl came from above us, and the next second, the sky darkened.
"Ah—" Lin Xue exclaimed, "What is that?!"
"Please read more novels and watch more movies, what you see is a creature specifically designed in various novels to provide the protagonist with experience for leveling up—a dragon."
"Nonsense, I know it's a dragon. I just exclaimed to match the atmosphere!"
I was defeated by this bad-tempered, face-saving Lin Xue...
During our conversation, the huge black lizard in the sky had already spotted three seemingly nutritious and preservative-free food items on the ground. It let out a low roar and dived towards us.
Weren't dragons in other worlds supposed to be highly intelligent and proud creatures? Why did this one look like a hungry beast?!
Amid Lin Xue's screams, I quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Heavenly Light!"
Three white light beams descended from the sky, blocking the front and both sides of the dragon. But to my disappointment, the big-bellied lizard was more agile than I expected. It quickly folded its wings, tilted its body, and narrowly threaded through the gaps between the beams.
It dodged such a swift and unexpected attack with ease. It seemed impossible for me to bring it down. However, my scare made the dragon much more cautious; it retreated slightly and began circling around us.
While I was still sighing at my missed, sure-hit strike, Lin Xue's puzzled voice came over, "Chen Jun, didn't you say this attack had many limitations and required charging? Why does it look so easy for you to unleash now?"
Uh, I forgot Lin Xue was here in a moment of urgency...
Should I kill her to keep the secret?
No way... that would be too unharmonious.
Anyway, we're not on Earth. It's fine to use some unfair methods, right? As long as Lin Xue can keep the secret—although she usually doesn't get along with me, I trust her ability to keep secrets. If not, it would still be time to have Kaos modify her memory when we return to Earth.
So, I put on a very serious expression, stared into Lin Xue's eyes, and said, "Comrade Lin Xue, there is a matter concerning the survival of humanity. I hope you will agree to my request."
If you don't agree, I can't guarantee what those Xyrin Empire war mongers would do to a human who knows the truth...
Seeing my unprecedentedly serious expression, Lin Xue nervously swallowed and said, "You're not planning to ask me to fulfill the mission of reproducing humanity in this world, are you?"
This girl reads too many web novels...
"I'm just asking you to keep a secret," I flicked her forehead lightly, somewhat helplessly, "About the secret between me and Pan Lili."
"Oh, I thought..." Lin Xue blushed and didn't mind my flicking her forehead, "If it's just keeping a secret, don't worry!"
"Very well..." I smiled slightly and turned back, "Pandora-zero! For the Empire, roast that attacker for me!"