A sphere of light formed from primordial power hovered in midair. Before long, it solidified into a tangible object.
"A nuclear warhead?"
Staring at the warhead before him, Yuzhou was momentarily speechless.
What was the point of materializing something like this? It was not as if he kept MUTOs…
"Forget it. Better than nothing."
Yuzhou emptied a spatial ring and dedicated it specifically to storing items created through materialization.
…
With the assistance of construction robots, China's reconstruction progressed at astonishing speed.
In just one month, ten major cities were rebuilt.
Under the coordination of official authorities, urban operations quickly returned to normal.
As for Yuzhou's small village, it could no longer be called a village at all. During reconstruction, it had been designated as a key development area.
Now, it had become a small town.
Because construction advanced so rapidly, refugees from nearby villages gradually moved in as well.
The town had grown lively and bustling.
"We can finally go shopping again."
Camearra smiled as she linked her arm through Yuzhou's, clearly planning to stroll through the newly rebuilt streets together.
She also intended to buy some nourishing food for Yuzhou at the market. After all, the so-called "grand plan of creating life" was indeed quite taxing on the kidneys.
Naturally, Yuzhou accompanied her. Otherwise, if they ran into some insignificant street thug, Camearra might very well slap him to death on the spot.
Time passed swiftly.
Before long, it was time for the spatial vortex to open once again.
Ever since he gained the ability to enter the myriad worlds beyond the Ultraman universe, Yuzhou had not returned to the Ultraman world.
Thinking about it, that was perfectly normal. There were countless planes of existence, and the Ultraman world was but one among them.
The spatial vortex connected to destinations at random. Failing to return to the Ultraman world was hardly surprising.
After making his preparations, Yuzhou stepped into the spatial vortex as usual.
When he emerged again, he found himself in an unfamiliar wilderness.
Wild grass grew unchecked all around, with only a single yellow dirt road cutting through the landscape.
"So… I've landed in the middle of nowhere?"
Yuzhou sighed helplessly. Surveying his surroundings, he saw nothing but weeds and barren land, an atmosphere of desolation.
Occasionally, a few crows flew across the sky. Yuzhou remained alert for a moment, but they were merely ordinary crows—not some alien crow species.
With no one in sight, he had no way to determine which plane he had arrived in.
However, based on past experience, the landing point usually had some connection to the plot of the world.
Unhurried, Yuzhou decided to follow the dirt road and walk forward at a leisurely pace.
Before long, however, the previously clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down.
Looking up, Yuzhou felt that the clouds had gathered far too conveniently—something about it seemed unnatural.
Then again, he did not even know which world he was in. In such a place, unnatural phenomena were practically the norm.
He retrieved an automatic umbrella from his spatial ring and pressed the button to open it.
Until he confirmed the nature of this world, observation came first.
Otherwise, under such heavy rain, he would usually just summon a spaceship and take shelter inside.
Walking through the rain was fine in itself, but the yellow dirt road quickly turned into a muddy mess.
With no other choice, Yuzhou resigned himself to changing shoes later.
After walking for a while, he reached a fork in the road and paused slightly.
On the other muddy path, a man drenched like a drowned rat was running toward him in a hurry.
Seeing this man, Yuzhou was surprised.
The man's clothing was clearly different from Yuzhou's T-shirt and casual trousers.
Even soaked by rain, it was obvious that the man wore a common style of ancient gray cloth garments.
He had a black cloth cap on his head and carried a bamboo basket on his back, its contents unknown.
Judging from his refined appearance and scholarly demeanor, he seemed to be a learned man.
Holding a paper umbrella that was barely holding together, the man hurried toward Yuzhou.
"So this probably isn't a modern world."
Yuzhou's thoughts settled, and he formed a rough conclusion.
Standing where he was, Yuzhou intended to greet the man as he passed. Unexpectedly, the man merely glanced at him, then—clearly wary and frightened—hurried past.
Yuzhou raised his hand to greet him, only to be left awkwardly frozen.
Still, he needed to understand this world's situation, so he could not let the man leave so easily.
"Brother, wait a moment!"
Yuzhou called out.
Startled by the shout, the man stumbled in fear and fell onto the muddy road, rolling and covering himself in filth.
He quickly turned back, lowered his head, and spoke in a pleading tone:
"Hero, spare my life! I'm only passing through—I don't have a single coin on me!"
Yuzhou: "…"
Did he really look like a bandit?
Glancing down at his own clothing, Yuzhou realized that his modern attire was likely the cause of the man's suspicion.
Adjusting his expression to appear friendlier, Yuzhou helped the man to his feet and said:
"Don't panic. I'm not a bad person. I just want to ask for directions."
"May I ask your name?"
"Huh?" The man slowly raised his head and finally dared to look at Yuzhou directly, though his gaze lingered most on Yuzhou's clothes.
"Oh, I just returned from a foreign land. These clothes are from there—I haven't had the chance to change yet."
Yuzhou offered a brief explanation.
"So that's how it is!" The man visibly relaxed. "I thought as much—sir, your features are exceptionally fine. You don't look like a vicious criminal."
"Blunt, but honest."
Even Yuzhou felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
This man was surprisingly straightforward.
"By the way," the man continued, "my name is Ning Caichen. How should I address you, sir?"
Hearing the name, Yuzhou was genuinely taken aback.
"I'm surnamed Yu, given name Zhou," he replied, then confirmed, "You just said… your name is Ning Caichen?"
"Yes," Ning Caichen answered. "The Ning from 'peace,' the Cai from 'to gather,' and the Chen from 'subject.' Is there something wrong, Mr. Yu Zhou?"
"No, nothing." Yuzhou nodded. Then an automatic umbrella appeared in his hand. He opened it and handed it to Ning Caichen. "Your umbrella is already broken. Take this one."
"Many thanks!" Ning Caichen accepted it without hesitation and tossed his broken umbrella aside. Then he hesitated and asked, "But… this umbrella wasn't here just now. How did it appear?"
"And it doesn't seem to be made of oiled paper. Why does it repel the rain so well?"
(End of Chapter)