Chapter Five: Greetings from Two Worlds

As the voltage climbed to 360 volts, Wang Jing shouted, "I think I'm about to cross over...!" Before he could finish, he and Li Xian vanished from the central platform.

"Hurry! Data—quantum state data—did you record everything?" Watching Wang Jing and Li Xian disappear, Song Guohua shouted anxiously at his assistant.

"Everything's recorded, Professor Song. It's incredible!" the assistant replied, awe in his voice.

Just like before, the world spun, and Wang Jing found himself once again in the Wandering Earth universe.

Their sudden appearance startled the nearby rescue workers. Wang Jing realized they were right outside the police station where he had been detained during the last crossing.

"We are Earthlings from another dimension. We can help you escape Jupiter's gravitational pull! Take us to your United Government!" Wang Jing said, quickly removing his helmet.

He pulled out the mobile phone Song Guohua had given him. "The information inside will prove our identity!"

After Wang Jing spoke, silence hung in the air for two seconds before someone stepped forward, took the phone, and began to examine its contents. As the rescue worker watched the videos introducing various countries, his jaw dropped in disbelief, staring at Wang Jing—a clearly Asian face, speaking flawless Mandarin.

Seeing that he was believed, Wang Jing urgently warned, "Hurry up! You don't have much time. Once Earth passes the rigid Roche limit of Jupiter, it will be too late!"

"Oh! Right! Please wait here, I'll report this immediately!" the rescue worker said, dashing off.

The rest of the rescue crew stared, bewildered, at Wang Jing and Li Xian in their strange protective suits.

Feeling all eyes on him, Wang Jing handed his helmet to Li Xian and shouted, "What are you looking at? Get back to rescuing people! There could be aftershocks at any moment!"

He began clearing rubble, tossing it aside.

His command snapped everyone back to their tasks, though now and then someone approached to ask strange questions: "Are you really from another Earth?" "How did you come to our world?" "Is your sun also dying?"

To each question, Wang Jing answered patiently. Li Xian, meanwhile, was conflicted. Before coming, he had been told his sole responsibility was Wang Jing's safety, nothing more—unless it was a matter of security.

Now, however, Wang Jing was revealing everything, which made the soldier in Li Xian deeply uneasy.

About five minutes later, the rescue worker who had gone to report returned, breathless, holding a tablet, followed by two guards in powered exoskeletons.

"That's them," the rescue worker said, bent over and pointing at Wang Jing and Li Xian, who stood out in the crowd.

Hearing this, Wang Jing and Li Xian turned. Seeing the armed soldiers, Li Xian immediately stepped forward, shielding Wang Jing.

But the expected confrontation didn’t happen. The two soldiers saluted them, and one said, "We've been ordered to escort you to Underground City One."

The rescue worker handed the tablet to Li Xian, swallowing nervously. "The United Government wishes to speak with you."

Li Xian opened the tablet. Five faces appeared on the screen; of them, only the President of the United States was familiar, though Wang Jing guessed the identities of the other four.

Standing behind Li Xian, Wang Jing drew closer, surprised and amused at how much the leaders resembled their counterparts.

"We've received your goodwill, and thank you for coming to help us in this crisis. Please follow the people in front of you to a safer place, where we can discuss rescue plans," one of the leaders said sincerely.

"No!" Wang Jing interjected.

Before they could question him, Wang Jing continued, "We don't have much time. If you want to escape Jupiter's gravity, I must reach the Navigator Space Station as soon as possible!"

He took out the phone and sent a document to the tablet. "Here is the detailed rescue plan. You'll understand once you've read it."

"MOSS, is this plan feasible?" The US President asked after reading.

MOSS responded, "If dimensional travel is indeed possible, the plan is viable."

"The nearest rocket launch site is 1,526 kilometers from your location. MOSS will guide you. Safe travels!" the leader said with conviction.

"Captain Huang Peng, Lieutenant Zhou Min, you must escort these two to the designated location safely!" another voice ordered.

"We guarantee to complete the mission!" Huang Peng and Zhou Min replied with crisp salutes.

The meeting ended. Li Xian handed the tablet back to the rescue worker, then stepped forward to shake hands with Huang Peng and Zhou Min. "Hello, I'm Li Xian."

Wang Jing smiled and introduced himself as well. "I'm Wang Jing."

The two soldiers nodded. "Please come with us. It will take several hours to cover the 1,500 kilometers."

Wang Jing and Li Xian nodded and followed.

Once on the surface, their team had grown from four to twenty-two. Two all-terrain armored vehicles awaited them.

Climbing aboard, Wang Jing barely had time to look around before a military medic strapped him into a seat harness. "Sit tight. Once we get moving, we won’t have time to look after you."

"I can take care of myself," Wang Jing replied.

The medic just smiled and took his own seat.

When the armored vehicle roared to life, Wang Jing understood the medic’s warning. Its raw power pinned him to his seat. The earthquake had left the roads cracked and strewn with rubble.

Despite the vehicle's superior handling and shock absorption, Wang Jing felt as if he might fall apart from the jolting, until they were ten kilometers away from the planetary engine and the roads finally improved.

Only then did Wang Jing strike up a conversation with the medic beside him. "Hey, what’s your name?"