Chapter 5: This is Really Earth

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After a while, Jiang Roujia finally stopped crying and took the drink Yun Qianfeng handed her. She sipped it gently, calming herself down. Her tears were not only a result of sending the voice message to Qin Shuying but also an emotional release of the certainty of the results.

Before, no matter how she insisted that she wasn't crazy, she still had doubts about herself. But now, that doubt was gone, as there was concrete evidence proving she wasn't crazy, and that someone else had a problem.

Having been seen as mentally ill for so long, the feeling of being misunderstood was beyond words. But at this moment, she finally had objective proof that she was right.

Yun Qianfeng tried to ignore her beauty and asked, "Are you calm now?"

Jiang Roujia nodded slightly, making a soft "Mm" sound. She looked pitifully at Yun Qianfeng and asked with concern, "You mentioned that someone or some force erased all evidence of my brother's existence within a certain range. Yun Qianfeng, do you think my brother might have already been... killed? Maybe even before he was born?"

Yun Qianfeng shook his head and said, "No, that's not possible. You can rest assured about that. If what you said were true, it means your brother was erased on a macroscopic material level, and in that case, you wouldn't retain any memories of him ever existing. So, your brother must have survived at least until the last time you two communicated. Therefore, this can at most be some sort of urban legend, like the Blue Light Project, which has the ability to change and influence human memories on a microscopic level. It's a microscopic force, and it definitely doesn't involve time travel on a macroscopic material level. We will find your brother."

"Hmm!"

Although Jiang Roujia didn't know what the Blue Light Project was, she wholeheartedly believed in Yun Qianfeng's abilities. "He's so amazing," she thought, "He deduced the existence of my brother in this world just by observing the differences between the mother and son. I couldn't have imagined it myself. He's so capable! Whatever he says must be true."

Jiang Roujia became obedient, looking at Yun Qianfeng like an attentive primary school student, and asked, "So, what should we do now?"

Yun Qianfeng didn't hesitate, as if he had already thought about what to do next. He said, "Take me to see the materials your brother collected and checked. I need to know what he was up to and where he went!"

If before, Yun Qianfeng was only planning to deceive and get some money, now he genuinely wanted to help this girl. At the same time, he was curious about what kind of force could change the memories of so many people.

It's important to note that Jiang Yulin was a wealthy man with considerable social influence. The fact that someone of his stature disappeared without anyone noticing was terrifying.

Yun Qianfeng even started to wonder if he himself had his memories altered. He couldn't fathom such a thing happening to him, and that thought was even scarier!

If that were the case, would there still be a genuine reality in this world?

Seeing Yun Qianfeng's inquiry, Jiang Roujia shook her head and sighed, "All the materials my brother collected have disappeared. I don't know where they went; it's like they vanished into thin air. However, I remember most of the information he accessed, and I also remember the two maps he used to hang in the basement. We can start by going to the bookstore and buy all the materials I can recall."

This was undoubtedly a daunting task.

Before Qin Yulin's disappearance, he had collected an enormous amount of information. The two of them filled the trunk with thick books, covering topics like myths and legends from various countries, the history of Earth, the history of time, archaeological discoveries of Sumerian civilization, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gospel of Judas, Da Vinci's manuscripts, Shanhaijing, the evolution of Chinese characters, cuneiform script studies, Zuo Zhuan and Yangcheng, the Zhou Yi mathematical classic, and the stars from ten thousand years ago.

Jiang Roujia bought all the books she could remember, but there was one particular map she could never find. She didn't know the name of the map but remembered that its shape was extremely unique and didn't resemble the land patterns of Earth.

Looking at so much information, Yun Qianfeng felt relieved. Reading through all of this would indeed take a long time, and for him, time was money.

Before resolving this matter, the two of them had to stick together, so Jiang Roujia directly drove Yun Qianfeng back to her home.

Yun Qianfeng considered himself well-traveled, having seen many big flats and single-family villas, but today he realized he was mistaken. Jiang Roujia's home was not a big flat or a villa; it was a seven-acre garden with pavilions and terraces, and even an artificial lake with a small island in the middle.

At times, Yun Qianfeng had thought that such residences only existed in ancient times under imperial authority, the dwellings of high-ranking officials. He never expected that such places still existed in modern times.

Passing a pair of stone lions at the gate, crossing over the high threshold, and entering through the north-facing red-painted double doors, they were greeted by a setting with ancient charm, as if they had traveled back in time.

Walking on the meticulously laid bluestone road, flanked by pine trees and peculiar rocks, they arrived at the main building after a few minutes.

The basement was quite spacious, divided into three areas. The innermost, the quietest location, was Jiang Yulin's studio. Adjacent to the lower garden was the fitness area, where various gym equipment was placed. Next to the fitness area was the relaxation zone, featuring a small bar counter and several rattan chairs.

After two trips, they finally moved all the books to Qin Yulin's spacious studio.

Yes, it was truly spacious, but apart from the basic decor and furniture, there was nothing else. According to Jiang Roujia, everything inside had disappeared into thin air.

Looking at the shelves filled with books again, Yun Qianfeng asked:

"Which books did your brother read the most before his departure?" Yun Qianfeng asked.

Jiang Roujia took three books from the shelf and replied, "These three books were always on my brother's desk, and every time I came, they were spread open and used as paperweights. I believe these were the ones he consulted most frequently."

Yun Qianfeng spread the three books on the desk. They were titled "Left Ancestral Right Social with Yang City," "Zhou Yi Mathematical Classic," and "Ten Thousand and Two Thousand Years Ago: The Celestial Sky."

Looking at the three books, Yun Qianfeng furrowed his brow slightly and murmured, "Two star maps and one civilization speculation. What do they have to do with the primitive rainforest of Myanmar and Vietnam?"

He then shifted his gaze to the detailed map of the primitive rainforest of Myanmar and Vietnam and fell into deep thought.

Seeing Yun Qianfeng deep in thought, Jiang Roujia quietly went to the relaxation area and brought two bottles of water.

Just as she returned, Yun Qianfeng asked her, "Did your brother make any marks on this map?"

Handing him the water, Jiang Roujia pointed to a mountain on the map and said, "On this map, my brother only marked this mountain peak. There were no other marks. However, on another map, he made many marks, but I couldn't find that map at the bookstore."

Yun Qianfeng looked at the location Jiang Roujia pointed to and murmured, "It's Mount Paben, the highest peak in this rainforest."

Curious, Jiang Roujia asked, "Could my brother have gone to Mount Paben?"

Yun Qianfeng pondered and replied, "It's hard to say, but I don't think it's that simple. Now, I want you to do two things."

Jiang Roujia immediately asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Yun Qianfeng handed her the mineral water and said, "First, get me a Coke instead, preferably Coca-Cola, not Pepsi. Pepsi is too sweet."

Jiang Roujia looked at Yun Qianfeng and pursed her lips, showing signs of wanting to scold him, but it was evident that she held back.

"What about the second thing?" she asked.

"Let's talk about it after you bring the Coke," Yun Qianfeng replied.

After drinking the refreshing Coke and belching, Yun Qianfeng said, "Now, draw everything you remember about the other map. Draw as much as you can recall."

Jiang Roujia found it challenging as she said, "I... I only remember the rough outline. I can't recall anything else. I wasn't interested in those details at that time."

Yun Qianfeng nodded and reassured her, "It's okay. Just draw as much as you can remember."

Jiang Roujia's drawing skills were good, but as she had mentioned, besides the rough outline, she couldn't recall anything else.

"This is the outline. There is definitely no such landmass on Earth. I don't understand why my brother would draw such a map. I only remember this much. It might not be very helpful, but I'll try my best to find the source of this map," she explained.

To her surprise, Yun Qianfeng was enthusiastic about the outline that seemed insignificant to Jiang Roujia. After seeing it, he clapped his hands and said, "Your brother's map depicts a landmass on Earth. Although I can't draw it, I can piece it together on the computer. Connect the projector and the computer, and let's start drawing immediately!"

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