I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

  "Understood."

  The five of them approached Chen Chen. One of them produced a metal rod and turned to a small audience that was attracted by the commotion and yelled, "Look this way, ladies and gentlemen-"

  "Click!"

  The metal rod emitted a blinding flash that threw the onlookers into a state of daze.

  The man who previously opened fire at Chen Chen and another four members slowly approached the downed target. When they noticed the scorching hole burnt into Chen Chen's chest, they were placated. As far as they were concerned, anyone who sustained an injury of this degree was undoubtedly dead!

  However, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly froze as an eerie silence took over the night...

  They felt as if all the air in this space was stripped away. It was an odd sensation that they had never experienced before. They exchanged confused glances with each other and all realized that they were suddenly unable to breathe!

  It was as if the air in their surroundings had turned into a solid mass and would not flow anymore. Unable to draw oxygen in their lungs, they could only wait for their death to arrive...

  "What, what's going on?"

  They stumbled backward with their arms around their throat and gaped at the corpse on top of the crumpled car. At that moment, the body of the supposed corpse suddenly jolted and rose!

  "You dare to shoot me?"

  A piercing glare appeared in Chen Chen's eyes. With a subtle gesture, he lifted all five of them into the air and they were completely immobilized by an invisible chain wrapped around them tightly. The man who previously shot at Chen Chen had it the worst. Blood was spilling out of his nose and ears and his eyes rolled backward!

  "Let me go!"

  The only woman in the group howled like a caged beast. Chen Chen sensed a familiar energy swelling within each of them. Like bubbles breaking through still water's surface, this energy threatened to repel his Field!

  However, their power was too feeble to render themselves free. Only the woman managed to barely squeeze herself out of Chen Chen's Field. She produced a metal rod from her waist and with a flick, a bolt of laser appeared from it and she charged at Chen Chen with the weapon ready.

  "Lightsaber?"

  Chen Chen was taken aback by this and seemed to have understood something. He only squinted at the approaching enemy's direction and summoned a tremendous charge of Field and slammed it into her!

  "Boom!"

  The tremendous force flung her into a wall on the opposite end of the street!

  "Stop!"

  It was around this point when Chen Chen heard a slightly familiar voice that seemed to call out to him from a distance. He only spared a glance at the direction in which the voice came from and proceeded to ignore it and redirect his attention to the man who previously shot a hole in his chest.

  "Poof!"

  In an instant, the man's head burst into a cloud of mist and his body sloped lifelessly!

  "Carter!"

  The others screamed upon witnessing the traumatizing sight of their comrade murdered. Meanwhile, the person who previously called out to Chen Chen had entered the range of his Field. Chen Chen could make out that this person was a Chinese man like himself!

  "Let them go!"

  The Chinese man who arrived was enraged upon seeing the sight of his subordinates butchered mercilessly. Instead of using conventional weapons, he only motioned subtly with his hand and summoned a black slate in the center of his palm that appeared out of thin air!

  "Zoom!"

  The moment this person produced the black slate, Chen Chen felt a pang of pain deep inside his mind. It felt like there was a tremor in the deepest corners of his mind that disoriented so greatly he could not maintain control of his Field for the first time ever. He hugged his head in pain and let out an agonizing roar like that of a beast.

  When Chen Chen lost control of Field, the three remaining survivors suspended in the air were dropped onto the hard concrete. They caught their breath urgently and immediately lifted their weapons, aimed at Chen Chen, and fired!

  Three bolts of lasers exited their guns and pierced through Chen Chen. However, they were appalled to see that the laser merely pierced through an afterimage of their target. Chen Chen's supersonic maneuver produced a tremendous sonic explosion, then he reappeared several hundred meters away!

  "What, how did he manage to dodge the Civilization Monolith?"

  They looked at Chen Chen in exasperation and complete astonishment.

  After creating some distance between himself and the opponent, Chen Chen noticed that he managed to wring himself of the effects of the black slate. He shot a cautious look at the mysterious man who appeared last, then he produced a large hourglass-like device from his bag.

  "Thump!"

  Chen Chen thrust the device into the ground and forcefully plunged it close to a hundred meters underground using Field. An invisible shockwave swept through a large radius around it. His opponents immediately sensed that the powers that they took pride in had somehow been suppressed completely!

  "Impossible! Our Force was suppressed!"

  The members who were just rescued by their ally cried out in vexation. They quickly aimed their weapons at Chen Chen again and fired. With a quick stomp on the ground, Chen Chen's figure vanished again, this time disappearing completely from their line of sight!

  "D*mn it, I can't hit him, he's too fast!"

  They cursed out loud.

  The recently-arrived member who seemed to be the leader announced, "Everyone retreat, we've caused a large enough commotion that the officials are going to notice soon. We can't afford to stay here!"

  With that, he quickly carried the heavily wounded woman lying on the ground and prepared to leave.

  They halted as soon as they bolted into a nearby alleyway and looked ahead of them with fright.

  Amid the darkness only a short distance away, they saw Chen Chen's figure standing menacingly like a demon. It occurred to them that this man who possessed terrifying speed would not allow them to leave in peace!

  "Just what do you want!"

  The leader of the group raised his voice and summoned the black slate in the center of his palms again. "Don't you dare get close to us, I'll kill you for real this time!"

  "It's not what I want, it's what you guys want."

  Although Chen Chen was beyond earshot, his voice somehow traveled into their ears. "You guys were the ones who attacked me first, I'm only retaliating."

  "..."

  The man fell into an awkward silence. He considered for a moment then locked his teeth and answered, "I admit it's our fault, but you've already killed the guy who attacked you, so we're square now!"

  "Oh?"

  Chen Chen found himself chuckling at this bold suggestion and mocked condescendingly, "The great Zhao Shanhe, holder of the dimension key, the one who united mankind and established the Earth Federation is proposing such a whimsical compromise?"

  They were petrified upon hearing Chen Chen's words. The leader of the group was especially provoked by this and he looked at Chen Chen like he saw a ghost. "Who are you and how did you know who I am?"

  "Who am I?"

  The sharp question made Chen Chen's laughter grow louder to a point where he was roaring with laughter. "Hahahaha, don't you know how closely related we are! Oh my dear Zhao Shanhe, would you believe it? I was the one who gave you the dimension key you have in your hands now!

  "Hahahahaha!"

  Chapter 585: Swindling |

  The man whom Chen Chen identified as Zhao Shanhe was baffled. "What, you're the former owner of the dimension key?"

  While endless waves were flapping about in his mind, Chen Chen was similarly astounded by this discovery as well. The moment he saw this man appear, he recognized that it was Zhao Shanhe, the one who he met in the past inside the quantum computer, Adam!

  In the video Zhao Shanhe had left behind, he clearly stated that he would venture into the dimension of Event Ho
rizon without specifying a reason. Chen Chen determined that Zhao Shanhe had probably met his demise in the Event Horizon dimension and yet, the exact person in question appeared before him!

  Was it a timeline disturbance? Or perhaps this was the work of another party?

  Countless speculations raced through Chen Chen's mind. He decided that he would need to come up with a believable scheme to extract more information.

  "Of course, who else were you expecting?"

  Chen Chen remarked with a coy smile, "Were you expecting Wang Xi?"

  "You, you even know about Professor Wang Xi..."

  Zhao Shanhe's expression was fixed with shock.

  Upon noting this reaction, Chen Chen became surer of his initial suspicion. Just as expected, Professor Wang Xi must be closely related to the USB drive! This was something he had determined a long time ago when the professor suddenly disappeared, but now he had a clearer confirmation of the fact.

  "You're a student of Shangdu Jiao Tong University, that's also where you obtained the dimension key. Meanwhile, the black slate in your hand, 'Civilization Monolith', comes from 2001: A Space Odyssey."

  Chen Chen went on, his whispers passing into their ears from a distance. "The powers you refer to as the Force originated from Star Wars. Your outfit is inspired by Men in Black, which is also where you obtained the memory eraser... Is everything I've said true so far?"

  "Does this mean that you were the one who planted the antimeme?"

  A wipe of hatred appeared in Zhao Shanhe's eyes. "You planted the antimeme and forced me into this Event Horizon dimension. What are you plotting?"

  "What am I plotting?"

  Chen Chen raised an eyebrow at the accusation and froze briefly. All this time, he assumed that Zhao Shanhe was the person behind the antimeme but now it seemed like Zhao Shanhe was a victim just like himself. Could this mean that someone else was responsible for the antimeme?

  Could the former owner before Zhao Shanhe be Professor Wang Xi? Were all of these the calculated schemes of the professor?

  Again, countless conspiracy theories formed in Chen Chen's mind. He tried to obtain a clearer picture of the current circumstances and stated solemnly, "I'm a victim of the 'I Saw You!' meme just like yourself. I gave you the dimension key because I saw the potential in you. After all, we can only erase the antimeme by coming here, isn't it?"

  From the footage Zhao Shanhe had left behind in the past, he must have come to the Event Horizon after suffering the effects of the antimeme. He must have seen certain prospects in the movie to have done so!

  Chen Chen speculated.

  "You too?"

  A tint of suspicion rose in Zhao Shanhe's eyes upon hearing Chen Chen's claims. He hesitated briefly and wondered. 'Was I mistaken all along? Maybe the former owner wasn't Professor Wang Xi but this young man here instead?'

  The two of them were not ready to lay their cards on the table just yet. Their dialogue had shocked Zhao Shanhe's subordinates to the core.

  "We should join forces."

  After dropping this atomic revelation, Chen Chen suggested. "You and I share the same goal and that is to find some way to get rid of the antimeme and explore the secrets of the dimension key. There's no reason for us to be enemies. We should be on the same side."

  An uncertain look surfaced in Zhao Shanhe's eyes. He did not know whether he could trust this young man or not.

  "How did you get here if you don't have the dimension key?"

  Zhao Shanhe was not entirely convinced yet and enquired further.

  "I have my methods."

  Chen Chen smiled. Just as he was about to continue swindling Zhao Shanhe, the urgent blaring of police sirens coming from the distance interrupted their conversation. The commotion caused by their previous battle had drawn the attention of the Washington police department.

  "Looks like this isn't the best time to talk, I'll see you soon."

  Chen Chen smiled and retreated into the darkness, departing them immediately.

  Zhao Shanhe clenched his teeth, a small part of him wanted to pursue this mysterious man but ultimately decided against it. He gave a signal to his subordinates, suggesting their retreat as well.

  ...

  Several minutes later, Chen Chen retrieved the reality anchor he had placed earlier and sat atop the rooftop of a building. He silently looked at the modernistic city before him, his eyes wore a pensive look.

  "Zhao Shanhe, so it truly is Zhao Shanhe..."

  Chen Chen commented to himself with a slight frown, "Based on his reaction, it doesn't seem like he recognizes me. This does add up considering he came from the early 2000s timeline. This means that he must've come here using the USB drive passage just like I did.

  "How very mysterious. We're separated by four decades in the real world but managed to meet each other under such strange circumstances in this Event Horizon dimension.

  "But it seems like he's taken a different approach. While I employ Black Knights without conscience, he has a team of real people. It seems like his method of exploring alternate dimensions is by building an elite task force."

  By now, Chen Chen was beginning to gain an understanding of how Zhao Shanhe managed to unite the nations and establish the Earth Federation.

  "His elite forces are nothing. It doesn't matter if they have the Force that comes from Star Wars or the technology from Men in Black, all those are inconsequential to me. However, the black slate he summoned in his hand is interesting..."

  Chen Chen reflected on the previous confrontation. "If I'm not mistaken, it comes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. His reaction when I pointed it out proves it, but why do they call it the 'Civilization Monolith'? What does it mean?"

  Chen Chen dug through countless sci-fi films and 2001: A Space Odyssey was certainly one of the classics among them. This movie was a sci-fi thriller released in 1968. It was a genre-defining film that fully showcased the director's imagination with its stream of conscious oriented plot. It was a marvelous film and anyone who spoke against its impact on the genre as a whole certainly did not know a thing about filmmaking.

  The movie began in the ancient ages when humans were still apes. This was until a day when the apes discovered a certain black slate. It permeated a shockwave which altered the ape's brain structure and from there on, the apes started to learn to create tools and how to properly utilize them.

  The message was that the emergence of mankind was an orchestrated event all along.

  The movie then cut to the present time when humans once again discovered the same slate on the Moon. The slate emitted a bolt of laser that pointed at the planet Jupiter.

  To unravel what the slate was hinting at, mankind dispatched several astronauts accompanied by an artificial intelligence entity to Jupiter.

  However, on the way to Jupiter, the artificial intelligence malfunctioned. The crew of astronauts immediately took action and shut down the artificial intelligence controlling their spacecraft. This was because a malfunctioned artificial intelligence may no longer be entrusted with the task of navigating their spaceship in case it made any further error that could worsen their circumstances.

  However, while the crew was discussing their plans to shut down the artificial intelligence, their ploys were overheard by the artificial intelligence. It set up countless traps on the spaceship and killed all of the astronauts on board save for one who managed to turn it off at the cost of his own life. In the end, they reached the black slate on Jupiter...

  End.

  Apart from the initial segment of awakening the brains of the apes, the movie did not go further into what the black slate was capable of. However, it was reasonable to assume that it was some sort of highly sophisticated extraterrestrial entity. It seemed to manage to disrupt Chen Chen's brain waves and interrupt his channeling of Field. There was no telling what else it was capable of.

  "Civilization Monolith, Civilization Monolith..."

  Chen Chen chanted the name religiously and seemed to gain enl
ightenment by doing so. "Judging by the name, could it be a written scripture on the basis of civilization? What is the basis of civilization? Is it science? Humans? Perhaps its nature?

  "No, it's not..."

  Chen Chen felt like he was close to grasping its meaning. "In the movie, this black slate enlightened the apes and inspired the foundation of civilization, paving a pathway to modern science. Based on this observation, could the black slate be a guide of some sort? Was its purpose to navigate the course of human civilization?"

  Chen Chen thought about this for what seemed like forever before deciding there was no need to contemplate the subject any further. At the end of the day, there was no need for him to treat Zhao Shanhe as an enemy. Strictly speaking, there should not be any animosity between himself and Zhao Shanhe, especially considering Zhao Shanhe was probably already deceased in his timeline, which was how the USB drive came to accept Chen Chen as its new owner. There was no need for Chen Chen to quarrel with a dead man.

  On the contrary, he would much rather employ the help of Zhao Shanhe to unravel the secrets of the USB drive.

  Provided that Zhao Shanhe was not the person behind the antimeme that was meant to kill him.

  This was where another mystery arose again. If Zhao Shanhe was not responsible for the antimeme, then who was it that pulled him into the dream world?

  No, Chen Chen was entering a territory where his speculations may be false due to a lack of information...

  Another possibility soon came to Chen Chen. Perhaps Zhao Shanhe failed to wring himself free of this antimeme even after arriving at this dimension. Eventually, he resorted to attempting to fuse his powers with the antimeme in this dimension to...

  Chen Chen chuckled at the ludicrous idea. One way or another, it did not matter if it was Zhao Shanhe behind the antimeme or not. His only goal now was to take advantage of Zhao Shanhe without his knowledge and obtain more information about the USB drive.

  After having made up his mind, Chen Chen stomped on the tile below his feet and flew off.

  The most important thing now was to acquire the space warp technology...