A genius, such a genius, and we actually failed to discover him—now he’s dead. The loss to the nation is incalculable, but with these things, our computer technology will surpass America’s by a whole level.

When they discovered the intelligent program inside, they were astonished. A program coded in Chinese—this is every Chinese computer scientist’s dream, let alone that it’s intelligent.

Finally, when they found all the materials that Brian Carter had “borrowed” over the years on the hard drive, everyone’s minds went blank.

What happened next was just like a typical YY novel: relying on the technology inside, China built a supercomputer called “Brian Carter” (why this name? Is an explanation even needed?), which was widely used for simulation research and accelerated the pace of scientific progress.

Because of the heavy losses, the relationship between the US and Japan soured, and trade frictions frequently broke out between the two sides.

It wasn’t until they noticed China’s rise that they tried to unite to suppress China, but it was too late. China’s rise was unstoppable, and Brian Carter played the role of a catalyst, speeding up China’s process of becoming a superpower.

Chapter 2: Have I Become a Ghost?

Brian Carter is now drifting about—truly drifting.

When he regained consciousness after the car crash, he found a creature ahead that looked and sounded like a wolf, but he knew it couldn’t be any wolf he knew, because as far as he knew, there were no flying wolves on Earth, nor could any other beasts fly.

The wolf in front—let’s just call it a wolf—was floating in midair, without any support. This completely overturned Brian Carter’s understanding of living creatures.

Suddenly, the wolf moved, flying straight toward Brian Carter. Instinctively, Brian Carter dodged, but he wasn’t as fast as the wolf. The wolf’s speed was unbelievable; in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Brian Carter.

Time seemed to stand still. Brian Carter could now clearly see the wolf’s head, its blood-red eyes, its gleaming white fangs, and even the bits of flesh stuck between its teeth. Looks like I’m about to die again—this was Brian Carter’s thought at that moment.

It passed through— the wolf went straight through Brian Carter’s body without the slightest resistance. Brian Carter stared in shock as the wolf passed through him. Am I dreaming? He tried to pinch himself, but the same thing happened—his hand passed through his arm. Looks like I’m dreaming, Brian Carter concluded.

“Bang…” A loud crash sounded from behind.

Brian Carter turned to see the wolf from before fighting a monster he’d never seen. The monster was as big as a small mountain, enormous in size. It had a shell like a turtle and short, stubby limbs—though that’s relative; if a person stood next to it, they wouldn’t even reach its foot.

The wolf relied on its speed to dodge the earthen spikes that shot up from the ground. Finding an opening, it whipped its tail, launching a crescent-shaped attack at the monster. The monster was slow, but its defense was incredible; the crescent attack only made a loud noise when it hit, causing no real harm.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate for a while. The wolf changed tactics, flying high into the air where the monster’s earthen spikes couldn’t reach it. The wolf hovered in midair.

Brian Carter thought: Is it strategizing? Why is this dream so strange? Didn’t I get into a car accident?? Do people have weird dreams when they’re unconscious? This is straight out of a fantasy novel—flying wolves, monsters, magic, and so on…

Magic?? Is the wolf about to cast some powerful magic…? The wolf in the air seemed to answer Brian Carter’s thoughts.

“Awooo…” A transparent yet clearly visible “projectile” shot from the wolf’s mouth at supersonic speed, heading straight for the slow-moving monster.

“Bang…” A huge explosion, followed by the monster’s agonized scream. Its shell was pierced, and it was gravely wounded. Brian Carter could already predict the monster’s fate—death. With such a breach in its defenses, the wolf could easily finish it off with its speed. Just as Brian Carter expected, the monster was killed by the wolf’s crescent attack as it struggled.

Only now did Brian Carter have time to take in his surroundings. He was in a forest—an endless forest. Looking up at the sky, sure enough, there were two “moons.” He’d glanced at them earlier while watching the wolf, but had been too distracted by the fight to think about it.

Is this a dream? It shouldn’t be, someone like Brian Carter could figure that out. Dreams can’t be this real. Even though I have no sense of touch, my sight and hearing are still working—this is a complete world. So what’s my situation now, am I a ghost?

Brian Carter didn’t know what he was now. There was no way he could have survived that car crash. After thinking it over, the only explanation was that he was a ghost, and not on Earth—maybe this was the place people go after death. How come there’s no soul reaper, no ox-headed or horse-faced “people” to greet me?

So Brian Carter drifted aimlessly through the forest. By now, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten.

The east is getting brighter?? Does that mean there’s a sun? Then this shouldn’t be the afterlife. But wait, who says the afterlife can’t have a sun? What if it isn’t the afterlife? Isn’t there a legend that ghosts dissolve in sunlight? Better find some shade—no need to take that risk.

Brian Carter saw a cave ahead and drifted over to it.