David Carter had already opened the video, and Brian Brooks looked over.

In the video, Jacob was sitting behind a desk, facing all the media he had hastily invited. The flashes from the cameras flickered intensely, making it a bit dazzling.

But for everyone watching the video, the first thing they noticed was Jacob's left arm, because that left arm had been completely replaced with a mechanical one.

In the video, Jacob easily shot basketballs into the hoop with his left hand from across the entire court—ten times in a row, all the same.

"Is this special effects?" David Carter muttered. "Is this an ad with special effects or something?"

Brian Brooks said nothing.

The video had been brought over from abroad, and Chinese subtitles had been added.

In the video, Jacob said to the media: "Last night, I accidentally discovered a countdown appearing on my arm. When the countdown ended, I actually traveled to a strange world of mechanical civilization. It was also Earth, with a sun and a moon, but it seemed to be a parallel universe, with a civilization process completely different from our own."

Jacob raised his left arm: "When I crossed over, I had this arm, as if I had replaced someone over there and become a new version of myself. I don't really understand how it works, but it's much stronger than I imagined, and also very flexible and precise."

"And the reason I'm holding this press conference is not to show off. That world is not as wonderful as you might imagine—on the contrary, it's extremely dangerous. I'm holding this press conference here to avoid being secretly taken away for research. I hereby declare that I refuse to become a research subject. If one day I disappear, please..."

At this point, Brian Brooks suddenly understood: Jacob was a public figure, so there was no way to hide the fact that he now had a mechanical limb.

He also clearly knew that the technology of that world far surpassed the present day, so he was afraid of being taken away and turned into a lab rat, and thus chose a more radical approach.

This might not be the best solution, and maybe he was just panicking, so he made such a hasty decision.

Brian Brooks looked at David Carter. At this moment, his thin and small deskmate was dumbfounded.

At this time, all the students in the class were in a state of shock and disbelief. It was hard for anyone to tell whether this trending topic was real or just special effects.

But before everyone could recover, several more bizarre incidents suddenly shot up the trending list.

"An executive from a certain internet company was found dead at home, with intricate mechanical structures suddenly appearing on his body, extremely similar to Jacob."

"A university student claims to have also traveled to another world, where there is not only a mechanical civilization, but also extraordinary individuals with superhuman abilities."

"A high school student claims that not only did he travel to another world, but he also awakened supernatural powers."

Brian Brooks frowned as he watched. This series of news was spreading even faster than he had imagined—not everyone could be as cautious as he was.

More and more news was announcing to the world: this was not special effects, nor was it an advertising campaign, but something real.

A classmate asked, "It looks like the probability of crossing over isn't small. Could there be students in our school who have crossed over?"

"Maybe someone will show up at school with a mechanical limb soon..."

"I want to cross over too..."

There were more and more students in the class, and every time someone walked into the classroom, everyone would look over to see if the newcomer had a mechanical limb.

You have to know, they were only seventeen or eighteen years old, the age when curiosity, the desire to explore, and vanity are at their peak. Adults might weigh the risks and opportunities, but young people are mostly filled with anticipation.

When you read Harry Potter, you hope you can pass through King's Cross Station too. When you read novels, you wish you could be chosen by an immortal.

But in the real world, most of the time, what awaits you is not an immortal, but a scam.

So when everyone realized that crossing over could make them different from the rest, they filtered out some of the dangers and started hoping they could be one of the travelers too.

But there was one difference: Brian Brooks had really crossed over.

Gradually, Brian Brooks noticed that David Carter's panic faded away, and instead he became more and more spirited.

Brian Brooks asked casually, "Is this the strange thing you were talking about earlier?"

David Carter lowered his voice. "I can't tell you yet, but don't worry. If I get any opportunities, I definitely won't forget you, brother."

Brian Brooks nodded. "Yeah, yeah, if I get rich, I won't forget you."

Chapter 15: Dark Clouds Gathering

At this moment, David Carter was already seriously discussing with Brian Brooks: "I'm just saying, hypothetically, if I could cross over, could I bring back some high-tech stuff and sell it?"

"I don't know," Brian Brooks said. "Maybe you wouldn't be able to bring anything back."

"But look, they all brought back things like mechanical arms," David Carter said. "Don't worry, if I really make it big, I'll treat you to something nice."

Brian Brooks knew that world was dangerous, so he kindly advised, "You see, quite a few travelers said they encountered danger, so you should be careful and not just think about getting rich."