Chapter 3: Parallel Space

"Actually, the special police force you've been selected for is tasked with a top-secret and crucial mission. Originally, you shouldn't have been informed this early, but due to the premature death of your instructor, we need to tell you now so you can prepare yourselves," the bearded instructor said with a heavy tone.

"In the northeastern part of our country, there is a small town called Sandao Pass. Nine months ago, an alien creature suddenly appeared in the town. After the special police force's siege, we captured the creature and sent it to the Academy of Sciences. To our astonishment, scientists discovered that this creature did not belong to our space. Then, a month later, several more appeared in the town, causing severe damage before they were eliminated," the bearded instructor's words left everyone stunned. Was this like listening to a sci-fi story? Yang Huawi pinched his chin hard.

Ignoring the team's shock, the bearded instructor continued, "After the anomaly was discovered, national security agencies immediately collaborated with scientists and began setting up your special police unit. This is the true reason behind the establishment of your team six months ago— to guard against these alien creatures!"

Could the instructor have been killed by a monster? Yang Huawi looked at the bearded instructor with some frustration. After six months of interaction, he knew the bearded instructor was a tough and skilled man, even superior to the instructor. Since even he was so cautious, it seemed the monster was no ordinary threat. However, as a soldier fighting monsters felt strange and uncomfortable, Yang Huawi's mind was in disarray.

"What exactly are these creatures and how did they come about?" one team member couldn't help but ask.

"The number and frequency of these alien creatures have been increasing. Even the National Defense Bureau and scientists are stumped, as there's no clear research direction. It seems these creatures just appear out of nowhere," the bearded instructor swallowed hard, indicating the difficulty of the situation. Was the town haunted? Yang Huawi felt a strange sense of the absurd.

"The breakthrough came from a distress signal picked up by military radar near the town," the bearded instructor, who trusted scientific and higher authorities' information, continued to explain. "According to preliminary scientific speculation, there exists a parallel space coexisting with our own. Due to some upheavals in that parallel space, the critical point between the two spaces was damaged, leading to ecological imbalance."

It turns out that this world indeed has a third-dimensional space. In contrast to the others' shock, Yang Huawi felt a sense of realization. His mother was a scientist who believed in the existence of parallel spaces and was dedicated to researching multi-dimensional spaces. It seemed the scientists' speculation was not without merit.

"So what do we need to do?" Yang Huawi was the first to break the silence and ask the bearded instructor.

"We need to cross into that parallel space to save that world," the bearded instructor's words were like a bombshell among the team. Whether or not it was possible was unknown, but no scientist in this world had openly explained the existence of a third space. They were to leap into it and save it?

Ignoring the team's varied expressions, the bearded instructor continued, "This parallel space is also part of Earth and should be similar to our own planet. However, according to their distress signals, after 2010 in their space, some monsters appeared on Earth. They call them 'demon beasts.' These beasts have been rapidly multiplying on Earth, causing immense disaster, becoming uncontrollable, and killing more people every day. At one point, over a million people were dying worldwide daily, and the government even used nuclear weapons!"

The bearded instructor chuckled bitterly and said, "It's quite ironic. According to their information, the use of nuclear weapons did not help their human population but rather aided the demon beasts. The areas affected by nuclear radiation were uninhabitable for humans but suitable for demon beasts. Later, among the demon beasts, humanoid types emerged. They were smart, could make and use weapons, and even modern firearms. These beastmen seemed to be born with the ability to control demon beasts in combat. On the ground, a level-one demon beast could kill a squad of ordinary soldiers, while level-five demon beasts could charge like tanks, more agile and resistant to anti-tank missiles. Level-eight flying demon beasts were comparable to aircraft."

Hearing the instructor's description, even Yang Huawi was shocked. Were they supposed to save such a terrifying space? Was this not a bit of a fantasy or nightmare?

"Can we really save such a bizarre space?" Before Yang Huawi could speak, another team member naturally voiced the question. This sounded a bit like a fairy tale.

The bearded instructor sighed and said, "If we were just as we are now, we certainly couldn't save that space. But while scientists attempted to communicate with that space, they couldn't connect with the current timeline but managed to contact the 'Holy City' from that parallel space three hundred years into the future!"

According to the bearded instructor, this parallel space was similar to theirs but separated by a time gap. Contact was made both forwards and backwards, but what good was that? Why not just send their people back in time to save themselves? Yang Huawi first thought this, noticing that other team members had similar expressions of doubt. At least their expressions were similar.

Seeing the team's reactions, the bearded instructor continued, "I also thought the same. It would be great if they could save themselves. But we found that tracing back and traveling through time in their space was very difficult. However, the demon beasts broke through to our space, allowing our contact. Thus, we plan to select some of you, receive brainwashing, alignment, and indoctrination from the 'Holy City' three hundred years later, and then send you to the parallel space's current timeline."

This sounded like a frightening process, and everyone's faces showed discomfort. As soldiers, protecting their own country was a duty they had no problem with. However, going to a different world as saviors made each person feel uneasy, although it was hard to pinpoint exactly why.

Seeing the team's strange expressions, the bearded instructor naturally explained, "Don't think that saving the parallel space doesn't concern us. You've seen the effects of the spatial imbalance on our world. If we don't save their space and fix the breach, our world will also face serious harm and destruction. After all, we are all part of the same Earth. Once our space is damaged, it becomes a problem for everyone, not just one country."

After the bearded instructor's explanation, the initial shock and disbelief were replaced by a serious sense of crisis. Each person grew worried.

Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, the bearded instructor continued, "The glorious death of your instructor serves as a warning. In a collapsing world, there's no such thing as a safe place. We live on different planes of the same Earth. Regardless of which space, we must defend the peace. And we should be grateful that we receive the baptism from their future Holy City."

The bearded instructor's words finally shed light for everyone. Yang Huawi hesitated and asked, "What happened to their space later? What about three hundred years from now?"

"Three hundred years later, under the leadership of the hero and first-generation leader Yang Chen in their space, they established a foothold at a military base in the northern part of their country, Huaxia, and began building the Holy City. That same year, the Holy City adopted a new calendar, called the First Year of the Holy Calendar, which is the Holy City we contacted," the bearded instructor, who had become a spokesperson for that parallel space, continued:

"You remember some special police officers who fought with Yang Huawi six months ago? Those are our scientists' gene-modified powerful warriors. If you undergo the transformation from the Holy City three hundred years later, your strength and intelligence should be sufficient to deal with those earlier demon beasts. Originally, your team leader should have been your instructor, but since he died before achieving his goals, I will take over as your team leader!"

Hearing the bearded instructor's words, all the team members let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the mission to save the parallel space had become a certainty, but having the bearded instructor as their leader naturally made them feel more reassured.

"So what should we do next?" Yang Huawi and the team members asked in unison.

"Tomorrow, we will be introduced to some demon beasts, and after a few days of preparation, we will head to the research base to get ready for the baptism from the Holy City three hundred years into the future," the bearded instructor's words left everyone feeling a mix of anxiety and anticipation. Could the baptism really be as straightforward as it sounded?