From the zeroth dimension to the third dimension.

Ethan Yuwen glanced at Grace Gao, tossed the pen he was holding onto the desk, leaned forward with his elbows propped on the table, and said with a serious expression, "Alright, I won't pretend anymore. I'm laying it all out—I'm a billionaire."

Both Ethan and Grace Gao burst into laughter at this, with Grace Gao rising to her feet. "The person who hasn't claimed the prize must've lost their ticket. Why else wouldn't they claim it? Anyway, I won't keep you from your work. I'll get back to mine," she said before leaving Ethan's office.

Ethan stood up from his chair and walked over to the window, opening it to let the crisp air wash over him. He gazed out at the busy street below, deep in thought. It seemed that Anna Noelle's words weren't just idle talk—she truly had the ability to alter certain things in this world. If it had all been just a figment of his imagination, everything would have returned to normal in the two months since he won the lottery. But nothing out of the ordinary had happened since. This made it clear that Anna was waiting for Ethan to make a decision. If he didn't claim the five billion dollars, it would signal that he wasn't interested in accepting her invitation to join her cause.

Ethan pondered further. That massive five billion-dollar prize really didn't hold enough allure for him. If he were the type of person who was driven by greed, he wouldn't have gone this long without thinking about how to claim the money. He hadn't even bothered to open the drawer under his coffee table to look at the two lottery tickets inside. Even if he did collect the five billion dollars, he was confident he could continue living and working with the same mindset as before.

In a decisive moment, Ethan made up his mind. He would claim the prize and see what kind of extraordinary life Anna would lead him to, and how they would combat the time virus to save humanity. At that moment, Ethan felt a surge of exhilaration, the thrill of becoming a hero. Claiming the lottery prize would be his declaration of intent to embark on a grand mission to save humanity.

Ethan closed the window, grabbed his coat, and dashed out of the house. When he got home, he opened the drawer under the coffee table. There lay the two lottery tickets, untouched. He carefully examined them—the numbers were clear, no issues at all. He rolled up his pant leg and tucked the tickets securely into his sock. He then retrieved a large travel bag from his closet and, from the storage room, found an old rubber raincoat and a pair of tall rain boots that he hadn't worn in years, stuffing them into the bag.

Ethan checked his phone for the steps to claim the lottery prize, grabbed his ID and bank card, and left the house with the travel bag. He didn't drive his own car but hailed a random taxi on the street. He didn't tell the driver he was headed to the lottery center directly but instead gave an address a kilometer away from it.

Ethan walked the last kilometer on foot, arriving at the entrance of the lottery center. He set the large travel bag down, donned a mask and sunglasses, and pulled the rubber raincoat out of the bag, putting it on and pulling the hood over his head. He then took out the tall rain boots, placed them on the ground, and swapped out his leather shoes for the boots. He put the shoes into the now-empty travel bag, which clanked with each step as the shoes knocked around inside.

The security guard at the entrance, seeing Ethan's outfit, immediately knew he was here to claim the prize. Opening the window of the security booth, he called out, "Hey, you here to claim the prize? You sure are dressed for the occasion!" Ethan didn't reply or even turn his head, just waved a hand dismissively.

Inside the lottery center's office building, a staff member caught sight of Ethan's get-up and instantly knew he was there to claim his prize. "Here for the prize, huh?" the staff member asked. Ethan nodded silently. "Follow me," the staff member said, gesturing for Ethan to follow him to an office.

"Hand me the ticket and your ID," a female staff member said as Ethan entered.

Ethan set down the travel bag, pulled his ID from his jacket pocket, then reached into his tall rain boot, fumbling for a moment before producing the lottery ticket. He handed both to the staff member, who gingerly pinched a corner of the ticket, giving it a couple of shakes in the air before bringing it closer to inspect. "Oh my! You finally made it! Five billion dollars, and you wait until the last day to claim it. You've got nerves of steel!"

The woman's voice was high-pitched, and her exclamation drew the attention of all the other staff around. They gathered quickly—some to verify the ticket, some to photocopy the ID, and others to hand Ethan forms to fill out. Though the staff at the lottery center were used to dealing with prize claims, such a large jackpot was a first for them.

As soon as the formalities were completed, reporters began streaming into the room from all directions. Ethan refused all interviews, reluctantly allowing them to take a few photos before he hastily made his escape, nearly stumbling down the steps in his rush. After running several hundred meters from the lottery center, he glanced back to ensure no one was following before finding a secluded spot to remove the raincoat and boots, stuffing them back into the travel bag. He then hailed another taxi and returned home.

Once home, Ethan stored the travel bag back in the closet. He saw the text message from the bank: his account had been credited with 400,000,000 dollars. Seeing the long string of numbers, Ethan felt no excitement. He simply returned to his office and resumed his work as if nothing had happened.

After a regular day at the office, Ethan returned home, had a simple meal, and then lay down on his bed, waiting for Anna to appear. Staring at the ceiling, a blackness seemed to envelop him from all directions.

Ethan felt as if he were floating, weightless, with no sense of contact with anything around him. He tried to reach out and feel his surroundings, but he couldn't see his arm, nor could he see any part of his body.

"Hello, Ethan. We meet again." Anna's voice resonated.

"Are you sure we've met again? I can't see you. I can't even see myself," Ethan said, a tremor in his voice.

"Do you trust what I've told you now?"

"I believe you. You definitely possess powers beyond anything I could have imagined."

"These powers could be yours as well, but you must train according to my instructions, step by step."

"Alright, let's begin."

"First, let me explain the concept of different dimensions. You need to understand the relationships between them before you can proceed with further training."

"Alright, so what dimension are we in now?"

"We are in the zeroth dimension, also known as the Void. Here, there is no space and no time, which is why you can't see me, and you can't see yourself."

"Okay, go on."

A beam of light seemed to pass through Ethan's consciousness, stretching infinitely with no visible beginning or end.

"This is a one-dimensional line. Time is contained within it. It has no start and no end, though at certain moments, any point on this line could be considered a starting point or an endpoint."

"What I learned before was that time in the universe began with the Big Bang."

"That's merely a reference point created by humans to understand the universe and spacetime within a limited context."

Suddenly, the line expanded into a boundless plane, forming a two-dimensional space.

"What you see now is a two-dimensional plane. I can project images of you and me onto it."

On the infinite plane, the front images of Ethan and Anna appeared. When Ethan thought about moving his arm, the image on the plane moved its arm. When he thought about moving his leg, the image moved its leg.

"This is an infinite two-dimensional plane. Everything in the universe, from galaxies to quarks, can be projected onto it."

The two-dimensional plane began to gain thickness, stretching into a three-dimensional space. Ethan suddenly found himself within this space, able to see his body once again, and his consciousness returned to his brain.

"How does it feel? Is this more like the world you're used to?" Anna asked.

"Yes, this feels more real. I can truly feel my existence again, and I can see you," Ethan replied.

"But have you noticed," Anna said, with a sweep of her arms, returning them to the familiar setting of Ethan's home, "In the three-dimensional world, your vision is severely limited. Right now, you can only see the things in this room that aren't obstructed."

"You're right," Ethan acknowledged. "In the three-dimensional world, vision is very restricted. That's why the ancients said, 'You can't see the mountain with a leaf in front of your eyes.'"

"Alright, that's enough for today. You'll need some time to process and internalize these concepts. Rest now, and we'll continue next time," Anna said before vanishing.

That night, Ethan Yuwen's mind was consumed with the transformation from the zeroth dimension to the third dimension, replaying the process over and over again. When he finally awoke in the morning, he was ravenous—so hungry that it was hunger itself that had pulled him from sleep. He stumbled out of bed, barely making it to the refrigerator, where he grabbed a few slices of leftover bread and devoured them as if they were a feast. The unprecedented hunger gnawing at him subsided, but only just.

After a quick wash, Ethan hurried to work—not because he had pressing tasks to tackle, but because he needed to eat again. When he arrived at the cafeteria, he was surprised to find that he was the first one there. Even the cafeteria staff seemed taken aback. "Mr. Yuwen, you're early today!" one of the cooks remarked, eyeing him curiously.

"Yeah, woke up hungry," Ethan muttered as he grabbed a tray, too focused on getting food to engage in conversation.

He piled his plate higher than usual and quickly polished off the meal, only to find that his hunger was far from sated. He went back for seconds, this time adding two more buns to his tray. The same cook glanced at him again, half-jokingly asking, "Mr. Yuwen, when was the last time you ate? This isn't like you."

Ethan looked up, still chewing. "Is there a limit on the buffet?"

"Not at all, just don't want you to overdo it and make yourself sick. Eat as much as you like—I'll cook more if we run out," the cook replied.

Ethan devoured everything on his tray, downed two bowls of soup, and finally let out a satisfied belch. A deep sense of contentment washed over him.

His morning at work was remarkably productive. Ethan tackled days' worth of tasks in a single sitting, clearing his backlog with ease. As soon as the clock struck noon, he was back in the cafeteria, ready for lunch. When his colleague, Grace Gao, arrived and saw him already eating, she was puzzled. She sat down beside him, but Ethan was too busy eating to acknowledge her.

Grace Gao couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Yuwen, did you skip meals for a few days?"

"No, just really hungry today," Ethan mumbled between bites.

"I've never seen you enjoy a meal this much. Slow down, or you'll choke," Grace Gao remarked, watching him with a mix of curiosity and envy.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. Don't mind me, you should eat more too," Ethan replied, his mouth full of food.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Yuwen, did you see the news today? That guy who won the five-billion-dollar jackpot finally claimed his prize," Grace Gao said, her voice tinged with mystery.

"Someone not claiming a prize is newsworthy. Someone claiming it is newsworthy too? Have the news outlets run out of real stories to cover?" Ethan responded, tearing into a chicken leg.

Grace Gao pulled out her phone and zoomed in on a photo, thrusting it in front of Ethan's face. "Take a look at this guy who picked up the prize. Notice anything?"

Ethan glanced at the image, barely interested. "Looks pretty bundled up," he said while sipping his soup.

Grace Gao zoomed in further, focusing on the left side of the man's chest. "Now look closely here. See anything familiar?"

"Yeah, there's some sort of logo. It's a bit blurry," Ethan said, wiping his mouth.

"Blurry or not, anyone from our office would recognize it. That's clearly our company's logo. My guess wasn't wrong, was it, Mr. Yuwen?" Grace Gao grinned triumphantly.

"So what if someone from our office won five billion? What does it have to do with you?" Ethan replied, picking at his teeth.

"You're right. Besides proving I have sharp instincts, it doesn't mean a thing," Grace Gao admitted, disappointed. Suddenly, her eyes lit up again. "Mr. Yuwen, if you were the winner, how much would you pay me to keep it a secret?"

"Grace Gao, that's a dangerous line of thinking. You know there's a crime called extortion, right?" Ethan replied, his tone serious.

"Oh, come on. Haven't you ever heard of a joke? You know, like in friendly conversation?" Grace Gao chuckled. "Anyway, just keep an eye out. If someone resigns soon, you'll know they hit the jackpot."

"Alright, Sherlock, I've had my fill. You go ahead and continue analyzing the case. I'm heading back to the office," Ethan said, getting up from the table.

Back at work, Ethan reviewed the experimental data from various research groups. He quickly spotted issues in the data and began scribbling adjustments. After revising the parameters, he headed to Grace Gao's office, handing her the reports. "No need for this afternoon's meeting. Just send these to the relevant teams and have them adjust their data according to my notes."

With that, Ethan left the office. He needed to see Anna Noelle, suspecting that his sudden increase in appetite was linked to her training. At home, he settled on the couch, waiting for Anna to appear.

He drifted off into a doze, lulled by the rhythmic clinking of horse bells and the swaying of an old carriage. "Hello, Ethan Yuwen," Anna's familiar voice pulled him back to consciousness.

"Where am I?" Ethan asked, groggy and disoriented.

"Exactly where you appear to be—in a carriage," Anna replied, seated across from him. Ethan glanced around, realizing he was indeed in an ancient carriage. Outside the small window, a four-horse carriage plowed through an endless snowy plain. Anna, dressed in ornate, flowing robes of silk adorned with dragons and phoenixes, looked every bit the noblewoman of old. Ethan noticed that he was similarly attired, with his hair piled up in a large bun atop his head.

"Every time I meet you, the setting is more surprising than the last. Is this scene another one conjured by your mind?" Ethan asked.

"No, you are currently in the State of Jin, during the Spring and Autumn period," Anna replied.

"The State of Jin in the Spring and Autumn period? So, I've traveled through time? Is this time travel?" Ethan asked excitedly.

"Not exactly. I've brought your consciousness here, but your body remains at home," Anna explained.

"I see. Let's get to the point. After our last session, I dreamt all night about the transformation from the zeroth dimension to the third dimension. The next day, I felt an intense hunger, and my appetite tripled. Is this related to your training?" Ethan inquired.

"The training you underwent expended a great deal of mental energy, requiring a substantial increase in your energy intake. And that was just for the transition from the zeroth to the third dimension. Training for the fourth through the sixth dimensions will require over a hundred times more energy," Anna said.

"A hundred times more? I can barely keep up with my current appetite, which is already two or three times what it used to be. If it increases a hundredfold, I'll be eating more than an elephant!" Ethan exclaimed, alarmed.

"Indeed, your digestive capacity won't suffice to meet your brain's energy needs. Before we begin training for the higher dimensions, you must learn to consciously separate your awareness from your physical body. Only then can you break free from the need for physical sustenance," Anna instructed.

"Consciously separate my awareness from my body? But if you can already pull my consciousness out and bring me to the Spring and Autumn period, why do I need to learn to do it myself?" Ethan questioned.

"While I can extract your consciousness, there's a limitation I cannot overcome," Anna said.

"And what limitation is that?" Ethan asked.

"I can't keep your consciousness separated from your body for too long. As your body temperature drops, you will—how should I put this—'cool down' permanently," Anna replied.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me that sooner!" Ethan shot up, nearly hitting his head on the carriage ceiling. "Send me back now, before I 'cool down' for good!" Ethan demanded, panicking.

Suddenly, the bottom of the carriage gave way, and Ethan plunged back into reality. He awoke in his bed, feeling his limbs icy cold. He dragged himself to the bed, wrapping himself in a blanket. "D*mn you, Anna! You nearly got me killed! I haven't even spent a cent of that four billion yet!" he muttered as he shivered under the covers.