After returning home, Xia You accessed the online version of the Hammurabi Code and even borrowed a history book from a high school student next door for repeated comparisons.
Had it not been for Little Eight’s affirmation, Xia You would have thought she was hallucinating. Whether it was in the textbooks or the copies of the code circulating on the internet among various countries, they were all the same as the one displayed in the Bazhou Museum.
Xia You became more cautious and typed a few more words into the search bar: "Cleopatra VII."
The final words in Cleopatra’s online encyclopedia entry read "Cleopatra VII... date of death unknown." It was commonly known that Cleopatra VII should have died shortly after her lover’s death when Octavian invaded Egypt, but now the date had changed to unknown.
(Also check out Yu of the Eastern Yi Tribe,) Little Eight also noticed something amiss.
"The founder of the Xia Dynasty is still Qi; nothing much has changed," Xia You looked up information about Yu and Qi.
(No, look at the Xia Dynasty’s totem, it’s the nine-tailed red fox,) Little Eight observed more closely than Xia You.
If Little Eight had a physical form, she would share the same thoughts as Xia You upon seeing these series of events; history was quietly changing. Those historical figures in "Military Road," the subtle changes in their destinies, what kind of alterations would they bring to future generations?
"Little Eight, tell me honestly, do you know who developed ’Military Road’?" Xia You’s hand holding the mouse stiffened. If history was changing, then what roles were those numerous players, who entered "Military Road," living as within it?
(I don’t know, Ling. In fact, I don’t even know who I am myself. Since I became conscious, I have been living in ’Military Road.’ But initially, I had a few companions, yet they gradually disappeared,) Little Eight’s voice sounded lonely and helpless; Xia You couldn’t remember the past, and yet Little Eight was troubled by remembering too much of her past.
"Your companions?" Xia You, whose thoughts were scrambled, didn’t want to enter "Military Road," so she leaned against the bedhead, listening to Little Eight talk about the past events in "Military Road."
In Little Eight’s memory, from the moment she opened her eyes in "Military Road," she encountered eight companions. They formed a team; each person had their own number from 0-8 and Little Eight, who joined last, adventured through Prehistoric Space with them.
Back then, in Prehistoric Space, there were no traces of humans, but plenty of reptiles and mutated species, which sharpened the skills of the nine-member squad. Little Eight was responsible for memorizing the map, facilitating emergency escapes during crises. After about two years, the capabilities of each individual in the team were greatly enhanced on the "Military Road."
"And then?" Xia You felt her eyelids becoming heavier as sleepiness overwhelmed her.
(Slowly, Prehistoric Space lost its challenge for them; gradually, some started to leave ’Military Road,’ but two of them still entered ’Military Road’ occasionally. One of them was called Ling, which somewhat resembles your name in Military Road,) Little Eight mentioned this name with a hint of bitterness.
"It seems that this Ling is a good person," Xia You pressed her temples with her fingers, trying to stay alert.
(Ling told me their identities in reality; she and the other seven were part of an organization called G8.) Little Eight’s memory only went up to that point; not long after Ling delivered this information, all eight individuals disappeared synchronously.
"G8?" Xia You’s fingers paused at her temples, and a severe headache made her groan.
(You haven’t rested for too long, let’s not think about ’Military Road’ tonight, get some good rest,) Little Eight stopped the topic, and not long after, Xia You fell into a deep sleep.
***
As the night deepened, Xia You was awakened by the ringing of her phone in the middle of the night.
She groggily picked up the phone and glanced at it, and without hesitation, she rejected the call upon seeing it was from Ren Minghang.
The actions of the Ren Family touched the bottom line of Xia You’s dignity. Losing to anyone was acceptable, but losing to someone like Zhang Fangxiao was unacceptable to Xia You.
The phone rang again, and as if out of spite, Xia You pressed the reject button once more, repeating the action three or four times before the screen finally dimmed again.