Jiang Bai had calculated everything, but he hadn't accounted for a power outage.

Earlier, during the conversation between the Director and the little girl, the girl had mentioned that they had spent a lot of money to awaken him.

At the mention of money, several geographic coordinates immediately flashed through Jiang Bai's mind. These were locations of backup resource repositories, storing sufficient resources.

The [Cicada] Project had considered various contingencies, including mission setbacks, awakening in the wrong location, and participants losing contact. Backup plans had been set for these contingencies.

He didn't know if these resources were still usable; even the backup plans had time limits.

After all, no one had expected 1200 years to pass.

Oh, right, the madman who designed the voice recorder had thought of it.

But his only contribution to the Cicada Project was creating an indestructible voice recorder...

The matter of backup resources was still unsettled. Mentioning it now would only give false hope, perhaps ending in disappointment. Better to wait until Jiang Bai was more certain before bringing it up.

Executing the mission alone in a world a thousand years in the future, Jiang Bai remembered his instructor's teachings: think thrice before acting.

Even when facing the Director, Jiang Bai maintained his necessary vigilance.

After all, he knew too little about the world 1200 years later.

While one shouldn't harbor ill intentions, one must remain cautious.

Jiang Bai remained silent, quietly following the Director and the girl through the darkness.

Clearly, the two were already accustomed to such sudden power outages. They navigated the winding corridors skillfully, not needing any illumination.

As they moved forward, the Director didn't forget to reassure Jiang Bai, "Don't worry, our institute only has power outages during the day."

Jiang Bai: ......

This was supposed to be good news... right?

The research institute has no power during the day, and they turn off the lights to sleep at night...

Why bother with electricity at all!

Ducking out of the corridor, the three emerged onto a spacious, abandoned playground.

It was just before dawn, the sky a gloomy gray, as if frowning at them.

Wild grass grew rampant on the playground, yet it was eerily quiet. No wind, no rustling grass, no insect sounds... They seemed to have arrived in a land of deathly silence, where only death was eternal.

The scene before him was familiar yet strange, an apocalyptic desolation that gave Jiang Bai a deeper understanding of this era.

The Director explained,

"This used to be a school, but later it was rumored to be haunted, so it gradually fell into disuse. We bought the school, and there's a nuclear shelter underground that's been converted into a laboratory..."

"Haunted?"

"Yes, in your era's terms, it would be called supernatural phenomena."

The Director flipped through his dictionary, trying to communicate with Jiang Bai.

When the first Mysterious Tide arrived, supernatural phenomena occurred frequently worldwide. People understood little about them, and many viewed them as divine manifestations or ghost hauntings.

Surprisingly, 1200 years later, people still attributed incomprehensible events to 'hauntings'.

Jiang Bai suddenly smiled, relieved.

This smile carried a hint of ease.

He had finally found a touch of familiarity in this strange era.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The Director and the girl were experienced. They led Jiang Bai through the overgrown grass to a small pavilion, where they sat around a stone table.

The Director flipped to a page in his dictionary. Jiang Bai glanced at it, seeing:

'Ancient Communication Etiquette: Upon first meeting, both parties should introduce themselves...'

The Director scanned it quickly and immediately had an idea.

"Comrade, we haven't had a chance for introductions. I'm the Director of the Ninth Research Institute, as well as the Chief Research Specialist, Logistics Manager..."

A long string of titles poured from the Director's mouth.

Jiang Bai finally understood and asked bluntly, "Is it just you in the Ninth Research Institute?"

The Director scratched his head awkwardly, "No, not just me."

Jiang Bai asked curiously, "Who else is there?"

The Director continued scratching his head, "There's also one research subject..."

Both the Director and the girl looked at Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai: ......

He never imagined he'd be part of the Ninth Research Institute.

Well, it turned out this research institute had only two people in total.

The Director was responsible for researching, and Jiang Bai was the subject of research.

Jiang Bai looked at the girl, his meaning clear: What about her?

Wasn't she a member of the research institute?

The little girl in blue clothes lifted her chin proudly and said,

"My name is Shan Hongyi. I'm not part of your research institute. In your era's terms... I'd be considered the institute's investor!"

Jiang Bai asked irritably, "Then what do you call it in your era?"

Shan Hongyi rubbed her nose, saying sheepishly, "Also an investor."

Jiang Bai rolled his eyes, "Then why bother saying all that!"

The little girl stretched her neck stubbornly and said,

"I just wanted to show that I've taken history classes!"

In this era, being able to take history classes was something to boast about.

After all, most people struggled just to survive, let alone have the heart to study history.

Even if they wanted to learn and had the time and energy, it was hard to find history textbooks and materials.

Only families of a certain social status could afford to let their children study history.

"Your name is Shan Hongyi (Red Clothes), but you're wearing all blue," Jiang Bai looked the little girl up and down curiously and asked,

"Do you have a sister named Shan Qingyi (Blue Clothes) who likes to wear all red?"

The little girl's eyes lit up, "You know my sister?"

Jiang Bai nodded, "If I have the chance, I'll definitely get to know her!"

He had a mission and needed an assistant.

The little girl wouldn't do. The doctor had said Jiang Bai had a sensitive stomach and couldn't eat anything too hard.

It was best to eat soft food.

Hearing Jiang Bai's words, the little girl giggled as if she'd heard the funniest joke, while the Director shrank his neck, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

Both the Director and Shan Hongyi had introduced themselves, so it was clearly Jiang Bai's turn.

He didn't hold back, stating frankly,

"My surname is Jiang, Jiang Bai. I'm 1218 years old, afraid of school bullying. Male, single since birth, no bad habits. I own a house in the capital, have a government job with a fixed salary, and my bank account starts with at least nine digits..."

Jiang Bai spoke proudly.

In his view, as a thousand-year-old man, having this much property was quite reasonable!

Although these things were earned over a thousand years ago, that didn't stop Jiang Bai from mentioning them now!

Shan Hongyi's face showed confusion, not quite understanding why Jiang Bai was saying all this.

The Director flipped through his dictionary and quickly found an answer.

"I've got it! It says here that 1200 years ago, people would introduce themselves like this when going on blind dates..."

The Director and Shan Hongyi looked at each other, bewildered.

They wanted to learn more about that mysterious project from Jiang Bai, but he only seemed interested in talking about dating???

"The Apocalyptic Savior Turns Out to Be a Romantic?"

What kind of old-school light novel was this?

It was hard to say whether this was Jiang Bai's true nature or a deliberate attempt to conceal core information.

In any case, after hearing a lot of useless information, all they knew about Jiang Bai was his name.

It was as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"Alright, I'm tired of saying so much nonsense," Jiang Bai stretched and asked,

"Can you briefly introduce me to the fifth Mysterious Tide and the current classification of Ability levels?"

Whether it was to survive or to continue executing the Cicada Project, Jiang Bai needed to know these things.

The more chaotic the era, the more strength was needed!

Survival of the fittest, natural selection.

The Director put down his dictionary, pushed up his glasses, and spoke methodically,

"In the fifth Mysterious Tide, we've classified the Ability system into three types: [Heaven], [Earth], and [Human]. Each system has different sequence abilities..."