Forty Avoid, avoid

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When people in Country Z were crowding the pharmacies, Americans were flooding the streets, Mexicans were packing the heavens, and humanity across the globe was ablaze with rage—all at the same moment—Wu Qingchen was taking a shower.

To call it a shower might not be entirely accurate.

After all, to complete such an activity, one would expect at least a showerhead or a bathtub, a towel or a bath sponge, a bar of soap or some shower gel.

Instead, he stood beneath three feeble, almost imperceptible streams of water, more akin to pesticide sprayers. He applied a liquid with no color, no scent, no trace of slipperiness—indistinguishable from water—and rubbed it in with something as featureless as cling film, lacking any texture at all.

All the while, over a dozen fully armed soldiers, a dozen murmuring staff officers, a dozen intensely focused doctors, and one crooked police officer observed every moment.

Such a “shower” was, without doubt, excruciatingly awkward. Wu Qingchen dried himself off and dressed as quickly as possible.

Yet, the “shower” was also effective. By the time he was dressed, his complexion was rosy and healthy, a vast improvement from the pallid, stiff-limbed state he’d been in just after leaving the medieval world and returning to Earth. Only an occasional furrow of his brow, a fleeting look of shock or uncertainty in his eyes, betrayed any lingering unease.

The “bathroom” was close to the exit of the underground levels. As Wu Qingchen and his group left, they entered an elevator and soon emerged above ground, where a middle-aged man stood waiting beside a fleet of idling cars.

The man, dressed in a gray suit, wore a mask of impatience he couldn’t conceal. Seeing Wu Qingchen appear, he immediately stepped forward. “Mr. Wu, hello. I’m Huang Xing, in charge of coordinating your emergency training today.”

Huang Xing? In charge of training?

Wu Qingchen paused, not yet frowning before Huang Xing noticed his hesitation.

“Mr. Wu, is there a problem?”

“No… nothing really. But, isn’t it usually Director Jiang?”

“Director Jiang…” Huang Xing hesitated, looking troubled. “Director Jiang isn’t feeling well. He’s been overworked lately and hasn’t had enough rest. But it’s nothing serious—the temporary hospital is just nearby. Xiao Wang, inform the hospital to have Comrade Jiang Fengming come over right away…”

Is it really nothing serious? Or is it a grave illness that he’s persisting through?

It was a difficult question. Wu Qingchen quickly shook his head. “No… that’s not necessary. I was just asking.”

“Are you sure?” Seeing Wu Qingchen’s repeated assurance, Huang Xing seemed relieved and gestured for Xiao Wang to lower the walkie-talkie.

“Alright. In that case, I’ll take charge of your emergency training for now. Time is tight, Mr. Wu—let’s talk as we walk.”

They boarded the bus. As before, two military officers arranged the seating and everyone quickly settled in. The convoy eased forward. Huang Xing sat beside Wu Qingchen, turning halfway toward him.

“Mr. Wu, due to the unexpected events in the medieval world, today’s scheduled routine training has been canceled. Instead, all sessions have been replaced with subjects relating to emergency response. On these matters, do you have any questions?”

Of course not. Presenting three solutions was all it took to address any “emergency.”

Wu Qingchen nodded.

“Good.” Huang Xing gestured for Wu Qingchen to sit upright and pointed to the display screen in front of them. “If you have no questions, let’s begin.”

“First, given the urgency, because of the time differential, what transpired in the medieval world has only taken half an hour on Earth. Most of our staff officers haven’t had time to devise new plans, so we can only adjust existing contingency plans, many of which are rather rough…”

“Therefore, if you, Mr. Wu, have any different thoughts about the situation or the plans I’m about to present, or if you disagree with our analysis, you must speak up immediately. Do not blindly trust the experts. Mr. Wu, inside the medieval world, you have thirty times more time, the fullest experience, and are the foremost authority on everything there. For us, you are the ultimate expert.”

By now, Huang Xing had turned fully to face Wu Qingchen, his tone solemn, his expression serious, his posture upright—every gesture underscoring that “please speak up in time” was not mere courtesy, but a genuine request.

“Understood…” Sensing that such a simple reply could not convey his resolve, Wu Qingchen paused, then added, “I promise!”

“Good.” Huang Xing seemed further relieved. “Let’s begin. First, let’s review what we know and clarify the issues we’re facing.”

The screen before them lit up, displaying the medieval world: Wu Qingchen’s “home,” the wooden cabin. Old William’s family, faces etched with worry, stood on the left side of the house, gazing anxiously at their cow.

Huang Xing tapped the screen, zooming in until the distressed cow filled the display.

“Medieval World, Year 0001, January 27th: Your family’s cow suffered an accident, injuring its back. The wounds are here and here—thirty centimeters on the left, twenty-five on the right, both caused by rope burns. According to analysis…”

Huang Xing adjusted the images as he spoke, explaining tirelessly.

“…That’s the extent of the injury.” After about three minutes, he finished his explanation and turned to Wu Qingchen. “Mr. Wu, do you have any questions about this?”

Such thoroughness, such meticulous detail… and this is what they call ‘rough’?

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Only after hearing the explanation did Wu Qingchen realize how much he’d missed regarding the cow’s injuries. He shook his head with certainty. “No questions.”

“Excellent.” Without wasting a moment, Huang Xing flicked his pointer and the screen dimmed, then brightened again, now showing Wu Qingchen surrounded by five agitated, chattering relatives from the medieval world.

“Next, the sequence of events… According to William’s information from neighbors, the cow was injured on January 27th. The first villager to find the injured animal was… According to Idra’s statement, there was a bloodstained rope at the herdsman’s cabin… According to…”

“After expert analysis of these statements and behaviors, all have been deemed truthful and reliable. We can now be fairly certain that the herdsman misappropriated livestock, leading to your family cow’s injury. Any questions here?”

That scoundrel, without a doubt!

Wu Qingchen gritted his teeth. “Absolutely none!”

“Good… and now let’s look at…”

Inside the bus, Huang Xing continued tapping the screen, explaining in detail. Over the next ten minutes, he had Wu Qingchen confirm the cow’s injuries, the cause, the subsequent increase in manual labor, the heavy rains, the specifics of the fall, as well as secondary matters like the extent of summer labor, food supply, family health, mental state, and little Nina’s injuries.

There was much to confirm, but during the process, Wu Qingchen hardly noticed any of the “roughness” Huang Xing had mentioned. Most of the time, he simply nodded in affirmation. Only in rare instances did Wu Qingchen spot minor discrepancies or have alternative views, and even these seemed trivial.

Of course, that was merely Wu Qingchen’s impression.

No matter how minor, whenever Wu Qingchen pointed out an error or offered a view, Huang Xing would immediately pause. The three staff officers beside them would rapidly record the input and relay it to the information center, where it would be distributed to thousands of analysts and impact tens of thousands of contingency plans.

As the “situation confirmation” neared its end, Wu Qingchen sensed that aligning Earth’s analysis with his own understanding of the medieval world was not the sole purpose of this process.

Going through each item, reviewing the thorough conclusions and scenario analyses developed by countless staff teams, Wu Qingchen gained a much clearer grasp of the chain of events—how the cow’s injury led to a series of emergencies—and a deeper understanding of his predicament in the medieval world.

Chapter Forty: Dodging the Issue (Part Two)

“Whew…”

With the last detail—about the infant, the haystack, the tree—confirmed, Huang Xing let out a soft sigh. “Alright, that’s all for now. Mr. Wu, is there anything you’d like to add to what we just discussed?”

“No,” Wu Qingchen shook his head.

“In that case…” Huang Xing produced another file, flicked his pointer, and brought up a table on the screen.

“According to the analysis, and our discussion, your family in the medieval world currently faces three major difficulties or, more precisely, three imminent, direct threats that could ultimately trigger an emergency recall…”

“First, the sudden heavy rain, which poses a direct threat to health…”

“Second, the abrupt increase in agricultural labor, mainly because your family’s cow is injured and unable to work, which directly worsens your farming conditions…”

“Third, the summer labor levy—a grueling collective task imposed by the lord, which must be completed on schedule. With your family’s workload already increased, the likelihood of successfully completing the summer levy is… not optimistic. The process itself is fraught with dangers…”

“…Do you have anything to add, or any disagreements with these three points?”

“No.”

Faced with these three problems again, Wu Qingchen’s expression grew grave.

“Alright… we’ve arrived. Let’s get out.”

By now, the convoy had reached a construction site modeled after the medieval environment. Wu Qingchen stepped off the bus. Compared with the previous day, the site had changed greatly. Most fields were complete, with green crops swaying in the breeze; the vehicles by the stream were gone, and beneath the gentle flow, small fish darted among the water plants.

“This way, please…”

Near where the vehicles stopped, several odd-looking buggies waited on a slope, their giant wheels caked with mud. The narrow cabins had neither doors nor windows; behind the uniformed drivers were only a screen and two seats.

As he beckoned Wu Qingchen to follow, Huang Xing briskly walked toward one of the buggies, opening his file as he went. “We’ve just discussed the three main difficulties. Since the analysis is sound, let’s move on to the next step: specific arrangements…”

“For any difficulty or problem, there are generally only two correct approaches: to solve it, or to avoid it…”

As he spoke, the two of them climbed into a buggy and Huang Xing signaled the driver to start. The ride was smooth—despite the lack of doors and windows, the seats were sunken and surprisingly steady.

While speaking, Huang Xing tapped the screen in front of them, which showed the family, drenched by a torrential downpour: “The first difficulty—the sudden rainstorm—is a natural phenomenon. For the medieval world’s environment, we on Earth currently have no direct means of intervention, so the only option is avoidance.”

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“Given the urgency and unexpected nature of the situation, most staff teams are still working on this problem and no mature plan has been finalized. However, among the submitted proposals, several ideas are already feasible—such as sheltering the baby under the tree, adjusting the timing of morning prayers, or feigning injury. Further refinement is not difficult…”

He quickly skimmed past the first difficulty, then tapped the screen to show the injured cow and the six members of Wu Qingchen’s family struggling through the mud: “The second difficulty is the worsening work environment and increased labor, rooted in the cow’s back injury. Preliminary simulations suggest that if this difficulty is avoided, it would trigger a chain of problems—injuries, exhaustion, food shortages, rising conflicts, and further deterioration of working conditions…”

“According to simulations from several major countries, avoiding this issue ultimately leads to flight—being forced to live alone in the forest. This is the hardest, most arduous path, and the absolute last resort. The staff teams agree that we must prepare for this contingency. Training and preparation for escape is a key focus today. However, since the environment worsens gradually, there’s still time to refine plans. We’ll address this in the afternoon…”

“Apart from avoidance, there’s resolution. The root of the second problem is the injured cow. If treated by medieval methods, recovery would take at least ten to fifteen days—by which time you’d miss both the crucial plowing season and the lord’s summer labor…”

“This morning, around 5:30 a.m., as soon as the injury was discovered, the staff team urgently contacted thousands of experienced veterinarians and animal experts. The United States, France, the UK, Sweden, Japan, and others have all taken similar actions…”

As he spoke, Huang Xing cycled through images of the wounded cow. “According to analyses from international experts, the prognosis is relatively optimistic. The injuries are not severe; with proper treatment and care, recovery time can be greatly reduced…”

“…As for the specifics…”

He straightened, pointing ahead as the buggy sped toward its destination. In a newly created pasture, hundreds of oxen grazed contentedly, surrounded by a crowd of people—some in military uniforms, some in suits, some in medical coats.

“…You’ll receive detailed instructions from experts shortly.”

“Oh? We’re going to learn how to treat the cow’s injury now?” The prospect of a faster recovery for the cow eased Wu Qingchen’s tension, and his tone became lighter.

“No, not yet. The situation developed too suddenly. The experts and cattle only just arrived, and much preparation remains unfinished…”

“Preparation?”

“Yes…” Huang Xing nodded, indicating the herd. Wu Qingchen looked more closely and realized that what he’d thought was a single, happily grazing herd was actually two groups. To the left, about seventy oxen were indeed leisurely eating…

But on the right, each of the thirty oxen was being pinned down by over a dozen soldiers in riot gear, their backs tightly bound with thick ropes…

Though it was still some distance away, the number of soldiers restraining each ox, the long drag marks on the grass, and the agitation among the other oxen made it clear that for those thirty oxen, this so-called “preparation” was anything but pleasant.

“This… this is the preparation?” Wu Qingchen quickly averted his gaze. “Wait… am I supposed to treat all those cows?”

“No…” Huang Xing shook his head. “The key to treatment is medicine and care. The procedure itself isn’t complicated. Thirty cows are more than enough—the rest are for the third problem…”

“Oh?” Wu Qingchen was a bit taken aback, not expecting a link between the lord’s summer labor and the oxen.

Huang Xing gestured at the screen, which now showed Old William’s family toiling in the lord’s field: “This is the third difficulty—the summer labor. The lord’s labor levy must be completed in full. Right now, your family is also busy plowing. These two heavy farm tasks overlapping means that even if the cow recovers, someone—William, Idra, or even you—could get injured again…”

“Therefore, based on the opinions of several countries’ staff teams, the command center believes that for the third difficulty, avoidance is again the best strategy… at least for about half a month…”

“Is that even possible?” Wu Qingchen blurted, his face tense. “The lord schedules work for the optimal time—half a month later, it’ll already be planting season. Unless a peasant is put in charge by divine intervention, the lord would never show such mercy.”

“It’s quite possible…” For once, Huang Xing smiled, pointing to the group of oxen not being restrained. “If a portion—even half—of the village’s oxen are suddenly injured and need at least half a month’s rest, I think the lord’s summer labor will have to be postponed, at least for a while…”