“Curiosity is the driving force behind exploring the unknown world, but excessive curiosity not only kills the cat, but also lures people towards the abyss.”

The group sat inside the airship, discussing the marvelous journey they were about to embark on.

The airship floated above the ground, gliding through the air silently, without making a single noise.

A gentle spring breeze brushed against everyone, uplifting their spirits.

Su Ziqi felt as if everything that happened was like a dream. Her field of study was quite niche, and she never expected it to come in handy on this alien planet, where she could communicate with an extraterrestrial being. Among everyone, she was the most excited, “Don’t they say language is the bridge for communication? Look, all you experts, when it comes down to the crucial moments, you still need us linguists to translate.”

Wang Yue smirked, teasing, “Oh, great translator, can you please translate why a planet that shouldn’t exist appeared in our solar system?”

“Well, as Professor Dong said, we may have entered a parallel universe.”

Zheng Ya said seriously, “Will you two quit fooling around? Compared to the parallel universe theory, I’m more inclined to believe we’ve traveled through time and space. Wormholes naturally exist in the universe. They can spontaneously appear anywhere and then suddenly disappear.”

We might have incidentally entered a suddenly opened and safely passable wormhole on our way back to Earth, which brought us to a different dimensional space and time.”

Su Ziqi was quite surprised by what Zheng Ya said, “Ya, are you suggesting that we are not only spatially displaced from Earth but also temporally, not living in the present?”

Zheng Ya further analyzed, “Indeed. The artifacts in the Martian stone chamber have undergone carbon-14 testing and have at least ten thousand years of history. The upper limit of carbon-14 dating has its constraints; the history of the Martian stone chamber may be tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years old.”

“In ancient times, Martians drew a star map of the galaxy in the lava caves. According to what this native said, we are now on a planet depicted in the Martian mural star map, so the corresponding time should at least be ten thousand years ago.”

Dong Yifeng shook his head and muttered, “Zheng Ya, are you saying that we are not in the year 2069 AD? But rather, ten thousand years ago? Or even a million years ago? This explanation is too crazy!”

“Professor Dong, this is just my personal speculation, and whether it’s correct or not is uncertain. Throughout human history, no astronomical record of a ‘Mu Continent’ between Mars and Venus, besides Earth, has been found in our vast and extensive historical literature.”

“After humans gained the ability to observe outer space, they never observed this planet either. But in the remote and chaotic ancient times, did this unknown planet truly exist? Nobody knows for certain.”

Su Ziqi glanced at the native in front of them and said, "Ya, what you said makes sense. In order to find answers and verify whether this native is telling the truth, we must accompany him on this journey."

The forest was incredibly lush and verdant. When the group was on the grassland, they had assumed it was merely a woodland, but upon entering, they discovered it to be an entirely different world within.

The native led the way, riding a camel-horse Everyone was amazed at how fast the camel-Horse was, its speed was much faster than horses on Earth, and it appeared to have greater endurance as well.

The airship followed closely behind as they observed their surroundings. They found that there was no actual path on the ground, but they navigated through the trees and undergrowth, searching for openings to move forward.

After a short while, a narrow trail appeared before them. It was clear that this ancient path had been worn down over many years, with a thick layer of moss covering its surface. A small stream ran alongside it on the right.

They continued to race forward along the trail. At first, the trees lining the path were only as thick as the mouth of a bowl, but as they went deeper, the diameter of the trees grew larger, and the ground was covered in dense undergrowth and shrubs.

Within the forest, various unique plants and flowers seldom found on Earth pridefully pervaded, captivating the biologist, Dong Yifeng. He was aboard the airship, incessantly gazing around and frequently releasing gasps of awe.

In the depths of the secluded forest, where trees blotted out the heavens and silenced the sun, intermittent chirps of birds and roars of wild beasts echoed. After a brief moment, a silence reigned supreme, commanding every living entity within its grasp.

This fusion of cacophony and tranquility designed an uncanny, mysterious, and somewhat terrifying ambiance, as though a peculiar beast lurked in the forest’s depths.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the group noticed through the narrow gaps in the leaves that the sun was now directly overhead.

At a juncture when everyone’s stomach started rumbling with hunger, the native leading the way on a camel-horse abruptly halted, pulling the reins firmly. In reaction, Huamei instantly applied a hard brake, bringing the airship to a stationary halt.

Clusters of small red fruits adorned the trees before them, bearing resemblance to grapes and a bit like red dates, yet much larger than both grape and red date fruits.

The orchard was expansive, with the fruit trees seemingly growing naturally and void of any signs of human pruning.

The bunches of fiery red fruits looked like red lanterns hanging from the branches. The sight of these lantern-strewn trees lifted the spirits of the group, filling them with a sense of delight.

The native dismounted his camel-horse and secured the animal before approaching the group’s airship.

He walked up to Su Ziqi to check if the group was hungry, remarking that the fruits of the trees in this orchard were incredibly delicious and that they could rest here for a bit.

The group was delighted to hear this, and promptly leaped down from the airship to gather beneath the trees, each eager to exhibit their tree-climbing skills in the hopes of plucking some fruit.

But for some reason, the trunks of these trees were as dark as tar and appeared as if they had been polished with oil, making them incredibly slick. Despite their efforts, the group couldn’t climb the trees.

“That’s where I come in,” the native offered. He left his spear on the ground and with a running start, leaped adeptly up into the tree, much like a monkey. He was at the top in the blink of an eye.

Against expectations, the native, despite his large size, possessed such agility that the group was left in utter awe.

The native swiftly pulled out a hidden dagger tucked in his waistband while in the tree, and cut down bunches of “red lanterns” for the waiting group members below to catch.

Indeed, the taste was reminiscent of red dates, except these fruits did not have stones and their flavor was even more sweet and sour, which made them quite delectable.

The group sat on the ground, enjoying the fruit, and when they felt thirsty, they scooped up water from the nearby stream to drink with their hands.

As a paleontologist, Dong Yifeng was intensely curious about the flora and fauna of this planet. He caught sight of a small mound nearby that was devoid of trees but adorned with brightly colored flowers in full bloom.

While everyone was engrossed in eating, these flowers piqued Dong Yifeng's interest. Quietly, he walked over, and none of the people on the scene noticed his presence.

Dong Yifeng stealthily ascended the mound, observing the flowers. Their leaves were round, stems were red with thorns, and the petals were a striking combination of red, yellow, blue, and purple, with a white center.

He leaned down and plucked a flower, taking a sniff. Its fragrance was rich, captivating, and soothing to the soul. As he was about to put the flower in his backpack, suddenly, the world started spinning, and he felt weak all over. He couldn't even muster the strength to open his backpack, and before long, he toppled backwards, falling into the bed of flowers.