C3 You Are a Transmigrator

"Actually, I'm a time traveler," Zhang Hang said, bringing his motorcycle to a stop before turning to Lu Yu with an anxious look.

Lu Yu squinted his eyes. "A time traveler, huh? So, are you here to assist Optimus Prime in returning to Cybertron, or to aid Emperor Qin Shihuang in restoring the grandeur of his empire?"

Zhang Hang's expression seized up, a heaviness settling in his chest.

"Uh, is the concept of time travelers not taken seriously in your time? Well, whether you believe me or not, please pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you."

Lu Yu crossed his arms, adopting a posture of feigned attention.

With a resigned sigh, Zhang Hang continued, "A catastrophe is looming. Think of it as a zombie apocalypse. You'll need to stockpile substantial amounts of long-lasting food and clean water, enough to get you through to the end of the year.

Obviously, you can't manage that overnight. Time is short, so gather as much as you can."

Zhang Hang paused, then added, "Next, stock up on plenty of aspirin. Again, the more, the better. And finally, avoid long-distance travel before the end of next year, specifically before December 21st, 2022, because..."

"Do you really expect me to buy this?" Lu Yu looked at the man before him, his smirk laced with a thick layer of sarcasm.

"December 21st, huh? What is it, the apocalypse?"

Interrupted by Lu Yu, Zhang Hang's face betrayed no irritation, but a trace of urgency crept into his furrowed brow.

"Believe it or not, that's your choice. The butterfly effect limits how much I can intervene."

Zhang Hang peeled off the black leather glove from his left hand, and in that moment, Lu Yu's smirk solidified.

Beneath the glove was not a flesh-and-blood hand, but a mechanical palm emitting a soft blue glow.

"My time is running out. I've told you what I can. I hope you make it through because, believe it or not, you're a pretty important player in all this."

While speaking, Zhang Hang rolled up his left sleeve, revealing an entire arm of gleaming blue machinery. With a swift motion, a one-foot-long, jet-black Broken Blade sprang from his forearm and locked into place within the mechanical palm.

Zhang Hang gripped the Broken Blade in his hand, ensuring it was precisely positioned before turning and striding into the pitch-black alley.

"The motorcycle's yours now—make good use of it!" Zhang Hang called out to Lu Yu, his back to him, as a brilliant blue glow erupted from his left arm, shining as intensely as the midday sun. The clanking of gears and a steady hum emanated from his limb.

With a swift motion, Zhang Hang's body followed his left hand, slicing through the air and conjuring a dark rift before him.

Gasping for breath, Zhang Hang glanced back, his energy seemingly sapped by the flurry of actions. Yet, a radiant smile spread across his ruggedly handsome face. "I hope we meet again, human Lu Yu..."

No sooner had the words left his lips than the dark rift enveloped Zhang Hang, leaving Lu Yu alone and stunned beneath the glow of the streetlamps.

"Huh, just like that, he's gone?" Lu Yu gazed at the now dim alley entrance, lost in thought. "Well, I guess that rules out the possibility of him being insane."

The black motorcycle under the streetlamp stood as tangible proof that the evening's events were no hallucination.

Lu Yu examined the motorcycle—a Ducati Scrambler 1000, reminiscent of the one Professor Tang rode, albeit with some modifications. Off-road tires had replaced the standard ones for better traction, and the fuel tank seemed enlarged. The bike's matte black finish gave it the appearance of a predatory beast, coiled and ready to pounce.

"What a headache. N City bans motorcycles; riding this home is just asking for trouble with the traffic police..."

Lu Yu scratched his head in contemplation.

"But since he gifted it to me, I can't just ignore his generosity..."

And so, as a conscientious and law-abiding citizen, Lu Yu resolved to push the motorcycle home.

As an adopted child, Lu Yu considered himself fortunate. Both of his adoptive parents were scientists.

But don't be mistaken—they weren't the Nobel Prize-winning type. His father once said they were merely support staff, assisting the more prominent scientists.

This meant Lu Yu's parents had ample time to nurture him as he grew up. They never concealed the fact that he was adopted, though they refrained from delving into the particulars. Lu Yu, ever thoughtful, never pressed for details.

Life had been a string of joyful days until an unexpected turn of events occurred two years ago.

Lu Yu returned from work that day, as he always did, and knocked on the door, only to discover the house was empty.

He was puzzled by the absence of his mother's usual text about working late when his father's urgent voice came through the phone. "Xiao Yu, has your mother gotten home yet?"

"No, there's nobody here. Are you both working overtime today?"

As Lu Yu stepped inside, he was met with a scene of disarray. The house was in shambles, with belongings scattered everywhere.

"It looks like we've been robbed..."

A heavy silence fell on the other end of the line. "Stay put and fix yourself something to eat. I'm going to look for your mom," his father instructed before hanging up.

Lu Yu tidied up as best he could and prepared a bowl of instant noodles. But before he could take a bite, his phone rang again. This time, the voice on the line was unfamiliar.

"Hello, is this Xiao Yu?"

"Yes, that's me. Where's my dad? Who are you?"

"Your dad's been in an accident. Come to First Hospital quickly. He's badly hurt and they're trying to save him..."

Lu Yu's mind went blank, his chopsticks clattering to the floor. "I'm on my way!"

He hung up and raced to the hospital. Despite his limited capacity for empathy, it didn't mean he was devoid of emotion or operated with the cold logic of a machine.

The disappearance of his mother and his father's sudden accident filled him with dread. The sense of losing his safe harbor, the fear of being utterly alone, crept over him.

Waiting outside the hospital's emergency room, Lu Yu was a bundle of nerves. The man who had called him was a kind-hearted, bearded uncle who explained that Lu Yu's father had been struck by a speeding truck at a red light, knocked unconscious immediately.

"The truck didn't even try to stop. Just hit him and took off, didn't even hit the brakes," the uncle recounted.

"Kid, did your dad cross someone he shouldn't have?" Lu Yu shook his head numbly, his gaze fixed on the emergency room door, silent.

Later, all Lu Yu could recall was the doctor emerging from the emergency room, shaking his head in resignation and uttering, "Condolences."

The subsequent funeral was a blur to Lu Yu. Overwhelmed by grief, he mechanically handled his father's affairs.

With his mother still missing, Lu Yu reported both his father's car accident and his mother's disappearance to the police, but there were no leads.

All Lu Yu could do was wait, clinging to the hope that one day he'd come home to his mother's cooking and her warm, welcoming smile.

Lu Yu resided in the Blue Moon Community in Y District of N City. With the death of his father, the disappearance of his mother, and 27 years of being single without a girlfriend, Lu Yu now lived alone in the 120-square-meter house.

After parking his Ducati in the lot below, Lu Yu pondered his next move.

"If what Zhang Hang said today holds true, I need to stock up on food and water first."

His parents had always been frugal, leaving a decent sum in their bank accounts. Lu Yu's job at a design firm paid enough to cover his living expenses and save a little extra. Money for food and water wasn't an immediate concern.

Lu Yu was decisive in action. Once he set his mind to something, he wasted no time getting it done.

In no time, he had bought copious amounts of bottled water and rice from the supermarket downstairs, even generously hiring some of the staff to help carry it all up to his apartment.

The supermarket employees didn't question the odd customer; business is business, and they were happy to earn the extra cash. Lu Yu offered no explanations, simply joining in the effort to haul his purchases.

Soon, the supermarket's stock of bottled water and rice was depleted. It was a small store with limited inventory.

Lu Yu also picked up salt, chocolate, compressed biscuits, and a variety of instant noodles, figuring this stash could sustain him for a couple of years if necessary.

Zhang Hang had advised him to stockpile enough food to last until the end of the year, but Lu Yu was a man who preferred to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Should any unforeseen events occur, the food would allow him to hunker down at home for an extended period.

It was 10 PM by the time he finished purchasing food and water. Instead of resting, Lu Yu dashed across the street to the pharmacy.

"Aspirin, and in large quantities?" Lu Yu furrowed his brow.

He could grasp Zhang Hang's insistence on stocking up on food and water. In any zombie apocalypse depicted in movies or novels, these were vital supplies.

But aspirin? What possible use could it have? Surely it wasn't meant for zombies.

Lu Yu shook his head, attempting to dismiss the wild speculation.

"Once you've committed to a course of action, there's no point in second-guessing. Just get it done," he reminded himself as he entered the pharmacy.

"Got any aspirin?" Lu Yu glanced around, noticing only an auntie engrossed in her phone behind the counter.

"Yes." The auntie set her phone aside and pulled out a box from the bottom shelf, passing it to Lu Yu. "Here you go."

"I'll take all the aspirin you have."

"Young man, you can't just pop pills like they're candy. That could be dangerous," the auntie said, her expression one of utter astonishment, as if Lu Yu were a monkey that had scampered away from a circus.

"Just sell it to me. It's not illegal to buy aspirin, right?" Lu Yu replied coolly, offering no explanation.

"Okay, okay. But just a word of caution, this is medicine, not candy to be taken lightly."

Armed with two hefty bags of aspirin, Lu Yu returned home. He had stacked the rice and water he bought from the supermarket in his study and bedroom, making the once spacious rooms feel a bit cramped.

After some thought, he turned on the bathroom faucet, filling every available container with water. The groceries he had acquired were enough to feed one person for two years, but his mineral water supply would only last six months.

It was just the beginning of May. If the tap water were to be cut off or become undrinkable for any reason, he wouldn't make it to December.

Lu Yu decided to take advantage of the still-functioning water supply and store as much as he could for future needs.

"Water, electricity, gas," Lu Yu mused while filling containers. These utilities were vital for everyday life, yet they could be the first to go in the event of a zombie outbreak.

"Electricity isn't a big deal; if it's gone, so be it. Water can be stockpiled, so no immediate worries there. But if the gas gets cut off, cooking becomes impossible. I need to figure out a solution..."

He furrowed his brow in thought. Purchasing a liquefied gas cylinder? In N City, where pipeline gas was the norm, getting a cylinder on short notice was impractical.

Maybe an alcohol stove could be a substitute? That meant stocking up on alcohol fuel, which was available at the large supermarket two streets over. Too late for tonight, but he could make a run for it first thing tomorrow.

As Lu Yu was contemplating which other essentials to purchase, a piercing scream echoed from next door.