Chapter 3: The Alien Base

I stood there, trembling, for a few more seconds before once again sensing the conversation between the three-eyed and the mantis.

"The Alliance has agreed to select Ji Wufan. His background has been verified — clean and straightforward. He has a pure, upright spirit and is an ideal candidate. As long as Ji Wufan agrees, the Alliance can extend its invitation to him."

"Oh my gosh."

I was completely stunned. In such a short time, how did the three-eyed know my name? It even seemed like they had investigated my family background. But I hadn't seen him use a phone or any other communication device!

I later learned that the three-eyed, like all members of the Alliance, had nano-technology operating within his body. These intelligent nano-machines allowed their species to communicate using just their brainwaves, without the need for phones or any other external devices. As for checking my background, that was no challenge for them either. The Alliance had been monitoring Earth since ancient times, using advanced technology that could observe everything on the planet, including humans. But I was unaware of any of this at the time.

While I was still grappling with confusion, the three-eyed looked at me again, and I felt another thought reach me: "Ji Wufan, young man, the Alliance would like to invite you to our base. We wish to share some information with you so that, upon your return, you can tell the whole world. Would you be willing? Don't worry, we won't harm you."

As I stood there, dazed and hesitant, a thought from the mantis entered my mind: "If you don't want to come, you can refuse. I'll just erase your memory of seeing us, and then we'll find another human. Please make your decision."

The mantis creature's face showed no expression, and I didn't dare look at him. I lowered my head, deep in thought. To be honest, at that moment, I didn't want to go. After all, the situation was too strange. But when I heard that they would find someone else even if I refused, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Although they said they wouldn't harm humans, I couldn't fully trust them. What I thought then was: since they needed a human messenger and had just so happened to encounter me, inviting me willingly, it would be rude to decline. Why not go with them? If there's no danger, then it's great. If there is, I'll face it. My sense of responsibility and principles wouldn't allow me to let them test others instead!

"I…I agree. Can I ask who you are? And how long will I be gone with you?"

With that thought, I immediately decided to take the risk. I realized I was stammering a bit, still shaken by the events, and I wanted to know more about who they were and how long I would be away. I couldn't communicate with them as easily as they could with me.

Normally, I don't stammer, but at that moment, I couldn't help it.

"Young man, Ji Wufan, we're glad you've agreed to be our guest. I can tell you who we are. Don't worry, we truly won't harm you. If we had any bad intentions, you wouldn't be able to resist us anyway." The thought came from the three-eyed, and what he said made sense.

Realizing this, I felt myself relax a lot. His thoughts reached me again: "My identity is similar to yours — I am also a native of Earth, from one of the first intelligent civilizations in prehistory. In my tribe, my name, in your human language, is pronounced 'Buweiluo'. Since we are both natives of Earth, I'm now inviting you to visit the Alliance base as our guest. I will be your guide, and if you need anything, just call my name."

So, the three-eyed's name was Buweiluo. Seeing me nod blankly, he continued to send thoughts into my mind: "This friend who looks like a mantis is from outside our solar system, from the constellation 'Eridanus', what you humans refer to as 'aliens'. They had visited Earth long before humans appeared and later formed an alliance with us. His name, in your language, is abbreviated as 'Yide Aisge'. Each of our names carries cultural significance, so just be aware of that and don't try to interpret it using human knowledge. As for how long you'll be away with us, that's up to you. If you don't want to spend much time with us, we can bring you back after just a few hours. But if you'd like to stay longer, you can stay for a few days. We respect your decision."

"Prehistoric Earth civilizations, aliens!"

I was utterly shaken by this revelation. Although I had heard such rumors, I had never paid much attention to them. I always thought they were unlikely, yet here they were, right before me — and I, someone who didn't believe in these things, had actually encountered them.

 

I also realized one thing — they could read my inner thoughts, which made me very careful about what I was thinking. Since I had already decided to go with them, I figured I might as well embrace it. After all, there wasn't much for me to do at home anyway, and meeting real aliens could be an unforgettable experience. So, I said to them, "Alright, I'll go and check out your place. If I like it, I might stay a few days. But can I go down the mountain first? The signal here is terrible, and I need to send a WeChat message to my family."

At this point, I had already relaxed quite a bit. After all, years of daily training had strengthened my mental resilience.  

"You can send your message now. I'll provide you with a strong signal." I sensed Buweiluo, he communicated with me once again.  

Skeptical, I pulled out my phone and, to my surprise, "Wow!" There was indeed full bars signal even. Could aliens be monitoring our communications network? Do they use Wi-Fi too? Despite my doubts, I quickly typed up a message and sent it to my mom via WeChat: "Mom, something came up at work. They're picking me up at the village entrance. Don't wait for me for lunch. I'll be back once I'm done, but I'm not sure when. I'll let you know when I'm on my way home."  

I had no choice but to use work as an excuse. I couldn't very well tell her that aliens needed me for something, or she'd think I'd hit my head too hard.  

"All done," I said to Buweiluo after sending the message.  

Buweiluo then invited me, "Please come over, young man. I'll take you to our research base first to settle these two, and then we'll head to the Alliance's main headquarters."  

Seeing my hesitation, likely due to my fear of the wild man and the giant eagle, Buweiluo sensed my anxiety and reassured me: "Don't worry, they won't harm you. These two are research subjects for the Alliance, similar to the lab rats human scientists use. We can control them easily. Today, they were released—one is a herbivore and the other a carnivore —to consume earth surface food so we can study their digestion and waste, which helps us understand the surface ecosystem. Every once in a while, we send out research creatures from each of our bases. Occasionally, humans spot them and mistake them for monsters. You happened to see them this time."  

Wow. These two enormous, fierce animals were actually just alien research subjects! Their level of technology was truly impressive. After hearing Buweiluo's explanation and reassurances, I was filled with admiration and my fear subsided. I walked over to him without hesitation.

Once I decide on something, I see it through to the end—whether it's a smooth path or full of danger. That's my principle. I've always had a decent amount of courage in everyday life, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to become a firefighter.

"Eh?"  

As soon as I reached Buweiluo's side, I suddenly felt my body being enveloped by an invisible force. To my astonishment, both my body and the bodies of the four creatures around me began to rise slowly. At first, the speed was gentle, but it gradually increased as we floated upward, heading toward the mountain's peak. I couldn't help but stare in shock, thinking to myself, "Wow, this feels like flying! What kind of technology is this? If someone saw this, they'd think I was some kind of immortal!"  

It was my first experience flying, and at the beginning, I was quite scared. But as we flew, I realized my body felt securely held by some force, and there was no risk of falling. This filled me with both amazement and curiosity.

"This is the effect of a 'universal energy field'. Once the human understanding of magnetic fields, electromagnetism, gravity, physics, mathematics, charge, relativity, and space are integrated and advanced a step further, you'll be able to invent and create a similar energy field. This energy field can adapt and be controlled based on your intentions. In our Alliance, we call it the 'universal energy field'." This time, I sensed Yide Aisge speaking to me through my mind. His name was so long that it took me a while to remember it.

"Our Alliance's universal energy field extends to every corner of the Earth, including the oceans and even the core of the planet. Whenever we mentally request its assistance, the field responds. Normally, we teleport instantly, but we're flying slowly now to make the experience more comfortable for you. In ancient times, when your civilization was still undeveloped and people were more superstitious, some of our Alliance members would travel openly and be seen by your ancestors. It was amusing how they would label the more majestic and noble-looking species as gods, while those with more frightening appearances were called monsters or demons. Our species was even called the 'Mantis Spirit'. As humanity advanced into the age of technology, the Alliance and other alien species agreed to remain invisible when visiting the surface, to avoid causing panic. Since there's no one around here, we didn't bother with invisibility this time."

The universal energy field, math, physics, magnetic fields, gravity... I had no idea what Yide Aisge was talking about due to the technical nature of those concepts. However, when he started explaining about gods and monsters, I couldn't help but find it amusing, though I held back my laughter out of politeness.

Within seconds, we had flown over the mountain peak and stopped halfway up another mountain. This was the first time in my life I had seen what lay behind the mountains, and from above, it was all lush and green. Just as I was puzzling over the situation, my body suddenly jolted, and everything flashed before my eyes. Before I could gather my thoughts, I realized we had already arrived inside a dimly lit cave, and the energy that had been enveloping me disappeared.

The stone walls of the cave emitted a beautiful blue glow, but in an instant, the walls vanished, revealing a mechanical metal door radiating with various lights. It was beyond anything I could comprehend, far more incredible than any special effects I'd ever seen in a science fiction movie.

Before I had time to process it, a blue beam of light shot out from the door, scanning over me. My instinct was to try to dodge it, but I couldn't move. Instead, I felt a strange warmth wash over my entire body.