Chapter 3: Welcome to the Qin Dynasty

Upon arriving at the travel agency, Jiang Ye pushed the door open and gestured for everyone to enter. Although the interior was a bit dated, it was tidy and well-organized; photographs of various tourist attractions hung on the walls, and several thick travel guidebooks sat on the table.

"Everyone, please take a seat for a moment while I process your travel accident insurance. We’ll be heading out shortly."

Jiang Ye began working at the computer, logging into the backend and pretending to input the five individuals' identification information. In reality, the moment their payment was successful, he directly generated the system’s exclusive travel accident insurance—the highlight of the process.

While Jiang Ye was busy, Zhang Tao spoke to the other four. "Let me introduce myself; I’m a travel and food blogger. My name is Zhang Tao."

The three men introduced themselves in turn. "My name is Zhang Minghui."

"Wang Haifeng," said the tallest one.

"Liu Zhendong."

Once the four had finished, they all looked toward the middle-aged man.

"Li Jianguo," he said shyly.

Zhang Tao looked at the three men and asked tentatively, "You three look quite different. Are you from the military?"

Zhang Minghui replied, "Retired veterans; these two are my former comrades."

Hearing this, Zhang Tao’s face lit up with joy. Even Li Jianguo looked at the three with a sense of relief, suddenly feeling a great sense of security.

Zhang Tao, being quite sociable, pulled out another phone. "Let’s add each other on WeChat and start a group chat. If any issues arise during the trip, we can send alerts in the group."

As he spoke, he winked at the four men.

They understood perfectly.

Jiang Ye had sharp hearing; even though they spoke quietly, he caught most of it. They were starting a group chat behind his back to keep an eye on him. He didn't care; what he was more looking forward to was successfully arriving in the Qin Dynasty, returning quickly, collecting his reward, and extending his lifespan.

After finishing the insurance paperwork, Jiang Ye filed away the five contracts and pulled his car keys from the drawer.

"Let’s go," Jiang Ye called out to the group.

The five followed him out of the travel agency. Since it was just a one-day trip, they didn't need to bring a change of clothes or anything else; everyone was traveling light.

Jiang Ye shouldered his backpack and led the five to the parking lot outside the alley. At the entrance sat a seven-seater SUV, and he gestured for everyone to get in. Zhang Tao took the front passenger seat, beginning to interact with his followers.

"Brothers, we’re about to set off. Our destination is—the Qin Dynasty!" Zhang Tao said with a smile.

The live chat flooded with comments.

【Taozi, be careful!】
【The tour guide is acting like it’s real. Hahaha, I can’t wait to see that scammer pay up.】
【Hahaha, Taozi, just wait to get rich! If you strike it big, don't forget your brothers.】
【If they actually time-travel, I’ll live-stream myself eating my keyboard!】

New viewers who entered the stream didn't understand the context, but they quickly caught on from the comments and began posting curiously.

【Holy crap, this is clearly a scam. Is the streamer actually falling for it?】
【Streamer, be careful they don't sell your kidneys in Myanmar.】
【Haha, this stream is obviously fake. It’s definitely a stunt by the streamer and the guy. You guys are actually taking it seriously?】

Once Jiang Ye was in the driver's seat, he frantically called out to the system in his mind.

"System, where should I drive now?"

"Ding!" A sound chimed, and the phone's navigation system automatically activated, displaying a route.

Jiang Ye said to the five men, "Buckle your seatbelts, we’re heading out."

Seeing that they were buckled in, Jiang Ye started the car and, following the phone's directions, slowly drove out of the alley. The car traveled along, gradually leaving the urban area and merging onto the highway.

After exiting the ring road, the car headed west. The five passengers kept a close eye on the direction, especially Zhang Minghui and his two comrades, who were memorizing the route.

The car was headed toward the western part of Zhejiang province. After passing the flatlands, they soon entered a mountainous area, and the number of tunnels they passed through on the highway began to increase.

Jiang Ye addressed the five. "There’s water in the car. If you’re thirsty, help yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, the five exchanged glances, understanding each other implicitly.

Zhang Tao responded with a smile, "Sounds good, sounds good."

The others followed suit, yet none of them reached for the water.

Zhang Tao asked with a grin, "Guide Jiang, my fans are asking when we’ll arrive in the Qin Dynasty?"

"Uh..."

Don't ask him such profound questions. He didn't know either! The system hadn't given him a hint!

"Soon, soon, don't be impatient," Jiang Ye replied with a generic script.

Just then, the car slowly entered the Baitangwu Tunnel. The people inside didn't notice anything strange at first, but as time passed, the three veterans finally sensed that something was wrong.

"Why haven't we left the tunnel yet?" Zhang Minghui asked, frowning.

Li Jianguo added, "This tunnel is very long."

"The Baitangwu Tunnel is quite long; I just saw a sign saying it’s 4.2 kilometers," Zhang Tao said.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he had a clearer view of the signs than the others.

"That's not right! We've been driving for ten minutes since we entered."

At 4.2 kilometers, even at 100 km/h, they should have been out of the tunnel in less than three minutes, yet they had been driving for ten.

Zhang Tao suddenly exclaimed, "My phone lost signal."

The phone he was using to stream suddenly dropped the connection, and his other phone also lost service. The others took out their phones to check, only to find they all had no signal.

They looked out the windows; the once-busy lane was now completely devoid of cars.

"Guide Jiang," Zhang Tao called out, his voice trembling slightly.

Before Jiang Ye could respond, a blinding white light suddenly appeared at the end of the tunnel ahead. Jiang Ye instinctively squinted, and the car slowed down involuntarily.

"What is that?" Zhang Tao stared ahead, his eyes wide.

Li Jianguo, Zhang Minghui, and the other veteran sat up alertly, eyes locked on the front as the blinding white light intensified. The car moved slowly toward the radiance. As the distance closed, the light became so bright it was almost impossible to keep one's eyes open. Suddenly, the car shook violently, as if passing through an invisible barrier.

A second later, the blinding light vanished.

Everyone in the car was stunned.

The scene outside the window had completely changed. It was no longer a dark tunnel, but a vast expanse of fields. In the distance, rolling mountains stretched out, white clouds drifted in the sky, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth.

"This... where is this?" Zhang Tao widened his eyes, staring at the window in disbelief.

【Ding! The host has successfully traveled to the Qin Dynasty. Complete twelve hours of tourism in the Qin Dynasty, and the task will be finished upon your return.】

The system's voice finally sounded, carrying a hint of mechanical indifference.

Li Jianguo, Zhang Minghui, and the others looked at everything outside in utter disbelief. Having left the tunnel, they should have been on a highway, but the highway was gone; before them lay only a primitive, pastoral landscape.

Jiang Ye turned to the five passengers and said with a smile, "Dear tourists, welcome to the Qin Dynasty."

The five were completely dumbfounded.