Chapter 1: What? I've Transmigrated?

Chapter 1: What? I've Transmigrated?

When Meng Youyou woke up, the first thing she saw was a grayish-white lime wall. Some parts had turned slightly yellow, and tiny cracks could even be seen in the corners.

A simple white fabric lamp hung from the ceiling, emitting a dim, yellowish light.

Meng Youyou was lying on a wooden single bed. The bedboard was rock hard and incredibly uncomfortable. The army-green bedding fabric rubbed against the delicate skin of her arms, feeling somewhat coarse.

A wooden bedside table stood by the bed, holding an army-green enamel mug and a red-covered memoir titled *Sparks Amidst the Prairie*.

Meng Youyou couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed them again, only to confirm that the scene before her remained unchanged.

She put on the black cloth-surface rubber shoes placed by the bed, stepped onto the hard cement floor, and walked toward the window.

An expansive training ground came into view, with several worn-out tires piled in one corner.

Not far away, rows of barracks were neatly arranged, their outer walls a monotonous gray. Lights were on in some of the windows, and through the dim yellow glow, silhouettes could be seen moving about.

Looking further out, Meng Youyou saw sentry posts at the edge of the camp. The lights were bright, and the guarding soldiers stood with upright, disciplined postures.

It wasn't until she saw this scene that the heart hanging in Meng Youyou's throat finally died!

It wasn't a dream!

At this very moment, she was in a military camp.

The most absurd part was that this appeared to be a military camp with a rather low level of modernization?

What the hell? Having had her "CPU" fried in just a few minutes, Meng Youyou truly couldn't make sense of the situation.

After much thought, an especially absurd hypothesis was born in her mind.

"Good heavens! This... I couldn't have... transmigrated into a book, could I?"

At this thought, Meng Youyou subconsciously looked at her reflection in the window. She reached out to gently touch her cheek; the realistic sensation transmitted through her fingertips only increased her confusion.

Observing herself carefully in the glass, that reflection—aside from looking excessively bewildered—wasn't it her own self?

Just as Meng Youyou was lost in confusion, a faint sound of static electricity rang in her mind. Simultaneously, an illusory display screen seemed to appear before her eyes, flickering with a weak light and surrounded by a faint blue halo.

Immediately following that, a mechanical voice, as if transmitted from a distant space-time tunnel, spoke: [Welcome to the Mongda System. Host: Meng Youyou. You have embarked on a wonderful journey. You are currently in a border defense military camp in the 1980s... *beep beep*...]

A burst of disorganized busy signals rang out, and the illusory screen began to flicker incessantly, the image shifting erratically, until it finally displayed a single line of bold text: 【The Mongda System is currently upgrading. Host, please wait patiently!】

"Holy crap! So I really did transmigrate? And to make matters worse, on the very first day, the system hasn't even provided any useful information before it just crashed! Are you kidding me? Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do next?"

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from deep within the corridor, approaching from a distance.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Meng Youyou, who was currently like a headless fly with no clue what to do, froze for a second upon hearing the rhythmic knocking, then reacted quickly and got up to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, a young female communications soldier stood there with an anxious expression: "Translator Meng, news has come from the border checkpoint. There is an emergency, and you need to go there immediately to handle the translation and negotiations," the female soldier said urgently.

Perhaps influenced by the other woman's state, Meng Youyou found herself closing the door and following her outside involuntarily.

On the way, she used indirect questioning to get a general idea of her identity and basic information here: Meng Youyou, female, 21 years old, a university graduate returned from studying abroad, proficient in three languages, and an outstanding translation talent specially recruited by the military.

She was originally employed by the Central Government but had recently been temporarily transferred to the 624 Border Defense Force due to changing circumstances. Her duties included border diplomacy and foreign language teaching within the unit. She had only arrived at the troops this afternoon after a long, tiring journey.

"This crappy system is actually quite thoughtful, knowing to arrange a job that matches my expertise. My niche minor language major finally has a place to be useful here."

"Freight personnel from the country of Mang are transporting goods to the border checkpoint. We need to conduct a routine inspection of the goods, but they are refusing to cooperate. There is a language barrier, making effective communication impossible. We urgently need you to help with communication and coordination," the female soldier explained clearly as they walked.

The two crossed the wide parade ground of the military camp. Moonlight spilled over them, casting long shadows. Along the way, the female soldier briefly introduced the known information to Meng Youyou.

Although Meng Youyou had not yet fully accepted the fact that she had transmigrated and was still in a state of shock, unable to fully recover her senses...

Well, since they had come looking for her, could she refuse? It didn't seem like she could. *Fine, let's go see what's actually happening first.*

After getting off the vehicle, Meng Youyou headed straight for the negotiation site.

*

The night was as dark as ink, with sparse starlight scattered across the vast and somewhat desolate land surrounding the border checkpoint. The silhouettes of continuous mountain ranges appeared hazy and deep under the faint moonlight.

In this border zone, guarded by both nature and duty, the vehicles of the Mang country freight personnel were lined up in sequence. Their dim yellow headlights intertwined with the searchlights of the border checkpoint to create a complex pattern of light and shadow.

The freight workers stood or sat, their faces filled with displeasure. Occasional low whispers and impatient complaints broke out, and a tense, deadlocked atmosphere permeated the air.

The soldiers at the border checkpoint stood like an indestructible line of defense. Dressed in dark green military uniforms and holding Type 56 semi-automatic rifles, their gazes were as sharp as torches, flashing with determination in the darkness.

Under the glare of the searchlights, a row of straight figures stretched into strictly parallel lines, appearing both solemn and sacred. Every rigorous movement revealed a high degree of vigilance and professionalism.

At this moment of tense confrontation, Meng Youyou forced a calm expression and walked forward quickly. In reality, she was panicking internally; she had never seen such a scene in her life, not even on television—she mostly watched modern police and crime dramas.

Seeing her walking straight toward them, an officer showed an understanding expression and first raised his hand to give a standard military salute. Then, in a loud, clear, and powerful voice, he said, "Hello, this is the new comrade Meng Youyou, right? I am Zhang Yong, Company Commander of the 1st Company, 2nd Battalion of the 624 Border Defense Force, in charge of commanding tonight's checkpoint inspection. Welcome. We hope that with your assistance, we can resolve the current situation together."

Following his lead, Meng Youyou returned a salute that wasn't exactly standard: "No need for formalities, Comrade Captain. Let's get straight to the point."

Under Zhang Yong's guidance, Meng Youyou walked up to the leader of the opposing group. She took a quiet breath and then spoke: "Hello, I am a translator for the Chinese Border Defense Force."

"According to our national laws, all goods entering our territory must undergo strict and standardized inspections. Therefore, please cooperate with our work," Meng Youyou said with an air of authority, skillfully using the Mang language to deliver the lines she had rehearsed in the vehicle.

Seeing that the newcomer could speak Mang, the other party's expression softened slightly, and they began to communicate: "Our goods are extremely fragile glassware. We have put a lot of effort into protective packaging. Now, if your soldiers inspect our goods, they will inevitably have to unpack all these protective covers and shock-absorbing pads. For us, this is an unavoidable loss."

"Not to mention that we will have to spend a lot of time and energy re-packaging them later, but more importantly, once these covers are removed, they might not be able to be used completely again. Furthermore, I am very worried about how you will respond if you accidentally break our goods during the inspection," Meng Youyou translated the other party's words to Zhang Yong verbatim.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Yong replied, "According to our working practices, we usually adopt a flexible spot-check scheme when facing different practical situations. We promise to do our best to be careful enough during the inspection to avoid damaging the goods. Besides that, if the goods are found to be in good condition after the inspection, our soldiers will dutifully restore the items to their original state. For any unavoidable losses, we will provide compensation at the original price." After speaking in one breath, the man nodded slightly. "Please convey my exact words to them, Comrade Meng."

After a round of negotiation, the other party eventually accepted the inspection, albeit reluctantly.

Once an agreement was reached, the border soldiers immediately set to work, beginning the spot checks on the transit goods.

Zhang Yong personally moved forward to command. His eyes were sharp, scanning every parked truck one by one. At his command, the soldiers quickly formed three groups of two, moving toward different vehicles in a coordinated manner.

One person from each group nimbly climbed into the truck bed, first carefully checking the cargo's fastening straps and support structures. Only after confirming everything was secure and stable did they carefully select the boxes for inspection.

The ropes wrapped around the wooden crates were skillfully untied by them, while the soldiers remaining on the ground prepared toolboxes and registration books, looking up to closely watch their comrades' operations, ready to record and assist at any time.

The wooden crates were slowly pried open, revealing neatly stacked, exquisite glassware inside.

The routine inspection at the border checkpoint was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

*

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border line.

The night shrouded the borderlands. Huo Qingshan was leading a border patrol team, conducting their routine patrol along the border line as usual.

The bright moonlight reflected off the man's resolute facial features, and the sound of footsteps was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Suddenly, Huo Qingshan's gaze was attracted to an object flashing with a cold light on the ground.

He strode forward, crouched down, and carefully picked up the object. Upon closer inspection, it was a discarded empty shell casing.

The man's expression instantly turned solemn. Based on his experience, the caliber, size, and primer of this bullet differed from the models used by the military and police within the territory.

Years of stationed service at the border had given Huo Qingshan an almost intuitive sharpness.

This unusual bullet was undoubtedly releasing a dangerous signal.

Huo Qingshan stood up and looked around. Immediately after, he discovered nearby tire tracks.

These tracks were chaotically intertwined, making it difficult for an ordinary person to judge how many vehicles had passed through this spot.

He crouched down, pressing himself against the ground to carefully observe the depth, pattern, and spacing of every track. He gradually pieced together the result: there were vehicles equivalent to five freight trucks that had passed through here almost at the same time.

It was highly likely a large-scale group of foreign transport vehicles. However, the anomaly lay in the fact that if they were part of the same group, the cargo content of each vehicle should be roughly the same. Why would the cargo weight of one specific vehicle be significantly higher than the others? — The phenomenon he had just observed showed that among the five intersecting sets of tracks, one set was significantly deeper than the other four.

Various possibilities and speculations flashed through Huo Qingshan's mind, but every single one pointed to an undeniable fact: beneath the surface calm of the border, undercurrents were surging.

He immediately reported this discovery via walkie-talkie in a low, urgent voice to the base, while simultaneously ordering the patrol team to heighten their vigilance and strengthen the search and monitoring of the surrounding area.

The team members acted quickly, and the atmosphere turned abruptly grim.

*

The spot-check phase at the checkpoint was more than halfway through. Just then, Company Commander Zhang Yong suddenly ran aside to answer his walkie-talkie.

Meng Youyou stood there with nothing to do. Thinking she might as well be useful, she planned to walk over and help the soldiers with the inspection.

She glanced at the five trucks in front of her and randomly picked one to join.

As she gradually approached the vehicle, Meng Youyou inexplicably felt the gazes of those Mang merchants being cast toward her, as if unintentionally. A faint sense of doubt rose in her heart.

"I'll join you guys. Many hands make light work," Meng Youyou said with a smile to the busy soldiers.

"No need, no need! Translator Meng, you are a highly educated professional and a female comrade; how can you do such dirty and heavy work? Just stand by the side. This is our duty; we can handle it ourselves," two young soldiers said in unison, quickly refusing.

"Look at what you're saying. Why can't a female comrade work? A highly educated person is also a member of the people. There is a bond between the military and the people; the military protects the people, and the people naturally love the military."

"It really isn't necessary. These things look light, but they are actually quite heavy. We are used to moving them around all day. It's your first time and you aren't familiar with it; if you accidentally damage someone's goods, it wouldn't be good."

"Comrade Meng, listen to our advice and rest on the side for now. We'll be done soon."

Meng Youyou thought for two seconds and decided they had a point. Whether her slender arms and legs could actually help was one thing, but she might just end up making more work for them.

Thus, she followed their advice and stepped aside.

Having witnessed that strange scene earlier, Meng Youyou, standing to the side, began to unconsciously observe the behavior of the Mang merchants.

There were five vehicles in total, with two people per vehicle. The two people corresponding to each vehicle were gathered near their respective trucks. This was logical.

But... after a round of silent observation, Meng Youyou discovered that although these people were all standing near their assigned vehicles, they repeatedly pretended to glance unintentionally toward the last vehicle in the line.

There must be something suspicious. Meng Youyou lifted her feet again and walked toward that specific vehicle.

Seeing her approach, the two young soldiers panicked again: "Translator Meng, why are you coming over again? We really don't need help. Look, we've basically finished; we're just wrapping things up."

"How many boxes have been inspected in this truck?"

The young soldier replied, "Three. Commander Zhang ordered that three boxes be randomly and equally sampled from every vehicle."

Hearing this, Meng Youyou scanned the interior of the truck bed, her gaze moving back and forth. She then looked at the truck beds of the other vehicles. As she watched and compared them several times, a sense of incongruity surged in her heart.

This truck was clearly the same size as the other freight trucks, yet the number of boxes loaded in the truck bed was one-eighth less.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and carefully observed the internal structure of the truck bed again. She took a few steps closer, her gaze slowly moving toward the front of the truck bed where it connected to the cab.

Meng Youyou walked a full circle around the vehicle, becoming even more certain of her suspicion.

Just as she was about to reach out and knock on the front part of the truck bed, she was timely stopped by Commander Zhang, who had just returned from a distance: "Comrade Meng, news just came from the camp saying the Chief has just returned from a meeting and is looking for you everywhere. Later, they learned you had just arrived at the troops and hadn't even rested before we pulled you over here. The order is that if our mission is finished, we must hurry you back."

As he spoke, he actually reached out and pulled Meng Youyou a few steps away.

Zhang Yong turned and said to his soldiers, "Is the inspection finished? If there are no problems, load the items back onto the trucks and let them go."

Receiving the order, the soldiers replied in unison, "Yes!" Their movements quickened, and before long, the trucks were packed and ready to depart.

Having had her actions abruptly interrupted by the Company Commander, Meng Youyou was bewildered. She reasoned that their experience must be much greater than hers and perhaps she was overthinking it, so she did not insist on her idea.

It wasn't until the Mang people began to board their vehicles one after another that Meng Youyou accidentally looked down and caught sight of the tires in front of her.

No! There's a problem!

The tires of the last vehicle were clearly flatter and more collapsed than the tires of the previous four vehicles. Combined with the fact she had discovered earlier that this truck had fewer boxes in its bed, the vehicle was currently the heaviest.

At this moment, she was almost certain that there was definitely something wrong with this truck!

Without thinking much further, Meng Youyou rushed forward and knocked on the front part of the truck bed.

*Thud—thud—* The sound was far too dull.