The helicopter flew over majestic, continuous mountains and valleys for about 20 minutes before landing on the edge of a cliff. Not far from the cliff's edge stood a three-story manor.
"You could say so, and you could also say not."
Yang Ruoning followed him into the elevator to the top floor. In front of a large, closed wooden door, he suddenly turned around and looked at Yang Ruoning somewhat seriously. "Miss Yang, what you are about to see might be the most incredible thing on this Earth. Are you ready?"
Yang Ruoning nodded in confusion.
Yet, even so, the moment the door opened, Yang Ruoning was so shocked by the sight before her that she was speechless.
It was a huge laboratory, filled with all sorts of instruments and computers. At the far end of the laboratory, above a set of white stone steps, was a giant, oval-shaped black object. Or perhaps, it couldn't be called an object; it was more like a living creature, for the dark, flowing substance seemed to possess life.
"What is that?" Yang Ruoning couldn't help but walk closer. She noticed that as she approached it, the black substance began to flow more rapidly.
"Incredible!" Mr. Kinsey was somewhat surprised by this sight. He explained, "This is a wormhole, a gateway to another time and space."
A wormhole? Yang Ruoning thought it was something only conjured up in science fiction novels and movies. "So, you and Jason discovered a wormhole?"
He leaned against a table with his arms crossed. "To be precise, I discovered this wormhole, and Jason was the only person I found capable of traversing it."
Yang Ruoning turned to stare at him in disbelief. "He traveled through the wormhole?"
"Yes, he entered the wormhole over ten days ago. I just didn't expect him to return so seriously injured..."
"So, he was injured on the other side?"
"Yes."
"Did he… say how he got injured? What is the world like… over there?"
"This is precisely why I asked you to come," Mr. Kinsey walked to Yang Ruoning's side and looked up at the wormhole. "After Jason came out of here, he fell into a coma. And the things he took with him when he entered this wormhole, he didn't bring back."
Yang Ruoning turned to look at him. "So you want me to come here…" She immediately understood why he had brought her here.
He smiled faintly. "Yes, on the way to the hospital for emergency treatment, Jason kept repeating 'cam...'. Camera. I believe there must be something extremely important in that camera. I brought you here hoping you could find that camera. Because..."
"Okay, I'll go," Yang Ruoning interrupted him, agreeing to it promptly. Mr. Kinsey paused for a moment, somewhat surprised that she had agreed so quickly.
Yang Ruoning extended a finger and slowly moved it closer to the black substance. Immediately, the black objects began to flow rapidly under her fingertip, forming a small vortex.
"Does it hurt?" Yang Ruoning asked.
"No, at least Jason didn't feel any pain."
Yang Ruoning looked back at him. "When can I depart?"
"...I've already prepared it for you," Kinsey pointed to a large backpack placed over there. "You can enter anytime."
Without hesitation, Yang Ruoning slung the heavy backpack over her shoulders and walked directly into the black hole.
Beyond that layer of cold liquid was a vast, empty space. It was pitch black; she could see nothing, hear nothing. Yang Ruoning took a deep breath, fumbled in her pocket for a flashlight, and was about to turn it on when she suddenly heard a faint sound, as if someone had flipped a switch in the distance, or perhaps it was right beside her.
A light illuminated ahead. Looking from afar, it seemed to be an old wooden door under the light. That was probably where she needed to go, Yang Ruoning thought, and walked towards the door.
About ten meters from the wooden door, she seemed to have triggered a switch. Suddenly, countless images lit up around the door, like individual screens. The images displayed were of diverse lives. In the largest image directly above, a Chinese emperor in a golden dragon robe sat in a grand hall, with ministers in red or blue official attire kneeling below the throne.
Yang Ruoning frowned, guessing that this was likely the world beyond that door. She didn't linger any further and walked straight to pull open the door.