Years turn into wind

It was late at night, the entire city shrouded in silence. Cheng Yuwei, a doctoral researcher in the chemistry lab, was still busily working on her experiment. The table was filled with various reagent bottles, and the air was filled with a faint chemical scent. She stared at the test tube in front of her, her eyes gleaming with concentration. As a doctoral student in chemistry, she had a keen interest in the research of new materials, and today she was trying to develop a new catalyst.

"Wait a few more seconds..." Cheng Yuwei muttered to herself, holding her breath and staring at the solution in the test tube.

Suddenly, a powerful beam of light burst forth from the test tube! Following a loud bang, the laboratory was engulfed in smoke and light. Cheng Yuwei was caught off guard and thrown to the ground by the powerful force. She felt only a sharp pain before she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, everything around her had changed.

Cheng Yuwei's head split with pain. She forced her eyes open, and the scene around her stunned her. She should have been lying in a modern laboratory, but now she lay in an old wooden house with mottled walls. Through the wooden window, she looked out onto a dusty cobblestone road. Pedestrians walked along the street, dressed in Republican-era clothing.

She sat up suddenly, her mind in turmoil.

"Where is this?" She looked around blankly, trying to sort out her thoughts. Was this an experimental accident? Or was she having an extremely vivid dream?

She patted her face, the cool touch reassuring her that this wasn't a dream. She walked out of the cabin and stood on the street, watching the cars and people coming and going—those old cars, horse-drawn carriages, and people wearing Republican-era gowns all hinted at an incredible fact: she had traveled through time!

"This is impossible..." Cheng Yuwei muttered, but the sight before her left no room for doubt. She anxiously looked around, trying to find an answer. Just as she was about to ask passersby, the sound of horse hooves and a commotion in the distance broke the quiet of the street.

Several horses came galloping over, the soldiers on horseback wearing military uniforms and holding rifles, looking very imposing. The crowd moved out of the way, and she stood there for a moment, at a loss as to what to do.

"Get out of the way!" a soldier shouted at her, pointing his gun at her.

Cheng Yuwei panicked and retreated hastily, but the soldiers in front of her did not relax their guard. They reined in their horses and surrounded Cheng Yuwei.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" A tall, stern man jumped off his horse and glanced at her sharply. He was wearing a neat military uniform, and his eyes were full of majesty and coldness.

Cheng Yuwei subconsciously took a step back, her mind racing, but she knew that she must not reveal the secret of her time travel now.

"I... I'm a student passing by and accidentally got lost." She tried to keep her voice calm, but her heart was beating faster.

The man was not moved by her explanation. Instead, he coldly ordered his men: "Take him away."

Before Cheng Yuwei could react, several soldiers surrounded her and roughly forced her onto the carriage. She struggled desperately, but to no avail.

"Let me go! You've made a mistake!" she shouted desperately, but the man didn't even look back. He just got on another horse indifferently and led the soldiers away at a gallop.

After a bumpy ride in the carriage, Cheng Yuwei was taken to a massive military camp. Surrounded by heavily guarded soldiers, Cheng Yuwei tried to remain calm, but fear still lingered. She was taken to a small, prison-like room, with soldiers guarding the door, clearly unwilling to let her leave easily.

After a long while, the stern officer reappeared. He strode into the room, sizing her up with cold eyes, as if he could see through her.

"Who are you? Why are you in the area I control?" His tone was still cold, but full of coercion.

Cheng Yuwei's heart tightened. Faced with this unfamiliar world and this seemingly powerful officer, she didn't know how to explain her absurd experience. She could only bite the bullet and say, "I'm really just a student passing by. Nothing special."

The man sneered, obviously not believing her.

"Your explanation is far-fetched," he said in a deep voice, "However, your fate is not in your hands for the time being. I have enough means to make you tell the truth."

Cheng Yuwei's heart was beating like thunder. The man in front of her would obviously not easily believe her lies. She had to find a way to protect herself, but she knew nothing about the situation in this era and could only pretend to be innocent for the time being.

"I can help you!" She suddenly had an idea and blurted out, "I have a PhD in chemistry. I can help you make explosives."

The man raised his eyebrows slightly, seeming interested in her suggestion.

"You said you could make explosives?" he asked, his eyes sharp.

Cheng Yuwei was secretly delighted. At least her words had caught his attention. She decided to continue, "Yes, I have a deep understanding of chemistry. If you need, I can help you improve the formula of your explosives and increase its power."

The man was silent for a moment, as if weighing her worth.

"Very good," he finally said, "If you can prove that you are not an enemy spy, I might consider trusting you."