Chapter 2: Can the Future Truly Be Foreseen?

The slow-moving train rocked like a cradle that lulls one into dreams. As it swayed, the new recruits inside the carriage had long lost the novelty and excitement they felt when first boarding. One by one, they lay sprawled across the compartment, which made Chu An, who was half-sitting and staring blankly, somewhat conspicuous.

"Hey, soldier, do you need something?"

The dim light inside the boxcar barely illuminated the scene.

Though all the new recruits in this carriage had been personally selected and recruited by the officers who accompanied them to this location, everyone wore the same uniform, and in this setting, without a careful look at their faces, it was hard to tell who was who.

Of course, that didn’t really matter.

Even if the officers recognized someone, they would simply call out, "Hey, soldier."

Startled awake, Chu An quickly raised his hand and reported, "Sir, I have an upset stomach!"

Though he had been shaken by the fleeting vision that had just flashed before his eyes, once he gathered himself, he focused on the immediate problem. After all, some things couldn’t be held in.

Besides, Chu An wanted to verify whether that strange apparition was real. If it truly was...

In just a moment, his emotions churned wildly.

"Oh, it’s Chu An! Alright, come here!"

Hearing his voice and seeing his face, the recruiting officer smiled.

Many of these officers were grassroots commanders. While the soldiers they recruited might not all be assigned to their own new recruits’ company, the promising talents they selected could be retained.

Chu An was one of only two high school graduates among this group of new recruits, and he was only seventeen. Young, educated, and having just taken the college entrance exam for the first time before the New Year, he had missed admission by mere points. (Note: The first college entrance exam after the Cultural Revolution was held in December 1977.)

It should be noted that the acceptance rate for this inaugural exam was unlike any later years.

To be so close to admission then meant he was truly an intellectual.

Naturally, because of this, Chu An drew even more attention from the recruiting officers.

In fact, the officer had already decided to keep Chu An in his own new recruits’ company, to educate him well, and eventually bring him into his original unit.

"Yes, sir!"

Chu An responded and carefully climbed over the bodies of the lying recruits to receive a piece of folded newspaper from an officer named Tong Lianzhong. He then tied a strap around his waist and squatted down beside a recruit who had moved over a bit to make room.

To be frank, this method of relieving oneself was unfamiliar to Chu An, but his stomach was hurting badly.

"Brother, lean out a bit more!"

A recruit lying near the doorway sat up.

When he boarded, he had been excited to secure this spot. The iron door opened, letting him be the first to get on and off, and first to receive his meal at mealtime. But after witnessing so many recruits urinating and defecating right in front of him, he deeply regretted it—especially since on several occasions the urine had drifted onto his side or even his blanket.

Now, hearing the rumbling in Chu An’s stomach, his face paled.

He was genuinely frightened.

"Okay!"

Chu An smiled awkwardly and shifted back a little.

Then...

At last, his tightly clenched external sphincter relaxed. Instinctively, Chu An turned his head to look outside.

He wasn’t peeking at his own private liberation, but worried that a stone might be thrown at that moment.

Nothing unusual—green hills and clear waters, the cool breeze felt like the rough hands of a burly man in midwinter swiftly brushing over his backside.

To be honest, had it not been for the stomach cramps, Chu An would never have squatted here. Even so, the first relief was smooth, but after that he felt like a constipated patient.

It was uncomfortable. He wanted to finish quickly, pull up his pants, and return inside, but his stomach rebelled.

Two or three minutes slipped by.

Suddenly, Chu An turned his head again and his pupils contracted sharply.

He recognized the familiar scenery and saw the children he had glimpsed earlier.

Ignoring everything else, Chu An quickly reached back with the newspaper he'd prepared.

After a few wipes, the train clattered past the children.

Chu An kept watching them.

Now, he saw a child of about ten suddenly raise his hand and lean back.

Then, a stone flew straight toward him.

Chu An hadn’t even pulled up his pants properly before he lunged inside, landing on the recruit who had earlier told him to lean out a bit.

“Smack!”

“Ouch!”

The stone was thrown into the carriage.

Chu An dodged it, but the recruit lying opposite him suddenly covered his head and jumped up in fright.

The stone had bounced off the iron carriage and hit his forehead.

“Huh?”

The recruiting officer, who had been reading, turned his head upon hearing the noise.

"Sir, there are kids throwing stones down there!"

Chu An spoke from the recruit he had startled when he fell onto him.

"Damn, where did these brats come from!"

The recruit rubbing his head picked up the egg-sized stone from the floor.

Though it hadn’t hit him directly, it had startled him and caused some pain, but he wasn’t truly injured.

“They ran off, those little bastards!”

Another recruit squatting near the door turned to speak.

He had also been startled by Chu An’s sudden movement, and especially by the stone. Without the strap binding his waist, he might have been so scared as to fall.

“Are you alright?”

The recruiting officer leaned over to take the stone from him, asking.

“I’m fine!” The recruit rubbed his head. “Just got scared.”

“Good to hear!”

With that, the officer looked at the recruit still squatting at the door. “Hurry up. There should be a production team nearby. Stop sitting around here—it’s inappropriate!”

Since nothing serious had happened, there was little else to say, and no way to say it anyway.

The train kept moving, and the kids had fled.

The brief commotion quickly subsided.

Chu An stood, pulled up his pants, and returned to his seat.

Outwardly, he appeared calm.

But inside, his heart was a turbulent sea.

It was real.

He could truly see the future.

It was utterly unfathomable.

What was the principle behind this?

Lying in his seat, Chu An’s mind was restless.

He had thought he was on a one-way train journey, but now, with this "prophetic" ability, perhaps it wasn’t a one-way ticket after all.

In other words, if this ability was truly so miraculous and always allowed him to foresee events accurately, then he might very well avoid death on the battlefield.

The only problem was that Chu An couldn’t be sure if this power would work every time.

Time passed slowly, the train’s clattering sound echoing relentlessly.

No matter how Chu An defined this journey, the train would not stop for his thoughts or personal fate.

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