Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

After boarding the high-speed train, Zhao Zijie quietly followed the crowd and found his seat.

A window seat in the corner.

After putting his backpack away, he took out his headphones, ready to pass the time during this long journey.

He had just taken out his earphones and was about to put them on when he froze on the spot.

The "strange" woman from the breakfast shop also boarded this high-speed train.

As the woman walked toward the seat next to him, Zhao Zijie's heart skipped a beat.

This……

Is this a "coincidence"?

Before Zhao Zijie could think further, the woman sat down in the seat next to him.

"Young man, I'm sorry," the woman said apologetically, "the children might be a bit noisy later, please bear with it."

Zhao Zijie didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

His gaze swept over the woman's face and the face of the child in her arms again.

The woman's expression was natural, but the child...

Although there was no evidence, he just felt something was off.

Although he was unmarried, had no children, and had no experience in taking care of children, his intuition told him that a child's normal sleeping position would definitely not be like this!

Zhao Zijie swallowed hard, countless thoughts racing through his mind.

He has never believed in coincidences since he was a child.

In his view, most coincidences in the world are the product of intentional or unintentional actions.

Not to mention the combination of several "coincidences".

Although there was no evidence, he had some suspicions in his mind.

It's estimated that the real test began the moment he entered the high-speed rail station.

The breakfast shop staff and the woman next to me are probably both subjects of the assessment.

He was unclear about the evaluation criteria.

Logically speaking, when faced with such a "human trafficker," he should report it directly and assist the train police in arresting him.

But this was, after all, an unprecedented test for starship pilots.

Does anyone know what the standards are for starship pilots?

If the correct answer is to abandon him, wouldn't he lose at the starting line?

Zhao Zijie slowly put on the headphones.

A familiar melody drifted over.

As the Croatian Rhapsody played, Zhao Zijie slowly closed his eyes.

The music is upbeat, but the scene it depicts is the ruins and devastation of Croatia after the ravages of war.

The high-speed train has started running.

Zhao Zijie felt increasingly conflicted.

"Young man, do you have any water here?"

Just as Zhao Zijie was struggling with his decision, the woman beside him suddenly nudged his arm gently and asked in a low voice.

He slightly opened his eyes and looked at the woman beside him with a puzzled expression: "Water?"

The woman nodded slightly: "Yes, mineral water is fine, I'll just make some formula."

Zhao Zijie subconsciously took out an unopened bottle of iced mineral water from his bag and handed it to the woman.

When he saw the woman using ice-cold mineral water to mix the milk powder, Zhao Zijie's eyes widened in shock.

What's this called?

This is practically an open-book exam, isn't it?!

What mother would use ice water to prepare formula for her baby?!

Just as he was about to stand up and expose the human trafficker next to him, he suddenly stopped.

No, we can't expose them so easily.

What if the assessment criteria are to subdue the target without alerting them?

Watching the woman beside him awkwardly preparing formula, Zhao Zijie quietly said, "Could you move aside? I need to use the restroom."

The woman paused for a moment, then stood up with her child in her arms and made way for her.

……

A few minutes later.

"You suspect the passenger next to you is a human trafficker?"

Upon hearing Zhao Zijie's words, the expressions of the train police officers immediately became much more serious: "Are you sure?"

Zhao Zijie quickly nodded and then recounted every unusual thing he had observed.

The lead police officer frowned slightly: "What you're saying... does make some sense."

"Come on, we'll go with you and see what's going on!"

……

"It's her."

After returning to his carriage, Zhao Zijie pointed to the woman sitting in the chair and whispered to the police officers beside him.

The lead police officer nodded silently and walked towards the woman who was trying to feed her iced milk powder.

"What...what are you doing?"

Upon seeing several railway police officers surrounding her, the middle-aged woman's expression changed drastically, and she shouted loudly.

The shout immediately drew the attention of the surrounding passengers.

Seeing this reaction, the train police officers immediately understood what was going on.

"Auntie, don't get agitated."

"Could you please come with us? There's a problem with your ticket."

In order not to disturb other passengers, the lead police officer made up a random excuse.

The middle-aged woman breathed a slight sigh of relief, and while holding her child, she muttered something as she left with several railway police officers.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Zijie's eyes as he watched this scene from afar.

Surprisingly... the old lady and the train police officer were quite good actors!

He even believed it was real!

He shook his head, sat back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest again.

……

"Young man!"

"Young man!"

In a daze, Zhao Zijie heard voices calling his name.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked to the side.

It was the same train police officer who was in charge just now.

Seemingly noticing the look of confusion in Zhao Zijie's eyes, the train police officer smiled and explained.

"Young man, after our confirmation, that woman is indeed a human trafficker."

Zhao Zijie didn't speak, but simply nodded and silently watched the train police officer.

"It's like this." Facing Zhao Zijie's gaze, the train police officer felt a chill run down his spine, but he still quickly said, "To thank you, we've prepared..."

"No."

Zhao Zijie shook his head: "This is just what I should do."

Are you kidding me?

He doesn't have time for these gratitude ceremonies right now...

"Ding-dong! The next station is Beijing High-Speed ​​Railway Station. Passengers, please prepare to disembark!"

Upon hearing the announcement, Zhao Zijie quickly stood up and waved to the train police officer who seemed about to speak but hesitated.

……

Beijing.

After exiting the high-speed rail station, Zhao Zijie quickly found his destination using the navigation on his phone.

Human Union Starship Pilot Training Institute

Looking at the bright and shiny signboard, Zhao Zijie swallowed hard.

This sign... could it have just been put up?

"Young man, here for an interview?" came a cheerful old man's voice from the side. "Come on, fill out this form first."

Zhao Zijie: "..."

Sure enough, there was a smiling old man guarding the entrance of every training institution.

He grumbled inwardly as he quickly walked over and filled out the form.

"Oh, Captain Bai?" The old man's voice held a hint of surprise. "What brings you all here? Rare guests indeed!"

Zhao Zijie was slightly taken aback.

Before he could react, a gentle male voice sounded behind Zhao Zijie.

"Hey! Enough said, old man. Times are changing too fast; we need to go back to the drawing board and start over!"