The crater-filled road looked like a pockmarked face.
The houses along the entire street had been reduced to rubble, and curling smoke floated above the city.
The destroyed wreckage of buses and cars was scattered messily on the street.
In the huge craters, shattered water and sewage pipes spewed clear water and filth, pooling together and turning the street into a place as filthy as a cesspit.
The piercing air raid sirens had stopped.
Li Yi’an walked aimlessly on the street, looking at the apocalyptic scene before him.
He hoped everything he was seeing was just a dream.
However, this was all real.
A moment ago, he was still carrying a backpack full of goods, reading the web novel “Starting with Deduction, American Tycoon” on his phone, while delivering items to his roommate who was setting up a stall in the square.
But in the blink of an eye, he found himself on a strange street.
Red double-decker buses, red telephone booths, and police officers wearing black helmets and blowing whistles—it looked exactly like old London straight out of an old movie.
After all, in 21st-century London, it was absolutely impossible to hear air raid sirens, see frantically fleeing pedestrians, and certainly impossible to see propeller-driven fighter planes roaring through the sky.
Although a bit bewildered, in order to survive, Li Yi’an followed the fleeing crowd and ran into a nearby subway station.
Then came the deafening sound of explosions.
Feeling the shock of the blasts, his entire being remained in a prolonged state of daze.
He didn’t know how long had passed.
The air raid ended, and after leaving the subway station with the surging crowd, Li Yi’an walked the streets of London like a headless fly, not knowing how many streets he had crossed.
Finally, tired of walking, Li Yi’an sat on a bench by the side of the road to catch his breath.
Face reality!
Lowering his head, he saw half an old newspaper floating in a puddle by his feet.
The masthead read: “From One Victory to Another!
German Forces in North Africa Surrender to the Allies!”
German forces in North Africa surrendered?
Looking again at the date on the newspaper: May 13, 1943.
He had actually time-traveled!
After time-traveling, he had to face an unavoidable reality—he was penniless and homeless.
Wandering the streets of London like this was not a long-term plan.
What to do next?
This was really quite troublesome.
Having read plenty of internet novels, he naturally knew that physical body time-travel was the most tragic of all time-travel methods, bar none.
Physical body time-travel meant that he didn’t have a legal identity in this world, let alone the cliché plot where his father was a billionaire and all he had to do was squander money.
Right now, the chance to recognize a rich dad was gone, and the possibility of ending up on the gallows was getting higher and higher.
During wartime, an unidentified foreigner wandering the streets…
Add these three together, and he was undeniably a spy!
If you don’t go to the gallows, who will!
He didn’t know how long he had walked.
Thirsty and hungry, Li Yi’an felt less and less confident the further he went.
Fortunately, in the recently bombed city of London, there were running fire engines and ambulances everywhere.
No one had the time to care about him, and even the police couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.
After all, any Asian who could still “stroll” the streets of London at this time was definitely not Japanese.
Japanese residents in Britain had all been thrown into prison a few years ago to experience the intense passion of Great Britain.
What should he do?
Sigh, he’d just have to take it one step at a time.
After graduating from college, Li Yi’an, who had been working hard in a first-tier city with his classmates, had long learned to adapt to his circumstances.
Actually, worrying about this was useless.
In an era of war and chaos, recklessly time-traveling here and not being arrested as a spy was already a blessing from God.
But it looked like that time wasn’t far off either.
By now, the sky had darkened.
Once it got dark, the police, who previously had no time to deal with him, would have the time to pay attention to him.
Taking a cigarette out of his satchel, Li Yi’an let out a helpless sigh.
He’d smoke a cigarette first, calm down, and then figure it out.
At this moment, a British man walked towards him.
When Li Yi’an took out the cigarette, the man’s eyes instantly lit up upon seeing the camel on the cigarette box.
Before Li Yi’an even lit the cigarette, the man stepped forward and asked ingratiatingly:
“Sir, are you smoking Camel cigarettes?”
He smelled it?
Li Yi’an was indeed smoking the American version of Camel cigarettes, the kind without a filter.
According to the tomboy, these cigarettes had a strong kick, and one cigarette could last for two hours.
To think someone could call out the name of the cigarette directly.
Even a dog’s nose might not be this sensitive.
Li Yi’an nodded.
Seeing this, a look of joy appeared on the British bloke’s face, and he said happily:
“It really is Camel cigarettes?
Haha, I knew it the moment I smelled it, haha…”
Actually, he had seen the camel on the cigarette box earlier.
Staring at the cigarette in Li Yi’an’s hand, the man asked tentatively:
“Sir, do you have any more Camel cigarettes?”
“What?”
The man said straightforwardly:
“If you have more, I can pay one penny for each cigarette!
What do you think, sir?”
“One penny?”
Although the British bloke’s behavior was very puzzling, for the penniless, hungry, and thirsty Li Yi’an, this was absolutely a godsend, like someone bringing a pillow to a sleepy person.
“One penny…”
Pondering for a moment and seeing the desire in the British bloke’s eyes, Li Yi’an flicked open the lid of his lighter.
The moment the lighter lid opened, with a crisp “ding”, the clear sound made the British bloke stare blankly.
This sound, it was definitely a Zippo lighter.
Camel cigarettes, Zippo lighter, these were authentic American goods!
The kind you couldn’t buy even with money!
“Sir, if you sell this Zippo lighter to me as well, no matter how many cigarettes you have left, I can offer 4 pounds and 6 pence.
What do you say?”
The man gritted his teeth and offered a high price.
Holding Camel cigarettes and a Zippo lighter was a symbol of status.
With these two things, he would be the coolest guy in the whole village!
“Hmm…”
Looking at the desire written all over the British bloke’s face, Li Yi’an thought for a moment and said:
“There are 17 cigarettes left in my pack…
How about this, I’ll keep five cigarettes, and sell the rest to you, 5 pounds.
What do you think?”
He had to leave some rations for himself.
Those who know, know; this is the final stubbornness of a smoker.
Hearing this, the British bloke immediately said with great joy:
“Of course.”
It had to be said that when a man encountered something he liked, he was just like a woman—with absolutely no resistance.
Twelve cigarettes and a Zippo lighter.
It actually sold for 5 pounds!
Taking the banknotes from the man’s hand, looking at the bills that were roughly the size of half an A4 sheet of paper, Li Yi’an couldn’t help but feel a little excited in his heart.
He finally had money!
He had managed to not lose face for time-travelers, securing his first pot of gold on the very day he arrived.
(END CHAPTER)