Chen Zhao, an archaeological assistant, is transported by a strange phenomenon in an ancient tomb into the third year of the Hongwu era, where he becomes a refugee. All he has left is a phone that can open a “cross-temporal livestream” and a “nation-building mall.” Viewers’ reactions become points he can exchange for food, supplies, and technical blueprints.
Faced with drought-stricken refugees and barren land, he uses points to build houses and dig canals, improve farm tools, and teach villagers to grow crops with modern composting methods. From saving one village, to helping the Nanjing government fight locusts, to building cement roads for Yingtian Prefecture, he gradually sows the seeds of infrastructure across the Ming Empire.
The livestream viewers become his think tank across time, while a modern archaeological team uses the broadcast to excavate the ruins he leaves behind. Zhu Yuanzhang’s trust, court intrigues, and clues hidden in the ancient tomb of the Mu family all propel him forward as he works to build the Ming Empire and protect history. In the end, steam-powered water pumps operate along the Yellow River, and movable-type printing spreads agricultural texts. With modern knowledge, he transforms the lives of ordinary people in the Hongwu era and creates an infrastructure legend spanning time.
