This is a shape of shadow cast by memories of a little old man on his own life:

I have had the privilege of a front-row ticket from the century I lived in and have also been invited to conduct several performances, neither too big nor too small. For honors of my comrades and enemies who have never shifted their hostile glance under the spotlight, the publication moment of this manuscript will and must exceed the limits of my health until it becomes a bedside book that brings a smile to people, rather than a bullet aimed at the heroic work for which we sacrificed.

As for my own identity, please allow me to keep you in suspense. A bit of contemplation on the decryption of secrets can add a touch of interest to the already predetermined historical documents. On the other hand, even if I were to reveal my life stories, birth date, owing to unstoppable march of time, its hand might still make verification processes incredibly difficult.

This is by no means an exaggeration.

Before my senses were stripped away by aging, and my brain still remained extraordinarily agile, the time travelers from eras, when humanity was confined by Earth's gravity, conversed with me. The events they spoke of were solidly reliable under the scrutiny of personal experiences and physiological data. However, what they thought would be remembered as great milestones for future generations mostly became footnotes in ancient texts or faded discs accumulating dust in the deep craters of Mercury's eternal night.

Please believe that pouring one's years and effort into words, especially for an old person approaching his end, whose hands can no longer grasp anything, is more bitter than exposing it to public criticism within the flame. This text encapsulates such sincerity, able to ripple a regime, a system, it must be wrapped in the foam of time. Before the era when lies are no longer the guards of truth and purifying truth from falsehood no longer requires shedding blood, this book have to quietly sink into the turbulence.

Dear readers, before delving into my story, I still want to introduce you to the various aspects of the era before the birth of the regime I served, and the time span will not be too long, perhaps just a thousand years. Because I cannot unreasonably demand that you have enough resources and interest to comprehend the past and present, and I cannot assume that the historical materials of cause and effect in my story can endure the ravages of thousands of years. As the host, while serving you a stew, I encompass the responsibility to also provide sharp knives and spoons. Moreover, if the wisdom of the people has grasped the ultimate secrets of the universe and the mysterious mechanism behind the flow of time, this book might even be read by people from the past!