This blind spot was sothing Jiang Ran had never noticed before.
Because previously, the sample size had been too small. And truthfully, he had never thought in that direction.
But now, analyzing it again…
In the past, the elderly Zhang Yang in Cell No. 4 had been imprisoned because of quantum tunneling. Professor Gao Yan had once said that quantum tunneling was very likely a precursor theory for the spaceti shuttle.
Now, the drooling Lu Yu in Cell No. 4 had also been imprisoned for researching quantum tunneling—and had even been subjected to brutal torture and interrogation. This only made Jiang Ran more certain that the super genius might very well be the inventor of the spaceti shuttle.
The Killer in Cell No. 5 was mysterious and unfathomable. At first glance he had imdiately concluded that Jiang Ran must be a ti traveler. Moreover, he had accurately ntioned the rumor that Donghai University possessed a spaceti shuttle. That alone proved he was no outsider to this matter.
As for Jiang Ran himself in Cell No. 3—even though the Old Positron Cannon 2.0 (battle-damaged version) could provide nothing close to the traversal capability of the spaceti shuttle, it was still undeniably a real form of ti travel.
Then there was Zhi Ying in Cell No. 1 and Hothead in Cell No. 2. Jiang Ran had never learned about their past lives, nor did he know why they had been imprisoned. But looking at it now… birds of a feather flock together. There was a high probability that they too were sohow connected to ti travel or the spaceti shuttle.
Right.
There was still one person he had forgotten.
The Magician.
Recalling the Magician’s charges, one of them had been disrupting the order of history. And the Killer had also said that the Magician seed capable of performing tricks—sotis suddenly disappearing, sotis suddenly appearing. Wasn’t that also a manifestation of ti travel?
Although the Magician wasn’t imprisoned in the sa place as Zhi Ying and the others, the entire prison had been built for him. Without him, this prison wouldn’t exist.
When all of this was summarized together, the conclusion was truly chilling.
“Could it be…”
Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.
“[The prisoners held in this prison weren’t chosen just to fill space… They were selected because, during their lives, every one of them had co into contact with ti travel or the spaceti shuttle.]”
Hmm.
Very possible.
After all, there were countless criminals in the world.
If the goal had simply been to fill cells, why specifically select these people?
Zhang Yang had disappeared, and Lu Yu had appeared in his place. Both teacher and student from Donghai University. Both researching the sa subject. Jiang Ran absolutely refused to believe such a coincidence was accidental.
“If I want to know the truth, the only way is to go to the year 2045 again next ti and talk properly with Zhi Ying and Hothead.”
“If their life experiences also involve contact with the spaceti shuttle, then it will prove that my deduction just now is correct. And it will also an… this prison that holds only criminals connected to ti travel must be hiding sothing enormous.”
Once the plan was set.
Jiang Ran turned his head and looked toward the Film Cara Club window.
Unfortunately…
Next ti.
But when would that next ti be?
He made a K-shaped gesture toward Chi Xiaoguo inside the Film Cara Club.
“Wait for a mont. I’ll go check the bulletin board.”
He circled around into the student activity building and checked the Sumr Safety Managent Notice for the Student Activity Building posted on the bulletin board.
Sure enough, it was exactly as rumored.
Written clearly in black characters on white paper:
During the sumr vacation, all club activity rooms would be temporarily sealed, and entry was strictly prohibited.
In addition, electricity would be cut starting at 12:00 a.m. tomorrow, and power would not be restored until September 1, when the new sester began.
“Ah…”
Jiang Ran sighed.
If power was cut at midnight, and the Old Positron Cannon had to remain powered off for 20 hours before it could start, there was definitely no ti left.
And judging from his understanding of the school electricians—who would actually wait until midnight to flip the breaker? Most likely they would just cut the power at 10 p.m. tonight, or at the latest 11 p.m., and go ho to sleep.
“Looks like there’s no chance to activate the Old Positron Cannon.”
Jiang Ran had originally thought that if there were an opportunity, he might try once more tomorrow morning.
“In that case, the next ti I go to the 2045 prison to talk with Zhi Ying, Lu Yu, and the Killer… it’ll have to wait until after school starts again on September 1.”
Afterward, Jiang Ran circled back to the transforr distribution box, braced himself against the Film Cara Club windowsill, and vaulted inside in one smooth motion.
“Wow.”
Watching his fluid movent, Chi Xiaoguo looked at him with envy.
“Being tall really is nice. You can climb walls and leap over roofs.”
Jiang Ran laughed.
“That doesn’t count as climbing walls and leaping roofs. I just climbed through a window. Basic skills for a university student.”
He suddenly fell silent.
That might have sounded a little offensive to Chi Xiaoguo.
After all, her height clearly didn’t allow for that particular “basic skill.”
“Ah, it’s fine, Senior~”
Chi Xiaoguo imdiately noticed his awkwardness and smiled slightly.
“Girls where I’m from are just like this. Different places raise different kinds of people. There’s nothing we can do about regional differences. Honestly, I’m already grateful Donghai University admitted .”
“If I had gone to the south, or to the northeast, I’d probably be walking down the street looking at people like this—”
She demonstrated with exaggerated body language, tilting her neck a full ninety degrees upward, parallel to the ceiling.
“Ah… look…”
Because she tilted her head so dramatically, her throat caught and her voice beca hoarse.
“Universities in the northeast must all be full of giants. With soone as short as , if I had to keep looking up at them every day, my neck would be ruined after a year.”
Jiang Ran realized that Little Happy Fruit truly was contagious.
Being around her—listening to her talk, watching her perform—made it impossible not to smile.
“It’s not as exaggerated as you’re saying… By the way, what ti is your flight tomorrow?”
“Ten in the morning.”
Chi Xiaoguo replied.
“From Pudong Airport.”
“Oh.”
Jiang Ran reminded her.
“Then you’d better get there early. Pudong Airport punishes everyone who tries to arrive right on ti.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
Chi Xiaoguo looked like she was about to cry.
“I already suffered there once last year. Who would’ve thought you have to take the subway inside the airport? My legs nearly fell off walking! Why don’t they just build the boarding gates directly in the ocean?”
Jiang Ran agreed completely.
Although he usually took the high-speed rail ho, he had once traveled through Pudong Airport on a trip—and it had permanently cured his procrastination.
There was a joke about it.
A certain Korean traveler once flew into Pudong Airport and then took a car toward the city. The car drove for a long ti through empty scenery. Looking at the desolation outside, he sneered:
“Donghai City isn’t that impressive. The suburbs are so barren—there’s nothing here.”
At that mont the driver turned around.
“We’re still inside Pudong Airport.”
That was roughly the idea.
Pudong Airport covered an area twice the size of Macau, so you should never try to arrive at the last minute.
“Oh right, Senior. This is for you.”
Chi Xiaoguo rummaged through her backpack, took out a notebook, and handed it to Jiang Ran.
“These are materials I organized recently. They’re all about the history of the Film Cara Club, especially records from around 2005. I searched through a lot of old archives. I didn’t find much, but I wrote everything down.”
“As for more materials… I couldn’t find any. But I’ve already figured out several tis when the club activity room was relocated. Maybe so records were left behind in the previous rooms. Next sester we can go search together!”
Jiang Ran took the notebook and flipped through it casually.
The pages were densely filled with writing.
For a mont…
He felt sowhat ashad.
Chi Xiaoguo had entered Donghai University with her own academic achievents. In high school she had been considered excellent.
But at Donghai University, who hadn’t once been among the top students in their class?
On top of that, the university’s courses were extrely difficult and the professors taught at a deep level. For soone like Chi Xiaoguo, who had entered with the lowest admission score, the pressure in this elite environnt was imnse.
Jiang Ran had never disturbed her during exam week because he feared affecting her grades.
Yet she had sohow found ti—amid her busy studies—to help him organize materials about the Film Cara Club and dig through old archives…
The feeling reminded Jiang Ran of Cheng ngxue.
He closed the notebook and fell into thought.
Cheng ngxue also loved organizing materials. She loved summarizing things and arranging ideas in a notebook.
On Worldline 0, after the first ti-traveling text ssage was sent, Cheng ngxue had written out all kinds of details with a pen and shown them to Jiang Ran.
Later, when they started using the Old Positron Cannon, it had been the sa—she wrote Old Positron Cannon Usage Notes V1.0, V2… on the small blackboard.
Unfortunately, those notes had stopped permanently at Version 4.0.
“Thank you.”
Jiang Ran said softly.
“I’ll study this carefully after I get back.”
Chi Xiaoguo giggled, standing in the sunlight with her hands behind her back.
“Then Jiang Ran Senior—see you next sester.”
“I’m really looking forward to it. Once the new sester starts and you enroll…”
“We’ll finally be real clubmates!”
Afterward, the two of them tidied up the Film Cara Club room again and cleaned everything.
They placed the Old Positron Cannon inside a cardboard box and pushed it behind a shelf to hide it.
The thing looked like an oversized cara anyway. Inside the Film Cara Club it was like hiding wood in a forest—perfectly natural. No one would find it strange.
Jiang Ran had once considered whether he should move the Old Positron Cannon back ho and find a transforr distribution box of the sa specification in his village to run experints there.
But after thinking about it, he decided against it.
First, if he brought it ho, how would he supply power to it beside a distribution box? The device required a considerable amount of electricity.
Second, carrying such a strange device around in public and constantly tinkering with power distribution boxes from the national grid would almost certainly attract police attention.
It would just be asking for trouble.
Finally—and most importantly—the Old Positron Cannon required precise timing and coordination with phone calls. It wasn’t sothing a single person could operate.
For the ti being, Jiang Ran couldn’t find anyone else he trusted as much as Chi Xiaoguo.
So all things considered—
After working so hard for so long, the Old Positron Cannon deserved a sumr vacation too.
Two months of holiday.
Not particularly short, but not very long either.
It would pass quickly.
During that ti, Jiang Ran could also study relevant knowledge and prepare himself thoroughly for the new sester—when Lu Yu would arrive and the spaceti shuttle project could begin.
“That should be about it. Let’s go.”
Repeating the earlier thod.
Jiang Ran first lifted Chi Xiaoguo onto the windowsill and helped her climb out.
Then he turned around.
Before leaving, he took one last look at the Film Cara Club activity room—the starting point of his dramatic life, where worldlines had intertwined.
He noticed the old photograph on the small blackboard, held in place by magnets.
It was the one taken in 2005, a group photo of the Film Cara Club’s three original mbers.
Two n and one woman.
Ti had flown.
The overexposed white light obscured their faces, yet sohow gave the already youthful photograph an added layer of hazy nostalgia.
Jiang Ran walked over.
He removed the small magnets at the corners of the photo and took it down.
Looking at the trio from twenty years ago, he suddenly felt ti overlapping before his eyes, their figures blurring together with the iron triangle he once shared.
“What are the three of you doing now? Are you still together?”
Jiang Ran murmured softly to the overexposed photograph.
“Are you… still best friends?”
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