Genius Playground

“So, if this thing breaks… can it be fixed?”

Jiang Ran clung to one last shred of hope.

“Is it possible to build a new one, exactly the same?”

However…

Zhang Yang just shrugged.

“This thing was cobbled together randomly in the first place. The concept of ‘working’ or ‘broken’ doesn’t really apply. Back in our day, as long as it could still blow out the power meter, we considered it fully functional.”

“If you want to build an identical one, that’s impossible. We didn’t even know how we managed to slap it together in the first place.”

“Speaking of which… you’re so concerned about the Positron Cannon, don’t tell me you used it to blow out the Film Club’s power meter too! HAHAHAHA! As expected of my star student, you’ve inherited my style! A true successor!”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

Jiang Ran turned around, carrying a bunch of bags, and walked toward the vehicle parked by the roadside.

“At least we wait until the electrical load is low before using it.”

He put the packages in the trunk and closed the lid.

Teacher Zhang’s wife came over and called to the two of them.

“Alright, you two, stop standing around chatting. You can continue this at our home later.”

Leaning on his crutch, Zhang Yang made his way down the steps one by one, watching Jiang Ran.

“Why are you suddenly so down? It’s baffling. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you so eager to learn and ask questions. If only you’d apply this passion and attitude to your research projects.”

“I, your teacher, am about to get in the car and head home. Do you have anything to say?”

“Nothing more to say.”

Jiang Ran opened the car door.

“Please get in quickly.”

…

The car belonged to Teacher Zhang’s brother-in-law, who had come to pick them up. Since Teacher Zhang’s leg was in a cast and couldn’t bend, he had to occupy the entire back row. His wife sat in the front passenger seat while her brother drove, which meant they couldn’t give Jiang Ran a ride.

Jiang Ran didn’t mind and let them leave first.

Teacher Zhang’s wife rolled down the window, smiling at Jiang Ran.

“Jiang Ran, you’ve worked so hard while Teacher Zhang has been sick. We talked about it earlier—in a few days, we’re going to tidy up our apartment on campus, cook a big meal, and have you and your friends over as guests!”

“Sounds great.”

Jiang Ran nodded in agreement.

“Teacher Zhang mentioned it to me before. I’ll definitely be there!”

And with that, the car drove away.

Jiang Ran watched the car’s exhaust fumes gradually dissipate into the air and let out a long sigh.

“Sigh…”

He stood at the entrance of the inpatient building, speechless.

It seemed that both Qin Feng on World Line 0 and Old Qi from the appliance repair shop on World Line 1 were correct in their assessments.

It was now confirmed—

the Positron Cannon was indeed a haphazardly assembled, accidental creation. It couldn’t be repaired, replicated, or disassembled.

Truly one of a kind, the only one in existence.

‘Could it be…’

‘Is the path of fixing the Positron Cannon and using Time SMS to save Cheng Mengxue… really a dead end?’

‘No, it’s too early to give up.’

Jiang Ran looked up at the white clouds in the sky.

‘Even if there’s no hope from Teacher Zhang’s side, he wasn’t the only one who built the Positron Cannon. There was another ‘accomplice’…’

Jiang Ran muttered the name.

“Chen Zhennan.”

According to Teacher Zhang, this Chen Zhennan was a man with a strong sense of justice—very principled and serious.

‘No matter how you look at it, this guy sounds way more dependable than Teacher Zhang.’

‘Could it be… possible to get some clues or help from Chen Zhennan?’

‘There might be some hope after all.’

‘After all, Chen Zhennan and Teacher Zhang cobbled the Positron Cannon together. Teacher Zhang doesn’t remember the details, but maybe Chen Zhennan does.’

‘In any case, the next time I go to Teacher Zhang’s for dinner, I’ll bring that old photo of the three of them and ask him properly.’

Then, he walked out of the hospital, hailed a taxi, and returned to East Sea University.

…

On the way, as Jiang Ran watched the scenery go by, a few things started to click into place.

‘It was completely understandable that Teacher Zhang and Chen Zhennan never discovered the Positron Cannon’s special properties.’

‘After all, the conditions for its use were incredibly stringent; you’d never discover them under normal circumstances.’

‘Not only does it have to be aimed at a transformer distribution box when fired, but its effect only lasts for 0.7 seconds. You have to send a text or make a call in that exact 0.7-second window to send a Time SMS or travel through time.’

‘And back in 2005, the Film Club’s room was on the third floor, so there was no way they could have aimed at the transformer box downstairs…’

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, Jiang Ran thought of something.

‘He and Qin Feng had already verified on World Line 0 that as long as those two conditions were met, anyone could send a Time SMS, and anyone could trigger a Worldline Jump.’

‘In that case…’

‘With the current Positron Cannon 2.0, if someone else answered a call next to the distribution box, would they also travel to 2045?’

He was really curious about this.

If it followed the same logic as the Time SMS, then the rules should apply to everyone equally. Anyone could send a Time SMS; the only difference was that only the sender retained memories of the original worldline.

In other words…

‘…even if Chi Xiaoguo were the one standing by the transformer distribution box answering the phone, she would also travel to 2045 and appear in Cell No. 3.’

‘Wait… would it really work like that?’

Jiang Ran blinked, unsure for a moment.

The best way to verify it would be to put it to the test: have Chi Xiaoguo stand by the distribution box tonight and try it.

At this point…

…whether he kept the truth about the Positron Cannon and time travel from Chi Xiaoguo no longer mattered.

The incident with the Regrets Mutual Aid Association had made it clear that Chi Xiaoguo was not only tight-lipped but also completely on his side—a competent and reliable ally.