Chapter 27: Heading to the Police Station!
Mars. Again, Mars.
Now, every time Lin Xu heard those two words, he nearly suffered PTSD—his heart would race, his mind pounding relentlessly.
What does it mean?
Do all of you from the Planetary Reincarnation Organization grow up having a recurring dream about Mars?
Jiang Xingye went to Mars, and now you want to go there too?
So, is it you who wants to go to Mars, or is it the organization that wants you to go?
Lin Xu looked at Xu Jin and asked directly,
“Why do you want to go to Mars? Because the apocalypse is coming?”
Xu Jin was stunned.
“Apocalypse? Why apocalypse? I don’t understand what apocalypse means...”
“I... just... want to go... want to go...”
“Zhurong rover...”
“Zhurong rover?”
Lin Xu wanted to ask more, but Xu Jin stubbornly refused to say another word.
“It’s okay, I just want to go to Mars, but I can’t become an astronaut. If you can make me an astronaut, I’m willing to work for you!”
“Tomorrow! Tomorrow we’ll meet again! We need to talk about those two materials!”
With that, he turned and walked away.
“Hey! My phone number!”
“Save my number!”
Lin Xu shouted after him.
“131...”
“Come on, save it, brother!”
“I can remember it!”
“...Fine.”
Lin Xu stopped in his tracks.
Communicating with someone like this is really exhausting.
Wait, no, maybe it’s not exhausting... it feels... smooth?
All his goals were achieved.
First, he had established a cooperative relationship with him.
Second, he confirmed that Xu Jin had some hidden connection or motivation to join the Planetary Reincarnation Organization.
Finally, he confirmed that Xu Jin had not yet joined the organization and was unaware of this so-called apocalypse.
And all this was resolved within just a few minutes.
Could anything be easier than this?
Who needs a bicycle, anyway?
A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Xu’s face.
He saved 200,000 yuan!
But wait.
Wouldn’t he have to give that 200,000 back later?
Ouch.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Xingye.
“I’ve got my friend settled.”
---
Jiang Xingye replied quickly.
“How did you settle him? You really did?”
“...The man’s a big brother.”
“That’s even more exciting.”
“I swear... I’m serious. Let me ask you a question.”
“I have 200,000 yuan in advance from the company’s petty cash. Is there any way to squeeze some of it out?”
“...I’m your boss, I have internal audit responsibilities. Is it appropriate for you to ask me that?”
“If it works out, you’ll definitely benefit.”
“Down with capitalists! Talk later!”
“OK.gif.”
Setting down his phone, Lin Xu exhaled deeply.
Things were finally starting to go smoothly.
At least in the real world, he was beginning to touch on the first clear clues related to the apocalypse and the Planetary Reincarnation Organization, and had connected with a key figure.
Slowly chasing it down, the answers would reveal themselves bit by bit.
However, two key questions still lay before him.
[First, what exactly was Xu Jin’s motive for going to Mars? The Zhurong rover clearly referred to the Mars rover—what did his mention of it imply?]
[Did this have anything to do with the so-called “suspected terror attack” he initiated after joining the Planetary Reincarnation Organization?]
[Second, why was he an Asperger’s syndrome patient?]
Compared to the first question, the second left Lin Xu feeling even more at a loss.
From any angle, he could only explain it as a coincidence.
But such coincidences could not exist in this world.
Xu Jin had been an Asperger’s patient since birth, and Lin Xu could not alter the timeline of the real world.
So the real problem was...
Why did Lin Xu know Xu Jin was an Asperger’s patient?
In the wristband world, he had no memories at all.
Yet he was indeed playing his future self.
Could it be some subconscious or intuitive sense, unrelated to memory, that unconsciously influenced him so that when he thought of Xu Jin, he immediately associated him with Asperger’s and blurted out a “truthful lie” in front of others?
Lin Xu suddenly felt a chill.
If that was the case, the subconscious influence on him might be far more profound than just this.
Frowning deeply, he left the school gate.
An old man standing there, thinking he’d hit a wall, laughed maliciously, but Lin Xu paid no mind and instead got into the car he had arranged.
He took out his phone again and messaged Jiang Xingye.
“By the way, do you think I’ve changed recently?”
Jiang Xingye: “?? Here to test your personal charm again?”
“No changes noticed... but you’re definitely steadier, making quick progress.”
...If every day you live on the edge of life and death, anyone would become steadier.
Lin Xu sighed and quickly typed:
“Too early, I finally got a business trip, I’m going back to sleep. Approve me for fieldwork.”
“Let’s meet directly at the restaurant tonight.”
Jiang Xingye: “Moumen style.”
Perfect.
Lin Xu submitted the fieldwork request on his phone and Jiang Xingye approved immediately.
He rode home, tossed his bag aside, and just as he was about to take a nap, Xu Jin’s friend sent him a message on WeChat.
---
After applying, he sent a simple message to arrange a meeting time for tomorrow and obtained basic information about Xu Jin.
Lin Xu looked at his wristband.
The number had recovered to 3—it was time to dive back into the wristband world to court disaster again.
What should he do this time?
Continue searching for information?
Or try a different approach and look for clues about Xu Jin first?
Whatever.
He’d decide once inside.
Lin Xu gently touched the wristband, and his consciousness was immediately drawn away...
...
“So...”
“Shh, don’t speak.”
Lin Xu raised his hand to interrupt the skull that always asked the same question.
“We’re doing nothing today. I’m taking a day off.”
“Day off?!”
The skull was stunned.
“I’ve prepared everything, the operation is ready to launch, and you tell me you want a day off??”
“I’m telling you, even a day off costs money!”
“If you hire me, you pay—whether you do it or not!”
“I know.”
Lin Xu nodded.
The skull took a deep breath.
“Think carefully. If you skip today, you might never get a better chance!”
“No, it might never come again!”
“It’s hard to organize us... you—”
“You don’t have a chance, but I still do.”
Lin Xu interrupted the skull.
“Besides, it’s not really a day off.”
“Insufficient external intelligence, operation canceled.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll still pay you.”
“Now, drive me to downtown Jinling City.”
“The faster, the better!”
“What are you going to do??”
The skull was completely baffled by Lin Xu’s train of thought.
A mysterious smile appeared on Lin Xu’s face.
Then he said,
“We’re going to...”
“The police station!”