Chapter 52: Becoming the General Manager

When Jiang Xingye uttered the word "singularity," Lin Xu reacted instantly.

No wonder that description felt so terribly familiar.

So he really had encountered it before!

Lin Xu remembered reading a science fiction novel a long time ago.

In that story, the singularity was described as "the origin of all causality."

Instead of replying to Jiang Xingye immediately, Lin Xu opened his browser and searched for the novel he had read.

Before long, the description of the singularity from the book appeared before his eyes.

"This is the point of maximum curvature in time. Every step taken here is equivalent to countless steps, and every direction chosen here is equivalent to countless directions."

"You will see yourself, you will see a back view you have never laid eyes on before, you will even see a cross-section neatly sliced open by an invisible force, revealing your beating heart and your rising and falling alveoli."

"Yet you will not see any blood flow out."

"That blood which ceaselessly surges through your veins seems to have vanished into the void..."

This description was even more fantastical than the one given by the skull-headed wife; it clearly bore the marks of artistic embellishment.

Still, one had to admit that this stuff actually sounded a little... true.

So, the experiences of the skull-headed wife were real?

Very likely.

And more importantly, the skull explicitly stated that his wife was not the only one with this experience, describing it as an oracle.

That made things rather thought-provoking.

Lin Xu refreshed the description in his clue document, placing the keyword [Oracle] alongside [Sun Halo].

Could there be a connection between the two?

Certainly!

However, Lin Xu had no idea how they were specifically connected.

He would shelve it for now.

This could hardly be considered a crucial clue; at best, it was a side quest.

When he entered the wristband for exploration again in the future, he would probably be able to resolve it along the way.

With that thought in mind, Lin Xu picked up his phone once more and replied to Jiang Xingye.

Lin Xu:
"I just saw this description in a sci-fi novel and found it quite novel."
"General Relativity? I'll go take a look."

A moment later, Jiang Xingye's reply came back.

Jiang Xingye:
"Relativity is great, relativity is a must-learn."
"You're reading it yourself? Do you want me to come give you a lecture?"

Lin Xu:
"......Come. If you don't come, you're a dog."

Jiang Xingye:
"Woof woof woof."

Lin Xu:
"......Where is morality? Where is the bottom line??"

Jiang Xingye:
"I'm not messing around with you anymore, President Lin, I have to go to work."
"By the way, didn't you say last time to forward you the new hire for the team to look over?"
"I've already interviewed one, should I send her resume to you?"
"Let me tell you, this person is really good."
"A master's student from Northwestern Polytechnical University! Majoring in spacecraft design!"

Lin Xu:
"That good? How did she end up with us?"

Jiang Xingye:
"She came to chase her dreams."
"Word is she wanted to go to space, but couldn't pass the official screening."
"Who knows what kind of pie HRD drew for her, probably tricked her into thinking she'd get priority experience in the future."

Lin Xu:
"A woman?"

Jiang Xingye:
"An older sister type, same age as me, two years older than you."
"Her name is Bai Mo."
"Well, isn't that a nice name?"

Bai Mo?!

Lin Xu was dumbfounded.

How was it someone he knew again??

No, this made sense.

Judging by the progress of the Star Voyage One project, this crucial astronaut should indeed be making an appearance now.

Yet Lin Xu never expected her to show up in this fashion.

He really needed to see her.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xu sent a message to Jiang Xingye.

Lin Xu:
"It is quite nice."
"Let's schedule an interview for tomorrow, I want to see her too."

Jiang Xingye:
"?? What are you up to?"

Lin Xu:
"I want to see the candidate! What else could I be up to?"
"The Donghua Chemical Fiber Plant side is already rolling out, and my main energy will be focused over there later. This person is taking over my work, shouldn't I even meet her?"

Jiang Xingye:
"I suppose so....."
"Tomorrow at two in the afternoon, let's meet together."

Lin Xu:
"Fine."
"You're getting so protective over your territory......"

Jiang Xingye:
"Woof woof woof."

Lin Xu did not reply to Jiang Xingye further, instead turning around to sit back down in front of his computer.

He hadn't found Bai Mo in the wristband world yet, but in the real world, he was about to meet her very soon.

So what should he talk to her about tomorrow?
Ask her why she wanted to go to space?

Her reason couldn't possibly be the same as Xu Jin's, which was to bring the Zhurong rover back, could it?

He hoped she would give him a meaningful answer.

Lin Xu closed his laptop screen, only then feeling a wave of drowsy exhaustion wash over him after such intense fatigue.

He took a hazy shower, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep in zero seconds......

Early the next morning, Lin Xu was awakened by the biological clock forged from his long hours of working like a beast of burden.

Seeing that it was already 8:30, he instinctively sped up his washing, dressing, and preparations to head downstairs.

Yet when he put on his shoes and opened the app, hoping for a stroke of dumb luck to punch in from home via a bug, he was astonished to discover that his attendance rule had changed to flexible hours.

What did flexible hours mean?
It meant no clock-ins required.

Holy crap?

Times were really looking up!

Lin Xu quickly tapped open his personal profile and discovered that his job title had directly changed from "Senior Flight Control Engineer" to "Senior Project Director."

His rank had even leaped straight from Level 15 to Level 21.

Holy crap?
He was a director now!

Lin Xu had experienced riding a rocket in the wristband world, but he hadn't expected to board a rocket in reality as well.

From Level 15 to Level 21, according to this crappy company's grading system copied from Huawei, it would normally take at least 10 years to achieve at the absolute fastest.

Yet for him, it took only a week.

Ah, comfort.

He opened his online payslip next, and saw that his salary, which used to be a little over 40,000, had directly jumped to 160,000, and it had already been disbursed.

Payday!

Lin Xu's mood instantly brightened, and he was no longer in a rush to get to work.

First, he went downstairs for breakfast, then hailed a cab and headed straight for the company.

Upon entering the office, he found that all his colleagues were looking at him with strange expressions mixed with a hint of curiosity.

Especially Chen Yan, who had originally been in charge of the Star Voyage One project as the project manager.

His expression was quite complicated.

Though in terms of division of responsibilities, Lin Xu had not replaced his position.
Even though Lin Xu's rank was two levels higher than his, their authorities were parallel.

Even so, Chen Yan still felt somewhat unsettled.

Back then, he had spoken brazenly about giving the younger generation a chance to hone their skills, only to find that the more they honed those skills, the higher they climbed right over his head......

Watching Lin Xu walk toward his former workstation, Chen Yan gritted his teeth and stepped forward, calling out:

"Director Lin."

"Huh?"

Lin Xu was momentarily stunned, still somewhat unaccustomed to this title.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Your..... your office has already been set up, let me lead you over."

"Alright, thank you."

Lin Xu did not stand on ceremony, following behind Chen Yan toward the new office.

Pushing open the door, massive floor-to-ceiling windows came into view.

Comfortable.

Lin Xu bypassed the desk and sat down on the sofa.

A brand-new computer, a brand-new tea set, a brand-new foldable screen phone—looking stylish no matter how you folded it......

This office setup could definitely be considered maxed out.

Lin Xu thoroughly enjoyed the novelty before turning on his computer to plan out his workday.

Right at that moment, a message suddenly popped up on his phone.

It was from Xu Jin.

"Boss where are you I've already arrived at the Donghua Chemical Fiber Plant can we start now?"
"The equipment has arrived!"

Huh?

Lin Xu froze.

The equipment had already arrived??
That fast?!