Chapter 59: Project Lyra

Shortly after finishing his conversation with Bai Mo, the clues she had organized were sent over as well.

Lin Xu read through them carefully, but quickly realized that there was very little of substantial meaning in this material.

In fact, most of it consisted of her descriptions of that "flat" or "cross-sectional" world.

It was filled with a massive amount of rambling, dream-like content. If Lin Xu had not already accepted and understood the concept of the so-called "higher-dimensional space" beforehand, he would likely have thought that Bai Mo was having some mental health issues.

This was only normal.

After all, Bai Mo was not like him; she had not entered the future world via a wristband, nor could she seek out different clues entirely at will.

However, this also gave Lin Xu a new train of thought.

He had always assumed the wristband was a "simulator," capable of simulating a genuinely existing future, allowing him to repeatedly try, fail, and gather information.

But what if it was actually a "timeline convergence device"?

What if this was an anchor point that allowed him to achieve stable travel within a higher-dimensional space?

At present, this possibility seemed quite high.

Lin Xu looked closely at the wristband on his wrist, and as he gently stroked it, the digit "3" materialized upon its surface.

His energy had recovered, and he could once again venture into another world.

However, whatever he decided, he would have to wait until he got home.

He glanced at the time; it was only five PM.

Should he just quit working for the day?

Damn it, he was on a flexible schedule anyway; why the hell was he even working!

Under current circumstances, even if he went back home to take a nap, the returns would be higher than sitting around in the office!

At this thought, he decisively packed up his computer and phone, intending to head out. Just then, a knock suddenly sounded on the office door.

"Come in."

Resigned, Lin Xu sat back down.

The door pushed open, and when Lin Xu looked up, it was Jiang Xingye.

"Why are you here?"

"Director Lin."

Jiang Xingye closed the door, her tone instantly shifting.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. What could possibly happen to me?"

Lin Xu shrugged, answering with a feigned nonchalance.

"How come I heard you came back in some unmarked car? What's going on, did the authorities flag you?"

"Is there an issue? Does it have anything to do with that Xu Jin?"

"They aren't going to arrest you, are they?"

The concern in Jiang Xingye's eyes could not be faked; she was genuinely worried that he had gotten himself mixed up in something and run into trouble.

Lin Xu coughed and immediately fabricated a lie.

"It's just some lingering historical issues from the Donghua Chemical Fiber Plant. Since I'm currently the person in charge over there, they came looking for me."

"It was just an inquiry, nothing major."

"That's good, that's good."

Jiang Xingye visibly breathed a sigh of relief, a smile returning to her face.

"So where are you heading now? You've already packed your bag?"

"...... Home."

Lin Xu said with a trace of awkwardness:

"I want to go home and rest, I'm tired."

"...... Alright, alright, there really is an impenetrable barrier between us."

Jiang Xingye rolled her eyes.

"Go on then, I still have to work."

With that, she turned to leave, but Lin Xu called out to stop her.

"Wait a second."

"Why don't you knock off early too? I'll take you out to dinner."

"Trying to take advantage of me with unspoken rules?"

Jiang Xingye raised an eyebrow.

"Director Lin, is that appropriate? So many people are watching..."

"...... Are you coming or not?"

Jiang Xingye put on a pitiful expression and spoke:

"I'm coming, how could I not?"

"I'll do whatever you ask me to, Director Lin. Please show some mercy to Xingye..."

"...... There's a camera right above your head."

Lin Xu pointed at the ceiling, and Jiang Xingye straightened up with a start. She looked up in the direction Lin Xu was pointing, only to find that there was absolutely nothing there.

"Trying to scare me?"

Jiang Xingye glared angrily at Lin Xu.

"You're the fool here! Who would install a camera in a director's private office? You actually managed to think of that."

"Let's go, pack your things. We'll grab some dinner and call it a day."

"You got it!"

Jiang Xingye cheerfully pushed the door open and left. Meanwhile, Lin Xu hailed a ride and waited for her downstairs.

As the car sped along the direction of the apartment, Jiang Xingye suddenly asked:

"That Bai Mo, what's her deal anyway?"

"How does a casual chat about college turn into a complete mental breakdown for her?"

Facing this question, Lin Xu was somewhat at a loss for how to answer.

Was he supposed to tell Jiang Xingye that Bai Mo had once entered a higher-dimensional space, and that he happened to have entered it too?

Would she believe him?

----Wait.

Whether she believed him or not, it seemed he ought to try and lay his cards on the table with her.

After all, Jiang Xingye was undoubtedly a key figure related to the Planetary Reincarnation organization, and Planetary Reincarnation was, in turn, a crucial clue to the apocalypse.

By now, he had already acquired a certain amount of information or motivation regarding everyone else connected to the end of the world.

Only Jiang Xingye remained like a black box, still in a completely sealed state.

He had to find a way to open this black box.

At the very least, he had to try and crack a seam open.

With this in mind, Lin Xu spoke up:

"She believes she experienced certain... supernatural encounters."

"She feels she entered a higher-dimensional space, and the answer to that higher-dimensional space lies out in space."

"To be precise, it's on Mars."

"That's why she wants to go to Mars."

"I brought up this topic with her, and the more we talked, the more she... broke down."

"Mars?! Higher-dimensional space?!"

Jiang Xingye was dumbfounded.

"Are you serious??"

"You actually believe that??"

Lin Xu looked into Jiang Xingye's eyes and slowly nodded.

"I think what she says is quite credible."

"Of course, I'm not saying she's entirely correct, but perhaps she really did have some extraordinary experience."

"...... I don't get it."

Jiang Xingye shrugged. Lin Xu continued:

"You don't believe it? Didn't you say before that you wanted to go to Mars?"

"Then why do you want to go to Mars?"

"Me?"

Jiang Xingye paused for a moment.

"I just thought going to Mars sounded quite interesting... But I certainly wouldn't go by myself, I'd at least have to go with someone I like."

"Farming on Mars---the Chinese edition of The Little Prince, how about it, romantic right?"

"...... What kind of terminal romance-addled brain do you have??"

Lin Xu was flabbergasted.

No way, could her eventual trip to Mars be because of such an absurd reason??

He had gone to Mars, and she had tagged along with him??

Then what about the divorce?

How had she ended up becoming his ex-wife?

Lin Xu looked at Jiang Xingye with flickering eyes.

He genuinely couldn't fathom what was going on inside this girl's head.

Jiang Xingye paid him no mind, simply rolling her eyes and sighing as she said:

"Talking about going to Mars to fall in love was just a joke."

"Forget about going to Mars for romance, even the idea of just going to Mars in general is just talk."

"We haven't even sorted out the problems on Earth yet, and you're thinking about Mars?"

"If I really do go, it must be because there's some unavoidable reason to do so."

"For instance, if they happen to be short a flight control engineer or something..."

"I see..."

Lin Xu nodded thoughtfully.

An unavoidable reason...

It seemed the answer to this question could only be found by entering the wristband world.

Tonight, he would find the twenty-years-older Bai Mo.

Perhaps, she would hold the answers.

The car had arrived at its destination, and Lin Xu got out with Jiang Xingye.

The two of them walked side by side into the hot pot restaurant.

Yet neither of them seemed to notice.

Compared to the last time they had come here, the distance between them had grown much, much closer...

...

Meanwhile, in Guizhou, the FAST radio telescope observatory.

A white-haired scholar held the latest report in his hands, while his bespectacled assistant beside him delivered a brief summary.

"...... The duration of the anomaly last time was still far too short."

"We've mobilized nearly all available equipment for observation, but the results are unclear and currently hold no reference value."

"The only thing that can be confirmed is that abnormal gravitational waves were indeed detected between Mars and Earth."

"The Tianqin-1 satellite has captured the corresponding gravitational wave fluctuation data, but because Tianqin-2 and Tianqin-3 have not yet completed networking with Tianqin-1, we are temporarily unable to pinpoint the exact location of the wave's source."

"Right now, some of our colleagues are attempting to establish cooperation with the US LIGO and European Virgo gravitational wave observatories to see if they have more detailed data."

"However, we shouldn't hold out too much hope."

"The intensity generated by this gravitational wave was too low, and its duration too brief; it will most likely be diluted by background noise."

"All I can say is, having something is better than nothing..."

"Indeed."

As the words fell, the scholar let out a slow sigh.

"Having something is better than nothing."

"Our most urgent task right now is still to push for the rapid completion of the Tianqin Project's networking."

"This project has been stalled for a long time due to cost considerations."

"We need to figure out a way to draft a new budget report and bring costs down."

"Structural materials, in particular, make up the bulk of our currently variable costs."

"If there is a more cost-effective solution..."

"No matter what, we have to push forward."

"Ask around and quietly feel things out."

"This needs to be done as soon as possible."

"Understood."

The assistant nodded in agreement.

Yet, in truth, he had no idea where he was supposed to "feel things out."

If they needed something both low-cost and reliable, their only option was to experiment with new materials.

But where were they supposed to find such reliable new materials?

Feel things out... where on earth was he supposed to look?