Chapter 6: Of Course I'll Save You

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Gone again.

Lin Xu struggled to get up from the bed, feeling the unbearable pain that rippled through his body just like it did during the apocalypse.

Damn...

This hurts too much.

It had been a long time since he exited the Bracelet World this way, and for a moment, there was even a faint sense of relief.

What the hell?

Has this thing already been adjusted to this extent?

Lin Xu scratched his head fiercely, recalling the scene before the apocalypse arrived.

Jiang Xingye’s anxious, panicked face was still vivid in his mind—though she was already in her forties twenty years later, she carried a certain charm at a glance.

She didn’t look like she was in her forties, more like in her early thirties.

Especially when her hair fluttered, she resembled the heroine from some fate-themed music video.

She truly was an A8, a natural beauty; even time left hardly any trace on her face.

—Wait a minute.

How did it stray to this topic?

His mind felt a bit muddled, as if he hadn’t slept enough.

Lin Xu sat down at his computer and opened a new document, typing two words in the title:

“Clues.”

Before this, he had never done such a thing—not out of laziness, but simply because he had never experienced the Bracelet World changing due to the real world.

So instinctively, he believed the world inside the Bracelet was parallel to reality.

Although most things were similar, even continuous, the thing might just be like a game, completely unrelated to the real world.

But now it seemed this assumption was clearly wrong.

That was the world twenty years in the future, real and tangible.

The apocalypse would come in twenty years, unchangeable.

Twenty years... What should he do?

After a brief thought, Lin Xu started a new line and typed down the clues he had gathered.

[First: The apocalypse event occurs one hour after entering the Bracelet; the world is destroyed precisely one hour later.]

[Second: The apocalypse manifests as a massive flash, but nuclear weapons can be ruled out, as no subsequent nuclear damage—such as overpressure or shockwaves—was observed.]

[Third: After the apocalypse event, the human world is completely destroyed (no survivors found).]

These three clues were the “basic laws” Lin Xu had confirmed about the Bracelet World, verified dozens of times so far.

Next, he continued typing more clues.

[The Bracelet World changes due to changes in the real world; the two worlds share the same timeline or can influence each other to some extent (uncertain).]

This clue was less certain.

Theoretically, if the two worlds truly shared the same timeline, even the slightest change he made in reality should be reflected in the Bracelet.

But that didn’t seem to be the case.

Instead, only during “major events” or “key moments” did the Bracelet World change accordingly.

For example, if he solved the flight control algorithm early.

So, the connection between the two worlds might be more complex?

This was a problem that urgently needed solving.

Understanding the connection between the two worlds would make his future exploration of the Bracelet World much easier.

The next step was to figure out a way to verify this.

Lin Xu kept typing, reaching the latest and most crucial part of the clues:

Jiang Xingye.

[Jiang Xingye sent him an early warning of the apocalypse through special means before it arrived; she had limited advance knowledge of the apocalypse (uncertain).]

This was the most puzzling point for Lin Xu.

How did she know?

By what means did she obtain this information?

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So, he wasn’t the only one twenty years in the future who knew about the apocalypse?

How then did his future self acquire the knowledge?

These questions were essentially the same question, which, pushed further, touched on the “truth of the apocalypse.”

Not an easy problem to solve.

Lin Xu saved the document with a shortcut, then went to the fridge and gulped down a can of soda, clearing much of the haze in his head.

He looked at the time: 10:30 p.m.

Should he invite Jiang Xingye out for a late-night snack?

Although directly asking her “How did you know the apocalypse was coming?” would surely yield no answer, perhaps deepening their understanding might uncover some clues.

Lin Xu immediately took out his phone and sent her a message:

“Want to grab a late-night snack?”

After a moment, Jiang Xingye replied.

Jiang Xingye (Head of Test Ship Flight Control Development): “Are you really hungry, or just messing with me?”

Lin Xu: “A bit hungry, haven’t eaten yet.”

Jiang Xingye: “You’re dreaming if you think I’m going tonight. I’m busy.”

Lin Xu: “When are you free then?”

Jiang Xingye: “??? Trying to provoke me? Not falling for it.”

Lin Xu: “No, really busy. I have something serious to talk to you about in person.”

Jiang Xingye: “Oh... I thought you were just starving.”

Jiang Xingye: “Alright, I’ll come out. I actually have something to discuss too, was going to tell you tomorrow, but since you're coming out tonight, we can talk together.”

Lin Xu: “Confession? Then I’m not going.”

Jiang Xingye: “I’m going to be your stepmom! Ten minutes, see you downstairs.”

Lin Xu smiled and put down his phone, quickly changing clothes.

He and Jiang Xingye lived in apartments near the company, separated by just a few floors. Meeting up was quite convenient.

Heading out, the elevator stopped halfway, and Jiang Xingye got in.

Seeing her outfit, Lin Xu was stunned and asked:

“You’re going out dressed like that??”

Jiang Xingye wore fluffy pajamas, wrapped up tightly, no makeup on, hair loose, holding a large water cup—completely different from her daytime appearance.

But...

She looked quite nice.

Jiang Xingye rolled her eyes.

“Big brother, I just finished showering and was about to lie down.”

“The project finally reached a milestone; I haven’t gone to bed before midnight in ages. If I get the chance, I need to catch up on sleep.”

“Here, hold this for me.”

Lin Xu took the cup, smiling awkwardly.

“I thought girls paid more attention to their image when going out...”

He turned his head away.

Jiang Xingye chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“We science and engineering girls are like this... only dress up when going out. If I were going to your place for dinner, I definitely wouldn’t be like this.”

“At least I’d put on my battle armor!”

Lin Xu pouted helplessly.

“Come on, cut it out. You talk tough but tell me to scram as soon as I ask.”

“What, am I not your target fish?”

“I’d punch you through, damn it...”

Jiang Xingye gave him a side eye.

They walked out of the elevator one after another and casually found a small night market stall to sit down.

Actually, Lin Xu wasn’t very hungry, just a bit drained after entering the Bracelet World.

So, he didn’t order much—just a few skewers and two bowls of porridge.

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Jiang Xingye forbade Lin Xu from drinking soda, saying work was exhausting and health must be maintained.

She asked the owner for cups and poured each of them a cup of ginseng and goji berry tea.

While waiting for the food, Lin Xu asked:

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Weren’t you the one who reached out first? You start!”

Jiang Xingye blew on her steaming tea, hesitated a moment, then shook her head.

“Forget it, I’ll start.”

“The Test No.3 project is about to enter the implementation phase; the preliminary development is basically done, and the simulation results are excellent.”

“I expect your workload in this project to decrease significantly.”

“That’s great!”

Lin Xu asked happily:

“How long can I relax for?”

“Relax, my foot!”

Jiang Xingye shot him a dissatisfied glare.

“We’re a private company, not government. If you relax now, you’ll gradually be sidelined.”

“Didn’t you come here to earn enough for retirement before 35? Give it one more push!”

“You’ve been doing well lately; I recommended you for a new project with me.”

“New project?”

Lin Xu asked in confusion.

He hadn’t heard about any new projects in the company—test ships hadn’t even flown yet. A new project?

Did they really think they were some ridiculously powerful tech unicorn? Assets less than a billion, but comparing themselves to SpaceX?

Seeing his expression, Jiang Xingye shook her head.

“It’s not exactly a... serious new project.”

“It’s the space travel project I mentioned earlier.”

“The boss already approved it. Tomorrow we start assembling the team.”

“You must join. Although it won’t be completed anytime soon, like you said, it’s a very important capital story.”

“If we tell this story well, we’ll be swimming in money.”

“Then whether you want to retire or jump ship, you’ll have a solid card to play and be much freer.”

“I understand.”

Lin Xu nodded gratefully.

Honestly, Jiang Xingye was a good leader for bringing him on to such a great opportunity.

What’s work for? Money, of course.

Not ideals, right?

He raised his cup and clinked it with Jiang Xingye’s, then drank.

Jiang Xingye asked:

“And you? What did you want to talk about?”

Lin Xu was taken aback, hesitated a moment, then asked:

“I have a very abstract question...”

“I want to ask you, if one day the apocalypse comes, and you have one chance to save one person, who would you save?”

After asking, Lin Xu expected Jiang Xingye to laugh at him.

But unexpectedly, she answered without hesitation:

“I’d save you.”