Chapter 76: Laws of Time and Space

Lin Xian pondered the concept of the laws of time and space, realizing it perfectly captured his musings.

“There must be numerous other laws of time and space that I’ve yet to observe or deduce,” he thought. “For now, I can only identify three...”

He resumed writing, noting down the three laws of time and space he had formulated:

Laws of Time and Space

Temporal Butterfly Effect: Any action in the present can ripple through history, causing changes—minor or major—in the future. Small alterations might go unnoticed, while significant ones could transform the world.

Temporal Disturbance: Human interventions in history can disrupt the original timeline, leading to changes in the future. These disruptions are known as temporal disturbances and are unpredictable.

Disturbance Anchor Point: Certain times and events that reach a critical threshold can trigger visible temporal disturbances. These are known as disturbance anchor points.

Lin Xian reviewed the laws he had documented. Something seemed off. He examined them again and pinpointed a potential conflict between the Temporal Butterfly Effect and the Disturbance Anchor Point.

“Does every action necessarily lead to a temporal disturbance?” he wondered.

If every minor action could trigger a significant future disturbance, then his dream wouldn’t have remained consistent for 23 years. For instance, winning the Youth City Parkour Championship for three consecutive years was impressive, yet it seemed to have no impact on the future. The world 600 years later appeared unaffected by his victories.

Lin Xian’s eyes settled on the half-filled glass of water on his desk. He pondered, “Would drinking this water now change the world 600 years in the future?”

“Certainly not,” he concluded. “Unless I consumed an absurd amount of water right now, which would either be fatal or severely impair me. In that scenario, I wouldn’t marry or have children, effectively ending my lineage. The absence of future Lin family scientists and criminals might indeed initiate a temporal disturbance.”

“It’s about the magnitude of change. Not every butterfly effect is powerful enough to influence the future. Routine actions like washing my face, brushing my teeth, or taking a bath would dissipate over 600 years, creating no significant ripples.”

He realized he needed to introduce another principle to his laws of time and space. Lin Xian picked up his pen once more and added a fourth law:

Temporal Elasticity

Time and space possess an inherent elasticity, meaning not every butterfly effect will trigger a disturbance. Only changes that accumulate sufficiently or are of significant magnitude can overcome this temporal elasticity, causing disturbances that influence the future.

Lin Xian speculated that the longer the timescale, the greater the temporal elasticity, making it harder for disturbances and changes to manifest. This elasticity also behaves with inertia, smoothing out over long time spans and becoming less reactive.

However, since the concept of inertia wasn’t fully proven, Lin Xian decided not to include it in his writings.

“That’s it for now,” Lin Xian said as he capped his pen.

[Temporal Butterfly Effect]

[Temporal Disturbance]

[Disturbance Anchor Point]

[Temporal Elasticity]

These were the four laws of time and space he had identified so far. Perhaps more laws awaited discovery as he delved deeper into his dream world.

“Maybe these laws are as potent as planes, tanks, and cannons in the realm of time and space,” Lin Xian mused. He closed his eyes and imagined bombing Donghai City with planes, tanks, and cannons, reducing it to ruins, and reverting human technology to the late 20th century—how challenging would that be?

Extremely difficult.

It isn’t just about the firepower; even if Donghai City were destroyed with nuclear weapons, technology would eventually rebound. Moreover, if an adversary pursued such a strategy, they would face the country’s formidable defenses. With strong air and sea defenses, could anyone truly devastate Donghai with conventional warfare?

But he could easily find out by asking someone.

“Thief! Catch the thief! Young man, please help!” Behind him, the anxious voice of a middle-aged woman called out.

Turning, he saw a well-dressed lady gasping as she pursued a fleeing thief. The thief, donning a black hat, muttered curses under his breath. It was the same thief who had robbed the convenience store and killed Lin Xian with a knife the previous night!

“Can’t you rob a different village?” Lin Xian was exasperated. This thief consistently targeted the same village, burglarizing the old man’s store at night and snatching the lady’s handbag during the day.

“Get lost!” The thief elbowed Lin Xian aside and sprinted down a narrow path. The lady, breathless, grabbed Lin Xian’s arm.

“Young man, I can’t run anymore! Please help...”

Having been murdered by this thief the day before, would Lin Xian let him escape today? Obviously not!

“Okay, ma’am, just wait here.”

Whoosh! Lin Xian activated his parkour skills, weaving through the paths, vaulting over walls, and quickly catching up to the thief.

“Take this!”

“Aah!”

A flying kick brought the thief to the ground, pinning him. This time, Lin Xian was cautious. Instead of immediately grabbing the handbag, he reached for the thief’s waist, found a gleaming knife, and flung it far away.

Clang. The knife clattered down some steps. Believing it was now safe, but—

Swish! Another flash of cold steel—the thief had drawn a second dagger!

“Dual-wielding?” Luckily, Lin Xian was ready and quickly dodged backward.

What’s with this world? In his last dream, CC wielded two guns. Now, this thief brandished two knives. Does everyone feel this insecure?

“You!” The thief growled, rubbing his neck in pain, advancing with the dagger. “Always interfering, huh?”

Lin Xian backed away and suddenly found himself at a dead end.

“Damn it!” The thief’s face contorted with rage, his dagger waving threateningly. “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Who do you think you’re teaching a lesson to?!!!” A booming voice resounded from a nearby alley.

Boom!!! A stack of firewood at the alley entrance was kicked aside!

A burly figure, flanked by three fierce-looking followers, emerged.

Swish! The leader flicked out a long baton.

“Spit!” He spat out his cigarette, his face twisted with anger as he glared at the thief.

“Stealing on my turf... You’ve got guts!”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation