Chapter 97: Einstein

Lin Xian was deep in thought. He needed to figure out if the safe was truly meant for him or if the connection to his name was just a coincidence.

“All I need to do is send a message to my future self,” Lin Xian mused. “If I ever set a new password for an aluminum alloy safe, it must always be the same. I wouldn’t ignore advice from my younger self.”

Why argue with his own past?

Realizing that a letter might not be necessary—as long as he committed to this decision, his future self would likely follow through—Lin Xian still considered the importance of a written reminder. “Writing it down might be wise, just in case I forget decades from now,” he reasoned, recalling Professor Xu Yun’s warning about potential memory loss associated with hibernation. If he were to forget this agreement during such a time, today’s decision would be futile.

So, he began to write:

“To my future self,

Hello.

This is Lin Xian from 2023. When you choose a password for an aluminum alloy safe in the future, please use 29990203.

You might steer clear of our usual birthday for security reasons, but I trust this password is secure enough.

0203 is our lunar birthday, and 2999 adds a thousand years to our birth year. It’s easy to remember.

Keep it simple for yourself!

If you are indeed the one who sets this safe’s password in the future, remember 29990203!

Commit it to memory!”

After finishing the letter, Lin Xian capped his pen and reviewed his words. The whole exercise felt strange, even slightly absurd, but it served its purpose.

From that moment, he was resolute: “No matter what happens or what significant dates I encounter, I will always set the aluminum alloy safe’s password to 29990203!”

He reiterated this commitment to himself multiple times.

Okay. It was now firmly ingrained in his memory.

Einstein was connected to the concept of a universal constant through his infamous cosmological constant, introduced in his younger days to account for a static universe. This constant, inconsequential on a galactic scale but significant on a cosmic scale, was later renounced by Einstein himself, who considered it his greatest mistake.

One hand fighting the other—a compelling scientific narrative.

Yet, Lin Xian knew Einstein’s cosmological constant had no connection to the universal constant 42. Suggesting to Einstein that “the cosmological constant is 42” would be nonsensical.

This too led nowhere.

Lin Xian turned off his phone, realizing that understanding the true significance of 42 still necessitated infiltrating New Donghai City as planned.

He moved to the kitchen, crumpled up the A4 paper with his thoughts, placed it in a baking tray, and watched it burn.

Safety first. These notes revealed his intent to delve into the Genius Club and the universal constant 42, which opposed the Genius Club. If discovered, he could face a fate similar to Professor Xu Yun’s orchestrated accident.

“Xu Yun was a distinguished scientist, warranting a meticulously planned accident at 00:42.”

“But what about someone like me? Who knows how they’d deal with me.”

Considering the Genius Club’s potential control over history, extreme caution was essential. Additionally, the positions of MX Company and Zhao Ying Jun remained ambiguous.

“Walking on thin ice...”

After incinerating the papers, Lin Xian flushed the ashes down the toilet and headed back to bed for a nap.

The next morning, Lin Xian skipped work. After dining at a nearby mall, he visited a private cinema. Unlike regular theaters, this one offered private rooms where patrons could watch old films on demand.

After scanning a code to pay, the attendant smiled and handed him an iPad to select a film.

“What movie would you like to watch? We offer a broad range of old movies, all authorized, in HD, complete with official extras,” the attendant said.

“I’ll watch this one, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Lin Xian responded, scrolling through the options.

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation