Prodigy’s Playground

Chapter 100 The Common Point

This blind spot was something Jiang Ran had never noticed before.

Because previously, the sample size had been too small. And truthfully, he had never thought in that direction.

But now, analyzing it again…

In the past, the elderly Zhang Yang in Cell No. 4 had been imprisoned because of quantum tunneling. Professor Gao Yan had once said that quantum tunneling was very likely a precursor theory for the spacetime shuttle.

Now, the drooling Lu Yu in Cell No. 4 had also been imprisoned for researching quantum tunneling—and had even been subjected to brutal torture and interrogation. This only made Jiang Ran more certain that the super genius might very well be the inventor of the spacetime shuttle.

The Killer in Cell No. 5 was mysterious and unfathomable. At first glance he had immediately concluded that Jiang Ran must be a time traveler. Moreover, he had accurately mentioned the rumor that Donghai University possessed a spacetime shuttle. That alone proved he was no outsider to this matter.

As for Jiang Ran himself in Cell No. 3—even though the Old Positron Cannon 2.0 (battle-damaged version) could provide nothing close to the traversal capability of the spacetime shuttle, it was still undeniably a real form of time travel.

Then there was Zhi Ying in Cell No. 1 and Hothead in Cell No. 2. Jiang Ran had never learned about their past lives, nor did he know why they had been imprisoned. But looking at it now… birds of a feather flock together. There was a high probability that they too were somehow connected to time travel or the spacetime shuttle.

Right.

There was still one person he had forgotten.The Magician.

Recalling the Magician’s charges, one of them had been disrupting the order of history. And the Killer had also said that the Magician seemed capable of performing tricks—sometimes suddenly disappearing, sometimes suddenly appearing. Wasn’t that also a manifestation of time travel?

Although the Magician wasn’t imprisoned in the same place as Zhi Ying and the others, the entire prison had been built for him. Without him, this prison wouldn’t exist.

When all of this was summarized together, the conclusion was truly chilling.

“Could it be…”

Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes.

“[The prisoners held in this prison weren’t chosen just to fill space… They were selected because, during their lives, every one of them had come into contact with time travel or the spacetime shuttle.]”

Hmm.

Very possible.

After all, there were countless criminals in the world.

If the goal had simply been to fill cells, why specifically select these people?

Zhang Yang had disappeared, and Lu Yu had appeared in his place. Both teacher and student from Donghai University. Both researching the same subject. Jiang Ran absolutely refused to believe such a coincidence was accidental.

“If I want to know the truth, the only way is to go to the year 2045 again next time and talk properly with Zhi Ying and Hothead.”

“If their life experiences also involve contact with the spacetime shuttle, then it will prove that my deduction just now is correct. And it will also mean… this prison that holds only criminals connected to time travel must be hiding something enormous.”

Once the plan was set.

Jiang Ran turned his head and looked toward the Film Camera Club window.

Unfortunately…

Next time.

But when would that next time be?

He made a K-shaped gesture toward Chi Xiaoguo inside the Film Camera Club.

“Wait for me a moment. I’ll go check the bulletin board.”

He circled around into the student activity building and checked the Summer Safety Management Notice for the Student Activity Building posted on the bulletin board.

Sure enough, it was exactly as rumored.

Written clearly in black characters on white paper:

During the summer vacation, all club activity rooms would be temporarily sealed, and entry was strictly prohibited.

In addition, electricity would be cut starting at 12:00 a.m. tomorrow, and power would not be restored until September 1, when the new semester began.

“Ah…”

Jiang Ran sighed.

If power was cut at midnight, and the Old Positron Cannon had to remain powered off for 20 hours before it could start, there was definitely no time left.

And judging from his understanding of the school electricians—who would actually wait until midnight to flip the breaker? Most likely they would just cut the power at 10 p.m. tonight, or at the latest 11 p.m., and go home to sleep.

“Looks like there’s no chance to activate the Old Positron Cannon.”

Jiang Ran had originally thought that if there were an opportunity, he might try once more tomorrow morning.

“In that case, the next time I go to the 2045 prison to talk with Zhi Ying, Lu Yu, and the Killer… it’ll have to wait until after school starts again on September 1.”

Afterward, Jiang Ran circled back to the transformer distribution box, braced himself against the Film Camera Club windowsill, and vaulted inside in one smooth motion.

“Wow.”

Watching his fluid movement, Chi Xiaoguo looked at him with envy.

“Being tall really is nice. You can climb walls and leap over roofs.”

Jiang Ran laughed.

“That doesn’t count as climbing walls and leaping roofs. I just climbed through a window. Basic skills for a university student.”

He suddenly fell silent.

That might have sounded a little offensive to Chi Xiaoguo.

After all, her height clearly didn’t allow for that particular “basic skill.”

“Ah, it’s fine, Senior~”

Chi Xiaoguo immediately noticed his awkwardness and smiled slightly.

“Girls where I’m from are just like this. Different places raise different kinds of people. There’s nothing we can do about regional differences. Honestly, I’m already grateful Donghai University admitted me.”

“If I had gone to the south, or to the northeast, I’d probably be walking down the street looking at people like this—”

She demonstrated with exaggerated body language, tilting her neck a full ninety degrees upward, parallel to the ceiling.

“Ah… look…”

Because she tilted her head so dramatically, her throat caught and her voice became hoarse.

“Universities in the northeast must all be full of giants. With someone as short as me, if I had to keep looking up at them every day, my neck would be ruined after a year.”

Jiang Ran realized that Little Happy Fruit truly was contagious.

Being around her—listening to her talk, watching her perform—made it impossible not to smile.

“It’s not as exaggerated as you’re saying… By the way, what time is your flight tomorrow?”

“Ten in the morning.”

Chi Xiaoguo replied.

“From Pudong Airport.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Ran reminded her.

“Then you’d better get there early. Pudong Airport punishes everyone who tries to arrive right on time.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

Chi Xiaoguo looked like she was about to cry.

“I already suffered there once last year. Who would’ve thought you have to take the subway inside the airport? My legs nearly fell off walking! Why don’t they just build the boarding gates directly in the ocean?”

Jiang Ran agreed completely.

Although he usually took the high-speed rail home, he had once traveled through Pudong Airport on a trip—and it had permanently cured his procrastination.

There was a joke about it.

A certain Korean traveler once flew into Pudong Airport and then took a car toward the city. The car drove for a long time through empty scenery. Looking at the desolation outside, he sneered:

“Donghai City isn’t that impressive. The suburbs are so barren—there’s nothing here.”

At that moment the driver turned around.

“We’re still inside Pudong Airport.”

That was roughly the idea.

Pudong Airport covered an area twice the size of Macau, so you should never try to arrive at the last minute.

“Oh right, Senior. This is for you.”

Chi Xiaoguo rummaged through her backpack, took out a notebook, and handed it to Jiang Ran.

“These are materials I organized recently. They’re all about the history of the Film Camera Club, especially records from around 2005. I searched through a lot of old archives. I didn’t find much, but I wrote everything down.”

“As for more materials… I couldn’t find any. But I’ve already figured out several times when the club activity room was relocated. Maybe some records were left behind in the previous rooms. Next semester we can go search together!”

Jiang Ran took the notebook and flipped through it casually.

The pages were densely filled with writing.

For a moment…

He felt somewhat ashamed.

Chi Xiaoguo had entered Donghai University with her own academic achievements. In high school she had been considered excellent.

But at Donghai University, who hadn’t once been among the top students in their class?

On top of that, the university’s courses were extremely difficult and the professors taught at a deep level. For someone like Chi Xiaoguo, who had entered with the lowest admission score, the pressure in this elite environment was immense.

Jiang Ran had never disturbed her during exam week because he feared affecting her grades.

Yet she had somehow found time—amid her busy studies—to help him organize materials about the Film Camera Club and dig through old archives…

The feeling reminded Jiang Ran of Cheng Mengxue.

He closed the notebook and fell into thought.

Cheng Mengxue also loved organizing materials. She loved summarizing things and arranging ideas in a notebook.

On Worldline 0, after the first time-traveling text message was sent, Cheng Mengxue had written out all kinds of details with a pen and shown them to Jiang Ran.

Later, when they started using the Old Positron Cannon, it had been the same—she wrote Old Positron Cannon Usage Notes V1.0, V2… on the small blackboard.

Unfortunately, those notes had stopped permanently at Version 4.0.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Ran said softly.

“I’ll study this carefully after I get back.”

Chi Xiaoguo giggled, standing in the sunlight with her hands behind her back.

“Then Jiang Ran Senior—see you next semester.”

“I’m really looking forward to it. Once the new semester starts and you enroll…”

“We’ll finally be real clubmates!”

Afterward, the two of them tidied up the Film Camera Club room again and cleaned everything.

They placed the Old Positron Cannon inside a cardboard box and pushed it behind a shelf to hide it.

The thing looked like an oversized camera anyway. Inside the Film Camera Club it was like hiding wood in a forest—perfectly natural. No one would find it strange.

Jiang Ran had once considered whether he should move the Old Positron Cannon back home and find a transformer distribution box of the same specification in his village to run experiments there.

But after thinking about it, he decided against it.

First, if he brought it home, how would he supply power to it beside a distribution box? The device required a considerable amount of electricity.

Second, carrying such a strange device around in public and constantly tinkering with power distribution boxes from the national grid would almost certainly attract police attention.

It would just be asking for trouble.

Finally—and most importantly—the Old Positron Cannon required precise timing and coordination with phone calls. It wasn’t something a single person could operate.

For the time being, Jiang Ran couldn’t find anyone else he trusted as much as Chi Xiaoguo.

So all things considered—

After working so hard for so long, the Old Positron Cannon deserved a summer vacation too.

Two months of holiday.

Not particularly short, but not very long either.

It would pass quickly.

During that time, Jiang Ran could also study relevant knowledge and prepare himself thoroughly for the new semester—when Lu Yu would arrive and the spacetime shuttle project could begin.

“That should be about it. Let’s go.”

Repeating the earlier method.

Jiang Ran first lifted Chi Xiaoguo onto the windowsill and helped her climb out.

Then he turned around.

Before leaving, he took one last look at the Film Camera Club activity room—the starting point of his dramatic life, where worldlines had intertwined.

He noticed the old photograph on the small blackboard, held in place by magnets.

It was the one taken in 2005, a group photo of the Film Camera Club’s three original members.

Two men and one woman.

Time had flown.

The overexposed white light obscured their faces, yet somehow gave the already youthful photograph an added layer of hazy nostalgia.

Jiang Ran walked over.

He removed the small magnets at the corners of the photo and took it down.

Looking at the trio from twenty years ago, he suddenly felt time overlapping before his eyes, their figures blurring together with the iron triangle he once shared.

“What are the three of you doing now? Are you still together?”

Jiang Ran murmured softly to the overexposed photograph.

“Are you… still best friends?”