novelraw Chapter 175 The Beginning and End of the Positron Cannon
Chapter 175 The Beginning and End of the Positron Cannon
“It really was you!”
Jiang Ran shot to his feet.
Long hair, rock music, the film club, the trio—every single feature matched!
He had searched high and low, only to discover that the person he’d been looking for had been wandering around right beside him the whole time!
Of course. The most dangerous place was often the safest place; the place most visible was often the easiest to overlook.
Now, both the witness and the physical evidence were here.
There was no doubt anymore. Twenty years ago, the young Professor Zhang Yang was the long-haired rock guy in that [old photograph].
“You really hid it well…” Jiang Ran muttered.
“Huh? What? What are you talking about?”
Zhang Yang stared at his suddenly dramatic top disciple in total confusion. “What are you mumbling about?”The look in Jiang Ran’s eyes gradually shifted from shock into something almost affectionate, his gaze shimmering.
This was great.
As long as he found the senior who had built the Positron Cannon back then, everything would be easy to solve. The flame of hope for saving Cheng Mengxue began to blaze once more.
Looking at his mentor—whose threads of fate intertwined across past, present, and future alike—he couldn’t help sighing.
“What a cursed bond.”
“Watch your mouth!” Zhang Yang snapped.
“No wonder. Honestly, from the moment you first said you crashed your motorcycle, I should’ve realized it.”
Resting his chin in one hand, Jiang Ran narrowed his eyes and examined the cast on Zhang Yang’s leg.
“Normally speaking, what kind of respectable university professor rides motorcycles like a speed demon? Anyone capable of that definitely must’ve been wild and unruly when they were young—arrogant, unconventional, totally unconcerned with other people’s opinions or warnings—”
“Say one more word and I’ll kill you!”
Zhang Yang only hated that he didn’t have his crutches in hand right now. Otherwise he’d have vaulted off the floor and sent this rebellious disciple flying with a perfectly practiced scorpion spin kick.
Knock knock knock.
A nurse holding a ward clipboard tapped on the door.
“Patient Zhang Yang, once you’re packed up, please discharge as soon as possible. Beds are tight right now, and there are still patients waiting.”
“Oh, right, right, sorry.”
Zhang Yang quickly apologized to the nurse, then turned back with a disgusted expression.
“Rebellious disciple! Pick up your master’s crutches!”
A few minutes later, the elevator reached the first-floor lobby. Zhang Yang slid out on his crutches while Jiang Ran and the professor’s wife carried bags and bundles.
“So that’s what happened.”
Inside the elevator, Zhang Yang had already heard Jiang Ran’s full explanation.
“I never thought the Film Camera Club would actually survive all the way to this year. That’s basically a miracle. Back when I was in school, it was already on the verge of collapse. If my two friends hadn’t dragged me in to make up the numbers, we wouldn’t even have been able to apply for normal club funding.”
“But what I really didn’t expect is that you brat are in the Film Camera Club too. No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like the type who’d be interested in antiques like film cameras.”
Jiang Ran shook his head.
“At first I wasn’t that interested either. But after looking into it a bit more, it actually started to feel pretty fun.”
—
“How many members does the Film Camera Club have now?”
“Uh… well, how do I put it.”
Jiang Ran hesitated.
“Let’s just say we’re barely hanging on. People come and go all the time. The Film Camera Club stays the same, only the soldiers flowing through it change.”
It was obvious Zhang Yang really did have deep feelings for the club. He kept asking one question after another, wanting every little detail about how Jiang Ran had managed to save it, to the point that Jiang Ran couldn’t even squeeze in any of the questions filling his own head.
Only when they finally reached the entrance of the inpatient building did Zhang Yang finally piece together the whole story.
“So your activity room is on the first floor now? That room’s tiny. Back in our day, the room was on the third floor, and it was actually pretty spacious.”
“At the time, the Film Camera Club didn’t have many people either. Other than a few friends whose names were just there to fill the quota, there were only the three of us. That room was like a secret base to us. Every day we spent in there was happy.”
“Alright, alright, Professor Zhang, your youth nostalgia trip ends here.”
Jiang Ran forcefully cut him off.
“Can you finally let me ask a few questions now? I’ve been holding them in forever!”
“Go ahead.” Zhang Yang planted his crutches and began absentmindedly swinging himself.
Jiang Ran looked at him seriously.
“Do you still remember the [Positron Cannon]?”
“I do.”
Zhang Yang answered without thinking.
“It’s the weapon from Neon Genesis Evangelion, the one Unit-01 and Unit-00 used in Operation Yashima. That episode even had the classic [Rei smile] scene.”
“Oh come on, not that one!”
Using both hands, Jiang Ran sketched a square shape in the air, then drew a cylinder in front of it.
“I’m talking about the device that used to be in the Film Camera Club. The one modified from a bulky CRT monitor. About this big, with a cannon barrel in front, kind of like an oversized camera. Do you remember it?”
Zhang Yang suddenly understood.
“Ooooh~ that thing. Of course I remember it. I can’t believe it’s still around—still in the club room, no less.”
“What’s wrong, Jiang Ran? Is there some problem? We built that Positron Cannon ourselves back then. Another male club member and I made it together.”
!!!
Jiang Ran was stunned all over again.
He had originally thought Zhang Yang’s generation of the Film Camera Club had merely witnessed the Positron Cannon.
But he had never imagined the Positron Cannon had actually been personally built by this deeply hidden genius of a mentor.
“A genius…”
In Jiang Ran’s eyes, Zhang Yang’s image instantly grew taller.
It was as if the great Zhang Yang from the 2045 prison—the one who had taught him everything without reservation—had returned in this very moment.
“Professor Zhang, you really are a genius!”
“Do you have a fever?”
Zhang Yang pinned his crutch under one arm and freed a hand to feel Jiang Ran’s forehead.
“What’s wrong with you today? Are you okay in the head?”
Jiang Ran grabbed Zhang Yang’s hand and clasped it tightly—this great hand that had once invented a time machine.
“Professor Zhang, I’m truly seeing you in a whole new light. Starting today, you are the teacher I respect and admire most in this world!”
“…”
“…Wasn’t I before?!”
Fury surged through Zhang Yang as he lashed out with a full-powered scorpion spin kick, only for Jiang Ran to flash-step aside and dodge it.
“You came here to pick a fight today, didn’t you?!”
He truly could not understand Jiang Ran’s train of thought.
“Don’t tell me you’re unhappy I’m getting discharged today, so you’re trying to piss me off enough to send me back for another half month? Thank you so much, you crotch-staring cat!”
“Professor Zhang, calm down.”
Jiang Ran hurriedly soothed him.
“I just wanted to ask—do you still remember how the Positron Cannon was made back then? What principles did it use?”
“How could I possibly remember that?”
Zhang Yang snorted irritably.
“That thing was completely cobbled together for fun. What principles would there even be? We just connected whatever parts we had lying around and pumped voltage into it to make some sound and lighting effects.”
“…Huh?”
Jiang Ran’s mind went blank.
“You guys… didn’t build the Positron Cannon for some special purpose?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! It was just a toy!”
Zhang Yang chuckled.
“You don’t actually think that thing was real, do you? There’s definitely something wrong with your brain today.”
“We built that thing back then purely because it was fun. We just threw random parts together and made a toy.”
“It never showed any strange phenomena?” Jiang Ran pressed.
“Hm…”
Zhang Yang scratched his head and looked up at the sky.
“If you’re talking strange phenomena, I guess it was how easily that thing exploded. If I remember right, every time we powered it on, it would blow up. Back then it even burned out the electrical meter box in the student activity building.”
“But we thought that was pretty cool. That destructive power was exactly what we wanted. It matched the Positron Cannon from the anime.”
“After that, we’d use it to mess things up all the time. If there was a club we didn’t like, we’d use the Positron Cannon to blow up the meter box in their room.”
Jiang Ran was left staring, speechless.
What kind of scum was this?!
Were teaching certificates really that easy to get these days? Someone with Zhang Yang’s kind of delinquent history could now stand there teaching and nurturing students with perfect dignity?
“And you still have the nerve to say it!”
The professor’s wife fiercely smacked Zhang Yang’s arm.
“What nonsense are you telling your student? Is this how a teacher should teach? If the beam above isn’t straight, the beam below will grow crooked too. Zhang Yang, watch yourself!”
“Ahem.”
Professor Zhang seemed to have instantly developed a weak windpipe, quickly patting Jiang Ran on the shoulder to patch things up.
“Well, what I said just now was a little exaggerated. Your teacher wasn’t that naughty back then~”
“The main reason was my friend Chen Zhengnan. The Positron Cannon was something the two of us tinkered together.”
“He had an incredibly strong sense of justice. So whenever I came up with crooked ideas, he’d always reject them with absolute righteousness and even lecture me on ideology.”
“Think about it—with a discipline committee member like that watching me every day, how could I possibly go around blowing up other clubs’ meter boxes all the time? I’m kidding, kidding, just livening up the mood, hahaha—”
At this point, Jiang Ran no longer cared whether Professor Zhang had really gone around bombing electrical boxes twenty years ago.
The only thing he cared about was whether that Positron Cannon could be repaired.
This was a matter of Cheng Mengxue’s life or death.
As for—
Chen Zhengnan.
The moment he heard the name, Jiang Ran knew it was a man’s name.
That meant Chen Zhengnan had to be the male student standing in the middle of the trio in that old photograph.
Judging by the intimate, ambiguous way the middle boy and the girl on the right stood together, Chen Zhengnan and that girl were obviously a couple.
Which meant Zhang Yang could only have been the clueless long-haired rock third wheel.
Still, Jiang Ran really was disappointed.
He had originally thought Zhang Yang and the others must at least have had some purpose when inventing the Positron Cannon.
Even if it hadn’t started from the concept of a time machine, surely there had at least been a clear direction.
But now the full truth was laid bare.
[They invented the Positron Cannon entirely by randomly cobbling things together on a whim, as a toy, and its only use was blowing up other clubs’ electrical boxes.]
Damn it!
Jiang Ran cursed inwardly.
He had to retract the fleeting burst of admiration he had just felt for Zhang Yang.
A leopard never changes its spots. Other than in that 2045 prison, this guy had never once been serious from childhood to adulthood.
Sigh.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
He had thought he might be able to rely on Professor Zhang to help repair the Positron Cannon.
But now it seemed that was completely hopeless.
“So you really had absolutely no plan at all? You just casually pieced together the Positron Cannon?”
Jiang Ran still refused to give up so easily.
“If you named it the Positron Cannon, there had to be some reason. Sure, that concept existed in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but that anime was already an old relic from the previous century. Why would you suddenly want to build one in 2005?”
“See? See? Fake fan.”
Zhang Yang propped himself up on his crutch and pointed accusingly at Jiang Ran.
“Neon Genesis Evangelion was a 1995 Sakura Nation anime, sure. But in 2005, director Hideaki Anno suddenly announced he was making a brand-new Evangelion Rebuild movie series—a luxurious four-part lineup.”
“The first movie came out in 2007, the second in 2009, and the final one only a few years ago—”
“…”
“Okay, okay, stop talking.”
Jiang Ran waved him off.
He had absolutely no interest in anime, manga, or any of that subculture stuff.
Zhang Yang’s meaning was already crystal clear.
The only reason they had wanted to build a Positron Cannon toy in 2005 was because huge Evangelion news had broken that year, and anime-loving Zhang Yang had decided on a whim to pay tribute.
“So if it’s broken now, can it still be repaired?”
Jiang Ran held onto the final sliver of hope.
“And is it possible to build another one exactly the same?”
Yet—
Zhang Yang only shrugged.
“This thing itself was randomly cobbled together. There’s no such thing as ‘broken’ or ‘working.’ Back then, as long as it could still blow up a meter box, we considered it fully functional.”
“If you want to recreate one exactly the same, that’s impossible, because we ourselves had no idea how we randomly made it in the first place.”
“By the way—you care so much about the Positron Cannon… don’t tell me you used it to blow up the Film Camera Club’s meter box too? Hahahahaha! As expected of my top disciple, you’ve got my style. A perfect inheritance!”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
Jiang Ran turned away and carried the bags toward the car parked by the roadside.
“At the very least, we wait until electrical load is low before using it.”
He placed the bags into the trunk and shut the lid.
The professor’s wife walked over and called to them.
“Alright, you two, stop chatting out here. We’ll continue this at home another time.”
Zhang Yang hobbled down the steps on his crutches, looking at Jiang Ran.
“Why are you suddenly so down again? Completely inexplicable. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you this eager to ask questions. If only you put this kind of heart and attitude into your research topics.”
“Your master is getting in the car and going home now. Do you have any final words?”
“Nothing further to say.”
Jiang Ran opened the car door.
“Please get in quickly.”
The car had been driven over by Zhang Yang’s brother-in-law to pick him up. Since Zhang Yang’s leg was in a cast and couldn’t bend, he had to monopolize the entire back seat. The professor’s wife sat in the passenger seat, while the brother-in-law drove, so there was no way they could give Jiang Ran a ride too.
Jiang Ran didn’t mind and let them leave first.
The professor’s wife rolled down the window and smiled at him.
“Jiang Ran, you’ve worked hard too while your Professor Zhang was sick. We already talked it over earlier. In a few days, once we clean up the school apartment, we’ll make a whole table of dishes and invite you and your friends over as guests!”
“No problem.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“Professor Zhang already mentioned it to me before. I’ll definitely come.”
Then the car drove away.
Watching the exhaust gradually dissipate into the air, Jiang Ran let out a long sigh.
“Sigh…”
He stood there at the entrance of the inpatient building, speechless.
It seemed—
Whether it was Qin Feng from Worldline 0, or Old Qi from the appliance repair shop in Worldline 1, their diagnosis had both been correct.
Now it was confirmed beyond doubt—
The Positron Cannon truly was the accidental product of random assembly.
Irreparable.
Irreproducible.
Impossible to disassemble and replicate.
A thing found neither in heaven nor on earth. One of a kind.
Could it be—
Was the path of repairing the Positron Cannon and using time-traveling messages to save Cheng Mengxue… truly impossible?
“No. It’s still too early to give up.”
Jiang Ran shook his head and looked at the white clouds above.
Even if there was no hope from Zhang Yang, he hadn’t built the Positron Cannon alone.
There was still another “accomplice.”
“Chen Zhengnan.”
Jiang Ran spoke the name aloud.
According to Zhang Yang, Chen Zhengnan was someone with a strong sense of justice, clear principles, and an extremely serious personality.
No matter how he looked at it, this person sounded far more reliable than Professor Zhang.
Could he possibly get some clues or help from Chen Zhengnan?
“There might still be some hope.”
“After all, Chen Zhengnan and Zhang Yang cobbled the Positron Cannon together together. If Zhang Yang doesn’t remember the details, maybe Chen Zhengnan still does.”
“…”
“In any case, next time I go to Professor Zhang’s house for dinner, I’ll bring that old photograph of the three of them and ask properly.”
After that, he left the hospital, hailed a taxi, and returned to Donghai University.
On the way, as Jiang Ran watched the scenery passing by, he also figured out a few things.
It was perfectly understandable that Zhang Yang and Chen Zhengnan had never discovered the Positron Cannon’s special use.
After all, the conditions for using it were absurdly harsh.
Not only did it require firing directly at the transformer distribution box, it also only lasted 0.7 seconds.
Within that 0.7 seconds, someone had to happen to send a message or make a phone call—only then could a time-traveling message be sent, or spacetime travel occur.
And in 2005, the Film Camera Club’s room had been on the third floor.
No matter what, there would’ve been no way to aim at the transformer distribution box downstairs.
—
“Hm?”
Suddenly, Jiang Ran thought of something.
He and Qin Feng had already verified in Worldline 0 that as long as those two requirements were met, anyone could send a time-traveling message, and anyone could trigger a Worldline Transition.
Then—
[With the current Positron Cannon 2.0, if someone else answered a phone beside the distribution box, could they also travel to 2045?]
He was genuinely curious about this.
Following the previous logic of the time-traveling messages, it should indeed apply equally to all beings.
The only difference was that only he retained memories from the original worldline.
Which meant—
Even if Chi Xiaoguo stood beside the transformer distribution box and answered a call, she should also be able to travel to 2045 and appear in Cell No. 3.
“…Would it really work like that?”
Jiang Ran blinked, unable to settle on the idea.
The best way to verify it would naturally be to test it in practice—have Chi Xiaoguo stand beside the distribution box tonight and try it.
At this point, whether or not they kept the Positron Cannon and time travel secret from Chi Xiaoguo wasn’t especially important anymore.
After everything that had happened with the Mutual Aid Society of Regrets, it was clear Chi Xiaoguo was not only tight-lipped, but fully stood on his side.
She was a qualified and reliable comrade.
So under those circumstances, letting Chi Xiaoguo have a taste of the Positron Cannon’s “flavor” wasn’t impossible.
Only—
Considering how dangerous 2045 was over there, with zombies and prisons and all the rest, Jiang Ran couldn’t bring himself to send Chi Xiaoguo over.
“Better forget it. I’ll let her verify it some other time if there’s a chance.”
The moment he pictured Chi Xiaoguo getting scared out of her wits by the filthy-mouthed Pi Biao, Jiang Ran simply couldn’t bear it.
That night, 10:30 p.m.
Almost all the lights in the student activity building were out.
Only the Film Camera Club remained brightly lit.
—
Chi Xiaoguo was draped over the tea table like an invertebrate, bored out of her mind.
“Siiigh—Senior, Mengxue-jie going back to the States is one thing, but Fang Ze still isn’t back either. The Film Camera Club isn’t about to be on the verge of dissolution again, is it?”
“It won’t.”
Jiang Ran comforted her.
“Fang Ze clearly said he’d come back. He just needs to finish handling things over there first. It probably won’t be more than a few days.”
“Oh right, speaking of that.”
He turned to her.
“My advisor, Professor Zhang Yang—you’ve met him before. The one I stabbed with a pencil.”
“He’s already been discharged. In a few days he’s planning to invite us over to his house as guests. You should come too.”
“—No way!”
Chi Xiaoguo’s spine instantly returned. She crossed her arms into an X over her chest.
“I’m terrible at dealing with professors! Hard pass!”
“You two will definitely get along.”
Jiang Ran reminded her.
“Professor Zhang likes memes just like you. He’s also an old-school hardcore otaku.”
“Baka! I’m not some cringe two-dimensional creature!” Chi Xiaoguo said, hands on her hips.
“Alright, alright, stop pretending. Your cover was blown ages ago.”
Jiang Ran waved it off.
“And here’s something that’ll really surprise you. Remember that 2005 group photo of the Film Camera Club? Professor Zhang is the long-haired rock guy on the far left.”
“What?!”
Chi Xiaoguo’s mouth dropped open.
“That contrast is way too huge! Did he go from rogue bad boy to redeemed citizen?”
“Hey, hey, hey, he just had long hair and liked rock music! It’s not like he was some mafia gangster!”
Jiang Ran laughed helplessly.
“No matter what, he’s still an old senior of the Film Camera Club. Since we’ve got that kind of connection, shouldn’t we go pay our respects and get acquainted?”
“That’s true!”
Chi Xiaoguo’s interest instantly flared.
“Then we absolutely have to visit! A senior from 2005—his photography skills must be incredible!”
Heh.
Jiang Ran let out a quiet laugh.
“Then you shouldn’t get your hopes up. According to Professor Zhang, he was dragged there just to make up the numbers.”
“Oh right. When you called this afternoon, didn’t you say you found some clues about leftover Film Camera Club materials?”
“I did, I did.”
Chi Xiaoguo nodded.
“I found out that the Guitar Club’s storage room is actually the Film Camera Club’s old activity room. Apparently there’s still some really old junk from the club left on the tabletop.”
“Junk?”
“Yep. That’s how the Guitar Club president described it. He said the stuff’s been piled on the tables for years and buried under all kinds of things. If we’re willing to help them sort it out and clear it away, he’s happy to give us the key.”
“That’s perfect. Exactly what we need.”
Jiang Ran stood up.
“Since Fang Ze still isn’t here and we can’t really carry out club activities right now, we might as well go dig through the old Film Camera Club room. Maybe we’ll find some materials related to the Positron Cannon.”
At this point, they couldn’t afford to overlook even the slightest clue.
“By the way, where’s the Guitar Club storage room? Third floor of this building?”
“Huh?”
Chi Xiaoguo blinked.
“Senior, how do you know that so clearly? Do you know someone in the Guitar Club?”
“No, no.”
Jiang Ran waved his hand.
“Professor Zhang just told me that back in 2005 their room was on the third floor. I didn’t expect it to line up this perfectly.”
“Looking at it this way, our current progress actually isn’t bad. We found the old senior from back then, and now we’ve found leftover materials from the old club room too. The future looks bright.”
“Exactly!”
Chi Xiaoguo clenched both fists and raised them high.
“The citrus situation is looking very good!”
Jiang Ran rolled his wrist and glanced at his watch.
The time read 10:45 p.m.
Just about right.
At this hour, there was basically no one left in the student activity building, and the electrical load had already dropped.
Jiang Ran pulled open the shelf, took out the Positron Cannon from the cardboard box, and set it on the experiment table.
Patting the clearly dented top cover, he looked at Chi Xiaoguo.
“The time’s about right. Let’s do something we haven’t done in a while—”
“Start up the Positron Cannon!”